Except for the last part, this chapter was actually written by my friend, tartkiwifruit! She's awesome, you should definitely check her out! Hope you enjoy!


Things were not looking up for the Vikings. Hiccup could feel the rage in the air from his father's side of the court, even through his stifling mascot head. Despite the heat in the costume, it made his mouth dry.

"What is going on with you tonight?" Coach Stoick the Vast, so nicknamed for his bellowing voice as well as his girth, shouted at his team. "Have all of you decided to choke tonight, or did you just decide not to play? They're destroying us out there!"

His five players stared back at him. Berk High School's basketball team didn't look like a typical gang of jocks. It was co-ed, for one. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Astrid all looked like string beans to the untrained eye, and a big guy like Fishlegs didn't look like he'd be quick enough to keep up. Only Snotlout had the physique of a stereotypical athlete. But their appearances were misleading: the Berk Vikings were the best high school basketball team in the county.

Or at least, they had been last year.

The team stood, panting, as they waited for Stoick to stop for air. "It's not our fault coach!" Snotlout whined. "We're doing our best, but these guys-"

"They're different from last year," Astrid interrupted. "They're playing smarter, and their teamwork is better too."

"And they're using that teamwork for some awesome strategy," Fishlegs cut in. "Even on the court I could see it, the way number 33, 55, and 86 pulled off a three-part pincer-pass and got through our defense-"

Tuffnut whacked his teammate on the back of the head. "Don't praise them!"

Hiccup had to turn his entire body to look out at their opponents. Reddeth High School's Dragons stood around their coach, probably hearing from her the opposite of what Stoick was giving his team. The Dragons and the Vikings had been rivals for as long as Hiccup could remember. His parents had both been on the team when they were in High School, and even his grandfather had made some vicious remarks about 'those Reddeth bastards.' But they'd never been this good.

The Dragon mascot, noticing that the giant fabric Viking head was looking their way, turned around and mooned Hiccup. Hiccup made a rude gesture at it. Some of Dragons saw and laughed- one of the laughers was Gronkle. The Dragons had a much larger team than Berk's threadbare five-man-band, but Hiccup knew about their five star players. He didn't even know their names, just their nicknames: Gronkle (86), Nadder (47), Barf (55), Belch (33) (Hiccup knew he wasn't one to talk, but how did they let nicknames like those stick?) and the creme de la creme, Nightmare (01).

And boy was number 01 mopping up some Vikings tonight.

"...all summer. Those Dragons may think they're on our level, but they're in for a nasty surprise!" Hiccup tuned back in to his father's pep talk as Stoick's voice rose. "We're better than them. We've always been better than them. Now you're going to go out there and show them where they can stick their fancy new plays, and show them what it means to be a Viking." He put his hand out and the rest of the team put their hands on top. Hiccup moved to put his enormous felt-covered hand out with the rest, but they were already shouting "Vikings!" and pulling out, running back onto the court.

"Hey Dad," Hiccup said. And then, louder, to be heard through the suit. "Dad!"

"Hmm?" Stoick asked, dragging his eyes away from the court for just a second to drop a glance on his team mascot.

"Tuffnut isn't looking so good. He's still limping from his wipeout last week," Hiccup shouted. "Maybe I could go-"

"I'm sorry, son," Stoick sighed. "But now's really not the time to sabotage ourselves by putting you out there. Maybe next game."

Hiccup didn't even bother to sigh. He said that every game. But it was hardly like Hiccup could make their situation any worse. Hiccup looked up at the scoreboard: the Vikings were losing 47 to 18, with three minutes left on the clock. If they managed to pull a win out of this one, he'd take even Snotlout's painful noogies with joy.


Spoiler: they didn't win.


"I want to bash those motherfuckers' heads in!" Snotlout roared, kicking instead at an innocent garbage can. He hopped back, holding his foot, cursing.

Hiccup looked up from his phone as the team entered. The gym was empty now, the crowds dispersed. Vikings fans had left in dispirited twos and threes as Dragon fans had lifted Nightmare on their shoulders, singing their school's anthem.

"Hey guys," Nightmare had called out over the roar of cheering voices. "I may be the bomb-ass hero who won this game, but let's give it up for the best strategist in the world, Lightniiing!"

And he'd pointed at a player on the bench, who gave a bashful sort of wave. Then the fans had lifted him up on their shoulders too, singing and cheering as they funneled out the door.

Hiccup and the Vikings had gone to shower. Hiccup preferred to shower quickly and get dressed, ever since the one time he'd tried to shower with the guys and Snotlout had tripped him up in the shower and sent Snapchats of it to Astrid and Ruffnut. (Hiccup had texted them both and begged them not to open the snaps. Astrid said she'd deleted it without looking. He hadn't gotten a response from Ruff.)

He still waited for them in the gym, hoping maybe they'd invite him with them to their usual post-game celebratory ice cream. Tonight's mood was not an ice cream mood.

"Shut up Snotty, we're all pissed," Ruffnut snapped. "You're not the only one who wants to bash some faces, but you don't see me destroying school property over it."

"Yeah, cuz Snotlout already took the garbage can you were aiming for," Tuffnut muttered. Ruffnut elbowed him in the ribs.

The three of them started arguing, and Fishlegs joined in for the camaraderie of it, until Astrid said, "Why don't we?"

She spoke at a normal volume, but her four teammates quieted and looked back at her. With one hand on her hip, the other holding her duffel bag slung over her shoulder, Astrid looked like nothing less than a general leading her army into glory. "Why don't we go bash some faces?"

"Uuh," said Snotlout.

"We just lost the qualifying match for State," Astrid said. "So it's not like the league can punish us for it. And you know no one in the Berk administration's gonna care if we knock some Dragon heads." Her expression turned venomous. "They embarrassed us today. We know where their school is. Let's go drive around, see if we find some Dragons. Especially that bitch Gronkle. I want payback."

Slowly, hopeful malice bloomed on the faces of her teammates. (Well, Fishlegs looked more nervous than malicious.)

"What are we waiting for then?" Snotlout whooped, and jogged to the exit of the gym.

"Uh, I don't think this is a good idea," Hiccup called to them. "It's just basketball, guys. It's not like these people are killing our families."

Astrid turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. The rest of the team ignored him entirely. "Does this mean you're not coming?" She asked.

Hiccup inhaled some spit and started coughing. Astrid waited for him to finish. She gave him one last, intent stare before turning and walking to the door.

Hiccup gaped for a few seconds before jogging forward. It was no ice cream, but an invitation was an invitation. And he wasn't going to throw away the only one he'd ever gotten.


It didn't take long to get to the other school, about a 10-minute drive. Hiccup was reveling in finally being invited, but he wasn't sure how he was going to bash any skulls. Not that he wanted to, but he also didn't want to seem like more of a wuss than they already thought.

The car stopped in Reddeth's parking lot, behind the football field. Everyone got out, Hiccup trailing not far behind. "So how we doing this?" Snotlout asked, cracking his knuckles. "Sneak in, element of surprise kind of game? Charge in roaring, show them who's boss?"

Astrid didn't answer and walked toward the school in silence. She could figure it out once she knew where they were.

"There!" Ruffnut cried. Everyone turned to where she was pointing and saw five members of the Dragon team sitting on a wooden ledge on a hill in front of them, a few cans of beer scattered around, and laughing their asses off. The ledge was built onto a steep hill behind the bleachers, extra seating for the football field it overlooked.

"That's really dangerous," Hiccup muttered. "If they're drunk, they could easily lose their balance and fall off."

Astrid looked at him and smirked. "That would be a shame. How about we lend them a hand?"

Her teammates smirked along with her, understanding immediately what she meant. Hiccup wasn't so in tune. "What do you mean?"

The team ignored him and slowly and quietly walked toward the enemy. Before anyone could realize what was going on, the Vikings pulled their legs back and kicked the dragons off the ledge. Hiccup gasped, his hand flying to his mouth. "What the hell?" he yelled, running toward them to make sure everyone was okay. A glance showed the dragons looking up before running away and Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's get 'em!" Astrid said in a battle cry, raising her fist. Her teammates cheered and jumped down the ledge before chasing after the enemy. Astrid quickly followed, leaving Hiccup in the dust. He sighed. At least no one got hurt.