The look on his face was perfect. His dark brown eyes were fixed in an intense gaze on his target. His mouth was clenched. His blonde hair fell slightly across his forehead. Anyone could tell he meant business by looking at nothing else than that face. If there was any doubt, though, it was taken away by glancing at his body. He was standing with his legs spread apart, his weight clearly shifted to his back foot. His throwing arm was pulled behind his head, a grey Antanite ball held firmly in his hand.

Ken smirked and crossed his arms. The picture was absolutely perfect. His eyes darted around, enjoying the sight of his already tall body standing larger than life on a billboard in the distance, illuminated by numerous powerful lights in the darkness of the night. On it, Ken stood with a dodgeball, ready to unleash its fury. Behind him to his left, Paul Langdon, his best friend, teammate, and captain of the newly formed Hyrule Kings, leapt through the air, red ball in hand. Behind him to his right, Isaac Adkins, new to the world of dodgeball and captain of the Tellius Kings, reached out to catch a ball. The large bold text underneath their bodies read,

"National DodgeBall League

Coming this March

Get your tickets TODAY!"

It was still beautiful and caught Ken's eye, even though the large advertisement had reigned over the city for nearly three months.

"Kenneth Dollings, you are ridiculous," came a voice from behind Ken. He turned to look at the body it came from, his smile widening. It was Sara Conover, his long-time love. "You just can't get enough of this second round of popularity."

He turned away from the hulking billboard. His mouth opened and his eyebrows raised as he got a good look at Sara. "You look... stunning." He extended his hand as the taxi Sara had just stepped out of drove away. Even in tall red heels, Sara was a few inches shorter than Ken. Her short, simple black dress accentuated her lean frame. Her dark hair was pulled back into an elegant low pony tail. She stood there for a moment, sheepishly smiling, as Ken took it all in.

"Let me fix this for you, Tex," she finally said, taking a step forward. Her hands reached up toward the tie that wrapped around Ken's neck. She tightened and aligned the red fabric so that it matched the formal black suit Ken was wearing. "There." She patted the tie, which now rested properly in the center of his shirt.

"How would I ever survive without you?" Ken said, a smug grin on his face. He put his strong hands on Sara's thin arms as he leaned in and kissed her casually on the lips.

As their lips parted, Sara looked Ken in the eyes. "I'm sure you'd get along somehow. You've managed to do pretty well so far."

Ken brushed Sara's bangs away from her face. "Let's get going." He grabbed her hand and the two strolled along the sidewalk. The two of them were silent but the sounds of the busy city enveloped them. Cars honked, the train clanked, people talked.

"Is that Ken?" A teenage girl crossing the street rushed toward him. Ken bit his lip and looked at Sara, who only shook her head. "Oh my GOD! KEN! You're like, only my favorite DodgeBall player ever. Ever! I watched all of your matches last year. I have your poster and everything. Oh my God. I can't believe I'm like, actually seeing you." Her sentences all ran into each other. The girl only stopped to take a deep breath, then continued with her incredibly important question. "Can I get a picture with you?" Her cell phone was already flipped open and ready to snap a photo.

"Sure," was Ken's reply. Faking a smile, he bent down slightly as the girl leaned in close to him. A bright flash came from the tiny contraption.

"Oh my God! Thank you, Ken!"

"It's no problem," Ken said. As the light across the street flashed 'WALK', he and Sara took a step forward. The voice of the girl became audible again as she walked away from them. She was excitedly telling someone about what had just happened.

"Why are we walking to the opening again?" Sara asked as they continued on.

"You know the NDL is supposed to be supporting the green lifestyle," Ken reminded her. "And as DodgeBall's king-"

"And you know I hate when you talk like that," Sara interrupted seriously. She glanced in his direction before continuing. "But I get it. You're just lucky I don't mind wearing heels anymore."

He squeezed her hand. They turned a corner. In the distance, they saw the red carpet. It was surrounded by people. People holding cameras. People with microphones. People with clipboards. Just lots of people. As they neared the event, the crowd shrieked. Those with microphones began talking to the cameras. Lights began to flash in their direction.

"Here goes," Ken whispered.

The couple continued walking forward. The large ornate building behind the red carpet was shining. In the darkness, the building looked just as it did in the daylight. Banners hung down featuring the names and mascots of the 22 teams ready for play in the newly formed National DodgeBall League. This night, the opening of the NDL, had been highly publicized.

Much of the hype came from the recently victorious American team. Originally, the opening season was going to feature eight teams as a test to measure how successful the NDL could be. Instead waiting though, so much interest had been shown that more and more cities decided to take the risk of sponsoring a team. A week before the opening games, over 70 percent of the season tickets available had been purchased, with many more expected to sell. Much of the public had already chosen a favorite club or pledged themselves to their home team. DodgeBall Mania was alive and well in the United States, so much so that it had already launched several successful careers. Nine out of the ten players from the national team had decided to play, but the biggest celebrities chosen by the media were the young, attractive athletes who had been fortunate enough to get signed on. Even so, no one was bigger than Ken Dollings. He had led the national team to back-to-back world championships, and in turn guaranteed himself superstar status.

The popularity came as a double-edged sword. Nights like tonight, walking down a red carpet, talking to reporters, smiling for cameras, could be fun. Often, Ken enjoyed the events, and on occasion so did Sara. And so far, it hadn't taken away from the sport he loved. DodgeBall was Ken's first priority; the success and lifestyle it could provide would always take second place. But there were so many times when the whole thing seemed very tedious. The routine of it, the predictability, took its toll. As a rule, Sara hated the events. Sure, she could get dressed up, put on a smile, and clap as another speaker took to the podium, but given a choice she would avoid such things. She did it for Ken, and he knew it. There was a part of him that missed the old days. The times when Sara was cheering him on from the bleachers, when they were so empty he knew it had to be her chanting his name. The success was wonderful, but it came with a price.

Making their way onto the carpet and through the throngs of people, Ken talked to a few reporters. Sara told everyone who she was wearing. Eventually, Ken and Sara bumped into Paul. The two smiled and hugged. They exchanged a few words. Rachel, Paul's very pregnant wife, even offered to allow the couple to feel the baby kick. Someone made a joke about how the poor kid would end up a soccer player. It was all very sweet. That's how the magazines would report it anyway.

Finally inside, Sara gave a sigh of relief. Ken looked over, smiled encouragingly, and gave her a quick kiss. "You made it through the roughest part," he informed her.

The massive banquet hall was lavishly decorated. Large black and white photographs featuring scenes of DodgeBall action covered the walls. Ken recognized most of the young men in them. Willem Janssen, the original poster boy. Carl Young, the kid who introduced the world to Antanite. Heinz Lehmkul, the first man to effectively use special throws. Adam Washington. Bobby Ogata. Patches O'Houlihan. The greats. Among them, he found none of himself. He wasn't angered by the discovery, just surprised. Time and again, Ken had been reminded that he was the great DodgeBall player of this time. He was the one who brought the sport to American mainstream. He was the one who could make the NDL something powerful.

Ushered to their seats, Ken and Sara sat with the rest of the Panorama Sparks, the Texas team that eagerly sought Ken as its captain. Most of Ken's young teammates had a date with them. Eli Danson went so far as to bring his mother. Some of the young men came stag. Most notable among the dateless bachelors was the Spark's shortest member, Brett Holden. The team had only been together for a two and a half months, practicing and getting to know each other, but Brett had shown excellent skill. While it was obvious that all of the young men were good enough to be on the team, Brett was especially talented. Beyond that, he was one of the most personable man on the team. He was friendly and an all around nice guy, a trait missing from many of the other cocky boys. Ken appreciated having a kid like Brett on the team. In turn, Brett was very eager to please his hero. Ken soon noticed the relationship the two had. In many ways, it was similar to a boy and his puppy. And even though Brett really wanted Ken to hold onto his leash, Ken wasn't all that interested. In time, Ken hoped that Brett would realize he was just another guy on the team.

"Mind if I take a seat?" Brett asked. He sat down beside Ken. Apparently, the young man had a sense of style that Ken hadn't noticed before. He was wearing a slim grey suit, bright blue-and-white pinstriped shirt, and a dark wool tie. Not exactly a tuxedo, but classy enough for the event. His already short, dark hair had been cut even shorter, and it was parted perfectly on one side.

"Who is the fine looking model that just sat next to you?" Sara jokingly asked Ken. Brett looked over at her, his eyes wide. "I'm just kidding," she reassured him. "Nice to see you again, Brett."

As the crowd slowly settled down, Ken slumped back into his chair. "So what exactly goes on at a thing like this?" he wondered aloud.

Some empty stares turned his direction. Then, they all began to look at each other. It was obvious that no one knew what was about to happen. "I have absolutely no idea," Brett finally answered. "But to be honest, this whole red carpet thing is a lot more scary than it is exciting."

Ken slapped a hand on his shoulder and laughed. "Get used to it, kid. As good as you are," he caught himself before he singled the 19-year-old out. "As good as all of you are, you'd better get used to this sort of thing." This comment brought about some smiles, high fives, and exclamations of praise, but Ken knew that the reality was few of them would get this kind of treatment on any regular basis. Most of them would be able to ride around on Ken's wave of celebrity for awhile, but after other players from other teams proved to be better or more interesting, their time in the spotlight would be over. Brett was the only one with a real chance. He had the qualities- the good looks, the boy next door personality, the athletic skill- to make it on his own.

Within a few minutes, the lights of the hall slowly dimmed. Through loud speakers around the hall, a sweeping, string-heavy tune washed over the audience. John Wolodarsky, head of the American DodgeBall Association, walked to the center of the illuminated stage as the crowd applauded. The night primarily featured influential speakers, including DodgeBall royalty Carl Young, that commented about the excitement of the league and the unique place in history that each of the athletes were currently involved. At the end, each team was asked to stand as they were recognized, and each of the team captains was asked to accept a plaque on the stage. The night ended with numerous pictures. Overall, the event proved to be rather lackluster.

As Ken and Sara walked home, a trail of paparazzi behind them, Ken realized that his dream was now a reality. Playing for the national team was a fantastic honor, one that he treated with extreme respect, but it didn't offer the playing time that something like the NDL could. Instead of a few games a month, if that, Ken now had an entire season's worth of games. On top of that, he was the reigning king of the game. Life was fantastic.