The Angel and The Shadow
Chapter 3: Epitome of Shadow
The Pirates arrived on the field a second after the Snow Kids. Stevens, their star player, and the other Pirates gave the Snow Kids a friendly handshake to show good sportsmanship before getting into position. "I wonder if they'll be so friendly when we win." Joked Micro-Ice as he grinned to Tia. "No need to get cocky, Micro-Ice." said Tia bluntly, berating his over-confidence. Micro-Ice just shrugged and quickly ran to Yuki to give her a 'good-luck' kiss. Tia glanced to her side and saw D'Jok and Mei hugging each other. Letting out a sigh to herself, she couldn't help but feel envious and depressed. After all, Mei had D'Jok while Yuki had Micro-Ice and Thran, Ahito and Mark seemed happy enough without a relationship.
"How are they, Dame Simbai?" asked Aarch, asking about their physical and mental well-being. "They are all in great condition. However, Tia seems a bit down…." replied Dame Simbai as she glanced at the computer. "Yes, I've noticed. Well, I've told her she can talk to me whenever she feels downhearted. Apart from that, the best we can do is hope that Rocket's ban is lifted soon." said Aarch. "Do you think it'll be lifted?" asked Clamp as a look of uncertainty appeared on his face. "Of course I do Clamp! He used the Breath to save Tia's life which anyone would have done if they were in Rocket's shoes!" replied Aarch. "I guess your right Aarch. Sorry for that moment of doubt." said Clamp, ending the topic.
D'Jok and Stevens stepped up to the centre. "The match is about to start! The tension is too much Nork!" said Callie with high enthusiasm. Stevens was staring into D'Jok's eyes while D'Jok was staring into Stevens' eyes or rather, his purple goggles. The ball suddenly shot up into the air like a cannon and streams of blue-white flux surrounded D'Jok as he launched himself into the air and took the ball on its way down. Stevens, who didn't even bother to jump for the ball, was running closely behind D'Jok. A Pirate attempted to slide-tackle D'Jok from the side but he leaped over him. Stevens had slide-tackled the ball away from D'Jok as soon as he jumped. "Argh…. Should've seen that coming!" moaned D'Jok while the Pirate ran down the Snow Kid's side of the field.
"Keep alert D'Jok!" ordered Aarch.
"This ones mine!" muttered Mei as she ran directly towards the Pirate. Reacting quickly, he side-stepped to avoid her tackle and attempted a shot from outside the penalty box. Yuki ran to the right and punched it away with ease.
As he watched the match, Sinedd couldn't help but feel disdain and hate for every one of the Snow Kids. Mark the wannabe version of Rocket, Ahito the lazy show-off, Thran the second-rate defender and Aarch the hypocrite who abandoned him. He especially hated D'Jok, Mei, Micro-Ice and Yuki for one reason out of many others. Because they had love. They had what Sinedd was denied of for his whole life. His parents weren't around; he had very few friends and never had a childhood love. His burning hatred momentarily flickered into a sense of admiration when he saw Tia on the big screen. As the camera focused on her dribbling up midfield, Sinedd looked into her attractive green eyes. Most people would just see determination but Sinedd saw past that shell. Behind that shell, he could see her true feelings. Emotions of loneliness, heartache and sorrow. Sinedd realised that Tia was like him and because of that, he kept gazing at her without realising what he was really feeling for this 'angel'.
Tia passed the ball to Micro-Ice through a Pirate's legs and Micro-Ice launched the ball into the air for Tia. Tia surrounded herself with the Breath and jumped into the air. She kicked the ball with immense force and the Pirates goalkeeper was unable to react quickly as it landed in the left corner of the goal. Tia allowed herself to fall down backwards which made her look like an angel to Sinedd. With her beautiful snow-like hair, shimmering eyes and elegant figure, Sinedd couldn't take her eyes off her. Shaking his head, Sinedd stopped. "What was I doing? Was I feeling what I think I was feeling for her?" thought Sinedd as he felt confused about his emotions for a moment. Glancing at his watch which had the Shadows logo engraved, he realised that he had only a few hours before the Netherball arena would open and that meant only a few hours until he would face Rocket. Leaving his half-empty cup of coffee, Sinedd casually left the café without glancing back at the screen.
Tia landed back onto the field and the Snow Kids were cheering intensely while praising Tia. "Excellent goal Tia!" praised Aarch through the earpiece. "Wow! An excellent goal by Tia and an excellent assist by Micro-Ice. Let's see how the Pirates answer that one!" said Nork. "Will the Pirates be able to keep up with the Snow Kids? Not if the Snow Kids keep playing like this!" grinned Callie.
Tia was barely able to muster a smile as her teammates congratulated her. Mark was staring at Tia while she was getting into position. "This is going to be really hard. Tia and everyone else might hate me for not telling them sooner…..but I have to tell them." thought Mark. "Something wrong?" asked Tia as she realised the midfielder was staring at her with a look of hesitation. "Its nothing." dismissed Mark, shaking his head.
The ball launched into the air once again and D'Jok seized it. As he ran up field, the red-haired striker realised that Stevens and the Pirates defender was going to try the same move again. "I'm not falling for that one again….." thought D'Jok as he gritted his teeth. This time, he leaped over the defender with the ball and passed it in mid-air. Receiving the ball, Mark ran and weaved through two Pirates. As he exhaled, he prepared for a shot. A Pirate midfielder was about to slide-tackle the ball away when Mark ran a few steps forward. Unable to stop in time, the Pirate ended up making Mark fall to the ground and hard. "What a horrible tackle!" said Callie, shaking her head. The Pirate stood up and extended her hand to help Mark up. "Well, at least there are no hard feelings." laughed Nork. Though it was close, it wasn't a penalty as Mark was tackled from just outside the penalty box.
"How is he Simbai?" asked Aarch. "He's in ok condition. A little bruised but as long as he doesn't push himself too far or put too much weight on his leg, he'll be fine." replied Simbai.
D'Jok, the team captain, chose himself to take the free-kick. He gestured Thran to come over to him. "Thran, I've got an idea." whispered D'Jok. After whispering his plan, Thran just nodded in agreement and got into position. Three Pirate defenders were in the box while Micro-Ice and Mark were also in the box. "Looks like D'Jok is preparing for the free-kick. Will he be able to seize a second goal for the Snow Kids?" asked Callie. Gathering as much of the Breath as he could, he ran and took the shot. The ball went fiercely in the direction of the goal. The Pirates goalkeeper dived to his left and considered himself to be lucky when the ball hit the crossbar and went diagonally into the air. "Oh! What an unlucky shot by D'Jok! But…wait! What's that?" asked Callie. Thran jumped into the air and took a shot to the right side of the goal. The Pirates goalkeeper had dived again but missed as the ball slipped through his fingers. "Wow! Another excellent rebound goal. Judging by D'Jok's reaction, he purposefully missed. I guess he used that move to throw off the goalkeeper and they pulled it off perfectly." commented Nork.
"Yeah!!" shouted D'Jok and Thran as they both went crazy over the goal. "Brilliant Thran! You too D'Jok! That was a magnificent execution!" praised Aarch. Just then, a sound had appeared and it was half-time. The Snow Kids arrived to their locker room for a well-earned rest and a happy Aarch. "You played a great first-half. That applies to everyone. Just keep doing what you did back there and don't get complacent. It's not over yet. We'll keep the current formation except for one substitution." said Aarch as he turned to Yuki. "Don't worry Yuki. You did great but Ahito should get a chance to play." added Aarch. Yuki nodded and agreed to let her cousin take her place.
Sinedd came out of his hotel, adorned in the Shadows kit. Most of his teammates were already at the Netherball arena so he was going alone. Thankfully, Artegor was a bar with a business associate and was going to be there for a long time. Keeping a low profile, Sinedd walked into the secret entrance. He held a bottle of 'pure' Akillian water for the lengthy underground maze.
The second-half started and Stevens had the ball. He made a gesture to one of his teammates and ran further up field. Thran stood in front of the striker and blocked his way. Stevens passed the ball to his left and blocked Thran's way while Stevens' teammate made off with the ball. The Pirate ran into the penalty box and took a shot. Ahito ran to his right and almost slipped but caught the ball. With a sigh of relief, he booted the ball out of the area. "That was almost a horrible mistake on Ahito's part. But unlike last time, he saved the ball." commented Nork. Tia received the ball and passed it to Micro-Ice. "This will be one for the record books!" said Micro-Ice as Mark and D'Jok were running beside him. Micro-Ice side-stepped to avoid a tackle and launched the ball into the penalty box. Mark shot the ball to the other side of the box and D'Jok finished the move with a shot to the goal. The Pirates goalkeeper dived and barely caught it in time.
"Unlucky you three! That was still a good move and I want you to keep playing with that amount of aggressiveness!" ordered Aarch.
After a long walk, Sinedd made it to the Netherball arena. His teammates and a few other GFC players were there, watching the match. Sinedd just smirked and proceeded to the Netherball sphere for a warm-up. Around Sinedd were four scrap metal walls with cracks and dents from previous matches. Sinedd was performing kick-ups and kicking the ball around. Even without activating the smog, Sinedd's football skills were too great to be underestimated. More and more of the GFC players were watching Sinedd as the Snow Kids vs. Pirates match was nearing an end.
A few seconds was left. Stevens ran up towards the Snow Kids goal with the ball. "Even though it'll be nothing more then a consolation goal, will Stevens score a goal and turn the score to 2-1?" asked Callie. Stevens leaped over Thran as he attempted to slide-tackle and took a shot. Ahito leaped acrobatically and caught the ball as he jumped onto the crossbar. The buzzer for the end of the match sounded and the arena had exploded into cheers. "Wow!! The Snow Kids earned themselves a place in the Semi-Finals against the dreaded Xenons! Will they be able to overcome the team that are among the favorites to win the GFC? We'll see. Be sure to catch the Shadows vs. Lightnings in a few days time, it'll promise to be an excellent match! This is Callie Mystic." said Callie. "And this is Nork signing off" added Nork. The young Snow Kids proceeded to their locker room and couldn't contain their excitement over their victory. Mark sighed heavily as he realised that now is the time he'd have to tell them.
Aarch casually walked into the locker room with a content look on his face. "That was a great victory but I have some news about Rocket's ban." said Aarch. The Snow Kids immediately became silent and sat down to hear what the verdict was. Tia was the most anxious and nervous of the Snow Kids. She might finally be reunited with Rocket. "It has been finalised……Rocket's ban has been lifted! Effective immediately, Rocket can start playing again!" said Aarch and the Snow Kids bursted once again into cheers. Apart from Mark that is. "Er...coach?" began Mark. "What is it, Mark?" asked Aarch, giving him his attention. "Actually, I want everyone to hear this….." added Mark. Aarch had quieted everyone down so that they could hear what Mark had to say. "For these past few days, I have known of Rocket's whereabouts." said Mark. "What?!" said D'Jok suddenly. "You've known where Rocket has been for these past few days and you didn't even tell us?!" added D'Jok as he stood up and grabbed Mark by the collar.
"Let him go, D'Jok!" exclaimed Mei as Thran, Micro-Ice and Ahito had to separate D'Jok who finally let go of Mark's collar. "Calm down D'Jok! Now Mark, I'm disappointed that you didn't tell any of us earlier. Please, carry on." said Aarch. "Rocket has been playing this thing called Netherball. It's like a one-on-one football match in a small sphere. No coaches, no teammates and no rules." said Mark. "Is it rough?" asked Thran. "Yeah, its one of the roughest sports I've ever seen. People get hurt all the time. I saw Woowamboo get hurt real bad." replied Mark as a flashback of Woowamboo's leg getting broken painfully. "That explains why Woowamboo was absent from the match against the Lightnings." commented Aarch. "All matches start at midnight in an underground arena that none of you would have been in. Tonight, Rocket is facing Sinedd and I have a feeling that Rocket is going to get hurt badly." said Mark as he shuddered slightly. "I want you to lead the team to this Netherball." said Aarch as he left the room. "It's a long journey so I'll take you all there as soon as your ready." said Mark.
To Mark's dismay, Tia had bursted into tears and Mei had took her out of the locker rooms but not before giving Mark a glare. "Look, I'm sorry guys. Please forgive me." pleaded Mark and to his surprise, the team had appeared to forgive him and started getting dressed quickly. Outside the locker room, Mei was giving Tia a shoulder to cry on. "I can't believe Rocket has been on Genesis all this time! This must mean he doesn't want to see me…." sobbed Tia. "You know that's not true. I bet he's dying to see you. Lets get changed and we'll be able to see Rocket soon enough." said Mei. Tia nodded and they both went back into the locker room to get changed.
Sinedd stepped out of the sphere and relaxed as it was less then an hour before the match was starting. Already, the arena was packed with GFC players who were divided over who to support. Half of the players were supporting Sinedd while the other half was supporting the current Netherball champion, Rocket. Rocket had already arrived and Sinedd was anxious to crush him. When Rocket had challenged him, Sinedd could not wait to face him. Rocket was on the other side of the arena and they both kept exchanging glares which increased the tension even more.
The young Akillian players were at the entrance. "It's a long journey so be prepared." advised Mark as they started their way through the maze. Throughout the long walk, none of them had said a word. Early on, Micro-Ice had attempted to cheer up the atmosphere with a few jokes but none of them were in the mood. After almost an hour, the Snow Kids were at the door and could see the metallic sphere along with the huge crowd of GFC players and spectators. "The match is already beginning to start!" said D'Jok. They all tried to make their way through the crowd but it would take a while to get to the front.
Sinedd and Rocket entered the sphere and stood facing each other as they waited for the clock to count down to start the match. "It was a mistake to challenge me Rocket." glared Sinedd. "I like mistakes." smirked Rocket, glaring back. "Oh no……" whispered Tia. "Guys, we have to stop the match!" said Mei. "No can do ladies and gents." said the robot announcer as a couple of robots blocked the way to the sphere's entrance and the controls to the sphere. D'Jok gritted his teeth as he realised that nothing could be done now. "Come on Rocket…..Get out of there." thought D'Jok.
The ball appeared and the match started. Sinedd and Rocket both tried to take the ball but it ended up between Sinedd's right leg and Rocket's left leg. "I won't hold back if you won't." taunted Rocket with a smirk. Sinedd jumped and swung his left leg in an attempt to get the ball but Rocket acted quickly and took it. Getting back to his side, Rocket already surrounded himself with the Breath. "No use toying around." smirked Rocket. Also smirking, Sinedd covered himself with the Smog. The Shadows striker blocked Rocket's way. Rocket's attempt to weave past Sinedd failed as the black-haired Shadow countered with a sweep-kick. Rocket was hit but managed to balance himself as his arm stopped him from hitting his head against the hard wall.
Sinedd took the ball to his half and took a shot. Before the ball could go through the hole, Rocket used his leg to block the shot. "You'll have to do better then that my friend." smirked Rocket. Rocket's smirk was short-lived as Sinedd slide-tackled Rocket. Rocket landed on the metallic ground painfully. Just the look of pain on Rocket's face made it painful for Tia to watch. Sinedd lazily kicked the ball into the hole. "Goooooooo Sinedd!!" said the robot announcer as the crowd cheered. "Micro-Ice, there's something different about Sinedd…" said D'Jok. "What, you mean the fact that he's not saying any of his rubbish taunts?" Joked Micro-Ice. D'Jok just shook his head. "That look in his eye….it's like he's going to kill Rocket…." thought D'Jok.
"Come on Rocket! Get up." snickered Sinedd. Rocket dragged himself up. Most of the pain went away but Rocket's head was still throbbing slightly. "Six minutes remaining." said a robotic voice. "Six minutes of pain……" thought Sinedd as an evil grin appeared on his face. The ball appeared once again and this time, Rocket took the ball before Sinedd could. Rocket turned his back to Sinedd to stop Sinedd from getting the ball. With the blink of an eye, Sinedd appeared next to Rocket. Rocket could practically smell the Smog. Sinedd lunged his elbow into Rocket's stomach which winded Rocket. "Well well Rocket. Not so confident now are we?" said Sinedd as he took the ball. "Fuck you…" muttered Rocket as he started coughing. Sinedd was about to take another shot when Rocket stood up and tried to sweep-kick the ball. Sinedd jumped with the ball between his feet to avoid the tackle and kicked the ball onto the left wall for a rebound shot. To his dismay, the ball just missed the hole.
"We don't have to watch this, Tia. We can go if you want." said Mei. "No. I have to talk to him." said Tia with a stern nod.
"Four minutes left." said the robotic voice. Rocket had the ball after acrobatically stealing it from Sinedd. Sinedd attempted to tackle Rocket but the former Snow Kids captain sidestepped and scored a goal. "Gooooooo Rocket!" shouted the robot announcer and the crowd supporting Rocket cheered. "That was luck!" remarked Sinedd. "No. That's skill." said Rocket with a mischievous grin. The ball appeared between the two deadly strikers and they both violently tried to take the ball with their legs. Rocket swung his right leg to try and take a shot but barely missed. Sinedd swung his leg in an apparent attempt to get the ball and hit Rocket's upper right leg. "Argh!!" shouted Rocket in pain. The ball was still in the air and Sinedd headed the ball but Rocket stopped the ball with his chest and backed away. Sinedd backed away to his side of the sphere and ran at Rocket. He jumped and swooped down with his right foot out in the same way that he tackled Micro-Ice two years ago which made the Snow Kids joker cringe. Rocket had front-flipped and landed even more painfully on his back. Rocket's scream of pain was even worse then when he suffered Sinedd's last tackle.
Sinedd flicked the ball and it was at the same height as his head. Heading the ball into the hole, the match was over and Sinedd laughed as he saw the Snow Kid lying on the floor in pain. "Who's the champion now Rocket?" said Sinedd as he left Rocket in the sphere. Sinedd was immediately met with congratulations and cheers while Rocket was carried out by a Wambas players and a Pirates player who still supported Rocket. The Snow Kids pushed past Sinedd's group of supporters and stood in front of their former teammate. "Look who's here. The Snow Kids. I destroyed your beloved captain didn't I?" said Sinedd as he smirked. "Sinedd, you bastard!" growled D'Jok as he clenched his fists. "How could you do that!" said Yuki. "Shut it, you ugly bitch. I can't believe the Snow Kids actually let in a second-rate goalkeeper like you." remarked Sinedd. "Hey, leave my girlfriend alone!" said Micro-Ice, shoving Sinedd. "Yeah, don't talk about my cousin like that!" added Thran and Ahito who until now was asleep. "Look who it is. Shorty. Shortbread the Shorty." insulted Sinedd as he turned to Micro-Ice. "Why don't you go back to your Shadows team and lose to us again like you did in the last GFC?" said Mei. "Oh, here is the spoilt brat. Why don't you fuck off and go do another one of your garbage commercials?" remarked Sinedd. "That's it!" growled D'Jok and was about to punch Sinedd when someone got in the way and stopped the fight.
"Alright, that's enough!" said a familiar voice. It was the famous Lightnings star striker, Warren. "Snow Kids, you shouldn't retaliate. What are you even doing here? It's unfortunate that Rocket has been hurt very seriously but there's no need for this unnecessary fight." continued Warren. "But Warr-!" began Micro-Ice but was cut off by D'Jok. "And you Sinedd. I can't believe you'd do something like this! What has gotten into you? It's that Smog isn't it?" said Warren. "Whatever Warren. I'll be waiting for our match. Us Shadows will crush you." said Sinedd before he walked past them. "I hate you!!" cried Tia suddenly. Sinedd turned around and saw the 'angel' crying before him. Tia's eyes were teary and full of hate. As much as he wanted to, Sinedd could not bring himself to hit Tia or insult her. Sinedd just turned away and walked off again. Sinedd wanted to walk off and relax at a place where he could get some quiet. He didn't quite feel like celebrating with his supporters. At least, not yet.
Tia ran over to Rocket who was being carried away by his supporters. "Rocket!" said Tia. "Go away." said Rocket bluntly before leaving and those words broke Tia's heart. Those words made her feel like a knife was driven into her heart. Tia ran away and the Snow Kids couldn't keep up with her as she lost herself in the crowd. She had to get out of there. She had to leave the arena and cry to herself in a place where she could be alone.
Where will Sinedd go? Where will Tia go? Will Rocket be able to heal and find out about the verdict of his ban? How will the Shadows do against the Lightnings? Chapter 4, coming soon!
Chapter 3 is finally here. Took me over two or three weeks to write it. I've been busy relaxing because of my summer holiday. Been going out with my friends and been playing on my Xbox 360 where I will soon get Xbox live so I can play and chat to my friends over Xbox Live. I've been writing Chapter 3 over the span of over two weeks at a very casual rate but I think it was worth it. I hope you people like this chapter. Chapter 4 will be coming soon! By the way, I will be writing a new Galactik Football story soon as well. I have quite a few ideas in my mind and hopefully, you will see my new story!
