Disclaimer: Don't own HP, JP or Digimon.
It had been about a week since Ian, Della, and the two Professors had gotten a tour of the Digital World. The digimon were safely nestled in the Black Tie House's Common Room and Ken was alone for a blissful moment. He closed his eyes as he stood on the Quidditch Pitch, the wind ruffling his hair.
It was a perfect day…for soccer.
Smiling, Ken took out a soccer ball he had managed to smuggle into Hogwarts in his trunk. It wouldn't be the same without Davis as an opponent, but nothing was quite like kicking the old ball around. If Stingmon had been able to come outside, they would have played a little one-on-one. However, many a ball had been lost when on the receiving end of one of Stingmon's spikes.
Stingmon would give the volleyball move a whole new meaning.
Ken smiled at the thought, and then sighed in relief that he didn't have to wear a uniform on week-ends. His t-shirt and sweatpants were much more appropriate for soccer. He still was trying to get his head around the fact that Quidditch was played in robes…didn't people get stuck? Sighing and dismissing the thought, Ken began to kick around the soccer ball.
Memories of playing with the other digi-destined came back in waves as Ken set up a make-shift net between two textbooks. Davis beating him when he was the Digimon Emperor, everyone else sitting in the stands cheering him on…it was all so sad. Ken wasn't even sure if he'd see them till Christmas...what if they didn't get his e-mails or something?
A familiar voice brought him back into the real world.
"Hey Ken!" Ian chirped, running towards him with a wide grin on his face. "Whatcha doing?"
"I was trying to play soccer," Ken said, straightening the final goal-post. "Ever played?"
"Don't think so…" Ian said, scratching his chin. "Looks a lot like football though. Now that I can play!"
"Football uses a brown, long ball with stitching on it," Ken said, throwing the soccer ball as Ian caught it with ease. "Does that look like a football to you?"
"Round here it does," Ian said, quickly bouncing the ball from one knee to the other. "This, my friend, is a football."
"I don't care what it's called…I'm so in!" Della said, running up behind Ian and scaring him half-to-death. Ian promptly lost his balance and dropped the ball. "Kicking a ball around…sounds stupid…but it's the week-end! Mind-numbing activities were meant for week-ends."
"You could have warned me," Ian glared at Della who was bouncing the ball with her hands like a basketball. "Della, that's the wrong sport!"
After realizing that soccer and football were the same sport, Ian and Ken began to explain to Della the rules of the game. Della learned you couldn't touch the ball with your hands, even if you did wear gloves. Della thought this was dumb since she wouldn't actually be touching it per se.
In the end, Della was the designated goalie.
Ian and Ken began running down the pitch, kicking the ball back and forth. Posts were dodged, and the markers kept on being knocked over by the graceless Della. She didn't stop a single goal, but Ken had never seen the ex-Slytherin so happy.
Then…the Griffindors came.
There was a whole flock of them…all with the same expression on their faces. They were obviously angry that their pitch was taken over by a House that only had three occupants. A burly fifth-year came up to Ken and stared.
"We're here for practice," the thug said, pointing at the make-shift net. "That's an insult to Quidditch. Get that Muggle trash off here."
"This isn't Muggle trash," Ken said, holding the ball as Ian and Della put away the books. "This is the best game ever played…and you can't use the excuse that your broom's old to compensate for your lack of ability."
"That's it!" the kid said, grabbing the ball and tossing it in the air. "We'll play your little sport…one on one. But we fly."
"Sure thing," Ken winked in Ian's direction, remembering his first and only flying lesson. "Just let me get my broom. Hey! Come over here!"
Quick as a rocket, a random broom shot through the door the Griffindor Quidditch team had left ajar. It was still a Cleansweep, but Ken didn't mind the make and model of his broom. He had talent, and that was what counted. It tucked itself neatly in his hand.
The other Griffindors stood there dumb-founded as their leader shook it off. He mounted his own broom, soccer ball in hand. This was going to be the oddest soccer game in the history of the sport, and the Digimon Emperor inside Ken was lapping it up. Ken couldn't help but feel ecstatic as well; he liked a challenge.
"Okay, no goalies, just skill," a Griffindor said from the field, acting as a pretend referee. "First one to ten goals wins. And you can't shoot it in the same hoop twice."
Ken was in the air before the referee finished. Ken let the Digimon Emperor take the reins for this one. Once in a while, Ken let him out for a jog, to humor him. Usually it was on the soccer field too; let the darker half of him have a little fun for once. Ken always kept the Emperor in check; making sure he didn't throw the opponent off his broom.
Ken won the match in less than five minutes.
"Yay Ken!" Ian and Della yelled, jumping for joy as Ken bounced off his broom. Maybe the stick wasn't too bad. "Go us!"
"Well played," the Griffindor sighed, shaking Ken's hand. Ken closed the Digimon Emperor back up in his virtual cage and shook back. "Perhaps this isn't Muggle trash. You have a Quidditch team?"
"We don't, but Ken can be a replacement!" Ian chirped in. "Won't you Ken?"
"Yeah," Ken rolled his eyes, seeing the decision was made for him already. "I can be a replacement."
"Well it's settled then. Mr. Ichijouji will be a replacement for any House who needs him. Twenty points to Black Tie House for the most interesting game of soccer in history."
It was Madame Hooch, and she had been watching the entire thing.
"Ian, Ken, Della," Hooch said, nodding towards each in turn as the other team left. "I suppose this arrangement is to your liking? I hope it was the right decision telling the Griffindors the pitch was not in use."
"You set us up?" Ian was smiling for some odd reason. He gave his aunt a rather large hug and the teacher blushed. "You're the best Head of House EVER! Now we can get some real points!"
"If Mr. Ichijouji would like to participate, half of whatever points he receives will go to Black Tie House," Madame Hooch gave them all a wink. "You keep this up Ken and we may be in for a wonderful year."
"Thank you Madame Hooch," Ken blushed as Della and Ian slapped him on the back. "I'll try my best."
Ken lagged behind as his friends ran off to tell their digimon partners. If he was going to start subbing for other teams, he'd have to let the Emperor out more often. That could be fatal; if the Dark took over again, the worlds could be in trouble. All this over a silly game.
As Ken walked into the school, Ken decided that he would talk to JP about it when he got the chance.