Writing this chapter reminded me of Kuroko No Basuke and I miss it very much. I'm so happy there's going to be a season 3. In 2015. sigh.
This chapter was so much fun, I've always wanted to write these scenes. Why can't America have festivals, too?
Just wanted to remind you all that I appreciate you so much for reading my story. I need a manual to teach me how to thank people because I feel like I can never get it right. I appreciate you so much, thank you for just looking at this.
I hope you all like this chapter as much as I do! [:
Stepping into school the next morning, I have never felt so much tension in the air. There is no teacher in sight as I walk through the hallways to get to class. Students' voices is the only noise coming out of each classroom.
Everyone has been ordered to wear any pair of athletic shorts that they own and a blank white t-shirt. Luckily, I own both of the items so I'm prepared for whatever is to come.
"Here you go," Levy hands me a crimson bandana right when I enter Lisanna's classroom.
I study the fabric, "What's this for?"
"Since we're the red team for our grade we have to wear red bandanas," she explains. "Put it on."
I decide to style my hair in a pony tail so it doesn't get in the way in whatever future activities I'm going to be doing. I wrap the bandana around my forehead like Levy's and tighten it at the back.
"I feel like I'm preparing to fight," I look up at the bandana on my forehead.
"You are," Gajeel says with a bandana already on his forehead. He leans against the farthest wall from the door.
Nobody is sitting down and there's not a teacher to tell us to. It gives us a slight freedom feeling that all students ache to have.
As soon as the bell rings a voice resonates throughout the classroom from an intercom I never knew existed.
"Good morning, everyone!" an elderly voice greets energetically. "If you do not know, I am the principal, Makarov-sensei. I just wanted to announce a few things for today's festival."
Levy elbows me with excitement. Everyone in the class listens to Makarov-sensei attentively.
"First I would like to say that this should be a friendly competition with no fights. If I see one fight, you're out of here for the day. And second, I want everyone to have fun!"
As corny as the second part is, the entire school cheers. The floor is nearly shaking from all the shouts going throughout the school.
"No matter what team you are on, if you win against the teachers, you add a point to the students' team. At the end of the day who ever won the most activities, wins!" he pauses for the information to sink in. "You may all go outside and meet up with your team. Good luck trying to beat us, students!" Makarov-sensei cackles into the intercom which is followed by loud coughs. The intercom clicks and it's silent. Then, all together, everyone dashes out of the room and outside.
"Good thing it's warm," Gajeel looks up at the sky and covers his eyes with his forearm.
"Hey," Cana comes up to us along with Sting. They wear the same colored bandanas as us. Also, Cana's special juice box is red. I can't help but wonder if she did this on purpose.
"Sting, you look funny in red," I suppress my laughs by pressing my lips together.
"Hey," he frowns. "I'm doing this for the team."
"Right," I nod trying to keep a straight face.
I look at everyone; we are all dressed like a team with matching uniforms. We are all ready to beat the teachers. I feel a rush of excitement.
"Let's go see what competitions they have," Levy leads us to a board with all the races and games.
"I want to do the team relay!" Cana points at the board.
"I don't care as long as it's physical," Gajeel bounces on his feet to gain momentum.
"I want the boy's scavenger hunt," Sting announces.
Levy and I search through the different activities. We aren't the most athletic which make us choose cautiously. We don't want to disappoint our team and lose against the teachers.
"We'll see when we get there!" Levy and I say together.
The festival starts just as action packed as I want it to be. Gajeel decides to take part in the tug-of-war event. I have never seen any of the teachers but knowing they are our opponent, I shout with the others watching the match encouraging the students to win.
The set up of the game is as simple as any other tug-of-war game. It's a long rope held up above an orange cone. An orange flag dangles off the middle of the rope and the person supervising the rope watches it as closely as they can to see if the flag goes on either side for five seconds.
As soon as the game starts, instantly the two teams pull back and tug the rope as strongly as they can. Both teams struggle to get the flag to their side so much that they're almost laying down on the ground. Veins pop out of each male, either on their forehead or forearms. Each person is trying their hardest.
"Go, Gajeel!" Levy clamors while cupping her mouth to make her voice louder.
Gajeel, who has been focused the entire time, makes eye contact with Levy for a nanosecond. He roars and the teacher's feet begin to skid towards the cone. The flag hangs over the students' side of the cone.
"One, two, three!" the supervisor calls out. "Four, and five! Students win!"
Levy and I jump together with the rest of the students. The match seems to fire everyone up because every team scatters around the field quickly to join all the events.
"Gajeel, don't hug me!" Levy shrieks and sprints behind me.
"I don't want to get into this," I step out of the way right when I see Gajeel drenched with sweat.
After Gajeel has somewhat cleaned himself up, our team walks around the field to see what else to do.
"Let's do the egg and spoon race," Levy points at the race.
"That doesn't look too hard," I observe the relay race being played.
Two teams go against each other with a spoon in their hand. An egg wobbles on the spoon. The player must walk to the orange cone that's far enough for them to drop the egg onto the ground. If the egg falls, the player is disqualified, forcing one of the other players to go again in their place. If the egg doesn't splatter on the ground, once the player returns to their team they carefully tilt their spoon towards the other and let the egg roll into the other spoon. The team who has all carried the egg fastest wins.
We wait for the game to finish and line up in a single file before the line. The supervisor for this game places a plastic spoon in all of our hands.
"Hey, Lucy!" a familiar voice says my name.
I rotate my head to the person who stands on the teacher's team, "Hey, Lisanna-sensei and Mira-sensei!"
"Make sure you don't drop the egg!" Lisanna taunts with a playful smile.
"Make sure you drop the egg!" I reply back and face Levy standing in front of me.
The person at the front of the line is Cana, then Levy, myself, Sting, and Gajeel. I hear Sting chuckle behind me at Lisanna and I.
"Whoa," Cana blurts out as the egg gets placed on her spoon.
"Don't drop it," Levy orders with a low voice.
"On your mark, get set, go!" the supervisor blows his whistle.
I peek over Levy's shoulder and watch Cana slowly trot with the spoon extended away from her body.
"Walk faster!" Gajeel shouts.
"I can't or it's going to fall!" Cana raises her voice so we can hear behind her.
I don't bat an eye towards the teachers' side. That will only make me get too excited and I will end up dropping the egg.
Cana eventually comes back to us and cautiously tilts her spoon towards Levy's. Levy shoots off like a rocket like she does this sort of race each day. I eye her coming towards me nervously.
"You can do it," Sting encourages softly so only I can hear.
I hold out my spoon for Levy and she leans her spoon towards mine. The egg falls into my spoon more roughly than it should and the edge of the egg tips off the spoon slightly.
"Don't mess up, Lucy!" Lisanna torments me more.
I steady my hand the most I can manage and take quick steps to the cone. I have a stare down with the egg as I turn around after reaching the cone. I look up just once to see how close Sting is and I feel the egg sway more than usual. My stares seem to make the egg become nervous because it stops instantly.
When I get to Sting I ever so carefully slant my spoon towards his. It's almost into his spoon but screams from the teacher team make my hand jolt up. The egg slides off my spoon and into Sting's but spins off the edge. He swiftly turns his spoon to where it steadies the egg again.
"Thank you," I say in relief and walk to the end of the line.
"The reason the teachers screamed is because one of them dropped the egg," Levy informs me with joy.
I look over at the teachers and see Lisanna with a pout on her face. Mirajane pats her shoulder with sympathy. I can't smear the smirk off my face.
The final parts of the game are finally here as Sting transfers the egg to Gajeel's spoon. Gajeel must be feeling the pressure because he walks slower than Cana.
"Walk faster!" Cana mocks him.
"Shut your fuc—" Gajeel stops mid-sentence. In slow motion, we all watch the egg dip to the ground and crack into pieces.
"No!" we all groan with our hands up in the air. Gajeel looks down at the ground in anger.
The supervisor hands us a new egg and Cana walks as fast as she can.
I glance at our rivals and my jaw collapses, "They're on their last person, too!" I report.
Then the loud cheering begins, everyone watching the game shouting for someone to win. I bite my lip and look at both teams back and forth. They're neck and neck I don't want to watch.
"Students win!" I hear, which is followed by wails. Everyone is so happy by this victory that I see someone throw an egg onto the ground.
"Victory feels nice," Levy sighs happily after a few hours into the festival.
"I wonder how many competitions the teachers have won?" I wonder aloud.
"Hopefully none," Sting replies.
"What's going on in there?" Cana points a finger to a large warehouse that always makes me question what it's used for.
"I think they're playing basketball there," Levy answers.
"I want to play basketball!" Sting declares.
We all stare at him with wide eyes at his enthusiasm.
"Okay," I nod. "Let's go."
Our team steps into the warehouse and I view the place. It's definitely a gym, I want to know why Elf-sensei doesn't use this place.
"This place is only used for club activities," Levy explains as if she can read my mind.
The warehouse is already flooded with people who stand at the edges of the warehouse, the basketball court in the middle. There's a scoreboard at the side of the court for the game that is already in play. I watch as the two teams go against each other with all their might, their shoes squeaking against the floor every few seconds.
"Gajeel, you want to play?" Sting offers. He shrugs in response.
The two leave to go play for the next game. Levy, Cana, and I lean against the wall. We have a perfect view of the court; right in the center.
"I wonder how Juvia is doing," Levy looks around to see if she's in here.
"Probably stalking Gray-sensei until he notices," Cana laughs at her joke.
"Gray-sensei is right there," I lift a finger in his direction across the warehouse. He speed walks with a hostile expression. Then I see someone behind him, running towards Gray with his shoulder forward. Natsu shoves his shoulder into Gray's back and steps backward to see his expression.
"And there's Juvia," Levy says with a dull tone. We all inwardly groan watching Juvia attempt to stealthily follow him. In reality, it's crystal clear she's stalking someone.
Gray-sensei walks past us grumbling to himself while Natsu continues to pursue him. Our eyes meet for just a second.
Juvia doesn't even realize she's going past us until Levy yanks her back to us. She blinks at us in surprise.
"Juvia has only been following Gray-sensei for only a few minutes!" she cries with a frown.
"Did you ditch your team?" Levy asks.
"Yes," Juvia answers carefreely. "Juvia saw Gray-sensei and decided to walk with him."
"You mean follow," I correct her.
Before Juvia can reply, Cana interrupts her.
"Well, you don't have to follow him anymore. He's going to play basketball."
Juvia rapidly spins around to face the court. She claps ecstatically while watching Gray-sensei walk onto the court. She steps back so she can lean against the wall with us.
And still behind Gray-sensei, Natsu trails behind him. His radiant expression has changed; he's entirely focused now.
Adding onto Natsu's team is a blonde man with a scar that resembles a lightning bolt and two teachers who seem like they're being forced to play.
On the student's team is Sting, Gajeel, two other students I have never seen and surprisingly, Loke.
Since this isn't a legitimate game, the game goes straight to the ball being tossed into the air in the middle of the court. Loke and Gray-sensei jump up into the air and reach for it.
Gray-sensei reaches the ball first and he pulls the ball to him and begins to dribble the ball towards the net halfway down the court. He passes the ball to what seems like nowhere, but Natsu catches the ball and stops running. He bounces the ball to see his options.
Sting appears to be running out of patience so he darts to Natsu trying to make a steal. Natsu steps backward and cocks an eyebrow at Sting. Then with no hesitation, whips around and shoots an incredibly long-ranged shot. The ball slides in the net with a smooth swish.
"That was so cool!" Levy exclaims like a little kid.
"It was," I nod, trying to mask my real enthusiasm. Although I should be going for my team, just this once I rebel for a bit. I'm not the only one, everyone wants to see Natsu make another shot like that.
The light feeling for Natsu's point doesn't last long, as his teammates huddle around him and smack him on the shoulder.
"Don't hog the ball!" the blonde haired man commands loud enough for it to echo across the already noisy warehouse.
"Who is he?" I inquire.
"Laxus-sensei," Levy responds. "He's the vice-principal but not."
"What?" I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.
"Erza-sensei is the real vice-principal. All Laxus-sensei does is take people to the office and follow around Makarov-sensei," Levy says.
I hum in response and return to watching the game. Sting has gotten a hold of the ball and he moves as though he has invisible wings. Nobody catches up with him and Sting leaps into the air, dunking the basketball into the net. Everyone howls while Sting raises a triumphant fist in the air. He looks at me and grins.
"Who knew Sting could dunk?" Cana whistles.
"How many points do they play to?" Levy asks.
"Gray-sensei told Juvia it is ten," Juvia answers.
"Did he talk to you?" I lean forward so I can look at her.
"No," she averts her eyes. "Juvia overheard so it's the same thing."
The game goes on, each player making at least one point. Soon enough, the scoreboard shows that both teams are at a tie. The score is eight to eight.
Everyone seems to be running out of stamina. The squeaks of the shoes have decreased and the dribbles have become more calm. Now, we can only wait and see who has the most energy to prevail.
Gray-sensei regains some type of energy lingering in the air. He flits through each student and does a quick lay-up. This boosts everyone's energy again.
"Gray-sensei!" Juvia squeals loud enough for people to give her a side glance.
"Nine to eight," Cana tells us.
A dark aura starts to fill the air and my eyes immediately shift to Gajeel. His face has set into a scowl and he is determined to win. He grabs onto the ball like it's a part of his body and dribbles it past all the teachers, none of their efforts to take the ball working. Gajeel makes a jump-shot, similar to what Natsu did earlier, but not has impressive.
"Nine to nine," Levy speaks worriedly.
"I'm so stressed," my eyes follow everyone on the court. Levy has started to bite her fingernails, Cana springs on her toes, and Juvia only has her eyes fixed on Gray-sensei.
Sting bounces the ball and looks around the court to see if he can pass it to anyone. He hastily wipes his forehead to remove the sweat dripping down to his eyes. His shoulders rise and fall down in fast breaths.
"Sting!" Loke shouts, signaling him to pass it to him. Sting stares at him hesitantly then throws the ball to him across the court. Loke is just about to catch it but a hand crosses its path.
Natsu catches the ball instead and runs to the other side of the court. Sting steps into his way and blocks him. The two stand close to each other, Natsu holding the ball to his hip and Sting raising his hands in the air.
Natsu holds the ball up and looks like he's about to pass and Sting falls for the fake. Natsu spins past him and just as he shoots, Gajeel blocks it.
"Somebody just win already!" Levy cries.
It's a never-ending battle. The ball gets thrown around all over the court but no team backs down.
Gajeel shoves the ball at Sting, "Go!"
Sting takes no second thought. He flies past everyone with his hidden wings and dunks the basketball into the net once again.
All the yells come at once. Levy pulls me to the middle of the court where everyone huddles around Sting. I'm being crushed and just as I'm about to squeeze away, a chest comes in front of me.
"Excuse me," I step back and find a different route. I look up at the person and right away, I smile.
"You're really sweaty," I exaggeratedly crinkle my face.
He's about to say something but notices all the people leaving the crowd. "I'm not going to make our dinner," he mutters with a small smile and melts with everyone else.
"Lucy!" Sting calls out.
I turn around and see Sting already with the rest of our team, including Juvia.
"You were so cool!" Levy repeats, pushing Sting and Gajeel roughly.
"Natsu is a really good player," Sting wipes his head with a towel somebody gave him.
"Not as good as Gray-sensei," Juvia claps her hands together again.
"I'm glad you like the way I play, Juvia," a deep voice comes into our circle.
We all whirl to the voice and meet with Gray-sensei, along with the rest of his team. Juvia makes a small squeak.
"Good afternoon, Gray-sensei!" Levy stands up straight, automatically speaking with politeness.
"You don't have to be so polite with me," Gray-sensei chuckles. "I wanted to congratulate you on your win."
"Thank you," Sting nods with Gajeel merely staring blankly.
Natsu steps forward, "You won't win next time, you hea—"
Laxus-sensei slaps him on the back of his head.
"He means you guys won fair and square and we anticipate the next time we can go against you," Laxus-sensei tells us.
"Thank you and me too!" Sting shakes their hand. The teachers give him odd looks but choose not to say anything. They turn around and walk out of the warehouse.
"Even though we're not supposed to look at them as teachers," Levy begins.
"They're still intimidating," I finish for her.
"There's three hours left of the festival," Cana looks at the clock hanging off one of the walls.
"Come on then!" Levy urges us to follow her outside. The cool air all refreshes us and slowly energizes us once again.
Three hours left of the festival. Three hours left to know who has to make my Christmas dinner.