"And that concludes the scores so far. The sandmen of Menor versus The Snow Kids ended in a draw, and the return match was a crushing defeat for the sandmen, who lost 3 to 0. The Shadows faced Technoid, former Team Paradisia and was eliminated, as these girls dont need flux to play hard. It seems whomever the coach for Technoid is, they are hard at work" Barry Randt said, sounding very admiring of the girls.

"The Electras faced of against The Pirates, wich with their flux, The seed of Shiloh, a mythical flux, is a force to be reckoned with. Sonny Blackbones brave men, crushed the poor Electras 2 to 1 in the first match and 3 to 0 in the away match. There was hopes to see a glimmer of the recently escaped leader, Sonny Blackbones himself, but it seems, he has gone into hiding, to recover, as it was reported that he was injured during capture. A daring rescue was launched while he was still in hospital, and since then, no one has heard anything from the pirate chief. It is suspected that he has gone into hiding while the injury heals. And I am sure he is happy to learn that The pirates and The Snow Kid is advancing to the final sixteen, along with Technoid whom made it in the last minute defeating the sandmen, whom are now officially out of the competition" said Noork

"Callie, we all wonder about the pirate chief, and you managed to track down Stevens, The Pirates star striker. Does he have something to tell you about that?" Barry asked.

"Yes Barry. I am here in the locker room with Stevens. In this area, The pirates have immunity and can not be arrested. Stevens allowed me in, against me promising not to film anyone that did not give permission or not wear protective gear on their face" Callie said.

She then turned to The pirates striker.

"Tell us Stevens, many seem to be quite worried about Sonny. Is there any updates that you can share on his current condition?" Callie asked.

Stevens nodded.

"Callie, I was asked on behalf of Sonny in person, to extend his sincere gratitude for all the get well wishes we have received. The pirates do monitor most message boards, and we are aware of the concern you have because of the injuries that has been shown on holo tv. As of now, Sonny is doing fine. The wound is healing, and he has gone to a safe place to recover. At this time, Sonny is around close and dear friends, receiving all the needed care and treatment. We expect him to make a full recovery, and should it be needed, he will also make an appearance on screen to thank you all. But rest assured, Sonny is safe and he is doing fine. He is also pleased with how this cup is progressing. We aim to go far this time, and if possible, all the way to the top" Stevens said, and received massive applause from his team mates wich was getting ready to vacate the locker room.

"Do you really think it is possible Stevens? It would be a position The pirates has never been in before. It is said that being in the finals is a tough position to be in. Are you and your men ready for such a big undertaking?" Callie asked.

Stevens nodded.

"There is a first time for everything, and if it is possible, The Pirates will do what it takes to go all the way" he said.

"It will certainly be exciting to see. All I can say dear Holo viewers, is may the best team win"...


D'Jok turned of the holo tv in the briefing room where all The Snow kids had gathered to watch the news. Corso had informed them of the on coming interview with Stevens. Maybe it was a tactic on The Pirates side, to make it easier to win, but Stevens had seemed mighty confident. The Snow kids knew that The Black Manta was parked on their pitch, but in stealth mode. The Pirates would come and go, helping out with all the fabrication of the new cure of the virus Magnus Blade had created. But Sonny was rarely seen outside his ship at this time. D'Jok had gone to see him, and quickly realised why. Sonny would lean heavily on Corso when he needed to go anywhere outside his cabin. And Corso was worse than a blood hound. Unless Sonny could make a run for it and get himself to safety, Corso would not let him exit the ship. So, in between matches, D'Jok spent as much time with his father as he could. Mei had come with a few times, but she spent most her time with Tia, and let D'Jok have some precious alone time with his father. She could tell Sonny appreciated that. When D'Jok came over, father and son would go through the things they had brought from the old apartment in the old part of Akillian. For Sonny, it was a sometimes hard walk down memory lane. You did not have to be a rocket scientist to tell that he still had a great deal of guilt to process in regards to his late wife and her death. It had made D'Jok think of something. But he needed to run it by Corso. Finally, D'Jok managed to find Corso alone, without being glued to Sonny.

"Corso, could I talk to you about something?" he managed to say.

Corso turned towards him from the computer he was looking at.

"We can talk D'Jok, but I will not agree to something that involves going behind Sonnys back. He may be injured, but he is still the boss around here. Just because I take on his duties right now, that does not mean I am in command." he reminded D'Jok.

"Actually, it is about Dad. I think..I may know a way to help him deal with some of his issues" D'Jok said.

Corso looked him over, slightly more suspicious."I'll hear you out, but it sounds serious, you would not ask me now if it was not something that qwould otherwise put Sonny, or all of us for that matter, at risk?" Corso asked.

D'Jok nodded. Corso sighed. When it came to Sonny, he would do anything for him,to make sure he was well, not just physically, but mentally as well. And whatever D'Jok had planned, seemed to have an element of that to it. If it could help, Corso was willing to listen at least.

"Lets head to the lounge, then you can tell me what you are thinking D'Jok"...


Magnus was fuming. He had been played. How had Sonny and his men managed to pull of this switch? To him, it was evident that the clone served some kind of purpose to them. Was there any chance they could turn it around, and use it to spy on them? Not very likely. Sonny was known to be careful. If he had used the clone to spy on him, he would make sure it could not be turned against himself. If Sonny knew his back up plan, he was sure to foil it, and make sure he could not take the power he craved. But Magnus had put in a fail safe. Now that Harris was gone, he could not jeopardize his plan either. Sonny was the only obstacle. But Sonny was injured after the capture. The reports said two blasts to the chest. Another person would not survive this, but Sonny was not like any other person. He was strong, and also, a genius in his own right. Sonny would have made several plans for this situation, trying to battle him. But there was a way to stop Sonny. His son. Magnus remembered the young red headed Snow kid he convinced to be the captain of his own team. He should have seen it. D'Jok looked like and acted a lot like his father. Maybe the hypnosis he had used, could be used to get him to do his bidding and keep his father at bay? Magnus headed to his office, and then, he started to plan out the attack...


The final round was over, and The pirates and The snow Kids was all relaxing in the snow kids briefing room. They now knew who the three teams from their group was. Technoid, The Pirates and The Snow Kids. Rocket looked at all of them. To motivate them, especially The Snow Kids, whom had won the cup three times, was a huge undertaking. The Final sixteen for the fourth time meant coming face to face with The Lightnings, The Xenons, and other great teams. Some of whom they had not faced before. A sound made all the pirates break into a smile. In the doorway stood Corso, and beside him, Sonny. The pirates cheered when they saw their leader. Sonny still leaned some on Corsos shoulder, but he looked better than he had when rescued.

"Congratulations Pirates, Snow Kids. You are in the final sixteen. Again. It is a huge undertaking to get to this point, so be proud of yourselves for having achieved that. But now, there is only elimination matches. You loose, you are out. I will especially address the Pirates here. It is all in your hands now. I know you want to go all the way in this cup, and since we have a flux, our chances are better than ever. With the agreements we now have, and the level of mastery of our flux, we will use the time on the pitch to develop the seed as much as we can. A holo trainer will be installed in The Black Manta, to keep up training sessions there in the off season. While I have been sick, I spent time reading up on the story of said flux. This will now be demanded that each member of the pirates team do, Corso will hand you your information folder. To understand how your flux works is the key to get the most out of it. Till the final sixteen starts on Genesis, I will have you all train hard" Sonny promised.

Stevens raised his hand.

"What about you Sonny? Do you also intend to part take on the pitch? Your flux is one of our strongest. And no one will recognize you in a pirates uniform" he said.

Sonny smiled at his striker.

"For now, I will take the role as a substitute. Clamp and I still have more work to do, to make sure that this metal alloy of Technoids is not going to be used to create a dangerous situation for other football teams. Besides, The pirates is a great team, even without me on the pitch. I am sure you can handle it without my presence" Sonny said.

He then turned to leave, but the injury still slowed him only thing that made him leave the safety of his ship, was the immunity agreement they had. Here, he could still move around safely. And at this time, slowly.

Corso came around a corner and saw him.

"Here, let me help you back to the ship. You are not healed yet, it will take some time. Meanwhile, we continue our work to try to solve this issue with Magnus.I may have something that can speed up things, but it requires rest. If you happen to know what that is?" he joked.

Sonny smiled as he carefully placed his arm around Corsos neck where they headed back to the ship.

"We will head for Genesis and the cup matches there. I am counting on the pirates and The snow kids to go as high as possible. We need to, to find out who Magnus soldiers are. I got a feeling Magnus has a team that is doing his dirty work. He took over where Harris lost. But wich team?" he wondered.

Corso agreed.

"Not a team we are aware of at present time, that is for sure. We know it is not The lightnings, we need to get a better look at the other teams. Corso, send out scouts before the matches, to all new teams we dont know."Sonny ordered.

Corso nodded.

"I will take care of it Sonny. Any teams you want particular eyes on?" he asked.

Sonny thought it over.

"Three unknown teams. The Pulsars, The Gyros and The Xenons. The Xenons has a shady past, and could be prone to take up on a deal to win like that, but I think we are dealing with someone unfamiliar to us at this point" Sonny thought.

Corso nodded.

"That leaves only three teams, The Sandmen of Menor, The Pulsars, and The Gyros. All unknown teams that showed up during Magnus cup on Paradisia. You think we need to look at them first?" he asked.

Sonny nodded.

"Yes, These teams are from planets close to Paradisia. We have never heard of them before that cup. And it makes me wonder as to wheter Magnus really was as alone on matters as we seem to think, or if he had more than Harris working with him" he said.

Corso nodded.

"I will put Bennett and Artie on it. We will find out Sonny, I promise. But now, I want you to rest up. Something tells me, you will need all of your strenght in all of this"...


Final Sixteen.. They were here once again. Rocket looked at the pitch, Tia next to him. Three times, they had managed the impossible. And this time, would be their fourth attempt. And for some reason, the cup did not feel so important this time as before. They had already done it, three times. It was time for someone else to take over. But whom would be a worthy winner of the cup? As a three time winner, he and his team knew, it was not just about the cup, it was about the flux, the flux of the champions would preserve the peace in the galaxy. It was more important than just a cup. That was one of the things he had gotten during the times Clamp and Sonny had talked with them all about it. The balance of the fluxes, the breath preserved that in a good way. But not all teams had that same outlook, would they do it for one more round, or would someone worthy take over? He wondered...

D'Jok had his own grievances. With all that had happened, he was not even sure how the galaxy would see him anymore. Was he doomed to become the footballer whose entire time was abducted by a mad man, because of his past mistakes,and if so, then what? Continue to play, or was he destined to walk the same path as his father, become a pirate? A wanted man, always on the run? Deep within, D'Jok knew, what was to become his future, was for him to decide. He was possibly faced with lack of trust from the parents of the galactik kids. All of them had been brought to Akillian to receive treatment. This had been done by Dame Simbai and Clamp. Sonny had chosen to stay in hiding for this, not wanting to draw any attention to himself or the pirates. Despite his condition, Sonny had put in hours in the lab with Clamp to finish a remedy that would allow for the recovery of the infected players. Aarch and Noorata, Along with Keira, had stayed at the Academy to see to it that they rested properly, while Sonny and the pirates took off for Genesis along with the snow kids and Technical staff. Now, D'Jok had to focus, as they approached the gigantic spinning star. The pirates had travelled with them, but with their status, they saw the ships start to disappear through the porthole.

"Wow, look at that, it is the stealth mode enabled right before our very eyes" Thran exclaimed, facinated.

He had been on board The Black Manta and knew there would be radio silence for now. Micro Ice also looked at them.

"See you soon Artie, and be careful ok. That goes for Sonny, Bennett and Corso too" he said.

Mei and D'Jok looked at each other.

"Whatever you are planning, good luck Dad, and be careful" D'Jok said.

As they landed and exited the shuttle, they were met by the photographers. D'Jok kept an eye on Callie Mystic, she seemed to have targeted him, and then there was...


"Hush Sharky..what else could go wrong?" D'Jok muttered as he put on his sun glasses.

The reporters stormed towards them. D'Jok heard them call out for him left and right.

"Give him some space. We will speak at the press conference, not before" he heard Mei say before they were transported into a limousine.

"That was a close one, thanks Mei" he said.

"That is what girlfriends are for" she smiled back.

"I wonder who we will face first. I recall there was a few unknown teams we never faced before" Sinedd said.

"Well, That question I can answer. The snow kids will face off against The Gyros in two days, we got plenty to do" said Clamp, looking up from his data pad.

D'Jok nodded, he expected fierce competition, and the usual hysteria.

"I think.. There will be harder matches too" he said.

Dame Simbai nodded.

"Yes, the first match you would want to catch. It is The pirates against The Xenons" she said.

The snow kids gasped collectively.

"I hope they protect their anckles, the Xenons dont play fair, this is going to be rough on them" said Micro Ice.

"I wouldnt worry too much Micro Ice, The pirates are pros, they know what they are up against. It will be an exciting match to watch" Tia said.

Rocket agreed with Micro Ice, he remembered his one on one with ball was no rules sure, but the tacklings from the reptilian had been brutal. He hoped the pirates knew what they were up for. This was a match they would all watch together.

He on the other hand needed to know more about their oponent.

"Are we the first match against The Gyros in the final sixteen?" he finally asked.

At this moment, their driver smirked.

"Clamp, why dont you take the video file in the glove compartment?" said a familiar voice.

D'Jok looked up.

"Artie?" Micro Ice said.

"The one and only. This is an information video on The Gyros. Corso and Sonny put it together based on what we know. Watch it as a team and act as a team when you face them, was the message I was told to give. And here we are at your hotel. Good luck and Go Snow Go" he cheered.

"Your team is up first, in tomorrows match. That is sure to be explosive" said Rocket.

"We will be fine, the pirates are used to rough housing. We will play our hearts out" said Artie, filled with confidence.

That sparked a good mood with the snow kids. As They made ready to exit the taxi, they all turned towards Artie.

"Tell your team, The snow kids support the Pirates 100%. GO PIRATES GO!" the snow kids cheered in unison as they left the taxi.

Artie returned to The Black Manta to report to Sonny...


Sorry for the delay, there has been a lot going on. Going to use this corona virus thing to get caught up here and there. Still got plenty of ideas, but sometimes a heavy start. Sorry for lack of action, I promise to make up for that. I hope this will be to your enjoyment.