The snow kids was hard at work with training. The video that the pirates had given them, allowed them some measure of preparation before they met a team they knew little about. The Gyros was an unknown team to many of the players in the cup. Last time, they had not really advanced far, so little was known. How the pirates got about their information, or even located them to obtain information was unknown, but here they were. Artie had made sure to sneak off close to unseen after he dropped them off at the hotel. In a guarded location, The pirates was training hard for this competition. With them having a till now unknown flux, had given them a real advantage, it looked like it would be the Wambas or the Shadows that would be underdogs this time. And for some reason it did not bother Sinedd. He had his time with The Shadows, he had developed as a player, but returning to The Snow Kids had been a humbling experience for him. He knew Aarch was a legend in his own right, with his creative methods for coaching, a legacy now passed on to Rocket, since the incident with him and Aduim had become known the last cup. Aduim was still associated with the league, but she was also pregnant and about to give birth to a little baby soon. With all that had happened over three consecutive cups, Sinedd knew many of The Snow Kids did not feel they had anything more to prove. Their star on the galactic sky was eternal. Three time champions, with huge changes each time. Rocket was doing his best to motivate them all, but when you reached that state that you really did not have the same appetite for victory as before. And this was a challenge Rocket faced now. To motivate his team to play all out against an unknown team. In truth, there was not many teams The Snow Kids had not faced. But The Gyros, The Sandmen of Menor and finally,The pulsars, was unknown elements. The video allowed Rocket to study the flux of The Gyros. It looked strong, and like a wall of sorts. This was a challenge for The Snow Kids to find out how to break through.
"You are going to be in trouble with this flux. It is very dense. You may need some new stategies to use the breath this time. Or they may actually send you out of the final sixteen as one of the first teams" said Clamp as he studied the flux.
"I think I got a bigger problem on my hands. Since the abduction, Micro Ice and Mei have been sidelined for some time, and we dont know if all this work you and Sonny did will work as intended. Then, there is D'Jok and his situation. He has not said much, but he looks a bit changed, like he has lost his edge somehow. I dont know if that is a good thing or not. Tia has one tough job as captain of this team" Rocket said as he studied the team in the holo trainer. Clamp had made holograms of The Gyros for them to play. The team seemed to struggle to break the wall, until Micro Ice had one of his creative moments. That seemed to be key to punch a hole in their defence. As soon as the training was over, Rocket looked at all of them.
"This is awesome. Good job Micro Ice. You solved the puzzle, we are in much better shape to defeat The Gyros now" Rocket said.
"Dont forget, tonight is The pirates facing The Xenons. That is sure to be worth while watching" said D'Jok.
Mark nodded, but he was still feeling out of place. The thought of Nina Eight had not left him. And soon, he risked facing her on the pitch, playing for Technoid. But first, they had to defeat The Gyros. Mark decided to keep silent. For now, The Snow Kids needed be focused. They would not win this by slacking off. Rocket looked at them all, sweaty and short on breath. They had given it all they had for this session, now it was time to hit the shower and get some rest.
It made him sad, he so wanted to be out there, but his resonance did not allow him to play an entire match the way things was right now. He hoped Clamp and Sonny would be able to counter it, as soon as Sonny was well enough to make an escape from Technoid. The images from the capture had made him worry for the pirate chief, but as he had seen, Sonny had an iron clad wall of protection around him by his men, as soon as he recovered, Rocket knew he and Clamp would meet and see if they could work things out.
But he could not stop himself from missing being part of the team, in the action.
"Great work out everyone. Make sure you rest properly, we meet again tomorrow morning. And tonight, we will be watching the pirates take on the Xenons. That is a great way to study two very likely teams we will meet." he said.
The team smiled and headed to the shower. Rocket looked at Clamp.
"Clamp, do you think we will ever deal with the resonance I have? I know, after Paradisia, there is a chance we all have it in varying degrees.I just feel so helpless, I just wish there was something I could do to change it" he said. Clamp nodded. He understood Rockets frustration with the situation.
"I believe it can be reversed Rocket, but not to what point. Sonny is going to look into that part. In these kinds of matters, he is the one with the knowledge. I was more a mechanical scientist during my days with Technoid, Sonnys education is more extensive, he is educated in biochemistry and a variety of other things, simply because he has this mind that needs constant refill to work best. Technoid gave him all those tools while he worked there, too bad they were rotten even then, and he found out. When he did, he decided to stop them, with the result that he became a refuge, a fugitive. Technoid invested a lot of time and money on his education. It is no wonder they would want him back. But unless they all of a sudden turn close to squeeky clean in all they do, I dont think there is much chance Sonny would even consider working for them, with them perhaps, if it is needed to solve the situation, but he wont go back to them. That is what pisses them off, and makes them go on a hunt for him." Clamp explained.
Rocket nodded with a sigh.
"I guess, I will take whatever time I can get on the pitch then" Rocket said.
He could not help but feel disappointed.
Dame Simbai placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We will fix this Rocket, but we need time" she said.
Rocket nodded as he left the training room. Dame Simbai looked at Clamp.
"Do you think you can reverse the effect of resonance Clamp? Rocket is not the only one suffering. There are other players as well. If this resonance gets worse in the teams, many of the great galactik stars will have to retire from football prematurely. Galactik football as we know it, may disappear forever, until younger teams can replace them" she said.
Clamp rubbed his chin. This was an intriguing thought. If Magnus was one of those that did not like football, and only saw flux as a tool to make his own world better, and money did the talking, maybe that was the motive for both he and Harris. Clamp did not believe Magnus as innocent as he had tried to portray himself in all this, and neither did Sonny. It was just a matter of time before they would be on the trail of what he was up to. But as far as reversing the resonance went, he had to wait on whatever Sonny would find.
"I honestly dont know Dame Simbai, this is Sonnys area of expertise. But I would not be surprised if this thought has crossed his mind too" he said.
Dame Simbai nodded.
"If so, Sonnys knowledge alone becomes a danger to this Magnus. There are still evil forces at play in the galaxy. And it seems someone wants to stop the Galactik football, and the use of the fluxes for good, using the resonance. If Sonny is the only one with the knowledge to reverse it..." she said.
Clamp nodded.
"Then, not only galactik football as we know it is in danger, whatever this plan is, it may change galactik football for good, and the ones in the risk zone are innocent kids. I need to speak to Sonny about it" he said.
Dame Simbai nodded.
"Very Well, I will get the flux society involved as soon as we know more then"...
How could this thing be countered? Sonny was looking over all the research material that he had. Samples from each infected player they had been able to reach, and his men was still looking up more. This plan Magnus had, it was more devious than he had given him credit for. And so many were in danger of having their future as footballers, having this magical energy leave the galaxy for good, unless he could find a way to reverse it. But how? Sonny had even printed out old lectures from his one time mentor, Professor Monteague, who was the one that made him take an interest in studying flux. The Flux society was a good regulator, but without real power to do anything. The fluxes had once been used to do good in the galaxy, before the powerhungry sharks had created division between the planets, intending to use the fluxes as a weapon of war, to seize power and control. He had not been in the wars, but being a pirate, their leader, he knew the effects the war had. Corso was a perfect example of that. And Corso had told him of other pirates, some vanished into history, no sign of what happened, or where their lives ended, ever found. He had not given up, but the stories where conclusion was reached was few and far between. If he could not fix the resonance, a bi product of Bleylocks insanity, there was no other way to describe it, there would be a heavy price to pay, for all the stars of galactik football. Technoid had provided him the tools, instead of using it to aide their goals, he would turn that knowledge to something good for the galaxy. Especially for the planet where he once caused a disaster, covering it in snow and ice. Many a time he had found himself wondering, could he reverse that effect, bring back what he had robbed them off? The question lingered in the back of his mind. The eternal what ifs. But the most important problem was the resonance. It was a threat to the players of all teams, the galactik football federation and also, with what he had discovered, to the next generation of footballers. The galactik kids was only the first team, if this was a virus, it could effect other teams as well, mixed or pure flux. This was why he had learned the knowledge he had. To prevent the demise of the fluxes, to be the last line of defence. Sonny did not see himself as a religious man, but this time, he sent a prayer to a higher power, to aide him to see how this could be fixed. He could hear a door open behind him, and someone entered the lab in the back of Black Manta.
"The match is about to start Sonny, you told me to notify you. I hope our boys are ready to take on The Xenons. These monsters is not someone I would like to be against" said Corso.
Sonny nodded. He was getting nowhere at the moment,he might as well take a break, and cheer his team on. Sonny put down work and locked up the lab as he went with Corso to watch the match...
"The pirates are on fire tonight, one attempt after the other. The Xenons are having difficulties pinpointing this team as they use their flux in a team play effort to try to win. Ah, there is Stevens, he has the ball, and he is going one on one with Luur. He is going for the goal, dribbling with Luur. Oh, he shoots and...GOAL PIRATES!" yelled an excited Callie.
The roar from within The Black Manta was equally high. Corso grinned as he saw Sonny raise his hands to cover his ears some.
"Too loud for you? Sorry, the boys dont come with a volume button" Corso said with a smirk.
"Im ok, just had a silent enviroment around me for a few hours too long" Sonny said.
Corso nodded.
"Are you making any head way on the resonance? I remember you said to look at it, as soon as you had dealt with the galactik kids, and Mei and Micro Ices issues" Corso wondered.
Sonny nodded.
"It seems this is possibly a bit more complex than I anticipated. And as a result,I think I may be catching on to Magnus real plan Corso. It is the same old story that Bleylock pulled, That Harris pulled. To put it in short. He wants the fluxes gone, so whatever he has created is the only source of power. It would allow him to rule supreme, and you know well by now, what kind of weapon a flux can be. The Flux society regulate it, they dont control it. If Magnus could use the galactik resonance for such purpose, there is litterally no one that can stop him" Sonny said.
Corso looked at him in utter shock.
"Do we know how advanced it is in the players yet? We know that the players that played Netherball has a stronger resonance than the players affected by playing in the paradisian cup. That list includes all the major galactik football stars Sonny, every single one of them, plus the more aggressive players from the teams. It has to be reduced. Somehow, but I have no idea as to how. If this is an attempt to control who reaches the final Sonny, it can only be the team that he has decided to use as his accomplices, and then...In Shilohs name.." Corso looked down right horrified as he realised the full extent of the truth.
Sonny could only nodd.
"Yes Corso, unless he has access to Technoids team, and they did not secure their access frequenzy right, It is going to be a final like we never saw before. It will be an unknown team, most likely one of the unknown ones from The paradisian cup" he said.
Corso thought it over.
"Besides Team Paradisia, wich is now Technoid, The sandmen of Menor is already out. That leaves only two unknown. The Gyros, and The Pulsars. We still have a copy of the training video we gave The Snow Kids right?" he asked.
Sonny nodded.
"The Snow Kids will unfortunately have to help us with this. I dont like it, but we need someone to draw their attention away from us while we work this. The Snow Kids already have Rocket severely weakened by his resonance. I have not seen it in D'Jok or the other players yet, but the chance is, it will, and surely, sooner rather than later. Micro Ice and Mei are also in a risk zone when it comes to that. D'Jok is still appearing strong but there is a possibility of a backlash from the hypnosis he was put under. Anything happens to my son, Magnus will regret the day he met him. But in all cases, It seems evident that Magnus will make a move. And it may be close to the final. I am not sure, but I got a feeling this may not be a final where the reigning Champions are playing. It will be two unknown teams. And one of those teams, will be The pirates"...
Luur was panting. This was an odd feeling. He was stronger than most his team mates, but this feeling.. It felt familiar somehow. But how could that even be? He could take on an entire team by himself, but today, he felt exhausted from nothing. And The Pirates did not seem effected by this at all. Luur had to use his team players more than he normally would. He was a star, one of the greatest Galactik football stars ever, and he was being played by a team that used to have no flux at all. But mysteriously, now they did, and now they played harder than ever, with a unique team play. Luur knew he would have to change strategy, if not before, then at half time. The pirates was making a fool out of him and his team, the great Xenons. This was too much for his reptilian pride. Luur ordered a full on attack on the pirates goal...
"Luur seems to be really angry at the pirates playing so well and with their flux, he is going for the goal, and he looks angry" sounded Callies voice.
"Cover Hawkins and help him stop this goal. Team unity is more important than ever" Sonny told his players through his communicator.
They watched as the pirates formed a pyramid block in front of the prepared for a hard hit as the entire team activated their flux. The same thought had come to the Xenons, whom activated their flux, the heat.
"This really is incredible, a true clash of titans. The Xenons is dead set on getting this goal, and the pirates equally set on defending their goal against them. This is surely not the pirates we are used to seeing" commented Barry Randt, whom could not hide his excitement.
"Dont let the goal in. Stop the attack, we only got seconds left of the first half" Sonny commanded from the safety of his ship.
"And there goes the signal for the first half. The pirates lead by one to nill. The next half is sure to be explosive" said Callie.
Sonny smiled as he laid down his headset.
"Corso, tell Artie and Bennett, get an eye on Luur. The first half really took a lot out of him. It seems the resonance is progressing faster than anticipated for the galactik stars. Luur played Netherball, so it is no surprise there, but it seems, even the other Xenon players are affected. We have to act, even if it means breaking all security rules" Sonny ordered.
Corso nodded, and went to do as told.
Sonny realised things was about to take an ugly turn, and at the very first match of the final sixteen. He needed to talk to Clamp, right now.
Sonny stepped into his own cabin and made the call...
The Snow Kids was blown away at this first half.
"Luur has lost his edge. I always saw him as a fearsome beast, but this..this version of him is tame" said Micro Ice.
D'Jok agreed.
"Luur is usually a lot stronger. He seems weakened" he commented.
Sinedd nodded.
"I wonder if this is a sideeffect to Netherball. I always thought it was a Technoid operated thing, but it is possible someone else was behind it, someone I never saw" he said.
Clamp entered the room along with Dame Simbai, and they looked grave serious.
"Snow Kids, we just came off a call from Sonny. He will come by later. It is urgent. Sonny has talked to The Lightnings already,and Aduim at the League. The players of all teams seem to have been effected by the same thing as Rocket. It is called resonance. And this will weaken you all. For those that played Nether ball, this whole thing started there, the more aggressive you play, the more effected you will be, and the longer you played, the worse the resonance" Clamp said as he looked at Rocket.
"You were in the sphere for a long time Rocket, each time ten minutes,and your playing style was very aggressive. So was yours Sinedd, and also Tia. Sonny requested all three of you to be tested and get the level of resonance read imidiately. So will happen for you all. Mei, Micro Ice, it is possible that the abduction has left you two with some kind of resonance as well, so he asked Dame Simbai and also Brim Balarius to help with this. D'Jok, I dont think I need to tell you that your contact with Magnus Blade put you on a watch list too. Sonny has called in enforcement from outside the pirates to cover all bases. He is considering involving Technoid as this is a matter that is too big for the pirates alone." Clamp sighed.
"For Sonny to go to these extremes, it speaks volumes about the severity of the situation we are facing. Tia,we may need your parents help here too" Clamp said.
Tia nodded.
"I will contact them. This is a very serious situation, isnt it?" she asked silently.
Dame Simbai looked at all of them.
"We wont lie to you. This is already becoming an extreme situation. One that means all normal rules are off. Brim Balarius will inform you on the meaning later. But the truth is, if Sonny is right, the galaxy is under the biggest threat it has ever faced. Sonny himself will be working side by side with Technoids best scientist teams to solve the resonance riddle " she said.
That Made a shell shocked D'Jok look at them.
"This isnt safe for Dad. Technoid sees him, they are sure to arrest him, and who knows what will happen then" he shouted.
"There is no other choice D'Jok" sounded a voice behind him.
Sonny entered the room next to Corso.
"We have stumbled upon what could be Magnus plan all along. I thought he had changed, well, he has, for the worse. He was all about money when he was exiled. Now, he is all about power. Galactik power. If Magnus has it his way, the galactik football as we know it, the fluxes as we know it, will all be a distant memory. Magnus will succeed where Bleylock and Harris failed. He will seize galactik power, and rule supreme, and he will have all of us at his mercy, because he created a galaxy wide resonance that destroyed the fluxes as we know it"...
Magnus is a bad apple, it is not like we have not seen that before. The guy double crossed his own once, off course he would do it again, out of greed,and lust for a power he does not have. So remains the questions, why is this revealed at the start of the final sixteen, why resonance as the ultimate way to destroy a universe. Because somewhere in the original story, this is subtly suggested as a possible route. I chose to explore this round. It will force enemies to form alliances, and Sonny and Clamp need all the help they can get to solve this, even if that means a deal with the devil, in this case technoid. This is not a whim. I planned this route a long time ago. I hope this makes up for a long wait. I try to put more football in, I have not gone into the second half of this match yet, and that will reveal even more about things. Time will be of the essence. Happy reading.