An invigorated team headed by Toyotomi stood on the side-lines anticipating the referees signal to mount their brooms. The Chudley Cannons were still grazing above, now satisfied with their practice drills, they lazily perched atop of their brooms. Toyotomi thought they looked bored and rather indifferent to the entire event.
Despite the lack of importance surrounding the game for the Cannons, they still exuded an aura of professionalism. From their formation to their effortless comfort on a broom, the team clearly had a quality yet to be revealed. But Toyotomi was still leaning on the small chance that the Cannons may become complacent.
"Are you sure you don't want to play chaser?" Said Toyotomi, as he stretched the strings of his armguards tightening them. "I seem to remember you doing quite well in that position."
"I'm a seeker," Jess replied adamantly, with a straight face. "But… I change it up sometimes, why not, the best players can play in every position."
Toyotomi grinned at Jess. He got more out of her in that conversation than in the past few hours. He also agreed with her point. The best players in the British League could play in multiple positions. It was not uncommon to substitute an injured keeper for a beater or even a chaser. The natural bulkiness and size of a beater served nicely, whereas the throwing abilities of a chaser translated well to the distribution of play.
"MOUNT YOUR BROOMS." The referee's instructions projected throughout the HMS Merlin and the rest of the armada.
Team D looked at each other and nodded, expressing a silent good luck. They all mounted their brooms and kicked off into the air. Toyotomi released a thin smile as he met the comfort of a familiar wind. He directed his broom towards the massive hoops on the bow side of the ship. He circled the hoops several times, analysing them. They were nothing like the ones he had at home. These hoops were clearly of a professional standard, with a size several times larger than the semi-professional and amateur variants. Toyotomi tapped the outer shell which responded with a sturdy metallic clank. There was virtually no vibration or sway, imperative to the fairness of the game.
"CAPTAINS TO THE MIDDLE." The referees voiced bellowed once more.
Toyotomi stumbled abruptly on his broom. His inner Quidditch geek made him forget about the game ahead. He gave his head a light tap, as if to restart his psyche into game mode. He flashed through the middle hoop and centred himself in front of the trio. The rest of the team looked at him nervously. They expected him as their captain. Toyotomi was taken aback and paused for a moment before he jolted his broom forward to take up the mantle. He did not like the position of responsibility, but in this case, it seemed like no one else wanted it.
Toyotomi glided towards the centre circle. The captain for the Cannons was already there. It was Lancer, one half of the Chudley Dangers. Although, this was definitely one whole humongous man. Lancer had straight dark hair and a square face which seemed too small for his body, regardless the expression on it was unquestionable. A stern look and desire to win. Lancer's pure black eyes reflected Toyotomi, they seemed to offer no reserve or peace with the opposition today.
The only thing that confused Toyotomi was the choice of captain. Vinn had usually been the first choice for a decade. But then again, those games did not amount to much. It seemed that Wolfgang was reshaping the team. Fresh blood was taking over. Toyotomi's slim chance of defeating a relaxed Chudley Cannon's was over. Lancer was to make sure of that.
"Shake hands," said the referee.
Toyotomi outstretched his hand, which Lancer grabbed with an almighty grip, almost unseating him from his broom.
"Best of luck kid… But know I won't be going easy on you… This is my team. I am part of your future, as much as you are part of mine. If this game decides who joins the Cannons, I am going to make sure it's only the best. You got that? " Growled Lancer.
Toyotomi looked up. He had been avoiding the gaze of Lancer this whole time, but he was giving him advice! Toyotomi nodded graciously. He had this whole match wrong. It was not supposed to be easy, but a chance to prove he belonged in the topflight of Quidditch.
"Return to your positions."
Lancer saluted Toyotomi before regrouping with his duo partner Smith. Team D looked nervously ahead. They spotted a smirk on Toyotomi's face as he returned to the keeper's position. Toyotomi signalled to his team with a clenched fist. Do your best.
"Now I want a clean fair game from everyone." The referee scanned the centre. The chasers, beaters and seeker from both teams circled the official. The referee checked the keepers were in position before flourishing his wand. The snitch and bludgers burst from the chest below. They zoomed past the players erratically. Jess focused her vision on the tiny golden ball. She had tunnel vision; the snitch was her ticket onto the team.
Another wave of the wand released the Quaffle, which shot up at an incredible speed. The game was underway.
The Quaffle was snatched from the air by Haydon, before being flung towards Avery with precision accuracy. Within a split second of receiving, Avery launched the Quaffle like a muggle quarterback to the other side of the pitch. Toyotomi wondered where the Quaffle was traveling as it pierced the air with its incredible momentum. The arm strength in that throw was phenomenal. A loud clank rang in Toyotomi's ear, followed by a loud sound of the horn. The Cannons had scored. 10-0.
Toyotomi had frozen. The hoop to his right still vibrating from the impact with the Quaffle, which skimmed its edge before going in. They were only ten seconds into the match and Avery had scored from his side of the pitch. It was clear this would be the pace for the rest of the game.
Toyotomi collected the Quaffle and himself. He had several seconds to observe the game before throwing the Quaffle again. Jess was already in pursuit of the snitch! Her silver Mercury shimmered as it shot across the pitch, the opposition seeker in close pursuit.
A hand shot up in the air, Mouse was signalling that he was in space. The Cannon's seemed to have a hard time marking such a compact figure. Although Mouse's movement was also excellent. He seemed to weave in and out of the tiny gaps between Avery and Pollitt, making sure he was never sealed in. Instinctively, Toyotomi chucked the Quaffle to Mouse with all his teenage might.
Mouse dashed towards the Quaffle to meet it, but ultimately fumbled in the catch. Haydon snuck underneath, seizing the rouge Quaffle. She immediately started a counter-attack. Zayna and Ivanka looked ahead at the oncoming figure which flew at inhuman speeds. Realising that Haydon did not have the slightest intention to slow down, the chaser duo parted like the Red Sea in the presence of Moses.
Toyotomi was on his toes. She was going left, no right, no left. Haydon paused for half a second before she threw the Quaffle directly at Toyotomi. The only problem was Toyotomi had already dived right. A fatal error bought upon by Haydon. She knew Toyotomi was going to make a mistake! 20-0. Five minutes played.
The match continued in the expected fashion, and the score rapidly favoured the Cannons at 50-0. It seemed the mismatch of positions did not help, and coupled with almost non-existent team chemistry; the youngsters struggled. Eventually, most of Team D had one eye on the game and the other on Jess who was still in pursuit of the snitch and their last shot at victory.
The snitch had been abnormally fast throughout the game. Toyotomi's eyes darted in their sockets as they struggled to maintain it in frame. Eventually, it struck him; the snitch used in the game was also used in professional play. In fact, he noticed all the equipment was of higher quality. The snitch was faster; the Quaffle was lighter, and the bludger was harder (luckily he had not been hit yet though). To bring out match-day equipment like this was rare. Even the academy players who had been present for training were foreign to the equipment.
The newly learned information made the feat in front of Toyotomi even more impressive. Jess was ahead in the race for the snitch. The Mercury outshined its direct competitor, the Nimbus 2007. Viktoria, the seeker for the Cannons struggled to keep up with the snitch patterns and could not create a viable flight path. Eventually, she resorted to following behind Jess hoping the teenager would make a mistake, but Viktoria even struggled with that. The snitch and Jess dove in synchronous motion as they edged closer to each other. Jess kicked her broom extracting every inch of speed; she outstretched her hand as the snitch entered her territory. Her palm tasted the snitch before a resounding crash echoed throughout the decks. A bludger contacted Jess directly on her right arm, crucially preventing the game-winning catch.
"GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME VIKTORIA." Screamed Lancer. He had fired a shot of deadly accuracy towards Jess. Smith followed up with a second shot, which Jess dodged. They successfully made her lose sight of the snitch. Toyotomi observed from a distance and could have sworn that Lancer's bat was spewing smoke. It was evident that Lancer had a priority target.
Although both seekers were out of action, the onslaught from the chasers Avery, Pollitt and Haydon continued. The match was becoming desperate. Toyotomi took command of his team and himself. He realised the initial shock of playing had worn off, and with the right steps, the team should be able to play some real Quidditch or at least save face…
"Zayna and Ivanka, stay strong! The last thing they want is a collision. They will not fly into you. Don't worry about taking the Quaffle, just force them into uncomfortable positions." Shouted Toyotomi.
"What about us?" said Joe, who along with Richard had not met the bludger once.
"DEFEND JESSICA." replied Toyotomi urgently.
Haydon had approached the final third once more. Although this time, Zayna and Ivanka tried to pester her as much as possible. It was working. Toyotomi analysed her body language carefully. Left, right, left, left, right, PAUSE, CENTRE. Toyotomi used an almighty left hook on the oncoming Quaffle, transferring the energy and the Quaffle back to Haydon, forcing her to duck. He had made his first save. Before Toyotomi could celebrate, the long-shot specialist Avery had sent the Quaffle flying back to Toyotomi. With cat-like reactions, Toyotomi dove as the tip of his fingers graced the stitching of the Quaffle, sending it over the right hoop and plunging into the sand. The score remained 50-0.
"Smith, stop. Change of plan. We have a new priority target." Lancer momentarily paused his barrage on Jess. He scrunched his eyes as he tried to assess the situation on the opposite side. "The kid, he's stopping everything…Even Haydon and Avery. I can't believe it."
"But what about the girl? If we leave, she is definitely going to catch the snitch."
"You stay here to deal with the girl. I'll deal with this kid myself."
Lancer glided slowly towards his prey, like a tiger in its sacred jungle. Avery, Pollitt and Haydon continued taking turns to shoot at Toyotomi as they effortlessly brushed off the rest of the team. Toyotomi was the last line of defence and knowing this ensued a transformation within himself. He entered a state of unadulterated focus. The Quaffle became the object of his space. Reacting to its movements the moment it left the hand of the chasers.
"This kid's a monster," laughed Avery, as he paused to catch his breath. "Haydon, he's even giving you a hard time."
Haydon delivered a final shot, which Toyotomi deflected once again.
"Aww, I really thought I had that one."
Toyotomi's hands had begun to get increasingly sore. With each consequent save, his hands became weaker and his saves got worse. Although they were still saves and the Cannons had failed to score for the past ten minutes thanks to Toyotomi.
Lancer slowly wiped the dirt off his bat as he continued to analyse Toyotomi with a sharp interest. Once he was satisfied the bat was clean, he threw it into the air. Smith received his partner's signal flare loud and clear and fired the closest bludger towards him. Lancer could hear the monstrous screech of the bludger behind him, and once it reached the correct angle, he caught his bat and swung it, directing the signature cannon towards the arm of Toyotomi. A novel pain spread throughout Toyotomi's body as every bone in his left arm dissipated into pieces. The redness became the least of his problems as Toyotomi's arm dangled from his body like a piece of string. His right arm dove instinctively as it contacted the Quaffle. Another save. Pollitt tried to take advantage of his injury but failed. A second object followed on from the Quaffle. The bludger returned to finish the job, impacting Toyotomi on his broom and delivering him soundly to the sands below.
The sky looked awfully blue from down here. Toyotomi sunk into the warm sands which enveloped him like the fuzziest duvet. Sweet adrenaline coursed through his veins like nectar, as a whistle sounded from a distant island. He was ready to have a nice long nap. Several dark figures surrounded him.
"Did we p-pass," he said weakly.
Lancer dropped to his knees besides Toyotomi and released a weak smile.
"I look forward to working with you kid, you're the future."