The Diego Diaries: HOOPS! (dd6 552)

=0=Arena 2 in the Autobot City Sports Arena in Retriarius, 'The Eight Ball'

BAM!

A ball whizzed past Ironhide's helm and hit the back wall. It had been deflected from the possibility of a shot at the hoop by the fast maneuver of Jetta to intervene. Omega walked to the sidelines to play the ball back in. Everyone stood around vying for the ball when he shot it between Prime's legs to Xantium.

Prime pivoted and charged Zee bumping him with his shoulder. Xantium staggered, then pressed back hiding the ball against his body. As long as the two didn't use their hands, they could railroad anyone as hard as they wanted. As Xantium leaned into Prime Chromia sprinted past, knocked the ball loose, then shot it to Jetta. They were halfway down the court before the teams pivoted to follow, so intent on the duel between Prime and Zee that they didn't notice.

Jetta blazed in, jumped and shot.

Score.

He landed, then slapped servos with Chromia.

15-0.

Grimlock didn't appear perturbed a bit which was perturbing to those watching as he huddled a moment, then sent a monster truck to send the ball into play at the back line under their goal. It was sent in and the dog fight was on. Slamming into each other, they vied to take the ball back and when it was mustered down toward Ironhide, he got set.

Grimlock came in like a freight train and slammed into Ironhide as he turned to take the ball in. Ironhide staggered, then slammed into Grimlock, pushing with his hands as well, something that goalies were allowed. Giving slightly, Grimlock never the less dunked the ball.

15-5.

A roar went up as he jogged back to his team mates. Hand slapping and hoo-hawing commenced, the crowd roared and Prowl swore under his breath.

Prime gathered his group, then Jetta jogged off the court with a grin to enormous applause. He sat down on the bench as Ultra Magnus stood and began to walk onto the court.

The place burst into flames.

Ultra Magnus aka Deion Magnus, oldest friend of Optimus Prime aka Orion Pax aka The Beast was so big he looked Prime's twin. Though a primal frame was huge, both he and Optimus were that already before Prime's ascension. He strode onto the court without expression. He was incredibly impressive and pausing beside Prime demonstrated how much. He was massive, surprisingly fast, without much embellishment in manner, preferring the straight path to a goal and as handsome as they came.

Ratchet grinned. "This is going to be good, Prowler. I've seen them playing games together when we were kids."

Prowl glanced at Ratchet, hating him for a nanosecond that he had seen Prime at something Prowl would never know, then he nodded. "He's amazing. This will be good," Prowl said as he ran through the equations that he had designed when thinking just that thought.

Ratchet grinned. Prowler was going to need to get drunk after this game, for sure.

BREAK!

Everyone went back to their places and the game began again when Raptor threw the ball to Chromia. In a dazzling display of dribbling and running around the behemoths that weren't as agile as her due to their greater size, she passed off to Prime. He ran down the court side, then passed to Magnus who had materialized out of thin air next to the goalie.

Magnus caught the ball, turned to jump and doing so hip butted the big mech into the stands. He dunked the ball, landed, then turned equally grimly to walk back to the line where he would be right forward to Prime's center and Chromia's left position.

The crowd went nuts.

Prowl went nuts.

Ratchet coveted his cymbals.

The score was 20 to 5, Iacon winning.

Grimlock changed out players, then they began again. The ball was tossed in and the slam dance continued. Mechs were charged and bounced around as futile shots on goal were made by Tarn. It was an amazing defensive game thus far. It was then that Prime intercepted a shot, strode away from goal and sank a shot from his own goal into Tarn's. It was a full court dunk.

25-5.

The spectators burst into flames.

The siren for the half sounded.

Everyone lined up with banners, then walked off, both sides laughing at the other as they taunted. They disappeared into the tunnel and headed toward the locker rooms down the way.

=0=Inside the locker room of the Iacon Invaders

They sat quietly sipping drinks and resting up. Raptor grinned at Ironhide. "How's it going, infant?"

"Its going good. Only one goal and the slagger sent me into the wall," Ironhide said. "I take a lickin' and keep on tickin'."

Huge laughter greeted that as Prime relaxed on his bench. "Grimlock is going to fight for the second half of this game. Prepare to get slagged."

"He already has," Ironhide said with a grin. "I intend to fight. Who else has a death wish?"

Everyone did.

In the other locker room Tarn sat together planning strategy. They also agreed that a good fight was a good thing. One couldn't play ball the Cybertronian way without a fist fight or three. None of them had been given a silver spoon growing up and even though Omega and Xantium hadn't been limited by the caste system, they hadn't had the chip on their shoulders like the others. Titanic frames were usually off doing something or in stasis waiting to be called for their city-states, so their inventory of bigoted slag was smaller.

When the time came to walk out, they would go with battle lust and a sense of destiny.

=0=In the stands

2-Lip sat on Titan's arm as they watched the game with his family. They were delighted in her and liked the idea of Tyke being a responsible slagger with a super nice girlfriend. It would keep him out of jail.

Or not.

"What now, Titan? Omega and Xantium are not winning," she said as she stared at the monitors playing highlights of the first half.

"That night is young," Titan said as they watched Omega get slagged trying to shoot the hoop. "Expect a few fights in the second half, 2-Lip. Don't look if you can't."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm good for it," Tyke said as the mechs around him smirked at the big galoot and his tiny honey bun. They were the cutest and most 'gone' couple any of them had seen in some time. The best part of all of it was no one teased him about the mini-con femme of his dreams. They had all been there at one time or the other.

Elsewhere ...

"Vos plays next in arena 1. I have seats reserved," Starscream said to the Elder. "This will be the start of a grand crusade whereupon Seekerkin marches toward victory."

Rainmaker grinned as Starscream perused his handheld for anything that might make his dreams come true. "I will bow to your greater wisdom, Starscream."

"I would hope so, Elder," Starscream said with a slight smirk.

It would be epic in a couple of joors as the first all Seeker team took the court to kick some tailpipe.

Hopefully.

Nearby …

"What do you think, Master? Will our team be great enough to beat players like this?" Gravitas asked as he stood with other priests including his pals, Chevron, Lauren, Chrome and Lady Sela.

"I think Simfur will do adequately," Chrome said. He grinned at the memory of asking Accutus, Metroplex and Typhoon to consider the Sensations. They did. They also recruited five other titans and a few more Supremes. They were the tallest team and it would be interesting to consider if they were so tall that smaller teams would dance them into the ground. "We shall see." He grinned. He hoped so, too.

Elsewhere as well …

Cliffjumper stood on the bench next to Buzz Saw who held the carrier with their daughter, Agnus. Behind him, as many of the family as could be had gathered around them, taking to Cliffjumper like he was some kind of great elder. They liked him deeply and completely and he loved them equally as well. "We need a mini-con team," he said as he glanced at Leader 1 and his family that included two mini-con twins of infamous repute nearby. "I told Lea we needed one."

"What did he say, Cliffie?" Buzzie asked the short mech of his dreams.

"He said we'd get obliterated. I said that you don't know until you try," Cliff said.

"You would be an awesome basketball player, Cliffie. I bet you would win the cup with a mini-con team," Buzzie said loyally. He meant it. Cliff could do no wrong.

Cliffjumper who knew he meant it squeezed Buzzie's servo. "Maybe next season, Buzzie."

"I will be your biggest cheerleader, Cliffie," Buzzie said with a look of enraptured love on his face.

Cliffjumper basked in the warmth of it for a moment, then nodded. "You always are."

=0=In the locker rooms

They got the word to go and all of them rose. Prime glanced at all of them as they lined up. "Expect to get slagged."

"What else is new?" Jetta said with a grin.

Prime grinned back, then walked to the door. All of them followed and the door closed silently behind them. Down corridor, Tarn was leaving as well and followed the Invaders out onto the court. They shoot hoops at their own goals, then walked off to leave the players on court for the jump ball. The second half was beginning.

The ref tossed the ball, Prime leaped with Omega and deflected the ball off the court. The ball was given to him and he bounced it waiting for an opening. There wasn't one so he shoved forward between the players, his and theirs. It was on.

Ironhide standing in his goalie space watched as the ball went toward the other goal. It was a slagging match with punches (allowed in certain circumstances) and a lot of charging the ball carrier which was a very great no-no in American basketball. Hitting, punching, charging and other acts of violence were forbidden on Earth but par for the course here given a few limitations. That was why this game was awesome and the others were merely interesting.

This was demolition derby with a ball.

The ball was stolen by Xantium who turned toward the Invader's goal and began a bum rush to get in place to pass or shoot, whichever was possible. He bounced Chromia out of the game and charged Ironhide. Ironhide braced and when Zee was nearing a shot charged him hard. He hit Zee in the chops with his shoulder and bounced him out of the area. Ironhide teetered on one of his big old peds as he tried to stay inside the goalie space and managed to salvage himself from going out of bounds, a penalty of three points.

Zee on the other hand managed to pass the ball to Grimlock before taking a header into the wall. Grimlock turned and shot on goal. It was tipped out of play by Ironhide's servo. It bounded into the stands starting a frenzy over who would catch it.

Zee sat a moment on the floor, then stood as he shook his helm. Grimlock sent him to the bench allowing another monster truck to enter. He was huge, fast on his feet and no one's shrinking violet. He took the ball to throw it back in and it was on again. It raged back and forth as Prime stole the ball, then was tripped by Grimlock. He flew over Tarn's bench and hit the back wall.

A roar went up.

The crowd yelled, too, as Ratchet gripped Prowl who was going over the wall. Pulling him back, Ratchet dropped down and walked to Prime who was standing up again. "You alright?"

"I am," he said with a laugh.

It was clear to Ratchet and everyone but Prowl that Optimus was having a damned good time. Ratchet nodded, then walked back to climb to his place as Prowl watched Prime walk back to the refs who were penalizing Grimlock. It was tense a moment, then Prime was given two penalty baskets.

Everyone walked to the goalie box of Tarn. The goalie had to leave as everyone lined up on each side while Prime stood in the free throw circle. He was given the ball, took it and with zero ceremony put it through the hoop.

29 to 10, Iacon ahead.

HUZZAH! -everyone on three planets, etc.

He got the ball again and put it through the hoop once more. 32, Iacon and Tarn, 10. The ref took the ball, gave it to Grimlock and the battle was on once again. It would be brutal.

=0=TBC 12-21-18 edited 12-22-18 Keeping the score was brutal for some reason. :D Now its fixed. :D