AN: Yes, I decided to follow out on this story. I'm sorry I haven't updated any of my stories. I want to make this clear right now: I won't be updating that much...stuff's going on that sucks. And I wanted to make this clear, too: I don't appreciate it when people tell me "You better not," because I'll damn well chose to right what I want. That regaurds a review I got for Icy Paradise. Sorry if I sounded harsh, but that irked me beyond reason. And also...."Yuri" is a dead story. The next chapter of Icy Paradise will be it's final.

CHAPTER 2: FAST PACED VICTORIES

Psymon Stark grinned wickedly as he readjusted the weight of his board on his shoulder, his free hand carrying a standard backpack the pilot tossed to him and Moby Jones. He breathed in the air and sighed contently as he marveled at the City's overall look.

"C'mon, mate, keep movin'. We still got people gettin' off, you know." Moby shoved Psymon from behind impatiently as he pulled out the map that was inside his own bag. "Look for a place called the Snow-shop, eh?"

Psymon rolled his eyes. "What time is it, anyway?" He muttered as he pushed his way through the crowd almost too aggressively, earning some glares and foul language from the random people. Both Moby Jones and Psymon Stark arrived at the Heli-plane station together and were both assisted up the mountain at the same time through the mountain and into Metro City. Moby and Psymon had been glad to see each other, as they had been semi-friends through the first year, and were relieved to see a familiar face. Both Psymon and Moby were wearing a standard set of snowboarder's goggles, Psymon's grey helmet adding to his already dark look. Moby's orange tinted goggles matched most of his apparel but didn't bother to wear a hat to cover his hair, which he prided himself in. He had grown it into long dreadlocks, much to Psymon's amusement. At first Psymon laughed, but they got into a heated argument about his ability to board with such hair. Moby replied that Eddie Wachowski boarded just fine with his hair, but Psymon retorted that Eddie Wachowski was an idiot. Still grumbling under his breath about their little debate, Moby glanced at his watch.

"We got and hour, mate," He said, urging Psymon forward nonetheless. "I'm hungry."

"You're not alone," Psymon replied, his eyes scanning over the shop titles. "Damn...buncha tourists...everything's crowded, Jones."

Moby nodded in agreement as he elbowed his way past a scrawny looking twelve year old with dirty blonde hair. The boy pushed back and frowned angrily, but Moby ignored it and followed Psymon closely. "Hey, look, mate!" He beamed, his hand shooting up in the air at a billboard, "It's none other!"

Psymon eyes trailed from Moby's hand and stared at the billboard for a full two seconds before shaking his head with disgust. "I'm not a fan, you know."

Kaori Nishidake's smiling face was featured on a billboard advertising the upcoming circuit, the race times and ticket sales information scrolling through a marquee right underneath her. The words, "SSX 3" were painted in large, orange letters at the top-right, and even Psymon noticed how most of the crowd was watching it, mesmerized. Must be interested in the race times and the ticket information...

"She's changed, eh?" Moby noted, staring up at the marquee. "Hey, lookit that! The races start next week!"

"She still looks like an annoying little kid to¡ªnext week?!"

Moby nodded. "Yeah, wouldn't you know....Guess this Atomika man is really changing it around, eh?"

Psymon wasn't all too pleased with the fact that Rahzel entrusted the circuit to a man named Atomika. Personally, he thought the name was stupid. It sounded childish and reminded him of the time Mac Fraser had obnoxiously boasted his MC name would be "Phaser," which he thought contrasted with his name "Fraser."

"I don't like changes." Psymon mumbled under his breath, pulling the board in a more comfortable position on his shoulder. "They suck."

Moby only smiled.

xxxx

There were no people inside in the front of the shop, but Isaac had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from yelping out in excitement to see all of the boards that hung neatly on display behind the counter as if he was experiencing his first Christmas as a two-year-old child. Departing from Elise, who smirked and folded her arms across her chest in amusement, Isaac hopped over the counter effortlessly and ran his hands along a deep green board with the words "Dictator" painted on the bottom in medium letters on the corner of the board. There was an amazing and yet clever little pattern that ran along the board, resembling high-tech lines.

"You...like boards?"

Isaac glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "I collect them."

"You mean you don't board with them?" Elise raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall.

"Some," Isaac replied, dropping their backpacks onto the counter, "There are two types of snowboards I buy¡ª"

"Elise Riggs."

Both boarders immediately turned their attention to a small door that lead to the back they had failed to notice before. It was an impressively short man with wildly spiked hair dyed bright green. He had sunglasses on, even though the shop itself was relatively dark. He was grinning broadly, both arms settled on his hips in an intimidating fashion.

"Yes, that would be me." Elise said, raising an eyebrow, "And who are you? You wouldn't happen to be a creepy stalker fan, would you? Because I'm warning you...the last guy that did this is unable to make babies right now and¡ª"

The man only laughed. "The name's Atomika. New manager of the SSX Tour."

Elise's eyes widened for a brief moment, however she quickly covered it up with a laugh. "Atomika? You know...you really look like an Atomika to me!"

"And you must be...Nate Logan?"

"Isaac Green," Isaac said quickly, clasping his hand.

Atomika nodded, a look of apology on his face, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that in your audition video, you were wearing a helmet and...yeah, you get it..."

All three of them paused for a second, exchanging glances, both Isaac and Elise darting questioning looks at each other in silence. Atomika...so this was the new Tour Manager?

"Well, everyone is waiting in the back. We're missing a couple of people though," Atomika said, breaking the silence. "If you would follow me, please,"

Isaac shrugged and slipped on his backpack and hurled Elise's over his shoulder and followed the short man into the back room. Unlike the front room, the back lounge area was painted a bright orange with a just as surprisingly blue sofa that seated a vast number of people. The brightly colored lounge chair situated in the back of the desk rivaled that of Atomika's. Three sat upon the sofa, seated rather awkwardly as they tried to focus on anything but each other's eyes. Isaac glanced at them, drinking in as much as their appearance as he could possible. (So...) He thought grimly, (these are the people I'm going against. The professionals...) They didn't look at all that intimidating. One girl looked positively furious, a scowl stuck on here face for near eternity, it seemed. Her hair was pulled back into braids with a nice beanie to top it off. Her face was dashed with freckles along her cheekbones, and she might've looked pretty had she genuinely smiled. Instead, however, she leaned back on her seat and scowled, pulling her beanie lower over her unmistakably beautiful eyes.

The other was less intimidating. She was smiling nervously, and when Isaac caught her gaze for a hot second, she giggled nervously and continued to fumble with the panda backpack she had sitting in her lap. She played with its ears as Isaac noted how child-like she looked. Her nose was upturned slightly and her eyes narrowed with her Asian decent. She seemed naturally happy, however at the moment she was nervous. She looked as if she were a teenager, new to the professional snowboarding business as he was.

Another was sitting far away from the other two, his cowboy hat pulled over his eyes. He appeared to be sleeping, but when the door opened, he tipped his head upwards a bit, which revealed the sunglasses he was wearing, and glanced at the both of them. Elise smiled and nodded at him politely, and he grinned. He looked a little older, with a somewhat rugged feature to his face. He looked rather tired, but cheerful nonetheless.

"Wouldn't you know," Atomika said, "Most of the vets are late, but we got most of the newbies here,"

Isaac swallowed with some difficulty as he muttered a low "Hullo..." and proceeded to seat himself in a relatively lonesome looking armchair that was nearly screaming for attention. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and folded his hands, staring at the floor and trying his best to find some interest in the blue carpet to no avail.

Elise, however, had found a new perspective and immediately hugged the small, Asian woman and squealed an "Ohmigosh!"

"Ellie! I knew you would come back this year!" The smaller girl said with a thick accent, smiling. They broke the hug and the girl smiled again, standing up on her toes to reach up and brush a stray blonde hair out of Elise's face. "You are taller!"

Elise only laughed haughtily, "Really? I had thought you had grown shorter!"

Kaori only smiled warmly and reached up to brush a stray wisp of blonde hair aside, tucking it behind Elise's ear. She was always like an older sister to Elise, though ironically Kaori always had been the younger of the two, and more innocent. "Do not poke fun at me!"

Isaac grinned from where he sat, a small chuckle escaping his throat. She was cute, a little cute kid, with a somewhat mature streak in her attitude. Not completely, however. She had the voice of a child, the appearance of a child, but something about her screamed mature.

Elise nodded at the man sitting beside Kaori as he tipped his hat to her.

"Nate Logan," The man said, extending his hand.

Elise grinned and removed her sunglasses, settling them on top of her neatly brushed bangs, "Elise Riggs. And may I say, I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance, cowboy," She added a wink to her already sultry tone, causing the cheeks of the western-looking man to redden slightly. A formidable opponent indeed, Isaac noted. Seducing fellow rivals to earn their trust, then wiping their faces in the snow later on. Or at least that's what he assumed...

"Ellie," Kaori said quietly, motioning towards Isaac. Isaac shifted uncomfortably, quickly turning his attention back to the floor. "Maybe you could introduce your friend? He is newbie, too?"

Elise laughed slightly and nodded, "This is Isaac, Kay. He's a newbie, from Europe,"

"Oh!" Kaori whispered excitedly, quickly settling herself in front of Isaac. He met her gaze, and offered a quick smile. "You are from Europe? I have been there only one time, one occasion for SSX Trick-ey,"

"Yeah, I lived most my life there... Uh...you're from Japan?" Isaac couldn't help but notice her heavily laden accent.

Kaori nodded excitedly. "I am Kaori Nishidake, 19-years-old and a veteran in SSX. Nice to meet you, Mr. Green."

Isaac only blinked blankly, ignoring Kaori's hand the still stood extended in the air, hoping to grasp his own. "You're...nineteen, did you say?"

"Yes. And how old are you, Isaac?"

She pronounced his name oddly, her thick Asian accent throwing a twist into the letter A, Isaac noted. And...this 19-year-old girl was an opponent? Surely...surely this was some kind of little league. Isaac inwardly grinned. Then perhaps...winning won't be so hard.

"And how old are you?" Kaori repeated, her hand still hanging limply in the air.

Isaac quickly snapped back into the small, crowded room and grasped her hand, muttering "Twenty-six," under his breath. Atomika smirked as leaned on the dull, brown desk that seemed to stand out from the vivid theme of the room.

"We have boarders from all over the place," He said. "All kinds, all sizes."

"You must be talking about Luther," Elise said with a roll of her eyes. "That oaf should've been banned the minute he punched me."

Isaac raised his eyebrows. This was an aggressive sport, as Elise explained earlier, but he didn't really expect another male to hit a female. It was just something he didn't do.

Atomika shrugged. "Hey, you know how this circuit is, Miss Rigs. Anything to win."

"It is the way we are su-posed to board." Kaori said meekly with a faint smile.

"More hits, more money." The girl with the freckled face had chosen to speak, however she didn't bother to look up. Her gaze was lowered to the ground, her hands folded across her chest as she said darkly, "At least that's what I'm told."

Atomika nodded gravely. "It's true. Psymon Stark ¨C one of the highest paid individuals on this circuit ¨C had a paycheck to last an eternity by the end of the last heats. He was the most aggressive player, am I right, Elise?"

Isaac couldn't help but feel any envy towards this man. Highest paid? Just how much was that? When Isaac had signed the contract with the SSX team, he had been offered $70,000 so long as he played the whole circuit. If Psymon Stark was being paid more, how much more?

"Unfortunately, it's true. It's because of his rivalry with Kaori that the media demanded more of him." Elise said distastefully. "He had money up the wazoo."

"Had." Atomika corrected. Isaac never had a chance to ask what exactly happened to Psymon Stark's money. A faint tap was heard outside, and Atomika frowned. "Is it too hard to see that there's a backroom?" He growled as he pushed himself from his desk and stalked towards the door. "Hey, look who it is." He grinned as he opened the door, "Well, speak of the devil."

xxxx

Greetings and introductions were never really something Isaac got nailed down. Thankfully, Atomika said that the meeting wasn't for socializing purposes; it was to get everything out in the open. He said there would be time in the lodge for get-togethers, especially since some of the newbies were still absent from the first meeting, including someone named Griff Simmons, Mac Fraser, and a woman named Zoe "Royal" Payne. The meeting in the bright colored room was brief, but most of the questions Isaac had were answered. Atomika explained concisely explained what the next two weeks were to hold for them. First off, they were to pick rooming arrangements in the first lodge, secluded from tourists and any fans. That would have taken about two days to settle in and get everything situated. Atomika explained that the boarders were not to be in the lodge from 9AM to 6PM for extra precautionary purposes. Boarders were to be kept in sight at all times from all of the mountain cameras, and Atomika also explained that boarders had the opportunity to visit Metro City in the PM times to relax and enjoy themselves. They were not, however, to give out their names and cause commotions. He said this with extra care to the said Psymon Stark, who only grinned devilishly. If anyone were to be injured, they were to call in on M-comms, a nifty and useful little device that held all of the scheduled races and everyone's location at all times. It also kept track of your awards and records, and Isaac thought it to be a very clever little piece of work.

During the second half of the first week, the boarders would be busy shooting trailers for the upcoming circuit and photo shoots were scheduled. Every boarder was scheduled to have an individual one-on-one interview as well, which made Isaac very nervous. With all of the strict supervising (Atomika said very loudly that he intended to watch them like a hawk), Isaac felt a little invaded. But he shrugged off the ominous feeling of offense when he saw that most of the vets (the ones he believed to be vets, for the most part) were nodding silently, seemingly having no problem with most of the rules. Atomika also said that during the second week, first heats were to begin. First, the newbies were to race against each other for placement purposes and to compare to the vets. The top ranking three newbies would be going against the top ranking veterans for the manager's and the executive's curiosity and the results were not to be released to the public. Judges from all parts of the world were to watch and during the end of the second week, they were to give their input and rank the top three riders in general, placing them in order as Peak Bosses. Isaac really didn't understand the whole concept of Peak Bosses, but Atomika also said it was just an "idea in the making" and it was also a possibility that the judges were only amusing the idea.

But still, all of this hit Isaac rather hard and he had a hard time feeling comfortable with all of the changes. After the meeting was adjourned, Atomika smirked to his satisfaction and said very quietly:

"The Blue Lodge isn't far from here. I expect you can all make it there on your own with the snowboards that you brought, or you may choose one of the snowboards out in the shop. Just don't hit any passing cars on the way. The media is waiting outside for you all to make a grand exit, so I suggest you make it a good one. And also, put some goggles on. A hat, too. Make sure they can't recognize you. They'll be eating this all up..."

All of the boarders looked amongst each other, Isaac blinking blankly. Snowboarding out on a crowded street? It was unheard of. However, Psymon was the first to stand, along with the freckled girl Isaac came to know as Allegra. The two left through the backdoor, Allegra pushing past Psymon in an effort to be the first out.

"Damn poster girls," Psymon muttered darkly as he followed after her, his fist clenching.

Isaac chose to stand only after Elise, still feeling very awkward about the whole situation. Elise grabbed his wrist and smiled playfully as she tugged him towards the entrance of the shop, motioning to all the boards. "Well, go on, Mister I'm-So-Good-With-Picking-Boards, pick one!"

Isaac didn't need to think twice. He immediately grabbed the first board he laid eyes on. The Dictator.

xxxx

All of the boarders were surprised to see that the back end of the shop was basically a run down race line. It was secluded and quiet, unlike the bustling Metro City Isaac was in nearly an hour ago. No one really questioned their resolve. Everyone pushed off as soon as their straps were on their feet, each of them having an identical bag on their back. Elise left Isaac's side immediately and pulled her hair into a low bun and fit a beanie snugly over her hair, then proceeded to put on some goggles. Isaac was fine with his baseball cap and sunglasses, figuring that no one would care for a newbie anyway. He shivered slightly and shrugged his backpack on, then looked down at the course before him. The first half of it seemed barren and uninhabited, but from beyond the small pass up ahead, he could practically hear people shouting and cars whizzing. Swallowing back any queries he might've had, Isaac strapped on The Dictator and sighed. From behind him, Isaac felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder.

Whizzing around on instinct, he found himself face-to-face with the supposedly "crowd-favorite" Moby Jones, or MJ, as he liked to be called by close friends.

"Newbie, eh?" Moby grinned, "Don't worry 'bout it. You got problems findin' the station, just follow me."

Isaac nodded blankly, pulled the baseball cap lower over his eyes.

"And don't look so glum, mate. Crowds like to see happy people. Why d'you think the Jap is famous?"

xxxx

Psymon smirked triumphantly as he landed a quick trick very smoothly and to his taste. He pushed to the left and avoided a collision with a random side-walker, cursing under his breath. The crowds quickly parted and screamed in surprise, watching Psymon race by. He grinned. It was like he was the cat who had stumbled into a rat infested hole. People went scurrying to the sides as he passed them, pointing and gasping at him and that red-headed girl. Psymon passed her as soon as they first started off. His pride had grown considerably since the last race, and he wasn't about to let someone wound him. She was aggressively at first, glaring at him dangerously as they boarded side-by-side. Psymon had only smiled cheerfully and winked, waving a hand almost stupidly at her and increased his speed, throwing all of his weight forward, not listening to the ominous threats she was screaming.

To his left, he caught a quick glimpse of a neat little row of benches, and decided to go for it. Picking up speed, the notorious Psymon Stark leaped into the air, twisting his body to the side and landing on the first bench, the slid down and down until he hit the snow again with a dull thud. He looked up for a breif moment and saw a helicopter was following him and the train of boarders behind, video-taping his progress. Laughing, Psymon decided to take it up a notch...

xxxx

Moby Jones was a good boarder, but Isaac felt he could've been just a little better. He tailed Moby slow at first, not as anxious to pass him as he would've been had they been competing. The first jump was their jump into the city, and Isaac didn't realize it, but he had been sucking in his breath little by little, holding it in. Not even fifteen seconds into the "race" or whatever Atomika wanted to call it, they jumped into Metro City.

Isaac swerved to his right, but in the process lost track of Moby. He narrowly avoided people walking on the sidewalk, and the shrill screams of excitement strained his ears. Already, the crowd had parted and to Isaac's satisfaction, most of the cars had already parked themselves to the side to watch the SSX boarders make their way down the city. People on the sidewalks watched in ongoing awe as he passed by, grinning. He felt famous.

To his left in the distance, Isaac saw Moby speeding along the sidewalk, his hair flying from behind him. Narrowing his eyes, he angled his board and followed. His M-comm vibrated from his back pocket, causing Isaac to glance behind him for a hot second. That was all it took for him to lose sight of Moby, and he frowned. Pulling a quick 180¡ð, Isaac hit the ground and prepared to slide across a rail that was ahead. Pushing himself forward, he balanced himself as well as he could and decided to pull off something big. Unlatching himself from the board for a brief second, he bent himself backward and did a handstand on his board, grinning. He pushed himself back and latched himself on quickly just as he reached the end. He smiled when he heard the crowds roar with applause.

xxxx

Psymon threw a heated glare over his shoulder as he narrowly avoided a swift punch from Allegra. Growling, he reared his arm back and prepared to fly a punch, but the girl was too quick for him. She pushed off to the right, laughing to herself as Psymon threw his fist at nothing. Psymon's body was thrown off-course, however, as he hadn't anticipated her to get out of the way to quickly. Falling onto his side in the snow, he tumbled down and down until he came to a complete stop. He picked his head up out of the snow and watched her board away, a tight line forming on his mouth.

"...Damn Newbie!" He howled and picked himself up and sped after her, eager for revenge.

xxxx

This was something new to Elise Riggs. Boarding alongside a cowboy wannabe was something, but boarding along an attractive cowboy wannabe was even better. Both boarded criss-crossed each other's paths, both of them grinning as they lightheartedly competed for the next best place. But as Elise was busy blushing and smiling at her new friend, Nate found other plans. Tipping his hat and grinning broadly, Nate made his exit through a quick short-cut Elise hadn't seen.

Eyes widened, Elise stared after him in shock.

But that wasn't all. Isaac Green flew overhead Elise and landed a little roughly ahead of her, but quickly regained his composure and waved as he pushed himself onward. "Need some pointers from a noob?" Isaac called over his shoulder. Not bothering to hear a response, Isaac got it together and finally caught sight of a faint outline of a small Asian girl up ahead, dressed clad in faded pinks and blues. His comment caught the attention of none-other then Kaori Nishidake. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled and rightfully placed her attention on the track ahead, the wind causing her pigtails to flap around mercilessly. Leaning forward and pulling a quick frontside 360¡ð, Kaori pulled off to the side and jumped over a small pick-up truck earning praise from her onlookers.

Things were just heating up.