Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Elvenking: Your review about Calvinball gave me an idea!!! 

            Crow entered through the doorway and motioned for Calvin to enter as well.  As soon as Calvin walked in, the door slammed shut with a resounding boom.

            Calvin and Crow were now standing in a long hallway.  There were ten doors in the wall numbered from 1 to 10, left to right.  At the end of the hallway was a large golden door 9 feet or so high. 

            "What is this place, scum?" Calvin asked and leaped back as Crow swiped at him.

            "Your insolence will be the death of you." He said in his flat, toneless voice.  "This is the Calvinball training compound."

            "Calvinball?  That's just a ball game!  What's the big deal?" Calvin sneered and immediately regretted it.

            Crow turned his pale eyes on him.  "It is a sacred ceremony, and all G.R.O.S.S. members must first learn its rules before he is initiated.  Rank 1 is the beginner level of Calvinball, and Rank 10 is the ultimate one.  Only by reaching the tenth rank can you become a high official of G.R.O.S.S."

            Calvin rolled his eyes as soon as Crow turned his back.

            Stupid.  Just stupid.

            Crow walked to the end of the hallway and opened the golden door.  "Here is the Calvinball arena where you can compete against other G.R.O.S.S. members and earn rank."

            Calvin was getting tired of the instructional talk and yawned.  Crow glared at him.

            Inside the arena, four or five men were running about with balls in their hands.  Wickets stuck out of the ground and one man held a mallet, chasing a ball.

            "Score is 9 to N!" Someone cried.  Calvin looked at him and saw that he was Howard- and he had Hobbes in his arm.

            Without thinking, Calvin dashed into the arena and made for Howard.  Behind him, Crow was yelling at him to stop.  Calvin ignored him and ran.  Suddenly, a wicket caught his foot, which sent him sprawling on the ground.  As he painfully got up, Calvin looked behind him.  Crow was right behind him, stretching out a hand to grab his shirt.  Calvin ducked and jumped on Howard.

            The next thing he knew, Hobbes was at his side and they were sprinting down the hallway as fast as they could.

TO BE CONTINUED

R&R!!!!!!