Title: Pride of Lazytown (Part Five - Finale)

Author: PTMalvik

Rating: PG13

Summary: A Sports Day disaster leads to strange revelations and some unlikely heroes.

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It was a beautiful sunny day when the rematch took place, the Lazytown Jumpers against the rough-and-tumble Out of Towners. Sportacus had procured soccer jerseys for everyone, even Robbie Rotten, who plucked uncomfortably at the neck of the pink polyester shirt he was wrapped in from the waist up.

Somehow, Sportacus had found an extra pair of jogging shorts as well and they clung to Robbie's thin legs in all the wrong places, making him fidget around the field, looking as if he was doing a little dance to music only he could hear.

"I don't like this outfit, Sportakook," he complained repeatedly. "It makes me look ... too athletic."

Sportacus humored him with a nod or two, but was more interested in coaching the kids, who were practically jumping out of their sneakers to get a chance to take on the enemy.

Stephanie sat on the sidelines in a special pink wheelchair that Miss Busybody had somehow procured for her, wearing her jersey as a full, if disabled, member of the team. She waved a pair of pink pom-poms, her pretty face glowing with excitement. She looked liked the Stephanie of old and Sportacus couldn't help but smile with her, relieved that things seemed to be turning out for the best.

He was even happy to see Robbie out and about. The poor fellow needed some air and sunshine desperately. "All right, Robbie," said Sportacus, once he was done with the kids. "You're going to be our goalie."

"Goalie! I have to be the goalie! I don't want to be the goalie!" Robbie whined. He paused. "What's a goalie?"

"A goalie is the fellow who stops the other team from scoring." Sportacus leaned in toward Robbie with a conspiratorial look. "You might say, that to the opposing team ... he's the villain. Anything they try to do to get ahead, he foils them, again and again."

A sly smile covered Robbie's face. "I think this is something I might be able to handle."

"I know you can. Plus, there's not a whole lot of running. You simply stand in wait and once they take their shot ... BAM! You stop the score and shatter their dreams into a million pieces."

"This sounds very good," Robbie said, rubbing his hands together. "And once I've emerged victorious?"

Sportacus smiled. "They have to leave town ... "

Robbie's face lit up with a keen glow of hope. "Forever?"

"Well, not forever," Sportacus replied. "But at least until the next Sports Day."

"That's good enough," Robbie snickered, getting into position before the goal net. "Bring those losers on!"

The horn blew to announce the start of the game. Both teams took the field for the face-off, as Mayor Meanswell began to chew his nails compulsively. "I hope we win, I hope we win," he muttered, even as Bessie tried to slap his fingers away from his mouth. "Oh, Miss Busybody, I can't take the suspense."

"Oh, hush," she replied, even as her hair started to uncurl from nerves. "Of course we'll win." She turned her attention to the field and bellowed, "DID YOU HEAR THAT? I SAID, OF COURSE YOU'LL WIN!"

But everyone was too involved in the game to notice her cry. The opposing team immediately tried to use their old tactics of tripping and stealing, but Sportacus was too quick for them, flipping over their heads any time they tried to tangle his feet. While they were distracted, Pixel and Trixie easily kicked the ball away, and ran with it, straight toward their goal.

The Out-of-Towners goalie hadn't had much practice, as most teams they'd played against never got close to the goal, so once the shot was set up, it was an easy point for the Jumpers.

Stephanie cheered and bounced so excitedly at the surprise goal, she nearly slipped from her chair. "Whoops," she laughed, regaining her balance. Holding the pom-poms high, she cried, "Go Jumpers! Go ... " A short pause. "Go Robbie!"

Robbie blinked in surprise at his name being called from the sidelines. He looked around for a second, but soon there was no time to investigate the matter as two large and angry-looking forwards came barreling toward him with the ball.

Okay, he said to himself, trying to remember what exactly he was doing there. Now, to them, I'm the villain. Heh, heh, that's good. They try to take their shot ...

Closer they came, their faces beet red with competetive fury.

Robbie kept thinking, rubbing his chin. And I stand here, waiting. Then ... huh. What do I do again?

Closer ... and closer ...

It was something about shattering their legs ... Robbie scratched his head. No, that's not it.

They were almost on top of him by this time, grinning evilly as they prepared to kick the stuffing out of the ball, right into the goal.

I'm supposed to stop something. Wait, the score! I stop the score ...

With a furious kick the ball sailed toward the goal, just as Robbie snapped out of his reverie. He leapt up and caught it in his spindly arms, falling flat onto his back from the force of the blow. For long seconds, he lay there, unmoving.

The crowd gasped and Stephanie strained from her chair to see. "Robbie!" she called, worried. "Robbie! Are you okay?"

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," chattered Mayor Meanswell and Bessie in unison.

Sportacus ran over, but just as he got there, Robbie slowly rose, holding the caught ball high. "AND I SHATTER THEIR DREAMS!" he cried victoriously.

Dancing a little victory dance, he chuckled wildly, as all around the opposing team stared in disbelief.

The cheers echoed through the sports field, and Robbie allowed the kids to pile on top of him with a good-natured growl. "All right, all right, " he said, struggling out from beneath a jubilant Ziggy and Stingy, wiping his arms off with exaggerated gestures. "Let's not get too mushy now." He tossed the ball to Sportacus with a arrogant air. "Easy as cake, Sportakook."

"You certainly do make it look that way, Robbie," Sportacus said admiringly. "All right, team, let's finish off this game!"

And finish it off they did, with a final score of Lazytown Jumpers six and the Out-of-Towners, five. When the last whistle blew, there was dancing and singing, because even if Stephanie couldn't dance at the moment, she could still belt out a victory song, one that sounded happily throughout the town.

The celebration lasted well into the late afternoon, as the Mayor set up a snack table, which Robbie attacked with hungry glee. "I have to say one thing about this exercise stuff," he said around a mouthful of cupcake. "It certainly does lend itself to an appetite."

"That it does," Sportacus said, raising a cup of apple juice to him. "Well done, Robbie!"

"Three cheers for Robbie Rotten!" Stephanie exclaimed, her face glowing with happiness again. "The Pride of Lazytown!"

Robbie looked suspicious for a moment, but that look melted away to pleasure when the cheers sounded over the square, all of them chanting his name. "Well, uh ... thank you?" he said, uncharacteristically abashed. He thought for a long moment and turned to Sportacus. "I don't suppose this means you'll be leaving town now that I'm the pride of Lazytown and all that?"

"Hardly," Sportacus laughed, clapping him on the back. "But, nice try as always, Robbie."

Robbie shrugged and laughed right along with him, as behind them all, the sun set on another fine Lazytown day.

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THE END

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