Sometimes, the guards gathered in the courtyard to play a friendly game of Junga ball. Mason would set up the hoops while Mahuma would bring the balls. It was considered a part of the training – there was a surprising lot you can learn from just playing such a dangerous game. And because Mikayla was out on a mission to Kipi Kipi, she couldn't tell her father that it was too dangerous or convince him not to play. She wasn't happy that he was the official Kinkow team's captain, either, but there wasn't much she could do but sit by the sideline and give him a side-eye.

Boz was a little out of practice – he hadn't played since he left Mindu – but as time passed, he got back into the game and enjoyed himself. Why had he ever stopped playing? This was awesome!

"You're good," Mason said. Boz beamed with pride.

"Thanks, Mason."

Mason put his hands in his side and looked at the young man before him.

"The Junga Cup is coming up, and we're a Screamer short," he said. "If you want to, you can try out for the team."

Boz's mouth almost fell open. "Are you serious?"

Mason nodded. "Definitely."

Boz had barely any time to answer. The words were stuck in his throat and something else drew his attention, namely the kings who walked onto the courtyard and saw the guards playing around.

"Somebody set up a hoop!" Boomer said. He grabbed the ball and passed it to Brady, who dunked it in the hoop. They celebrated their small victory and strutted proudly towards Mason. The gentle giant was unimpressed and even folded his arms.

"And that's how you play basketball," Brady said. Boz shook his head. He was unfamiliar with mainland sports and knew only the bare similarities, but the differences far outnumbered the similarities to call this 'basketball'.

"That's not basketball," Mason said.

Brady huffed. "Sure it is. The ball goes in the hoop. Two points. Boo—"

"—jah!" Boomer finished, giving each other a fistbump.

An idea popped up in Boz's mind. It was crazy, but it might just work. They didn't know Junga ball and didn't know what a Screamer was. Boz made his way to one of the Junga towers and started to climb it. Luckily, it wasn't all that high and he could still follow the conversation.

"This is Junga ball," Mason said. "It's the most dangerous and exciting game on the island since be banned lava sliding."

"Why would you ban that?" Boomer wondered out loud.

"We ran out of slides. And sliders."

Brady thought that was enough about the lava sliding – they were talking about basketball, after all.

"So I see a ball, a hoop, and a court," Brady said, "so how come this game is not basketball?" Boz reached the top as Mason in big lines explained the goal of Junga Ball. Boz put on the helmet when he stood there and grabbed the vine, waiting for the perfect opportunity. His heart was beating faster – this was gonna be fun.

Boomer and Brady nodded the entire time, though Boz believed they weren't really listening.

"So, it's basketball with a silly name?" Brady said. Mason did not respond.

Bored with the conversation and ready for some action, Boomer picked up the ball again and passed it to Brady. The so-called oldest twin was ready to get another two points. Boz jumped from the tower, screaming from the top of his lungs. He let go of the vine and fell against Brady. Boz quickly got up as Mason and Boomer approached.

"What was that?" Brady said as he lifted his head and he glared at Boz, who had the widest grin on his face. That was fun! He might have even caught a glint of amusement in Mason's eyes.

"That was a Screamer," Mason said, "and you're out."

Brady dropped his head.

"Yeah, that's not basketball," Boomer admitted.

Interested by this exciting new game that could introduce some variety into their lives, they asked about the rules. Unfortunately, they asked Mason and got more than they wanted.

Maybe Mason had ramped up his enthusiasm. It was Junga season, after all – in a few short weeks, the Kinkow team was participating in the Kalooki Isles Junga Cup. They didn't have to go through qualifiers because they hosted the event. That was pure luck. While Kinkow was a good team and would have qualified, they now could keep their strategies to their chest. If they ever wanted to win from their ever rival Kipi Kipi, they needed to come up with a strategy that Kipi Kipi never saw coming and couldn't counter. It was hard, but hopefully possible.

"Okay," Brady said, and he shot another glare at Boz. "Just so we're clear: the dude who swung on a vine and broke my ribs is called the Screamer?"

"That's funny," Boomer commented, "because I remember you were the one doing all the screaming."

His uncanny imitation of Brady's screeches made Mason and Boz laugh.

"Screamers defend the goal," Mason said. "There's also a piranha pool, iron spikes to dodge and strikers who punch you in the chest when you commit a fault!" that fanatic smile couldn't grow any wider. Mason could talk about Junga ball all day if he could.

"What, no snakes?" Brady asked sarcastically.

"They're only used in overtime," Boz said. Brady and Boomer glanced at each other as if to confirm they both thought the same. What a weird game.

"We drop 'em from the balloon!" Mason said. "Oh, it's a great game! Turns boys into men."

"Those spikes look like they can turn men into women," Boomer said.

"That's an old jungle myth," Mason said. "Now, go get changed."

Mason and Boz were ready to change from their guard attire into the official Kinkowian Junga ball uniform, but Brady and Boomer sat there with confused gazes. Boz rolled his eyes. They couldn't be that stupid.

"Changed for what?" Brady wondered.

"Practice," Mason answered. "You two are gonna be on the team and you'll play against Kipi Kipi for the big Junga cup."

"I might get on the team if I'm good enough," Boz added. While he had his doubts about Brady and Boomer joining the team with little practice or knowledge, the game was going to be glorious. It had to be glorious, with two kings on the team.

"Us? On a team?" Boomer said, a little scared.

"We've never actually been on a team before," Brady added. "Back in Chicago, nobody ever picked us."

While that was a sad story indeed, things had changed. They were no longer losers in their high school. They ruled an island. Sometimes they made questionable decisions, but nobody questioned the validity of their rule. Plus, they were kings, so they had this special privilege. On Kinkow, anyway. If they were kings of Mindu, this would not be the case.

"You're getting big now," Mason said. "In fact, you're the captains."

Upon hearing that last word, Brady and Boomer almost jumped for joy.

"Captains?" they said at the same time. Mason nodded, sharing in their enthusiasm.

"The kings are always team captains. You get to pick the players and everything."

So the try-out was going to be based on Brady and Boomer's opinion on the player. Boz did not know that. He wasn't too mad about his chances of getting on the team increasing tenfold. He knew exactly what to do and say to get them on his side and let him be their Screamer.

"Do we get to wear captain hats?" Boomer asked.

"Can we steer the ship?" Brady wondered out loud. Boz frowned. They surely weren't that stupid, were they? The answer kept surprising him.

"You're not sea captains, but team captains," Mason explained. The kings frowned. How could they be team captains if every team they could have ever been on rejected them?

Brady called a king conference only several feet away from Mason. He could follow their conversation perfectly. As would Boz, but he preferred to stand right next to the kings. So long as they did not object, Boz would continue to do so.

"I really want to be a sea captain," Brady confessed and Boomer nodded in agreement.

"I know, me too. What do you think about Junga ball?"

Brady took a second to think of an answer. "I mean, I know it sounds dangerous, but I think we should play." Boz almost pumped his fist in the air out of joy. "We could be great at it, we just don't know it yet because no one ever gave us a chance."

"I bet we're just as good as these other guys," Boomer added. "And Mason passes lite a little old lady."

Boz shot a glance at the giant when the kings laughed. That comment hurt, especially as Mason was such a fervent Junga ballplayer. If they weren't the kings, Mason might have lashed out.

"Alright," Brady began without noticing the glare. "Thanks for believing in us and making us part of the team. We hope you're a part of it." The kings laughed again and finally noticed the glare.

"See you at the try-outs," Brady quickly said as he and his brother walked away.

"How do you see your chances of being part of the team?" Boz asked Mason.

"Pretty big," Mason responded. Boz hoped Brady and Boomer had a spot on the five-man team for both Boz and Mason,

Boz arrived at the try-outs on time. All other guards had come, but Boz didn't have any nerves. He was confident in his abilities. If not that, then nepotism would get him on the team. Boz didn't care – so long as he made the team, he was happy.

Brady led the group through the jungle and trained with everyone who passed the first round. They only needed to cross an obstacle course to find out which position Brady gave to those who completed it.

Boz would have been happy if this obstacle course wasn't thrice as long and twice as hard as the usual obstacle course. But Boz and the others pushed through, whipped up by Brady's insults and shouting. At long last, the end came in sight, as did Boomer and his cheerleaders. It was about time – even Boz could drop to the ground any second and pass ou from exhaustion.

"I think you might be working a little too hard, your highness," Mason spoke for the entire group. Boz only nodded in agreement, still catching his breath.

"Impossible, Mason," Brady said. "You know, this is the first time I'm part of the team, and I'm not letting anything mess me up from winning that cup!" Brady stopped so abruptly with running, that Boz almost ran into him. It created a chain reaction in which Boz ended up on the bottom of a human pile that only Mason seemed to have avoided. When Brady turned to see the guards who had fallen on one another, he was not happy. He took his whistle and blew on it.

"You guys wake up!" Brady yelled. "Do you think they're lying in a pile on Kipi Kipi right now?"

The guards slowly got up again. Boz caught a glimpse of Brady checking in with Boomer and his cheerleaders. Boz got up right as Brady asked Boomer if he wanted to join the team practice for the big game.

Boomer shook his head and smiled at the cheerleaders before looking at his brother again. "I am working on the game over here." He glanced at the girls, who giggled as he spoke.

"Alright ladies," Boomer said. "I'll do the cheers, so you girls can do the moves. And don't be shy about the hips." The cheer was pretty good, albeit a little self-centered, as it ended with 'go Boomer'. Brady, in his competitive state, could not have that.

"Okay, team, gather around," Brady said, calling the guards around him. "This is how we're doing this. Mason, Mahuma, you're Strikers. Hila and Boz are Forwards. I'm the Screamer."

Boz and Mason high-fived. They were on the team together! This was a dream come true.

Not for Boomer, though. He did not like the way the team was built.

"Hold up," Boomer said. "I am the Screamer."

Brady turned to his brother and shook his head. "No, you are Head Cheerleader. Since I've been working over here with the team, I'm the Screamer."

Boomer looked offended. "As co-captain, I can be what I want. Not to mention, I am the athlete in the family!"

Boz frowned. Since when?

"How do you figure this?" Brady asked.

"Because every summer, I get athlete's foot. Take that!" That was a very stupid reason. Yet, in the world of Brady and Boomer, somehow the argument made sense. And because Boz had come closer and he was their friend, Boomer turned his head to him.

"Which side are you on, Boz?" Both brothers started to be really mad at one another. The decision was not easy, but Boz knew what he wanted.

"I hate to say it, but Brady's right. He's been training with the team."

"Yeah!" Brady shouted in support for his friend, whereas Boomer only glared at the former king of Mindu. "There's only room for one Screamer and since I'm taking this seriously and you're goofing off, that's me."

Boomer continued being childish. He made sucking noises, proclaiming that Brady was sucking the fun out of a perfectly fine game. Brady could not stand the comment. Still, to Brady's credit, he did try to de-escalate the situation a little by giving his perfectly valid reasons. Finally, he was part of a team. He threw any peace offering out of the window by indirectly calling Boomer a loser, though.

Even if Boz wanted to be on Brady's team to get to know him better, he wondered whether he made the right decision.

"Well, I got news for you!" Boomer said. "I'm not a loser, but a quitter. And a quitter never loses. That makes me a winner. I quit, therefore I win!" He walked away with his cheerleaders, leaving Brady to his team.

The strange thing was, Boomer made sense. In his own strange way, he kind of made sense. Boz could still follow the logic. He still got it, that childish Parker logic.

"I hate it when he makes sense," Brady growled.