The team worked hard that afternoon at practice. They went through every conceivable scenario for tomorrow's game. They were ready, and everyone left practice feeling hopeful that maybe, just once, they might strike a blow against firenation pride. The team members gave high fives and patted the backs of Sokka and Suki as they left until it was just them left on the field.
"Congratulations, Sokka. You've built a strong team."
Sokka shrugged, "I had nothing to do with it. You're the reason we even have a chance." He looked down at his cleats. "You're amazing, Suki."
Suki hesitated, "Sokka?"
He looked up, "Yeah?"
"Well um I…." She shifted her weight a little, "I know this is kind of last minute, but with you being arrested and us being so busy with practice and stuff, and to be quite honest you still sometimes act like a jerk, but I know you're making an effort and it's been really wonderful …."
"Oh my Spirits Suki! Just spit it out."
Suki blushed, "Would you like to go to the dance with me tomorrow?"
They stared at each other blankly for a minute. Sokka's mind was racing. And though he sort of wanted to say yes, his mind kept going back to Yue. He couldn't have asked for a worse time to run into Princess Yue, to literally run into her. The bonds between the South and the North are ancient and sacred, and worth every danger in the world. The Princess held a steely gaze away from the guard and remained in her seat. She only stared at the flame with a kind of terrified determination. "I refuse." You and Princess Yue are both destined to be chieftains, and your actions to selflessly defend her will allow our tribes to reunite once more. Yue began to turn around, but instead she leaned over and kissed Sokka on the cheek.
Sokka stuttered, "I-I-I ….. there's someone else."
There was an awkward moment of silence. Suki let out a nervous laugh, "Oh ,uh-uh-of course ….. you have a girlfriend. Of course you do. I should have guessed. Well, uh, sorry for asking I mean, that was stupid."
"No, she's not my …."
"Oh, she's not. That's fine. Whatever. Have fun at the dance."
She turned away and Sokka went after her, "Suki ….."
She responded sharply, "My bus should be here." She ran off.
Sokka stayed up late that night, racking his brain for an idea. How could he have been so stupid to not ask Yue earlier? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He took his machete and started to carve out a figure from a block of wood. He kept messing up, trying to fix the mistake, and making it worse. At four am, the living room floor was littered with wood shavings and the little that was left from the original block of wood only vaguely resembled a fish. Sokka was proud of his carving none the less, and that morning at school, he presented it to Princess Yue. "Princess, would you like to go to the dance with me tonight?" Sokka watched as a medley of emotions came over Yue's face. His heart fell.
"I'd love to, Sokka, really … but I can't. I-I already have a date."
Sokka faltered, "Oh, I see."
"I'm sorry, Sokka. Really I am." At that, the bell rang and Yue walked away to class.
Frustrated, Sokka threw that stupid fish carving out into the parking lot, and immediately regretted it as he saw someone's car drive over it and crush it to bits. "Damn it!" He kicked his foot against the wall and fell back holding onto his stubbed toe. "AGH!"
The whole school watched as the two soccer teams entered the field. The crowd was filled with excited energy, the students wore war paint, waved around homemade signs, and started various chants on and off. The two teams huddled.
Sokka spoke to the team. "Alright gang, we're about to head into battle. I assume everyone remembers their positions? Good. We'll start with Warrior, and I'll give the signals for Wolf and Boomerang when the time comes. Watch Suki for War Paint and Warrior. Suki."
Suki spoke up. "Remember guys, we've trained hard and had fun. The important thing to remember is that we've given it our all. Whether we win or lose today, it's a chance to fight, and that's worth something. Hands in!"
The team all put their hands in the middle and shouted "Warriors!" The non-fire side of the field cheered in response.
Across the field they heard the fire team yell "Flame-throwers!" and the fire students cheered their team on. The referees began the game. First rule of fire vs non-fire sports: fire nation goes first.
As the game began, the Freedom Fighters began unloading their van on the other side of the school. Jet quietly gave commands as they unpacked the series of makeshift pipes. They carried them on their heads and shoulders through the empty school hallways, down into the basement. Smellerbee began working to connect the pipes from the pool to their own system. Jet oversaw Pipsqueak and The Duke setting up their devices on all windows and doors to the gymnasium.
The game was off to a great start. The Flame-throwers were baffled by the Warriors' tactics. Everything was so perfectly planned out, like a battle plan. The Flame-throwers captain called for a time out. Sokka rotated a couple of kids onto the bench and told everyone to get some water. The game continued. The Flame-throwers had reorganized their entire side of the field.
Suki called out "War Paint!", and the Warriors switched positions to modify. As soon as Suki started running with the ball, she was attacked from both sides. She tried to pass the ball and it was intercepted with a head bump from the other team. The ball flew across the field where a Flame-thrower player was waiting next to the Warriors' goal. The firenation students roared their approval at the score as the non-fire students yelled out encouragement to their team. This continued throughout the first half.
Suki pulled Sokka aside at time out, "Their tactics have become guerilla warfare. I think we need to give Boomerang a go."
Sokka thought for a moment. "No, if they continue like this, all of our planned out positions become vulnerable. We have to change tactics if we want to catch up with them."
"What do you suggest?"
Sokka paused, "We need to …."
The referee's whistle pierced the air. "Warriors get back on the field!"
The Warriors had barely taken a few steps back onto the field when the referee blew out again and the Flame-throwers were racing across the field and made a score with no goalie in the goal.
Sokka yelled out in protest, "TIME!" The referee made the symbol for overruled. Sokka marched right up to ref. "You called the game before my men were even on the field. That goal was illegal!"
"You're team was too slow. The goal stands!" He blew his whistle.
Sokka clenched his fists. "You have disregarded every foul made by the other team and allowed various illegal moves this entire game. But there is really no way to justify goal made with no goalie to stop it!"
The referee turned to face him, "You're suspended!"
"WHAT?!"
The whistle blew again and Sokka was pushed off the field by firenation moderators and made to sit on the bench with the freshmen players, "I don't believe this."
The team was one man down and Suki was only managing to hide her pain every time she stepped on her right foot. Sokka watched in disbelief as Suki was repeatedly beaten down by Flame-throwers. "What's the matter with you, Suki?!"
She screamed back at him, "Shut up, ponytail!" She put herself right in front of the Flame-throwers' best player and he aimed at her ankle with all his strength. She gave out a small screech and fell to the ground. She had tried to hide it, but it was clearly visible from all sides of the field that her ankle had twisted to a ninety degree angle.
The referee yelled at her, "Get off the field!"
She tried to get up and fell back down. "I can't!"
Sokka ran out, "Let me help her."
The referee screamed, "Get back to the bench, Water Tribe scum!"
He blew his whistle and the game continued with Suki crouched on the ground. She crawled to the edge of the field slowly, getting kicked by Flame-thrower players as they passed her. Eventually she made it to Sokka's bench.
Katara was already there. "This looks really bad."
Suki spoke through gritted teeth, "I need to get back on the field."
"You are in no position to be playing."
"The team needs me! We're getting crushed out there."
Sokka and Katara glanced at each other. Sokka frowned, "Katara, I know what you're thinking. Don't you dare."
Suki perked up, "What?"
Sokka and Katara snapped back in unison, "Nothing!"
"Geez, okay then."
"Sokka, I need you to go to the nurse's office. Grab the first aid kit and anything I can use to make a splinter."
"I'm on it." Sokka ran off into the school.
Katara waited until Sokka was inside. "Suki, I'm going to do something really stupid, and I'm going to need your word you won't tell anyone."
Sokka ran through the halls towards the nurses's office. Then he stopped. He stepped towards the gymnasium, where Freedom Fighters were hurrying about. Sokka watched from the door as he saw someone installing something in the air vent. "What the ….?"
There was Jet. He was talking to Pipsqueak and The Duke. "Now listen—you are not to blow the security system until I give the signal. If the air vents aren't full, the Fire Nation could survive."
The Duke spoke up, "But what about the colonists in the school—won't they get wiped out too?"
Jet touched The Duke's shoulder, "Look Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation."
Sokka turned to run and was pushed over by Smellerbee, "Where do you think you're going, Ponytail?"
Katara and Suki crouched underneath the bleachers. "Katara, what's …."
Katara shushed Suki. She opened her water bottle and bended the water into the air. "Show me your ankle."
Suki, her mouth gaping open wide, put her ankle on Katara's knee. Katara bended the water around her ankle and gently pushed her foot back to a normal position. At first it burned, but it subsided in a few seconds and the pain in Suki's ankle dissipated. Suki touched her ankle tenderly. "Holy spirits."
Katara looked at Suki. "You have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even your sisters and especially not Sokka."
Suki nodded, "I promise."
Katara sighed, relieved, "Come on, you have a soccer game to win."
Suki tightened the laces on her cleats and walked back onto the field. She yelled at the referee, "I can play now!" He nodded and blew the whistle.
Katara watched as Suki took command of the field. As soon as she had the ball, she began to rapidly give commands to her team. "War Paint! Boomerang! Wolf! Boomerang!" The team moved in perfect unison from play to play, and gradually the score started to level off. It was down to the last five minutes and one point away from a tie.
Suki gathered her team, "Listen up! We've got five minutes left and one goal to go. By now they've memorized our positions; which means they can easily counteract our moves. We have to use Spiderweb."
The team had an audible response. "We agreed Spiderweb was too dangerous!"
"That move is impossible without Sokka!"
"Where is Sokka?"
"We don't have the speed."
Suki yelled over her team, "Shut up! It's going to work. We have to start from Warrior and make a half transition into Wolf. At the second stage of Wolf we make a rapid change into Spiderweb and take it all the way across the field. I'll take Sokka's position, which means the left flank will be a little less protected. It's dangerous, but we have to go for it. Now get out there and …." The whistle blew. "MOVE!"
The team ran onto the field and began. The Flame-throwers started their counter of Warrior and Suki signaled for Wolf. The Flame-throwers were momentarily taken off guard but quickly moved to the anticipated second stage of Wolf.
Suki yelled "SPIDERWEB!" The Warriors began a rapid pattern of passing and running across the field that baffled the other team. They watched in horror as Suki passed through their defense. She was almost there. She raised her foot to kick. She could already see the ball hitting the net, she imagined the cheering, the glory, the victory. She relished the moment.
And then it was over. She was on the ground, her face flat against the grass. Her left flank was vulnerable, and the other team noticed it just in time. Before she knew what had happened the ball was halfway across the field and the position of the Flame-throwers. The whistle blew.
