AN: Hello, guys! Welcome back to ROTLON! This chapter will be the debut for my female OC so let me know what you think of her. She won't feature in every single chapter but she will make an appearance every now and again.
Oh, and just to warn you, I know little to nothing about football/soccer/whatever you want to call it - sport's never been something I've ever had an interest in.
Without further ado, enjoy!
"You seem pretty confident, little bro!" I address my younger brother as I tie the laces on my football boots. At the moment, we are in the changing rooms, putting on our football uniforms in preparation for our upcoming match.
Nick, who was already changed, nods his head. "Of course! We're gonna win this, no doubt!"
Seeing the looks on our fellow team-mates' faces, it was clear that none of them shared Nick's confidence.
"We're playing the Bayside Beasts!"
"The Beasts? I heard they haven't lost a single game this season!"
"Their star player's super brutal!"
This last comment caught our attention. Everybody knew about Brutus Higgins, a student at Bayside High and member of the Bayside Beasts football team. He was well-known for his talent on the pitch as well as his stand-offish nature.
"Okay, gang, listen up!" Our captain calls us over. Like the rest of us, he wears a blue short-sleeved football shirt with red sleeves and a red "V" on the front, white shorts with a red trim, blue knee-length socks with white and black football boots. "Now I know we're playing the Beasts today but that doesn't mean we can't win! I have faith in each and every single one of you - yes, even you, Enson. So let's get out there, warm up, and show those Beasts what the Warriors are made of!"
We cheer and run out of the changing rooms and head onto the soccer pitch. The Bayside Beasts are already there, practicing, as well as a few people in the stands.
Nick and I begin stretching to warm up. Unfortunately, after a little while, we both lose our balance and fall over backward. Well, that wasn't embarrassing at all!
I spot the rest of the team looking rather nervous as they look at Brutus who was practicing his shooting skills against the Beasts' goalkeeper. He scores goal after goal, one of them only happening because the goalie looks distracted. Nick and I gasp as we get to our feet. This match isn't going to be easy.
I lean in close and whisper, "You still so sure we're gonna win?"
Nick smirks. "I've been preparing for this game all year factoring every last detail into my winning strategy!"
I gasp. "Even the Brutus factor?" I ask as we watch Brutus leer at Sonny Enson, our goalkeeper. The poor guy is practically shaking in his boots as Brutus shoots and scores, despite Enson's attempt to stop it. The ball rolls in our direction and I stop it with my foot.
"My book has a whole chapter devoted to the Brutus factor!" Nick tells me. "I'm telling you, Toby, nothing's going to stop us toda- ow!"
A hailstone had hit Nick on the head causing him to cry out with pain mid-sentence as he fell over. Suddenly there was a huge downpour of hailstones. Everybody begins to run inside, except Nick who yells, "Hey, where's everyone going? It's nothing but a little..."
As I head back into the school, Nick runs to catch up with me. "I don't think we'll be playing today," I tell him. "Your 'winning strategy' will have to wait." He looks disappointed but nods, knowing full well that neither our captain or the football coach would allow a match to take place in these sorts of conditions.
Nick stops suddenly. "What are you wearing?" he asks. I frown - he does realize I'm wearing the same thing he is, right? - before I realize he is talking to Jessica who is standing next to Lucas.
"What?" she says in mock offense. "I can't support the team?" She is wearing the same style shirt as Nick and I, except the sleeves are shorter, a white skirt over blue leggings, white trainers, white wristbands and is holding a pair of red pom-poms in her hand. So, in other words, a cheerleading outfit.
"N-no, that's not what I..." Nick says nervously as she frowns at him.
"What he means," I interrupt before he can dig himself an even deeper hole, "is that you look great!" And cute. Don't forget cute. Because she definitely looks cu -why now? You know I'm not even sure why I argue with myself about these weird thoughts. I mean I know full well I'll end up thinking them anyway so why do I even bother?
Her face lights up immediately as she cheers up. "Thanks!" she tells me before she starts heading towards the girls' changing rooms. This reminds Nick and I that we're still in our football kits as we head inside the boys' changing rooms to get changed.
Once inside, my suspicions that we wouldn't be playing are confirmed by the captain who tells us that the game has been postponed due to the hail.
We get changed quickly before leaving the changing rooms and going to stand with Lucas who was leaning against the wall opposite the girls' changing rooms. I never understand why it takes girls so long to get changed - why do they have to talk so much?
Just as I feel like complaining that we've been waiting for ages, the doors swing open. "About time! We've been..." I abruptly cut myself off upon seeing that the person walking out isn't Jessica but someone I'd rather not see right now.
I press myself against the wall, hoping that she won't see me. Unfortunately, her loud squeal of my name and the sound of running footsteps getting closer just proves that the universe loves proving me wrong.
"Hi, Madison..." I say unenthusiastically as she stops in front of me, a huge smile on her face. Madison Verne is...interesting to say the least. I had met her one day last year. She had been crying about something - I had never asked what it was about - and I had offered her a tissue. Apparently, this act had gotten her...interested in me because, since that day, she's been trying to ask me out every chance she gets.
She is relentless in her attempts, no matter how many times I try to tell her I'm just not interested - I've tried being direct and indirect but she just can't take a hint.
"I thought I'd find you here!" she exclaims, twirling her brown hair around her finger. I note that she doesn't bother greeting Nick and Lucas, something else that bothers me about her. As soon as she spots me, it's as though she doesn't care that anybody else exists. If I liked her, I might have found it endearing but, as it is, it just annoys me. "It's a shame about the game, isn't it? I know you would have been awesome!"
"Yeah..." I say. "Look, Madison, not to be rude but I-" Suddenly she flings her arms around me - the girl absolutely has no sense of personal space! - and starts sobbing, much to my alarm. I keep my arms firmly by my side. No point in sending her the wrong message by hugging her back. Because I know she'd take it as me being interested, even though I'd only mean it as a friendly gesture if I were to do it.
"Those hailstones were so scary!" she sobs. "They totally ruined my make-up and everything! Just look at it - I had to completely redo it. Now you can tell me how pretty I look!"
Pretty? I guess that's a matter of opinion because her face is caked in so much make-up that, to me, she looks anything but pretty - in fact, she looks pretty ridiculous. I don't feel right telling her that, though, even though it might get rid of her for a while.
I look to the side and see Nick and Lucas sniggering at me. "Thanks for the help, guys!" I mouth to them and they simply shrug at me.
"Look at what my mom got me!" Madison says and I turn my head to see her holding a pale pink umbrella with white polka dots. "Now we can walk home together! It'll be so romantic!"
Is it just me or does anybody else fail to see how walking home with a slightly obsessed - and that's being kind - girl in a hailstorm could be taken as romantic?
I hear the doors swing open again. Madison turns her head to see who it is before she turns back to me and says sweetly, "It's so nice to have a mom who actually cares. Wouldn't you say so too, Jessica?"
I manage to catch the disgruntled look that flashes across Jessica's downcast face, her body tensing up as she stalks towards us before smiling and saying just as sweetly, "Of course. Now, if you don't mind, we have somewhere to be." Madison makes no attempt to move and Jessica adds pointedly, "The four of us."
The two of them glare at one another. I stand awkwardly in the middle, Madison letting go of me to get closer to Jessica. I frown as Madison whispers something to Jessica which causes her to clench her fists. She's getting mad. This isn't good. Nick and Lucas seem to have realized this too as they stop sniggering at my discomfort and walk over to us.
"Get lost, Madison!" Jessica snaps, uncharacteristically angry. Whatever Madison said to her must have really affected her because I don't think I've ever made or seen her this mad before.
"Ooh, temper, temper!" Madison sneers, her attitude having completely changed, having gone from sweet and innocent to condescending and manipulative. "I'm only stating the facts, darling!"
"Well, save your facts for someone who actually cares!" Jessica yells before grabbing my arm - ooh, and the tingling feeling returns! - and adding, "Come on, guys, we're leaving now!"
I don't exactly plan on arguing as the four of us head toward the exit at the far end of the corridor. Madison actually has the gall to call after me, "I'll see you around, honey!" Honestly! She has pet-names for me now? Jessica's grip on my arm tightens for some reason as we leave the corridor and make our way to the front entrance of the school so we can start walking home.
The hail assaults us as soon as we take one step out of the building. It's unpleasantly cold and it takes all of our willpower to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I glance at Jessica and see that she is smiling, though it looks rather forced to me, it seems to convince the others that she's fine. I'm also sure I hear her mutter, "I can't stand that girl!"
Well, that makes two of us.
Nick decides to diffuse the tension by going over his game plan for the match. After a while, his voice sounds like a droning background hum as I remember something from the encounter with Madison.
The way Jessica had reacted when Madison spoke about her mom caring. It seems that I was right - the problem, whatever it is, definitely has something to do with her mom. I suspect Madison doesn't actually know this, though - she probably just said it to get some sort of reaction.
Then there's whatever Madison whispered to her. I don't have any idea what she could have said and I don't think Jessica will tell me if I ask. All I know is that it was clearly something she didn't want to hear. She reacted far worse to that than she did to the whole mom jibe, though she hadn't looked happy when she came out of the changing rooms in the first place.
As our house comes into view, I glance down and see our linked hands. Somehow, without either of us noticing, we had ended up holding hands. I know it's probably just a friendly gesture on her part, though she had grabbed my arm back when Madison had successfully gotten to her. I'm not sure what this all means. I do know, however, that - tingling aside - holding hands with Jessica feels a lot nicer than having a hug forced on me by a girl I have no interest in whatsoever.
Nick continues to talk about his strategies, though I seriously doubt any of us are actually listening. I squeeze Jessica's hand lightly to get her attention and she jumps, much to my amusement. Maybe she hasn't realized we've been holding hands this entire time. I pause for a moment as I try to work out exactly what it is I want to say. We end up walking behind Nick and Lucas, who don't seem to have noticed the hand-holding. "I don't know what it is Madison said to you," I begin slowly, trying to gauge her reaction. She looks at me but doesn't try to interrupt. "And I know you probably won't tell me even if I bug you about it every day for ten weeks!" She giggles slightly at this. "I guess I just want you to know...if she ever says anything bad about you, it's not true! Nothing she could ever say about you would be true. You're worth so much more than she thinks..." I trail off slightly as I see her expression. Oh, no...please don't say I made things worse!
"Thank you," she whispers, looking at me and giving me a genuinely radiant smile. This girl makes me feel so much. Wait, what am I saying? She's my friend!
"What are best friends for?" I say, smiling back at her. Seeing her happy makes me happy too. She nods absentmindedly before looking down at our hands. The resulting squeak confirms that she hadn't known about the hand-holding, even though she was the one who initiated it!
"I-I'm so s-sorry!" she stutters, dropping my hand immediately, much to my disap- wait, no, don't think that! "I-I d-didn't realize..." I don't understand why she's so nervous and why her cheeks look bright red. All we'd been doing is hold hands. I didn't get it. She sure does confuse me sometimes!
"Hey!" Nick's impatient shout cuts through the air as we walk up the front steps and stand on the porch, finally out of the hail. "Have any of you guys even been listening to a word I've been saying?"
Judging from the awkward silence that follows, I think we can safely say that none of us have been listening. Heck, I tuned him out back when we first left the school! Once Nick gets started on something, it's nearly impossible to get him to stop so unless you learn to tune him out early on like I do, you run the risk of ending up with a headache due to information overload.
Nick apparently decides that we need to know what he's been saying to us all this time as he says calmly, "So the freakish weather may have caused a hail delay but that just gives us more time to go over the game plan!"
I have to seriously control the urge to roll my eyes as I sigh before complaining, "Again with the game plans? Haven't we gone over them enough?" Seriously I had to listen to his game plans all morning. If that's not enough to drive a person crazy, I don't know what is!
As I walk to the other side of the porch, Nick, undeterred by my lack of enthusiasm, continues, "Should we start with Plan A...B...C...oh, I know - Plan double-Z!"
I have to laugh at this. How many gameplans does he have? "There's a Plan double-Z?" I say incredulously. "You've really gotta get a life!"
Sensing that Nick is going to start explaining what Plan double-Z is, I search for something to distract myself. Going over strategies repeatedly is not something I enjoy the thought of but...building a hailman is! I start gathering hail and work on building the body and head as Nick explains behind me, "Plan double-Z is my secret weapon!" He then adds, "Lucas, I need you and Jess to pretend to be the opposing team!"
Jessica suddenly lets out an irritated growl, which prompts a confused Lucas to ask, "What are you doing?"
"Being Brutus!" she responds as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Close enough," Nick tells her before calling to me, "Hey, Toby, come practice!"
"Practise-schmactise!" I say as I start adding more hail to my hailman's body. "You know me - I'm an in the moment kinda guy! And right this moment, I'm building my hailman!" I stand to the side, allowing them to see my creation in all its glory.
"Come on, Toby!" Nick says impatiently, holding up the ball and I watch as he walks to the opposite end of the porch. "I pass the ball to you," he explains but I decide that finishing my hailman seems more interesting so I turn my attention back to it. "Then you headbutt it past the opponent-" he continues before I hear Jessica cry out followed by a loud thud. "Toby!" he yells suddenly. I let out an angry cry as the ball bounces off of my hailman's head and spring to my feet.
"Nice play!" I snap, glaring at Nick. "You almost de-headed my hailman!"
"Phew!"
I turn back to my hailman and scream as I see Razzle perched on top of the head. Razzle returns the gesture before diving inside the hailman's head and peeking out nervously. He lets out a cry as the hailman begins to wobble before it collapses completely, causing a loud thud. Well, it had a good life, I guess.
The front door suddenly flies open as Mom and Dad look out. "What was that?" Dad asks frantically as they look at the pile of hail on the porch.
"Nothing!" the four of us say in unison, trying to look and sound innocent.
Mom looks at us, frowning. "You know, you're not supposed to play ball on the porch!" she scolds. Tell that to Nick, not me.
I figure since Razzle has shown up that there must be trouble in Gorm. To get to the Primal Pad, though, we need to get Mom and Dad out of the way. But how? I spot the hailstones and then I see Dad's car. A-ha!
"Look!" I cry out suddenly, pointing to Dad's car. "I think a hailstone just crashed through Dad's convertible rooftop!"
Dad lets out a worried cry before he and Mom rush to the front of the porch, leaning over the railing. "Hmm, the car looks fine," he says, confused.
"Maybe you should go and check!" I suggest.
The others seem to have cottoned on to what I'm trying to do as Nick adds, "We're gonna go in and, uh, study!"
The four of us rush inside before Mom or Dad can say anything and we head straight to the pantry. As Lucas closes the doors behind us, he lets out a cry of pain. "Ow! Something's poking me!" he complains.
I spot the culprit almost immediately. "It's Nick's playbook!" I exclaim before asking, "Why didn't you just leave it?"
Nick grins at me. "We might need it!" he insists. Well, if he says so.
We wave our hands across the panel one at a time to gain access to the Primal Pad before running down the steps.
Once down there, we stand in front of the control panel. The screen shows an image of the sea as Razzle begins his explanation. "There have been several disturbances in the Sea Nation! The activity appears to be centered around the Isle of Del Mar! The ocean in that area is freezing at an alarming rate!" The image on the screen changes to show the sea partly frozen with ice.
"So whatever's happening there is causing a major hailstone-age here!" Jessica deduces.
"And postponing the big game!" Nick exclaims disappointedly before sheepishly adding, "which is much less important right now!"
Razzle paces across the control panel as he says, "I'm afraid the trouble in the Gorn is more serious than your soccer competition!" Nick and I blink at him. "Several Sea Gormiti have disappeared!" Oh, boy, that doesn't sound good!
"What do we know about the Isle of Del Mar?" Nick asks curiously.
"Not much," Razzle replies. "Except it is rumored to have a black salt mine nearby."
I'm confused. "What's so dangerous about a salt mine?" I ask the lizard.
"I'm not sure," Razzle tells me. "But black salt is believed to be very powerful! We don't have time to waste!"
The four of us run to stand around the Gorm Gate before we call out together, "Elementals!"
"Air!" Jessica begins.
"Water!" I yell.
"Forest!" Lucas shouts.
"Earth!" Nick finishes.
In unison, we chant, "Reveal to us the Keeper and give to them your chair!" as the Keeper's chair starts spinning.
"And the Keeper is..." Razzle announces as the chair slowly comes to a stop with an orange icon with the Earth symbol on the back "...Earth!" He walks over to Nick, who is smiling widely, and says, "You're finally going to get a chance to show us what you can do!"
"Alright!" Nick exclaims as he starts walking from his spot, still clinging onto his playbook. "I'm going to prove to you all that gameplans and strategy are the key to success!"
As he reaches the top of the steps, I point out, "I'm guessing you don't have a plan in your playbook for this situation!"
"Are you kidding?" he exclaims as he slides across the shelves on the ladder, having climbed up after getting up the steps. "I'm ready for every situation!" He looks for a book on the shelf as he tells us, "The secret to any victory is proper planning and, most importantly, being prepared for every event!"
I have a feeling this rant of his is going to go on for a while. When I look at Jessica and Lucas, I see that their expressions are mirroring mine. By this point, I think we all just want him to hurry up and open the Gorm Gate already. Nick, seemingly oblivious to our disinterest, runs and jumps into the chair which rises up, bringing him level with the control panel.
"Now," he continues as the chair moves up, "some people think they can get by by just reacting in the moment." Okay, I know he definitely means me, there. But what, exactly, is wrong with not wanting to plan out every single little thing? "But it's strategy that makes the difference!" he adds as he begins to manipulate the crystals to activate the Gorm Gate. He finishes off his mini-rant by saying, "So if you guys just follow my plan, we're going to be victorious!"
As the Gorm Gate finally opens, Lucas looks at Razzle. "You coming?" he asks.
The lizard shakes his head. "I'm cold-blooded - I don't do ice!" he says by way of explanation.
With that, Lucas jumps through the Gorm Gate, Jessica and I following seconds later.
We land on top of an icy cliff. Nick says to us, "Our first priority is finding those missing Sea Gormiti."
As we peer over the edge, we discover that it won't be too difficult. "You can stop now, Nick!" I call to him as I look down. Frozen inside the cliff we are standing on top of are three Sea Gormiti soldiers. "I think we found them!"
After a moment, Nick announces, "You're good to glow!"
"Elemental powers flow, Gormiti - Lords of Nature, go!" the three of us yell together.
"Powers of the Sea!" I shout as I transform, letting out a roar.
The three of us leap down from the cliff so we are standing in front of the frozen Sea Gormiti. Well, we'd better get them out of that ice, I guess.
I transform my right hand into a claw. "Okay, frozen dude, I'm coming to get you!" I say.
I gasp as Nick projects his image beside me and says, "First thing in our gameplan, we gotta get those guys out of there!" I groan at the word gameplan - I'm getting sick of hearing it. Not to mention, freeing them is what we were about to start doing!
"Good plan!" I say sarcastically before I move forward. I smash my claw against the ice hard while the others also attempt to break the ice.
"Wish I was a Fire Gormiti," Jessica says. "I could just melt right through here!"
As I continue to work on getting the ice to crack, I hear Nick asking, "Jess, how's the chipping off the old block coming?"
"Hmm, looks like a swan!" Jessica replies cheerfully. Without stopping my movements, I look up momentarily and see that her efforts to break the ice have, somehow, created a carving of a swan instead.
"Better get cracking!" Lucas tells us as we continue to work on freeing the Sea Gormiti.
"Who dares interfere with my plans?"
We turn around and see a Sea Gormiti standing on top of what appears to be a frozen wave. I should know his name but I'm coming up blank. Hey, I can't remember everything!
"Nick, who is this guy?" Jessica asks.
"And, more importantly, how do we stop him?" I add.
"Nothing can stop me!" the Sea Gormiti declares. "Not them and certainly not you!"
We look at him in confusion as Razzle announces, "That's Quarry, the Sergeant of the Seas!"
"He's the guardian of the abysses," Nick adds. "Respected by all, surveyor of all he sees."
"Does it mention anything about him being super mean?" Jessica asks as she frowns.
"He can be a ruffian but I don't remember him to be so aggressive!" Razzle responds nervously.
"Yeah? Well, something's sure gotten him riled up!" Lucas points out as Quarry begins to glow green and lets out a cry as a huge wave rises towards us.
"Hold on!" I yell to the others.
"Look out!" Lucas shouts just before the wave completely washes over us.
I manage to jam my claw into the ice and feel the others clinging onto me for dear life as the wave rushes over us, attempting to wash us away with it.
Once the wave has passed, we climb back up onto the ice. "Not to worry!" I hear Nick say.
"Easy for you to say!" Lucas gasps in response. "You're not the one being tipped into the icy seas!"
The three of us stand up, Jessica and I looking down at Lucas before we all look across at Quarry. I doubt he's going to be too happy that his attempt to get rid of us didn't go so well.
I jump down and land on a platform of ice before glaring at Quarry as I release several globes of water in succession. However Quarry counters by firing a green beam out of his hand and, to my surprise, as soon as my water globes make contact with it, they freeze instantly. I gasp before saying, "He's freezing my water globes before I even get a chance to shoot them!"
"The tomes don't mention anything about Quarry's freezing powers!" Nick tells me, confused, as he projects his image beside me.
"Well, he's got 'em now!" I say. Maybe the others will fare better.
Jessica uses her wind powers to open up a hole in the ice. Suddenly Quarry fires the same green beam he used against me and it instantly freezes the water that had started to rise up out of the hole. "Hey!" she cries out. "How did he know I was going to do that?"
Lucas tries next, running forward and aiming his fist at Quarry. This time Quarry fires the green beam from both hands and Lucas grunts as his fist begins to freeze up. "I've heard of cold feet before but never a cold fist!" he says.
"No one is allowed near the Isle of Del Mar!" Quarry declares angrily as he jumps down with a flip onto a pillar of ice. "Now you will face the same fate as the other warriors who have crossed my path!"
Lucas suddenly lets out a startled cry. "I'm freezing up!" he shouts before he attempts to fire off his frozen fist. Quarry once again fires two green beams from his hands and knocks Lucas to the ground. He then fires a single beam at Lucas' feet which begin to freeze instantly, the ice moving rapidly up his legs and arms. "Guys?" Lucas calls to us, nervously. "Guys?"
"Jessica, you gotta get Lucas outta there!" I say as I hold my hands up, releasing rings of blue energy from them. "I'll cover you!"
Jessica obliges and swoops down, attempting to pull Lucas free as Quarry fires two beams of green light at me. I struggle to keep him at bay and eventually his double beams are too much for the glowing energy rings.
The beams hit me and I cry out as I fly backward but I manage to cling to the edge of the platform. I look down and see that Jessica is struggling to pull Lucas free. I also see that a wave is heading towards them. "Grab him now!" I yell frantically.
With some effort, Jessica finally manages to pull Lucas free and flies upward just as the wave washes over where they had been just seconds previously.
"You got any other big plans?" I say as I continue to hold on to the edge of the ice.
"Guys, what's happening?" Nick asks suddenly. "Ice storms are hitting around the globe. Things are getting much worse here!"
"Well, they're not getting any better here either!" I point out nervously, looking down.
"I can still figure out a way to win this one," Nick tells me. "Just give me a second!"
Is he crazy? "We don't have a second!" I say pointedly.
The next thing I know, the three of us are rising up through the Gorm Gate. We shiver violently as Nick turns the chair around to face us and chuckles. "G-great s-strategy, b-bro!" I say through chattering teeth, grinning.
"See, told you strategy is a good thing!" Nick says smugly.
"Yeah, yeah..." I wave him off. "Anyway shouldn't we get moving? The rescheduled game should be happening anytime soon."
We leave the Primal Pad and head towards the front door. As soon as we're outside, the hailstones begin bombarding us once again. "Let's hurry!" Lucas suggests. "The sooner we're out of this hail, the better!" I think we all agree with that!
It takes us about five minutes to reach the school by power-walking. None of us really wanted to risk running in case we fell and got injured which, in myself and Nick's case, would be the absolute worst thing that could happen.
Once we reach the school, we head straight to the gym. "While the power orbs recharge, we can at least kill a little time with the rescheduled soccer game!" Lucas says as Nick moves to stand in goal.
"Maybe that's one we can win!" I say, frowning, before running forward and kicking the ball. It sails right into the top right-hand corner of the goal, Nick letting out a grunt as he falls on the floor, his attempt to stop the ball having failed.
"Ow!" he says, disgruntled, as Jessica starts to pull him to his feet.
"I sure hope your plans for the soccer game are better than your plans for the Gorm!" I tell him as he's being pulled up.
"That's just it!" Nick exclaims, turning to face me. "My plans should have worked in the Gorm! Quarry's powers aren't like anything in the books!"
"He certainly wasn't like anything I've ever seen before!" Jessica agrees, tossing the ball from one hand to the other and spinning it on her finger, before passing it to Nick.
Nick catches the ball and continues, "Nothing in the tomes mentions icy powers! He's stronger and he seems to know every move before we make it!" He fiddles with his glasses, as he sighs, "It just doesn't make sense!"
Just then, we hear a whistle blowing and the four of us gasp, realizing that the match must be about to start. "Game's about to start!" I say. "Let's just get through this. Then we can figure out what's going on with Quarry!"
We walk out of the gym and head outside in the direction of the football pitch. The hail is still cascading down on us. When we reach the football pitch, we are all shivering once again. "I d-don't think we're g-gonna be playing again t-today!" I stutter as I look at the football pitch, which looks like it's completely covered in ice. Nobody in their right minds would want to play in this sort of weather!
Three of the Beasts come running onto the pitch through one of the side tunnels and immediately begin slipping and sliding on the ice. They end up in a pile near one of the goals. We hear Brutus complain, "This place is so weird!" before they scramble to their feet and manage to get off the pitch and run down the steps, shivering.
The four of us walk down the same steps, all of us also shivering. "What?" I call after them. "You've n-never played i-ice soccer before?"
"Things are heating up - I mean freezing down - in the Gorm!"
We turn to see Razzle clinging to the railing. "Let's get moving then!" I say to the others as Razzle jumps down onto Nick's shoulder.
Once we get home, we head straight down to the Primal Pad, Nick sitting in the Keeper's chair and activating the Gorm Gate once more.
The three of us jump through the portal and land in what looks like a frozen wasteland. I take a step forward and exclaim, "Oh, boy, you're not gonna believe this!"
"What's going on in the Sea Nation?" Nick asks.
We look around. There's hardly any sea left! Most of it is frozen in ice. "More like the Ice Nation!" Lucas says as he and Jessica step up beside me.
"You have returned to finish the job, I see!" We gasp and look around, seeing Quarry on top of an icy pillar. "Not if I finish you first!" All of a sudden, he starts to glow a bright orange and lets out a fierce roar.
"Those globes better be recharged!" I say as I look at Quarry. "We're gonna need all the power we can get!"
Nick projects his image beside us. "I'll get you up and glowing asap!" he tells us. "Ready!"
"Elemental powers flow," the three of us say together. "Gormiti - Lords of Nature, go!"
"Powers of the Sea!" I yell as I transform for the second time.
Quarry looks angry. "You cannot defeat Quarry!" he declares, glaring at us.
"What's your playbook say about fighting an evil, energy-crazed Sea Gormiti?" I ask Nick as I stand up.
"Here's a recipe for black salt soup!" Razzle says after a while.
"Great," I say sarcastically. "We can all have some soup after he freezes our butts!"
"Wait!" Nick exclaims suddenly. "Black salt diamonds are crystals formed by hundreds of years of compression in the salt mines."
"Now I remember!" Razzle says in a how could I have forgotten tone. "The diamonds give enhanced powers!"
Nick continues, "Quarry's power to command the sea becomes the power to turn seawater into ice and his enhanced sonar ability enables him to read minds. So he really does know our every move before we make it!"
"Great!" I say. "So we know what's causing it. Do we know what to do to stop it?"
"I've got to calculate a new course of action!" Nick informs us.
Quarry raises his hands in a bring it on motion. He then fires a green beam out of them, forcing us all to leap in different directions to avoid being hit.
I roll over and land in a crouching position. Frowning, I declare, "I'm gonna go with the no game plan plan!"
Quarry walks forward menacingly, still glaring. I leap over the ice that had been formed by the green beam and run towards him. He fires another beam but I jump over it and use my hand to slide myself around. I slide around him and he fires a third beam which I duck under. He gets more and more frustrated as I continue to slide around, this time firing two beams at me which I again avoid by leaping out of the way. He takes a few steps forward and fires yet another beam. I manage to stay just ahead of it before flipping myself over the ice that has formed. "Guess what I'm thinking?" I ask while I'm upside down. I flip so I'm right side up before leaping back.
"What do you call that?" I hear Lucas ask in an utterly confused tone.
Ridiculous!" Jessica replies. Neither of them seem to get it yet. Oh, well.
Quarry grumbles. "You are a most aggravating foe!" he shouts angrily as he continues to fire the green beam at me.
I laugh as I practically skate around, avoiding his attacks. "You can't read my thoughts 'cos I don't have anything in my head!" I exclaim happily.
"He's actually proud of that!" I hear Nick say. And, what's more, he's right.
I let out a cry as I leap towards a crack in the ice. "Well, well," I say as I land and see the water, "and what have we here?" I fire off a jet of water from my right hand which shoots towards Quarry, causing him to let out a startled cry as the water pushes him up into the air before surrounding him completely. I use my powers over water to move the water around as he cries out and struggles to escape.
"That's it, Toby!" Jessica calls. "You're running down his power!"
"No!" Quarry exclaims. "This cannot be!" I move closer and he lets out another cry as he drops to the ground, the spout of water disappearing.
The three of us approach him as he lays on the ground, panting. "W-who are you?" he asks, sounding exhausted and a lot less aggressive.
"Don't you remember what happened?" Lucas asks him as Jessica and I share a confused glance. Quarry, apparently, doesn't recognize us even though this is our second encounter with him today.
"I-I heard of a plan," he begins slowly, "by the Fire Gormiti...to steal the black salt diamonds. I didn't tell the others - I wanted to protect them." I guess by others, he means the Sea Gormiti trapped in ice. "I thought I could just try some of the diamonds for myself. I knew it was wrong. But I thought the diamonds could give me the power I needed to be an army of one! After that, it's a blur..."
"So you don't remember anything about putting your buddies on ice," I ask him, "or trying to freeze us out?"
"No," Quarry replies. "As you can see, the black salt diamonds corrupt everything they touch!" He looks up at us dejectedly before adding, "Even me." He continues with, "If the diamonds were to fall into the hands of the Fire Gormiti, the world would be in great danger!"
"Both of our worlds would be in great danger!" Nick, who has his image projected beside us, declares.
Quarry looks up and says, "I fear we are too late!" We gasp and turn around, seeing several Lava Gormiti marching across an icy bridge being lead by a familiar Lava Gormiti we haven't seen in a while.
"The frozen waves have created a bridge for the Fire Gormiti to cross!" I say.
"And we know where they're headed!" Jessica adds, stepping up beside me.
"Orrore!" Razzle exclaims nervously from the projected image. "He is the worst! I'm so glad I stayed here!"
"Great!" Lucas says sarcastically.
"We must protect the mine!" Quarry tells us as he walks away.
"We're going to have to hold the rest of them back!" Jessica exclaims before she flies upwards and unleashes dozens of sharp, white feathers from her hands. The Lava Gormiti cry out as they get hit, a few of them losing their balance and falling into the water.
I leap down in front of them. "Not so fast!" I say warningly. I stretch out my tentacles, wrapping them around two of the Lava Soldiers.
Lucas follows my lead by wrapping his brown vine around a third Lava Soldier's ankle. "Watch your step!" he advises.
The three Lava Soldiers cry out as we toss them into the water. However, the others continue marching forward, getting closer and closer to us. I swear I can hear a few of them laughing too.
For some reason, I can hear laughter behind me now too. I turn my head slightly, only to see Orrore with his right arm held up, preparing to fire an attack at me. I move aside and the fiery blast rushes straight past me, instead knocking four of the Lava Soldiers into the water.
Immediately we turn around to face Orrore who has a small boat filled with the black salt diamonds. He lets out another fiery blast and I resort to my earlier tactic of flipping around to avoid it. I stand on a lower level of ice as Orrore fires a beam of fire in front of me from the level above.
I hear a few cries above me and guess that one of the others must have taken out a couple more Lava Soldiers.
As Orrore continues to fire an attack near me, I exclaim, "With their super-fueled powers, they're unbeatable!"
Nick projects his image in front of me and I frown when I see he is holding his playbook. "No team is unbeatable!" he insists.
"You really think your little playbook is gonna win this one?" I ask him incredulously.
"I told you," he replies, "with the right course of action, we can win anything!" I gasp and look around as he continues, "First we analyze the other team's weakness."
As the ice behind me begins to melt, I dive into the water. "They don't have any weakness!" Lucas says.
"Unless they're too fiery!" Jessica says.
"You're right, Jessica!" Nick exclaims suddenly.
I pull myself up out of the water slightly and rest my arm on the ice as Lucas and I say together, "She is?"
We look at Nick's projected image in confusion as he points out, "Remember where you are - on an island surrounded by ice!"
I climb back up onto the ice and say happily, "So if we can just get our hot-footed friends off the island and back on the ice - melty melty!"
We watch as the Lava Soldiers march to and from the mine. Those leaving are pushing wooden boats filled with black salt diamonds. "Plan double-Z!" Nick exclaims. "Toby, shoot your water globes and keep them coming!" No need to tell me twice!
I oblige immediately, firing several water globes at the Lava Soldiers who cry out as they get knocked in the water. Orrore starts looking around, confused, as more and more Lava Soldiers get hit by my attacks.
As they fall into the water, steam rises from where they have fallen. I continue my assault, pelting Orrore with countless water globes as he starts backing away before getting knocked to the ground along with a couple of Lava Soldiers. He sits up and irritatedly rubs his head.
"Nobody likes a ball hog!" Lucas exclaims suddenly as I prepare to launch another attack. "You're supposed to pass!"
"Glad someone remembers!" Nick says after I release another water globe. "Plan double-Z calls for setting the ball up for your partner before a headbutt straight into the goal!"
I produce another water globe and float it towards Jessica who headbutts it towards the Lava Gormiti. It hits Orrore directly and knocks several of the Lava Soldiers over.
I create another water globe and split it into two, floating them towards the others. "Score!" Lucas yells as he kicks the water globe like a football towards the Lava Gormiti.
"Hey, I kinda like this game!" Jessica exclaims as she headbutts another water globe.
I continue to create water globes and offer some of them to the others who seem to enjoy pelting Orrore and the Lava Soldiers with water.
Orrore lets out an angry cry as he gets hit by one water globe after another. "Such insolence will not be forgotten!" he says, holding his arms over his head. I find it hard to take him seriously while I'm repeatedly hitting him with water globes.
"How can I help?" Quarry asks eagerly. I had been wondering where he had gotten to.
"You can lead your friends against the Fire Gormiti!" I tell him.
Quarry nods and walks towards the frozen Sea Gormiti. I look around and watch as he slams his hands against the ice which shatters like glass. "Fire Gormiti are attacking the mines!" he tells the Sea Gormiti. He and the two Sea Gormiti run forward and dive into the water.
Meanwhile, we continue bombarding Orrore and the Lava Soldiers with water globes. One of them knocks Orrore over as he is trying to run away but he gets back up and carries on running.
The Lava Soldiers run, pushing the black salt diamond filled boats ahead of them. We watch as the Sea Gormiti start grabbing them by the ankle and dragging them into the water.
This continues for a short time until Quarry surfaces and, together with the Sea Gormiti, punches the side of the ice bridge three times. The Lava Gormiti start whimpering fearfully as the ice starts to break apart. The ice floe holding the boat with the stolen black salt diamonds sinks beneath the water, much to Orrore's dismay. "My diamonds!" he yells angrily. "Noooo!"
"They will never be your diamonds!" Quarry, who had climbed back onto the ice, says defiantly.
Orrore jumps up and hovers in mid-air, turning to face us before saying, "Maybe this time but we will meet again!" He then turns and flies away in the direction of Volcano Mountain.
"What did I tell you?" Nick says cheerfully. "It's all about the winning strategy - my winning strategy!"
"No way!" I tell him. "It wasn't all you! What about my no plan plan? Without it, we'd still be fighting Quarry!"
"Oh, come on!" he says. "You call that a plan?"
I shake my head slightly and, along with Lucas, sit down on a small chunk of ice while Jessica stands next to us. We watch as Quarry and the two Sea Gormiti climb out of the water onto the small island of ice.
Just then the water starts to rise as a Sea Gormiti with tentacles for arms rises out of the sea. I eventually recognize him as Jelly Fish as he booms, "Who is responsible for this?"
"Boss," Quarry says as he and the two Sea Gormiti respectfully kneel on all fours. Meanwhile, the three of us stare in awe, too surprised to do anything except blink. "I was trying to keep the black salt mine secure but I now realize they are too powerful for any one person to guard! I never meant to turn on my own people!"
"We will discuss your punishment later," Jelly Fish says sternly. "From now on, the Sea Nation must work together to keep the black salt diamonds from the wrong hands." He then asks, "And who was responsible for driving the dreadful Fire Gormiti into my seas?" as he lowers himself down to the Sea Gormiti's level.
"Our young friends!" Quarry responds.
Jelly Fish turns his gaze on the three of us before saying, "Then I have you to thank for saving my people!" He then disappears beneath the water and, after a moment, Quarry and the two Sea Gormiti dive in after him.
"Let's go home," I say to the others as I stand up.
"That's something we all agree on!" Lucas says happily.
As if on cue, a portal forms over our heads and we rise up into it, coming out of the Gorm Gate, now back in human form.
Nick jumps out of the chair, exclaiming, "Come on, guys, we need to be at the school for the re-rescheduled game!"
"At least this one shouldn't get canceled now the hail's stopped," Lucas points out as we exit the Primal Pad and leave the house to go to school after Nick and I grab our football kits.
We reach the school in no time at all. Nick and I immediately head for the changing rooms getting changed along with the rest of the team. The atmosphere inside the room is nervous anticipation - every single person in this room wants to do their best and, hopefully, put an end to the Beasts' winning streak.
The captain calls us over once we're all ready and says, "Listen up, boys, this may just be our most important game of the season. So when you're out on the pitch, I don't just want to see you giving it a hundred percent, I want to see you give it a hundred and ten percent!" As we hear a whistle blowing, he quickly says, "Altogether now..."
"Go, Warriors!" we yell before we leave the changing rooms and head for the tunnel that leads out onto the pitch.
Nick and I exchange a determined glance before nodding to one another as Principal Morris begins to announce the start of the game.
"Hello, everybody, and welcome to this much-anticipated soccer game! It's been a long time coming!" Here he pauses to allow himself a chuckle. "But, finally, today we have the undefeated Bayside Beasts!"
We watch as the Beasts run onto the pitch out of the opposite tunnel with cheers from the crowd.
"And playing against them are our very own Venture Falls Warriors!"
We follow the captain out onto the pitch, amidst excited screams and cheers from the crowd. They seem a lot louder - I guess everybody really wants us to win today. I look up at the crowd and see Lucas and Jessica sitting in the fourth row, Jessica once again wearing her cheerleading outfit. Both of them are cheering enthusiastically.
After the referee has explained the rules, a whistle blows to indicate the start of the game.
This is it.
Towards the end of the game
We are playing well but, by the time the second half is almost over, our scores are equal with two goals each. Every time we score a goal, the Beasts counter with one of their own.
At the moment, I have possession of the ball, dribbling it down the field. "Plan double-Z!" Nick calls to me.
I continue to dribble the ball, avoiding one of the Beasts who attempts to intercept me but ends up sliding across the grass instead. I kick the ball and it bounces off of Brutus who smirks as he starts to do a few keepy-uppies with it.
Nick runs towards him and takes possession of the ball, dribbling it around a perplexed Brutus in a circle. "You're nuts!" he yells eventually, evidently confused by what Nick is doing.
"Nope," Nick says cheerfully, grinning. "That's my brother!" I feel so proud. My little brother taking a leaf out of my book - it's a sight I thought I'd never see! I watch as he kicks the ball and it sails straight into the goal. The Beasts' goalkeeper seems to have been so confused by Nick's earlier display that he hadn't even made any attempt to stop the ball from going in. "Goal!" he yells as the whistle blows.
The crowd begins to cheer loudly. We did it. We had bested the Bayside Beasts - three to two.
I walk up to Nick and we high five, both of us grinning madly. "Sometimes no plan is the best plan!" Nick says.
"Well done, bro!" I tell him as we put one of our arms around each other's shoulders and walk off the field together. "We're a good team!"
As we make it off the pitch, Jessica and Lucas run up to us. "That game was amazing!" Jessica says breathlessly as she reaches us.
"Yeah, way to go!" Lucas tells us excitedly.
"Thanks!" we say together as we start to walk toward the school so we can get changed.
After we've come out of the changing rooms, Nick suddenly turns to face me, smirking. "Don't look now, bro, but you've got a not-so-secret admirer looking for you!"
Oh no.
I start looking around in a panic. "Where? Where?" I ask frantically. "You guys can't let her see me!" I need to find somewhere to hide!
"There you are!"
So much for her not seeing me.
"Here I am," I say dully, not even trying to hide my displeasure at her having found me.
"You were simply wonderful out there!" Madison gushes. "I couldn't look away!"
"Thank you?" I say awkwardly while I try to think of a way to get rid of her.
Madison suddenly lets out a high pitched gasp. "I have just had the most brilliant idea! We should go for a celebration!" Why do I get the feeling I know where this is going? "The two of us...alone!"
Okay, this is getting really awkward now. How many times do I have to tell her I'm not interested before she finally gets the hint?
I look at the others, silently pleading for their help. Nick and Lucas simply shake their heads at me, both of them amused by my predicament. But Jessica, who looks faintly annoyed by Madison's presence, sighs irritatedly and says loudly, "Hey, guys, we'd better get moving if we're heading to Mabel's!"
"You already have plans?" Madison asks, looking crestfallen as I look back at her.
I try to sound apologetic as I say, "Yeah, yeah...sorry!" before I start to walk away. I don't get very far before she runs up to me.
The next thing I know, she has pressed her lips to my cheek before she runs off, calling over her shoulder, "Some other time, maybe?
Yeah, try never. I know it sounds harsh and all but I don't like her like that. Surely agreeing to go on a date with her would do more harm than good, especially since I'm not even that sure she genuinely likes me. I mean, who fancies someone who offers them a tissue?
I walk to catch up with the others, seeing that Nick and Lucas are still struggling to stop themselves from laughing. "Wow, bro," Nick wheezes. "I can't believe she actually did that!"
"Haha, funny!" I say dryly as I furiously wipe my cheek. "That girl has no sense of personal space!"
"You sure you don't want to take her up on her offer?"
I turn to face Jessica who still doesn't look happy. "You must be joking, right?" I ask. "Why would I want to spend time with her when I'd rather spend time with you guys?"
Lucas suddenly cuts in with a confused sounding, "Why does Madison always want to spend time alone with Toby anyway? Every time she sees him, she always asks the same thing!"
As one, Nick, Jessica and I facepalm. Apparently, Lucas' denseness extends to other people's love lives - for lack of a better phrase - as well as his own.
We leave the school and start heading to Mabel's, a cafeteria run by a sweet old lady named - you guessed it - Mabel. Nick teases me about Madison the whole way there.
"Could you please just drop it?" I snap irritatedly after a while. "No offense, bro, but I just want to forget that the whole Madison thing ever happened!" I honestly wish I could erase it from my brain but I get the feeling the others will bring it up in the future just to annoy me.
"Yeah," Jessica says in a tone that suggests she's just as fed up of hearing about Madison as I am. "I thought we were going to celebrate the Warriors' victory!"
Nick lowers his head slightly. "You're right," he says before turning to face me. "Sorry about that, bro, though you have to admit it was kind of funny - especially the look on your face!"
I open my mouth to retort that it was not funny in the slightest when Lucas points out, "We're here!"
Sure enough, when I look up, I see the familiar mint-green cursive of Mabel's on the cafeteria front. Delicious smells begin to fill my nostrils. There's nothing a visit to Mabel's can't fix.
The bell on the door rings as we step inside. The interior is warm and cozy with lemon walls and booths with red leather seats.
"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite customers!" Mabel says as she comes bustling out of the back room. Her grey hair, streaked with white, is in a bun as usual and her green eyes seem to twinkle
as she smiles warmly at us. She is so motherly and caring that pretty much everybody in town calls her Granny Mabel. I don't think anybody could dislike her.
"Hello, Granny Mabel!" we say, smiling at her.
"Now what will you be having?" she asks before whipping her notebook out of her apron pocket and saying, "no, no, don't tell me! Trifle and green tea for Nick, ginger shortbread and orange juice for Lucas, strawberry cheesecake and hot chocolate with whipped cream for Jessica and - oh, yes, that reminds me."
We watch as Mabel walks off into the back room before returning with something wrapped up in paper. "Some girl came in here about ten minutes before you did and insisted I give you this." She hands whatever it is to me and I unwrap it to reveal a slice of rhubarb crumble. I groan slightly and Mabel sighs, "I did tell her if she wanted your attention to go for the blackberry crumble but she insisted she knew best. She really was quite rude about it, too."
"That's Madison to a T." I hear Jessica mutter under her breath.
"Sorry about that," I say. "She, uh..."
Mabel shakes her head. "Say no more, dearie," she tells me. "A slice of blackberry crumble and a soda it is!"
"Thanks, Granny Mabel!" we say as we sit down at one of the booths while she walks back behind the counter to prepare the order.
"Do not say anything!" I say to the others who simply look back at me. "I mean it! Not. One Word."
They make cross my heart motions as Granny Mabel returns with a tray filled with food. We decide to split the bill between the four of us, despite Jessica and Lucas insisting that they would pay as we were celebrating our victory over Bayside High.
"I know it's none of my business but that girl doesn't seem like a very good match for you, dear," she says as she places the plates and cups on the table. I groan and she quickly adds, "Oh, I'm sorry! Touchy subject?"
"You could say that..." I say as we give her the money which she puts into the till on the counter before we start to eat. The food tastes just as delicious as always.
"I wouldn't worry about it," she tells me. "In my younger days - you might not believe it but I used to be quite the beauty - I had my fair share of unwanted admirers. Why I can recall the Valentines ball of sixty-two. Travis Havers and Bruno Rothering just wouldn't take no for an answer." She takes out a cloth and starts wiping down the counter as she continues, "You know, they even tried to serenade me in front of my entire class. It was dreadfully embarrassing."
My face falls at this as I imagine Madison serenading me in front of everybody. I'd never be able to show my face in public again!
"But I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you," Mabel says, having noticed my discomfort. "The right one will come by eventually. Maybe you'll find they've been right under your nose this whole time, just like I did all those years ago." The last part of her sentence sounds wistful before she smiles and winks at me and leaves to serve the next customer.
As I resume eating, I wonder what Mabel could have meant. It sounded like she was trying to tell me something but I don't know what.
I look at the others and see the confusion on Nick and Lucas' faces while Jessica's expression seems unreadable. For some reason, she doesn't seem to want us - or, at least, me - to know how she feels about what Mabel said, which I find weird.
To think we only came here to celebrate our soccer victory and now I'm going to have this on my mind! Well, it's not like I haven't got something confusing on my mind already.
Why do I get the feeling Mabel knows something I don't, though? And why do I also have the feeling that things are only going to get even more complicated?
I guess only time will tell.
AN: Well, that's the end of the chapter, guys! I hope you liked the introduction of Madison. I know it may seem like she's just a jealousy object - which is only part of her function - (ie: someone for Jessica to get jealous over) but she will get some background later on in the story and in the other ROTLON books. If it wasn't obvious, though, Toby isn't romantically interested in her...at all. I do plan to have her be a part of a subplot that will be revealed in Season 2/Supreme Eclipse Era that relates to my male OC (who should be very familiar to anyone who's read my older fics, though his role in this will be slightly different).
Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time! You guys are all the best!