"And I would personally like to thank those of you who came out to the community center yesterday! You kids are the best damn students anyone could ask for! So congratulations to Luke Triton and Flora What's-Her-Name! You're the new faces of Gressenheller High, so don't let me down! Or else. Bill Hawks OUT!"

Flora made a face and turned to Luke, who snorted obnoxiously, earning him another Flora Look. Descole looked over his stack of paperwork and thought about doing something but decided against it.

Descole was mad.

Mad wasn't the right word. Angry? Furious? Enraged? Infuriated. That's what he was. Jean Descole was infuriated. He was being forced to join the student bowling team at the consequence of losing his job. The losing his job part wasn't the problem; he had been trying his best to get fired for years now. The only thing he hadn't tried was killing a man. Well, technically he had killed his hopes and dreams and former self and everything that went along with that, but that was intangible. But that didn't stop it from hurting.

No, Descole was not infuriated because he would lose his job if he didn't comply. He was infuriated because bowling practice cut into his Descole Dates. Descole Dates were the best part of every day; Descole Dates were all about Descole and nothing but Descole. Descole Dates were the only reason Descole continued to exist – without them, he would implode and return to the nothingness from which he arose. Descole Dates were Descole.

And now he would have to deal without.

In a few weeks he'll realize how stupid Descole Dates actually are, but he doesn't realize that yet. But that doesn't stop it from hurting.

Luke caught Descole's glare and immediately turned to the window. Heavy clouds filled the sky, and the forecasters were predicting a storm of a different kind. Luke thought they were talking about Descole, but Flora thought they were talking about Bill Hawks. Aurora understood that a 60% chance of storms meant that it might rain, but nobody asked how she felt.

The bell rang and Descole didn't acknowledge it. An hour and a half of silence passed and then the bell rang again; Descole didn't blink. Another hour and a half – Descole barely breathed. Again – Descole leaned against his right hand instead of his left. Again – someone threw a book at his head, knocked his mask off, and ran out screaming before they could see anything. Descole snorted and wiped the drool from his mouth. He looked at the raging storm outside and then to the clock. Looks like it's time.

Bowling practice time.

"You think anybody realized Descole fell asleep during homeroom?" Luke side-stepped an open door, just grazing his elbow. And by just grazing I mean completing shattering his funny bone. He choked back tears and attempted to say something else, but he ended up writhing on the floor in pain.

"You didn't until Aurora said something." Flora ignored Luke and continued walking. Aurora nodded but didn't say anything. She had claimed Luke and Flora as her New Friends and intended to keep them under her surveillance at all times. They hadn't been out of her line of sight in nearly sixteen hours.

The three were heading to lunch, after having faced the trials of Homeroom, Drama, and Psychology. But then again they really weren't trials, seeing how Descole was stone-cold out today.

For whatever reason, Emmy still hadn't made it back to her classroom, so the kids were sentenced to take up valuable real estate in the cafeteria. This saved the school money, because they didn't need to pay for a substitute and they made more money because the kids got bored and continually bought food for a solid hour or so.

Luke, Flora, and Aurora utilized this time to reflect on their situation.

"Can you believe we actually have to bowl?! Actually be a part of the team? Actually participate? I don't think I can do this. I don't think I should be forced to do this."

"Geez, Flora. Give it a rest," Luke mumbled between mouthfuls of mashed potatoes and cheese sticks (today's special). "That's all you've been complaining about! Bowling-this, bowling-that! Wah, wah, I'm a toddler and all I can do is cry!"

Flora punched him.

"I pooped my pants and all I do is complain about it and bowling!" Flora punched him so hard the potatoes went up his nose.

"Why must you always take things so far, Luke?" Aurora asked. She took a break from drinking her potatoes to watch Luke writhe on the floor for the second time that day. "You always take things too far."

"You're the one who always takes things too far! You are!" He was whimpering now.

Luke eventually removed the vegetable remnants from his nostrils, but he remained on the floor. He said he liked it better that way. Flora had no problem with that and used him as a foot rest. Aurora drew aliens on the table with a permanent marker. Flora drew a candid portrait of Bill Hawks.

When the bell rang, fourth period was nearly over, because someone had forgotten to set the bell for that day. That someone was Bill Hawks, but Dimitri was the one whose pay was docked for that blunder. Bill Hawks was the one in charge of signing the faculty's paychecks.

Professor Layton had everybody play the Name Game, with Aurora winning for knowing three people's names (a new record). Luke asked when they were going to get to the actual class. Layton laughed his characteristic gentleman laugh. Luke's question was never answered.

When the bell rang, Layton forced Luke, Flora, and Aurora to stay in his class.

"Luke, Flora, it seems that you failed to mention something at dinner yesterday. I know it might be difficult, but it's alright. These things happen."

"I didn't do it I swear! It's Aurora! She did it!" Flora nearly got on her knees and cried. Aurora just stared ahead. Luke started sniffling.

"Ah, well, I'm sure she had nothing to do with this. But then again, I heard she joined too. The bowling team, I mean. And I was told that you, my boy, requested that I chaperone? Very well then. I'd be happy to help you three help this school. Bill Hawks asked me to follow you three to practice today, but I assumed when you said chaperone, you meant the games. No matter. I'll meet you three at the bus loading area, but before you go, be sure to ask Mr. Descole to come along with us. Dimitri mentioned him in that list of his, so I assume he's chaperoning as well."

Layton shooed the children out the door before putting on his jacket. How did he get involved in this? Why did he say yes when Clark asked if Luke could stay in the city? They have better schools, he said. He'll get a better education, he said. Why, he can even go to that school you work at, he said. He'll be great, he said. Layton was beginning to feel the slightest bit of doubt.

Luke ran his pen along the lockers, causing a terrible racket. Flora trudged along but tried to pep herself up. Aurora wrote incantations in her purple glitter notebook.

After a game of nose-goes, Luke had to retrieve Descole and drag him to the Bowling Bus. Not wanting to risk his life, he took Aurora's notebook and chucked it. His aim was a little too good, and he knocked the mask off the man. Luke squealed and sprinted out before Descole could react. Flora drug Aurora behind her, and the three made it to the bus in record time. They hesitated when they saw the torrential flood of rain.

Dimitri, wearing a yellow rain jacket, smiled and waved them inside, where Layton had already claimed the first seat. Descole, sopping wet, sauntered up the stairs around ten minutes later, and the bus began its journey two miles down the road.

"Get out, get out, get out! Late, late, late! All of you! And you, Dimitri! I never thought you would be this late!"

Bill Hawks was waiting impatiently at the entrance of the community center. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an understatement. Bill Hawks was furiously stamping his feet and shouting. In the rain. Without an umbrella or coat.

"Sir, you're early," Dimitri stated, but then, quieter, "but at least we were able to show up. It's a miracle they haven't tried to quit the team yet."

Sighing, Hawks turned on his heel and stomped into the building. The sliding doors refused to open for him, forcing him to wait for Dimitri to hit the button on the left wall. Hawks continued into the building, leaving the remainder of the team outside in the rain.

Luke held his backpack over his head, Flora faced the storm like a real trooper (much like Bill Hawks), and Aurora somehow managed to remain completely dry. Descole shrieked and made a break for it, stopping only for the sliding doors. Layton had walked inside while Dimitri and Bill were talking.

The bowling alley was empty, save for the bored cashier at the concession stand. Emmy was doing push-ups in the far corner, and Bill Hawks was fuming at one of the tables near the soda fountain. Neon lights pulsated and lit the confetti-patterned floor. 80s synth music played from the two working speakers.

Luke and Flora were mesmerized. They hadn't really had a chance to admire their surroundings yesterday, but now that they had the chance, they took it all in. Though there really wasn't that much. Excited by the overload of tacky colors, Luke rushed into the room and ran around, while Flora could only stand and stare. Aurora thought that she had seen better bowling alleys before and sat at the nearest bench to put on her custom, alien-print bowling shoes.

Once Dimitri had finished drying Bill Hawks with that dingy Care Bears towel, Hawks called the team members to his table.

"Alright, future TITTY milkers, get on over here. Today's our, surprise, first day of practice. Now, I'm a firm believer in the "practice makes perfect" shindig, so you're going to practice your sweet bottoms off until you reach something so much better than perfect you combust. And if you don't combust, you aren't trying hard enough." Bill glared directly into Luke's frightened eyes. "And because you all had to be oh so late today, for your first practice, nonetheless, we're staying another hour extra. Hope your schedules are clear until 2 in the morning, pipsqueaks."

Descole pushed the bathroom door open to find the team getting a face full of Hawks spit. He wiped his damp hands on the man walking into the restroom and shrugged. He made his way to the seat next to Emmy, sat down and propped his brand-spanking-new Hot Stuf bowling shoes on the table. Directly in front of Bill. While Bill was talking.

Bill nearly had a heart attack. Dimitri had to restrain him and threaten him with the bear tranquilizer while Descole filed his nails. Luke and Flora scooched their chairs back a good fifteen feet or so, and Aurora felt a fear unlike any before. Emmy bought a large order of nachos from the concession stand.

After Bill had calmed enough to speak actual words, Dimitri suggested Bill limit his pep talks to two minutes in order to prevent an early death. Bill called his advice "a load of elephant shit" before continuing his tirade.

"As I was saying before Descole here interrupted, today we're going to practice holding the ball. Thought you might actually get to bowl? No, bowling is a sacred act reserved for only the most capable." A woman in the background lost her footing, causing her to simultaneously fall on her rear and chuck the ball she was holding straight through the roof. A cascade of rain began pouring into the alley. "If you are going to bowl, you must first be able to hold the bowling ball. Not too difficult you might think, but you clearly haven't ever heard of the Bill Hawks Hold. But guess what? Now you have heard of the Bill Hawks hold, and now you're going to become experts of the Bill Hawks Hold. Prepare yourselves, heathens."

He signaled to Dimitri, who pulled a glittering black bowling ball from Hawks' bag. Bill grabbed the ball and held it at arm's length in front of him. The bowling team observed the act and whispered amongst themselves. Layton could only raise his eyebrows and glance at his watch. They hadn't even been at the alley for thirty minutes.

"Now watch and learn," Hawks said as he continued to hold the ball. "This is the Bill Hawks Hold. This is what you're going to be practicing today. This is all you will be practicing today."

Luke and Flora exchanged worried glances. Descole stopped filing his nails to exchange a glance with Emmy, who was oblivious to everything but her nachos. Layton sighed. Aurora raised her hand.

"Mr. Hawks, sir, you're saying we're just going to hold the bowling ball? For the rest of practice? For approximately ten hours straight, if you're truly intending for us to be here until early morning?"

"Yes."

"That's…fair enough." Aurora's past sports endeavors had actually been far more excruciating, which somewhat skewed what she saw as "unacceptable." The other team members groaned, but Bill shot them a death glare.

"Bill brought along Gressenheller High's private bowling ball collection for you to use in the case you're allergic to public bowling balls. They're in the cases near the door, so feel free to get one." Dimitri waved the team away; okay, he pushed, shoved, and dragged the members to the door.

Once everyone had begrudgingly gone to pick a ball, Dimitri pulled Bill to his side. "Sir, isn't this a bit absurd? These people are amateurs, and they're going to need all the practice they can get if we're going to beat TITTY at regionals. And I mean actual bowling practice, actually bowling, actually standing somewhere near the alleys and throwing those balls. This is already hopeless enough, as it is."

"Hopeless, Dimitri? And to believe I thought you were my plucky, optimistic sidekick. You upset me. These babies need to learn the basics. Gotta be able to poop their diapers before they can poop the toilet. When have I ever not known how to train brilliant bowlers?"

"Uh, I suppose you're correct, sir. My apologies." With that, Dimitri walked over to the concession stand to order some food. It was going to be a long night.

Luke struggled to even hold the ball with both hands, not to mention actually putting his fingers in the holes and holding it correctly. Flora could at least manage to pick the ball up, but holding it for any amount of time was out of the question. Aurora and Emmy had an easier time, and the two were already holding theirs at arm's length and discussing astrology. Descole made sure to keep at least twenty feet between Layton and himself, but because his concentration was focused mostly on that, he kept dropping the bowling ball.

Bill continued barking techniques and shouting instructions until everyone was able to hold their bowling balls for at least a solid minute. Dimitri decided his job was to keep track of the time and the current record (a whopping 2 minutes and 3 seconds). He paid far more attention to the former, however. Ten minutes. Thirty minutes. An hour. The clock struck five just as someone broke the record with 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

"Mr. Hawks, Mr. Dimitri, can we please have a break? My stomach is about to fold in on itself. I think I'm dying." Luke was hunched over, grasping his stomach while still managing to grasp the bowling ball. "I'm so hungry."

"Geez, me too. We've been at this for hours, and I think we're obligated to some sort of break." Flora mimicked Luke's position, but leaned on him for support. Layton silently nodded. Descole wept softly. Emmy and Aurora didn't really care because the two had shared a large order of nachos.

Bill Hawks and Dimitri refused to acknowledge the team and proceeded playing solitaire on their smart phones. The bowling alley went silent, save for Descole's whimpering and the ever-present 80s synth pop that was still playing in the background.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Gressenheller's famous team of bowling babies. Whining as always, eh?" The sliding doors opened to reveal a lanky figure wearing a pair of basketball shorts, socks, and sandals. Lightning struck menacingly behind him and the hole in the roof. "I guess that's expected from a bunch of babies."

"But you already said that. Wait, who are you, and why do you think you can call us babies?" Flora was yelling obnoxiously loud. The stress was starting to get to her.

"Tch, you mean you don't know who I am?"

"Not really. You're kinda standing in the shadows."

"Oh, sorry." The boy stepped out of the shadows. "Can you see me now?"

"Yeah."

"Great," he said as he struck a pose. "You mean you don't know who I am?"

"Still, not really," Flora repeated. "Am I supposed to know? Luke, hey, do you know who he is? He says he doesn't know, either."

"What?!" He clutched his chest. "To believe that Gressenheller High's bowling team cannot remember the man who single-handedly crushed them at regionals last year! Did you fools block that out of your memories? I suppose a loss that terrible would be better forgotten, but honestly! I can't believe you people! God!"

He walked slowly into the room to stand in front of Luke and Flora. Composing himself, he inhaled deeply and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"What are you doing? You're honestly creeping me out, man." Luke stepped away from him, nearly knocking Layton off his feet. Luke recovered and waddled back to Flora in embarrassment.

"What am I doing? More like, what are you doing?" He pointed to the bowling balls in their outstretched hands. "Whatever it is, it's pretty stupid. But I suppose that's to be expected. You are Gressenheller High's bowling team, after all. Oh, burn!"

With a smirk, he knocked the ball from Luke hands, causing it to land directly on Flora's foot. Flora jumped on top of Luke, who once again fell back against Layton, who threw his ball at Descole's back. Descole was sent flying forward and on top of Emmy, who screamed and woke Aurora from her meditation. Afraid that she was being attacked by unholy demon beasts, Aurora impulsively began shouting incantations, which caused two lights to explode and the rest to turn green and flash rapidly. Dimitri stood up, knocked the phone from Bill's hands, and rushed to calm Aurora. The cashier at the concession stand sunk beneath the counter and prayed for salvation.

The boy stood to the side, his mouth agape.

Minutes passed, and soon the majority of the lights had returned to normal. The majority of the team, save for Descole, was massaging their newfound injuries and attempting to apologize for said injuries.

Bill Hawks was furious.

"Why, you damned moron! Look what you've done! You've gone and wasted some damn valuable practice time with your damn jokes and pranks! I oughta have your neck for what you've…" Bill paused just short of a punch when he reached the boy. His grimace contorted and twisted far more than a human face should allow. "You…"

"Me?" He asked innocently. He held a finger to his chin and point to himself. Bill and the boy stared at one another for a solid minute, Bill glaring up and the boy smiling down.

But Bill Hawks would never be ready for what came next.

The boy broke down laughing. Slapping his knee. Guffawing. Tears streamed down his cheeks and waterfalled off his face. He doubled-over, laughing continually. A shocked Bill could only stare in horror and repulsion.

"Of course," snicker snicker, "it's me." Chuckle. "Of course!" Knee slap. "Of course it's me!" Guffaw.

The bowling team gawked at the boy. Flora was the only one who could manage to speak.

"Who are you?!"

He controlled himself just long enough to wipe the tears from his eyes and glance up.

"Targent Institute for Triumphant and Talented Youth's bowling captain." He smirked. "The name's Clive Dove. Pleasure to meet you."

Well, okay. Maybe it's not exactly time to get to the whole bowling thing. We came close, though, right? Relatively close. In the approximate vicinity of close.

Once we get through the first game, things will really start to take off. Hopefully. That is, if I remember to update. But it's summer, so anything could happen! I do apologize for the delay in updates, but if it updates, it's probably going on ao3 first (under the same title), so there's that.

As always, thanks for reading!