!HAPPY NEW YEAR!

OKAY WELL...ANOTHER YEAR GONE AND FINALLY MY LIFE HAS BECOME STABLE ENOUGH TO WRITE AGAIN. i'M SORRY TO EVERYONE WHO'S BE WAITING ANOTHER YEAR FOR THIS CHAPTER, BUT HOPEFULLY i SHOULD FINISH THIS STORY BY THE END OF THE YEAR. (IF SOMETHING DOESN'T COME UP OF COURSE). I HOPE THIS CHAPTER WAS WORTH THE WAIT AND I REALLY ENJOYED GETTING BACK IN THIS.

ENJOY R&R

Chapter 16

My Friends

Safe. That's how I feel around these people. They're not even family and yet I'm smiling, I can't remember the last time I smiled like this. I don't even know these people and I'm almost rolling on the floor. I'm happy here. They said I went away, that I left them for a while. If I was this happy, why did I leave? I'd never want to leave them if they made me feel like this all the time.

"Hey Micro-Ice! You listening buddy?" D'jok asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You spaced out for a bit there,"

Micro-Ice smiled and shook his head a little. "I'm fine, great in fact,"

"Well that's the best news I've heard all day," his best friend smiled at him and slowly pushed him towards a door.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"Well, we all really would like you to remember, so what better way than playing football,"

"D'jok! I can't play football with them!" Micro-Ice panicked a little, playing with a team like that? He was sure to get humiliated.

"Why not? You're a great striker Micro-Ice, the teams needs you right now,"

"But what if I'm not good enough?" he mumbled and that made D'jok stop.

"Not good enough? " D'jok frowned. "Micro-Ice…you've always wanted to be in a team, since we were kids. And you've been playing with us for a while now so there's nothing to be worried about. The coach won't just randomly kick you out because you don't remember us," he smiled, he can't remember Micro-Ice ever doubting himself before and that was kind of worrying really. "Come on buddy, the teams waiting for their strikers,"

Micro-Ice smiled a little. "Okay, let's go,"

Micro-Ice POV

It's strange to think in a short time I've gained friendship from all these people. I walked into the next room, with D'jok still pushing me along, he looks worried and well, I don't remember anything about being a SnowKid so I guess he does have a reason to be. They were all standing there, waiting for me. At the moment I just want to pinch myself and wake up. My life's completely changed from being back home. How long have I been away from home for? How's my mum? So many questions were swimming through my head, I knew I'd have a headache by the end of the day. I was pulled out of my thoughts when the captain walked over to me. Rocket was his name I think. He was holding a sports kit with a large three on it. Somehow…I knew that was mine. Three is the magic number after all. I looked up to Rocket and couldn't help but smile at him.

Rocket smiled back. "I need my striker back and was hoping you'd train with us today,"

I was surprised by the question. I'd only met these guys an hour ago and they already want me on their team. Or back on their team would be a better term. My smile grew bigger and nodded eagerly making two people behind him clap their hands together. Were they…brothers maybe? I shook my head again. Man all this thinking was actually giving me a headache. I should relax and enjoy the game. Besides, that's why I started playing football in the first place. To relax and have fun. To have some sort of freedom.

Arch came up to us and began speaking about what the training was going to consist of. To be honest I didn't really listen. I'm guessing I was supposed to but I'm more a of a 'go with the flow' sort of person. We're going against the Shadows. Now that was familiar to me too. Man this was too much information all at once. I clutched my head as the headache began to form, making Arch stop mid-sentence. I'm pretty sure everyone was looking concerned which sort of make me relax a little bit.

"You okay Micro-Ice?"

I felt D'joks hand on my shoulder and looked up to him, putting on a slightly pained smile. "I'm fine D'jok, just a headache that's all," he squeezed my shoulder probably reassurance for us both. I looked back to our coach and nodded for him to continue, which he did. It wasn't going to be a long practice, probably because of me, but I just wanted to play already. Something was making jump with excitement. I've never wanted to play football so much in my life until now. I felt it course through my veins, something else was also ready, but I was completely clueless on what this other feeling was.

Normal POV

"Alright so that's the plan," Arch said confidently. The Snowkids including Micro-Ice all nodded in response. He was worried about Micro-Ice's condition though, so he was going to make sure to call Sonny when they were all in training. "Get into the training area and we'll begin,"

The team showed Micro-Ice where to stand, he looked excited that was for sure, it made the team relax a little, at least he might remember the feeling of having a match with them. They just hoped he could play in the finals. Every one of them remembered the last time Micro-Ice left, the team was slowly falling apart and took a while for them to get back up to their full potential.

The holographic cube surrounded them and Micro-Ice looked round in awe. "This is so cool," he mumbled. The holographic opponent soon materialised and it was the Shadows. Micro-Ice knew this team and the feeling of hatred as well, so defiantly a team he didn't like and he was sure to find out why at some point. They all got into their positions and the ball was let loose. Rocket got the first touch on the ball that sent it Tia next. Blue energy flowed around her as Micro-Ice followed in her shadow hoping to be some back up. 'Isn't that what I used earlier?' Micro-Ice thought. The ball was soon kicked to D'jok who dribbled it down the pitch. Micro-Ice came parallel to him. This felt normal, an instinct to be in this position. A Shadow member appeared in front of D'jok, black smoke surrounding the player which made D'jok have no choice but to send it way too high into the air as he tried to pass to Micro-Ice. How was never he going to reach that. 'Think Micro-Ice think. The black smoke, I used that before, maybe I can use that again? But how? Get the ball, just need to get the ball,' The Smog, surrounded Micro-Ice and soon he was no longer on the ground but in the air right next to the ball. He couldn't help but laugh in amazement as he took a shot which landed in the top left hand corner of the goal. He fell to the ground and lifted his hands up in the air in triumph.

"That was so cool! D'jok did you see that!?" he turned to his best friend who looked worried but smiled.

"Yeah Micro-Ice. That was pretty awesome. How did you know to use that?"

"Well…I don't know I just thought really hard that I wanted to get the ball that's all. Why? Is their something wrong?"

The rest of the team walked up to them both. "Nothing's wrong Micro-Ice," Rocket said looking impressed. "Well done, that was a great goal. Ready to go again?"

"You bet!"

They all got back into their positions and the training match got started once again. This time the Shadows had the ball and it was travelling down the wrong side of the pitch. Thran quickly got to the striker and tackled them swiftly before passing it the Tia who eventually past it to Micro-Ice. He stopped the ball with his chest and began to get close to dribbling it past a defender. He knew he couldn't score like this, passing it to D'jok was the only option, but first he had to get past the striker. He thought about passing them again and the Breath activated, he got close enough and twirled on the spot, around the striker before passing it to D'jok who scored by showing off his skills. Micro-Ice was always annoyed at that but he was used to it really.

"Well at least he's still got The Breath Arch," Clamp said reassuringly.

"That is true, but I'm still worried at what the other Fluxs'will do to him if he continues to use them like this, especially in games, think about what the audience may think," Arch replied.

"I know what you mean Arch but, I've been looking over Micro-Ices' vitals, they are a little above average, but nothing like when we first saw him at the first match, it's like he's adapted to them,"

"And by the way you just spoke that hasn't happened before,"

"Not to my knowledge no, which is making me worry even more, if he adapts to the Fluxs', Sonny might not be able to remove them, but at the same time, they might not hurt him in the end either if he does adapt enough,"

Pirate Ship

The message from Arch really didn't help the situation. He now had two problems to deal with. Sonny paced in front of a still unconscious Johnny. He still had no history on this man and that was worrying the Pirate leader. Normally Sonny could find anything with enough time but this. But this man, he didn't exist, not even face recognition would identify him. This man knew how to control the Dark Galactik team members and to add Fluxs' to the players. He needed to find out what he knew, for the teams sake, for Micro-Ices' sake. He looked to the killer in front of him, hands in bandages due to the electric shock, he's disappointed he hadn't told Corso to up the voltage more. After about half an hour, the criminal began to stir. Once he had got over the fact he was in cuffs and under the bright light he sighed.

"I tell ya, I wasn't expecting an electrified vent that's for sure…but you were always full of ideas weren't you?" Johnny said and looked up to Sonny smiling making the pirate almost growl and wanting to punch that smile off his face permanently. "So by guessing to your lack of response you still have no idea who I am then," he chuckled. "Obviously you're not as smart as I remember,"

"So we've met before?" Sonny replied, almost spitting every word that came out of his mouth.

SnowKids Training Area

"Alright team, that's enough for now, have a few hours rest and we'll start up again. Micro-Ice how are you feeling?" Arch said over the communicator.

"Yeah…fine…A little worn out, but that was great!" he said looking to his team. They all smiled at him and he smiled back. The black sports kit he was wearing felt odd, like he wasn't supposed to wear it. It felt horrible to wear, but it wasn't any different from other sports kit. This one just, wasn't right. This was his team. Ahito, Thran, Mei, Tia, Rocket and D'jok. Micro-Ice blinked. He knew their names? They were so clear in his head. The names of his team mates, his friends. Suddenly, Micro-Ice clutched his head and fell to his knees, groaning in pain. The team raced around all asking if he was alright. The pain just got worse the more he tried to reply. He remembers their worried faces before the darkness took him.

Johnny just laughed at Sonny's question. "Met before? Oh we've met plenty of times…I'son,"

OH THE CLIFF HANGERS I GIVE YOU GUYS