It looked like the end of Razor and Coral's friendship. Each was so angry with the other that Silver couldn't see how they'd ever make up. Razor was enraged that Coral had never taken Aquarius' attempts to eat Wacky seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Aquarius was innocent by suggesting that Razor look for Wacky under all the boys' beds. Coral, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that Razor had no proof that Aquarius had eaten Wacky, that the scales might have been there since Christmas, and that Razor had been prejudiced against her Chao ever since Aquarius had landed on Razor's head in the Magical Menagerie. Personally, Silver was sure that Aquarius had eaten Wacky, and when he tried to point out to Coral that the evidence all pointed that way, she lost her temper with Silver too "Okay, side with Razor, I knew you would. The board, Wacky, everything's my fault. Just leave me alone, Silver, I've got a lot of work to do". Razor meanwhile had take the loss of Wacky so badly that even Mighty and Ray tried to cheer him up "Come on, Razor, you always said he was boring. And he was looking bad for ages. Probably good that he went out quickly. A few bites, probably didn't feel a thing" "Mighty!" Blaze warned him. Razor wasn't laughing "He bit Rough once". Ray nodded "His finest hour. Let the scar on Rough's knuckle be a monument to his memory".
In a last ditch attempt to cheer him up Silver invited Razor to watch the last Sky Chase practice before the match and even said he could have a go on the Psychic Wave once the rest of the team left. This did manage to take Razor's mind off Wacky and he wasn't the only one interested in the Psychic Wave. Longclaw was still supervising the Shinobi practice sessions and asked to see it before they started. She gave her professional opinion "Look at the balance on it! If the Blue Star series has a fault, it's a slight list to the back end. You often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the profile too, a much better build than most designs. Reminds me of the old Temptation board. Pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old board it was too...". She went on for a while until Khan finally said "Uh, Madam Longclaw, is it okay if Silver got it back, we need to start practice?" "Oh… right, here you are, Silver". She moved over to the stands with Razor. Khan spoke to the team "Okay, here's what I know. Amy Rose will be Seeker for Gossamer and she's pretty good. I thought she wouldn't make it because of some injuries". He scowled at the fact Amy made a full recovery "However, she rides an old Pink Rose board. It's good but against the Psychic Wave we shouldn't be too worried". The team began practice and Silver finally mounted his Psychic Wave. It was better than he'd ever dreamed. The Psychic Wave turned with the lightest touch; it seemed to obey his thoughts rather than his stance; it sped across the field at such speed that the stadium turned into a green-and-grey blur.
Silver turned it so sharply that Cocoa screamed, then he went into a perfectly controlled dive, brushing the grassy field with one of his hands before rising thirty, forty, fifty feet into the air again. He then raced one of the thunderballs across the stadium. He outstripped it in seconds and then Khan released the Ga. Silver caught it in ten seconds earning him cheers from the rest of the team. He would keep releasing it, giving it a minute's head start and then quickly catch it again. It was the best practice ever; the team, inspired by the presence of the Psychic Wave in their midst, performed their best moves faultlessly, and by the time they hit the ground again, Khan didn't have a single criticism to make "Can't see what'll stop us tomorrow… Unless… Silve, have you sorted out your Prelate problem". Silver thought of his feeble Patronus "Yeah" he said sounding unsure. Khan noticed his tone but Mighty quickly backed him up though "Prelates won't show up, Khan. Locke would go ballistic" "Hope so. Alright, great job everyone. I suggest you all take an early night. Want you all ready tomorrow". Silver stayed behind and let Razor have a go at the Psychic Wave. Longclaw had fallen asleep in the stands. Razor was ecstatic as he took the board and shot up at incredible speed. Night had fallen by the time Longclaw had woken up which was followed by her telling them off for not waking her. The two headed back up to the castle praising the Psychic Wave as they went then halfway up Silver saw something that made him stop dead "What is it?" Razor asked. Silver saw a shape staring at them from under a tree "Lumos". The light illuminated but the shape was gone but what they did see was Aquarius under the tree "Get out of here!" Razor yelled. Aquarius ran away "I can't believe she's still letting it out". Silver didn't say anything, he was sure that other shape looked like the Grim.
Silver went down to breakfast the next morning with his board. Razor, Marcos, Larry and Antione all went down with him seeming to think that the Psychic Wave deserved a guard of honour. As he entered the great hall a lot of heads turned and there was an outburst of excited muttering. Silver felt a great deal of satisfaction from the sight of the thunderstruck Raiju team "This is brilliant" Razor said after seeing Rutan. Khan told Silver to put the Wave at the centre of the table the team were eating at. Quickly people from Gossamer, Yagyu and Raiju came over to have a look at the board. Sonic congratulated Silver on acquiring such a great replacement. Goldy the Tenrec asked if she could hold it "Now, now, Goldy, no sabotage" Hamlin said. He leaned close to SIlevr and whispered "We've got a bet going. Ten gold rings on the next match". Goldy finally put the board down, thanked Silver and left. Ray watched her suspiciously and then picked up the board himself and made sure she didn't do anything to it. Hamlin then whispered "Silver, make sure you win. I haven't got ten gold rings. Coming Goldy!" he ran over to join her.
Quarter to eleven the team set off to the locker rooms. The weather outside was the complete opposite from the match against Yagyu. It was a clear, warm day with a light breeze. Silver kept his gloves and bracelets over his Sky Chase outfit, he hoped he wouldn't need them. They walked out onto the field, the Yagyu team were opposite them. Amy Rose was the only girl on the team and despite how nervous he was Silver couldn't help notice she was very pretty. As the teams faced one another Amy smiled at Silver which made his stomach lurch for reasons that had nothing to do with nerves. Khan shook hands with the Gossamer captain, Max Monkey. Longclaw then blew her whistle and the teams took off. Silver kicked off into the air and the Psychic Wave zoomed higher and faster than any other board. He soared around the stadium and began squinting around for the Ga. He listened all the while to the commentary, which was being provided by Mighty and Ray's friend Manic "They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Psychic Wave that Silver is flying for Shinobi. According to Which Gear, the Psychic Wave's going to be the board of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship" "Manic, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted by Echo's voice. Manic nodded "Right you are, Professor, just giving a bit of background information. The Psychic Wave, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and-" "Manic!" "Okay, okay, Shinobi in possession, Lara-Su of Shinobi, heading for goal...". Silver streaked past Lara-Su in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of red and noticing that Amy was tailing him closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier, she kept cutting across him, forcing him to change direction. "Show her your acceleration, Silver!" Mighty yelled as he whooshed past in pursuit of a Thunderball that was aiming for Cocoa.
Silver urged the Psychic Wave forward as they rounded the Gossamer goal posts and Amy fell behind. Just as Lara-Su succeeded in scoring the first goal of the match, and the Shinobi end of the field went wild, he saw it, the Ga was close to the ground, flitting near one of the barriers. Silver dived, Cho saw what he was doing and sped after him. Silver was speeding up, excitement flooding him; dives were his speciality, he was ten feet away. Then a Thunderball, hit by one of the Gossamer Beaters, came pelting out of nowhere. Silver veered off course, avoiding it by an inch, and in those few, crucial seconds, the Ga had vanished. There was a great "Ooooooh" of disappointment from the Shinobi supporters, but much applause for their Beater from the Gossamer end. Ray vented his feelings by hitting the second Thunderball directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it. Manic continued his commentary "Shinobi leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Psychic Wave go! Silver's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn. The Pink Rose is just no match for it, the Psychic Wave's precision, balance is really noticeable in these long-" "MANIC! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE PSYCHIC WAVES? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!" Echo yelled. The whole audience was laughing at Manic's antics. Gossamer was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Shinobi only fifty points ahead, if Amy got the Ga before him, Gossamer would win. Silver dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Gossamer Chaser, scanning the field frantically - a red light, a flutter of tiny wings. The Ga was circling the Shinobi goal post. Silver accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck ahead of him but just then, Amy appeared out of thin air, blocking him. "SILVER, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Khan roared as Silver swerved to avoid a collision "KNOCK HER OFF HER BOARD IF YOU HAVE TO!".
Silver turned and caught sight of Amy; she was grinning. The Ga had vanished again. Silver turned his Psychic Wave upward and was soon twenty feet above the game. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amy following him. She'd decided to mark him rather than search for the Ga herself. All right, then, if she wanted to tail him, she'd have to take the consequences. He dived again, and Amy, thinking he'd seen the Ga, tried to follow. Silver pulled out of the dive very sharply; she hurtled downward; he rose fast as a bullet once more, and then saw it, for the third time. The Ga was glittering way above the field at the Gossamer end. He accelerated and blow him Amy did as well. He was winning, gaining on the Ga with every second then "AH!" screamed Amy pointing. Distracted, Silver looked down, four Prelates were standing at the side of the pitch. Without thinking Silver raised his hand "Expecto Patronum!". Something massive and cyan leaped out of his hands but Silver didn't stop to watch. He kept going for the Ga and managed to clasp his hand around it. Longclaw whistled "Shinobi Wins!". Silver stopped and suddenly he saw six shapes speeding towards him. The rest of the team hugged him in mid-air "That's my boy!" Khan yelled. Lara, Cocoa and Perci all kissed Silver and Mighty had such a tight grip on him he felt he might take his head off. The roars from the Shinobi stands could easily be heard even from their height. They descended onto the pitch and the rest of the Shinobi ran onto the pitch with Razor in the lead. Before Silver knew it he was engulfed by a cheering crowd "YES! YES!". Hamlin patted him on the back "Well done, Silver. Ten Gold rings to me. I must find Goldy". Eventually he heard a familiar voice "That was an impressive Patronus". It was Knuckles "The Prelates didn't affect me at all. I didn't feel anything" "That's… because they weren't Prelates" Knuckles looked incredibly amused. Knuckles led him to the edge of the field "You gave Mr Rutan quite the fright". On the grass lying in a heap was Rutan, Rough, Tumble and Kono all covered is silver paint. Standing over them was a furious Echo "An unworthy trick! A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Shinobi Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Raiju! I shall be speaking to Professor Locke about this, make no mistake!". If anything could seal Shinobi's victory it was this.
With the party going on all day and night you'd be forgiven for thinking Shinobi had already won the cup. Mighty and Ray had disappeared for an hour and returned with handfuls of drinks and food "How did you do that?" Perci asked. "Little help from Guardian, Hood, King and Terios" Ray whispered to Silver. The only person not celebrating was Coral who was trying to catch up on her studies in the corner of the room. Silver broke off from the crowd and approached her "Did you see the match" "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it. You did fantastic. But I don't have time to celebrate. I have to read this by Monday" "Come on. Just have some food". Silver hoped with how good a mood Razor was in that this might be the perfect chance for them to bury the hatchet. Coral glanced up at Razor "He doesn't want me to join in". Silver would have argued but Razor decided to choose this moment to say ""If Wacky hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them". Before Silver could say anything Coral picked up her book and run to the stairs for the girl's dormitory. Silver didn't care what's happened, that was too far "Can't you cut her a break?" "No. She hasn't even apologised. But she'll never admit she's wrong. She's still acting like Wacky has gone on holiday or something".
The party finally ended when Echo came in at one in the morning to insist they go to bed. Silver had to admit he was exhausted. He slept peacefully having a strange dream of chasing a strange creature through the forest when "AAARRGGHH! NOOO!". Silver jolted awake, disoriented by the darkness he tried to find his gloves "What's going on!?" Larry yelled. Marcos turned on his lamp and they saw Razor's sitting on his bed, face filled with terror. The hangings around his bed were torn and cut "Elias… Elias Acorn! With a knife!" "What?" "He was here". Marcos gave a sigh of annoyance "You were dreaming, Razor" "Look at the curtains. I'm telling you he was here". Razor leaped out of his bed and ran out of the room "Razor!" Silver chased after him. Razor looked around the deserted common room "He must have gotten away". More people were coming down the stairs "What's going on?" "Who shouted?" "Are restarting the party" Mighty asked brightly. Hamlin then appeared "Everyone back upstairs!" "Hamlin, it was Elias Acorn. He was here with a knife!". Everyone suddenly froze, even Hamlin looked startled bad said "No-Nonsense. You had too much to eat, Razor" "Honestly!". Everyone turned, Echo was back looking very angry "I am delighted that Shinobi won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Hamlin, I expected better of you!" "I didn't authorize this, Professor. My brother just had a nightmare" "IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!". Everyone jumped at Razor's panic "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND ELIAS ACORN WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE". Echo stared at him as if he were mad "Don't be ridiculous, Razor. How could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?" "Ask him!" Razor said pointing at the back of King Arthur's painting. Echo looked suspiciously at him before opening the Common Room door and went outside. The whole Common Room listened "Arthur, did you just let a chipmunk enter Shinobi Tower?" "Certainly, good lady". There was a stunned silence from inside and outside the Common Room "You-You did? But the password" "He had them. Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!". Echo returned through the portrait hole chalk white "Which person? Which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?". After a few moment of silence the trembling hand of Antione extended above the heads of the crowd.