From what Luz had understood, there was no universal regulation for rugby: given that it was a rather new sport (apparently it had been around for less than thirty years), each school or team in general created its own rules, using exclusively the fact that you had to catch the ball with your hands and carry it to the other side of the pitch to score as a common point. There were so many differences between one team and another that some even used an oval ball instead of a round one. Fortunately, these differences diminished with distance, and consequently teams in the same region had more or less the same rules, allowing them to compete without penalizing anyone. Even so, however, they had to reach an agreement with the Glandus team to establish some basic rules, first of all how long the match would last; in the end, they opted for three times divided by two intervals, of about forty minutes each.

The first time went rather well: thanks to the tactics they had studied during training, Luz and her friends managed to take the lead. The Glandus students were certainly not pushovers, but their team was still better. After all, Glandus didn't have Hunter who practically blocked nine out of ten people, and they didn't have Willow who could shoot the ball from midfield almost to the opponent's goal. Amity and Luz also had the chance to assert themselves, especially the former since being the captain she had to perform several roles almost simultaneously. At the end of the first half, the score was a very respectable 18-5.

"Yay! We're destroying them!" Boscha exclaimed as soon as the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first time and they went to enjoy ten minutes of intermission.

"For once we agree! If we continue like this we will win for sure!" Luz said triumphantly as she sat on the ground and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"This is the easiest game we've ever played!" Edric said satisfied, then patted Hunter on the back. "Hun... ehm, Caleb, you're practically a living wall! I'd be surprised if more than two people managed to get through your defense at once!"

Hunter smiled back. It wasn't the first time they complimented him, but it was the very first time he felt he really deserved them: after all, he hadn't been sure he was good at playing until he found himself facing a real match. It was really nice to share certain moments and even with someone else. Now he was starting to understand why the kids his uncle took to his amusement park were always so… damn, he was making negative thoughts again. He shouldn't have been: that was a beautiful day!

Just then footsteps were heard and Eda and Lilith appeared carrying canteens full of water. "Here, we brought you something to refresh you" they said, almost throwing them at the kids.

"Oh, thank you so much! I'm dying of thirst!" Luz exclaimed as she took a long sip, and then even let some of it fall on her face and hair. Seeing that scene Amity felt her cheeks heat up and her insides seem to dance, and she immediately looked away, even though for some reason the image of the puppet covered in sweat and water remained imprinted in her eyes for a long, long time.

Too bad that while she was busy looking in every direction but at Luz, she noticed something that immediately made her frown. "Guys, the principal of Glandus is coming here"

The expressions of Boscha, Skara, Amelia, Cat, Edric and Emira immediately lost their cheerfulness. Luz found that behavior strange and looked in the direction where Amity was looking, and saw a short, fat guy wearing a smart red and yellow tunic and a college hat and two big glasses that gave him a cultured expression... or at least , that was probably the intent, as it just seemed ridiculous to Luz. His face was elongated and had a wide mouth like that of a lizard, and his skin also had a slightly greenish color, so much so that the puppet would not have been surprised to suddenly see a tail appear, confirming to her that that guy was indeed a lizard. "Is that the principal of Glandus?"

"Yes, Mr. Piniet. The most snooty idiot in the region, and in fact look at what a nice school he runs" Skara grumbled. "Get ready, as usual he's coming here to intimidate us"

"Why would he do something like that?" Hunter asked.

"To win, of course. You don't expect that slimy fellow not to exploit every means at his disposal?" Boscha for the first time seemed truly disgusted by someone. She probably considered the scare tactics an insult to the noble sport of rugby. "He does this every time we play against his school, especially when he notices that there are new recruits, as they are easier to put under pressure"

"Isn't that cheating?" Willow rightly asked.

Amity sighed. "Unfortunately it's not cheating, it's just unethical, but obviously he doesn't care about ethics. You stay calm and don't listen to him: if we were to react we would be in the wrong. If you really can't contain yourself, limit yourself to words. Hurt the principal of the opposing school would be an excellent excuse to put us in a bad light and have some of us disqualified"

Eda wrinkled her nose. "Tsk. If that guy tries to say anything inappropriate, I'll turn him into a lizard. He's already very similar to it, it won't make much difference to him"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that falls into the category of 'hurting the principal of the opposing school', so no" Amity told her.

Eda was about to reply, but Lilith put a hand on her shoulder: "Unfortunately Amity is right. Any reaction from us, be it physical or magical, will still make the kids look bad. If you really want to turn him into a lizard, wait until he be kept far enough away so that no one can accuse them of anything"

Eda let out a huff of anger, but sadly she knew her sister was right. From her point of view there was nothing wrong in teaching a lesson to someone who had clearly come with the aim of causing discord, but unfortunately humans often didn't think the same way.

The principal of Glandus, who apparently was called Piniet, arrived before them rubbing his hands together. Luz thought he looked like a really slimy guy. "Kids, I came to compliment you!" he began, even though it was clear that it wasn't true. "You're playing a better game than usual. Tell me, what's your secret?"

"Just a lot of effort and team spirit, sir" Amity replied rolling her eyes. "We've been telling them this for at least three years..."

"Oh, come on, be serious. There's no harm in revealing your tricks at this point, since the game is already on, I certainly can't train my students in ten minutes. What is it? Some special diet Maybe? Or maybe... something more?" Piniet asked.

"Are you accusing us of taking substances, by any chance?" Boscha blurted out angrily. Being a sports fanatic, she knew that there were some herbs and potions that, if taken, helped improve the physique as they inhibited muscle restrictions; they were not technically banned in sporting competitions, but were still considered unfair.

Piniet clicked his tongue. "Well, you can't deny that my doubt is legitimate. I mean, how many other guys do you know with such athletic abilities?" he asked, looking one by one at Hunter, Willow, Gus and Matt, who couldn't reply to these accusations since they weren't actually normal kids. Hunter had after all received the training of an elite soldier and Willow, Gus and Matt possessed typical arthropod abilities since they were such.

Seeing her friends in difficulty, Luz stood up: "Excuse me, sir, do you think I'm good at playing?"

Piniet nodded. "Of course, yes. Not the best, but you're certainly skilled"

"Good. Now, do you see that I'm a puppet?" Luz asked again.

Piniet narrowed his eyes slightly in surprise, but he recovered quickly. "Yes, I noticed it from the start. And what does this have to do with anything?"

"Oh, nothing... I was just wondering, from your point of view, is it possible for a puppet to take illicit substances to improve her wooden physique?" Luz said with a mocking smile.

The honest answer was yes: Luz could eat and drink and absorb nutrients just like a real person, and she could feel hungry and thirsty, and she needed to breathe like everyone else; furthermore, if she ate too much sugar she would get a stomach ache, a sign that some reaction must be taking place in her body. It was therefore logical to think that even taking some illicit substance would have an effect on her. But obviously Piniet couldn't have known this, and from his point of view it was illogical to even believe that a puppet could eat, so he found himself taken aback. "Well, no... but that doesn't mean anything! The others aren't puppets..."

"Mr. Piniet, I would like to point out to you that a little while ago you said that I am good at playing, and you yourself admitted that it cannot be due to some substance, so I achieved my skill only thanks to commitment and dedication" Luz said. "In light of this, what exactly would have stopped my friends from achieving the same results with the same means as me? If I can do it, they can do it too. Or maybe you want to go back on your own word and say that I am not good at playing?"

Piniet opened his mouth, but then he closed it embarrassed. Luz knew she had won and didn't hide a satisfied smile. All her friends giggled and even Eda and Lilith didn't hide their amusement. "This is my kid!" Eda exclaimed rubbing a hand through her hair. "That's how you have to act! In your face, dude!"

A vein began to throb on Piniet's forehead; he was clearly furious, but he had no way to argue back. Taking advantage of his silence Amity said to him: "If you have resolved your doubts, please leave. The match will start again soon and we want to concentrate, not be distracted by those who don't know how to lose"

Her words made her classmates laugh even more, and Luz even exclaimed: "Yes! Tell him, Amity!". Hearing the puppet cheer for her, Amity strangely felt her cheeks heat up again and her heartbeat quicken.

But perhaps she would have been better off keeping quiet, as an evil smile formed on Piniet's face. "Oh, Amity Blight... sorry, I didn't recognize you. You've grown up since last year. Are you still the captain? Of course, the Blights are always on top, right? I actually thought I saw your mother in the stands... but given that your father wasn't present I thought she was another person, you know, I remembered them as they were when they were young, always so close..."

Amity froze in place and Edric and Emira took on furious expressions. Boscha, Skara, Cat, and Amelia also jumped up. Lilith, for her part, seemed ready to commit murder. "Oh, sorry, I forgot that the family isn't so close anymore" Piniet said, pretending to be sorry, but in such a false tone that it was obvious that he was actually enjoying the situation. "Forgive me, when you get to my age you tend to remember too much the old days, when certain... circumstances that create rifts within family had not yet been... born"

Luz saw Amity step back slightly and instinctively grabbed her shoulders; she didn't know what was happening, but she was clearly in pain. From her breathing she looked like she was about to hyperventilate, and her hands were clearly shaking. Edric and Emira stood in front of her, and they were both livid. "You're crossing the line, humanoid lizard" Emira growled. "If you say one more word..."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to upset you" Piniet said without losing his smirk. "It's my fault... I let my tongue run wild without realizing it. Unfortunately, it's easy for me to remember how difficult it is for a little girl to grow up with a father who hates her so much that he never even spoke to her... assuming that the person in question is really the father, of course..."

Amity began to shake more violently, and Luz had to clench her palms together to keep her from falling. She couldn't remember ever seeing her so scared. She felt anger rising inside her: how could that person be so cruel, so much that he casually say words that hurt someone else so much? She decided to punch him; rules can be damned, that man deserved a beating. And apparently her friends all thought the same way: Edric and Emira were already raising their fists, Boscha, Cat, Amelia and Skara had the expressions of two people who would have loved to use that man as a target to practice shooting balls, Matt for once didn't show indifference and seemed to be considering whether to use his strengths to strangle Piniet, Gus was already taking the ball to throw it straight into the man's face, Willow seemed to be one step away from committing a massacre and even Hunter, who of all of them was the one with the greatest self-control, looked like he was considering which part of the body to detach from that asshole first. But before either of them could do anything a hand grabbed Piniet's shoulder and tightened it like a vice; when the man turned he found himself faced with Lilith's murderous gaze. "Go away" she hissed at him. "Or I will no longer be in control of my actions"

Piniet clearly shuddered under those furious eyes, and for a moment he seriously thought that it would be better to just bite the bullet and leave, but despite this he did not lose his bravado. "My lady, calm down, there is no reason to use so much violence" he said trying to remove her hand from his shoulder, failing miserably as Lilith's fingers proved stronger than an eagle's talons. "I told you, I'm sorry for having caused so much inconvenience. It wasn't my intention to remind this girl that there are so many people who believe that she is a bastard daughter!"

He said those last words with a smirk, but it vanished immediately when Lilith's eyes widened even more and her eyebrows arched, and Piniet for a moment thought he saw the flames of hell dancing in her pupils. Lilith's fingers moved, and even though they didn't touch, they made plier-like snaps, and what looked like red lightning appeared between them. Everyone expected to see Piniet reduced to a pile of ash at any moment, or at least transformed into a lizard, but then the unexpected happened: suddenly a very strong wind hit the playing field, so powerful that everyone almost didn't lose their balance as soon as the blast hit them; and an instant later, a branch that had broken off from a nearby tree and been dragged there by the wind landed violently on Piniet's sternum, and he fell backwards and began to gasp, feeling at least three or four of his ribs crack. Everyone, whether they were the players or the spectators, looked around in confusion not understanding what had happened, and that's how they noticed the man on the ground, and the Glandus students immediately came to help him. "Principal! Come, we'll take you to a doctor right away!" they exclaimed, dragging him away.

Lilith looked at Eda in confusion. "Um… was that you that did it?"

Eda shook her head. "As much as I didn't dislike the show, I have nothing to do with it this time. I don't know what..."

"It was me"

Eda looked down and saw that King was returning to his magic bag. "Oh... were you out?" she asked in surprise.

"That heretic was daring to mistreat the worshipers of a Titan. He deserved to be punished. I could have hit him directly, but from what I understand that would have created problems for you faithful followers of mine, and then the public would have noticed my presence, so... I snuck away to that tree over there, and I used my sound wave to cause a blast and throw a branch at that idiot" King replied as he hid inside the bag again. Eda smiled mentally: she was happy that the young Titan had had the courage to come out of his refuge to help his friends, and that he had also done it in a way in which no one could accuse them of anything since no one could have tried that that gust of wind had been caused by someone.

Luz held Amity tighter; it seemed to her that she was losing her strength more and more, letting herself be supported by her, as if she were on the verge of fainting. "Amity, are you okay? You're as pale as a corpse"

The others also became worried seeing her like this; Edric and Emira were quick to pass her some water and try to reassure her, but Amity continued to look like she was dying. Lilith approached her and knelt in front of her, and grabbed her by the shoulders looking into her eyes. "Amity, listen to me, you better take a break. You should sit down..."

"MITTENS!" a voice almost screamed, and immediately after that the figure of Odalia Blight jumped down from the stairs and pushed Lilith and Luz away roughly, and then she started touching her daughter in several places as if she was checking on her condition. "I saw that damn principal come here, I should have known he was up to something! Oh, you look so tired! Are you okay?"

Amity looked up and met her mother's. Her worried eyes warmed her heart a little, but soon after she also noticed her slightly arched eyebrows. Looking closely at her mother's expression it almost seemed like she was talking to her, and she heard her voice in her head.

"You're okay, right, Mittens?"

"You can't afford to feel bad now"

"Blight are always at the top. You can't back out of a competition just because of your emotional problems"

"Mom left her work behind to come see you, you don't want to stop now, do you?"

"You're okay, Mittens... right, that you're okay?"

"Of course I'm okay!" Amity exclaimed, though she did so in a terribly thin and squeaky voice. "I'm fine, I just need to... catch my breath!"

Her mother stared at her intently for another second, so much so that it felt like she was looking into her soul; then Odalia smiled and said: "You know what? I'm going to use the fact that that idiot got hurt to delay the resumption of the match a little. It will give you more time to get yourself together"

"No, no, there is no need for that!" Amity replied, smiling back, but in such a forced way that she wouldn't have convinced even a blind person. "I'm fine, I told you! I'm already get myself together! That asshole's words didn't affect me!"

It was a lie and it was clear that it was, but despite this Odalia still patted her forehead and said: "This is my Mittens! That's how we do it, we Blight aren't intimidated by such tricks! Well, I'm going back to the stands then. Keep it up, you're playing a great game! I'll be rooting hard for you, my little adorable perfect Mittens!" and having said this she returned to the stairs without even waiting for her reply.

Amity took a deep breath, and when she looked up she met Luz's eyes. The puppet was looking at her in a rather strange way... perhaps worried? Why? She had said clearly that she was fine... then Lilith, who had gotten up in the meantime, caressed her cheek: "Amity, I think you should seriously..."

"I'm fine!" Amity exclaimed moving away from her. "I just have to concentrate. Let's get back on the field"

But the others continued to look at her strangely. Especially Luz, and for some reason she couldn't stand the puppet's gaze. "Amity, I don't think this is a good idea" Luz tried to say. "Take even just ten minutes of break, time to..."

"I'M FINE! Are you going to return to the field or not!?" Amity blurted out clearly annoyed, making everyone jump. Albeit with extreme reluctance, they followed her back onto the field.

As they watched them go, Eda and Lilith exchanged a mortified look. The older sister clearly felt sorry for her pupil, while the younger sister now understood what Lilith meant when she said that Odalia was a horrible mother, and fully understood the reason for so much anxiety and pressure in Amity's heart.


In the canon of The Owl House we have never seen the principal of Glandus, and all that is known about this school is that it is much worse than Hexside and quite darwinistic, therefore as a character I used Piniet, the lizard demon who appeared in the first season who acts as editor to King, only to exploit him and force him to work and not hesitate to abandon him when he finds something better. Already in the canon he was a really disgusting being, so it wasn't difficult to adapt him for this chapter.