This is a fanfic about Dodgeball Academia. The main character will be named Abby. Let's begin.
It was always the same thing from my parents. They kept on telling me "You'll be the best referee in existence!" "Don't fight your own destiny, Abby. You were born to referee!" "I need you to be a referee, hon. It's in your blood!" I rejected their statements, because I knew I was destined for greater things than being a corrupt referee that always favored the home team as opposed to the opposing side.
You may be wondering what I'm talking about, so I'll explain a bit. The name was Abby. Abby Mcnally. And in this world, everything in society revolved around DODGEBALL. Basically, all of society revolved around settling problems with the sport that your world would have only in school.
Want to settle a debate of which is better? Dodgeball. Want to get a haggle at a market because you don't have enough money? Beat the vendor in a game of dodgeball. How to settle a fight in the street, whether it be adult or kid? Dodgeball. Literally the only things that dodgeball didn't affect were food and electricity. Everything else was settled with and revolved around the sport of hitting people in the face with spheres of rubber.
Regardless, I was not so lucky. My parents were part of a long line of referees, which were actually the law of Dodgeball. And much like the law of your world, it was corrupt halfway and peaceful for the other half. And my parents, though on the side of good, were allied with a lot of corrupt ones. So, I refused. But they didn't like that, so they enrolled me in Referee college, which I rejected. Though I was sent there, I managed to apply for Dodgeball Acedemia behind their backs. And today, I managed to get my acceptance letter, saying I'd been accepted as, get this, the last student they accepted. It was SO lucky!
I immediately hopped on the first bus I could after escaping referee college and arrived at Dodgeball Acedemia on the day of the ceremony, me going to the front entrance and seeing that the parking lot was empty. I looked at the letter I'd received and gawked. I was late for the ceremony by at least 20 minutes!
"Aw, crap! I gotta get in there, quick!" I shouted as I ran as fast as I could through the oddly opened gates and went all the way to the center plaza, where the place was filled with different kids that were on a dodgeball court. I managed to arrive just in time to hear an old teacher in a wheelchair speaking about things.
"And thus, the dodgeball that was sent from the heroic dodgeball champion of old was so powerful, it not only ended the war, but upon its connection to the ground, it never stopped emitting power, nor did it ever stop spinning! With this, the power of the dodgeball of legend has powered our school for ages and has awoken the hidden power of all who have touched it," he said, me recognizing him as Mr Fortuoso, who was known as one of the strongest of teachers when he was in his prime. But as of now, he was in a wheelchair after getting a bad attack to his backside from a knockout round 10 years ago... yes, I did research.
"Better get closer..." I smiled as a kid then touched the ball and I saw that he got stronger. I could tell as much from some visible aura that covered him.
"Sweet! Look out world, here I come!" he smiled before then going back to the court.
"Next up, who's next up?" asked a teacher, me seeing the one that I'd moved next to in the crowd looked excited.
"Oh boy, this is my chance!" he smiled.
"How about the kid who just got here? What's your name, youngster?" asked the woman teacher, me knowing she was Professor Kat, teacher of agility.
"U-Um... Abby! Abby Mcnally," I smiled at him.
"Oh yeah! You're late, very much so. Come up and touch the ball," Professor Ma-Koko said, him being a teacher that was also part monkey. Our world had a bit more variety to our humans, as some were mixed with random items like balloons and grapes, and others were mixed with animals such as vampire bats and monkeys. And Ma-Koko was one such monkey man. And the toughest of all the monkeys.
I then went up to the dodgeball in the wall and touched it... and when I did? I gawked at how I felt a ton of power welling up within me! And then, I got a vision... a vision of my near-future! I saw I was battling in a tournament of sorts, with me going up against a tough team with a team of my own, but they were just silhouettes. And I managed to work together with them to slam the ball into the teams opposing us and, after a bit, I gawked at how I got the power to grab a ball and send it out in a super rare attack. A Ball-Doken, which I learned from research was one of the rarest of all Balltimate moves! And only used by those of the bloodline of the Dodgeball legend of old. The very same that made the magical dodgeball all those years ago!
"Ohoho! Yes! I'm gonna be the best! Whoo!" I smiled widely after I was restored to reality.
"That's definitely the longest time we've had for an awakening in a while. Now, is there anyone else?" Professor Kat asked, me looking out at the crowd and seeing the one kid, me seeing he looked upset.
"What about the kid I was standing next to? The one in the white shirt?" I asked, the trio looking at him and gawking.
"Oh crap! We forgot completely about you, Nino! We didn't mean to leave you for last," Kat said, which the kid then growled and folded his arms in an upset manner, me looking at him as I went back to the group and placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, it just means that they saved the best for last," I smiled in his ear, which Nino then gasped and smiled at.
"Y-Yeah! YEAH! I am the best!" Nino smiled after and went to the dodgeball of magic and was instructed to touch the dodgeball. But for him? I was surprised. He seemed to look confused as no aura seemed to envelop him. "Huh? W-What's going on? I don't feel any different... Again!" he said as he touched it again, this time with both hands. And again, nothing happened at all. I was speechless. He was a very, VERY unique case! I'd studied on this before and it was something that was rare, like 1 in a million rare. Where someone had no potential to unlock because they had nothing to awaken. But so long as they trained and kept their dream alive, they could get stronger than even a mid-tier super dodgeballer.
"This is odd... this hasn't happened before. Don't worry, Nino. You can still compete, even without powers," Ma-Koko said, which Niko sniffed after.
"W-Why... why won't it work?" he asked as he then got back to the crowd next to me, which I then explained to him the gist of what happened. And when I did, he looked surprised. But also, a bit annoyed. "Mid-tier? Why not the best?" he frowned. And then Fortuoso spoke.
"Power isn't everything. Speed and skill are also important. You can throw a ball as fast or as strong as possible, but dodgeball isn't just about those things. You need teamwork, the ability to dodge the ball, as the name implies, and the skill to catch balls, no matter how tough they are," he said, which Nino then nodded at.
"So long as you train and keep the dream alive, and you improve on all fronts, you could be as good as the legendary dodgeball player that created that super ball himself. And all without superpowers," I whispered in his ear, Nino smirking and getting his fists up.
"YEAH! I can do it!" he smirked.
"First, before anything else, let's have a practice match. As for the match, we'll have Nino and Balloony on one team. And the other will be Boris and Abby," Fortuoso said, me then seeing that my partner... was not only much taller than the rest of us, but he was a grape man. And he looked ticked.
"Why do I have to play with the scrubs?" he asked, me frowning at him.
"Because it's fun to play. Now let me show my own skills. I've been practicing since I was 5!" I smiled, which Niko smirked at.
"Really? I've been in this since I was 4!" Nino smirked.
"Then this will be interesting. Let's have a good game, Nino!" I smirked.
"Uh... you have to also defeat my partner, but okay," Nino smirked as Balloony actually came out first, him smiling at me.
"Don't be afraid to go all out against me, newbie. I d-do NOT want to go against Boris," Balloony said, me looking at the tall guy and nodding.
"Then I'll do just that. Let's go," I smirked as the whistle was blown by Ha-Koko and, afterwards, I rushed forward and grabbed two of the three balls and saw that Balloony got the last of the three. He then sent a ball at me, which I caught with just my left hand and, afterwards, I proceeded to show my skill by throwing all three of the balls one by one at Balloony's chest and head, me smirking at how, after all three connected, Balloony got knocked out of the play area, therefore making him out of the play.
"Huh. Impressive moves for a new kid. Maybe this will be fun to watch," Boris smiled as Niko then came out next and he proceeded to take the three balls on his side and started to throw them at me as hard as he could, me dodging the first and seeing that his speed of throwing balls was about 19 miles an hour. So, using this, I caught the second and third balls and then, after doing so, I sent them back to sender, him managing to catch the first one, but getting whacked in the head by the second and third one. And after this? He then growled and proceeded to get stronger and sent the balls at me at roughly 30 miles an hour, me gawking as I managed to get hit in the arm by one of them and it stung like hell! I then grabbed the balls and threw two more at him, which made Niko fall out of the court and made me the winner.
"Heh. I didn't even get to play," Boris smiled.
"We could change that right now if you want. How about a match between you and me?" I asked, Boris frowning after.
"How about no?" he frowned, which made me gawk.
"Whaaaaat?! I've never been denied a game of dodgeball by ANYONE!" I admitted as Fortuoso spoke.
"That's quite alright, the demonstration is done regardless. Everyone, you may now go about your own devices... but as for you, miss Abby. How about you come meet with us in the lobby of the school? And Balloony, you show her around campus in the process?" he asked, me nodding, even though I was denied another match. And Nino looked at me in an upset manner.
"I still can't believe that I lost. That's the first time I ever lost before... I don't like this feeling," Nino frowned in annoyance.
"It stings the first couple of times, but it just makes your next victory all the sweeter. Like a chocolate cheescake after a long day of hard work," I smiled at him.
"What I'm stunned by is that you had the guts to challenge Boris to a dodgeball match! You need to be careful of him, kid. He's the strongest at the school and anyone he gets in a match with ends up in the infirmary with broken bones!" Balloony said with concern.
"Yeesh... good thing he didn't come in during that match. I need to get stronger... can I come with you to meet with the teachers? I want to know if they have any advice," Nino asked, me nodding at him.
"Yes, you can. And I want to get in on the tournament that was advertised to be happening soon after the school opened up. I want to get to the top!" I smiled.
"Hah! Then let's stick together! I can be part of the team, too!" Nino smirked.
"I'll be in charge of healing you guys up, at least until the infirmary opens up again. I only have so much healing ability on standby, after all," Balloony said after. "But I'm not going to get involved with the fights... I'm not very good at it." And when he said this, his head actually deflated, proving he was a balloon hybrid.
"Aw, chin up, Balloony! If you've got healing powers, that's an amazing help in case we get too badly hurt in a dodgeball match. Any team would be lucky to have a healer on board," I smirked at him.
"R-Really? You mean it?" he asked.
"Well, yeah! Dodgeball is all about strategy. And if a team has a diverse setup and they work well together, then they can get through even the toughest matches! Healers are one of the toughest members for this reason, even if their strength isn't as good as the others, their ability to heal their allies is invaluable to prevent our stamina from draining so far to the point we don't get sent out of the court!"
"You seem to know a lot about this. How much did you study about all of this?" Nino asked as Balloony then led our group to the north and towards the school itself.
"Enough to know that, according to my vision when I touched the ball, I happen to have the same Balltimate as the super Dodgeball player that actually made that relic in the first place. The Ball-Doken," I smirked, which, when I said that, it was when we were within earshot of the teachers.
"Did you just say what I think you just said?" asked Kat, me looking at them with a small smile.
"I uh... hehe... I didn't mean for you guys to hear that..." I said with a bit of bashfulness.
"If that's the case, that must mean that you're of the bloodline of the famous hero of Dodgeball himself, Ryuki Tasodo, who ended a decade-long war of dodgeball!" Ma-Koko said with shock.
"Um... I thought that was one of my ancestors," Nino admitted, me looking at him in surprise.
"Huh... that's uh... I honestly don't know... maybe we should get a DNA test in the future? See if we're distant family?" I asked, Nino frowning.
"Not on your life. I hate needles," he pouted.
"You and me both, Nino," Balloony admitted, me smirking at the obvious.
"Anyways, we wanted to ask for you to join the tournament, but in order to do that, you'll need to form a team of 3, possibly more if you can. You can never have too many team members, so long as 3 are on the field at any given time," Fortuoso said, me smiling at that.
"Really? I get to apply already! SWEET! When's the deadline?" I smiled.
"Today. At sunset," Kat smirked, my smile immediately turning into a slackjaw.
"WHAAAAT?! We have to apply on the VERY DAY of the opening ceremony?! Damn! I didn't expect you guys to get to the point that fast!" I admitted.
"We have to, as we only want the best of the best to win at the Dodgeball tournament regionals! If we lose, then the winning team gets the thing that powers this entire school, the magical dodgeball of Ryuki Tasodo. If we lose that, all of our electricity and all of our fame and fortune will be ruined. And thus, Dodgeball Acedemia will cease to be!" Kat said with seriousness, me then nodding at that. A true reason to win the tournament. For the sake of keeping this school afloat! I then looked at my watch that I had specially crafted out of rubber and flexible diamond so that it'd never get damaged, even from the toughest attack. And I saw that we had 4 hours to work with before the deadline.
"We better get moving, then! We have 4 hours to find more teammates, so let's get a move on!" I smiled, Balloony smiling.
"If we want to find some more allies, we could always try looking for some more allies at the dodgeball courts. There's one girl that could be useful, but she's a bit much. She sends at least 7 people to the infirmary per day," Balloony admitted.
"Perfect! Let's go find her! What's her name and what's she look like?" I asked happily. And for those wondering, I was a 18-year-old with the body of a little kid, as humans in our world had twice the lifespan of humans in your world, but because of that, it took twice as long for us to grow up. So even though I was 18, I was actually about 9 for your versions of humans. But despite that, our college years were identical to yours. Stupid, ain't it? As for looks, I had bright red hair on my head that was in a ponytail, wore a decorative bandage on my cheek, and was dressed in a brown teeshirt, black shorts, and a pair of sneakers with cleats on them. Better to choose clothes that don't show the dirt.
"She'll have wild white hair, a couple scars on her cheeks, and she'll be super willing to bash your head with a dodgeball if you mess with her," Balloony admitted.
"Sounds like my kind of girl," Nino admitted. I then went with Balloony to the outside of the school and to the courts, seeing that the girl in question was at the courts to the lower left of the school's entrance, me going there and speaking up.
"Hey, I heard you're a wild child and willing to join a team?" I smiled, her smirking.
"Well if it isn't the late duck, Balloony, and the normie!" she said, me frowning at her.
"Less name calling, more actual discussions, please? Wanna join our team and call us by our names?" I asked her.
"Oh, sorry, I have bad habits like that. Name's Mina. And who are you two?" she asked.
"I'm Nino," the 'normie' smiled.
"And I'm Abby Mcnally. And I know I was late, but it was the only bus that could take me here from the stop I was at," I admitted truthfully.
"Oof, talk about poor timing. You didn't have your parents drop you off or something?" Nino asked.
"I'm a big girl, I can get around on my own. I just have to wait until I'm 30 before I can drive a car," I pouted. Yeah, that was what we had to deal with in this world of dodgeball and double ages. And then a familiar voice came from behind me.
"Is that so, little lady?" asked the voice of Boris, him appearing from behind and him being alongside another purple person, but this one was unique. She was a grape vampire hybrid, which was crazy to see! "I thought about your offer, and I decided to test your mettle myself. I want to see if you're worthy of being my enemy," Boris said, me smirking at that.
"Oh yeah? So what if I'm your enemy? It just means that I get to train up to the point I beat down the big final boss!" I smirked.
"Peh. I like your spunk. One on one, you and me. I'll use... say... 10 percent of my power against you," he said, me smirking at that.
"Not good enough, bud! How about we make it interesting! Old school rules, 30 percent of your power! Let's go!" I said, which made a couple spectators gasp and immediately crowd around us.
"Heh. You got guts, now let's see how they look like when they come out of your torso," Boris said as we then entered the Old School Rules match. Basically, Old School rulesets were the same as dodgeball in your world. It would mean that, should we get hit even a single time, we're out. And if we caught the ball before it hit the ground and held it for about 2 seconds, then the one who threw said ball was a loser.
"I'll be generous and give you the first move, kid. Let's see if you can actually hit me," he said, me smiling at that as he gave me three different balls.
"Okay, then. Let's see if you can take this girl on," I smirked, the crowd gulping.
"She's toast! She's going to be bloody by the end of this!" said a spectator, me looking over and seeing that it was a zombie kid. Yeah, zombie kids existed in this world too. No, they didn't eat brains. They were strictly carnivores.
As for what I did? I was going to trick him. I immediately did two lobs of the first volleyballs, sending both high into the sky, about as high as the second floor of the school. And Boris fell for it and was looking to try and catch them. And using this distraction, I then sent my other ball at full power to the one place where he wasn't protecting. With a single throw, the ball ended up smacking Boris right in the place where the sun don't shine. And afterwards, he gasped and actually knelt on the ground, holding his personal spot as the other two dodgeballs from above managed to hit him on the head in the process. And the crowd was quiet, murmering to each other as if they were in shock.
"She... she did it..." said one of them, me seeing it was a pirate kid.
"Did she actually beat Boris with the oldest trick in the book?" Balloony asked in surprise. And Boris, after finally recovering, then got off the ground and smiled at me.
"Heh. Good trick. But how about we kick it up a notch?" Boris smiled as he held all three dodgeballs in his field. "Double or nothing. I'll throw all three of these dodgeballs at 50 percent power! If you can catch even one of them before it hits the ground, then I'll consider joining your team in the coming future," Boris smirked at me.
The crowd was shocked at this, murmering more to each other. But today, I was feeling lucky.
"I'm game. And if I lose? Then I'll never bother you for a match again, at least, not outside of the tournament," I smiled at him.
"Very well, let's do this," Boris smirked as he then proceeded to throw the first dodgeball at me, which I gawked at how fast it was! It was going so fast, it managed to hit my face right on, followed by his second ball! And the third ball he threw? I couldn't see it, but I knew he threw it! But I opened my eyes through the tremendous face pain and saw... the two balls that hit my head were sent high into the sky, right above me! And the third ball was hovering above me in a spiral of sorts. I grabbed the spiral ball with one hand... and then, after doing this, I caught the ball thrown first with my second hand... and then, after positioning my legs just right, I managed to catch the third ball in between my legs!
And after I did this, despite my hearing not being the best after getting knocked face-first twice over? I could hear the crowds of kids cheering for me after I managed to catch all the balls. All three of them! And when my hearing returned, I saw the hand of Nino reach down to me, which I accepted and got off the ground, which he smiled at me.
"That took guts, Abby! You need to get that face imprint looked at," Nino said as he showed me my reflection via his phone and I saw that the first dodgeball left the imprint of the school's name on my forehead, but backwards. And I chuckled after.
"Naw... it's a sign of my victory. I ain't removin' it fer nothin', hehe..." I smirked, though I had to admit, the wind was still slightly knocked out of me. And then Boris went over to me and gave me a thumbs-up.
"Good moves, kid. I thought for sure you were conked out, but you took those hits like a champ. Reminds me of my very first tournament... hmph. If you win three tourney rounds, then I'll consider joining your team," Boris smiled at me, which I smirked at as I held out my hand.
"Done and done," I smirked.
"Sorry, I'm a germaphobe," he frowned.
"Ah, well. Can't win 'em all... augh... anyone got a bottle of water or something?" I asked, me getting such a thing from Mina herself. I then chugged the whole thing down after I had it in my hand. Still cold.
"You've definitely proven yourself with that performance, Abby! Consider me a teammate with you from here on out!" she smirked at me.
"Good to hear... want to join me, Nino, and Balloony to the teachers? We need to apply for the tournament," I smirked, her nodding as I tried to walk a bit... only to get on one knee. "Rgh... on second thought... maybe Balloony heals me up first? I feel a bit jello-legged after those two dodgeballs... note to self. Don't test the waters too early on in your school career... I need to get tough enough to deal with those kinds of hits," I smirked.