Sodor High School: Thomas & Friends Tales
Written by: ThomasZoey3000 / SF64Rules91 / RailfanBronyMedia
Based on the Railway Series by: The Rev. W. and Christopher Awdry
Based on the Television Series by: Britt AllCroft, David Mitton, Lionsgate, and Universal Pictures
OC(s) owned by: SF64Rules91
Episode 41: Teamwork Is Key
Opening up inside the Ffarquhar Arena a couple of weeks later, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and a bunch of their friends were currently very busy with Hockey practice. Seeing as it was now Fall, Football was put on hold until the weather warmed up in Spring. Some of the players included not only Leonardo and Michelangelo, but also Hank, Murdoch, Donald, Douglas, Sidney, Paxton, Den, and Dart. There were also two more teenage boys present; one boy with purple hair, and one boy with brown hair.
"Hey, Raph! I'm open!" The purple-haired boy called out.
The boy with brown hair, who was named Raphael (nicknamed Raph), was currently in possession of the puck but paid no attention to the calls to make a pass, and simply approached the net recklessly (with Michelangelo serving as the goalkeeper). Suddenly, before he could try and shoot, Sidney skated up and checked Raphael down onto the ice and took the puck over. Standing within one of the nearby team benches, Mr. Splinterson—who was serving as the team's coach—shook his head and sighed over one of his player's lack of interest in teamwork even in sports like Hockey.
"It's one of those days…" he groaned dreadfully. "It's just one of those days…"
Back on the ice, the first boy, who had purple hair, and Paxton both skated up towards Raphael and shook their heads in disbelief.
"What's the matter with you, Raph?" scolded Paxton. "Why didn't you pass the puck to Donnie?"
"In case you hadn't noticed, I was open!" added Donatello (nicknamed Don or Donnie).
"Relax, you two! I thought I could make the shot," Raphael insisted, trying to get back up while acting like he hadn't done anything wrong. "It was an honest mistake—one we all make from time to time."
"Honest mistake? Raph, we've been telling you over and over again that we need to work as a team when playing Hockey!" said Leonardo, skating up to Raphael and helping him to his feet. "We won't win any upcoming games if we don't get it together."
"Don't worry about that, Leo! We'll win against that jerk Spencer's team come next Friday, but we'll do it with brute force!"
"No, Raph!" The dirty blonde-haired boy argued. "Look, you have to listen to us; we need to work as a team to win!"
"Rubbish!" exclaimed Raphael heatedly. "We can win without teamwork!"
"Uh-oh," cringed Paxton.
"This is not good," agreed Sidney, looking quite worried.
And their respective concerns were well justified; it wasn't long before Leonardo and Raphael both got into a heated argument with each other—which was soon to become an actual fight.
"Gee, a fight between Leo and Raph?" asked Michelangelo innocently.
"Oh, I didn't see that coming," Donatello groaned sarcastically, facepalming in dismay.
The rest of the team (Den, Dart, Donald, Douglas, Hank, Murdoch) skated over, and they were not liking with what was going on with their two teammates.
"Those two seem to argue or fight quite a bit," commented Murdoch.
"That, I believe, is the understatement of the year," Hank pointed out.
Donald, Douglas, Den, and Dart all nodded silently. The argument between Leonardo and Raphael soon reached a breaking point…
"Raph, you're as stubborn as a mule!" snapped Leonardo, pushing Raphael lightly.
"Oh yeah? And you're in my way!" Raphael shouted back, pushing his friend more aggressively.
Angrily, Leonardo threw his gloves off, and Raphael did the same. The whole team grew worried as a result of the fight starting. In the team bench, Mr. Splinterson was alarmed and carefully ran onto the ice to cool off the fight before any fists could actually start flying.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there, you two!" he called out, trying to calm both older boys down. "Please try to keep it together; we are scheduled to play our first game next Friday, and we only have today, this Friday, next Tuesday, and next Thursday to get ready for it."
Just then, there was the sound of a snooty laugh echoing the area, causing the whole team to look nearby. Walking onto the ice to begin practice was none other than Spencer and his own team.
"Oh man, it's Spencer," complained Michelangelo, taking off his face mask.
None of the other team members were very happy to see Spencer and his Hockey team—for obvious reasons.
"Well, well, well… So, this is how your own team practices?" teased Spencer, speaking to Leonardo directly. "By fighting amongst yourselves? Oh wow, this is too rich! And here I thought you guys would be challenging for my team to face… but it looks like I was dead wrong!"
"Yeah! You tell him, Spencer!" A boy named Samson, who had viridian-colored hair, encouraged.
"Quite so," Spencer replied, before looking back at Leonardo. "Now, as I was saying about you losers-"
"Keep your trap shut, Spencer!" warned Raphael, glaring at the silver-haired rich boy (who simply glared back). "We're not gonna let you or your pals push us around, and we're certainly not going to lose the game to you either!"
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Raphie? Are you going to challenge me to a fight? Pah! Do that, and I'll have you lying on the ice in a matter of seconds. You know it… I know it… Heck, everybody in the whole arena knows it!"
"Why you-!" The angry brown-haired boy snarled, attempting to lung forth and attack Spencer.
Unfortunately, or thankfully depending on how you look at it, he got held back by both Leonardo and Mr. Splinterson.
"Now, now, those weren't very nice things to say, Spencer," said Mr. Splinterson firmly, looking at Spencer. "Try to show some sportsmanship. After all, this game is just for fun."
"So sorry, sir, but my team and I aim to win next Friday night, and you darn well know it," huffed Spencer, before looking to his teammates again. "Am I right, boys?"
In addition to Samson, some of the other players on Spencer's team were Dustin (a boy with burgundy/black-colored hair), Sam (a boy with Persian green-colored hair), Logan (a friendly boy with deep blue hair and yellow stripes), Alaric (a boy with light blue hair, and was nicknamed 'old stuck-up'), Cecil (a mean blonde-haired boy from the mainland), Alfred (the twin brother of Cecil, who was also from the mainland), Monty (a mischievous red-haired boy), Max (another red-haired boy who was the twin brother of Monty), Patrick (a smart-looking boy with purple hair and orange linings), and Neville (a tall, yet shy and naive, boy with black hair). The whole team nodded in agreement, although Logan did attempt to speak up…
"Hey, Spencer, are you sure picking on these guys is a good idea?" he asked, feeling worried. "I mean, I do agree with Mr. Splinterson that it's unsportsmanlike to pick on or gloat. Shouldn't we be more-"
"Cool it, Logan! You're hanging with the cool kids now!" scolded Cecil.
"Yeah! Don't go and embarrass our team's captain!" added Alfred. "He doesn't like that."
Neville tried speaking up. "Y-Yeah, I can understand that, but that doesn't mean we have to be-"
"Same with you, Neville!" interrupted Monty.
"Besides, we're just having some…harmless…fun," said Max, slowly and deviously. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Logan and Neville, feeling uneasy by the glares they were getting, both became silent. Just as Leonardo was about to speak up and tell Spencer off for his comments, there was a loud cry, causing Alaric to groan in response.
"Oh peachy, it's our coach…" he whispered to Dustin. "…Schemer."
"He's late, too," Dustin whispered back.
On cue, a man with short but slick black hair and wearing a fancy, yet strange, suit came running from the nearby exit. The most notable trait about him was the telltale curl on the side of his head. Upon setting foot on the ice, the man (Schemer) slipped and, with another cry, fell down in a comedic manner.
"Ouch…" Schemer groaned in pain.
Some of the players from both teams (including Raphael, Michelangelo, Hank, Dustin, Patrick, Monty, Max, etc.) snickered quietly at the goofy man's clumsy antics. Mr. Splinterson, feeling sympathetic for the other team's coach, approached and kindly held a hand out.
"Horace, are you okay?" Mr. Splinterson asked, looking concerned.
Schemer (real name Horace, but tends to go by his last name), shaking his head to clear his head, immediately took the hand and was pulled to his feet.
"Oh, I am," With that being said, Schemer turned towards his team whilst fixing his tie. "Now, I bet you're all wondering why I was later coming in."
"Do we even need to know?" deadpanned Alfred.
"It's because I was busy making sure my arcade machine was in tip-top condition," explained Schemer, clearly ignoring the sarcasm (or thinking that it wasn't sarcasm). "After all, you can't be too careful when people want to use it," He then turned to the opposing team while waving his hands to try and shoo them away. "Now, shoo shoo! I need to get my team prepared for the game next Friday night."
With that said, Mr. Splinterson, Leonardo, and the rest of the team left the ice in order to head for the locker room. When they were gone, Schemer turned to the team he was coaching, clearly to give them instructions…
"Alright then, boys; this is how we're going to beat Casey and his team… Just follow my guidebook, and we'll win. After all, it's all part of Schemer's system of success…"
As he went on speaking about his usual 'Schemer's system of success' speech, Spencer and his group could only stare on with blank, tired expressions on their faces. Alaric even yawned at how boring the lecture was, while both Max and Monty fell asleep on the ice. Finally, Spencer spoke up…
"Look, Schemer, this lecture is good and all," he lied. "but we're supposed to be playing, not talk about it."
"Now, now, a good lecture is never a good thing to pass up," scolded Schemer. He then thought of something… "In fact, there was one time…"
As Schemer went on with speaking, Cecil leaned in to whisper something to Spencer.
"Why did he get chosen to coach our team when we could have gotten a coach like Mr. Baldwin?" The gray-haired boy pondered. "Schemer can't play or coach Hockey for the life of himself."
"It's because he wants to impress Mr. King, the school's superintendent," Spencer answered quietly. "Now then, you guys just keep following my lead, and we'll definitely crush those other guys."
While Schemer was the team's coach, it was actually Spencer who had been making sure the team was in tip top shape and such. The team was only putting up with Schemer as their coach because of the school board's demands. Soon, the team went about on their own to practice. Spencer was also the one giving instructions and orders to his own teammates…
"Right, Sam; seeing as you're the strongest out of us, you're the goalkeeper for the starting line-up."
"What?! But I was the starting line-up's goalkeeper for our last game!" complained Sam. "And don't forget the game before that… and the game before that…"
Spencer sighed in annoyance. "I know that, but you're our best bet for early on," The silver-haired boy frowned, trying to talk some sense into his fellow teammate. "I'm not going to be humiliated by that Leo again!" He then smiled with confidence. "Besides, so long as you guys, again, listen to me, we'll win for certain."
"Fine, you win," grumbled Sam, clearly defeated.
"I'll serve as the back-up goalkeeper," offered Patrick.
"Good," smirked Spencer. "Now, come on! Let's begin practice!"
While practice for the team had begun, Schemer was far too busy giving his little lecture to pay any attention at first.
"…in fact, my own Mother used to play Hockey when she was younger," The goofy man continued, before turning around. "How about I tell-"
Nobody was around to listen. Schemer then saw that Spencer and the others had already begun practicing, resulting in him blinking a few times before saying something under his breath…
"Or we could do that," Schemer commented unhappily. "Why did I beg Mr. King to let me coach a student Hockey team even though I don't play the sport? Do I really want to impress him that badly enough for a possible job offering on the school board?"
It was a long, tiring practice, but Spencer and the likes, full of determination to win against Leonardo's team, practiced hard.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the arena, Leonardo and his group of friends were busy chatting while waiting for the town's bus to arrive. It had been a long day at school, and they honestly thought some Hockey practice would do them some good—alas, they were wrong.
"Geez, Raph! What's your problem?" questioned Hank. "I know you want to win against Spencer's team, but you have to learn about two things while we're playing; and they are patience and teamwork."
"Guys, I'm telling you we don't need stuff like that!" protested Raphael, being as stubborn as ever before. "All we need is brute force! That way, we can kick some serious butt on the ice!"
"You know, I think you might be taking the game of Hockey a bit too seriously," commented Donatello.
"Too seriously? More like he's treating it like it's a war!" snickered Michelangelo. "And besides, Raph really hates losing games to other people; like me, for instance, whenever we play something like cards."
Raphael, scowling hard, overheard the comment; this, in-turn, caused him to turn and smack the black-haired boy upside the head.
"OW!" squeaked Michelangelo, clutching the back of his head with both hands. "Yeah, I kinda deserved that one."
Murdoch sighed; although he enjoyed the sport of Hockey and playing the game with his friends, working together with a player that was unwilling to work with others was somewhat stressful even for someone like him. Hank, his best friend, could definitely agree on that. Soon, the bus arrived, and the team climbed inside.
(elsewhere…)
The next morning inside Sodor High School, Leonardo was busy walking to his locker so he could gather his things for class. Currently, the dirty blonde-haired boy was thinking about Raphael and his inability to work with others on a team.
"If Raph doesn't get it together, we won't have a chance against Spencer or his team," Leonardo thought to himself, arriving at his locker. "Whit will it take to get him to realize yon importance of teamwork?"
Just then…
"Hey, Leo!" The voice of Gordon called out.
Leonardo turned and saw Percy, Gordon, and James each approaching.
"Oh, hey, you guys." he greeted glumly.
"How did Hockey practice go yesterday afternoon?" asked James.
"It went alright, except for the fact Raph isn't exactly a teamwork kind of guy," answered Leonardo. "I mean, I'll admit he's a very skilled Hockey player—but that tends to go to his head and prevent him from working with others on a team."
"You know, it kind of reminds me of somebody who acts like that from time to time," said Percy cheekily, looking at James (referring to him indirectly). "Am I right, James?"
"Oh, ha ha, that's really funny, Percy," James snorted sarcastically.
"Even then, we really want to win the game next Friday," continued Leonardo, who was now looking annoyed over Raphael's lack of dedication to working as a team. "Whenever we try confronting him on his arrogant behavior, Raph simply dismisses it because he believes the game can be won with brute force."
"Don't you worry, I'm positive you guys can beat my cousin and his team," reassured Gordon. "Of course, if you don't win, there's a good chance Spencer will never let you guys, or me, live it down."
With that said, the bell rang.
"Well, I'm off for homeroom," said Leonardo, turning and walking away with his stuff. "I'll see yoo guys later at lunch."
"See ya!" James waved, before he and his two friends went to their own homeroom classroom.
(elsewhere…)
Inside one of the homeroom classrooms, Thomas and the likes were busy waiting for their teacher to arrive. While waiting, everyone was currently talking about the upcoming Hockey game.
"Has anyone heard about team conflicts between Leo and his teammates?" asked Emily.
"I think everyone's heard about it by now," said Henry.
"That Raphael is the problem," Gordon pointed out. "Leo says he doesn't do well working with his teammates; he would rather do things on his own, even if it doesn't work out."
"Unless Raph overcomes that problem, there's a good chance he, Leo, and the others won't be able to win," added Edward.
"And that will result in Spencer and his teammates bragging and bragging and bragging about it for who knows how long," groaned James.
"I can picture the scene of it happening…" sighed Thomas, trying to get the potential image out of his head with no success. "…and I really don't like it!"
"There has to be a way to help Raph see that working with others is not a bad thing," mused Rosie thoughtfully.
Eventually, Duck had an idea…
"You know something? I think I might know of a way."
"Duck?" wondered Edward.
"Just gather around," suggested Duck. "and I'll explain everything."
All eyes were on the Great Western green-haired boy, who then began explaining his plan…
(elsewhere…)
Later outside during lunch, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael were approaching one of the benches, having been called over by both Edward and BoCo earlier in the day. When the four teenagers arrived at the appointed destination, they found their two friends, along with both Bill and Ben, waiting for them.
"Hey, Edward and BoCo," greeted Donatello.
"Leo, Mikey, Donnie, Raph," BoCo greeted right back.
"So, what's with the emergency call?" asked Michelangelo, recalling a quick meeting with BoCo in the hallway that morning. "Why ask us to meet you guys outside at lunch?"
"We have summoned you four out here, but mainly Raph, because we have a little something we'd to ask," answered Edward.
"Ask? More like challenge!" interrupted Ben.
Bill nodded. "Yeah! We challenge you four to a game!"
"A game? You're challenging us to a game?" repeated Raphael, who then grinned with interest. "Bring it on! What kind of game do you have in mind?!"
"It's a game that requires brute force!" answered BoCo, making Raphael even more eager to begin playing the game. "A game that requires brain, intellect, and all that kind of stuff. However, most importantly, it requires you guys to work as a team to win."
"A game that requires teamwork?" blinked Leonardo, before smiling. "Count me in."
"Me too!" added Donatello.
"Me three!" put in Michelangelo.
"What?!" gasped Raphael, becoming upset. "Teamwork?!"
"Yes, teamwork," confirmed Ben.
"But, but, but-!"
"What's wrong with that?" teased Bill. "Not chicken are you? Hey, maybe you ARE chicken!"
With that being said, he and Ben both began flapping their arms about whilst making chicken noises in order to taunt Raphael, which really got him all riled up…
"Me, a chicken?!" he hissed, feeling his temper boiling over. "Grrr… I'm not chicken! We'll accept your little game - whatever it is!"
BoCo winked at Edward, who winked back; if there was one thing the angry brown-haired boy really hated, it was being called a chicken. With Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael all accepting the challenge, part one of Duck's plan was a success. However, the hard part had finally come…
"So, what exactly is the game we're going to play?" asked Donatello.
"It's Football," said Edward, picking up a football off the bench.
"How about it?" offered BoCo. "You guys against us."
"Fine! Let's play!" declared Raphael, who was full of determination to win.
Over at a makeshift Football field, one team consisted of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello, and the other team consisted of Edward, BoCo, Bill, and Ben. The goalkeepers consisted of Michelangelo for the former team, and Edward for the latter team. Playing the role of referee was Duck. Watching from the sidelines were Thomas, Emily, Rosie, James, Percy, and Gordon.
"Will this work?" wondered Percy.
"Duck said it will," answered Thomas. "At least, I hope it does."
"Same here, little Thomas," agreed Gordon.
Back in the field, Duck blew his whistle, signalling the game to begin.
"Alright, here we go!" whooped Raphael, running forth towards the ball.
Minutes later…
Five minutes later, Edward's team was already leading four points to zero, while Raphael's team was already exhausted and such from trying to work together and score goals. It was quite clear that Raphael's lack of willingness to work with his team was leading them to their downfall. With the audience, Thomas and the others were looking discouraged over Raphael's brash and overzealous attitude in trying to win the game.
"Well, that was an embarrassing show," grumbled Gordon.
"I thought for sure my idea would work," complained Duck; he felt very disappointed.
"Never mind, Duck," reassured Rosie. "it felt like a good idea to me."
Back in the field, Bill and Ben both took the opportunity to rub in their lead on Raphael's face…
"Oh, wow! You guys stink at playing this game - but mainly you, Raph," taunted Bill. "You can't win with brute force alone!"
"Yeah!" agreed Ben. "It takes teamwork to win at a game like this! If you can't learn to work together, then you can't win at anything."
"Just give it up!" Bill went on. "In a few more minutes, we'll be the Football champs of the whole school!"
"And you four can be our personal jesters!" laughed Ben, who, along with Bill, started laughing at Raphael.
Hearing those stinging taunts from the two twin boys made the angry brown-haired boy madder and madder; he wasn't going to lose a game of Football like this. Not now, not ever!
"Oh yeah?! If you're so sure you'll win, then let's continue with the match!" Raphael, getting back to his feet, dared. "I'll show you four how we CAN work as a team!" He then looked to his three friends. "C'mon, guys!"
With that said, the Football game resumed itself. BoCo, with the ball, passed to Ben, who was approaching the net when Raphael managed to swipe the ball. While approaching the opposing net guarded by Edward, he overheard…
"Raphael, hurry! I'm open!" called Leonardo.
At first Raphael seemed to ignore the call, aiming to try and score on his own. However, as Bill approached to try and swipe the ball from him, the angry brown-haired boy suddenly remembered his vow to show the enemy team some teamwork. From there, Raphael, much to Bill's great surprise, kicked the ball over to Leonardo.
"What?!" gasped Bill.
"Fizzling Fireplaces!" put in Ben. "Raph just passed the ball to another player!"
As soon as the ball reached him, Leonardo then delivered a solid kick, sending the ball over Edward's shoulder and into the net, scoring a goal.
"He scores!" yelled Duck excitedly.
Thomas, Percy, Emily, Rosie, Gordon, and James all cheered loudly as well, as did Raphael's teammates.
"Nice one, Raph!" called Donatello.
"You actually passed the ball, dude!" added Michelangelo. "And it got us a goal as a result!"
Raphael, having actually worked with someone to score a goal, felt surprisingly good. Maybe working with others on a team wasn't as bad as he thought.
"You know, this whole working together shtick isn't as bad as I initially thought it was," Raphael admitted aloud.
"Oh really?" smiled BoCo, walking over. "You mean that?"
"Yeah, it felt good to work with others. In a way, I kinda like it. Now, let's proceed with the match!"
With the audience…
"Hey, Duck. It looks like your plan might have worked after all," smiled Gordon.
"Never doubted it for a second," winked James.
Duck felt proud that his plan to help Raphael learn that teamwork was a key to winning a game was actually a success. Ten minutes later, the game ended with Team Raphael winning six to four… Pleased that he and his friends won the game, Raphael spoke to them afterwards with some good news…
"Guys, I think I've seen the light," Raphael was saying to his friends. "If we work together, we can win the Hockey game against Spencer and his group."
"In that case, we'll have to see if you'll work with the others when we have our next Hockey practice," suggested Leonardo. "I only hope that you'll keep yer word on working with the team."
Raphael smiled. "No worries, Leo. I'll definitely keep my word on it."
"Oh, you will, will you?" A familiar voice (male) snorted.
Then, there was trouble… Much to the group's dismay, Spencer and a few members (Samson, Sam, Logan, Neville, Alaric, and Patrick) of his team showed up.
"What do you want now, Spencer?" groaned Thomas.
"He just had to pick a time to show up and ruin the happy moment," complained James.
"My friends and I were just roaming around when we saw Raph here actually pass the ball," sneered Spencer. "Well, that's certainly a first, and something that I'm pretty sure won't even last."
"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Donatello.
"Do you honestly expect him to keep his word on working as a team?" questioned Sam, cutting to the chase. "Sure he says he will, but what if he forgets the lesson? After all, the game between our teams isn't until next Friday, and today is only Wednesday."
"That's a pretty long time for someone to try and remember that lesson in order for it to stick," remarked Alaric. "In fact, we don't even think you'll make it to the game!"
"Not a chance!" Patrick agreed.
"Oh yeah?!" growled Raphael, about to make a mistake on his part. "You guys wanna bet I'll keep my word and my team wins the game?"
"Raphael!" Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello each exclaimed at once, shocked.
Spencer smirked. "A bet, you say?" he gasped falsely, knowing that his hotheaded opponent just took the bait, hook-line and sinker. "Like what?"
"Say, the winning team earns twenty-five pounds from the losing team?" offered Raphael.
"Actually, I've a much better deal," The silver-haired boy wagered. "If you guys win AND you, Raph, promise to do it with teamwork, then my team and I will cough up fifty pounds each, donating the money to your team's choice of charity," He smiled grandly while adding another thing to the bet… "However, if WE win the game, or you guys win except Raph happens to break his promise on working with the team," He pointed at Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. "then you four will leave Hockey behind and become our personal servants for the rest of the school year."
Cue gasps from Thomas and the likes.
"W-Wait a moment, Spencer! That's going way too far!" protested Logan, looking a bit surprised to say the least. "Besides, we don't even have the kind of money to-"
"Shut it, Logan!" hissed Sam.
"B-B-But-!" argued Neville, who was also against the bet.
A stern glare from Spencer was enough to quiet down poor Neville (who, along with Logan, actually was a nice guy compared to his friends), before turning back and smirking at Raphael.
"So, do we have a bet?" teased Spencer, holding his right hand out. "Or, are you too chicken to accept it?"
Thomas and the others seriously hoped that Raphael wouldn't accept the bet, but…
"Deal!" accepted Raphael, taking the hand and shaking it to seal the deal.
Spencer laughed. "Then the bet has been made, and there are no take-backs!"
"See you losers on the ice next Friday!" mocked Alaric.
"And good luck - you'll need it!" jeered Samson.
And so, Spencer Gresley and his small group of friends walked away whilst laughing over at how easy the Hockey game was going to be for them. The only ones who didn't laugh were both Logan and Neville, and the former tried to get in a few words about it…
"G-Guys?" Logan spoke up. "I really don't know if that was-"
"Blimey, Logan! Would you give it a rest already!?" interrupted Alaric, who was getting very annoyed with his friend's whining. "So long as we listen to Spencer here, and not Schemer, we can win the game with no mishaps befalling us."
Samson nodded in agreement. "We'll win even if those guys work together - which I know they won't!"
"Precisely!" added Spencer, who was feeling very pleased with himself. "After all, I'm the team's best player and know the ins and outs of the whole game."
Logan felt sad.
"It will be okay, Logan," soothed Neville. "I'm positive these guys will change before too long."
"I should hope so, Neville," The blue/yellow stripped-haired boy sighed. "I truly hope so."
Over with the rest of the group once part of the rival team had left…
"Well, it was nice knowing you four," said Bill, before looking mainly at Raphael. "Let's hope that you keep true to your word, Raph."
"If you guys don't win the Hockey game with teamwork, then you're done for," added Ben, as he and his twin brother walked away.
As Edward and BoCo walked past Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, they both shook their heads in disappointment over Raphael accepting the bet without thinking things through before walking towards the school.
"I really don't think you should have done that, dude," warned Michelangelo, not thrilled about the bet being made. "because now we really have to win the game!"
"No worries, Mikey… We'll win it, and I'll keep my word on working together," reassured Raphael, looking and sounding confident.
"Let's hope that's true," frowned Donatello. "If you don't work with us or we happen to lose the game, then we four can kiss the world of Hockey goodbye, and we'll have to serve Spencer's team for the remainder of the school year; namely cleaning their smelly Hockey gear and jerseys, polishing and sharpening their skates, you name it."
"We won't lose to those guys, Donnie! I swear it!"
Over with Thomas and the likes; they were unsure about what's transpired…
"Do you think Leo and the others can win?" worried Rosie.
"More importantly, will Raph keep his word on working together with his teammates?" added James.
"That I hope for," said Emily. "Working as a team really matters to them."
"Agreed, because if Leo and the others happen to lose to Spencer's team," frowned Duck. "then Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey had better get used to shining skates, doing laundry, and all of that other stuff until the end of June."
"The same is true if Raph ends up breaking his promise," agreed Gordon, before shuddering in disgust. "Oh, the indignity… I don't even want to think about it."
And everyone else agreed to that statement. It was then the bell rang, signalling the end of noon-hour. Everyone outside the school started making their way back to the building so that they could begin the afternoon classes.
(elsewhere…)
Later inside the Ffarquhar Arena that Friday after school, another day of Hockey practice had began. Seeing as they only had two more days of practice after that, they had to make absolutely sure they were prepared for the big game. One side of the ice had Leonardo, Donatello, Dart, Raphael, Hank, and Michelangelo (who was goalkeeper) practicing, and the other side had Den, Donald, Douglas, Sidney, Paxton, and Murdoch (who was goalkeeper) practicing. Much to Mr. Splinterson's sheer surprise and delight, Raphael was actually being cooperative and working with his team.
"I don't understand…" Mr. Splinterson thought to himself. "Not long ago, Raphael was being impatient and trying to score on his own. Naw? Naw, he's working with his teammates to try and score goals… Whit planet did I just arrive at, anyway?"
On the ice, Raphael was skating down the line with the puck. He then saw Hank calling out and passed the puck over to him, which resulted in the strong-looking boy shooting it at the net. Michelangelo, however, blocked the shot.
"Good shot, Hank!" The black-haired boy encouraged.
"And good save, Mikey!" added Hank, before looking towards the approaching Raphael. "And that was a good pass, Raph."
"Thanks, Hank," The angry brown-haired boy grinned, as he and Hank high-fived.
"If we keep this up, we'll be prepared for next Friday night's game," said Donatello.
"It still won't be easy to win," reminded Murdoch, as he and the rest of the team skated up. "Spencer's team is really, really good."
"Yeah! Spencer has always been teaching the team!" agreed Den, before stumbling in his words. "Err… I mean…"
"What he means," said Dart. "is that while Spencer is captain, he also coaches the team instead of Schemer."
"Aye," agreed Donald. "He's been a Hockey professional since even before his teens."
"Though he didnae have the smoothest o' starts," Douglas pointed out. "Nae sports person ever has a perfect start."
"Even then, he's gotten really good," warned Sidney. "After all, he didn't earn the rank of captain for nothing."
"I'll bet it's all true," huffed Raphael, folding his arms. "but even if he's as great as he says he is, we'll still kick major butt with a combination of teamwork AND brute force!"
There was a whistle blow…
"That's it for the day, boys!" called Mr. Splinterson. "It's time to hit the showers and catch the bus for home!"
The team approached the exit as commanded. However, unknown to anyone else, someone was keeping watch from the stands, hidden from the eyes of anyone down on the ice. That someone was revealed to be Patrick, spying on the practice session.
"Huh, so that Raphael still believes he can keep his word on winning while working with his pals?" The purple/orange lined-haired boy commented to himself. "Well then, we'll just have to see about that."
He then left the arena to go and find his own teammates.
(elsewhere…)
Later on outside, the bus was driving down the road, picking up and dropping off passengers like it usually does.
(inside…)
Inside the bus at the backseats, Mr. Splinterson's Hockey team was busy chatting about the upcoming game.
"So, who do you guys think will be attending the game besides random families?" asked Paxton. "I'm going to see if my Mom and Dad will both come watch me play,"
"I'll see if my parents can come as well," added Donatello, who was writing a few things on a notepad he was carrying. "Hmm… There's a 60% chance of them being able to come, and a 40% chance they'll be busy."
"I was told by Mavis that she, her Mother, Toby, Bill, and Ben are coming," announced Sidney.
"Oor cousin's coming ta visit us next week," Donald was saying to Douglas. "Maybe she can come and watch, Douggie."
"Och aye, Donal'!" agreed Douglas. "I think she would like yon experience of watching a game of Ice Hockey."
"Thomas told me earlier today," said Leonardo. "that he, Emily, Annie, and Clarabel are coming to the game."
"Aww, I bet you're happy about that, bro," teased Michelangelo.
"What do yoo mean by that, Mikey? Of course I'm happy some of our friends are coming to watch the big game. That's silly of you to say."
"Rather, I think you're far more happy about the fact your beloved girlfriend Emily is coming along to watch the game, aren't ya?" The black-haired boy pointed out, grinning very cheekily. "Come on, admit it!"
"M-Mikey, Emily's NOT my girlfriend!" denied Leonardo, blushing a bit.
"I don't know about that, but you certainly do act all gentleman-like towards her," joked Raphael. "If you ask me, that must mean something, Romeo."
"Plus, you attacked 'Arry and Bert when they both tried to hurt her during your first day at the school," reminded Paxton. "I should know; I was there to see it."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean Emily and I are in love," insisted Leonardo, turning his head about to look out the window while trying to keep his blushing face out of sight. "Really…"
"You certain about that, dude?" grinned Michelangelo, who loved teasing and/or annoying his older brother. "I mean REALLY certain about that?"
"Look, Mikey, I've already said that Emily's not my girlfriend, and we're not in love. End of story!"
Of course, a certain angry brown-haired boy named Raphael was far too smart to be fooled like that…
"Sure, sure… Keep telling yourself that, man," scoffed Raphael, rolling his eyes. He then turned to the rest of the party… "Am I right, fellas?"
As it turned out, the rest of the Hockey team, including Mr. Splinterson (Leonardo's own Father), knew better than to believe Leonardo's protesting words and denials, and so they all nodded in agreement to Raphael's question. One very intelligent lad even had some very wise words for his dirty blonde-haired friend…
"If I can be a bit blunt, I think you and Emily would make a great couple," encouraged Donatello. "You really should ask her out the first chance you get."
Before Leonardo could turn and say something in response, the purple-haired boy suddenly pulled out a calculator from his gym bag and did the math with it.
"Now, according to the numbers, you have about a 90% chance of her saying yes to a date, and a rather low 10% chance of getting rejected. The numbers don't lie, Leo… you have a pretty good chance at succeeding with Emily."
"Yeah!" Hank and Murdoch both agreed at once, while Den, Dart, Paxton, and Sidney all nodded silently.
"Go for it, Leo!" insisted Michelangelo.
"If you don't ask Emily out soon, I'll give ya a knuckle sandwich," Raphael threatened, shaking his fist jokingly.
Meanwhile, Mr. Splinterson just smiled at his older son, knowing that it was entirely up to him if he wanted to ask a girl like Emily out on a date. Donald and Douglas, meanwhile, both had different thoughts on the discussion about Emily…
"Even though Thomas also really likes the lass, Donal'?" Douglas quietly whispered to Donald.
"Aye, the wee lad has quite yon competition," agreed Donald, echoing some of James' past words about Leonardo to Thomas. "Yoo knaw, if Thomas doesnae make a move soon, he could miss his chance ta tell Emily how he feels about her."
"Och aye, I agree with yoo on that, Donal'…"
Those were some good statements by our two favorite Scottish teenagers, but there were a couple of slight problems about the whole thing. What were the problems? Well, the first problem was that Thomas was fully convinced he could never be in a romantic relationship with Emily because she was Sir Topham Hatt's daughter, who happened to be both Sodor High School's principal and one of THE wealthiest people living on the Island of Sodor. And the second problem; nobody else knew that Emily had feelings for both Thomas AND Leonardo. As a result, she was becoming torn over who she liked more—and that dream involving Diesel 10 didn't exactly help the matters.
(outside…)
And the bus rolled down the street as the voices inside the bus kept on talking about Hockey and girls.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the Splinterson residence later that evening, Mrs. Splinterson had finished preparing dinner by the time her husband and two sons had arrived back home.
"Casey! How did practice for the boys go today?" she asked eagerly.
"Och, it went so much more smoothly!" answered Mr. Splinterson, carrying the large Hockey bag filled with equipment. "It would seem Raph has finally realized that teamwork is the key to winning a game like Hockey. I think we'll be ready for next Friday's big game,"
"That's wonderful," smiled Mrs. Splinterson, turning to face both her sons. "Now, I've a feeling you boys might be feeling hungry after an exhausting Hockey practice, so I've made plenty of spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner."
"Radical!" cheered Michelangelo; he loved spaghetti and garlic bread.
"We're starving!" added Leonardo.
It was then the two boy's Grandfather, Hamato Yoshi, entered the dining room to have dinner with his whole family. He looked rather pleased to see Leonardo and Michelangelo after a long day at both school and Hockey practice.
"Ah, my sons! How was Hockey practice today?" Hamato Yoshi asked with interest.
"It was wonderful, Grandpa," smiled Leonardo.
"We finally got our teammate to realize that teamwork is the key!" put in Michelangelo. "Well, we had some help from our other friends to accomplish this, of course,"
"That's good to hear," Hamato Yoshi smiled back. "It's Raphael, isn't it?"
Mr. Splinterson nodded. "He's a real hothead for sure, Dad, but still a good lad deep down."
"With Raph finally learning a lesson, I think we're going to do just fine come next Friday night," grinned Michelangelo. "Now let's eat before I go crazy!"
With that said, the family gathered at the table and began eating dinner. During the meal, Hamato Yoshi spoke to his two grandsons…
"Leonardo, Michelangelo, I have been meaning to bring something up to you both," he was saying. "Your two friends, Raphael and Donatello, I would be most pleased if the next time you see them, you could ask them if they would be interested in learning martial arts under my wing like how I teach you, my sons."
"I like that idea, Grandpa!" cheered Michelangelo. "I bet Raph and Donnie would like the idea, too. They, along with Leo and myself, could ultimately become a lean, mean, crime-fighting team! We can fight ninjas belonging to an evil organization, save the world multiple times over, and eat pizza!"
He started having a daydream of a sort…
(DAYDREAM)
In the fantasy sequence, Michelangelo (wearing orange and armed with two nunchaku), Leonardo (wearing blue and armed with two katana blades), Raphael (wearing red and armed with two sai), and Donatello (wearing purple and armed with a bo staff) standing on the roof of an apartment building, awaiting for someone to arrive. Just then, the four ninja teenagers were confronted by a large army of ninjas clad in purple and black uniforms. Were the four ninja teenagers afraid? Not even close…
"Grater, we are here!" declared Fantasy Leonardo, bravely taking a step forth.
"Grater, face us!" dared Fantasy Donatello.
There was a long silence; the ninjas made no effort to attack…
"Grater! Do you fear us?!" shouted Fantasy Raphael.
Some of the ninjas soon stepped aside, allowing their leader, a man wearing a suit of armor vaguely based on that of a samurai, to approach. The armor consisted of blade-covered metal plaques on the man's shoulders, forearms, both hands, and shins; he also wore a red robe that variously appeared to be simple fabric or a form of chain mail. The man also wore a metal helmet with a trident-shaped ornament on top, and a metal ninja style mask which covered his face, leaving only his sinister-looking eyes visible.
"I am here!" The armored man (Grater) declared, laughing evilly. "Now, come and face your doom!"
The four teenagers prepared themselves for a fight against 'The Grater' and his ninja minions. Just then, before an epic battle could begin, Michelangelo's daydream was cut short.
(END DAYDREAM)
As expected, the fantasy sequence Michelangelo was enjoying got interrupted by his annoyed, and more focused on reality, older brother…
"Mikey, you read WAY too many comic books," huffed Leonardo, causing Michelangelo to pout in response to the remark. The dirty blonde-haired boy then looked towards his grandfather. "But in all seriousness, Grandpa… I think training Raph and Don in the martial arts sounds like a great idea."
Hamato Yoshi smiled.
(elsewhere…)
Later inside Spencer's fancy family mansion, his Hockey team had gathered in the lobby for a night of junk food, fun, and relaxation. Patrick had finished telling his teammates that Raphael had, so far, been keeping his word on working with his teammates instead of acting alone.
"So, you're saying that throughout his team's practice he's been working with his teammates?" mused Spencer.
"That would be correct," confirmed Patrick, nodding in agreement. "Raph was passing the puck and the likes…" He then became visibly concerned. "I don't like the looks of it."
"Boy, this is not good, Spencer," worried Cecil. "There's a good chance that our opponents could actually pull through and defeat us, and then we would have to cough up a ton of money to whichever charity they decide on!"
"I don't want to cough up that much money!" whined Monty, while Max nodded in agreement.
"In that case, we'll just have to kick things up a notch!" figured Spencer. "We'll have to find ways to trick Raph into acting alone during the game."
"Wait, you want us to try and trick Raph?" worried Logan. "Umm… I don't know about that, you guys…"
Alas, the rest of the team was far too focused on their own ideas to listen to the warnings. Neville, however, was in complete agreement with Logan…
"Come on, just listen to us for once!" he begged, trying to get Spencer and the likes to listen up. "We don't think trying to trick Raphael is a good idea!"
"Oh? And I suppose you have a better idea to ensure that we don't lose the game, smart guy?" quizzed Max.
Neville tried to come up with something, but nothing came out of his mouth.
"Yeah, we didn't think so," snickered Monty, as he and his twin brother high-fived and laughed.
Poor Neville just sighed.
"Hey! Maybe Schemer can finally be of use to us?" suggested Patrick. "I mean, he's also a certified school guidance counselor, after all. We can get him to try and trick Raph into going against his team's wishes."
"That's a great idea, Patrick!" praised Alfred.
"Don't call me Patrick!" snapped Patrick, who greatly disliked being called by his actual name. "You and I know that I prefer being called by my title of 'Lord Harry'!"
"Whatever," sighed Spencer with the roll of his eyes, before smiling once more at the newly formed plan. "Now then, boys, I'll ask Schemer the next time I see him to set up a session between him and Raph for Monday at noon-hour. That game is as good as ours!"
Yikes… How will this sort of tricking work, you could be asking? Well, it—ah, but I shall not say anything more on it, or I would risk spoiling the next part of the story.