Chapter 47

“About time you showed up buddy.” Keith snagged Nick right as he walked into the scatterball arena. It seemed squad A had already played their match, and Nick could only guess they had won. Being broadcast on a massive holoscreen, he could see Squad B facing off in the arena.

“Everything alright?” Keith seemed to pick up quickly on Nick’s mood changes. All he could do was nod, as he tried to put on a smile.

“Yeah, just nervous, and my training before was exhausting.” It was the only lie Nick could think of.

“Well, don’t be nervous Nicky. You’ve been specially trained by me, you’ll be just fine out there. Besides, your team hasn’t lost yet. You make me proud.” He grinned and slapped Nick on the back as they walked towards Nick’s team.

“We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten this far if you hadn’t let slip the techniques I was teaching you.” Keith had caught on after they used their improved physical powers against the first team they faced off against. It did give his teammates and unfair advantage against the other first year teams.

“Hey, it’s not cheating”

“If you don’t get caught.” Keith finished their favorite saying, grinning. He pulled out an apple and handed it to Nick. “Get a quick bite in, and do me proud. I’m betting Squad B should finish this up soon.” As if on que, a buzzer rang out, and the timer started its minute countdown. Squad B had taken out three of the other team.

“Thanks.” He took a bite of the apple, feeling a little better, as his eyes scanned the room. It was full of physicals, but he couldn’t see Naomi. He was relieved and distraught at the same time.

“Nick!” Tiffany pulled his attention back towards his team, and he walked over as he ate his apple. She offered him a smile as he approached, though he could tell she was nervous.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“We would have been fine without you.” Trent shoved a gauntlet into his chest, the others already wearing theirs. Nick grabbed it and grinned, and then everyone started to laugh. They had become friends over the past four months of training.

“Yeah right, who else would help hunt down the other team?” Nick and Jacob were the hunters, they took out the other team. The thin first year was surprisingly quick, which allowed he and Nick to easily overpower their opponents. Meanwhile, Tiffany and Trent would focus on scoring, with Marcus serving to protect them. Very few of the enemy first years ever felt confident fighting him. And if they did, they would quickly lose.

Nick looked at the timer, noticing there were only a few seconds remaining on the match. After that, Nick and his teammates would be up. The matches against other schools took place on a separate planet. He and his team would walk through a portal that would transport them to their starting point. From there, it was just his team, and the other, on the arena. The portals wouldn’t reappear until the match was finished, or in the event of an emergency.

“Everyone ready for our final match as first years?” He decided he would try to shake off the weight of Eli’s final meeting by distracting himself with the game.

“If we win this, we will have been undefeated for the year.” Marcus grinned at Nick. The giant was actually rather kind and soft spoken after Nick got to know him.

“And if we don’t, I’m blaming Nick.” Trent laughed at his own joke, the others joining in.

“Hey, if we lose, it’s because you weren’t scoring enough points.” More laughter, and the weight lifted from his shoulders even more.

A final buzzer, signaling the game was over, rang out. A portal appeared before them, and the group grew quiet. The air filled with tension and excitement, as they waited. Once Squad B left the portal, looking tired yet triumphant, Nick nodded towards his teammates.

“Everyone ready?” They all nodded back.

“Ready buddy?”

But of course. Dagr smiled and took flight, heading through the portal first. From his eyes, Nick was able to watch the arena. This time, it was a vast canyon, with large rocky walls creating a stone maze, and what appeared to be streams running through it.

“Oh, I like this one.” Nick smiled and started towards the portal, the other first years following him.

Just remember not to make it look too easy. He had realized early on that heading directly towards the enemy every time, especially when the match was being broadcast, seemed a little too suspicious. In order to keep suspicions from being raised, Nick would often take him and Jacob on one or two wrong turns, appearing to stumble upon the enemy, or acting surprised when the enemy showed up behind them. However, when it came down to fighting, it didn’t matter, because no matter who they fought, they won.

With the thought of victory in mind, he stepped through the portal, his team following, and onto the final scatterball arena of the year. All thoughts of Eli and his earlier nervousness and sorrow vanished. His excitement had returned, and the fire running through his veins demanded action. As the starting horn blared, Nick could only grin as he and Jacob took off. He really loved this game.