“Apollo will be our defender,” Set said.
Loki replied, “Very well.” He turned his attention back to Ev and company. “And your team?”
“That’s a tough one,” Ev said.
“It’s no easy decision, that’s for sure,” Jaysin said.
“I don’t think you should choose a woman for this,” Daryn cautioned.
CiCi furrowed her brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, the defender exists solely to get hit by the ball, and you better believe Zero Grade’s going to be kicking it as hard as they possibly can. We can’t ask you or Maya to take that kind of abuse.”
Ev considered that for a moment. “Yeah, but is it any safer on the court? You said it yourself—Zero Grade’s not going to be coming at us with kid gloves out there, and this sport can get vicious.”
Jaysin offered a suggestion. “Seems to me, we need a big guy to guard the goal. I nominate Daryn.”
“You sure about that?” Daryn said. “Not that I mind, but I could be a lot of help out there on the court.”
But Ev said, “Jaysin’s right; you’re the biggest guy here, and we need you to block those kicks. You should be the defender.”
“Who died and made you captain of the team?”
Ev pointed a confident thumb at himself. “I played hezball in high school, and I’m pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.”
“All right, fine. I’m the defender, I guess.”
“Excellent!” Loki said. “It’s decided. Now then, I’ll need both captains to stand in the center of the court.” Ev and Set did so. “I’m going to toss a coin. Heads or tails?”
“Heads,” Ev said.
“Tails, then,” Set said.
Loki tossed the coin. “Heads.”
“Tsk,” Set hissed.
“Sweet,” Ev said. “We get to go first.”
Chapter XX
After the coin toss, both teams huddled together for a strategy meeting. The Academy team occupied the south and west goals, meaning they had to get the ball into either the north or east ones. Ev explained, “All right, here’s the deal. I’m going to take the ball and run with it. Jaysin, you’ll be on my left. Maya, you’re on my right. CiCi, you’ll be on Maya’s right. Just cover me as I get to the goal.”
They nodded and the team proceeded to the starting line at the center of the court. Apparently Loki was going to be the referee for this event, as he greeted them with the ball and a gun, and he handed the former to Ev. “All right! When I fire my pistol, the game will begin. Ready?”
“Ready,” Ev said.
“Likewise,” Set said.
“Very well!”
He pointed the pistol in the air and fired. Both teams surged forward. Ev ducked as Set tried to grab him, while Jaysin collided with Dionysus, Maya with Persephone, and CiCi with Mercury. It seemed their respective rivalries hadn’t quite been settled yet.
Ev quickly got past Set and charged toward the five-point goal, which Apollo wasn’t currently guarding. Ev had decided to start small and work his way up to the ten-point goal once his team had gotten more comfortable with their roles in this event.
In no time, he had made his way over to the goal and swiftly kicked the ball into it. A buzzer rang out. The MC/referee shouted, “Five points for the Academy. They’re off to an early lead.”
Ev allowed himself to feel slightly content. They were, after all, well on their way to winning the God Games. He did, however, remind himself not to get too cocky.
Next it was Zero Grade’s turn. Once again, they met at the center of the court. And once again, both teams collided immediately. This time, though, it was Set who managed to shirk past Ev, proving his agility as a veteran god. But unlike Ev, he wasn’t satisfied with merely tying the score. He went straight for the Academy team’s ten-point goal, currently being defended by Daryn. He dropped the ball and delivered a swift kick, sending it hurling towards Daryn. The ginger moved his body to intercept it, but it was an awkward motion; he clearly wasn’t used to having his hands bound by haradium manacles. The ball soared over his head and into the net.
“And Zero Grade takes ten points! They now have a two-to-one lead over the Academy!”
Ev rushed over to Daryn. “Dammit, Daryn! You can’t let them get the ball into the goal.” He felt flush with anger at Zero Grade’s easy score.
Daryn’s face was turning bright red. “Shut the yur up! You’re the one who made me defender!”
Maya quickly got between them. “Please, don’t fight. This is exactly what Zero Grade wants.” Ev looked her in the eyes, and he just couldn’t stay mad when gazing upon her beautiful face.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Daryn.”
Daryn’s face returned to a more normal hue. “It’s fine. I guess. I’m just not used to doing this. We don’t have this game in the Tru Republic.”
“You can do it,” Ev said. “I know you can. Seems like I’m saying that a lot today, but it’s true. Every single person on this team is more than capable of coming through for one another. You just focus on blocking those shots.”
He nodded. “You can count on me.”
It was Ev’s team’s turn with the ball. As captain, Ev once again took control of it. This time, he fell back and let the rest of his team rush forward. As expected, Set’s team ran around them in an attempt to stop Ev. This was his chance.
“Jaysin!” he yelled as he launched the ball into the floor where it bounced off towards Jaysin. Set and Mercury attempted to grab it, but it was moving too fast and they ended up running smack into one another.
Jaysin caught the ball and ran towards the ten-point goal which Apollo was still guarding. It was a risky move, but they needed the points.
He kicked the ball. Apollo moved to block it with his body, but it curved and went over his shoulder into the net.
They all cheered. “Stupendous! The Academy is now at fifteen points. They have a slight lead over Zero Grade.” Set wasted no time tearing into Apollo, but the ebony god simply shrugged and promised to do better next time.
And now it was the Zero Grade team’s turn. In an identical maneuver, Set fell back and let his team move on ahead. “He’s going to try passing it! Watch the ball!” Ev told his teammates.
They tried to get at Set, but his teammates proved to be excellent blockers, and Ev and company couldn’t get through.
Suddenly, Set had four arms, each one holding a ball. “What the hell?” Jaysin said.
Set passed four different balls down court. Ev shoved Mercury aside and dove to grab one, but it disappeared as soon as he touched it. “The ball’s a fake!”
Jaysin did the same, and the ball he tried grabbing was also fake. Ditto with Maya; CiCi was blocked by Dionysus and unable to try.
Without warning, the buzzer sounded, and they turned around to find a triumphant Persephone and a stunned Daryn. “Amazing! Unbelievable! Only one of the balls was real, and Per-Per took it and scored ten-points. Zero Grade now has twenty points!”
“Time out!” Ev said. The team huddled together. “What the hell just happened?”
Maya said, “Apparently Set is capable of creating illusions with his body. He made a set of fake balls to fool us.”
“If he can do that every time, we’re in a bad situation,” Jaysin said.
“No shit,” Ev replied. “The question is, what do we do about it?”
CiCi offered a suggestion. “Can’t we just watch which hand is holding the ball when he makes his copies?”
Maya patted her on the back. “Great idea, CiCi. Whenever he gets the ball, pay close attention. Otherwise, he’ll just keep on making fools of us.”
“That won’t be easy with his friends trying to get in our way,” Jaysin said.
“Just do your best,” Ev said. He could offer no better advice than that at the moment.
Now their team had the ball. Ev passed the ball to Maya who proceeded to run down the court with it. She didn’t get far, how
ever, before she was blocked by Persephone and Mercury. Fortunately, they were tackled by CiCi and Jaysin, respectively. Maya was now free to continue to the goal.
She had just about arrived when someone tackled her from behind. She looked up; Set now stood over her. He took the ball and, according to the rules, now had possession over it.
Ev rushed over and tried to take him down, but Set leapt over him. Ev quickly turned around to try again, but the older god was already running down the court.
Ev’s team converged to try and stop him, yet again found themselves faced with his doppelganger balls. Worse, they had been busy with Set’s teammates and didn’t see which hand held the real ball.
This time, Set threw two balls, one at the east wall, and one at the west. Jaysin split off to catch the east ball, while CiCi went after the west one, leaving Set completely unopposed because Ev and Maya were still behind him.
He ran down court and kicked the real ball into the five-point goal for an easy score. “And Zero Grade now has twenty-five points to the Academy’s fifteen! Is this the beginning of the end for these plucky students and their school?”
“Not a chance,” Ev said. In fact, they were nowhere near defeated. They had come too far to lose now. They just needed a way to deal with Set’s fake balls.
Since the Academy had just gone, it was still Zero Grade’s turn. Once again, Set took the ball, fell back, and summoned his ersatz spheres. This time, though, Ev was paying attention, even while being blocked by Dionysus. He turned around and held up his right hand, indicating which of Set’s hand held the real ball.
Set tossed all four balls, but Ev’s team wasn’t fooled. CiCi dove past Persephone and grabbed it, giving them possession.
CiCi began running down court towards the goals. Set moved to intercept her, but Ev came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground. CiCi went around them and came face to face with Apollo. He wore an expression of grim determination.
However, she shocked him by conjuring one of her chakrams. It immediately began flying all around him. He tried kicking it away, but that just left him open. She kicked the ball into the ten-point goal.
“And the Academy scores ten points, bringing their total up to twenty-five, tying them with Zero Grade.”
“That’s against the rules! Weapons are not allowed!” Set yelled.
CiCi wagged a finger at him. “Nuh-uh! Using your weapon to attack is against the rules. I didn’t attack anyone.”
Loki took a moment to confer with his fellow gods. He then came back and said, “Ci-Ci is correct. She technically didn’t attack, so she didn’t violate the rules.”
All right, Ev said to himself, relieved. Only thirty-five points to go.
* * *
It was now the fourth quarter. The Academy team still hadn’t found a reliable way to beat Set’s illusions; he still managed to fool them with regularity.
The score was fifty to fifty. They knew the game would be over very soon, and Ev was thankful for that. His team was exhausted—most of them having already competed in events—and even though he hadn’t had to do that, he found his energy running out. Like the rest of his team, he was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. The day’s events had pushed them toward their physical limits.
“Amazing!” Loki said as he stood in the center of the court after the tie-making kick. “These two teams have left everything on the court. They’ve held nothing back, and one must wonder what they have left to give.” If there was a bright spot in all this, it was that the Zero Grade team was also visibly weakened from their struggles.
Set replied, “Just you watch. We’re about to put an end to this farce.”
“You’re about to come to an end, all right,” Ev huffed, trying to sound intimidating.
“Spare us your youthful bravado,” Dionysus said. “You’re obviously at your limit. You played well for such inexperienced gods, but victory belongs to us.”
Ev glared at him. “Spare us your old person arrogance. We’re winning this thing.”
Loki happily declared, “Enough talk. Let’s settle this on the court!”
Since the Academy had just scored, it was now Zero Grade’s turn. Set took the ball and fell back, as he had done many times during this game. But this time, instead of rushing forward, his teammates fell back with him. They converged on him, blocking Ev’s teams’ view of him.
The Academy team was then startled when not one, but four Sets emerged from the huddle. Two ran towards the Academy’s five-point goal, and two ran to the ten-point one. Ev didn’t know which one was real, so he ordered his team, “Jaysin, head for the five-point goal! Everyone else, back up Daryn!”
Jaysin went to intercept the two Sets heading to the western wall, while Ev, Maya and CiCi rushed to the southern one. Jaysin picked a Set and tackled, but he went right through him.
The rest of the team tackled two other Sets, but they turned out to be just as ethereal. That left only the one heading toward the five-point goal, and with Jaysin momentarily down, he was unopposed.
Set kicked the ball into the goal, bringing the Zero Grade score to fifty-five. “Unbelievable! A set—pun intended—of faux Sets enables them to once again get the drop on the Academy team. They’re only five points away from winning the God Games!”
Ev called a time-out, and the team huddled together. “Right sticky situation, this is,” Jaysin said. He was soaked in sweat.
“Thanks for the update,” Ev said sarcastically. “Our backs are against the wall, but when are they not? This next play will decide everything. Either we score ten points, or they score and beat us. We need a plan. Does anyone have any ideas?”
CiCi said, “I do. I didn’t want to mention it before because it’s real risky. But seeing as how we we’re out of options, what the heck.”
“What’s your idea?” Maya asked.
She explained, “I’ve been working on improving my chakrams’ reconnaissance capabilities. They can now see in multiple spectrums such as x-ray and infrared. One of those might just be able to see through Set’s tricks. The only catch is, I’d be defenseless while I’m using them. I wouldn’t be able to block or receive a pass.”
“In other words, we’d be a man—err, woman—down,” Jaysin said.
She nodded. “That’s why I didn’t want to try it until now.”
“You’re right,” Ev said. “It’s risky as hell. But unless anyone else has any ideas?” Jaysin and Maya shook their heads. “I guess that settles it. CiCi, bring out your chakrams.”
Ev signaled the end of the time-out, and his team gathered at the center of the court. CiCi conjured her strange tools.
Persephone, upon seeing them, said to her team, “Watch out. She’s going to try and distract us with those things.”
A smug Set replied, “Hmph. Let her try. I’m the king of distractions.”
Ev took the ball. Almost immediately, Set’s team converged on him and, again, four of him appeared. “CiCi?”
She said, “X-ray’s not helping. I’m still getting multiple Sets. Let me switch to ultraviolet. Nope—still four of him.”
“CiCi!” This plan was about to backfire in a big way. She needed to hurry.
“The pink-haired girl’s trying to see through my illusions!” the Sets said. “Stop her!”
Uh-oh. The Zero Grade team was now bearing down on CiCi. Ev, Maya and Jaysin quickly formed a human wall around her, but they wouldn’t be able to protect her for very long.
“Switching to infrared.”
“Anything?” Ev said.
“Uh… let’s see…”
The Zero Grade team collided with them. Ev struggled to remain standing as Mercury tackled him. They remained locked in a fierce embrace for several moments.
Finally, CiCi said. “That’s it! I’m only seeing one Set now.”
Summoning all his strength, Ev shoved Mercury aside and charged toward Apollo. “Which one’s real?” All four Sets were now converging on him from different angles.
“The one directly to your right!”
Ev saw the one she was talking about. He ducked the real Set’s outstretched arms and plowed right through the fakes. He was now headed straight to his opponents’ ten-point goal, and nothing was going to stop him from getting the ball into it.
He stopped a mere ten feet from it. Apollo glared at him, daring him to try and get past him. Ev was all too happy to accept the challenge.
In one fluid motion, Ev dropped the ball and kicked it with everything he had left. It shot towards Apollo like a cannonball. The ebony god, though, managed to block it with his chest. It appeared Ev had failed.
Until We Break Page 21
