04-06-2016, 09:05 PM
Zack stepped into the gym, looking around as he did. It contained what seemed like a normal basketball court, with the exception that there weren’t any hoops to be seen. The decorations were also typical of the Koopa Kingdom’s facilities, in that they emphasized the same three things as usual: stone, lava, and Bowser.
Milling about the place were various Koopas of many different species and ethnicities. The ones on the court were dribbling solid black balls that seemed to function the same as basketballs, though each of the players had different means of doing so, given their respective anatomies. Others were playing defense and typically trying to impede the others. It looked a lot like a normal practice session, if one could ignore the glaring oddities.
Lieutenant Stone slammed down next to Zack with his usual immense force. If the Ex-SOLDIER knew one thing about the Thwomp, it was that he didn’t want to be under him when he came crashing down. Zack crossed his arms, while Stone narrowed his eyes into a glare as he looked at the others.
“So, just to get this straightened out off the bat…” Zack began to wonder aloud, earning himself a curious sideways glance from the Thwomp. “Is it ‘Coach Lieutenant’ or ‘Lieutenant Coach?’ ‘Coach Lieutenant’ doesn’t flow quite as well, but ‘Lieutenant Coach’ implies that there’s a higher ranking coach present. What do you think?”
“I am Lieutenant Stone,” the Thwomp firmly replied, finding no amusement in Zack’s ramblings.
Zack just laughed. He was definitely getting a feel for the guy’s probable reputation among his troops. “I’m going to go with Coach Lieutenant, I think.”
“Whatever. Listen up, now,” Stone brushed the proud super soldier’s words aside, and let out a sharp whistle.
Two of the Koopas dropped what they were doing, and immediately came over to them. The first was what Zack recognized as a Paratroopa. It was a typical Koopa that seemed to make up the core species of this nation, except that it had small wings attached to its blue shell. They were small and unimpressive, but at the same time they kept it hovering above the ground just fine. The other was a tall and incredibly imposing rectangular slab of stone, with a terrifying face. Zack knew this one, too. It was called a Whomp. Obviously there was some relation to Stone’s species. Though it was probably distant, it was still probably closer than any of the other Koopa tribes.
“This is Ranger,” Stone said, his eyes darting to the blue shelled paratroopa, who raised a hand to volunteer his identity. “He is one of our unit’s top scouts and has some experience with special operations and unconventional warfare.”
Zack nodded and slightly raised his hand to greet the flying Koopa.
“This is Wall,” Stone gestured to the Whomp, who towered over them and glared down at Zack silently. “He is one of our unit’s front line combatants. His skillset should be wildly apparent to you.”
Zack once again nodded his head in confirmation. It wasn’t hard to guess the use an army would have for a sentient slab of thick concrete. Still, he had one question…
“And no,” Stone suddenly cut off Zack before he could even begin to ask. “Those are not their real names. They are codenames, assigned by our squad. They are the best at this game in our division. They will be your teammates, for bombsketball is three versus three.”
Zack grinned in response, amused that Stone remembered their slightly awkward introduction. “Sounds good.”
“Now, let us begin. First, you must learn the rules and specifics of bombsketball,” Stone declared.
Zack held out his hands, gesturing to Ranger. The paratroopa understood, and passed the black ball he was holding to the ex-SOLDIER. Zack caught it with ease, and looked it over. He then tossed it up lightly a few times, never higher than his own head. Finally, he dropped it to the ground and efficiently dribbled it. He caught the ball and looked to Stone again. It felt and functioned exactly like a real, properly inflated basketball. Zack had never been a star player, but he enjoyed pickup games in the company building back in his own world. As a result, he viewed himself as a pretty decent player, for an amateur.
“The bomb you use to play the game will look slightly different, but function generally the same,” Stone said as he watched Zack acclimate himself to the practice ball. “We just don’t use live ordinance for practice.”
“Oh, of course. That would be dangerous,” Zack sarcastically agreed.
“The rules are similar to the game of basketball that you insist on comparing it to,” Stone seemed far too displeased by the seemingly fair comparison. “However, the key difference is the lack of hoops and a basket in which you place the ball.”
That made sense to Zack, since the first thing he noticed was the lack of goals.
“Instead, there are three walls on each side of the court. They are nearly indestructible, but a precise hit from the bomb you will be dribbling and passing will detonate the explosive and crumble the wall to pieces,” Stone explained.
“Sounds legit, so far,” Zack wasn’t letting his sarcasm show in his tone. He played it straight. “Slamming an armed bomb into the ground repeatedly while moving it close enough to cause an explosion in a precise spot.”
“Quite,” Once again it went over Stone’s head, but Ranger seemed to shoot Zack a knowing glance. The Thwomp just continued without incident. “This will obviously make the arena larger, but move you closer to the ultimate goal. Once the wall is destroyed, the opposing team will receive a replacement bomb, and it will continue. The first team to destroy all three will win.”
“And what happens if we run out of time?” Zack asked, curiously. “Are there some sort of sudden death rules?”
“There is no time limit,” Stone answered. “It may take five minutes or five weeks. You play until the three barricades are destroyed for either side.”
“Alright, I think I get the idea of it,” Zack said, taking the Buster Sword off he back and leaning it against a nearby rack. “Let’s practice some basics. Get used to each other’s styles.”
“What are you doing?” Wall the Whomp spoke up, looking at Zack’s massive sword.
“What?” Zack asked, pausing as he was confused by the question.
“Your sword, why are you putting it aside?” Ranger clarified, cocking his head in equal confusion.
“Because…you don’t use swords in basketball?” Zack couldn’t shake the feeling that this was some kind of trick question.
“This isn’t basketball. This is bombsketball,” Stone once more emphasized, very sternly.
Zack paused and shrugged. That was a good point. He was more than happy to pick the Buster Sword back up and place it on his back once more. He was far more comfortable with the giant slab of metal than without it, anyway. It was just something he had gotten used to. Being able to use it in a basketball game – or, bombsketball – was bizarre, but exciting.
Ranger and Wall spread out, while Zack stayed with Stone. They began the basic drill of passing the ball between themselves, as it was just something light to get them started.
“What about that other guy?” Zack asked Stone while they worked. “What can you tell me about him?”
“Not much, truly,” Stone commented. “I scouted you out, my colleague scouted him. The Magikoopa that we spoke to is one of the main recruiters that issues the challenges. I do know that he wields that spear quite formidably, and is very athletic. He will be a good challenge. I believe his name was Ashton.”
That was enough for Zack. All that really mattered was honing his own abilities. It a twisted, bizarre way, it all made sense. Odd circumstances often forged the strongest friendships. This was, for certain, an odd situation. By that logic, these Koopas and their battalion might end up being some of Zack’s closest allies.
Milling about the place were various Koopas of many different species and ethnicities. The ones on the court were dribbling solid black balls that seemed to function the same as basketballs, though each of the players had different means of doing so, given their respective anatomies. Others were playing defense and typically trying to impede the others. It looked a lot like a normal practice session, if one could ignore the glaring oddities.
Lieutenant Stone slammed down next to Zack with his usual immense force. If the Ex-SOLDIER knew one thing about the Thwomp, it was that he didn’t want to be under him when he came crashing down. Zack crossed his arms, while Stone narrowed his eyes into a glare as he looked at the others.
“So, just to get this straightened out off the bat…” Zack began to wonder aloud, earning himself a curious sideways glance from the Thwomp. “Is it ‘Coach Lieutenant’ or ‘Lieutenant Coach?’ ‘Coach Lieutenant’ doesn’t flow quite as well, but ‘Lieutenant Coach’ implies that there’s a higher ranking coach present. What do you think?”
“I am Lieutenant Stone,” the Thwomp firmly replied, finding no amusement in Zack’s ramblings.
Zack just laughed. He was definitely getting a feel for the guy’s probable reputation among his troops. “I’m going to go with Coach Lieutenant, I think.”
“Whatever. Listen up, now,” Stone brushed the proud super soldier’s words aside, and let out a sharp whistle.
Two of the Koopas dropped what they were doing, and immediately came over to them. The first was what Zack recognized as a Paratroopa. It was a typical Koopa that seemed to make up the core species of this nation, except that it had small wings attached to its blue shell. They were small and unimpressive, but at the same time they kept it hovering above the ground just fine. The other was a tall and incredibly imposing rectangular slab of stone, with a terrifying face. Zack knew this one, too. It was called a Whomp. Obviously there was some relation to Stone’s species. Though it was probably distant, it was still probably closer than any of the other Koopa tribes.
“This is Ranger,” Stone said, his eyes darting to the blue shelled paratroopa, who raised a hand to volunteer his identity. “He is one of our unit’s top scouts and has some experience with special operations and unconventional warfare.”
Zack nodded and slightly raised his hand to greet the flying Koopa.
“This is Wall,” Stone gestured to the Whomp, who towered over them and glared down at Zack silently. “He is one of our unit’s front line combatants. His skillset should be wildly apparent to you.”
Zack once again nodded his head in confirmation. It wasn’t hard to guess the use an army would have for a sentient slab of thick concrete. Still, he had one question…
“And no,” Stone suddenly cut off Zack before he could even begin to ask. “Those are not their real names. They are codenames, assigned by our squad. They are the best at this game in our division. They will be your teammates, for bombsketball is three versus three.”
Zack grinned in response, amused that Stone remembered their slightly awkward introduction. “Sounds good.”
“Now, let us begin. First, you must learn the rules and specifics of bombsketball,” Stone declared.
Zack held out his hands, gesturing to Ranger. The paratroopa understood, and passed the black ball he was holding to the ex-SOLDIER. Zack caught it with ease, and looked it over. He then tossed it up lightly a few times, never higher than his own head. Finally, he dropped it to the ground and efficiently dribbled it. He caught the ball and looked to Stone again. It felt and functioned exactly like a real, properly inflated basketball. Zack had never been a star player, but he enjoyed pickup games in the company building back in his own world. As a result, he viewed himself as a pretty decent player, for an amateur.
“The bomb you use to play the game will look slightly different, but function generally the same,” Stone said as he watched Zack acclimate himself to the practice ball. “We just don’t use live ordinance for practice.”
“Oh, of course. That would be dangerous,” Zack sarcastically agreed.
“The rules are similar to the game of basketball that you insist on comparing it to,” Stone seemed far too displeased by the seemingly fair comparison. “However, the key difference is the lack of hoops and a basket in which you place the ball.”
That made sense to Zack, since the first thing he noticed was the lack of goals.
“Instead, there are three walls on each side of the court. They are nearly indestructible, but a precise hit from the bomb you will be dribbling and passing will detonate the explosive and crumble the wall to pieces,” Stone explained.
“Sounds legit, so far,” Zack wasn’t letting his sarcasm show in his tone. He played it straight. “Slamming an armed bomb into the ground repeatedly while moving it close enough to cause an explosion in a precise spot.”
“Quite,” Once again it went over Stone’s head, but Ranger seemed to shoot Zack a knowing glance. The Thwomp just continued without incident. “This will obviously make the arena larger, but move you closer to the ultimate goal. Once the wall is destroyed, the opposing team will receive a replacement bomb, and it will continue. The first team to destroy all three will win.”
“And what happens if we run out of time?” Zack asked, curiously. “Are there some sort of sudden death rules?”
“There is no time limit,” Stone answered. “It may take five minutes or five weeks. You play until the three barricades are destroyed for either side.”
“Alright, I think I get the idea of it,” Zack said, taking the Buster Sword off he back and leaning it against a nearby rack. “Let’s practice some basics. Get used to each other’s styles.”
“What are you doing?” Wall the Whomp spoke up, looking at Zack’s massive sword.
“What?” Zack asked, pausing as he was confused by the question.
“Your sword, why are you putting it aside?” Ranger clarified, cocking his head in equal confusion.
“Because…you don’t use swords in basketball?” Zack couldn’t shake the feeling that this was some kind of trick question.
“This isn’t basketball. This is bombsketball,” Stone once more emphasized, very sternly.
Zack paused and shrugged. That was a good point. He was more than happy to pick the Buster Sword back up and place it on his back once more. He was far more comfortable with the giant slab of metal than without it, anyway. It was just something he had gotten used to. Being able to use it in a basketball game – or, bombsketball – was bizarre, but exciting.
Ranger and Wall spread out, while Zack stayed with Stone. They began the basic drill of passing the ball between themselves, as it was just something light to get them started.
“What about that other guy?” Zack asked Stone while they worked. “What can you tell me about him?”
“Not much, truly,” Stone commented. “I scouted you out, my colleague scouted him. The Magikoopa that we spoke to is one of the main recruiters that issues the challenges. I do know that he wields that spear quite formidably, and is very athletic. He will be a good challenge. I believe his name was Ashton.”
That was enough for Zack. All that really mattered was honing his own abilities. It a twisted, bizarre way, it all made sense. Odd circumstances often forged the strongest friendships. This was, for certain, an odd situation. By that logic, these Koopas and their battalion might end up being some of Zack’s closest allies.