04-09-2016, 07:15 PM
Pregame music pumped into the arena through the loud sound system, and Zack stood near the center of the court, doing his final stretches. There were no uniforms or anything remotely team related given to him. He just had to identify his allies and opponents. Then again, that wasn’t too hard.
Across from him, Ashton stood with his spear in hand. Ashton’s teammates stood back and flanked him on either side, while Zack’s own companions mirrored that formation. A goomba stood at the center, just between Zack and Ashton. The brown, armless creature effortlessly bounced a large black bomb on its head, with little concern for what would happen if it were to detonate. A white ghost known as a Boo hovered to the side, with an adorable white and black striped shirt and a whistle on a string. That thing was supposedly the referee of this game.
Zack drew the Buster Sword, holding it tightly in his right hand. The game would open just the same as a game of basketball, with a jump ball. Zack knew he could touch the ceiling of this building with a single jump, but also knew it was about speed on the opening play. The plan was simple: get the ball to Ranger.
The music stopped, and the whistle blew. The goomba gave a powerful hop that knocked the ball high into the air, and the two human players reacted immediately. Zack and Ashton leaped upwards, extending their respective weapons towards the bomb. Zack got there first, and with the tip of the Buster Sword he shoved the airborne ball backwards, towards his Koopa teammate.
While the humans landed, Ranger caught the ball and began to dribble it. He hovered less than a foot above the ground, allowing him all the mobility of flight, but with a low dribble that made it difficult to steal. Ranger moved forward with terrifying efficiency, juking the Shy Guy with a simple spin maneuver and dodging Ashton’s outstretched spear. The dry bones, however, ripped its own left arm out of its socket and swung its right arm at Ranger, catching the unsuspecting paratroopa off guard. Ranger fell to the floor and the bomb bounced free. Ashton was quick to recover it and move it the opposite direction.
“How is that not a foul!?” Zack shouted to the ghostly referee, who immediately responded by freezing and covering its eyes with its hands.
“Zack!” Lieutenant Stone screamed from the sidelines. “Do not look at the referee, or he will miss the call!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Zack cried out, but he looked over to see Ashton pass the bomb past Wall, towards the Shy Guy.
Wall was unable to jump and prevent the aerial pass, and could only watch helplessly as the Shy Guy kicked the bomb into the red mark on the wall, detonating the first barricade. They had scored the first point. Zack ignored the mostly useless screaming of the crowd and also Stone, from the sideline, and instead jogged towards the ruined goal, where Wall was preparing to pass the new bomb inbounds.
Zack slid to a stop as Wall passed the explosive to him, and caught it in his left hand. He turned and began dribbling it up court, but the dry bones and shy guy both approached him with double coverage. The shy guy swatted the bomb from Zack’s hands, but Zack reached out with the Buster Sword and lightly tapped the escaping ordinance upwards before it could leave his reach.
The bomb lightly popped upwards, enough that Zack was able to twist the Buster Sword around and cradle it. The dry bones tried to reach for the ball, but Zack continued to skillfully keep his large sword between the bomb and his opponents. Since he realized fouls were apparently acceptable, he shoved the shy guy aside with his shoulder and passed the bomb to Ranger by catapulting it from the massive blade. The paratroopa easily caught the ball and hurled it into their barricade, causing another explosion that signified the score becoming tied.
“Plan Halloween!” Ashton shouted, grabbing the new bomb. Zack tilted his head. What the hell did that mean?
Ashton was insanely quick to get the replacement bomb to his dry bones companion. Zack barely realized play had resumed, but quickly charged towards the ball carrier. The dry bones was in a full sprint, and dribbled the ball far ahead of himself to match his own momentum. Suddenly, though, he made a move that sent the crowd into a thunderous applause and fit of cheering. The skeletal being flung each arm sideways, and they disconnected from their appropriate joints. Before he knew what had happened, Zack was knocked off his feet by a flying bone arm slamming into his chest. Ranger was hit just the same, and both of them were effectively out of commission.
The dry bones closed the gap by dribbling the bomb off of its skull. It then lowered its head so it could swing upwards and head-butt the explosive into the goal for their second point. What it didn’t account for, however, was the Whomp it was facing. Wall approached from the side and the dry bones never saw him coming, despite the screams from his teammates down court. The massive slab of stone collided with the tiny skeleton with all his force and sent it careening to the side. The dry bones collapsed after a few steps and exploded into a pile of bones.
The crowd was on their feet, jumping and screaming as Wall passed the bomb to Zack. As soon as he had possession, the ex-SOLDIER broke into his own sprint while dribbling the device. Ashton ran towards him and stabbed at it with his spear, a desperate attempt to stop the forward momentum. Zack swatted the spear away with the Buster Sword, however, and continued on. When he got close enough, Zack hurled the bomb at their own goal, which shattered after another satisfying explosion. The score was 2 – 1.
The shy guy had reassembled the dry bones, so the teams were even once again. Ashton passed the ball inbounds to his red, floating teammate. The shy guy moved much the same as Ranger did with the ball, hovering low to the ground and taking advantage of his low stature to make short dribbles. He moved effortlessly past Zack, but as soon as Ranger closed in on him, he passed back to Ashton. Ashton dribbled forwards, but Wall impeded his immediate pathway. This didn’t faze the man in the least, however, as he stabbed his spear into the ground and proceeded to pole vault right over the Whomp. Wall reacted by kicking the spear, but Ashton released the bomb before he went tumbling to the ground.
“Dammit!” Ranger shouted as the bomb collided with the barricade, shattering it as well and tying the game.
“Time out!” Zack shouted, looking to the referee. Once again, the Boo shielded its eyes. “For crying out loud…are there time outs!?”
“Time out! Time out!” Stone screamed from the sideline as he violently levitated up and then slammed down multiple times.
Someone blew a whistle. Zack didn’t know who, other than it surely wasn’t that poor excuse of a referee they had. He knew they wouldn’t get a lot of time, so they had to make it quick.
“Gather around!” Stone ordered his team, as the opposing team did the same on their end of the court.
“Come on, Wall!” Ranger shouted as they moved to Stone, looking back at the slow moving and heavy breathing Whomp as he did.
“Just…just a moment…” Wall panted as he struggled to keep up.
They gathered around Stone, who somehow looked angrier than normal.
“This is absurd,” Zack said as he put his hands on his hips. “It’s an offensive throw down, and why the hell didn’t you tell me what constitutes a foul?”
“What is a foul?” Stone asked, but dismissed it before Zack could respond. “Never mind! Wall, you played smart defense, but they have figured out the air attack works. Ranger, you will have to play defense. Wall, you have to be on offense and help Zack.”
“I could barely make it to the bench Lieutenant…Coach…” Wall wheezed out between breaths.
“Actually, we’re going with Coach Lieutenant,” Zack corrected him.
“Dammit, Fair!” Stone screamed to get him focused again. “We get the ball this time. Wall, you start at midfield, and Zack, do that fancy stuff with the sword again. Utilize Wall as cover. Get it in, and do not let them get their hands on it. It’s not that I do not trust Ranger, but he is not a defensive player.”
“If there’s no such thing as a foul, just start wailing on them, dude,” Zack suggested to his massive teammate, who seemed to appreciate that idea.
The whistle blew, and the three began to job to their respective places. Ranger went to pass the bomb in, Wall went towards the center, and Zack was somewhere between them. Zack just took a deep breath as explosive device left Ranger’s hands, and bounced right into his. Zack started to dribble and turned towards the opposition.
Only one point to go, for better or worse.
Across from him, Ashton stood with his spear in hand. Ashton’s teammates stood back and flanked him on either side, while Zack’s own companions mirrored that formation. A goomba stood at the center, just between Zack and Ashton. The brown, armless creature effortlessly bounced a large black bomb on its head, with little concern for what would happen if it were to detonate. A white ghost known as a Boo hovered to the side, with an adorable white and black striped shirt and a whistle on a string. That thing was supposedly the referee of this game.
Zack drew the Buster Sword, holding it tightly in his right hand. The game would open just the same as a game of basketball, with a jump ball. Zack knew he could touch the ceiling of this building with a single jump, but also knew it was about speed on the opening play. The plan was simple: get the ball to Ranger.
The music stopped, and the whistle blew. The goomba gave a powerful hop that knocked the ball high into the air, and the two human players reacted immediately. Zack and Ashton leaped upwards, extending their respective weapons towards the bomb. Zack got there first, and with the tip of the Buster Sword he shoved the airborne ball backwards, towards his Koopa teammate.
While the humans landed, Ranger caught the ball and began to dribble it. He hovered less than a foot above the ground, allowing him all the mobility of flight, but with a low dribble that made it difficult to steal. Ranger moved forward with terrifying efficiency, juking the Shy Guy with a simple spin maneuver and dodging Ashton’s outstretched spear. The dry bones, however, ripped its own left arm out of its socket and swung its right arm at Ranger, catching the unsuspecting paratroopa off guard. Ranger fell to the floor and the bomb bounced free. Ashton was quick to recover it and move it the opposite direction.
“How is that not a foul!?” Zack shouted to the ghostly referee, who immediately responded by freezing and covering its eyes with its hands.
“Zack!” Lieutenant Stone screamed from the sidelines. “Do not look at the referee, or he will miss the call!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Zack cried out, but he looked over to see Ashton pass the bomb past Wall, towards the Shy Guy.
Wall was unable to jump and prevent the aerial pass, and could only watch helplessly as the Shy Guy kicked the bomb into the red mark on the wall, detonating the first barricade. They had scored the first point. Zack ignored the mostly useless screaming of the crowd and also Stone, from the sideline, and instead jogged towards the ruined goal, where Wall was preparing to pass the new bomb inbounds.
Zack slid to a stop as Wall passed the explosive to him, and caught it in his left hand. He turned and began dribbling it up court, but the dry bones and shy guy both approached him with double coverage. The shy guy swatted the bomb from Zack’s hands, but Zack reached out with the Buster Sword and lightly tapped the escaping ordinance upwards before it could leave his reach.
The bomb lightly popped upwards, enough that Zack was able to twist the Buster Sword around and cradle it. The dry bones tried to reach for the ball, but Zack continued to skillfully keep his large sword between the bomb and his opponents. Since he realized fouls were apparently acceptable, he shoved the shy guy aside with his shoulder and passed the bomb to Ranger by catapulting it from the massive blade. The paratroopa easily caught the ball and hurled it into their barricade, causing another explosion that signified the score becoming tied.
“Plan Halloween!” Ashton shouted, grabbing the new bomb. Zack tilted his head. What the hell did that mean?
Ashton was insanely quick to get the replacement bomb to his dry bones companion. Zack barely realized play had resumed, but quickly charged towards the ball carrier. The dry bones was in a full sprint, and dribbled the ball far ahead of himself to match his own momentum. Suddenly, though, he made a move that sent the crowd into a thunderous applause and fit of cheering. The skeletal being flung each arm sideways, and they disconnected from their appropriate joints. Before he knew what had happened, Zack was knocked off his feet by a flying bone arm slamming into his chest. Ranger was hit just the same, and both of them were effectively out of commission.
The dry bones closed the gap by dribbling the bomb off of its skull. It then lowered its head so it could swing upwards and head-butt the explosive into the goal for their second point. What it didn’t account for, however, was the Whomp it was facing. Wall approached from the side and the dry bones never saw him coming, despite the screams from his teammates down court. The massive slab of stone collided with the tiny skeleton with all his force and sent it careening to the side. The dry bones collapsed after a few steps and exploded into a pile of bones.
The crowd was on their feet, jumping and screaming as Wall passed the bomb to Zack. As soon as he had possession, the ex-SOLDIER broke into his own sprint while dribbling the device. Ashton ran towards him and stabbed at it with his spear, a desperate attempt to stop the forward momentum. Zack swatted the spear away with the Buster Sword, however, and continued on. When he got close enough, Zack hurled the bomb at their own goal, which shattered after another satisfying explosion. The score was 2 – 1.
The shy guy had reassembled the dry bones, so the teams were even once again. Ashton passed the ball inbounds to his red, floating teammate. The shy guy moved much the same as Ranger did with the ball, hovering low to the ground and taking advantage of his low stature to make short dribbles. He moved effortlessly past Zack, but as soon as Ranger closed in on him, he passed back to Ashton. Ashton dribbled forwards, but Wall impeded his immediate pathway. This didn’t faze the man in the least, however, as he stabbed his spear into the ground and proceeded to pole vault right over the Whomp. Wall reacted by kicking the spear, but Ashton released the bomb before he went tumbling to the ground.
“Dammit!” Ranger shouted as the bomb collided with the barricade, shattering it as well and tying the game.
“Time out!” Zack shouted, looking to the referee. Once again, the Boo shielded its eyes. “For crying out loud…are there time outs!?”
“Time out! Time out!” Stone screamed from the sideline as he violently levitated up and then slammed down multiple times.
Someone blew a whistle. Zack didn’t know who, other than it surely wasn’t that poor excuse of a referee they had. He knew they wouldn’t get a lot of time, so they had to make it quick.
“Gather around!” Stone ordered his team, as the opposing team did the same on their end of the court.
“Come on, Wall!” Ranger shouted as they moved to Stone, looking back at the slow moving and heavy breathing Whomp as he did.
“Just…just a moment…” Wall panted as he struggled to keep up.
They gathered around Stone, who somehow looked angrier than normal.
“This is absurd,” Zack said as he put his hands on his hips. “It’s an offensive throw down, and why the hell didn’t you tell me what constitutes a foul?”
“What is a foul?” Stone asked, but dismissed it before Zack could respond. “Never mind! Wall, you played smart defense, but they have figured out the air attack works. Ranger, you will have to play defense. Wall, you have to be on offense and help Zack.”
“I could barely make it to the bench Lieutenant…Coach…” Wall wheezed out between breaths.
“Actually, we’re going with Coach Lieutenant,” Zack corrected him.
“Dammit, Fair!” Stone screamed to get him focused again. “We get the ball this time. Wall, you start at midfield, and Zack, do that fancy stuff with the sword again. Utilize Wall as cover. Get it in, and do not let them get their hands on it. It’s not that I do not trust Ranger, but he is not a defensive player.”
“If there’s no such thing as a foul, just start wailing on them, dude,” Zack suggested to his massive teammate, who seemed to appreciate that idea.
The whistle blew, and the three began to job to their respective places. Ranger went to pass the bomb in, Wall went towards the center, and Zack was somewhere between them. Zack just took a deep breath as explosive device left Ranger’s hands, and bounced right into his. Zack started to dribble and turned towards the opposition.
Only one point to go, for better or worse.