Court Competition by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters. You have been warned.
A few weeks had passed since the guild had come to the Academy. Young Rogziel had almost forgotten about it. His usual responsibilities of school, chores, and his obligation to the soccer squad took up a lot of his time. Despite only being 12, he was able to keep up with them for the most part. It was only on occasion that he struggled in his classes, especially when it came to math or science.
It was the beginning of a new week and the first school term was in full swing. Teachers had been giving the students more assignments to keep them busy. Tests and other forms of assessments were given every so often with some of them being more important than others. Of course, the cubs and teens of the academy saw them as much the same. Another reason for them to stress out and worry about something that didn't always translate to the real world.
Rogziel got up from his slumber to the sound of the alarm buzzing off. Monday was always sluggish for him. The weekend sometimes was lazy and when it was, he found it harder to get up for school the following weekday. He yawned and stretched, looking out the window to the sight of the sun peering its bright gaze through the window. The scorbunny squinted a bit before turning to get ready for the day.
The cub changed out of his pajamas and into the school uniform. The difference between the loose-fitting two-piece pajama set and more form-fitting polo and khaki's was always a bit stifling at first. Padding through the hall and into the kitchen, now ready to start a new day. His parents were nowhere to be seen so he assumed they probably were already at work. Still, there was some oatmeal and fruit left on the counter for him.
Touching the side of the bowl of the oatmeal bowl, he found it needed to be reheated. He went ahead and popped it into the microwave as he munched on an apple. Once the warm soupy substance was ready he made quick work of his food as he had already worked up his appetite from the fruit. After he was done, he went about cleaning up his mess and got himself ready to leave for school.
He found his bag already lying on the couch in the front room. A note from his mother told them where she and his father were. But he already guessed what it said and only skimmed through it. Putting the back on his back, he treaded his way through the front door and locked it behind him. It was a little cooler today as the change in seasons was well underway in the town of Tucho.
It wasn't quite cold enough to cause Rogziel to go back and get a jacket but he still shivered a bit as his body adjusted to the temperature. Making his way to school, he followed the same dirt path that he always did. The usual flow of busses and ride-share services passed by him. He paid them no attention as he continued toward the academy. Occasionally he looked around to see if anyone else he knew was walking to school that day but it was not the case.
Arriving at school, he found the front yard to be just as congested as it usually was. Cubs and teens were hanging around here and there, waiting for the next bell for them to be let inside. Rogziel continued to the side of the school where his friends hung out. As always they were by the oran berry bush, which had just begun sprouting the fruits much to the delight of the botany classes. He headed over towards his friends Pent and Nait.
The fennekin and shinx waved him over. They were sitting underneath the small bush with their feet spread out in front of them.
"Hey, guys how's it going?" The rabbit asked trying to be cordial and get a conversation started.
Nait shrugged. "It's going good. You?"
"It's going. How about you, Pent?" The scorbunny sat down to join them.
The white fox smiled. "It's good. Just a small test today. Nothing serious."
"I'm sure you'll do fine. You're really smart." The rabbit couldn't help but compliment the boy who was more studious than he was.
Pent couldn't help but feel better about the situation. "Thanks, I studied a lot."
"What do you guys have planned after school?" The biggest boy asked as he figured they could do something since there was no soccer practice that day.
The shinx kitten thought about it for a moment. "I have art club after school."
"I don't have anything planned." The white and blue fox said without much hesitation.
The scorbunny decided to take advantage. "You wanna hang out? Nait you can come too if your parents drop you off after art club."
"Sure, I'll ask my parents." The fennekin shot his parents a quick text.
The bell rang before long with another day of school soon to begin. The usual routine of classes was much the same as always. As always, Rogziel and Pent started their day with the language class. The hands-off nature made it easier for them to group up, even if the languages they took weren't the same. The two boys decided to work together since the project was a research one into the culture of the regions of the languages they had enrolled into.
The project was a simple presentation where they would be expected to get in front of the class. They were expected to show off a few elements of the culture that stood out to them. Things like art, architecture, and local trends, among many other things were all possibilities. The fennekin and scorbunny began pulling information on their regions. Finding interesting things like the totem of Tiku Babe and the palace of Shinko.
They weren't able to get much done today. Just a basic browsing of many ideas and how they would combine them into something more concrete. A few pictures and summaries of the things they represented. It was more of an outline than anything else. The two cubs saved what they found on a flash drive before one of the moderators announced it was time to wrap things up. They were soon dismissed from class and sent on their way.
Back in the hall, they saw a small group of cubs congregating around something. One of the teachers was nearby making sure things didn't get out of hand. Rogziel and Pent couldn't help but be curious about what was going on. As they approached it, they could overhear some of the conversations going on. Though none of them were distinct enough to discriminate against any of the others among the constant chatter.
The teacher continued to move along with the students as they still had classes to get to. Eventually, the crowd dissipated, though the two friends were not allowed to approach the table. In front of it, they could see a flamboyantly designed sign that indicated it was for a dodgeball tournament. Both boys thought it was strange since there was no dodgeball team in the school but didn't think about it any further than that.
The rest of their morning went much the same as it always did. The two went their separate ways for Math and Science but converged back for history and literature. It wasn't until literature class was held, that something different happened other than the ordinary. Rogziel and Pent filed into class where a makeshift stage had been arranged at the front of it. A small curtain had been set over it to make it look somewhat like a theater.
The students sat down in front of the teacher who was a fairly young Mr. Mime. The fresh-faced teacher was only in his second year on the job but was a favorite among the students. Rogziel and Pent sat at the center of it, curious about whatever the man had in store for them.
"Oy', students. Are cha' curious about ze' stage at the front of ze' class?" He started his lesson anew.
Many of the students looked on with a keen sense of interest. Of course, some couldn't be bothered with it either way but they mostly kept quiet.
"Well, today we vill' act out parts of a play. A classic one at zhat. Do we 'ave any volunteers to participate?" The man said while scanning the room with his fake conductor's stick.
Some of the cubs looked at each other a bit confused about what was going on. This wasn't a drama class and none of them had been asked to memorize anything. The Mr. Mime could sense the tension in the room. After all none of them were raising their hands and that usually meant some concern or lack of interest.
"Zer' is nothing to worry about. I am not expecting a stellar performance. Just try and I promise zis' will be fun." The man's accent was weak but recognizable as Kalan all the same.
They looked around at each other and after some hesitation, some of the cubs volunteered. After a few of them did, Rogziel urged Pent to join him and the two friends made their way to the front of the room. The fox was a bit hesitant and quietly shook his head. The bigger boy decided to let him be and do it himself with whatever the play entailed. Rogziel was given a small script once he was at the front of the room.
"Ze' year is 1815. Kalos is ripe for change. Ze' monarchy has been toppled and ze' emperor has been exiled. Ze' republic struggles to survive and a downtrodden man looks to right his life after resorting to thievery."
The play soon began with Rogziel taking the part of one of the supporting characters. The story itself was based on an old Kalan novel by an author who penned under the name "Victrebell Hugo." The timeline of which focused on the tumultuous time following the Kalan Revolution and the ousting of Emperor Nidorino. It was one of the most violent times in the history of the region but the tale taught that social structure is not always the answer for people's problems.
The students began playing the parts of the various characters. None of them had acted before so the production value of the piece was far from perfect. Still, the students put on a show to the best of their abilities. Some of them trying more than others. The teacher was glad that some of them were getting into it. When the scene was over the two lead roles had their epic fight scene, in which all the cubs in the audience oohed and ahhed at
it.
The class ended with much chatter about the play they had just participated in. It was more of a success than the Mr. Mime had hoped for. Something he would continue to keep in his repertoire until later. Pent and Rogziel made their way out of their lunch continuing with history which was nowhere near as memorable as the little play. When the bell for lunch finally rang, the two cubs were all but ready to take a well-deserved break from classes.
At lunch, Pent and Rogziel filed into line and waited their turn for food. Neither of them brought their lunches since it was just easier to get something from the cafeteria. It took a short time before they grabbed what they wanted from the servers. There was a small selection but there was always something they could rely on. The school always offered choices as they knew some of the students had restricted diets.
Once they grabbed their food, they found a table with empty spots on it. It was pretty busy today so most of the tables were full so they didn't have much choice in what they had picked. The two of them began eating their food with the warm meals they were provided hitting the spot. Neither of them said much as they were rather hungry. As they were eating, they overheard some of the other students talking about the dodgeball sign-up that the school had arranged.
"Did you hear about the dodgeball tournament they are holding this week? There is supposed to be a big reward for the winner. You even get out of gym class if you participate since some of the coaches are refereeing." An unfamiliar female voice uttered.
"I did but I don't want to get hit by the ball and end up getting hurt." Another one of the boys said.
"Oh, come on. It will be fun, Gus. I'm going to participate and knock out everyone." The girl responded as if egging her friend on.
The two of them went back and forth a bit with the discussion focusing on the girl trying to persuade the boy. Yet the boy did not give in. Rogziel looked at Pent who seemed just as curious about the exchange as he was. However, they weren't so much interested in butting into the conversation but rather what it was about. After all, both of them had seen the sign-up table that had been set up in the hallways earlier.
As lunch progressed some of the conversations around them began to shift. The principal was making her way down the walkway that separated the central parts of the room. The woman was a stalwart and burly Urishifu. She was easily the tallest and most athletic member of the staff. Though no student ever saw her work out, it was well-known that she was a bit of a gym nut and her body showed it.
She made her way up to a small stage that lined the corner of the room, opposite the serving area. Taking her place at the podium, she tapped the microphone as the feedback it caused got all of the student's attention.
"Good afternoon, Group C and D students. How is everyone doing today?" The woman wasn't expecting much of a response but asked it all the same.
There was a minor muffled group response to her question. The students began to chatter again soon after, wondering what she was getting at. As she started to speak again, it settled down as many of the students were wary of her discipline methods.
"I am sure that many of you are wondering why I am here today. The school administration has been busy with planning a fun event for the students. As I am certain many of you saw the dodgeball sign-ups in the hall earlier today. We will be releasing you from lunch early today with hope you might sign up. If you are not interested then you may remain here for the rest of the lunch break. The physical education department is looking forward to your participation."
The woman snapped her finger as the school bell went off a bit earlier than it usually did. Some of the students who didn't listen were confused. They were soon explained to by those who heard what was going on. Rogziel and Pent got up, making their way to the door with the tray of scraps in their hands. Throwing it out on the way out as they continued in the hall to get the details of the competition.
They found a few tables set up just outside the lunch room. Some of the other students were already set up in front of them. There was enough to accommodate the amount of cubs and teens who were already present. Rogziel and Pent made their way to the end table where an older Hitmonlee was stationed. He was one of the assistant coaches and also the lead organizer of the martial arts club at the school.
"Allo, cubbies. Are you interested in participating in the dodgeball tournament?" The fighting pokemon pushed forward a small sign-up sheet.
Rogziel looked over at Pent and then at the older male. "Yeah, we're both interested but what as the prizes that the principal was talking about?"
"Ah, yes the prizes. Take a look here." The man handed the two boys a chart.
The scorbunny and fennekin began reviewing the chart. A few prizes were listed, each of which had been associated with a rank coming from the placement of where it ended up. All participants would be rewarded a recess pass to use instead of gym class for one afternoon. This in itself was a lucrative offering as recess was very hands-off and was one of the few times cubs were allowed to do whatever they wanted with the time. Still, they continued reviewing the small list to see what other rewards there were.
Next up on the list was another interesting offering, for those who ended up in third place or above would be rewarded a homework pass. They would receive no grade but instead be excused from an assignment. Of course, it couldn't be used on larger assignments, and this interested Rogziel more than Pent. The second place reward was a little more interesting where the students would be able to pie any member of the school staff during the fall harvest festival.
Seeing that on the list made both of the boys smile but it wasn't until they saw the top prize that the thing seemed to surprise them. The winners of the competition would be awarded a day off from school. This floored the two boys as it seemed wholly out of the ordinary for a school prize. They sometimes did this for the more senior students but for the younger ones, it was simply something they hadn't been privileged to just yet.
That was enough to get the two boys to sign up, who were already interested before. The Hitmonlee thanked them before telling them the contest would be held Friday during the last session of gym class. They would be expected to wear their blue gym uniforms as each group of students was being assigned different colors to make sure the teams were even. Of course, everything would be kept within their age group so there was no parity in power.
Once all the logistics of what they needed to know were covered, they were sent on their way down the hall. It wasn't much longer before the second ball signaled the end of another session of lunch. They made their way back to class with the rest of the day going by like normal. In the background, the school administration had begun planning everything for the dodgeball tournament. It would be an event none of them would ever forget.
At home, both boys would have to talk to their parents about it. Neither group of adults had a problem with it. After all, it was a school-sanctioned event and so they figured it would be regulated enough to not get out of hand. They found it a bit surprising when the boys told them about the rewards. Still, they figured it would be all in good fun. Besides they figured it would be good for them to burn a little energy after a long week at school.
The days came and went by pretty quickly as they often did when Rogziel was looking forward to something. The school continued to drum up support for the dodgeball tournament. They had transitioned the basketball court to be used to that end. Placing padding around the base of the basketball nets so that if students ran into them, there would be no problem. The bleachers would be used for any of the cubs or teens who weren't participating in it.
The day before the school administration had decorated the basketball court for the next day. Large sprawling banners were hoisted overhead with some plaques put up of events they'd held in the past. This wasn't the first time they held such an event, it had just been a long time since they'd done so. Various ribbons and streamers had been hung off the rafters in an attempt to sell the event to the students.
Friday soon arrived and with it, the school's somewhat anticipated event had arrived. Rogziel was all too excited as he popped out of bed without the usual sound of his alarm. It was the first time he'd been this enthusiastic about something in school for some time. Quickly he changed into his school uniform, proudly dusting himself off as he wore the traditional blue polo that he thought would represent his group.
Moving into the kitchen, he found his father there who was still getting ready for the day. The older male paid him no attention as the cinderace was busy making his lunch. The other rabbit was an office worker who worked in finance and wasn't given the privilege of working from home. The cub didn't say anything at first as he didn't want to bother his father who seemed occupied in making his meal for work.
"Good morning, champ. You ready for the big competition?" The boy's father said without looking behind him.
The cub grabbed himself some of the pancakes that had been left on the table for him. "Yeah, I'm excited. It's going to be fun."
Rogziel went about eating his breakfast, knowing he'd need the energy for the day. It was a heartier meal than usual so he didn't quite finish everything that was there. His father didn't mind and just saved some of it for later as leftovers. He cleaned up after himself as the older
Cinderace left for work. The younger boy knew it was his responsibility to make sure the kitchen was clean and he rarely skipped his usual chores.
When he was done, he slipped on his shoes and grabbed his bag. Heading out the door, he made sure to lock it behind him. Rogziel made his usual trek towards school. It was a bit more brisk that morning, showing a slight change in the temperature as the seasons continued to shift. It still wasn't cold enough to need a jacket so he decided he could bear it. Following the same usual dirt path from his home to the academy.
Arriving at school, he found the usual group of students hanging outside. The wind was blowing and leaves were shuffling all over the place. Some of the students battled with them brushing against them as the astray foliage went every which way. Rogziel continued to the side of the school, finding only Pent to be there that day. He wasn't sure where Nait was but figured he was out on vacation or sick.
"Hey, Pent. The big competition is today. Do you think we can beat the other groups?" The rabbit asked, getting right to the point.
The fennekin shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not worried about winning. But there's a rumor that the staff is participating as well."
"Oh? Where did you hear that?" Rogziel couldn't help but be curious as he hadn't heard it before.
Pent thought about it before responding. "Some of our classmates were talking about it. I don't know if it's true or not."
"That would be cool if it was. I bet we could beat the teachers for sure. Though…if the principal participates then maybe not." The scorbunny said as he thought about the possibility.
The fennekin was indifferent to it. "We'll have to see what happens."
The first bell for their day soon sounded, signaling the start of a new day. The usual flow of traffic began its way into the school. They soon found even the hallways had been decorated in preparation for the competition. Colored banners with each of the class group letters adorned the hallways. A larger banner with a more golden tone affixed with "Staff" on it, showed that the rumor was in fact true.
Making their way into the halls, the two cubs found that all of the staff was wearing that yellowish color. Some of them donned polos or dresses while those participating were wearing a team shirt they had made a few years ago. They were all in on the game and just as keen to beat the students as the cubs and teens were keen to beat them. It was set up to be a competition of the ages.
In each of their classes, the students had some themed activities. For the language class, they still had to focus on the culture-based project. It would be the only class all day that didn't have anything to do with the competition. Rogziel and Pent continued to work on their assignment, this time focusing on the Alolan side of things since it was the more lacking of their two denominations. Finding more than enough in traditional dances and art to occupy them for the duration of the class.
When literature rolled around, things started to get different. The students were expected to research athletes of various sports and write mini-biographies of whoever they picked. Rogziel focused on his favorite Soccer Star, a young Raichu woman who was big on the world soccer stage. She was known as the big buzz among her peers as her lightning-fast speed was almost unparalleled in the sport.
In history class, it was much of the same idea. The students were asked to focus on the history of the sport in question. Since Rogziel liked soccer he picked that, using what he found from his previous biography as a basis to work off of. The sport's colorful history was much more unique than he expected it to be and there were quite a lot of articles and videos on it. Of course, the cub focused on the video content as he much preferred it to reading.
Seeing some of those videos gave him an idea. He recruited Pent to be his cameraman and asked the teacher if they could shoot a video for the assignment. They allowed it but remained at the door to make sure they stayed on task. Rogziel handed his phone to the fennekin who took the video of him. Giving a small speech about what he'd written down in his notes. Of course, it was fairly summative in nature but that was the idea of the assignment anyway.
Math and Science were a bit less focused on the sports side of things. Rogziel's classes focused on reviews as they knew the students were more distracted than normal. It wasn't super involved and was fairly hands-off. The scorbunny was able to finish his assignments without much focus. When he was done, he continued working on the linguistics assignment since the due date was coming up soon.
When lunch rolled around, Rogziel made his way through the halls. The halls were much busier that day as much of the admin was stationed around the school to make sure that the students didn't get out of hand. In the past when they did big events like this, some of the older students would often make their way over to the other parts of the school. With the administration standing around, it was much less of a problem since the teen students better understood the consequences of their actions.
Rogziel made his way to the cafeteria and found that even the lunch room had been decorated. As with the hallways the colorful banners had been posted around the room. A few framed photos had been placed on the wall, showing the various winners of years past. Some were old enough that the images were in black and white. It was evident they'd been doing the competition for some time and were simply keeping up the tradition.
The scorbunny filed into line and noticed that the Principal and her assistant were at the stage. The burly Urshifu woman was at the microphone ready to give one of her usual pep talks. Though she was waiting, seemingly for the students to get their food and head over to the tables to eat. Rogziel and Pent sat together and looked at each other curiously as if wondering what was about to happen. A few moments later the Principal began to speak.
"Good afternoon, students. I hope your day is going well so far. We have a bit of a surprise for you in-store today. Directly after lunch ends you are all to report to the basketball court. Even if you are not participating in the tournament, we would like for you to support your classmates as they compete against the other classes. We will go over how the tournament will work at the arena, please look forward to it."
The woman stepped away from the mic as the chatter started again and things resumed a slightly more normal remainder of the period. Students were talking on and off about the upcoming tournament. Some of them were more excited than others but the prospect of what was about to happen was tantalizing all the same. Rogziel and Pent were especially excited as they knew they were participating and it was only a matter of time before the games began.
The scorbunny and fennekin began eating their meals as they had been slightly delayed by the Principal's little speech. The meal was different today with the faux plant-based chicken nuggets shaped like little balls. Even the fries they had been given were shaped in a circle. The cafeteria had gone above and beyond to sell the theme. The food was equally good and even the students who were not vegetarian could not tell the difference in the make of the so-called meat.
When lunch was over, several of the lower members of the administration had made their presence known. The "Principal's Lackies" as they were known were the deans of discipline. In charge of things like detention, suspension, and other sorts of punishment. Many of the students were afraid of them and so their mere presence was enough to keep things in line. The group of them remained near the doors of the cafeteria as the cubs and teens made their way into the hall.
Rogziel and Pent found that the hallway was much more congested than usual. The administration had released half of the younger students with their groups to speed things along. The primary school cubs were near the front of the line with the older students close behind. Members of the administration staff as well as the deans kept a close on on the flow of foot traffic as it continued down the hall. Surprisingly there were no issues as the congregation of students continued into the basketball court.
The basketball court was a part of a much larger complex. The existing white lining, which usually served as boundaries was now going to serve much the same purpose. Some dodge balls had already been set up at the center with blue padding on both walls as well as the base of the basketball nets. As the students filed in, they were grouped with their classmates and guided to one of the bleachers that was set up near the side of the room.
All of the students were told to take a seat. The older students filed into the room just behind Rogziel and Pent's group. Soon almost all of the bleachers were full. Chatter filled the room as the large Urshifu woman took the center of the basketball court and blew a whistle. It quieted down a bit but of course, there was still the occasional side conversation.
"On behalf of myself and all of the administration, we thank you for conducting an orderly transition from your normal day to this adjusted one. I would like to take this time to go over the rules for those of you who will be participating. Please bear in mind, that there will be no tolerance for breaking the rules and they will be easy to follow."
The principal began going through the rules. There was to be no aiming for the head or privates of either gender. Any ball that was caught would result in the player who threw it in being out as well as restoring a player on the player who caught its team. Any player who threw a ball purely
out of bounds would also be penalized and if the same player did it again, then they would be ejected. It was simple but expected rules.
In terms of setup, the tournament was divided into the groups of each age division. The lighter colors were the younger cubs while the darker colors were the older ones. For the most part, they would stay within their age division. The winner of each division then would pick players to face off against the staff. That way each age group had a representative in the end game. Of course, some of the students weren't expecting the competition to include the staff even with all of the hints dropped around.
The first round of competition was to be among some of the younger cubs. Grades 4-5 were the lowest allowed in the competition and had the fewest number of participants. They only had enough for one round of the game and made their way to the middle of the basketball court. The staff remained diligent and on hand to make sure the youngest ones were kept safe under the careful rules and regulations of the game.
A younger group began before long. The soft purples versus the pinks started slowly as many of them did not have the arm strength to throw a ball very far. Only some of them were able to get it across the arena and so eventually the staff had them move in closer. This solved things as one by one the sides would hit each other. The numbers thinned out ever so gradually until there was only a handful left. It was a fairly uneventful match that ended up with the pink side coming on top.
The next group was Rogziel and Pent's, grades 6-8, it was much larger this time so they had two matches set up with the fennekin and scorbunny going first. Their group had been assigned blue and the other side had been assigned orange. It was equally split up between boys and girls who were just as interested in winning as they were. The balls were reset at the center of the arena and the whistle was blown to begin the match anew.
Each of the sides ran in to grab the balls. The orange side grabbed one more ball than the blue one. Rogziel was lucky enough to have been fast enough to snatch one up. Quickly reeling back to throw the ball with all his boyish might across the arena. He was easily able to peg one of the other cubs, resulting them in getting out. The other side retaliated by two of the other cubs both throwing balls at the same time towards the scorbunny.
The rabbit was able to dodge them just in time as he hopped out of the way as they beamed past him. Pent was able to catch one of them, resulting in another cub getting out from the other side. The other ball hit one of his teammates in the leg as she ran toward the outer rim of the ring. The fennekin threw it back to the other side as it went a bit wide of hitting anyone but touched the ground before ending up out of bounds.
The other side grabbed the astray balls that had been thrown over, sending them back over, and hit a few of the other cubs in the meanwhile. Pent kicked one back but the action of doing so landed him a whistle and he was declared out. The scorbunnies team was quickly thinning as the other side was gaining traction. Yet the speed of the young rabbit so far kept him out of harm's way as each of the balls fell short of hitting him.
The match continued at a feverish pitch. A back and fourth battle with neither side having a distinct edge. Rogziel was on fire at that point, he had gotten more than enough people on his own. The skills he'd learned and practiced in soccer were giving him the upper hand against some of the other kids. He wasn't great at catching so he did his best to avoid any balls that were thrown his way.
It was a much longer match than the first one. Each side whittled down ever smaller with the scorbunny remaining a constant figure for the blue side. As it narrowed down to a mere two people the rabbit found himself facing off against a large Miltank girl who was chewing on some bubble gum. She seemed none too afraid of him. The two threw balls at each other with them bouncing off one another. But the momentary delay gave the boy a chance to get her out and he took it.
The whistle was blown and the blue side was declared the winner. Rogziel was celebrated by his classmates and other peers. Pent smiled at him while the other cubs patted him on the back or shook his hand. They all shared a short cheer in a collective sharing of hands before bounding off one another and breaking up. They were soon sent back to their seat so the tournament could continue and attempt to make the deadline of the end of the day.
"There has been a small change. Due to the length of time of the last match, the remaining matches will be limited to 15 minutes so that we can accommodate all of them today. If there are still players on the arena then the team with the most players will be awarded the game."
The principal announced as she realized just how long the match had taken. The next group of students matched up with each other. It was the older half of Rogziel and Pent's age division and they weren't nearly as athletic as the younger half was. It was a much shorter match than the previous one with the students nowhere as interested in putting up a competition as they were in creating problems. The administration quickly lost interest in putting up with it and disqualified both sides as they weren't playing by the rules.
The next group up was to be the lower grades of the 9-12 group. These students saw what the administration had done with the last match and decided to play things fairly. For these groups, they were assigned to their grades since there were enough of them to participate. For the first match, the grade nine students put up a valiant effort against the bigger and stronger tenth grades. Finding themselves able to squeak by with a victory
Finally, the last group was called into the arena. It was the group that was planned to receive the most celebration as it included the seniors. These students were often lauded as it was their final year in the academy before potentially moving to one of the big cities for a university. They were welcomed to much fanfare, all of which had been planned by the administration. Even the school's cheerleaders had shown up. It was a display of gratitude for their hard work over the entirety of their academic careers so far.
The oldest students had been assigned a dark red color while their juniors had been given a darker green. These were the colors most associated with the school so it made sense they were given them. Some of the students were well-known, especially those who were on the varsity soccer team. The star player, a lithe but tall Torracat who the students knew as Bridgett. The girl took the center of the arena and shook the hand of one of the boys from the other team.
The match started as the whistle was blown. Both sides went in to grab balls with the seniors grabbing the majority of them. Without any delay, the seniors began their assault. The older students were all too keen the win the day. They weren't about to be shown up by the younger students and were in no mood to be humiliated. The first few balls they threw were right on target, nailing a few out for the junior's side of things.
The juniors retaliated by the swift Bridgett easily swooped in to save the dave with one of her teammates to catch them. Soon throwing them back, the two soccer squad gals pegged another few of the boys who went with their tails between their legs. One after another the seniors thinned down the opposing side's squad. Only a few of their own were outed with many of them returning. It was a very one-sided affair, but one that was met with much applause when it came to a close.
They were sent back to their seats as the principal soon came back to center stage. The Urshify began to speak again.
"The competitive spirit shown today has been fantastic but there is to be one final contest before the days end. Since we had one match that was disqualified, each team that won was to pick 4 players from their team to participate in a friendly match with the staff. The colors for your grades are in the corners so you may pick there. Please hold your hands up when you have picked so we know you are done."
Rogziel and Pent filed over to the far top left corner of the room. The team began to talk amongst each other with the Scorbunny and three of their other classmates picked. The fennekin was not disappointed since he didn't do very well. Once they had decided they held their hands up and waited for the other groups to do the same. When every group had decided they were all called to the center.
The rest of the students were sent to the bleachers. Rogziel took his place on the court behind some of the older students. The seniors had chosen Bridgett and she took center stage as she had before. The staff's bunch included all of the athletic teachers and coaches as well as a few of the electives and core subjects. Of course, the principal was there and only one of her assistants had taken the brave step to place himself at her side.
Another member of the staff had taken up the responsibility of referee and the whistle was blown once again. Both sides went into capture balls with the staff capturing more than the students. Bridgett had gotten one ball and quickly threw it toward one of the teachers she recognized. The older woman was easily able to catch the ball, sending the star soccer player to the side of the arena in a matter of seconds.
This made the crowd gasp, many of which considered her to be the "top dog" in school. Rogziel quickly swooped up the ball and sent it sailing back to the other side. The ball found its way to one of the teachers, who wasn't paying attention. The older woman sulked as she was outed. One of the other staff members
quickly retaliated back as the scorbunny hopped over it but it snagged him on the leg. He sulked a bit but quickly found his way off the court.
The rest of the match went just as poorly. The staff had practiced while the students had not. It was a fully orchestrated plan to show them who was boss. Only 3 staff members had been hit and by the end of the match, they were back. When the game was over, the two sides shook hands with the staff thanking each of them for their partition. Even with the loss the students had a good time and the crowd was still cheering in kind. The principal once again took her place at the center.
"We would like to thank everyone for their participation today. We hope you had fun. We will be dismissing you by sections. Please exit the arena in an orderly fashion. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow."
Rogziel rejoined Pent and the two chatted a bit about the game. Neither was disappointed by how things ended up. The scorbunny was glad to have been picked for the end game even if it ended poorly. After all, he'd scored a point for his team. The two of them waited for their section to be dismissed. Despite the amount of people on the basketball court, it was a fairly orderly dismissal as the administration waited until the doorway was clear to move to the next section.
The scorbunny and fennekin walked out together with the two separating once the fox went for his bike. Rogziel waved to him and went on his way home. His mind was still buzzing with the day's activity. At home, he resigned himself to a day of rest and relaxation. None of his classes had assigned him homework so it was the first day of freedom he'd had in a little while. It wasn't until that night that he was able to share the details of his day with his parents.
It had been a fun day, one that Rogziel wouldn't forget for some time. Another notch in the belt of the staff's long streak of winning against the students. Of course, it was all for fun and there would be no celebration or bad sportsmanship. The scorbunny would hope for another event like that but things would return to normal. Life resumed its usual trend and things would become more mundane for a time.
