XVI - Ten balls ascent

HYPERION

After leaving Aurora's office, I moved on to the venue of the next lesson. It was a wide field of low trimmed barbery. It had a lot of black, pole like platforms with a bit of width, ranging in height, and the edges of the field were marked with black artificial grass.

The students were standing on the sidelines, then a man wearing a tracksuit walked up to us from the field. He was a man with a buzz cut and a goatee, standing at about two metres in height. "Well students, I'm your P.E teacher, Mr Victor Moses. In standard fifth year fashion, you shall be welcomed to physical education class with a round of Decibola ascensio.

Now of course we all know the game, but for the shut ins, the goal is to get ten balls to the uppermost platform. Each team of five gets five balls of increasing size. If you can get your team's ball to the top, you get points. The largest ball will get you one point, and the smallest will get you five. In the case of getting your opposing team's balls to the top, the largest will get you two points and the smallest will get you ten. As some of you should know by now, the smallest ball is astronomically heavy, and no student has successfully made it to the highest platform while carrying it".

After letting the murmurs die, he continued. "The rules are simple; You are not allowed to use magic while on the ground, you are not allowed to carry two balls at a time, you are only allowed to use magic while on a platform. Non lethal combat is allowed, and the time limit for staying on a platform is fifteen seconds. You can only restart that time limit by stepping on a different platform. Balls lose eligibility after being taken to the top once, and you have forty five minutes. In the case where a winner isn't decided in forty-five minutes due to equal number of points, one player and the first ball will be taken out, and the game shall start over. I believe we're clear on that?", with an affirmative nod from everyone, he continued. "Now the teams. Team white; Gallagher Yung, Humphrey Zhang, Matthias Chen, Tyrese Li, and Hammon Wang. Team black; Hamilton smith, Mandrake Johnson, Harden Williams, Hyperion, and Zaddock brown. After the class stretches, move to your respective positions".

"Oh this is going to be fun, do you know how to play the game?", Ida asked. "I have a theoretical understanding of it, but it did peak my interest, hence I applied". "You applied?", she asked with a stunned face. "Yes, on my way back to class from the dorm, I saw a poster that reads 'fifth year welcome decibola game', there were two spots left, so I wrote name", I concluded. "Anyway, see you after the game".

After I had worn the shock absorbing protective gear worn for the game, I joined up with the rest of the team and we walked up to our side of the field. "Hello everyone, my name is Hamilton, and if you don't mind, I'd like to take charge of the team". We affirmed with nods for him to continue, but before he could; "E.. excuse me", one of them said with a raised hand, Hamilton motioned for him to continue. "I..I can't play the game", he said. "Then what made you apply?", Hamilton asked. "G.. Gallagher asked me to. He said the game will be postponed if all slots weren't full, and that if I d.. didn't do it, he'd shove my h.. head up my". "Darlington was coming to apply, he knew that. It has always been the the nine of us in the Decibola club, he wanted to sabotage the opposing team!", Hamilton said furiously. "Nevermind, you just stay here and play guard, we'll handle this. Now, Hyperion, I don't really know your game, but I just have to trust you as it is due to our already short hands. Just get your ball to the top, the rest of us will attack". I affirmed with a nod and we stood in position.

With the blow of the whistle, the three men charged for the opposing team at break neck speed. I took the fourth ball, it was pretty heavy, but nothing I couldn't handle, and headed for the platforms. As I was almost there, one of the opposition headed for me, I speedily rushed to the lowest platform where I stood in waiting for him. He also stood on one of the platforms and used magic to launch himself at me. I evaded, and he managed to grab one of the platforms and leap off it and stand on another one. I swiftly jumped up to another platform. "Slinky move you got with all this dead weight on you, sure hope you can hold on strong". "Pretty funny of you to say that while also holding the same ball", I retorted. I then rushed up the platforms with whatever his name was chasing after me. He leapt at me again, but I jumped, letting him pass from beneath me.

As I landed back on one of the platforms, I could hear the sound of the buzzer. One of the members of team white had gotten to the top with their ball. "That's three points for team white", Mr Victor commented. "Three points, why did Hamilton and co let someone with the third ball pass". I turned and saw the three of them marking the other three members of team white. I guess there's no need for a guard since we can't take the fifth ball, they have the number advantage.

The men seemed to be lost in stupidity as the fourth player who had just scored the point came back down and succeeded in snatching our third ball from Hamilton. "Hamilton!", I yelled. As he turned back, I tossed him my ball which he caught clumsily. I leapt at the one who was tailing me. He seemed to be captivated in what we were doing, and gave me an opening. I leapt down to him and kicked him in the chest, taking his ball, and in a series of leaps, I got to the top and scored us eight points.

I hurriedly jumped from the top to one of the lower platforms. Then tossed the fourth ball that was no longer of use to me and tackled the fourth member of team white who had taken our third ball. We fell on the ground heavily, but the protective gear absorbed most of the shock. "Get your head in the game Hamilton, none of us have time to be squaring off on the field because of some cowardly move. Gallagher has the first ball, and you're here marking him while you let the one with the third ball get away. You better focus, or forfeit".

"Break!", Gallagher yelled in our conflict, and in a swift practiced maneuver, Gallagher tossed his ball to his teammate that I had taken the fourth ball from, and both he and his teammate had snatched my ball that was held by Hamilton and the fourth player that I had tackled also got up. And they had began scaling the platforms swiftly.

"Look, I'm going after Gallagher, he holds eight points right now, and the whole plan hangs on him and the one with our third ball, Hamilton, go after that one. Those of you still have your balls, head for the top. Don't bother marking anyone", I said swiftly.

I ran to one of the platforms, hopped on it and immediately pushed up using magic. I leapt over the platforms and quickly caught up to Gallagher. He tried to jump over me, but I leapt, caught his leg and pulled him downwards. He secured himself on one of the platforms. "You're good at this", he said with a hateful snare that turned to a grin. "But you see, I don't have to accompany this ball to the top". Coalescing magical energy, he hurled the ball with might and pinpoint accuracy to the top platform, but the ball was held by Hamilton. I guess he had ignored his ball and had taken the second ball from team white, as I saw it coming down to me. He scaled to the top pillar holding my ball, and secured us four points. Holding the white teams second ball, I began to scale the platforms. Gallagher was not too far behind. He seemed to have climbing capabilities pretty close to mine. I inserted magical energy into the ball and realised it was conductive. Using the same technique as with the borium rods, I stuck the ball to my hand, and hit Gallagher who had just jumped after me with it square on the face. He managed to hold on to one of the platforms, and gave me a rage filled look as I jumped up to the top platform, securing us with four more points and the win.

As we all came down from the platforms, Hamilton walked up to me. "Thank you for helping me clear my head that time, I guess I'm never going to be a fit leader until the day I stop falling for Gallagher's ragebait". The comment elicited a smirk from me. "You ever think of joining us here at the Decibola club?", he asked. "Thank you for the praise, but it wasn't really my plan that got us the win. You risked everything and went for team White's seconds ball, so accolade might as well be yours". I shook the hand that he had extended to me. "Congratulations", said Mr Victor. Team black wins.