"Ursula. URSULA!!!"

"WAAAUGH!" With her concentration now broken, the Usul turned slightly away from the Gormball, only to have it splash directly in her face. "Arggghhh," she groaned. "Corin, look what you made me do!"

"Sorry," the Techo said with a chipper smile.

The Usul scowled. "What do you want, Corin? You know that I train for three hours every morning and hate being interrupted."

"Well, you see, my house is on fire."

It took a moment for the Techo's words to sink in.

"WHAT?!?" Ursula screeched. "You're joking, aren't you? That's not funny."

"I wouldn't tell you such a lame joke," Corin replied with equanimity.

The Usul scanned her friend's face for any sign of guile, but he blinked back at her with a blankly innocent face. She had always thought Corin was, well, a few fruits short of a smoothie. "Corin," she began, trying to stay calm but failing, "why are you telling me this? Have you notified the fire crew in town? Why aren't you back there, helping to put it out?!?"

"I thought that, since you were Gormball champion and all, you would know what to do," was the sweet reply.

"You- what?!?" Ursula felt her calm leaving completely. "You thought I would know what to do just because I’m good at throwing around a ball with water inside?!?"

Corin gave a confident nod.

"You crazy Techo!" Ursula screamed, running down the hill. "Let's get back before your house is a pile of ashes..."

"Well, you see," Corin said, "I put the kettle on the hearth for tea, but then I got wrapped up in a book and didn't realise that the kettle was boiling until it boiled dry..."

"You didn't notice?" Ursula demanded. "Honestly -- "

"Eventually I did," Corin said calmly, "when the curtains lit on fire. I could smell the smoke."

"You are really something else," Ursula said, coming to a halt on the path that led to the Techo's doorstep. She panted, resting her paws on her knees. The Techo's house wasn't engulfed in fire yet, but bright flames licked up the kitchen window and threatened to ignite the thatch roof.

"It's not too bad yet," she said. "Come on, help me draw some water from the well, and we'll get started putting it out."

But when the pair arrived at the well, they found....

"What in the world?" said Ursula, grabbing the letter and hastily reading the message. "Oh no!" she cried after she had finished.

"What?" Corin asked calmly as if they were having a quaint conversation over tea and biscuits.

The Usul looked around apprehensively, as if they were being watched at that very moment. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't start the fire," she whispered. Seeing no emotion change on the Techo's face, she continued, "It was a warning. The letter says that if I don't throw the Gormball match, then worse will come." She gulped and looked over at Corin, who looked as calm as ever.

"Worse? Like what?" he asked casually. Frustration bubbled up inside Ursula at this beside-the-point comment.

"I don't know! They didn't say!" she yelled out, losing her cool all together. "Let's just get this fire put out before it gets worse."

Together they pulled up buckets of water and managed to douse the fire after a few trips. Ursula sighed and sat down in front of the house after all the work. She was tired and run-down.

"Phew!" she panted. "It's a good thing we got here in time. It looks like no major damage was done. But now that it's all over, we can talk about that note. Who would do such a terrible thing? I mean really, just to win a Gormball match?"

She paused and pondered the situation. Never had she heard of anything like this. She looked over to Corin and noticed that he was once again lost in thought. "What do you say about it?" she asked as he looked out dreamily at his house.

"Well," he said without moving his eyes, "I think we should see what that says." He lifted a single hand and pointed. Ursula curiously turned around and looked in the direction he was pointing. There, on the front door of Corin's house was a bright blue note with a purple messy scrawl...

"What?" Corin asked excitedly, as if Ursula was about to tell him a joke.

"Corin! This mysterious Neopian not only wants me to blow the contest, they also want me to give them my lucky Gormball bracelet!!"

"That old thing I bought for you a couple of years ago when you started playing Gormball?" Corin asked, taking a moment to remember.

"Yes! I have never, and I repeat, never played a game with out it! And that's not the worse part... They said that if I don't do what they say, more will happen than just a burnt house."

"Hmm, that could be bad. Well, do you mind if I stay at your place for a couple of days then?" he asked, not seeing how serious the situation was.

"CORIN! This is not a joke!" Ursula said, getting annoyed that Corin was acting like it was no big deal.

"Hey, what's that on the back of the note?" he asked, grabbing the note from Ursula. Ursula's heart stopped.

"MORE? MORE?! How could there be more?!" she yelled. She turned the note over and read aloud. "Well, it says... 'If you don't bring your bracelet to me before sundown the night before the match... then you will lose your friend...'"

Corin was unaffected. "Now isn't that nice?" he said cheerfully.

Ursula just stared at him. "Nice? NICE?" she shrieked. "Someone's threatening to kidnap you, and all you say is nice?"

Corin blinked. "How can they kidnap me? I'm an adult Techo, not a baby."

Ursula groaned and stared at the note. This couldn't be happening... She fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. It was rather plain, really. Just a thin brown string, adorned with a single violet bead. It was normal, nothing special about it at all.

And yet, it was Ursula's most prized possession.

Corin had given it to her as a gift on the day of her first official Gormball match. Ever since then, she hadn't lost a single game.

It represented her success as a Gormball player and, more importantly, her friendship with Corin. It was a plain, drab little trinket that was pretty much only a sentimental accessory.

So what did this mysterious blackmailer want with it? And why were they willing to go as far as threatening her just to get it?

"This doesn't make any sense..." Ursula mumbled to herself.

"Yes, it does."

"No, it obviously doesn’t, Corin! Wait..." Her eyes narrowed. For it wasn't Corin who had spoken...

"Ember?" Ursula asked, finding her mouth dry. She had always considered Ember a nice faerie. They were competitors and didn't talk often, but Ember had always been kind, with her open smiles and serene eyes. "You did this? Of course, the fire. I should have known... But why? Why?"

"Hello," Corin said amiably to Ember, looking half-amused, half- disinterested. "Hey, look. You're a fire faerie."

"I am," Ember acquiesced. "But I didn't cause the fire."

"Oh, sure. You won the Gormball Championships in Year 7, and you're looking for a repeat!" Ursula accused, fiddling nervously with her lucky bracelet. "I thought you were above this, Ember."

"I'm telling you, Ursula, I didn't cause it. But I think I know who did."

"Who?"

"Farvin," she said, referring to the alien Aisha Gormball player. "He's been runner-up three times. You know he really wants the Championship this year. He would do anything for it."

"Maybe," Ursula said. "Or maybe you've just got me chasing ghosts, trying to divert the suspicion off you." She twisted the bead on her bracelet. How could she know who to trust? Someone was playing a dangerous game. "Corin? What do you think?"

But the Techo had disappeared...

Ember exaggerated a sigh. "Is this how all Neopets act? Do you accuse anyone at will without evidence? No, I am not working with Farvin. I do not blackmail nor do I cheat. But I did see where your friend went."

Ursula blinked. "Well, why didn't you say so?" she asked, trying to keep the frustration from her voice.

Ember shrugged. "You seemed too absorbed in your self-pity and false accusations. He went," Ember pointed in the general direction of the well, "that way."

Ursula turned around and, sure enough, there was a drag mark and some footsteps. The drag mark was a long, thin line that continued between a pair of clawed feet. Ursula frowned when she realised that Corin hadn't been dragged off unwillingly. The long line was actually Corin's tail dragging along behind him.

Ursula shook her head. "That Techo and his crazy ideas. I thought I at least got it through his thick head that it's not safe to wander off alone. Why do you think he went to the well?"

"Beats me. Maybe he was lured?" Ember suggested.

"Maybe..." Ursula muttered. "Come on, let's follow him."

However, when they arrived at the well, Corin was still nowhere to be seen.

By now, Ursula was in a panic. "Corin? CORIN!" she yelled.

"Ursula…la…la?" Corin's voice echoed.

"Oh no!" Ursula screamed, rushing to the side of the well. Sure enough, Corin was clinging to the bucket, his clothes sopping wet. "Oh, you silly Techo! How did this happen?"

"Well, I had some help," he replied brightly. "Some Neopians are so nice!" Ursula tried to detect a sign of sarcasm but found none.

The Usul sighed. "Hang on to the bucket. I'll bring you up."

Carefully, she reached for the handle that would haul the bucket and Corin to the surface, but her paw never made it. Suddenly, Ursula received a violent push from behind, and she fell, shrieking, into the dark waters below...

The well wasn't very big, so Ursula was able to stretch out her arms and support herself against the walls. She didn't have the strength to do that for very long, though.

"Looks like my disguise was flawless," Ember's voice echoed down the well. Corin looked back up at her and Ursula started thinking as fast as she could.

"You mean... if you're not Ember, then who--" Ursula stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she realised what had happened. "Farvin!"

A cruel laugh echoed down the well. "I guess you're not as dumb as you look, Ursula." Ursula couldn't completely tell what was going on above the well, but it looked like "Ember" was morphing into something much smaller, and four long, yellow ears were now extruding from her head.

"We aliens have so much great technology to help us out here in Neopia, you see," Farvin explained, now reformed into his usual self.

"But Gormball isn't worth all of this! Nothing is!" Ursula cried, her arms growing more tired by the second. The bucket definitely wouldn't hold both her and Corin's weight, and he was already on it, so she didn't dare reach out for it.

"Easy for you to say!" Farvin snarled. "You're always winning! When have you had to endure getting to the finals three times, only to lose each time? Never!"

Corin glanced back down at Ursula, then back up at Farvin. "I guess you won't pull us out of here, then?"

Farvin laughed again but otherwise ignored Corin. "Now then, Ursula, give your bracelet to the Techo and I'll pull him up. After that, I'll get you. Otherwise, I might forget that you're down there!" Almost on cue, he cackled once more.

"We can't trust you! If you have my lucky Gormball bracelet, you don't need us!" Ursula shouted back up the well.

"And if you're not able to get to your next match, for some strange reason, I won't need your bracelet!" Farvin triumphantly yelled back down, promptly turning around and marching off back toward town.

"WAIT!" Ursula hollered desperately. She had always been busy training her reflexes rather than her muscles, and she couldn't keep her position for much longer. She had to think of something, and quickly...

The Techo turned. "What?" he asked.

"Corin," Ursula said, "do you think it would be possible for you to swim down to the bottom of the well?"

Corin stared at her dumbly. "Well, yeah," he said, "I could swim down there. Techos are a lot better at swimming than most Neopians give them credit for. Did you drop something?"

Drop something? Ursula thought. As if. She was a Gormball player -- she didn't drop things. Well, not by accident, anyway. "Corin," she panted, struggling to keep her head above water. "When you get down there, look for a key."

"A... key?" the Techo repeated blankly. "Why?"

"Corin!" Ursula shrieked. "Just do it!" Her breathing was ragged and uneven, and her arms were seriously beginning to ache.

He shot her one more confused look and dove beneath the water line.

Several minutes later, he resurfaced, and in his hand was clasped a tiny golden key. "But--" he began.

"No time," Ursula murmured, searching the inside of the well for the rock that wasn't really a rock. Finding it, she slipped the key into a small dent, turned, and pulled open the doorway to a narrow passageway.

Corin stared behind her.

"Come on," she urged. "This tunnel was built by my family ages ago -- you know, with a whole line of Gormball players, we needed a quick way to get to matches -- maybe so we could squeeze in some extra practice time. I have no idea why they chose the well, inconvenient as it is, but whatever! Corin, just go!"

The Techo was already halfway into the tunnel when he murmured something about ghosts and Spyders.

"Corin!"

"All right, all right... I'm going in!"

It was only after several minutes of shimmying through the narrow passageway did Ursula look down and realise that her bracelet, the thing that had started this whole mess, was missing...

Beside her, Corin stopped. "What is it?"

Ursula took a longing glance behind her and shook her head. "Nothing, let's move on."

And so they trudged on into the darkness, twisting along the narrow passageways. Neither of them spoke, for they were each focused solely on making it through the underground maze.

But as they walked, Ursula's mind wandered. She started to ask herself... Why had she left the bracelet behind?

The answer came to her easily, much more easily than she would have expected.

Ever since she had won her first Gormball match, with that very bracelet hanging around her wrist, she had never played a game without it. It was her good luck charm, and without it she didn't feel confident enough to get through the game.

She had to change that. She could no longer depend on the bracelet to win the games for her. She was a talented Gormball player; her success had nothing to do with her bracelet. She had to win a game to prove to herself that she could be a champion, without the bracelet.

Even if it meant losing her most prized possession.

Ursula had lost track of time when she had been lost in thought. But she noticed the narrow pathway was curving upwards, toward the surface. In the distance, she could see a small shaft of golden light shining into the tunnel.

And beyond that, Ursula could sense the Gormball stadium. It was just beyond that shaft of light. She could almost feel the excitement of the fans and spectators, and she tensed as she thought of the pressure of the game itself. When she closed her eyes, she could hear the roar of the crowd and smell the fragrance of popcorn, hot dogs, and various other foods whose aromas filled the stands.

And she could almost see Farvin's smirking face as they faced off against each other in the Gormball match yet to come.

Ursula's eyes snapped open, and they were filled with an incredible ferocity. She would battle against Farvin today. And she would win. After all that he had put her through, she would bring him down. There was no way she could lose today.

"Come on, Corin. I've got a Gormball match to win."

The excited eyes of the fans followed Ursula as she wound her way among the crowd.

"Hey look, it's Ursula the Usul! The famous Gormball champion!"

"Really? Where?"

Ursula paid no attention to them this time. Determination was flowing through her veins, and her mind was set on a single thing. Winning the match.

Corin followed her obediently, busy rambling on about things like cheese and the weather. Eventually, even he could feel Ursula's ferocity and quieted himself.

They reached the gate. This was where they would separate. Ursula would venture to the playing field and Corin would journey to the bleachers to cheer his friend from the sidelines.

"Well," the Techo said cheerfully. "This is it!"

Ursula nodded. "So it is."

"Good luck on winning your Zurroball game!" Corin exclaimed.

Ursula gave him a fierce glance but didn't bother correcting him. "Don't worry," she said. "I don't intend to lose."

And with that, Ursula walked through the gate. Beyond her lay the Gormball field. And soon, the game would be on.

"I'll win," she muttered to herself. "I'll bring you down, Farvin. Just you wait and see..."

"So, you finally decided to show up, eh?"

Farvin greeted her with a smirk. There was a vicious look in his eyes as he glared ferociously at Ursula.

The Gormball players had gathered in a large circle. Some were laughing and talking to one another, but all could feel the tension in the air. Soon, a game would be played. And only one of them would rise as the winner. Only one of them would be proclaimed Gormball champion.

Ursula glared back. "Seems like it. Are you ready to lose? Again?" She added the last part with a sneer.

Farvin let out a low hiss but quickly regained his smug composure. "Of course I am. By the way, what happened to your lucky bracelet?"

"Why do you want to know-" Ursula narrowed her eyes and glared daggers at the alien Aisha. "Wait, you took it, didn't you?"

Farvin grinned evilly and withdrew a small piece of string from his pocket. Ursula's eyes widened slightly in surprise, even though she had been suspecting this.

Her lucky bracelet twirled in Farvin's grasp, the violet bead sparkling beautifully in the sunlight.

"Look who has the lucky bracelet!" Farvin taunted in a singsong voice. He smirked at her. "Not so great now, huh?"

"That's where you're wrong."

"Yeah, I though so- Wha?" Farvin blinked. His eyes swelled in confusion. Things obviously weren't going the way he wanted. "Y-you mean you're not worried?"

"Why should I be?" Ursula answered confidently.

"B-but... Your bracelet-"

"Is just a bracelet. I am still the Gormball champion. And I will win, lucky bracelet or not."

Farvin gaped at her and Ursula turned away, smirking.

"I will win, I swear I will," she whispered to herself.

The referee blew his whistle and there was a deafening roar from the crowd. Ursula twitched and broke into a confident grin.

The game was on.

The Usul watched as the turquoise ball soared through the air. It fell to the ground rapidly, aimed directly for her. With a grunt, the Usul caught it and swiftly threw it back to the sky in a single movement. The ball flew for a few seconds and fell to Farvin. The Aisha held it for a while before tossing it to the player next to him.

And the process continued. The ball soared through the air, only to come back down. The game of hot potato continued for a while, until there was a soft bang and the Gormball exploded into shimmery blue pieces.

The crowd let out a low groan as Kevin the Korbat walked away from the circle, head hanging low. The first player had been eliminated. Now the question was... who would be next?

The game resumed. In time, more players were cast out as the ball continued to explode. The cheers from the crowd grew louder, more intense.

And then... there were only two.

Farvin glared at Ursula, and the Usul returned the angry stare. They were the only two left. And only one of them would win.

"And that one is going to be me," Ursula hissed under her breath.

But what happened in the last few seconds changed everything.

For a moment, their eyes locked. And as Ursula gazed into Farvin's dark eyes, she saw something she hadn't been expecting.

Beneath the cold exterior and the nasty look that danced in his eyes, Ursula saw something else. She saw what Farvin was feeling at the exact moment... She could almost feel his humiliation of being beaten time and time again by the same person. Her. She could feel the exhaustion he felt after long days of training to be able to beat a single player. Her. She could feel the determination that burned inside of him, only to be drenched as another player brought him down. Her.

In those few precious seconds, Ursula realised just how much the game meant to Farvin. She saw how much a win would mean to him. She saw his dreams of becoming the Gormball champion. Dreams that were cast away by none other than herself.

And suddenly, Ursula didn't feel like winning anymore.

The referee blew his whistle and the Gormball was cast into the air. Everything seemed to go in slow-motion then.

The gears in Ursula's mind were shifting rapid-fire. She had two choices. She could fight against Farvin and claim yet another win for herself. She was a better player than him, so winning would be easy. If she really wanted to, she could claim yet another year of having the title Gormball Champion.

Or... she could step aside. Give up. Let the Gormball splash over her, let Farvin be declared the winner. She could step out of the spotlight. She could lose...

The ball was slowly spinning toward her. She had to make a choice. Now.

The ball was nearing her, rapidly shooting toward her. Any second now, and they would make contact. That's when Ursula made up her mind...

She took a deep breath, stepped forward and spread her arms. The Gormball hit her in the chest, exploding all over her.

The crowd let out a gasp. Never, in the entire history of Gormball, had someone given up a game like she just did. Ursula could feel everyone staring at her in disbelief, Farvin most of all. The Aisha's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open in disbelief.

Ursula smiled. "Congratulations, you're the new Gormball champion!"

And with that, she walked away.

THOCK!

Ursula groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Who could that be at this hour?

She had barricaded herself inside her Neohome, hiding from the many reporters and fans who demanded to know what exactly had happened during the Gormball match that day.

She had hidden from them, not wanting to answer their questions. To be true, she didn't know the answer herself.

THOCK!

There it was again. The Usul was wide awake now, staring at her window. It was night now, she could see the star-spangled sky and the crescent moon shining beautifully behind her curtains.

THOCK!

She was sure of where the source of the strange noise was now. Someone was throwing rocks at her window.

Ursula slowly crept out of her bed and walked to the window. She opened it and called out, "Helllooooo?"

But no one answered. The only thing she heard was the soft whispering of the leaves as the trees swayed in the wind. No one was there. The night was quiet, empty.

And that's when she saw it. There, fluttering slightly in the breeze, was a blue note.

Ursula's heart skipped a beat as she reached out and grabbed the piece of paper that was firmly inserted through the loose boards of her windowsill.

She opened the paper and in the faint light could make out two simple words, written in blue ink: "Thank you."

Ursula smiled and looked up at the stars. And what she saw made her grin widen.

Hanging from the top of her window, dancing slightly in the wind, was her lucky bracelet.

The End.