Iothia's Interview With Krell Vitor

Iothia: Mr. Vitor, thank you so much for being here.

Krell: You're most welcome, and you can just call me Krell; everyone does.

Iothia: Thanks. Well, it seems you've all had quite a bit going on, both in the offseason and leading up to the Cup.

Krell: (laughs) That's an understatement. Between Yooyuball practice, the Spooky Food Eating Contest, and Wan's retirement... well, suffice it to say I haven't had much time to relax... or sleep for that matter.

Iothia: Ruckus from the contest kept you awake, eh?

Krell: Oh yes. We could hear those fans screaming all the way from Neovia. Who knew watching Neopets gorge themselves on Spooky Food would be entertaining?

Iothia: (laughs) Did you participate at all?

Krell: I didn't, only because I had to focus on all the paperwork required to get all set up for the next Cup. A lot of Neopets don't know this, but reserving the Yooyuball pitch and such has to be done months in advance, and it falls on the Captains to take of that... anyway, yeah I was busy.

However, Wan and Fanetti got really into it; they were both rooting for Tippens. (laughs) They also took a couple trips down into the catacombs. I didn't like that much, you know; I didn't want their ability to play getting hindered by any of the awful curses. But they came out okay, so it all worked out in the end.

Iothia: Aww, sorry to hear you didn't have as much fun as they did.

Krell: It's really all right. I'm used to it. Plus, being a team captain is worth it (grins).

Iothia: I'm sure it is! Now, to ask you my biggest question: what are your thoughts on Wan's retirement?

Krell: Wan's decision to retire didn't come as a complete shock to us; we knew he had been considering the move for a couple of years now. The way he explained it to us was that he felt it was just time for him to move on to other things.

Iothia: Such as?

Krell: He's always been into acting... and... well, (looks around surreptitiously), I'm not sure if he wants me saying this just yet, but what the heck... he wanted to focus on acting and word is he got a part in an upcoming play.

Iothia: Ooh, really?

Krell: (smiles) Yes, it's due to debut in Neovia, and he said depending on its success, it may tour Neopia. However, I can't really tell you much more that that; even he didn't give me a lot of details. I think he wants it to be a surprise.

Iothia: I guess he's not going to start that fountain soda shop?

Krell: (laughs) Nope; that's always just been a silly rumor.

Iothia: How are you getting along with Crade?

Krell: Very well, actually, he fits right in with us (and not just in appearance). He's actually a friend of Wan's they played together ages ago, long before the first Cup, and Wan was actually the one who pushed for him to be the replacement. Practices have been going great; we've tweaked our strategy a bit so I think we'll be really prepared come time for our matches.

Iothia: That's pretty neat; can you tell us any more about that?

Krell: You mean in terms of his playing style?

Iothia: Yes.

Krell: (smirks) Well, I'd prefer it remain a surprise; Wan wants to keep it that way. (laughs) I can tell you this, though: he's a great defender. He's quick; he's good at keeping the ball away from the other team. I imagine our match-ups will have a bit of trouble scoring.

Iothia: Ah, but it seems they always have. Haunted Woods has always been a primarily defensive team from what we can see. Do you think the addition of Crade and his strong defensive abilities will help improve your performance this year?

Krell: That's yet to be determined. I know that ever since our win all those years ago, our performance has been.... well, not so great. Back then, our strong defense was enough to get up through and all the way to the top. That's clearly changed, but we have played in the 1+3 formation for so long -quite honestly-we really couldn't change it up now.

Iothia: Have you ever thought of doing so?

Krell: It's crossed our minds, yes. (laughs) However, I've always played this way; I learned it all from Chelo, who has also relied solely on defense. Zo is an amazing forward, though, his scoring ability is beyond enough for us. We really just need to make our defense is airtight. If we can secure that, then we'll be set.

Iothia: With that being said, what standing are you aiming for this year?

Krell: Well, we're really hoping to place in the top ten this year; if we can do that, then I'll be happy and willing to try to take the gold when AC X rolls around. As of now, we're really just focusing on making little improvements here and there and we're going to try to break into the second tier. We need to reach that goal before we can even consider aiming for anything higher.

Iothia: Heh, sounds like a bit of a long road.

Krell: (smiles) Oh, not at all. We've been around for... quite some time. Actually, we're just getting started.

Iothia: (laughs) Indeed! Well, I think that's it for now; I don't want to cut into the rest of your training time. Thanks again, and good luck in the Cup!

Krell: My pleasure, Ashley; thanks.

Well, there you have it! We'll be keeping an eye on the Haunties to see how well Crade Talvos fares in the rapidly-approaching Cup. Be on the lookout for my next interview, and until then, take care and have fun supporting your favorite teams in the Cup!