Interviewing Aldric Beign, Moltara's Beloved Captain

     It's 11pm, and I'm waiting at Exquisite Ambrosia to have dinner with Aldric Beign.

     I've reserved an exclusive room for us at the restaurant, but that reservation was made for 9 pm and it's been 2 hours since. I'm not surprised, though. In fact, I was expecting this. When you're the captain of one of the most talked about teams in Altador Cup and it's June, your hands are bound to be full. I'm grateful he even wants to do this interview.

     I've always been a big fan of Team Moltara. As a Neopian Times sports journalist for over 10 years, they've always stood out to me as the team to look out for. Sure, they haven't always exactly been lucky during the final sports rankings, but when they placed third during the ninth Altador Cup, I wasn't surprised at all. They always showed great potential, and that year was when we finally saw that potential come to fruition.

     After about 15 minutes of twiddling my thumbs and playing with the restaurant Vaeolus, I hear an uproar from outside the room, and instantly I know: Aldric Beign has entered the building.

     I look outside, and Neopets of all kinds are leaping out of their seats just to talk to him and get his autograph. "We're big fans of yours!" a group of Usukis screams. "Moltara is gonna have their victory again, just like they during Altador Cup IX!" an excited Bori yells while wagging his tail. "I bought a Fire, Fire, Your Pants On Fire Paint Brush just so I can look like you!" a Jubjub shouts while jumping up and down.

     "Thank you so much! I appreciate all your support!" Aldric says. People are handing him all sorts of things for him to sign (bags, books, Altador Cup flags) but Aldric simply shakes his hands and says, "I'm sorry, but I'm not here to sign autographs! I'm actually here for an exclusive interview for The Neopian Times - waiter, you wouldn't happen to know where -"

     "I'm over here!" I yell, waving my hands back and forth, trying to capture Aldric's attention. "Neopian Times interview, over here!"

     When Aldric finally does notice me, he goes, "Ahh, there we go!" and pushes through the crowd before making it to the exclusive room. When we close the door, he says, "You seriously saved my life back there. I love my fans, but man, can they get crazy after a game! I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, by the way!"

     "It's no big deal, I'm sure Altador Cup season has got you all tied up," I say. "I told the waiter to keep your food heated until you arrive, I'm sure they'll be here with that delicious Fancy Cheese Platter any minute."

     "Perfect," Aldric Beign says. "So, are we ready to start the interview?"

     So, how has this year's Altador Cup been so far?

     So far, so exhausting. But Team Moltara is getting better and better with every Yooyuball tournament. I see it: the more we play, the more in sync we become with each other. After only three days, it feels like I can read my teammate's minds during an intense game just by looking at them.

     That's incredible.

     Absolutely. And it's so important that we have that because I'm sure you know how unpredictable Yooyuball can get. Sure, with a normal Yooyuball everything's pretty standard, but then you throw a Darigan or a Faerie Yooyuball into the mix? Complete chaos.

     Especially with a Clockwork Yooyuball, the amount of precise timing and teamwork that goes into playing with one is insane. You're only given such a limited time to reach the goal, and the other team is doing everything they can to make sure you don't. Out of all the Yooyuballs, that's the one we practice with the most.

     So, I'm guessing it's your favorite ball to play with, then?

     Oh, dear Torakor, no. (laughs)

     What is your favorite ball to play with?

     Fire Yooyuball, for sure. But I guess that shouldn't be a surprise seeing as how my team is literally made of fire. Well, except for Vere Polnicek, but she loves the Fire Yooyuball just as much as we do. Fire is just so intense, and when you combine that with the Wing power-up, the intensity is just through the roof. The crowd goes crazy.

     What about your least favorite?

     Well, I should say the Clockwork Yooyuball, but I won't, because I feel like I've talked about it enough. (chuckles) Probably the Mutant Yooyuball. It's just so unpredictable, I never know whether it's going to reach the goal or not.

     A game with the Mutant Yooyuball can last for the whole three minutes, and by the time the match ends, it's possibly only one goal has been scored by either team. Even with all the practice we've had with it, we still can't predict how a game's going to go when we play with it.

     What do you love most about Altador Cup?

     Well, the slushies are delicious, so there's that. (laughs)

     And of course, the game. I love Yooyuball. I've loved it ever since I was a little kid. Even after so many years of playing it, I still find it so so exciting, I just can't get enough. I think back to my younger days, when I was just a baby Kougra, hoping to one day be good enough to make it to Altador and play for the Cups. Baby me would be so proud that he grew up into a captain.

     What do you hate most about it?

     I do miss Moltara. I get homesick every June. No matter how much I'm enjoying the Altador Cup, when it's late at night and I'm laying in bed after an exhausting Yooyuball tournament, I think about how much I miss playing Cave Glider or visiting Tangor's Workshop.

     But my team and I are representing Moltara in the Cup, so really, all I can hope for is to make them proud. Whenever we come home from an Altador Cup season, we're treated like heroes no matter what ranking we place. I'm so happy the Neopets of Moltara look up to us so much.

     Team Moltara has always placed at the bottom half every year, except for Altador Cup IX, in which the team placed third. How do you respond to critics who say that year was just a fluke?

     Altador Cup IX was one of our best years, and we're working hard to prove to everyone that that year wasn't just a fluke. But if it was, then so what? We'll still be playing Yooyuball, even if we never win another trophy again. We don't play this game for the awards or the medals - we play it because we love the sport.

     That's why we don't let those critics bother us. We never have. As long as we're out there doing what we love and people can see that, then we've done what we can here to do.

     Finally, what do you wish to say to kids who want to grow up to be Yooyuball players just like you?

     Keep practicing. And never give up. But they already knew that.

     Seriously, though, keep practicing. Yooyuball is a tough sport to master.

     Thank you so much for this interview.

     And thank you so much for this dinner! These Coconut Dates are delicious - can I order another plate and have them to go, please?