Moonrise: The Origins of Team Kreludor

     Chapter Three: Crash Landing

     "And there goes the full-time whistle! Haunted Woods 1! Kreludor 0!"

     With the aroma of Altador Dogs and Cheeseburgers still lingering in the warm summer air, the crowd at the Colosseum erupted in celebration as the fifth game in Round One of the inaugural Altador Cup drew to a close. Delighted by the spectacle that they had witnessed, neutrals and fans from both teams loudly cheered the two sets of players as they headed back down the Tunnel and to their respective Locker Rooms. Watching the four stone sides of the Commentary Box vibrate with every echoing roar, Tobias Sigmir couldn't help but feel that he was exactly where he was supposed to be. The Disco Ixi grinned to himself. Times like these were why he got into this business.

     Pulling down a blue shutter to cover the opening of the structure, the commentator jumped up from his seat and over to a hastily arranged camera set-up that came straight from the Virtupets Space Station. When first recruited by the Altador Cup Organising Committee to commentate and report on the games in this year's tournament, the classical pets had intended the role to be simply for reading out the team news to the fans in the stadium and compiling match reports for Altador at a Glance. Upon watching the first game between Krawk Island and Altador, Tobias had other ideas. The energy. The drama. The passion. It needed to be shared with as wide an audience as possible.

     "In what has to have been the closest match of the tournament so far," the Disco Ixi surmised, looking collected as he could atop his stone chair, "Zo Junior has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for his team with a last-minute goal!" He wasn't sure if any Pet was going to watch this. The Committee had agreed to offer the footage to some of the more technologically advanced lands. But maybe, just maybe, it would catch on. "Despite a cagey start from Kreludor, they grew into the contest and dominated for large periods in the second half but not even their Captain, Derlyn Fonnet, could dampen the flames of the Fire Korbat!" Turning to his co-commentator, Tobias remarked, "Zo Junior really is one to watch, isn't he, Hovri?"

     "Uh, yes. Yes, he is, Tobias." The Red Grarrl pulled at the collar of his new black shirt. Hovri Sweet was ever so slightly nervous. Just a few days ago he had been begging on the streets of Altador, the return of the city from a thousand years of slumber having not improved his dire financial situation. His happiest memories as a child, though, had come from Yooyuball. He loved this sport. And he knew it inside out. "Going into this match," the commentator addressed the unfamiliar device in front of him, "you'd think two teams captained by defenders might result in something of a dour spectacle. And although both sides did put on a defensive masterclass - Kreludor in the first half, the Woods in the second - it was great to see both sets of forwards having a proper go. It really was what Yooyuball is all about!"

     "Indeed," agreed Tobias, with a thoughtful nod. In later interviews, he would admit that he was very fortunate to have randomly stumbled upon such a talented and knowledgeable colleague as the Red Grarrl but right now he was just pleased to have some Pet to share the excitement with. "Krell Vitor will be pleased to have avoided this potential Zenana skin but his counterpart has plenty to be proud of too."

     "With any luck, we'll get more matches like this one."

     "Absolutely!" exclaimed the Disco Ixi, doing his best to suppress his grin and be heard over the noise the crowd was still making outside of their Commentary Box, "So don't go anywhere, The Lost Desert are up against the Virtupets Space Station next!"

     -----

     Rays of light twinkled down through the intricately carved roof of Team Kreludor's Locker Room as the beaten players silently packed away their kit at the end of a very brief inaugural Altador Cup campaign. The Locker Rooms provided for Altador Cup Teams were quite opulent affairs compared to your regular sporting facilities, with the bright sunshine glistening off the gold leaf that was used to border the tops of walls and edge the entrances to the two separate changing areas. Each player had their own alcove to store their Yooyuball equipment, flanked on both sides with marble columns and completed with a gold leaf-detailed bench. It was all very grand. The same could not be said for the atmosphere.

     Forwards Zenor Kevix and Qlydae Wegg had already left for the Kreludan Yooyuball Federation's designated Hotel, neither Grundo particularly keen on hearing a detailed dissection of their goal-less performance from their infamously blunt Captain. They needn't have been too worried though. As Derlyn Fonnet tried to fit her Yooyuball sling into the kitbag that lay sprawled on her gold-edged bench, the Purple Gnorbu was downhearted but not particularly angry. She had made a plan for the game. Her teammates had followed the plan. And the plan had worked... until pretty much the final kick. It was disappointing. Very disappointing. But that was sport.

     "That went so bad..." muttered Vignacio, sat on her bench and eyes fixed to the Altadorian Sun Crest that was emblazoned on the Locker Room's floor, "...like, really bad..."

     The Green Lutari was far more morose. A naturally talented athlete when it came to many of her Island's sports and a Champion Volleyballer, this whole experience had been the sharpest of learning curves. Just when she thought she had grasped the game of Yooyuball, the whole scale of the Altador Cup had thrown her off-balance. She was sure there were more fans in the stands of the Colosseum than there were Pets on her homeland! Vignacio shook her head. As a Champion Volleyballer, she was something of a perfectionist. She wasn't used to losing. All she could think about was every little mistake she had made on the pitch.

     Xila Kitae stood up and faced her teammate, kitbag already slung over her shoulder. "Do not worry Vignacio," the Pink Grundo enthused, not understanding why she was just so down given how well she had played throughout the match, "I'm sure we will win our next game!"

     Derlyn wrinkled her freckled nose at the remark as she struggled with her kitbag. "There isn't a next game," she pointed out unintentionally bluntly (for once), causing both of her teammates to look at her. Pushing her slinger down hard with one paw, the defender attempted to zip it up with the other as she explained, "The Altador Cup is a knock-out tournament. That means when you lose, you're out of the competition." As the zip finally closed, she couldn't help but grumble, "Don't ask me why the Organising Committee thinks it's a great idea to drag teams from all corners of and off the globe for potentially just one match but it is what it is."

     The Purple Gnorbu sighed with relief.

     Turning around, she quickly realised her words had made things worse.

     "This is all my fault..." trailed off Kitae, as she slumped back down onto her bench. The Pink Grundo had warned Commander Valka that she wasn't cut out for such an athletic mission shortly before her deployment to Kreludor. She may have been one of the few members of the Resistance that loved a good old-fashioned game of Zurroball but that hardly meant she was ready for a professional sports tournament. She was far more at home crawling around the ventilation ducts of the Virtupets Space Station eavesdropping on the conversations of suspicious individuals than having Petpets thrown at her. ... So. Many. Petpets.

     Their Captain frowned.

     "This isn't any Pet's fault," Derlyn gently corrected. She wasn't going to have any Pet blame themselves for the result. "The team played well. You both played well." Turning to the Pink Grundo, she remarked, "Kitty - it's been a long time since I've seen a goalkeeper make so many excellent saves in just one match. It wouldn't surprise me if you got nominated for Goalkeeper of the Tournament just based on the first half!" As a smile appeared on her goalkeeper's face, the Purple Gnorbu turned to the Green Lutari, "And V - you showed just why you're a Champion Volleyballer with your hand-eye coordination and ability to pass anywhere on the pitch!" She sighed softly. "I'm proud of both of you. Haunted Woods were just better on the day. That's it. It happens. There's no point in dwelling on it."

     Kitae jumped up from her bench before saluting. "Captain Fonnet."

     "...Yes?"

     "Would it be possible to be dismissed?" the goalkeeper queried, causing her Captain to raise an eyebrow. Derlyn wasn't sure she was ever going to get used to just how formally the Pink Grundo addressed her. Regardless of how many times she insisted it wasn't necessary. Thinking the awkward silence was a result of a lack of clarity in her request, Kitae chose to elaborate further, "Zenor Kevix and I have tickets to go watch the Virtupets Space Station play the Lost Desert. I need to leave now to have enough time to drop off my Yooyuballing Equipment at our Headquarters before I meet him at our Rendezvous Point."

     "Sure," the Purple Gnorbu responded with a polite smile. Watching her goalkeeper leave the Locker Room, Derlyn was certain she was never going to get used to it. Turning her attention back to her defensive counterpart, she saw that Vignacio's eyes had yet to leave the lustre of the Sun emblem that graced the marble floor. She had been impressed by her teammate's performance. The Green Lutari had nothing to be ashamed of. Putting her kitbag on the ground, she sat on her gold edged bench before speaking quite loudly in an attempt to break her reverie, "I mean it, you know."

     "I know," Vignacio smiled weakly. That's not what she'd been thinking about. "I was just wondering..."

     "If you can make it back in time to become a four-time Champion?" Derlyn interjected with a small grin. No, she wasn't psychic. The Green Lutari had just been talking about the Volleyball Championships a lot during the build-up for the Altador Cup. They were set to take place the week after the Final had been due to be played so it would've been tight but doable to get back to Lutari Island in time had Team Kreludor made it all the way. But they hadn't. And now Vignacio was feeling guilty at the prospect of ditching her teammates in order to pursue her favourite pastime. As far as her Captain was concerned, she had nothing to feel guilty about. "Go!"

     Scooping up her myriad of gear in both paws and grinning from ear to ear, the Green Lutari rushed out of the Locker Room and decided to head straight to the Docks. There was bound to be an intrepid captain willing to brave the whirlpools and mists so that she could return to her mysterious homeland. The spectacle caused the Purple Gnorbu to laugh ever so slightly. As her surroundings fell silent, Derlyn found herself alone with her thoughts.

     -----

     An early morning breeze rustled amongst the rigging of the wooden merchant boats that lined the northwestern Docks of the city of Altador, the vessels slowly bobbing up and down with each gentle wave that rolled into the stone harbour from the turquoise waters beyond. Lying outside the city's walls and expanses of green pasture, the Docks had grown from a simple pier network to a flourishing miniature town over time and played host to many a passing trader. This network of inns had proved crucial to the staging of the Altador Cup, with many fans and teams alike who couldn't afford to or didn't know any Pet to lodge within the city proper choosing to make it their base.

     Meandering down the unplanned streets filled on either side with stone buildings topped with red-tiled roofs, travellers were always greeted with a warm welcome regardless of how many coins they had in their purse. A modest inn on a bustling lane, Xenia's was where Team Kreludor had block-booked for the month. With a central courtyard for dining outside in the warm summer sunshine surrounded by a covered walkway and wings of rooms on all four sides, the inn provided a relaxed atmosphere far away from the excitement of the Arena District. Even quieter now that the higher-ups of the Kreludan Yooyuball Federation had already jumped on their private spaceships back to the Moon.

     With transport for the team optimistically chartered for after the end of the tournament, the players were forced to stay put or make their own way out of the land. Qlydae Wegg was more than happy to stay. The Orange Grundo had never left the Moon before and it had been a bit of a challenge to get used to the customs of Altador. But now that he had, he couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. Sat in the grass of the courtyard watching the clouds slowly drift by, he could feel his worries go with them. He hadn't realised how much the Civil War had been playing on his mind until now. Looking down at the selection of food on the table in front of him... there was one thing he missed from home though.

     "Mmmmmm," exclaimed a delighted Zenor Kevix as he bit into a slice of crusty Altadorian Bread he had dipped in a small saucer of Olive Oil. Watching the Blue Grundo's antennae twitch at the tangy flavour, his fellow forward went a similar shade to the Olives that sat in a Tureen opposite him. So... breakfast was something Wegg hadn't got used to. Every other meal was great but... Olives? The Orange Grundo picked up one of the fruits and squeezed it between his thumb and forefinger. He just didn't get the appeal and had been eating his bread plain. Washed down with Altadorian Nectar, of course.

     Flicking the fruit into a nearby bush, Wegg sighed softly before turning to his counterpart. He had something he wanted to get off his chest. "Okay, I admit it," he declared, catching his fellow forward off guard. An intrigued Kevix quickly finished his bread before listening intently. "I MAY have misjudged you," the Orange Grundo admitted humbly, "I was really impressed with how you played yesterday." Not too humbly though. "You were almost as good as me."

     The Blue Grundo wisely suppressed a laugh and decided to change the subject.

     "You won't believe what the commentators were calling us," Kevix remarked impishly.

     "What?" responded a nervous Wegg.

     "The 'twin Grundo terrors'!"

     The Orange Grundo paused for a moment. "Yeah, we're totally stealing that."

     "Definitely," chuckled his counterpart.

     Trudging down the paved, column-lined walkway that led out of her quarters in her Federation-issued pyjamas, a somewhat worse-for-wear Derlyn Fonnet waded through the verdant foliage of the courtyard before slumping down at the breakfast table opposite her two forwards. Crossing her arms on the marble surface, the Purple Gnorbu buried her face in them and her uncharacteristically unkempt orange mane. The two Grundos both looked at each other, a little taken aback. Concerned for his Captain's wellbeing, Kevix spoke up first. "Um, Dee?" the thoughtful youngster intervened softly, "You okay?"

     Only to be met by an inaudible groan.

     It was the Orange Grundo's turn to suppress a laugh. "Xenia's Altachuck must've been bothering her again," joked Wegg whilst taking a swig from his Altadorian Nectar, receiving a sharp elbow in his ribs from his fellow forward in response.

     "Very funny," Derlyn muttered mostly to herself, her words muffled by the sheer amount of hair that lay in their path. She sighed angrily before lifting her head up just high enough so that she could rest her chin on her forearms. Revealing a pair of heavily bloodshot eyes in the process. "I couldn't sleep last night," the defender responded bluntly before elaborating further, "I kept replaying Zo Junior's goal over and over again in my head. I still don't know how he got past me." It was that that aggrieved her the most. She had had a plan for the game. For the tournament, really. Team Kreludor was set up to play to the strengths and to cover the weaknesses of both the individual players and the team as a whole. To just focus on their own game. It's a good strategy. But no strategy is perfect. "He was. Just. Too. Fast."

     "Uh..." Kevix stumbled, somewhat confused, "didn't you tell Kitty not to dwell on the match?"

     "Yes," the Purple Gnorbu confirmed, "because it wasn't her fault." She couldn't stress that enough. "I was marking him. I let him past. He scored because of me." Burying her face back into her orange mane, that wasn't the only guilt that she carried. Even teams who claim to focus on their own game rather than countering the opposition scout their opponents so they can tailor their strategy. Derlyn knew she should have done her research on the Haunted Woods. She should have scouted them. But with everything that had been going on, she had just run out of time. It was why teams in the Neopian Central Football Leagues had entire coaching set-ups. At the very least she needed a deputy.

     A frown slowly grew on the face of the concerned Blue Grundo. He had found the past few weeks to be particularly hectic - and not just because he had come bottom of all the fitness drills his Captain had initially put the team through. From the training to the travel, Kevix had found it all pretty tough and sometimes a tad overwhelming. But his abiding memories from that time were when Derlyn would pull him aside to make sure that he was okay. He'd been through a lot growing up. He would tell any Pet that would listen that he had the kindest and most loving parents a Grundo could ask for. But they'd been through even worse. Taking a moment to breathe hadn't been an option for any of them. He knew what it did to Pets. Turning to his colleague, he mused, "...Don't you have something you would like to add, Wegg?"

     "Nope," the Orange Grundo responded with a shrug, "I agree. It was totally her fault."

     Kevix glared at his teammate. Wegg really didn't care and finished the rest of his Nectar off instead. "No, it wasn't," insisted the right forward adamantly, to the surprise of his counterpart. "We win as a team and we lose as a team," he stated in a far softer tone, "we wouldn't have lost if we'd scored but we didn't. It was no one Pet's fault."

     Derlyn sighed softly. She knew he was right. Deep down.

     Feeling the tension lift from the air, the Blue Grundo chose to focus on the future instead. Namely the two Day Four fixtures that he was planning to attend. With his old friend Xila Kitae having been redeployed by the Resistance on a classified mission that may or may not have involved compiling a thorough research dossier on the newly rediscovered city of Altador and its vast astronomical knowledge, Kevix had a spare ticket. And he was sure it would take his Captain's mind off their own early exit. Buoyed by his previous success, he ventured, "So, Dee... me and Wegg are gonna go to the Colosseum to watch-"

     "Pass."

     The right forward was crestfallen. "You didn't let me finish..."

     "At this point..." the Purple Gnorbu trailed off, her words only just escaping the tangle of hair that surrounded her face. Increasing her volume, she declared half-heartedly, "I'm not sure I want to see another Yooyu as long as I live."

     No Pet seated at the breakfast table believed that. Least of all Derlyn. The... conversation she'd had with President Rigel upon her return from the Colosseum and before the elder Orange Grundo had blasted off back to the Moon had planted seeds of doubt in her mind though. Not so much about her career in Yooyuball but rather her future with Team Kreludor. Or lack thereof. The Federation had been expecting great things from their debut campaign... a little too great. Crashing out in Round One had not been foreseen. Unaware of the behind-the-scenes forces at play, her right forward wasn't backing down. "Surely," Kevix insisted, not willing to let it go, "you at least want to see Haunted Woods' next match?"

     Silence.

     Broken by the Blue Grundo clearing his throat and directing another glare at his counterpart.

     Wegg furrowed his brow. He had overheard the arguments from the previous evening and for the first (and perhaps only) time was grateful he wasn't the team's Captain. He just really wanted to stay out of it - and this. ... But if it meant getting an Altador Dog sooner? "Yeah," the Orange Grundo rolled his eyes, not entirely convinced of the worth of any possible contribution he could muster, "I thought you were friends with that Krell guy?"

     Her left ear twitched. Yes. She was. And watching one of her oldest friends go all the way and lift the Cup would make her feel a least a bit better about their Round One exit. Having the team that knocked them out of the tournament ultimately become Champions would certainly give President Rigel something to think about. "Fine," a weary Derlyn conceded before slowly levering herself upright using the breakfast table as a support, "I might as well start scouting for the next Cup now." Given the success of the competition so far, there was already talk of an Altador Cup II being staged the following year. Whether or not she would be there wasn't her decision to make but she had a job to do for now.

     "Great!" grinned Kevix, victorious, "I'll make sure to get you an extra ticket!"

     With a yawn, an exhausted Derlyn placed an elbow on the breakfast table before resting her head in its paw and closing her eyes. Haunted Woods' Round Two game wasn't due for the best part of a week so she was sure she would get a good night's sleep by then. The past few weeks since leaving The Coin Shop Collectors and travelling to the Moon and back had been... a lot. An emotional and physical rollercoaster she hadn't been prepared for. But she was going to do everything she could to make sure Team Kreludor were better prepared for Altador Cup II. They were never going to be the physically strongest side but they had talented and well-drilled players. They just needed a game plan. And next time it would be a better one. Hopefully.

          The End.