Twisted Wonderland Book 3: The Merchant from the Depths

Chapter 15: Stardom Dreams

Soon, the Spelldrive practice will come to an end.

Grim happily says, "Who knew a morning workout could feel so good? I'm alive, I tell ya! Aliiiive!"

"Yeah. It feels great," Jasper says

"Right? 'S why I get up an hour earlier than this to get some jogging in" Jack says.

"O-okay, that might be a little overboard," Grim replies.

Then says, "So Savanaclaw Dorm's already trainin' hard for next year's interdorms, huh? Looks like we'll have some worthy rivals."

Oh, I guess you guys haven't heard yet," Ruggie says.

"Heard what?" Briar asks.

Ruggie explains, "Every May, we have an even bigger Spelldrive event than the interdorm tournament."

Grim is shocked, "MRAH! It gets even bigger than that?!"

"Yup. It's the interscholastic games," Leona answers.

"The what?" Seriea says, confused.

"It's kind of like an international game, but the interscholastic game is when students from different schools compete against each other," Briar says.

"That's right," Ruggie says, "As the name suggests, it's a Spelldrive event where different schools compete."

"Our school always plays against Royal Sword Academy," Leona says.

"Ooh, I've heard of them!" Grim says.

"That's the one that Che'nya attends," Tanzanite replies.

Then Jasper whispers, "Not to mention Night Raven College's biggest rival."

Then Ruggie explains, "Twisted Wonderland's got a number of educational institutions for cultivatin' magicians. Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy are particularly prestigious. We're basically known as the Big Two."

"So what's Royal Sword Academy like?" Grim asks.

"It's a school for pampered lordlings that's fulla snooty, scrawny wimps," Leona answers.

Then Ruggie snickers, "Shyeheehee! What he said. Their campus 'n uniforms are all shiny and sparkly. Talk about lame! Can you imagine how much a single scuff would stand out on a white uniform? I know they're supposed to be a big deal, but I wouldn't go there even if they begged me."

"Hasn't Night Raven College lost the interscholastics for the past hundred years running, though?" Jack questions.

"Grk! W-well..." Ruggie says, nervously.

Then says, "We're only at 99 so far! You can bet your tail we'll win this year. Hundredth time's the charm."

From what I've seen watching the interscholastics on TV... Royal Sword Academy's roster of players are all individually outstanding, but that's not why they dominate. The real key is their incredible teamwork," Jack explains.

Then Grim says, "Hey, wait a minute. If we're talkin' interscholastics here... Does that mean it'll be more 'n just Savanaclaw? Will the other dorms be goin' up against Royal Sword Academy, too?"

"Yeah. Each dorm contributes a player into one big team that represents the school," Leona answers.

"Sounds like personality clashes waiting to happen," Briar replies.

Then Leona explains, "Last year, the team broke out into a brawl before the game even started, just from arguing over who got what position.

Hah! I like their moxie. If you want a position, you gotta fight for it! I'll make sure I get picked as a school rep!" Grim happily says.

But Jack says, "If you wanna strut your stuff and make a good case for gettin' picked, the best way to do that is to stick to your daily practice."

Then Ruggie says, "The interscholastics get higher TV ratings than the interdorms, so it's a prime chance to get scouted for the pro leagues!"

And Leona says, "You'd better start thinking now about what you're gonna do to beat out the competition and land a team spot."

"The interscholastic games, huh...?" Briar says in thought.