This is just my own interpretation of an origin story for the Skyline Gang with a bit of a spin on the characters. I have watched one of their shows at Butlins and kinda became hooked. I have looked up the characters on the official Butlins website...
"Okay then. Game on!" Dude said, securing his cap. He probably should take it off, but he felt more confident with it on. The moment he finished speaking, a black hole formed between him and the Shadow Man. A basketball flew right out of it. It flew high, almost reaching the ceiling. It was suspended in mid air before it came straight back down. Dude waited, getting ready to move. Once the ball was close enough, the Shadow Man jumped up. It hit the ball hard. It bounced once before the Shadow Pip grabbed it. She passed it over to the Shadow Mimi, who almost dropped it. She started to dribble it, but Dude immediately sprang into action. He intercepted Shadow Mimi mid dribble and gained the ball to himself. Automatically, he looked around. Then he remembered that he had no team. He dribbled the ball, using his body to block the Shadow Team from regaining the ball. It worked for the time being. Once he was in range, he aimed for the hoop. He threw it perfectly. His friends erupted into a cheer.
2 points.
When the ball hit the ground, it disappeared. The game wasn't over. It was going to be set up for another round. Panting a little, Dude retook his position. The Shadow Team did the same. No time for a short rest. The ball was immediately launched back into the court. Dude let the Shadow Team take it again. If he tried to take it, he would be forced to pass it. Without a team, he would be forced to throw it randomly. That would be given to the other team. Something he can't afford to risk. He needs to get as many points ahead as he could before exhaustion takes over. Another interception, and another three points for Dude. His opponents were still slow. They were made by Dawn. She's probably not that knowledgeable about the game. Then again, Dude can't just assume that. He can't lose this right now.
Dude was launched into another round. He intercepted the ball again. However, he didn't get much of a chance to dribble it to his side. He suddenly found himself tripping over. He couldn't be sure what happened. He braced himself, just managing to keep his head from hitting the ground. The ball bounced away from him. The Shadow Candi scooped it up and passed it to another member of her team. Dude took a quick glance at his shoes. It wasn't his laces that tripped him up. He wasn't sure, but he thought that his foot was caught on something. He was running past the Shadow Bud. Maybe the copy tripped him up? No one protested it, so it went unnoticed. Dude got to his feet. He can't afford to get behind now. The Shadow Team scored three points. If Dude didn't get his head back in the game, that's it. He took up position, ready to go again.
"Is it me? Or is he slowing down?" Sprout asked after a few more minutes. After playing without getting a chance to grab his breath, Dude was indeed losing his energy. It was giving his opponents the advantage.
"This isn't good!" Bud exclaimed angrily. He turned to Dawn. A smile was on her face. She knew what she was doing. "He needs a break! Call for halftime! Or time out! Or whatever the correct term is!" Bud didn't get a response. He started to walk forward but a dark orange shape stood in his way. He was pulled back by Pip as she noticed it before him. They stared in horror to find Rainbow there before them. No, not Rainbow. His own shadow copy. It was snarling, foaming at the mouth. It kept its eye trained on the teenagers before Rainbow leapt out in front of them. He was snarling and barking himself, warning his copy to back off. He was a gentle giant, but was more than willing to fight his own shadow to protect his friends. The Shadow Rainbow growled but backed off. It walked over to Dawn's throne and sat down beside her. She actually made herself a guard dog. She believed that she was safe from anything that they might try. The others tried not to focus on that. Dude needed all the support that they could give right now.
Dude wasn't fairing any better. He thought that the Shadow Team would be slow enough for him to have an advantage. He was wrong about that. But he was right to be worried about his opponents' stamina. He felt like he was running on fumes. They didn't. They were moving faster now. They picked up in learning the game rather rapidly, like an A.I program. They had scored more points now. He couldn't intercept the ball easily as it was being passed between the team. Now they were ahead of him. They were on ten while Dude was still on five. He desperately needed to catch up. He just wasn't sure how he can right now.
Dude was running out of energy faster than he thought he would. He was breathing heavily. His lungs felt like they were being squeezed in a vice. The air was sucked out of his lungs the second he tried to breathe in. Blood was rushing through his body. He felt lightheaded as his heart was beating erratically. He barely had any sense of balance. Most of his steps were stumbling, making it feel like the ground was giving way under him.
Keep it together! You can't lose now!
Dude retrieved the ball again. He dribbled to his hoop. He needs to get these points to even the field. He stopped at the right distance. Then Deja Vu kicked in. Dude lined up the shot. He had aimed it perfectly. It'll be another three points. He jumped up, ready to throw. However, the Shadow Man jumped and collided with his shoulder. Dude lost his grip on the ball, allowing the Shadow Sprout to pick it up and pass it to another member of the Shadow Team. Dude meanwhile crashed to the ground. He couldn't brace himself in time. He didn't just bash his shoulder, but his skull hit the ground too.
"That's a foul!" Pip shouted.
"BOO!" Sprout yelled.
After that, Dude suddenly couldn't hear anything. All he heard was a pitched ring and his own harshly beating heart. He didn't even hear the other team scoring, or the others shouting at him to get up. Almost all of his senses seemed to have vanished completely. He almost went completely deaf. There was no feeling around him. The ground seemed to have vanished under his body. It was like he was in a void. He can't stay like this. He needs to snap out of it. Dude moved slowly. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to move too fast. He needed to be careful with his head injury. The world was spinning around him. His legs threatened to fall to pieces as he tried to get to his feet. He felt his head. There wasn't any blood, so that's a small bit of relief. The area was sore, probably bruised. It was quite a solid hit to the head, so probably a slight concussion too. His shoulder was now bruised again. It hurt to move his arm. It was unknown if he'll be able to perform well for the rest of the game.
Once he was steady enough on his feet, he noticed that his hat had fallen off his head. He quickly picked it up, putting it back on his head. That's when he finally noticed the darkness around him. There was nothing. He knew what this was. The others went through it already. He can get out of this. He just needs to move, find his way back onto the basketball court. He shifted his feet. However, he only moved an inch. His feet were as heavy as lead weights. He had no strength to move them. In fact, from the shoulders down, his whole body was completely frozen. Why can't he move? The more he fought it, the heavier his body felt. He struggled to shout out. He wanted to let the others know what was happening. However, his voice seemed to have been switched off. Nothing was coming out of his mouth at all. He tried to look around with the limited amount of movement his head had. Nothing. He almost expected Dawn to just show up and mock him. It was just him. No one was near him. His friends weren't near him. There were shadows. That was all that was around him was this darkness. The only thing that was close to his friends were their doppelgängers. Cruel ones. Was that how the others truly felt about him? No, that's a lie. He had gotten to know them. He knew them well enough to realise that they weren't like those he knew before. So then, where are they? Why did they abandon him?
He was just alone.
Like how it was before...
"You're pathetic!"
"You'll never be accepted!"
"You're lazy and uncoordinated. You're not putting in the effort and have a problem with teamwork. I've heard enough! You're off the team!"
"Always alone."
Just all alone...
The outsider...
That's how it will always be...
I can't...I can't do it...I'm sorry...
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