AAOOOSC! Wheatie Bits!

E. 7. "Swapping Powers" (5/6)

Later that afternoon, Nolan has returned to the practice facility for the afternoon session of development camp. He is strutting down the hallway lined with office and locker room doors toward the assigned locker room when he hears a familiar voice shouting his name from behind:

"Nolan!"

He knows exactly who is attempting to grab his attention. He continues in his striding, ignoring the goalie.

"Nolan!" With huffs, Carter aligns himself with him. "Tell me, how do you control the glider the way you want it to go?"

"Push down forward until you make an imprint of your face on the ground," he remarks curtly, keeping his stern eyes ahead of him.

"Uhhh..." Carter maintains his pace with him, but he makes an uncertain look. "I would rather keep what I got for now, thanks."

"You asked."

The goalie lets out a huff then speeds up in front of the forward, blocking him from proceeding forward. "Look, I'm still thinking of a way to swap our powers back. I just need a silver mean, since I can only conduct my magic through silver."

"Use a fork." Nolan twists his torso perpendicular to him and breezes past him.

Carter watches him swagger away from him with a hopeless expression. A brilliant idea then pops into his mind, causing his face to light up. "Wait!"

He rushes back up to Nolan and grabs his shoulders while skidding in front of him, guiding him to stop once again. "I got it!"

Nolan yanks his shoulders from his grasp. "What?"

He grabs his hand. "Your silver generation." He holds it up for the owner to see.

Nolan instantly wrenches his hand free from his grasp. "Don't touch me!"

"No, no, no, no—" He waves his hands frantically in front of him. "—but your silver generation, it can-it can conduct my magic since it's silver!"

Nolan gawks at him. "I have to HELP you swap our powers back?"

"Yeah, I guess." He scratches the back of his neck tentatively. "It's the easiest way, I know my powers' flow the best."

Nolan shoots him a glare and states lowly, "You messed it up, you fix it up." With that, he flicks his head away from him and frisks down his path.

Carter follows him with his eyes in a surprised look. He then shouts at him, "Don't you want your powers back?"

From feet ahead of him, Nolan halts in his tracks at the question.

"Then you're gonna have to work with me!" Carter continues on with hope due to the forward's cooperating action. "Like a team! Since we are on the same team!"

Nolan spins around, giving him an unamused expression. "You're a goalie. I'm a forward. We don't have anything to do with each other."

"So I guess you don't want your powers back." Carter gives him a shrug with a fake, sympathetic look.

Nolan holds his hand out to him. "I do!" He strides up with him begrudgingly. "I just don't want to work with you." He halts in front of him and continues on lowly: "Even since you step into my sight, you've been nothing but trouble. What if you mess up even more? What if you make it permanent, or worse, take away my powers?"

Carter tilts his head with raised, interested eyebrows. "There's only one way to find out. And I mean, there's no other way to get your powers back." He points to himself. "I was the one who did it, I am the one to fix it."