Score: 0 - 0
"Right." Black turned away from the scoreboard to Cyan and Yellow. "So what are the teams?"
"Me and Magenta versus you and Yellow," answered Cyan.
"WHAT?!?!?!" Yellow screamed. "You know that you alone are better at soccer than me and Black combined!"
"Well, it is only fair," said Black. "You were with Cyan last game and with Magenta the time before. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid."
"You're taking Cyan's side? Not cool, girl."
"Too bad, Yellow," said Cyan wearily. "I'll try not to cream you too badly, but Magenta might take some convincing. You know his overcompetitive issues."
"Well - " Black began, but Yellow cut her off. "Can't we get someone else to join?" he complained. "Near Anti-Infrared is pretty good. Even out the teams a little."
"Don't you DARE mention that name! Do you know what happened to Black the last time she saw him?"
"The - "
"What - "
"SHUT UP!" Magenta's shout jarred the increasingly shrill argument between Cyan, Yellow, and Black to a halt. He walked over to the group, bouncing a soccer ball on the ground. "All of you, just shut up. Yellow, take some sulfur hexafluoride. It'll do you good. Black, I do not have overcompe...well, I kinda do, but don't press the issue. Cyan, I wanted to ask you about our offense strategy."
As Cyan and Magenta walked over to one of the goals, talking quietly, Yellow turned to Black. "What the heck are we gonna do?" he hissed. "They will sweep the floor with us."
"Hey, I thought you were Mr. Optomist," said Black. "When you give up, things are really bad."
"They are. I thought you were Miss Ideas. Anything coming?"
"Nothing for a comprehensive victory. I guess we'll just play our best and not be sore losers."
"Pre-game fist bump?" said a voice behind Black. Cyan was standing near her goal with Magenta, a grin on her face and her fist outstretched. Yellow sighed and poked it with his own.
"Let the game BEGIN!" Magenta shouted, throwing the ball into the air. Once, twice, three times it bounced on the ground. Then Magenta ran for the ball. Unfortunately, he did so at the same time Black did. She stopped in mid-stride, but it was too late. Magenta's shoulder smashed into Black's chin, toppling her onto the ground.
"Magenta!" Yellow said feebly, trying to grab him by the arm, but Magenta just waved him away and sprinted upfield with the ball. Cyan groaned and tore off after him.
"Magenta." Cyan caught up to him. "You have overcompetitive issues. Deal with it. Just not by giving people concussions."
"Sorry," said Magenta, slowing down.
"I think Black's all right," called Yellow, trotting up from behind them. "Just a bit dizzy. Don't do that again, will you? This is the fifth time this month, and the second with Black. Get it together."
"All right, don't rub it in my face." Magenta turned to apologize to Black, but she wasn't there. Cyan caught a glimpse of her running back towards the goal, kicking the soccer ball with her.
"Noooooo!" Cyan screamed, running after Black. It was too late. Black had scored.
Score: 1 - 0
"Ugh." Cyan looked at Black, who looked as surprised as she was pleased, at Yellow, who was cheering and dancing around Black, and at Magenta, who looked like he wanted to kill someone. "New strategy. How about I play out on the field, and you, Magenta you idiot, can be goalie."
"Fair enough." Magenta turned and stomped away to the goal.
Black felt a prickling in the back of her eyes. They glowed white for a split second, and faded. None of the others noticed.
"Let's fix that score!" Cyan shouted, as she weaved between Black and Yellow towards the goal. BAM. The ball flew in.
Score: 1 - 1
"That was fast," said Magenta.
"What do you expect? I'm good at soccer," said Cyan.
"I...um...hate to interrupt, but we only have about fifteen minutes until the news comes on, so we better get a move on," suggested Yellow.
Cyan dropped the ball on the ground and began to kick it upfield. Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted her. It sounded like a large piano falling out of a tree onto a trampoline. She recognized the sound immediately as one of teleporting a large distance. "Time-out guys!...Anti-UVA?" she exclaimed. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"Our internet's out," said the location of the noise, which slowly faded into the breathless figure of UVA. He looked very much like Cyan, except his hair was shorter and his voice was much more like Magenta's. "We need to see the news too, you know. Near Ultraviolet, Far Ultraviolet, and UVC are coming. UVB is out reporting. Hey, can I join your game?"
"I don't see why not," answered Cyan.
"What!" Magenta walked over from the goal. "I thought you said you didn't want people to join! (I don't either, to be honest..)"
"I said I don't want Near Infrared to join. I have nothing against anti-ultraviolet light of any kind. It'll make the teams more even, anyway."
"Fine." Magenta, again, stomped off to the goal.
Black sized up UVA. "You any good at soccer?"
"Soccer?" UVA yelped. "I can't play soccer! I thought you were playing hockey. Oh well. I guess you need more people anyway."
"Time in!" called Cyan. She resumed kicking the ball up the field. Suddenly, she felt a presence by her right shoulder and an absence near her feet. UVA had stolen the ball from her! He ran back down the field to Magenta's goal and kicked the ball. Magenta stopped it with his hand just in time.
"You're better than I thought," said Yellow. "Maybe we can even win!"
In your dreams, thought Cyan, just in time to see the ball Magenta kicked rocketing at her face. She ducked instinctively, and the ball hit Yellow's foot and bounced into the goal Black was guarding. "Yessss!" she cheered.
Score: 1 - 2
Black picked up the ball and threw it as hard as she could toward Yellow. Yellow was about to take it, when a bluish flash whizzed by him. Before he knew what happened, Cyan had scored again.
Score: 1 - 3
"Seriously?" he muttered. "Black, maybe I should be goalie for - " He was cut off by UVA who came puffing up to them.
"News is on!" he gasped. "Come on, the rest of the Anti-UV gang is coming any moment now." He sped off in the direction of the house on the horizon, as his pronouncement was reinforced by several loud bangs nearby. Three figures materialized from the source of the bangs - Near Anti-Ultraviolet, Far Anti-Ultraviolet, and Anti-UVC. UVC ran after UVA, followed by Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. The other two hung back with Black.
"You coming?" Magenta called.
"Later, Antigreen," replied Far Anti-Ultraviolet. "I need to tell Antivisible something." He turned to Black. "Did you feel the flashes?" he asked quietly.
"I did," said Black. "I didn't pay attention to what he said, though. I was too busy being goalie."
"Well," said Near Anti-Ultraviolet. "It was a message from Antigamma - "
"I got that part. What did he say?"
"Let me finish, dangit. - telling us to report to the usual spot in one half-hour's time. He likes us to be early, so we better go."
"Ugh. Not another conference. I hate sitting through those things. They're never important, and I always have to sit next to Near Anti-Infra - " Black noticed that the UVs had already left. I'm talking way too much for no reason, she thought. I need to shut up some. Then she was gone too.
