"Spelldrive?" You tilt your head. "What's that?"
Ace's eyes widen like you've just grown a second head. "Dude, Y/N. You've never heard of Spelldrive?"
You shake your head. I never know what anyone is talking about here.
"It's a world-famous sport!" Deuce informs. "There's even a pro league and a world championship tournament."
Grim folds his arms. "I ain't never heard of this either!"
"Spelldrive is a sport played by competing teams of seven people." Ace adds. "Basically, players battle for control of a disc and earn points by drivin' it into the enemy team's goal. The team with the most points wins!"
"Oh, that sounds like some of the sports from my world." You say.
Ace grins. "Oh yeah? You a big sports fan, Y/N?"
You shrug. "Well I never really took it seriously but some sports were fun."
"If you're interested, we could go check out the school's Spelldrive league sometime." Deuce smiles at you.
"Oh man," Ace brings a hand to his head. "I just realized that Y/N would have a hard time actually playing."
"Yeah?" Grim tilts his head. "Why's that?"
"You need magic to play." Deuce informs. "Not only do you move the disc with magic, but you use it to attack and defend, too."
Ace nods. "The flashier the magic, the better. It's how players show off their skills!"
"Yes, quite!" Crowley pipes in. "That is why Night Raven College is known throughout the world as a leader in the sport! This school has produced countless pro players!"
Crowley moves to lean against the front of his desk. "That's why our interdorm Spelldrive tournaments attract attention even from pro league recruiters. Also, those simply looking for up-and-coming magicians use the event to scout hopeful candidates. Yes, the tournament is quite an affair. The campus will be full of visitors and lined with various kiosks. And the main event will be captured by television cameras and broadcast worldwide."
"Wow." You think back to your home world and how big a sports were for the players to be recruited by a big name league. "That is a pretty big deal."
Grim hops excitedly from your shoulders to the floor. "It's broadcast throughout the world? So you're sayin' that if I were to play in this tournament, and win of course, the whole world would see it?"
"Of course!" Crowley smiles, seemingly enthusiastic about the sport as well. "Players who excel at the tournament invariably attract great attention. Both from the pro leagues and the public at large!"
Deuce looks to Grim. "In your case, the magic would barely even matter. Just having a monster like you out there is sure to turn heads."
Grim rubs his paws together excitedly. "It's settled, then! I'm gonna train around the clock, join a team, and become a legend!"
"Alas, Grim, you cannot enter."
Grim whips around at the Headmage. "Wait, what?"
"Did you not hear me speak the word interdorm multiple times?" Crowley asks the bewildered cat. "Your dorm doesn't even have seven members. Therefore, you cannot enter the tournament."
"What? But no fair!" Grim cries out in despair.
"But there's plenty else to do, from tending to the grounds to selling drinks in the stands!" The Headmage says like it helps Grim feel any better. "Those who stand upon the field are not the only stars of tournament day."
Grim glowers at Crowley. "Not. Interested! I wanna be on TV! I want everyone in the world fawning over me! 'Grim is sooooo cool! Did you see that play Grim made?' You get what I'm sayin'?"
Ace quirks an eye. "Your delusions are oddly specific, dude."
"Well, if you can't field a team, I'm afraid that's that. Maybe next year, Ramshackle House will get some new members." Deuce tries to reassure Grim. "But it's not happening this year."
"Anyway, as I believe I've mentioned, I'm a busy man. I must be off." Crowley waves you and the boys off.
Grim trails behind sadly. "Yeah, thanks for takin' me outta your busy day to build up my dreams and crush 'em! Myaaah! "
The Housewardens and the Headmage gather in the Mirror Chamber. Crowley steps forward, gathering everyones attention.
"I call to order this meeting of housewardens. Our agenda today concerns the October Spelldrive tournament. Let us begin with the report from the head of the tournament planning committee, Mr. Ashengrotto of Octavinelle house."
A boy with gray hair and glasses steps forward. He wears black gloves and a light lavender-blue vest under his school jacket.
"Greetings. I am Azul Ashengrotto, and it is my honor to lead the planning committee. I am pleased to announce that we have fully booked the grounds surrounding the coliseum. All of the kiosk space allotted to both internal organizations and external businesses is now full."
A boy besides him fist pumps. "Sweet! This tournament should be a real lively one, then."
The boy has crimson red eyes and white hair wrapped in a gold scarf. He wears a cream colored cardigan over his dark red vest.
Azul continues. "All invitations to various royalty have been sent, and public tickets are selling briskly.
And, as in past years, we have received numerous requests to cover the event from both television stations and print media."
"Sounds like the whole world will be watching." The crimson eyed boy says excitedly. "Before I was admitted here, I looked forward to receiving my VIP invitation every year."
He turns to the lion leaning against a wall, examining his nails. "I imagine you got them too, Leona? We might have run into each other at the tournament when we were kids!"
Leona doesn't look up. "Who knows? And also, who cares, Kalim?"
A boy with blonde hair with lavender dyed ends puts a gloved hand to his chest. His vest is a dark purple. "This year, I'll have to work extra hard on my makeup to make sure I'm shining like a diamond on the new Ultravision displays. With all the exertion, I'll need to be touching it up constantly!"
Riddle sighs, shaking his head. "House Pomefiore is the only dorm that regularly calls timeouts to fix their makeup."
A tall, pale boy stands the furthest away from the group. He wears an oversized gray hoodie and has blue lips. He has long hair that looks like it's made of blue fire. "How can you all be so excited to be on TV? Just the idea of it makes me wanna puke."
Azul clears his throat. "As I was saying."
Kalim looks sheepishly back to Azul. "Oops, sorry."
"Now, as soon as your dorms' player rosters are settled, I'll need your registration documents. Any dorm that is even a single day late-"
"Will be promptly disqualified, I trust." Riddle interrupts, folding his arms.
Azul forces a smile at the red haired boy. "No. They will be charged a handling fee. Consider it remuneration for rush processing."
"What? I don't approve of you changing the rules to allow for policy exceptions!"
"And I couldn't be more grateful for it!" Kalim laughs.
Crowley shakes his head. "Let's try to stay on topic. We need to discuss the tournament bracket. I had an idea I'd like to propose."
"And that is?" Riddle quirks an eyebrow at the Headmage.
"It concerns the Diasomnia housewarden." Crowley informs. "I think that we should induct Mr. Draconia into the hall of fame to keep him off the field entirely."
"Say what?" Kalim says in surprise.
Leona growls, finally paying attention. "What are you on about?"
"Ever since Mr. Draconia enrolled here, no dorm has scored even a single point against Diasomnia." Crowley continues. "Diasomnia regularly scores 100 points per game, with ninety percent of them being from Mr. Draconia himself."
"Now that you mention it, when we had to face them last year, it did feel completely futile." Kalim agrees.
"The dude totally breaks the game." The boy with the hoodie inputs. "It's like he's got cheat codes enabled."
"Amusement is not the only goal of this tournament. Our hope is that spectators the world over will discover talented new mages. However," the Headmage pauses. "recent matches have been ending without anyone, save Mr. Draconia, casting even a single spell. And that includes his own teammates! And that is a less than optimal state of affairs."
"I'm all for it." The fiery haired boy puts his hands in the hoodies pockets. "Getting stomped isn't exactly fun for us either."
Crowley continues. "I know many members of Savanaclaw House aspire to play in the Spelldrive pro league. Savanaclaw House had never landed in less than third place in the history of this school."
Crowley looks to Leona. "And yet in both of the last two years, you've been eliminated in the first round after being matched against Diasomnia House. That's certainly not impressing any recruiters. Thus, this matter of disproportionate performance directly affects your players' future."
Leona stands up from leaning against the wall, narrowing his eyes at the Headmage. "And you're sayin' you expect us to make fools of ourselves on the field again this year?"
"It certainly brings me no pleasure to suggest it." Crowley says defensively. "Regardless, Mr. Draconia has already agreed to be inducted into the hall of fame. All we need now is the committee's approval."
Leona folds his arms. "So you're sayin' we need a handicap. Listen and listen well, Teach. Ain't nothin' I hate more than someone tellin' me you can't win before I even begin to fight."
Crowley takes a step back from the hostile student. "No, that is not my intention-"
"Then what is?" Leona let's put a growl. "First of all, Spelldrive ain't a game about power. It's all about what's up HERE, in your head!"
Kalim shakes his head. "I'm pretty sure my head can't beat Malleus's."
Leona smirks. "I don't doubt that. But mine can. Sure, in a battle of brute force, no one's beatin' him. But in a battle of wits, that's a different story"
Azul puts a gloved hand to his chin. "Intriguing."
"The King of Beasts from the Great Seven won his throne through cunning and persistence." Leona continues his tirade. "You all should be wrackin' your brains, trying to come up with a way to beat that monster! Whichever team figures that out is gonna be sittin' REAL pretty on the world stage. Are you gonna let a once in a lifetime chance like that get yanked out from under you?"
The Pomefiore housewarden nods to what Leona is saying. "For once, Leona is making perfect sense. I agree, this plan is utter nonsense. It reeks of some kind of unconscious bias on your part." He points to Crowley. "And I despise that sort of thing."
"I am in complete agreement with Housewarden Vil." Says Riddle. "As one of the foremost mages here, the last thing I want to do is give up without a fight."
Leona turns to the rest of the group. "Don't you wanna see that self-important, stuck-up jerk's crestfallen face get broadcast to the whole world? Doesn't the thought of it make you wanna roar?"
Azul smirks and brings a hand to adjust his glasses. "That would certainly boost the ratings!"
"Well, I certainly don't want to be on the losing side of this." Kalim puts his hands in his hips.
The fiery haired boy looks at the others in shock. "Seriously? I'm the only one who wants him in the hall of fame?"
Leona smirks at the Headmage. "I think we have our answer. The hall of fame idea is officially shut down."
Crowley brings a clawed hand to his forehead. "Fine, fine. But if this year ends up being a repeat of the last two years, he's going in next year for sure."
"Well, that was the last item on today's agenda. Everyone, remember to submit your registrations." Azul grins. "Not that I would be upset if it were to slip your mind."
Vil looks around the room. "Incidentally, where IS Malleus? Did everyone forget to invite him again?"
Two students walk along the school's hallway. Chatting amicably to each other.
"The Spelldrive tournament rosters should be final any day now."
"Have you come up with any flashy new spells?"
"You know it! I already showed one to Professor Crewel and he seemed pretty impressed. I can't wait to show it to Housewar-"
Approaching the stairs, the student lurches forward and tumbles down the steps, landing with a hard thud on the floor. "Gah! That hurt!"
"Hey! What just happened? Why'd you tumble down the stairs like that?"
The fallen student holds his ankle in pain. "My ankle! It hurts!"
"Oh no! We gotta get you to the nurse!"
The student helps his injured comrade to the nurse's office. Not noticing a silhouette hidden in the shadows.
"Shyeheehee!"