Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
July 9, 2017
Afternoon

A flash of yellow energy engulfs Connor’s kitchen. Instantly, the flash recedes, revealing the lone countertop once again with its owner and his visitors:

Connor, Auston, and Carter are standing by the countertop. Connor swiftly sits back down at the end; Auston follows him, settling on his stool. The two then spin to face the junior player solemnly.

Carter stares at them in pure shock as if he is frozen.

“You can speak,” Connor says, rotating his wrist in the air to signal him to speak.

Carter darts his eyes from side-to-side before landing them on him. “Uh...wh-where am I?”

“You’re at my house.” Connor places his hands on top of each other with his elbow on the surface. “Welcome.”

“Wh-what did you do with Nolan?” Carter asks, still filled with uncertainty.

“I teleported him to the hostage room while I was teleporting you two and me.” An arrogant smirk forms on his face. “Remote Teleportation.”

Tentatively, Carter points to Auston then to Connor, attempting to process whom he is talking to. “You guys...you’re…”

Connor places a hand on his chest. “I’m Connor McDavid—” He reverts his hand over toward Auston. “—he’s Auston Matthews.”

Auston gives him a quick nod. “What’s your name?”

“Carter Hart,” the goalie replies cooly. He then turns to Connor. “Why’d you bring me here?”

Connor interlaces his finger and cocks his head at him with a smug smile. “One of my powers is telepathy. I was able to read your mind and I find out that we have a few things in common.”

A scowl forms on Carter’s face. “How dare you read my mind.”

Connor shoots him a grave expression. “I had to. You just came out of nowhere and I needed to know who you were going for.”

Carter begins to step toward the countertop, behind Connor, while keeping a sharp eye on him. “I would tell you, but why should I—” He twirls around on Connor’s left to glare at him. “—if you already read my mind?”

Auston gives him a look of disapproval. “He already read your mind. Holding a grudge won’t undo that.”

Carter halts on the other side of the countertop, across from Auston. He silently gives him a glower.

Connor then whirls to the sulking goalie. “But please, tell us your scheme. Pretend I didn’t read anything from your mind. Besides—” He whirls to partner-in-crime. “—Auston doesn’t know anything about it, eh?”

Auston nods his head. “Yup. I’m clueless here.” He purses his lips.

Carter stays still for a few moments, staring hard at the granite surface. “Okay.” He faces the two, slamming his palms against the smooth surface. “Here’s what I’m going at: I want the CHL and the NCAA.”

“Ooo, exciting!” Connor rubs his hands in eagerness.

Auston gazes up at him in interest. “Tell me more.”

“It’s a project I just recently started now that I got more time in my hands due to the offseason.” He holds his hands out from his sides. “I’m starting off with the WHL for CHL and Hockey East for NCAA to have bite-size tasks. As of now, I’m weakening the leagues together, going from one to the other and terrorizing them so-to-say.” He sways his hands from side-to-side.

“I just did BU—Boston University—earlier today since their team powers are pretty pathetic. Then I went to Brandon to continue, but you guys beat me to it.” He shoots them an unamused expression.

Auston gives him a fake, innocent smile. “You’re welcome.”

“So what happened to BU’s power player?” Connor asks, his fingers interlaced on the countertop.

A twisted smirk grows on Carter’s face. “I kicked him to the curb, like what you’d do to any dog.”

“What powers do you have, exactly?” Auston asks with scrutinizing eyes.

Carter clasps his hands behind his back. “I’m the power player of the Everett Silvertips, WHL team.”

Auston’s eyes widen at the name of the team. “That’s the team I was gonna go on!” He then leans back with crossed arms and a cool mien. “But I chose to go to Switzerland instead. It’s a better place for a lair, if you ask me.”

Connor narrows his eyes at him. “So you’re saying that this is not a good lair? It blends in and it’s closer to our targets.” He throws his hand in the air. “Yours is in the middle of the nowhere!”

“I actually don’t have a lair,” Carter pipes in with a nervous grimace.

The two skaters face him with flat expressions.

“So what were you gonna do with Patrick?” Connor asks with raised eyebrows.

Hesitation crosses Carter’s face before he shrugs and calms his expression. Carter shrugs. “Crush him. Maul him. Something.”

Auston gawks at him. “Anything a bit less gruesome?”

“Well, those are my powers…” Carter flicks his eyes around in uncertainty.

Connor slips his fingers through his hair with a groan. “Ugh, right… You have ursine physiology.”

“Do you really turn into a bear?” Auston has his eyebrows raised up at him.

“If I get really mad,” Carter replies, still maintaining apprehensive expression with wide eyes and pursed lips. “But I mainly use the aspects of a grizzly bear, like claws, speed, that sort of stuff.” He relaxes his facial expression. “What powers do you guys have?”

“Plant and syrup manipulation,” Auston states grimly, balling his hand into a fist. “I’d fight whoever assigned those powers to be the Maple Leafs’ team powers to have better ones.”

“Or you could just get traded,” Connor pipes in with a shrug.

Auston turns to him. “I have a great chance to make it big in Toronto. I like the team, not the powers.” He pauses. “Unless I get traded to the Coyotes, then I wouldn’t mind that either.”

Carter turns to Connor. “What about you?” He nods to him. “What’re your powers?”

A smile filled with hubris grows on Connor’s face. “I’m the ruler of the NHL.”

Carter does not seem fazed. “But what’re your powers?”

“Nigh-Omnipotence.” He maintains his smirk.

Carter’s jaw drops as his eyes fly open. “You have powers close to omnipotence?!”

Connor nods his head with closed eyes. “That’s right.”

Carter instantly throws his hands in the air. “What are you doing here talking me?!” He thrusts his arms at Connor. “Go win the Stanley Cup a hundred times or something!”

Connor solemnly interlaces his fingers on the countertop. “I’d love to, but...I haven’t mastered yet the full potential of the power.”

The goalie lets out a groan of pity as he shakes his head. “Do it!” He stares at him with wide eyes and slanted eyebrows. “Master it! Those are like mind-blowing powers! You can do practically anything with them!”

Connor leans back with realization across his face along with awe-filled eyes. “That’s right…” He straightens up. “If I master my powers, I CAN do anything!” He chuckles mirthfully. “I can even become the ONLY ruler of the NHL forever.” He whirls to Auston. “I can annihilate women’s hockey for you!” He spins to Carter. “I can give you the CHL and NCAA in a snap for you!” He gradually turns to the two. “I just gotta master them. And then...we can finally win.”

A smirk forms on Carter’s face. “That sounds so beautiful.”

“So when can you get them mastered?” Auston asks with raised eyebrows.

Connor tilts his head to side-to-side as he mentally searches for an answer. “I’m not sure, but I will work on it hard if the results are THIS great.”

Carter darts his eyes to the two skaters. “So for now, what do we do?”

Auston nods to Connor. “Start working on your powers.”

Connor nods his head while drumming on the countertop. “I will. I’ll do...reality manipulation. The power to manipulate reality.” He lifts his eyes to the two. “I can create, destroy, alter reality just by whatever I think. I can think I’m the NHL ruler forever.” He turns to Auston. “I can think you took away women’s hockey.” He reverts his attention to Carter. “I can think you are the owner of the CHL and NCAA.” He faces both of them. “And it’s reality.”

Auston nods his head. “That sounds good.”

Carter chuckles with an amused expression. “Now I’m grateful for having you guys teleport me here.”

Connor spins to him. “Of course.” He gives him a smirk. “And thanks for bringing a power player to us.”

“Anytime. Nolan’s annoying.” Carter rolls his eyes. “If arrogance has a bodily form, it’s in the shape of Nolan.”

Auston chuckles at the statement.

Connor has a look of approval at him. “Oh, Carter.” His eyes then fly open as he quickly straightens up. “Ah! I forgot to mention—” He holds his hand out toward him. “—welcome to the group.”

With a satisfied expression, Carter takes his hand and gives it a firm shake. “I’m honoured to be apart of it and literally change the future.”

Notes