AAOOOSC! Wheatie Bits!

After the game, the defeated team is munching on hamburgers in their depressed mood. Kale, Brett, and Jake are sitting in the restaurant’s outdoor seating area, away from their team, under the bitter Michigan night.

“We had to go to Michigan to lose,” Brett spits out with his hamburger by his mouth. “We played on USA Hockey ice and lost. This is so humiliating.” He tears a piece with his teeth.

Kale turns to him from his left. “It would’ve been worse if we lost at home.” He picks up a French fry from the tray of French fries and pops it in his mouth.

Carter has a downcast look on his hamburger. “If only I didn’t let in those pucks,” he mutters.

Brett swallows and rolls his eyes. “If only I scored more.”

“I know, we all have regrets,” Kale exclaims with meaning. He gazes at his two teammates. “But take it as a learning experience and apply it to the World Juniors. Those are coming up pretty soon.” He throws another French fry into his mouth.

Carter takes in a shaky breath with his wide eyes glued on his hamburger. “We have to get gold,” he states forcefully. “I refuse to get silver like last time.”

“Better than bronze.” Brett takes another bite of his hamburger.

Kale knits his eyebrows at a fact about winning bronze. He swallows. “Anyone’s happier winning bronze than silver, which is strange.”

The goalie breathes in deeply, straightening his posture. “At least we can redeem ourselves in the World Juniors.”

Kale’s eyes light up at him. “That’s right!”

They then fall into silence as they sense a presence of two people approaching them from the other side of the railing that divided the restaurant from the sidewalk.

“Hello, fellow Canadians,” Kailer calls out to them with a small smirk, peering down at them.

Brett slides his sharp eyes up at him with his hamburger by his mouth. “You’re the last person I wanna see right now.”

Jake throws his hands in the air. “BRETT!” He hops over the railing and scoops his bestie into a tight hug, lifting him from his chair and causing him to drop his hamburger back on its tray.

“Aw, you don’t know how I long I wanted to hug you!” The goalie rubs his cheek against his head.

Brett immediately relaxes, closing his eyes with a small smile and wrapping his arms around him. “I never knew I needed this,” he murmurs.

Kale peers up at the small skater with a French fry in his hand. “Great job on the win.” He pops it in his mouth.

“Why, thank you.” Kailer nods at him in respect. “You men did well on the ice.”

Carter replies by scoffing and rolling his eyes before taking another bite of his hamburger.

Kailer then turns to the defenceman and asks lowly: “Have you been keeping him in check?” He throws a glance at the goalie.

Carter swallows and narrows his eyes at the forward. “I’m right here.”

Kailer raises his fine eyebrows at him. “I am aware of that.”

“Yeah, he’s been doing well.” Kale nods his head.

With frustration filling his face, Carter slams his hands on the table and pushes himself to his feet. “Maybe if you guys didn’t strap me down and told me to ‘get my act together,’ we could’ve won.”

“More the reason to hold you back,” Kailer states matter-of-factly.

Kale gawks at the goalie like as if he’s insane. “What? No, that doesn’t make sense! We lost so much sleep on that!”

He narrows his eyes at him. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.” With that, he speeds out of the restaurant’s patio and dashes down the sidewalk.

Kale flies up to his feet. “Carter, NO!” He blasts fluttering wheat stalks from his hands and launches off after him.

With a huff, Kailer disappears in a zap of blue energy.

Brett instantly follows with his armour building over him and blasting off into the night sky. Jake swiftly chases after Carter, coming after his scent’s trail.

Carter rushes down the dimly lit, empty sidewalk, feeling the fine, summer air blasting his face as he inhales and exhales quickly to keep up with his accumulating speed.

From the building’s roofs to his right, Kailer is appearing and disappearing in flashes of blue energy, hurling ergokinetic arrows at him each time he reappears.

The goalie sharply dodges the arrows, letting them strike the concrete ground and burst into sparks around him. He continues his mad dash into an alley in hopes of losing his pursuers.

With his green-tinted night vision, Carter distinguishes the obstacles in the alley, which only consisted of trash cans lined up against the brick wall. He pushes on through the damp area, creating splashes from the puddle-spotted asphalt, when suddenly, a fizzy sensation shoots between his shoulder blades and down his back.

He stumbles forward at the abrupt pain, catching himself from falling, and halts his pursuit. With bared teeth at the exasperating and dispersing pain, he whirls around at the source of the sensation.

Standing above him behind the large, full moon is the silhouette of Kailer. A blue, glowing bow is in his grasp, being loaded by another equivalent arrow.

“HUR-HUR-HURAAAHHH!!!” Carter immediately launches a streak of silver at him.

Kailer instantly disappears in a surge of blue energy just as the ribbon flies through his path.

Brett drops on Kailer’s previous spot and blasts a round of laser bullets from the guns attached to his forearms.

BLAM BLAM BLAM!

Carter whisks out his claws and skillfully swipes his hand in the air, deflecting laser streaks from striking his flesh.

From above Carter, Kale materializes a cage composed of metallic wheat stalks with a wave of his hands. He then thrusts his hands downward, hurling the cage below him.

CLASH!!!

Carter freezes as he feels a sensation of encasement and darkness circling around him. He rushes up to the bars, feeling their smooth, cold, and hard texture.

With building rage, he shakes the bars with his strength in an attempt to loosen them and dismember the cage. Yet they stay in their place, not bending down to his heavy force.

With the moonlight illuminating them, Carter then spots the four power players landing in front of his vision on the other side of the bars.

They gaze at him with looks ranging from interest to haughtiness.

“It’s like a bear in a zoo,” Brett states with a smug smile.

Kailer raises his eyebrows at him. “Well, he does have ursine physiology.”

Jake narrows his eyes at Carter with a growl as he gradually steps up to him.

Carter responds by snarling back at him and tightening his clutch around the bars.

Brett’s eyes wide with fright at Jake’s protective instinct. “Whoa, whoa, calm down, Jake Dog.” He takes his arm and gently pulls him back next to him.

Jake succumbs to his command, realigning with him and relaxing.

Kale then steps up to him with bewilderment written across his face. “What is wrong with you?” he blurts out, holding a wheat stalk out at him. “Why are you running away from us? Why do you have so much hatred toward us?” He halts in front of him, staring through the bars. “What did we ever do to you?”

Carter glowers at him. “It doesn’t concern you.”

Kale stares at him with shock. “So stop it with that look!”

“Respect them and they’ll respect you,” Kailer singsongs as he steps up next to the defenceman. “It’s the simple golden rule.”

Brett walks up to Kale’s other side with Jake following him and halts next to him. “And if you don’t do that, we will come after you,” he warns the goalie firmly.

Kale flicks his eyes from his society members before turning back to the goalie. “Even if it’s just me.”

“That’s not the problem,” Carter snarls irritatedly.

Ring, ring… Ring, ring…

Brett promptly lifts his wrist to his eyes and presses on it.

His armour smoothly folds itself off of him and into his Wrist-Moto, revealing his Team Canada attire that matches with his two teammates’ attire.

Now with freedom from the suit’s bulkiness, Brett then slips his hand into his sweatpants’ pocket and pulls out his phone to peer at it.

“Our plane’s leaving soon,” he announces. He puts his phone back into its place.

Kale lets out a sigh. “Okay.” He turns to the goalie. “Let’s go back home.”

With Kale’s mental command, the metallic texture of the wheat stalks morphs into its regular wispy texture, causing the cage to fall weakly on the asphalt.

Carter steps over the pile of wheat and up to the defenceman. He halts in front of him and then glares at the Americans.

Kailer returns to him a sweet smile. “Good playing with you, Hart.” He bows his head at him with reverence.

The goalie scowls at him.

Jake replies by glaring at him.

Carter senses the harsh burning at him from the other goalie. He turns to him and gives him the same intense expression.

Brett redirects Jake’s attention by anxiously nudging his shoulder. “Bye, Jake Dog!”

Jake instantly whirls to him with his face lit-up. “Awww!!!” He engulfs him into a massive embrace. “I’m gonna miss you!”

A warm smile forms on Brett’s face with his face pressed against his shoulder. “I am too.” He then pulls away from him to make eye contact with him. “Hey, maybe we might meet up in the NHL!”

“If not, the World Juniors!” The goalie flashes him an innocent smile.

Brett scruffs his head with a chuckle. “Ah, you got it!”

With a whimper, Jake wraps him back up in a hug, affectionately rubbing his cheek against his head.

Brett stays still, feeling the rubbing movements against his head as his mind screams about the condition of his hair afterward. He nervously pats his bestie’s shoulder. “Okay, Jake Dog…!”

Jake reads his signal and lets go of him. “Bye, bye, Brett!” He gives him a wholehearted wave.

Brett returns the two Americans a wave. “Bye, Jake Dog! Bye, Yamma Mamma!” He begins walking backward with his two other teammates.

“Goodbye, Howden!” Kailer calls after them with a dainty wave. “Goodbye, Clague!”

“Bye, Doc!” Kale shouts at them. “Bye, Jake dog!”

Jake redirects his wave to the defenceman. “Bye, Kale!”

Kailer then simply gives Carter a bow of his head. “And goodbye, Hart.”

Carter narrows his eyes at him before turning away from him with an arrogant swish of his head. The other two gradually turn around to easily follow their path back to their team.


The End.

Notes

E.8 "The Game of Juniors"
Part 8/8
Episode 8/10