Later that night, the back hallway of the NHL headquarters is empty, as usual. Then, hiccuping is heard echoing through the corridors, increasing in volume as the source makes its way deeper through them.

Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup!

Sidney ambles into view, appear normal. Yet he lurches into the air with a large hiccup slipping out from him as a large flame engulfs him. In a split second, he lands on his feet as the fire disappears with the diaphragm spasm; the only evidence is the smoke rising from his hair.

He continues hiccuping and bursting into flames as he makes his way down the corridor.

Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup!

Sidney halts in front of the buttons of the elevator. He lets out another hiccup: Hiccup!

With annoyance, he slams his head against the elevator’s button pad, pressing the down button.

“I hate Stamkos...sooooo— Hiccup!”

He jumps back into a quick flame just as the elevator rings.

The doors slide open and Sidney storms through them and into the elevator box.

“So, so, so— Hiccup!”

He explodes into a flame once again as the sliding doors conceal him.

One last hiccup! is heard before the sudden whirling of the elevator descending takes over.

---

In the basement, Tommy is in his usual position, typing on his large computer. Nolan is still laying on the sofa, now enjoying his ahi poke bowl with chopsticks. The two are in silence until...

Ding!

The elevator doors slide open, letting in its warm light into the room and the rider himself. Sidney bounces into the room, hiccuping and bursting into flames at every step.

“Tommy! Hiccup! Tommy! Hiccup!”

Tommy spins in his swivel chair to face the captain. “Oh, well, hello there, Sidney—” His eyes instantly widen as he spots Sidney’s burning predicament. “Oh my, what happened?”

Sidney stands a few feet away from him with a scowl. “Stamkos. Hiccup!” He illuminates the room with a short-lived flame.

From the sofa, Nolan lazily waves his chopsticks toward him. “Welcome to the club.”

Tommy eyes his small power player from head to toe in utter confusion. “How did you conclude it’s Stamkos?”

“Hiccup!” Sidney hops up with a blast of bright flames before calming down into smoke. “He struck me without me even being ready and now I’m hiccuping fire! Hiccup!” He illuminates himself again.

“It’s no coincidence,” Nolan tells him gutturally. “He struck me like that and now I’m some merger.” He pops in a bit of his seafood bowl into his mouth.

“I actually like this,” Carter comments in Nolan’s head.

Nolan stabs his chopsticks’ tips into his bowl with a scowl aimed at his head. “Shut it, Hart.”

“This is so peculiar…” The founder rubs his holographic chin as he sways his narrowed eyes between both malfunctioning power players. “You both were struck by Stamkos and now your powers are malfunctioning.”

“Hiccup!” Sidney explodes into a quick flame. “That’s right!”

“Hmmm…” He reverts back to his computer. “Well, he did win…hmmm…” He snaps his eyes down to the Stanley Cup.

The glamorous trophy is innocently sitting in its glass case by the foot of the computer. It is attached to the large machine by wires from its case to the back of the screen.

Tommy turns around to gaze at the two power players. “He does have the power of electricity and powers are activated and transferred from the Cup to the chosen power player through the means of electricity…”

Nolan narrows his cold eyes at him with a formidable thought. “Don’t tell me…”

“...so with being able to manipulate electricity, he can manipulate powers...since that’s how powers are activated and controlled: through the means of electricity.” The founder sits with disappointment in the heavy realization.

Sidney gawks and flails his arms in the air. “So Stamkos has control over all of our—HICCUP!” —he launches into a rapid flame— “powers?!”

“Well…,” Tommy peers up in deep thought. “...I don’t think it’s a willing control, where he can change powers according to his will. It’s more of an” —he gazes back down at him— “unintentional control, where you men are struck with electricity and with that charge running through you, your power surge is greatly affected. It’s the result of an extra power, so to say; it messes with the functioning of your powers.”

Sidney hysterically waves his arms in the air. “How do we avoid others being like this?” This frenzy is added when he bursts into a flame again. “Hiccup!”

“Stamkos has to stop being dirty and stop cheating,” Nolan grumbles, frustration dripping in his voice as his cheeks burn. “He better be banned.”

Tommy shakes his head. “No, no, I can’t ban him, but I can install a barrier to avoid him from cheating…” He whirls to the power player on the sofa. “You say he starts too early, am I correct?”

“Yes.” He angrily stuffs another bite of rice and raw tuna in his mouth.

“I agree!” Sidney calls out with a pointer finger into the air. “Hiccup!” He is speedily immersed in a flame.

The founder nods in understanding. “Therefore—” He whirls back to the computer and begins typing. “—I shall order the commissioner anonymously to install power-negating barriers to prevent anyone from starting too early.” He peers behind his shoulder to look at the two. “How does that sound?”

Sidney tilts his head in uncertainty. “Stamkos can’t go through it?”

Tommy slowly faces them again. “If it’s power-negating.”

“Good,” Nolan replies, although he has a glare aimed at him.

Tommy’s face brighten as he straightens his posture. “Very well! I shall get that task underway!”

Yet before he could fully spin back around to begin his task, Nolan speaks up:

“And what do we do in the meanwhile? I’m the only power player of the Flyers and I don’t even have the team powers...and we have a game tomorrow.”

Tommy gradually faces him. “Well, just fight to the best of your ability. Work with Hart.”

“Yes!” Carter remarks mentally.

Nolan lets out a reluctant sigh. “Fine.”

“Hiccup!” Sidney hops once again with a spurt of fire. “Same here?”

Tommy nods, eyeing the smoke rising from Sidney’s head. “Yes, Sidney, same here.”

“You can’t restore our powers?” the captain asks suspiciously.

“No.” He shakes his head. “The computer reads you as having your team powers. But those very team powers are malfunctioning. So as of now, it’s like...hiccupping...with fire is the Penguins’ team powers.”

Sidney rolls his eyes. “Woo, great powers—” His sarcastic statement is cut short as his powers work against him: “Hiccup!” He bursts into a quick flame again.

Nolan shoots his rival a frown before turning to the founder. “Not even through the Cup?”

“That’ll be adding more powers to you.” Tommy raises his eyebrows at him. “You already have enough powers.”

“Can’t you take the powers out of me, fix ‘em, then put them back in?” He shrugs. “I’ll let you do that.”

“That will disturb the power player system even more. The system reads you as having team powers. If I take away your powers, it is because there is another power player ready to take your place. You have to work with these powers.”

He gives him a skeptical look. “You can’t put it back in me?”

“Not if I take them out. Through another means of losing your powers, yes.”

Nolan lets out a groan and rolls his eyes. “When I fight against Stamkos next time, he just might do that.” He then tosses his chopsticks into his empty bowl and swings his feet off from the sofa. “Alright, I’m leaving.” He rises to his feet and ambles to the elevator before pressing the button to call it.

After Nolan exits the room through the elevator, Tommy turns to the captain.

“Hopefully the barriers will solve this problem,” he murmurs to him.

“Will this—hiccup!” —Sidney hops and engulfs into a flame before relaxing with smoke— “go away soon?”

The founder shakes his head sadly. “I don’t have an inkling. This is the first time powers malfunctioned like this. I will see what I can do to restore the powers…” He slowly reaches to the computer. “This is the first time I might absolutely need to remove team powers.”

“Okie dokie! Hiccup!” Sidney jumps and explodes into a quick flame. “Make it quick! Good night, Tommy!”

He then turns around and makes his way back toward the elevator with a series of hiccups and flames.

“Good night, Sidney,” Tommy calls out to him.

With that, he turns back to fully face the computer. He peers up at the screen with a weary look and a wobbly sigh.

Notes