Two days later…


“Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for tonight’s supernatural matchup!”

The announcement is answered back by loud cheers and hoots from the audience in the Air Canada Centre, the home arena of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The large room is dark as music pumps through the speakers and blue and white circle-shaped lights spiral around the walls, audience, and ice.

The house lights of the arena shine on the ice like a single spotlight. The darting lights fade as the audience quiets.

Then in a softer, yet firm tone, the announcer begins to state, “Before the power players are introduced, a new rule has been implemented…”

Down on the ice, there is a metal line in the middle of each blue line, stretching across the width of the ice. Immediately, a thin, sharp sheet of purple energy appears twelve feet into the air from the metal lines. Static-like lines file down the ergokinetic field as it pulses with energy.

“There are now power-negating barriers each power player starts behind to ensure the that both have an equal start for a fair match,” the announcer continues. “The barriers will be disabled once the buzzer sounds and the green light turns on.”

The audience lets out a wave of ooo’s at the sight of the vibrant sheet.

With that, the ice is engulfed in the darkness as the spinning lights rejoin the hype of the matchup from the audience

“For the Tampa Bay Lightning,” the announcer growls out. “They say lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but he’ll blow that myth sky-high without a trace! It’s Steven Stamkos!”

On cue, Steven in his white jersey skates out to the away side of the ice from the away bench’s tunnel. He smirks at the surrounding audience as he drifts toward the blue line. The whole audience responds to him by a series of boos.

Then the announcer begins to state passionately: “For your Toronto Maple Leafs…!”

The audience roars loudly in anticipation for their power player.

“The jungle needs a king, the king of the jungle, controller of all things plants. Who will rule?
I think I know who! It’s John Tavares!”

The audience explodes into cheers and applause as their captain, John Tavares, skates out into their view on the ice. In one hand, he has a large, bulky, metallic gun, the size of his forearm.

John waves to his fans with his free hand and a small smile then halts in the middle behind the blue line. He faces the centre of the ice, spotting his opponent through the two layers of purple energy. The smile on his face fades as a scowl of competitiveness takes over.

“Powers activate!” the announcer orders.

Steven flicks his hands down to his sides just as white electricity sparks at his fingertips and jumps around his two hands.

John cocks his gun with his other hand, aims it up toward the ceiling, and pulls the trigger. Yellow energy blasts out of the nozzle and whizzes into the darkness before dissolving.

Through the speaker, the announcer asks gravely, “Stamkos, ready?”

The lightning on Steven’s two hands is instantly sucked back into his hands. He raises a hand in the air.

“Tavares, ready?”

John lowers his gun toward his leg and holds his free hand in the air.

Instantly, whirling sound effects wrap around the arena as lights flash and spin on all sides along with dramatic music and the crowd cheering.

The sound fades out as the house lights gradually turn on, brightening up the arena to an even light.

John stares down at the purple-tinted Steven from his point of view.

Then the screens of the jumbotron begin to flash red to the beat of the buzzer: BRR! BRR! BRR—!

Lightning escapes from Steven’s hands and lands on the metal line holding the power-negation protection. The sheet instantly disappears and more electricity whizzes through the open air just as the light turns green.

BRR!

John’s protection sheet disappears on the buzzer just before the tangled bolts crosses his blue line.

John throws his gun in front of him, aiming it at his opponent. Yet before he could fire it, the tendrils of electricity wrap itself around the length of the weapon. In the wrapping motions, the gun is spun around for the nozzle to face its creator and a burst of yellow energy flies from it.

John is instantly thrown off his feet, letting go of the weapon, and flies above the golden stick and through the glass, sending shards into multiple directions.

“Oh, no, no, no…!”

On the other side of the screen, Tommy is staring at the live matchup with dwindling hope.

“He outsmarted us and cheated again!” With a sigh, the holographic man slumps against his swivel chair.

Now on the screen, Stamkos is seen triumphantly holding up the golden stick from worm’s-eye view. The audience’s pulsing boos are heard clearly.

Tommy gives the screen a scowl. “I need to get in contact with him” He straightens up with renewed energy. “This must be stopped.”

The screen is now showing the back of Steven as he is followed down the away tunnel.

“Okay, he should have time to answer my call.” The founder intently flies his hands across the keyboard as he presses on multiple keys.

Once he stops his hands, the droning ringing of a phone fills the whole room. The screen shifts his display to two words against a blue background: CALLING STAMKOS.

Suddenly, pulsing lines of white electricity appear from the edge of the computer’s screen and the keyboard.

Tommy’s eyes fly open. “Oh no!”

The lightning travels mercilessly around the screen and keyboard, sending sparks into the air. The computer reacts by shaking and sputtering as the screen glitches.

“Oh no! Oh no, no, no, no—”

The computer screen then flicks to black. The lightning instantly pulls away out of sight, leaving the computer still and dormant.

Gorman gawks at his beloved machine beginning to smoke. “Not again…”

“Hey, Gorman,” Toews is heard piping up from behind him, “what’s going on?”

Tommy whirls around in his swivel chair, spotting the league ruler in person approaching him. “My computer just got electrocuted.”

Toews halts in front of him and holds out his hands toward the withering machine. “Well, I can fix it—”

“No!” Tommy’s hands fly in front of Toews’s exposed palms. “Don’t! Stamkos has the ability to damage all powers and he can damage yours too!”

Toews’s optimistic expression drops. “Oh… Yeah…” He lowers his hands. “So how are you gonna fix it?”

Tommy’s eyes light up ahead as an idea enters his mind.

The hockey player knits his eyebrows at him. “Gorman?”

“I got it!” He peers back at Toews. “You can restore all of the team powers!”

Toews lets out a long gasp of hope. “That’s right, I can!”

“But not now!” He holds an index finger up in the air. “First, Stamkos must be apprehended. And once there is no danger of having your powers damaged, THEN you” —he reverts his pointer finger to him— “can restore the powers!”

Toews clasps his hands in front of his chest. “Okay!” His expression then grows into a look of uncertainty. “So how can we get Stamkos if I shouldn’t use my powers?"

The founder lets out a huff. “That is another plan we must devise… After I get my computer fix. Give me a couple of months.”

Notes