Chapter 22 – Two More Games
After the Gophers' previous victory, confidence was high, but with Cody off the field, Heather immediately took control, making sure to make her presence felt.
"All right, listen up! Now that Cole's not playing, someone has to maintain leadership, and obviously, that's me," Heather said, crossing her arms authoritatively.
Owen nodded excitedly, while Izzy tossed a ball in the air just because she wanted to do something dangerous.
Beth looked a little nervous, and Trent kept his expression neutral, though he clearly wasn't enthusiastic about Heather leading.
"What if we do something as a team?" Beth asked, trying to contribute.
Heather rolled her eyes, ignoring the suggestion.
"We don't need soft ideas. Just follow what I say and we'll win," Heather said with absolute confidence.
Noah, who had been silently watching, finally calmly stood up from the bench.
"No, actually, I'm going to be officiating the game," Noah said, adjusting his posture.
Heather whipped her head around, wearing a look of disbelief.
"You? Since when do you care about this game?" Heather asked.
Noah sighed, taking his hands out of his pockets.
"Since I saw how badly you play when you're trying to command," Noah said fearlessly.
Owen let out a small laugh, while Trent raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Let's see... explain what you're going to do," Trent said, giving him a chance.
Noah stretched a little, showing that he already had a plan.
"I've observed previous games and I can already identify the Bass' attack patterns. Duncan is going to lead group shots at a single target. We're not going to play crazy; we're going to anticipate each attack and dodge before it happens," Noah explained calmly.
Heather pursed her lips in annoyance, but the other campers were starting to get interested in the strategy.
"So... you'll just tell us who's being attacked?" Owen asked, trying to understand.
"Exactly. I'll give them the signal. That should make sure no one gets hit right away," Noah said.
The Moles settled into position on the field, ready to test Noah's strategy. Meanwhile, the Bass were already positioned, and Duncan took the lead of the team, albeit in his own carefree style.
"Listen, the only way we win this is if we work together. So let's focus on attacking one target at a time," Duncan said, still maintaining his relaxed tone.
Courtney nodded quickly, ready to play strategically.
"Yeah! We can't let them win again," Courtney said.
Geoff aimed a ball at the Moles, swinging his arm confidently.
"Let's give them a good one!" said Geoff, encouraging his teammates.
DJ stood firm, although his eyes showed a little nerves, while Katie shuffled her feet, ready to run if necessary.
Chris looked at the teams with satisfaction, before raising her voice.
"Alright, round three! The Bass need this, the Gophers are looking to maintain their dominance! Let the games begin," said Chris, with her mocking smile.
The whistle blew, and the players quickly dived towards the balls, starting the match with tension in the air.
The game was going to be very different this time.
Chris's whistle blew loudly, signaling the start of the match.
The players quickly dived towards the balls, looking to take the lead.
Duncan, who was leading the Bass' strategy, was the first to give the signal.
"Everyone against Owen! Throw at the same time!" shouted Duncan, moving nimbly.
Courtney, Geoff, DJ, and Katie followed the command without hesitation, throwing their balls simultaneously in Owen's direction.
Owen's eyes widened in surprise, watching the balls flying at him from different angles.
"Owen, get down!" Noah shouted, anticipating the attack.
Without a second thought, Owen dropped to the sand, missing the attack by inches.
"Wow, I almost got hit!" Owen said, laughing as he quickly got back up.
"I told you it would work," Noah said, sounding nonchalant.
Izzy took advantage of the distraction, grabbing a ball and spinning around before throwing it hard at Geoff.
Geoff reacted in time, jumping to the right and avoiding the impact.
"Nice try, Izzy!" Geoff said with a confident smile.
"It wasn't a try! It was a sneak attack!" Izzy shouted, clearly enjoying the competition.
Beth, who was maintaining a more defensive stance, tried to throw a ball at Courtney, but Duncan intercepted the shot in midair, catching it with one hand.
"Duncan caught the ball, Beth's out!" Chris shouted, announcing the first casualty of the game.
Heather frowned from the sidelines, watching how the Bass seemed more organized this time.
"If we keep this up, we're going to lose," Heather said, annoyed.
Noah remained calm, observing the attack patterns.
"They're forcing us to react. We have to anticipate their moves before they do," Noah said, adjusting the strategy.
Trent picked up a ball and threw it accurately toward DJ, looking to eliminate him.
DJ tried to dodge, but the ball grazed his leg, nearly eliminating him.
"Almost!" Trent said, snapping his fingers.
Duncan saw the opportunity and gave a new signal.
"Attack Izzy now!" said Duncan, pointing at his team.
Geoff, Courtney, and DJ all threw balls at Izzy at the same time, looking to take her out with a group attack.
"Izzy, roll!" shouted Noah, anticipating the move.
Izzy didn't hesitate and dropped to the side, rolling across the sand with absurd speed, avoiding every shot.
"YEEES! MY NINJA POWER IS WORKING!" shouted Izzy, as she continued to spin needlessly.
Chris watched the maneuver with a mixture of amusement and disbelief.
"I don't know if that was pure skill or pure madness, but Izzy is still in the game," said Chris.
Courtney pursed her lips, seeing that their attacks weren't working.
"We have to take out whoever's running them!" said Courtney, looking at Noah determinedly.
Duncan nodded, realizing that Noah was the key to the Gophers' dodges.
"Everyone against Noah!" shouted Duncan.
Without warning, four balls were thrown at Noah at the same time, with calculated speed.
Noah remained calm, watching the missiles in the air.
"Owen, Izzy, cover my right side," Noah said, giving a quick signal.
Owen used his size to block one of the shots, while Izzy jumped and deflected another ball with her foot.
However, two balls were still on their way.
Noah took a step back and twisted his body, letting the first ball sail by without touching him, but the second was going too fast.
"Watch out, Noah!" Trent shouted, seeing that the shot was inevitable.
Noah ducked at the last second, but the ball hit his arm.
"Noah's out!" Chris shouted, marking the most significant loss for the Gophers.
Heather exhaled in irritation, seeing that Noah had been eliminated despite her strategy.
"Ugh! That's why I should have coached!" Heather said, annoyed.
Noah shrugged as he walked off the field, still maintaining his casual air.
"You did well. Now it's up to you," Noah said matter-of-factly.
Izzy, Owen, and Trent were the only Gophers left, while the Bass still had Duncan, Courtney, Geoff, and DJ.
Chris smirked, seeing the competition was more even.
"This is getting interesting!" Chris said.
The Bass knew they had the advantage, and Duncan decided it was time to end the game.
"Let's take Owen out! He takes up a lot of space. If he falls, we're in control!" Duncan said confidently.
Courtney, Geoff, and DJ prepared themselves, throwing their balls with force and accuracy.
Owen tried to dodge, but a ball hit him in the chest, taking him out of the match.
"Owen's out!" Chris said.
Izzy and Trent were left alone against four players, and the pressure was more intense than ever.
Izzy looked at Trent with a maniacal grin.
"We can win this, Trent! Just follow my ninja moves!" Izzy said.
Trent blinked, clearly unsure of what that meant.
"Uh... what ninja moves?" Trent asked.
Izzy spun around three times unnecessarily, throwing a ball with great force toward Geoff.
Geoff dodged the attack, but Izzy was already jumping in the air, avoiding another shot from Duncan.
"Izzy, watch out!" Trent shouted, seeing DJ lining up a dangerous shot.
Izzy tried to move, but the ball hit her back, eliminating her.
"Izzy's out!" Chris announced.
Trent was left alone against four players, and although he tried to fight, the attacks were too many.
In a last-ditch effort, Trent tried to throw a ball toward Duncan, but Courtney intercepted the shot, automatically eliminating him.
"Trent's out! The Bass win their first game!" Chris shouted, marking the victory.
The Bass screamed with excitement, finally celebrating a win.
"Yeah! We knew we'd make it!" Courtney yelled, raising her arms proudly.
Duncan smirked, fist-bumping Geoff and DJ.
"I told you teamwork would work," Duncan said.
Chris walked over with a wide grin.
"Well, looks like the Bass finally woke up. Congratulations, this win is yours!" Chris said, raising his arms in celebration.
The Gophers sat on the bench, frustrated at their first loss.
Heather crossed her arms, annoyed.
"Great. We lose just as Noah decides to play leader," Heather said coolly.
Noah just settled back on the bench, unbothered by the score.
"Well, at least we tried," Noah said evenly.
The game had taken an unexpected turn, and the Bass had proven they could seriously compete.
But the competition wasn't over yet.
The Bass' victory echoed around the field, with shouts and celebrations after their first Dodgeball win.
Courtney raised her arms proudly, while Duncan crossed his arms with a satisfied smile.
"We finally won! It was all about strategy!" Courtney said with conviction.
Geoff fist-bumped DJ, while Katie jumped up and down in excitement.
"This was amazing! I felt so much a part of the team!" Katie said excitedly.
DJ exhaled deeply, feeling something she rarely experienced in games... confidence.
"Yes! For the first time I didn't feel like I was going to fail," DJ said, with relief.
Chris approached with a big smile, enjoying the moment.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? The Bass proving they're not so bad after all," Chris said.
Courtney frowned, but didn't lose her energy.
"We were never bad! We were just fine-tuning our strategy," Courtney said firmly.
Chris shrugged, clearly enjoying seeing the emotions swirling.
"Whatever you want to call it. The important thing is that they finally woke up," Chris said.
Meanwhile, the Gophers weren't as cheerful.
Heather crossed her arms in annoyance, while Owen settled back on the bench, still in disbelief that they had lost.
"What happened?! We're always supposed to win," Owen said in frustration.
Noah remained calm, leaning against the wood of the bench.
"We were up against a team that finally figured out how to play," Noah said matter-of-factly.
Heather exhaled in irritation, turning her head to Justin.
"And as always, there's someone here who did absolutely nothing," Heather said, her tone cold.
Justin, who was still sitting untouched, calmly adjusted his hair.
"I'm not risking my face in these games," Justin said, unconcerned.
Leshawna let out a disbelieving laugh, clearly fed up.
"Oh, come on! I really don't know how you're still here," Leshawna said.
Beth adjusted her glasses, trying to change the subject.
"We can bounce back in the next game! We can't let this get to us too much," Beth said optimistically.
Heather gave Beth a neutral look before exhaling again.
"Whatever. We just have to make sure we don't lose again," Heather said.
Chris decided to turn up the heat, turning to the teams with a sly smile.
"Well, since this is getting more interesting, I'm warning you that the next matchup will be even tougher," Chris said.
The players turned to him curiously.
"Tough how?" Duncan asked.
Chris crossed his arms, relishing the anticipation.
"You'll see that soon enough. So get some rest... because the next round is going to be a real spectacle," Chris said.
The campers felt the tension rise, knowing this was just beginning.
The Bass celebrated, while the Gophers tried to recover.
The game had changed, and the competition was tougher than ever.
The Bass were more motivated than ever, having achieved two consecutive victories. Team morale was high, and everyone wanted to keep the momentum going.
"We've found the key to winning! We can do this again!" Courtney said energetically.
Duncan stretched a little, still holding his cool.
"Yeah, we just have to repeat what we did before. Stick to the strategy, attack together, and don't let Noah get his way," Duncan said.
Geoff nodded confidently, bumping fists with DJ.
"Let's stay aggressive!" Geoff said.
However, someone on the team wasn't as thrilled.
Harold, always one to contribute tactics, noticed that the team hadn't included him in the lineup.
"Uh... guys? What about me?" Harold asked with a small, nervous smile.
Courtney turned to him uncomfortably.
"Look, Harold... uh... we think it'll be best if you sit out this time," Courtney said, trying to sound diplomatic.
Harold was silent for a few seconds before nodding slowly.
"Oh... well, I guess that makes sense..." Harold said, sounding dejected.
Duncan noticed her reaction but didn't say anything as the team prepared to enter the game.
On the other side of the field, the Gophers were having trouble.
Heather crossed her arms irritably, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Where the hell are Cody and Lindsay?" Heather asked, looking around in annoyance.
Gwen, who was tired from the intensity of the games, hadn't even noticed their absence.
"Huh? Aren't they here?" Gwen asked distractedly.
Heather rolled her eyes, seeing that no one else seemed concerned.
"This is ridiculous. We can't lose any more players when we're already in trouble," Heather said, clearly frustrated.
Despite the situation, the Gophers chose their lineup.
The whistle blew through the gym, signaling the start of the matchup.
The players quickly took the field, their bodies moving as balls began to fly in all directions.
Duncan took the lead first, quickly signaling his team.
"Let's start strong! Attack Heather first," Duncan said, setting up the Bass' first strategic move.
Courtney, Geoff, and DJ nodded without hesitation, raising their balls at the same time.
Heather noticed the signal just in time, but before she could move, Noah had already analyzed the play.
"Heather, get down quickly! It's going to be a gang attack!" Noah shouted, anticipating the danger.
Heather reacted quickly, spinning on her axis and dropping to the sand, avoiding each shot by inches.
"Yeah! That was close!" Heather said, getting up quickly.
The Gophers tried to seize the moment,with Trent taking a ball and throwing it towards Duncan with precision.
Duncan reacted quickly, but the ball whizzed past his arm.
"Wow, that almost got me!" Duncan said with a confident smile.
Leshawna decided to play aggressively, running forward and unleashing a powerful shot toward Geoff.
Geoff saw the ball coming, but reacted too late, and the ball hit his leg, eliminating him instantly.
"Geoff's out!" Chris said, watching the game get more and more intense.
The Bass knew Noah was still a problem, and Duncan decided to change the team's approach.
"We're going to play differently. Instead of attacking just one target, we're going to make them run," Duncan said, adjusting the strategy.
Courtney nodded quickly, understanding the plan.
"Everyone, start shooting consistently! Let's not give them a chance to breathe," Courtney said.
The Bass grabbed several balls and began firing relentlessly, forcing the Gophers to constantly move.
Noah began giving instructions in real time, analyzing their every move.
"Trent, turn before the next shot. Leshawna, shoot now," said Noah, staying in control of the strategy.
Leshawna took the cue and launched a ball hard toward DJ, but DJ jumped and missed by inches.
"Almost!" said DJ, feeling the adrenaline rush rising.
Gwen, who had been playing more defensively, picked up a ball and accurately aimed it at Courtney.
Courtney tried to move, but the shot was too fast, and the ball hit her leg, eliminating her.
"Courtney's out!" said Chris, marking a major loss for the Bass.
However, Duncan remained calm, seeing that they still had the advantage.
"We have enough players left. Let's go hard now," said Duncan.
The Bass picked up the balls and went all out toward the Gophers, playing more aggressively.
Noah was still analyzing the game, seeing that the attacks were becoming too fast to react in real time.
"Trent, watch out!" shouted Noah, seeing a shot coming from DJ.
Trent jumped in time, but a second ball from Duncan hit his arm, eliminating him from the game.
"Trent's out!" Chris announced.
Gwen tried to fight back, but the pressure was too strong.
DJ and Duncan shot at the same time, and although Gwen dodged the first hit, the second hit her in the shoulder, eliminating her.
"Gwen's out!" Chris said.
Heather was left alone on the field, and although she tried to fight, the attacks were too fast.
Duncan took the last shot, hitting Heather in the chest, eliminating her.
"Heather's out!""The Bass win their third straight game!" Chris shouted, marking the victory.
The Bass celebrated enthusiastically, while the Gophers wallowed in frustration.
The Gophers sat on the sidelines, dejected, processing their third consecutive loss.
Heather crossed her arms, clearly annoyed, while Gwen settled back on the floor, tired.
"I can't believe we lost again," Heather said, sensing the situation was getting worrisome.
However, before Chris could speak, the gym door opened with a loud bang.
The campers turned their heads toward the entrance, seeing who had appeared.
Cody and Lindsay entered the field, giggling among themselves, completely oblivious to the tension.
"Hey guys! Did we miss something?" Cody said with a carefree smile.
Heather narrowed her eyes in annoyance, feeling her patience wearing thin.
"Great. Now they show up," Heather said, exhaling in irritation.
Chris looked at Cody and Lindsay with amusement, seeing that their presence would change the dynamic in the next game.
"Well, this is getting interesting again," Chris said, sounding sly.
The Bass were still celebrating, but the Gophers knew the next matchup could be very different.