What Does Team Spirit Smell Like? (Open to all!)

Hope was giving her a weird look. For a moment, Jemmy thought the girl was just going to leave. But then Hope smiled and offered to teach her anything she wanted to know about soccer. Jemmy smiled back. She could already see why she had befriended this human. Even when presented with a situation beyond understanding, Hope remained calm. Shewas willing to show kindness to someone she didn't even know. That was the kind of person Jemmy could befriend once again.

"Well, I know what a soccer ball is. That's pretty much it." Jemmy thought about growing taller to learn this game, but decided against it. Despite the obvious advantages of being a teenager as opposed to a child, this was the body that Jemmy was used to. In her true form, her agility would be at its peak. "As long as it's a fun game, I'm willing to learn everything about it. I might not be very good, but games exist just to have fun, don't they? Shall we play?"

So, there was a complicated way to play, but there was also a simple way to play. Jemmy liked the option. She knew that she wasn't about to go pro anytime soon, although a few hundred years of training could possibly get her there. The simple version of the rules was easy enough to understand.

While Hope ran to get a soccer ball, Jemmy took the time to stretch. She didn't really need to stretch. She couldn't get hurt, but it was in all the sports movies she had seen recently, so it had to be important.

It never entered her mind that Hope and Shomei might be the same person. She knew that some humans dressed up to hide their identity, but it had never seemed important before who they might be. For all Jemmy knew, Shomei was just a full-time superhero with no other identity.

Hope returned with the ball, and provided the last few important rules. No hurting the other team. Technically, you could hurt them twice, meaning that if you destroyed them in two strikes, the game would be yours. Jemmy decided to put that thought out of her mind. It seemed against the point of the rules. "Well that answers that question. Yeah, let's try it!"

They started to play. Jemmy's ability to dribble the ball was quite limited. She usually ended up trying to kick the ball really far and then catch up to it faster than Hope. Hope was faster, however, and inevitably got to the ball first.

Jemmy decided to step up her game. Her feet began to dangle an inch off the ground. She was using her natural magic to fly, but was staying really close to the grass. Now she was able to move much faster, a full 30 miles an hour. Kicking the ball to the side, Jemmy zoomed towards it, hoping to reach it before Hope so she could kick it again, towards the goal. Jemmy grinned wide. She was almost there...

It worked! Jemmy almost couldn't believe it. She had actually scored against a pro-level soccer player. Hope seemed genuinely happy for her, too. Jemmy had no way to tell Hope was anything but pleased. She spun around to flash a big smile at the teen girl. It felt good to be called amazing.

"Well, I can fly." Jemmy floated up three feet in the air. "See? That's how I was able to move so fast. I wasn't really running." Her face became more serious. "That isn't cheating, is it? The rules said you could only use your feet, and I didn't hurt anyone. So, it's all good, right?" She looked to Hope for reassurance. Cute, puppy dog eyes begged Hope to tell Jemmy that she had done everything right.

Using any powers at all was considered cheating? Jemmy's face became very solemn. If that was true, then it didn't matter how much she practiced. She would never be good at soccer. She could get better, of course. With practice, she could master the techniques. But Hope was a teenager, and was therefore faster and stronger than Jemmy's childish body could ever be. Jemmy's true form did not age, even over thousands of years. She could take other forms, but that would be using her powers to shape-shift. This was the form that reflected her true self, so it was the only one Jemmy could use in a 'fair' game. No matter how many years went by, no child would ever be a pro soccer player.

Hope's reassurance did not help in light of these facts. Jemmy kicked at the dirt, halfheartedly. Hope told her it was dangerous to use her powers so openly, asking what Jemmy's parents would do if they found out about her abilities.

Jemmy chuckled, dryly. She forgot sometimes that humans led very different lives than she did.

"I don't think I like this game anymore," Jemmy said, still trying to decide if she should reveal her true nature to her new friend. She decided to go for it. There didn't seem to be much to gain from a secret identity in this situation. The little girl looked up at Hope. "Hope, how old do you think I am?" She waited for the teen's answer. "I'm older than this planet, and I've looked the same the whole time. I don't have any parents. I was kinda just made along with the universe. Although I might look like a human, I'm something completely different. Something weird...it would take a long time to explain. The point is, I won't ever be as old as you, so I won't ever be as fast. Not unless I use my powers." Jemmy pouted. "And I don't think that is fair. Any game where certain people are at a disadvantage is not a fun game in my book."

Super hero? Just because Jemmy had powers, Hope had assumed she had the world's best interests at heart. While Jemmy was actually a member of a superhero team, that wasn't what Jemmy would identify herself as.

The idea of a super-powered sports league intrigued Jemmy. Going all-out in front of a massive crowd and competing against the best opponents the Earth had to offer sounded like a blast. And nobody had to get hurt. What could be better than that?

"Is there such a thing? Because if there isn't, then there needs to be one right now. I'd start one myself, but...I'm no good with organizing stuff. It's like poison." She looked at Hope, curious. "Maybe you could do it. Do you have any super-powers? If not, that's okay. You're probably good enough that you wouldn't need them. I know a lot of humans try to keep their powers a secret, but I'm sure they'd be happier if they could play in a meta-human league. I'm not even a meta-human, but I'd sure join."

The idea had indeed lifted Jemmy's mood. But now she was quite invested in it. She wanted this super-powered sports league to happen, and she wanted it now.

And she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Hope said that she didn't have any powers, but would still be willing to start some sort of super sports league. Apparently, she was also friends with Shomei, and would ask her to join as well. Jemmy was getting excited now.

"Of course I'd be willing to help. If we need money, I could get some money together for a super sweet stadium." Jemmy's eyes were looking all over the place, as if she was seeing the future stadium in all of it's glory. "Although that might take some time, so we could probably just use the normal playing arenas for now. So how do we get a hold of all these meta-humans? Who's in charge of the news? We need to get on TV. We also need some way to blackmail...I mean motivate all the meta-humans to actually show up, instead of staying in the shadows."

Registered heroes? This was the first Jemmy had heard of registration. She tilted her head. "What do you mean the mayor would hunt them down? Are you saying meta-humans have to let everybody know what their powers are or else they're in trouble? No, you said registered heroes."

Jemmy wasn't sure what she thought about this news. Sure, it was easy enough to sign a paper with some legal jargon on it. If signing that paper could give you free reign to play hero, then who cared? But on the other hand, Jemmy certainly didn't like the sound of hunting people down just because they wanted to keep their identities a secret. She didn't even understand the appeal of a secret identity, but she thought that everyone, especially heroes, deserved that choice.

But she didn't know anything about this yet. She decided to worry about it later.

Jemmy shook her head. "Forget all that. Nobody needs to register for anything. These games shall be held in the name of Chaos. It doesn't matter if you're a hero or a villain, or if you work at a grocery store. Everyone and everyone, especially people with powers, will be welcome to compete. They can wear masks if they want, but they won't have to worry about their physical safety." Jemmy narrowed her eyes. "Because, if an army of meta-humans isn't enough to make the mayor stay away, I will place all the participants under my protection. And if anyone tries to pull something, I will destroy them."

Jemmy's blood was really running hot now. She really wanted to play a game, specifically a contact sport. Soccer was fun, but she decided that these Chaos Games would begin with a rousing game of American football. Jemmy pointed at Hope, a dangerous edge in her eyes. "Next week. High Noon. Football at the high school. Get a crowd of meta-humans there, and I'll protect them. And I will be very, very happy."

Hope's words of confidence felt good. The teen girl also confirmed that she would be at the Chaos Games, and that she would help out. Jemmy waved after Hope when she said she had to go. "I look forward to seeing you there." Jemmy started dancing. This was so exciting. She would put on a show that everyone would enjoy, including the performers.

To Be Continued...