A Catastrophic Game
The 4 Wise are watching the film of the mutants discovered during
the Conquerors Volleyball/ASU's game.
The Wise Man: Now's the time.
The next day, in the classroom, the teacher is giving his class.
However not everyone is listening.
Justin: You'll never guess what I heard.
Jennifer: I've got the power to go invisible, not read minds.
Nicolas laughing: Just as well for us!
Justin: The Principal got a letter with the number 4 seal on it.
Alex: What? The mark of the Great Wise?
Nicolas: That's what he's telling you.
Jennifer: What could be behind that?
The Principal walks in. The students all stand.
The Principal: Sit down. I have important news for you.
The Wise have decided to come here to see a game of volleyball.
The members of our team will be : Justin Loiret,Nicolas Pockski,
Jennifer Stiehlschmeyer, and Alexander Costaud.
Also joining us will be Dorothy Nandaya and Dita Gatino.
They will be here in a few minutes
Justin: Oh no! Not the frog!
Alex: But we have only seen each other once!
The Principal: You cannot refuse the honour of playing for the Wise.
Nicolas: Of course not! But we don't even have a coach!
Jennifer: We have only played together once!
Alex: This is crazy!
Nicolas: We barely know each other.
The Principal: We play against the DISMON team the day after tomorrow.
Justin: What? Against a team of professionals!
Nicolas: They're nuts!!!
Alex: They have perfect control of their powers.
Jennifer: Which we don't, yet!
Justin: The DISMONs are very very good.
Nicolas: But why are the Wise organizin' this game?
Jennifer: They must have their own reasons.
Nicolas: Well, I don't like it!
Alex: We'll have to do some practicing.
Justin: This is scary. They can read minds.
Jennifer: Why? Have you got something to hide?
Nicolas: No, he's too stupid for that!
Justin: Just you wait...
Nicolas: See you at the gym.
And he teleports.
Jenny, Alex and Justin pack their stuff away and leave.
The teacher: Come back! Class isn't over yet!
Jennifer: We don't have time.
Alex: See you later.
Justin: We've already gone.
The Principal: But...
At the gym, they are passing balls to each other.
Nicolas: Still, it'll be nice to see Dorothy and Dita again.
Jennifer: Yes, your girlfriend the frog.
Alex: Who fondly calls you slug.
Justin: One, she's not my girlfriend and two, I'm not a slug!
Nicolas: My, he's touchy. You've definitely got a crush on her!
Alex: What's that noise?
Justin: It sounds like a shuttle-car.
Jennifer: Quick! Everyone out.
Dita and Dorothy are getting off the shutlle-car.
Dorothy: It's us! I'm so pleased to see you again.
Jennifer: Me too! But what a strange invitation.
Justin: Frog.
Dita: Slug.
Justin: Hang on a minute.
But before Justin and Dita can make a move,
Dorothy throws her shout to separate them.
Nicolas laughing: This is going to become a habit!
Alex: Amazing vocals!
Dorothy: Thanks, handsome. By the way what are you doing after practice?
Alex: Well
Jennifer grabs his arm. Nicolas is watching the scene.
Jennifer: Well, we should first go train some.
Dita: Good idea.
Justin: I'll pick the teams. Dorothy and Alex with me.
Nicolas: No, it would be better if Dita and Dorothy who are used to playing together,
played with you. I will play with Jenny and Alex.
He turns back and winks at Jennifer.
Alex: Anyway, what are they coming to see us play for?
Justin: Stop panicking.
Jennifer: It's just a game.
Alex: They might as well send us to the slaughter right away.
Nicolas: Look on the bright side, we're all in it together.
Alex: Okay, but we'll never be ready for the day after tomorrow.
Justin and Dita: Stop it!
Alex: They actually agree about something.
Jennifer: I don't believe it.
Everyone burst out laughing. They practice.
Dita: Wouldn't it be cool if we could find a name for our team?
Nicolas: We'll think about it in the canteen.
Between now and then my head will be buzzing with 18000 ideas
about how to counter DISMON.
Dorothy: More like 20000, in my opinion.
Alex: Yes, but today is the 18th.
Jennifer: And according to the scoreboard, my team is leading with
18 winning services to 13
Justin: What do you think about Team 18?
Nicolas: Team 18, that's cool.
All: We are Team 18.
Justin: Yeah but we still don't have a coach.
Dita: One step at a time.
Justin: You can't stop contradicting me every time.
Dorothy laughing: Should I shout to separate you?
Nicolas laughing: Have mercy!
They train some more.
Later
Dorothy: We've done tidying up over here.
Justin: I've done too.
Dita: Me too.
Nicolas: We'll meet up later. I'll finish up with Jenny and Alex.
I've got something to ask them in French.
Dita: See you.
Justin: Bye.
Dorothy: Don't worry Nick. I'll shout if they argue.
Justin and Dita: That's not funny.
All the others: Yes it is!!!
They leave.
Jennifer: Nick, what are you up to?
Everybody knows you're the best student in French.
Nicolas: Really?
Alex: As if you didn't know.
Jennifer: Well, I'm off to put the balls away.
Alex: I'll give you a hand.
Nicolas: As for me, I'm going to leave you to it.
I'm sure you've got things to say to each other
Jennifer: Please, don't leave me alone with Alex.
Nicolas: That's not what you were telling me in class earlier on!
Jennifer blushes.
Alex: Oh yes?
Nicolas: And you told me the same thing yesterday.
Alex: You swore you wouldn't tell.
Jennifer: Really?
Then Alex goes red in the face.
Nicolas: Okay I lied! You think we didn't see your face earlier when Dorothy
asked him what he was doing later. Why do you think I put you in my team?
Alex: So that was what the wink was about!
Nicolas: Of course. You have to talk. Honestly, when Love is in the air.
Ah l'Amour...
And he teleports.
Jennifer: Come back here!
Alex: What a sneak! He had it all planned!
Jennifer: Still he could have tidied up a bit.
They burst out laughing. They look at each other. They blush.
Jennifer: I fell in love with you the minute I saw you.
Alex: A lovely girl like you, I never would have thought...
Jennifer: Shhh...
They kiss.
Alex: Jennifer.
Jennifer: Oopps...
Alex: If you become invisible every time I kiss you...
Jennifer: I, I,I. I must go home but I'll call you
as soon as I get there.
They kiss again.
Alex: Bye!
Jennifer: Bye!
Alex: Hey, I love you!
She blushes and quickly becomes invisible.
She leaves. Alex runs to the study room.
Alex: I knew I would find you here.
Nicolas laughing: So the gym's all tidied up, is it?
Alex: Forgot all about it!
Nicolas still laughing: What?
Alex: I wanted you to be the first to know.
We kissed. We're dating. Jennifer and I, we're going out together.
Nicolas still laughing: What a scoop!!!
The others join them.
Nicolas: Big news. We have a new couple in Team 18.
Dita: Really? Who?
Justin: Brian Belcher and the chemistry teacher.
Dita: Stop making fun of me!
Alex: Jennifer and I.
Justin: Well, it was about time!!! I nearly put myself in the line-up.
So did Nick. Maybe Brian did, too.
Alex: The Tornado?
Dorothy whispering: That's great for both of you.
Alex: Thanks.
Dita: Off to the canteen to celebrate, everyone. It's Slug's treat.
Justin: Hey!
Everybody burst out laughing.
The next day, Jennifer is walking on clouds.
She skips along the street with a big grin on her face.
Jennifer: He loves me. He loves me. Alex loves me.
She turns down the street and bumps into something.
Jennifer: Brian, what are you doin' here?
Brian: I heard you're going to play against the Dismons.
They walk to the bus stop.
Jennifer: News travels fast!
Brian: Here, this is for you.
He gives her a bag. Jennifer opens it and takes out a necklace.
Jennifer: This is magnificent!
Brian: Just like you.
Jennifer: Thank you. But why?
Brian: Jennifer, I...
Jennifer: Yes?
Brian: Ever since we met at the Conquerors Volleyball game,
I've been thinking about you a lot, and about my behaviour, and I was thinking...
Jennifer: What?
Brian: Well, you know...
Jennifer: Say what you mean.
Brian: Would you go out with me?
Jennifer: Pardon?
Brian: Would you go out with me?
Jennifer: I'm very touched but I've already got somebody in my life and...
Brian shouts: Shut up, you've humiliated me enough.
I would have done absolutely anything for you
(his eyes fill with tears) and you reject my love.
He turns into a wild tornado and rushes away.
Jennifer shouts: I'm sorry but you can't turn love on and off like a tap.
She puts the necklace back in its box, leaves it on the bench and gets on the bus.
She looks out the window.
Jennifer: Brian I hope you'll find somebody. I'm so glad I have Alex.
May the person who finds the necklace be happy.
The bus pulls up. Alex gets on. He sits next to her. They kiss.
Alex: Are you okay?
Jennifer: Yes I am, now!
The day of the game.
Justin: Hey, Nick isn't that your ex over there in the bleachers with Brian?
Nicolas: Oh yeah it's Sophie Toignard. I went out with her for 3 days and then I dumped her.
All she could talk about was her ex boyfriend.
Dita: Her necklace is gorgeous.
Jennifer recognizes it. Brian eyes her up. Nicolas finds that a bit weird.
Dorothy: Apart from the necklace, here are the Wise and Aristide Savax.
Dita: The great Aristide?
Justin: Calm down, calm down, Didi.
Dita: Don't call me, Didi!
Dorothy: And the DISMON team.
The principal: It's a great honor for my school to welcome the 4 Sages,
a former member of the Conquerors Volleyball and a team as famous as the Dismons.
Let the game begin.
The commentator: Our students have taken the name Team 18.
Brian: Lousy name!
The commentator: Here are the Dismons with Danny Santana nimble as a monkey,
Francisco Sosa the Flying Man, Annabelle Clifton the Flying Woman,
Christophe Delpeux the He-Man, Lisa Coffman
and her Powerballs and Klaus Schlauderer and his Chain.
The commentator: Annabelle Clifton serves. Dita Gatino catches, passes to Alex
who launches to the teleport, who spikes into the net.
Nicolas: Dash it!
The commentator: Justin jumps to smash and bumps into something.
The ball drops again. The invisible girl was just on his right.
Justin: Sorry, I didn't know you'd be here.
The commentator: Dorothy Nandaya screams a sonic wall
but Alexander Costaud leaps up to the net and got the sonic gust right in his back.
Dorothy: Are you hurt?
Alex: Only my pride!
The commentator: Unlike the Dismons, they don't yet have complete mastery
of their powers and the difference is quite clear to see.
Brian: The commentator is being too nice to them.
They're just hopeless. End of story!
Sophie: Well said, Brian!
Nicolas: Please, make it stop!
Jennifer: It's a disaster!
The game ends at last with a telling score of 3 sets to zero.
The 4 Wise say nothing. Dorothy races towards them.
Dorothy: We were obviously going to lose.
Nicolas: Take it easy, you forget who you're talking to!
Dorothy: I don't care. What have you got where your brains should be? Straw?
Jennifer: It's over, forget it.
Justin: She's not completely wrong, have you seen how well the Dismons play?
Alex: They have perfect control of their powers.
Dita: And what about you, Aristide Savax? What are you doing here?
You could have helped us.
Brian: Look at the Wise.
The Wise levitate and leave.
Dorothy: Hey, it's you I'm talking to.
Nicolas: You are talking to the Wise.
Dorothy: I don't care.
Justin: The DISMONs are leaving, too.
The DISMONs leave and so do the public and Aristide Savax.
Our friends are all alone on the court. Miss Agri walks up to them.
Jennifer: I'd like to forget today.
Nicolas: So would I, but I wonder why they organized this game in the first place.
Dita: They wanted to see us lose.
Miss Agri: There's not much you could have done but still you scored
some great points.
Dorothy: Thanks, but luck was on our side.
Miss Agri: If it's any comfort to you, do you know that Klaus too had to play
one day in front of the Wise when his power was revealed?
Alex: They had nothing better to do that day?
Nicolas: Did he lose?
Miss Agri: He did.
Dita: When I think that I was offered this trip all the way from my planet NIORON
just for a game, it seems just crazy.
Jennifer: To a certain extent, being a mutant is not all bad!
Alex: I'll go along with that!
Jennifer: With a kiss too?
Alex: I'm always game for that!
They kiss.
Justin: When do you leave?
Dorothy: In four days.
Justin: When do you leave?
Dorothy: In four days.
Dita: Don't ever say the number 4 again when I'm around.
Justin: Everybody to the canteen, it's Frog's treat this time.
Dita: Hey
Miss Agri: Something tells me these two haven't finished teasing each other!
Nicolas: And you're quite right.
Everybody burst out laughing.
Somewhere in space, Klaus is looking out of the shuttle porthole.
He is thinking of himself, some years before, when he too
played for the Wise. He didn't have complete control of his chain.
He can still see the chain hitting Lisa as she was getting ready to throw her power ball.
Lisa comes close. She puts her hand on his shoulder.
Klaus: Oh it's you.
Lisa: You're thinking again about us aren't you?
Klaus: Yes I am!
Lisa: These kids are very gifted.
Klaus: They don't know it yet but we'll be seeing each other again.
Lisa: And Aristide will be an excellent coach.
Klaus: Absolutely no doubt about it.
next episode: Confronting The Tornado
copyright Jean-François Schwaiger
cartoon: Pascale Rodriguez
Translation: Stephanie Louvier and JF Schwaiger
Proofreading-Editing: Eileen Harris
"Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental
and unintentional."
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How did this episode come into being?
The same episode in French