Nicolas rebels
The commentator: Justin passes to Nicolas, who spikes.
Nicolas: That's another point for us.
Dita: Great!
The commentator: Team 18's captain seems to be in really good shape today.
Alex: Nico, your turn.
The commentator: Yes, a great teleport and a staggering smash!
Dita: That's the way to go!
Mister Savax is expressionless.
Jennifer: I wonder why on earth Mister Savax isn't smiling.
Justin: Maybe he didn't sleep well.
The commentator : I guess it comes in three's: one more successful spike!
Dorothy makes the pass to Nicolas but...
The commentator: Good move by Biotaku. Magnificent defense wall!
José: Their captain is really strong in attack, but is he as good in defense?
Marc: I doubt it.
José: I want to check something the next time we rotate.
Make all the passes to me.
Christiane: OK.
The commentator: Tecem's recovery was short-lived. Team 18 is rotating now
and with Nicolas Pocski now in defense, the game should get more
interesting. Alex serves. Nice reception by Marc, Christiane passes to
José who spikes, but that's forgetting the teleport boy.
Nicolas: Quick!
His reception is not quite perfect.
José and Mister Savax notice it, but Justin gets it back,
makes a pass to Dita who spikes.
The commentator: Very nice pass from Justin to Dita, my friends!
Jennifer: Nicolas, you pass. They're not expecting you to come to midfield.
I want to get this game over with.
The commentator: Christiane and Marc make a wall. There's a gap.
Nicolas passes to Dorothy who launches her famous sonic shout.
What a shame, the ball is no good, it's out.
Nicolas: No big deal, Dorothy.
José: My suspicions are confirmed.
The commentator: Alex gets it, passes to Nicolas, who passes to Dita.
Oh, what a shame, the ball ends up in the net. Wait! Mister Savax is asking for a time-out.
Mr Savax: We need to get back on top, quick. I think it's time for our second-line tactic.
Dita, Jennifer and Nicolas in front, Nico in the middle.
Nicolas: But I would be more useful on the sides.
Mr Savax: That's what everybody else thinks.
Alex: But Sir, that's where Nicolas is most effective.
Mr Savax: The element of surprise will be even greater because of that.
Dita: Nicolas, you pass back to Justin who will be slightly
off to your right-hand side.
Dorothy: I'll get their service.
The team gets into position.
José: Well, well, Nicolas is at the net again. But why did they put him in the center?
Whatever you do, I'm watching you, Teleport Boy.
The commentator : The referee blows his whistle. Despite Christiane's powerful serve,
Dorothy makes a perfect reception, passes to Nicolas. He teleports to get the ball,
is he going to spike it? No, Team 18 is trying a second-line attack.
Nicolas has just passed the ball to the Speeedrunner.
José: He threw the ball too soon.
Mr Savax: That's just what I was afraid of.
Justin: Oh no !!!!!!
The commentator: Unbelievable, the ball bounces off Justin and ends up in the wall.
A new time-out has been requested.
Mr Savax: Nicolas, you go back to your place on the side.
Justin: I don't know how I could have missed that ball.
Alex: Maybe you started running too soon.
Justin: No, my speed was perfect.
Mr Savax: Biotaku is getting antsy. Come on, GO!
Jennifer can't help looking at Mister Savax.
Jennifer: That's so not like him to try a tactic that doesn't work
and not even explain anything.
The commentator: Mister Savax has changed the formation again.
Nicolas is back on the side, with an excellent passer in
Dorothy, the Sonic girl.
The front line, especially Nicolas, keeps spiking that ball and racking up points.
The commentator: Another pass to Nicolas, perfectly calibrated by Dorothy
and that's the match point and the final point.
I hope lots of you come next week to cheer on Team 18 as they
face Biotaku in a friendly return game.
The next day at practice.
Mr Savax: I've decided to make a few changes. From now on, Nicolas,
you'll just be practicing receiving serves and passing.
That goes for the next few games, too.
Nicolas: What did I do to be punished? I mean, that's what you're doing.
Mr Savax: That's not at all what I'm trying to do, but your game still needs
a lot of work. You must have noticed that during the game against Biotaku.
Nicolas: But I scored more points than anyone else!
Jennifer: That's true!
Justin: Yeah! And we won!
M. Savax: Thanks to your team-mates and their excellent passes and receptions.
Nicolas: But the best defense is attack.
Mr Savax: Go get into positions, Nicolas receiving.
Nicolas: I won't play.
Jennifer: Nicolas, come onto the court.
Nicolas: Nope!
Dorothy: Nicolas, you're our captain!
Mr Savax: Since you don't want to play and you're setting a bad example,
I'm relieving you of your position as captain.
Nicolas: Fine!
Nicolas, infuriated, takes off his jersey and throws it on the ground.
Mr Savax: The new captain is Dita.
Dita: Hurray! Huh, me?
Jennifer: You're kidding...
Dita: Go ahead and say that I'm not a good enough player. But at least I'm here,
so everyone on the court!!! New captain's orders!
Justin : My word, we're off to an interesting start!
Mr Savax: Nicolas, I'll be expecting you at practice tomorrow.
Nicolas slams the door.
Dorothy: Don't you think you were a little hard on him?
Alex: Being captain is his whole life.
Dita: All the more reason not to give it up. Heads up for the serve!
Nicolas walks and turns everything over in his head. Mr Savax's words come back to him.
What rubbish! My spikes are good so why should I waste my time with passing and receiving?
Jennifer: That's it for tonight.
Dita: Ok, Justin and Alex, take the net down, Dorothy, put the balls away,
Jennifer, wipe the floor.
Dorothy: And what are you going to do?
Dita: As captain, I'm giving orders.
Alex: It wouldn't be like this with Nicolas.
Dita: Yeah, but he's not here anymore, so hurry up, the net should be away already.
Jennifer: Curse her!
Nicolas has come back toward the gym and sees them leave. He goes in
and tosses the ball up, then spikes it, and does it again and again.
Justin: Nice shot!
Nicolas: Justin, what are you doing here?
Justin: I should be asking you that, captain.
Nicolas: I'm not your captain anymore.
Justin: I know Savax was hard on you but I have to admit that the few easy
points we gave away to Biotaku were because of your bad passes.
Nicolas: What! I thought you were my friend!
Justin: Hologram!
The various points given away to Biotaku are projected in the room.
Justin: I knew you would come practise and I'm here to give you a hand.
Stop being so stubborn. Look, here you throw the ball to Dorothy too high.
Her sonic wall meets the ball too late and throws it out of bounds.
Each of us needs a pass that is perfectly adapted to our powers.
Nicolas : You haven't convinced me.
Justin: You're stubborn. Listen, I'll pass to you and you spike. You'll see.
He throws the ball to Nicolas, who teleports and spikes.
Nicolas: Yeah, so what?
Justin: Catch this one.
The same scene as before plays out, except the ball has a top spin to it.
Justin: So?
Nicolas: Well, sure the second was better because of the top spin I gave it.
Justin: Stop right there! That I gave it, old man.
Nicolas: You mean...
Justin: Yes, I directed my pass by modulating my speed of reception.
You know speed is my power, so when you teleport to a third above the net,
I make sure that you get the most possible speed.
Nicolas: A third, you say?
Justin: Hologram!
The image clearly shows that Nicolas teleported a third above.
Nicolas: So you know my game by heart, then?
Justin: Yes and no. It's one of the jobs of the passer to really know
how the spiker moves.
I've noticed that you like to spike to the right and about a third above.
Nicolas: But...
Justin: I can also tell you that when Jennifer is invisible,
she prefers to spike from the middle.
Nicolas: I...
Justin: Hey, this didn't come to me on a platter. I worked hard to get the
synchronization right, and now it's your turn.
Nicolas: I'm beginning to understand.
They practise. Nicolas piles on the bad passes but Justin is patient.
Mister Savax watches them from a distance.
The return game between Team 18 and Biotaku takes place.
The commentator: Mister Savax has a weird starting formation.
José: Well, well, what have we here?
The commentator: Another change: The captain's jersey has changed backs,
from Nicolas Pocsky to Dita Gatino.
Christiane: All these changes won't be good for them.
Marc: But the game looks good for us.
The commentator: And the match has started.
Jennifer: Captain!
Nicolas teleports and bumps into Dita.
Nicolas: Sorry!
The commentator: Oh dear me, that's bad synchronization!
José: That's got to be humiliating for their former captain.
I bet he's really feeling confused with all this.
The game starts up again.
The commentator: Another bad pass, a blatant mistake by Nicolas.
Dorothy: Hey Nicolas, come back down to Earth !
Nicolas: I'm not doing it on purpose!
Alex: Get focused!
Dita: Yes, as captain, I...
Justin: Shut it!
The commentator: Nice reception by Dita who passes it to Nicolas,
who passes it to the Invisible one and...
Nicolas: No, it can't be!
Team 18 racks up bad passes while Biotaku racks up points.
The commentator: There is a lot of tension in Team 18.
Jennifer: Nicolas, wake up!
Dorothy: If there are only five of us playing, Biotaku is going to win hands down.
The game continues.
The commentator: Reception by Justin who passes to Nicolas, who sends it to Jennifer.
Yes, it's in.
Jennifer: Yes!
Nicolas: At last!
Marc: José, the next one is for you.
The ball is served. Mark receives and passes to José, who spikes on Nicolas,
who drops it. Time-out requested by Mr. Savax.
Jennifer: Dita, you could have gotten that one.
Dita: So could Nicolas.
Justin: Nicolas, think about our practice session and RE-LAX.
Dorothy: It's not just Nicolas. What are we going to do, Dita?
Alex: You're our captain.
Jennifer: What's your plan?
Dita: Uh, well, uh...
Nicolas: I think Justin should use his topspin serve and pass to Jennifer
while Dorothy feints. Then, since Christiane is often unmarked we'll should
concentrate our attacks, especially Alex's, in his corner.
Wasn't that your idea, Dita?
Dita: Uh, yeah...yeah
Mr Savax: I agree with you, but Nicolas, don't forget
your practice session with Justin to be in sync with the whole team.
Nicolas: How do you know about that?
Mister Savax hides a smile.
The commentator: It looks like Team 18 isn't giving up yet.
Justin: Nicolas, your turn.
He receives the ball, passes to Jennifer, who spikes.
Jennifer: Perfect! Give us another one just like it!
Nicolas: Dorothy, it's going to be your turn. I have to concentrate.
Dorothy is going to jump higher and launch her sonic shout on a count of three.
The commentator: Alex receives, passes to Nicolas.
Nicolas: One, two, Now! He passes the ball to Dorothy.
The commentator: What a wonderful pass. That sonic spike shook Biotaku to the core.
.
Team 18 scores point after point and wins.
Nicolas: Thank you Justin. Mister Savax, I want to apologize for my behaviour.
Mr Savax: Your game has improved and that's enough for me.
Dita: Nicolas, I wanted to thank you for what you did earlier. I didn't know what to do.
In fact, I admit that I had no idea of the pressures involved in
being captain. And I, well, you and only you are the captain of Team 18.
Don't you think so, Mister Savax?
Mr Savax: If it's OK with Nicolas.
Justin: For pity's sake, please say yes!
They all burst out laughing.
next episode: Dita Gets Injured
copyright Jean-François Schwaiger
cartoon: Pascale Rodriguez
Translation: Ryan Carter and JF Schwaiger
Proofreading-Editing: Eileen Harris
"Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental
and unintentional."
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MEMO A FAIRE How did this episode come into being?
The same episode in French