Challenge Finished PV Jack Warren Closed

The black and white ball bounced up and down, as Jack attempted to keep it in the air for as long as possible. Thump, thump, thump. Jack was always an active kid, and sports were always an ongoing passion of his. However, it was a rare point of free time that he had found to be able to go out and kick the ball around. Hopping around like a single-legged kangaroo, Jack bent his legs to catch the ball on the side of his foot.

He had only been out in the training pitch for about thirty minutes, but those thirty minutes of just being able to do something fun and active was wonderful. However just on the edge of his hearing, the soft sound of feet on the grass. There was another soft thump, as the ball hit the ground. Damn it, he just lost count of how long he had kept the dang ball in the air!

With a huff, Jack turned to see who had distracted him. Still idly kicking the ball back and forth between his feet as he watched the newcomer walk towards him. There was a saying that people's first impression happens way before two people ever said their first words to one another. Of course, Jack had already made that snap judgment. The kid looked like one of those preppy kids. The Dublin native was a rough and tumble kid, and always had a slight dislike towards the richer looking kids. Plus he knew the kids who looked like that always thought themselves better than him. Jack hated that.

It wasn't right of Jack to decide to immediately dislike the kid, and he knew it. However, he did it anyway, that opinion wasn't going to change as of now. Letting Flash close the distance between them, Jack slowly dribbled the ball back and forth from one foot to the other. Who is this fella? Is he just gonna say somethin' snobbish and be off? Does he want something? Several thoughts passed through his head, and he subconsciously scratched at the new scar the cut across his face. Soon enough, words were finally spoken.

"Hey there, you have room for one more?" Flash had said. The Hufflepuff hadn't really known what to expect, but for some odd reason...it wasn't that.

Jack belted out a single "Ha!" before "I don't mind, as long as you don't mind gettin' your pretty clothes all dirty. I play a real man's football." A swift motion of his leg and Jack had slammed the side of his foot against the black and white ball. The kick was rather accurate and was aimed directly at Flash's chest (If not a bit close to the face). "Mud is what makes the game fun." Jack grinned a sly smile and watched to see how the boy would react. This could be fun.

The boy responded in a way he wasn’t all too unfamiliar with-- many of the kids who centered their lives around sport took a great deal of pride in really committing to it. Part of any athletic endeavor was blood, sweat, and tears. While academics had their own painful struggles, there was an honor to be had at physical capability over others. It wasn’t only just a challenge to become competitively viable, but also to stay there, year after year. Flash imagined the boy was much more serious about the game than he himself was. That wasn’t going to stop him from having fun, though. He likely didn’t look like it, but he had been described as a dirt gremlin only days before.

”Don’t worry about me, I can take a beating.” Flash smiled with teeth, doing a few minor stretches to limber up. ”Let’s just go for it, I would kill for some sport about now. We can do a toss and just try to get it past each other into the goal area. Sound good to you?”

His companion didn’t seem to be in an initially good mood to see him, but with someone like him, he figured his actions would speak louder than his words. Also, he was being completely honest about his feelings, ever since he heard the sound of the ball from a distance, he felt the desire to play like a craving. Perhaps it was because it had been so long, or because he was pent up with so much stress, but he felt the call.

”I’m Flash by the way.”

@Jack Warren

Alright! Now it is about time that Jack could show up this kid. Having embraced his inner Muhammed Ali, the kid began to bounce from one leg to the other as he slowly made his way towards the center of the field. This guy was made to fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

"Don't worry about me, I can take a beating."

Jack sure hoped so, because the thunder was coming. He was already determined to play rough with this newbie. "That means I won't be goin' easy on ya!" With that Jack jogged the rest of the way to the center.

"Let's just go for it, I would kill for sport about now. We can do a toss and just try to get it past each other into the goal area. Sound good to you?"

"Sounds like a plan, boss. You got a coin on you?" Jack asks, finally stopping at a somewhat central enough point in the grass. "Hope you are ready to get your butt whooped! I am pretty dang good at this game." Time to get hype! Jack-a-boy hasn't been able to play any football since back home in Dublin! Crouching down, he placed a hand on the ground. Muddy. Jack wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm Flash by the way."

"It's nice to meet ya, Flash. Jack." A forceful extension of his legs, Jack shot straight up. Feet leaving the ground, Jack brought his knees up to his chest as he jumped. He wasn't sure if he was just trying to show off or warm-up. Once he was back on stable ground, Jack looked at flash,"If we are tossin', I call heads." He grinned.

@Flash Holmwood

Flash chuckled at Jack’s enthusiasm, he was glad that he also was raring to go. He wasn’t as confident as the other boy was in his ability to win, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to put his all in. The way Jack kicked the ball around and continued to warm-up as they talked signified that he was an athlete at heart. Flash was mostly an athlete to stay in good condition, though it had other benefits as well.

Taking a sickle out of his pocket from his scholarship, Flash flipped it in the air, catching it and smacking it on the back of his hand.

Roll to see who goes first:
1d2(1) = heads, Jack’s success

”Your ball.”

Since Jack was already tossing the ball around, Flash just took the initiative to step back and prepare for the energetic boy’s onslaught. Not knowing anything about him, he could do nothing to be properly ready, but he only intended to have fun to begin with, unlike Jack who seemed very interested in winning.

He began right away, coming at Flash for the goal on his side of the field.

Roll to make a goal (Accuracy):
Jack: 1d20(7) + 5 = 12
vs
Roll to defend goal (Accuracy):
Flash: 1d20(14) + 6 = 20

Perhaps he cared a bit too much, because as he barreled towards Flash, he was able to kick the ball out from under his feet. A matter of carefully watching for the right moment, the gap in the defense. Likely, Jack completely underestimated his ability. Sport was not all brute strength, keen observation was also useful.

With that, Flash moved past Jack to get to the ball drifting behind him, kicking it between his feet towards the other end of the stadium as he picked up his pace. They were still somewhat near the center, so Jack would have plenty of time to retaliate before he made it. If he could catch up.

@Jack Warren

Alright! Jack got heads the coin flip and celebrated with a fist pump. Once the ball was by his feet and his opponent looked ready, he took it fast down the field and directly towards Flash! The victory was all Jack cared about! Dribbling the ball was like second nature. Everything felt so right! He reared his leg back for THE big kick. In Jack's mind, he was going to launch that ball like a rocket! A fire built around the ball, and he knew that it would blow past this posh Flash kid. Jack only glanced up from the black and white toy for a minute to gage where Flash was- and like a flash, the other boy had vanished AND SO WAS THE BALL!

"What the heck!?" In a slight frenzy, the scarred boy turned on a dime. Right before his eyes, this kid had the gall to just run off with the football! That cannot- no! Will not stand!

With the fury of pure egotism and the determination of not being shown up, Jack dashed after his adversary.

The results of the boy's footrace

Jack: 1d20(Nat 20) + 8 = 28
vs
Flash: 1d20(8) + 5 = 13

Flash was fast, but sadly not fast enough. There is nothing like an injury to pride to fuel the fire of effort. Alas, there always seemed to some other effects to a hurt pride too. The main one being anger. Within an instant, Jack was on top of Flash. Lowering his shoulder, the firey Hufflepuff rammed directly into Flash's side! He wanted that ball, and he wasn't gonna let a human body get in his way! Jack knew he'd feel sorry later on, but his deep desire to win overshadowed that greatly.

Jack's attempt to shoulder check Flash. (Str + Acc)
1d20(9) + 6 + 5 = 20

-Leaving an open roll for Flash to roll what he thinks is appropriate-

Roll to evade shoulder check (Wisdom + Evasion):
1d20(4) + 8 + 5 = 17 (failure)

Flash could definitely hear Jack quickly approaching from behind, but not well enough to realize just how fast he actually was. Before he could even think of where to go next, Jack practically tackled him out of the way.

Well, at least he had learned something valuable. Jack didn’t make empty threats, his disregard for Flash’s well being was illustrated by the scrape he received after barreling into the dirt.

His face was becoming a tapestry of his recent strange decisions. First, he had broken the rules to break into the third year greenhouses, almost getting him and Willow seriously injured in the process.

Now, he was playing street rule football with a kid he didn’t even know. Why did he keep chasing after such meaningless endeavors. Was he chasing after something to stimulate his mind, the thrill of consequence?

Regardless, he didn’t have much time to scrape his face off the ground before Jack would be trying to make the goal. He was certainly not going to stop and make sure Flash was alright, he had been perfectly clear about that from the beginning. Now Flash’s pride was caught up in the game as well, he had to also keep his word and take the beating.

He needed to focus on stopping him first. Still neither of them had managed to make a goal on the other, instead tossing the ball back and forth between them. At that point it would seem that they were nearly evenly matched, but Flash could tell differently.

Jack was invested in the game beyond a playful match between mates. He was a competitive type. One could find them in any stratosphere of social environments, from CEOs to prison inmates. They were perhaps the most easily manipulated type of person of all. One simply had to present them with a win condition, and they would always take it. The more you made them think it was their idea, the more they would believe anything.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t relate. In fact, another Jack had used the same tactics on him, an easy way to take advantage of someone trying to maintain their dignity. It hardly mattered in this instance however, as none of that applied to football.

Not that strategy wasn’t useful. It was because he didn’t know Jack that he was surprised by the shove. Fast. Ruthless. Determined. He had to keep it in mind. He had to steel himself and buckle down, or Jack would bulldoze over him. He took after him, pushing himself past the slight disorientation.

Roll to catch up with Jack (Evasion):
Flash: 1d20(3) + 5 = 8
vs.
Jack: 1d20(18) + 8 = 26

It was no use at all. Flash just stumbled over again in his haste, and Jack sped across the field like a fighter jet. It was no contest, one point for Jack. Flash took the opportunity to right himself again and dust himself off a bit before Jack could finish celebrating his victory. Returning with the ball, he spoke up.

”Two out of three?” They hadn’t necesarily established much of a structure to the game, but that round had been too short. Also, it was unlikely that Jack would turn down a direct challenge. Flash could have one last shot at proving something. He wasn’t even sure what he was proving. He wasn't too concerned about why, for the moment. For fun, he guessed.

@Jack Warren

Power. That was a feeling the boy loved. It sounds demented, but he couldn't get over the taste of power. The intensity was rising, and there was no way Jack was going to stop his roll.

Flash's body had zero resistance against Warren's onslaught of a shoulder check. With the deft precision of a manic panther, Jack stopped the ball against his sneaker. "Sorry, Mate." he managed to exhale before sprinting back at his own 'goal.' There was no way he could be stopped! His intensity was unmatched, Drive unchallenged, and speed uncatchable.

Behind the Hufflepuff speedster, Jack could see his posh opponent slipping around like a dog on ice. A loud "Ha!" escaped his lips as Jack continued his way down the pitch. However, deep down, Jack had found a new respect for the kid. He had taken a full-on blow from him, and Flash was still getting up. That impressed Jack.

Finally, once in scoring distance, Jack slammed the ball through the goal. There was a zero percent chance that the boy would miss, considering that he has been playing football for ages now.

After a series of gleeful kicks and fist pumps, Jack made his way back towards Flash. A slight pang of guilt was already starting to build up in his chest. Before he could even apologize, Flash was already speaking up again.

"Two out of three?" Flash asked, returning with the ball.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan! Oh, you alright? I kinda hit you pretty hard. I can always calm down a little bit-" Jack started as he glimpsed at the ball in Flash's hands. Even if he loved the taste of power in the heat of the moment, the repercussions were usually not very good.

@Flash Holmwood

For some reason, Jack returned with solemnity rather than boasting. Flash wasn’t quite expecting it after how much the boy seemed to relish in his victory. He even offered to ‘calm down’ with a hint of sincerity. Flash’s face turned to amused incredulity.

”Aren’t we playing ‘a real man’s football’?” Flash’s smile couldn’t help but come off as soft and sweet, even with the multiple injuries on his face. He just wasn’t a very masculine looking person, and he might never be. ”You’ll have to hit me harder next time if you want me to give up.”

Flash tossed the ball between his hands before placing it back down. He knew more about his opponent now, but would knowing be enough to stop the sheer raw power on display? Either way he was back to the defensive-- Jack’s goal, Jack’s ball. He had put it on the spot in the middle of the field where the Quaffle would usually get tossed up for all the Chasers to swarm around, trying to get their hands on it. Instead it was a massive open field with nothing but Jack in view. He started the second round.

Roll to make a goal (Accuracy):
Jack: 1d20(17) + 5 = 22
vs
Roll to defend goal (Accuracy):
Flash: 1d20(20) + 6 = 26

He seemed to care a lot less about analyzing Flash’s tactics, his only mode of attack seemed to be head-first. Unless he changed it up, Flash would always get the ball away from him in a fair contest. He was putting in the work, watching Jack carefully. Even though he had done the move before, this time it was pulled off flawlessly. The ball was coerced into joining Flash’s side, as if drawn to him magnetically. This time Jack wasn’t as surprised however, and could immediately defend his own goal. Flash was prepared this time for Jack’s alarming speed.

Roll to make a goal (Accuracy):
Flash: 1d20(12) + 6 = 18
vs
Roll to defend goal (Accuracy):
Jack: 1d20(9) + 5 = 14

He slowed down, let Jack whizz by him, then changed trajectory. An unprotected angle, his blind spot now that he had his back to him. He only needed to close enough distance across the field to make a kick strong enough to go down the rest of the way.

Roll to kick the ball far (Strength):
DC 10 (Average)
1d20(4) + 6 = 10(success)

Phew… barely... The ball flew across the field, a power move popular with adolescent boys, and Flash was lucky that he made it. Perhaps the wind was in his favor that day. Flash beamed proudly, glad that his powers of observation were finally paying off. His spirit of competition had also grown fiercer as things heated up. It was a tie now, even more exciting for the final point.

”One for me, I wonder who will win?” Flash allowed himself to tease the fight back out of Jack. He liked it better that way, he only hoped Jack hadn’t started to go easy on him without his permission.

@Jack Warren

Aren't we playing 'a real man's football' Flash said. Of course, he was playing a real man's football! Being kind was a hard thing to do for the young Irishman, but it seemed to be alright. Apparently, there was no fight about to start, which was a change for the boy. Jack returned the boy's smile, with a smirk of his own. "Is that a challenge, mate?" Jackson asked, popping up an eyebrow. "Because you saying that means I'm really going to have to bring it. Just remember, you said it."

With a waggle of his index finger, Jack returned to his starting position directly across from Flash. Thankfully they were playing by some sort of rules- being precise the 'Make it, Take it' ruleset. This means that there are no other rules besides if you make it, then you get to start with the ball again.

Nothing too serious had changed in Jack's mind. Brute force and speed were always his goto. He didn't care about using his noggin in this game. Jack knew he was faster, and in games like this, speed was vital. Dribbling the ball between his feet expertly(or as expertly as a boy could), Mister Warren only paused a moment before bull rushing directly at Flash. The boy didn't even stand a chan- Wait- where did the ball go? Not again! Why did he always have to lose the ball this way!?

Whipping around like a crazed monkey after a banana, Jack stormed down the field after the ball thief. "Get back here!" was the only thing Jack got out before he shot right past Flash. Now cars need several things to run, but one of the essential items in a car's inventory was a little thing called brakes. If Jack was a car, his break line just snapped. A full-on somersault tumble later, and Jack was lying on his back. Braking quickly was sometimes the boy's most significant issue, aside from his over-inflated ego.

What a stupid way to get a goal, jack thought somberly. He didn't like getting shown up. The shot was a good one, even if Jack didn't like it. A part of Jack wanted to wipe a grin off of Flash's face. However, he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying their game.

"One-One. I guess it's time for me to step up my game, innit?" The boy popped back up to his feet again. "Your go, mate. Don't get too full of yourself. I'm gonna win."

Jack glared at Flash, intent on not allowing him to get past him. Strength and speed had helped him in the past, so he needed to let his athletic prowess take control. Instinct was the only thing that Jack fully and wholly trusted. Once Flash looked at least somewhat ready to start, Jack was off! With incredible speed, Jack dashed forward. His sole objective was the ball.

Roll to steal the ball(Eva):
1d20(8)+8 = 16
Roll to avoid ball theft(Eva):
1d20(6)+5 =11

Jack could feel his shin connect with Flash's as he kicked the ball out from under the other boy. Everybody knows that talent will always outshine practice and knowledge! Duh! Jack had already covered nearly twenty yards before he glanced back to see if his opponent was on his tail or otherwise.