The swishing sounds of skates on ice filled the Pond as five of the seven Mighty Ducks practiced on the ice.
Canard shouted a warning to Mallory as he passed her the puck.
She took it and skated quickly towards the goalie's net, where Duke was taking his turn as the goalie.
Duke dashed forward, his intentions to stop her clear. Mallory banked to the left and cried out in frustration as Tanya stole the puck away from her.
"Good play," shouted Canard.
Duke and Tanya flashed a grin.
Tanya traveled across the rink towards Grin. "Oh boy," she muttered. "This is going to be tough."
Grin skated a few paces forward, his body still blocking the goalie net.
"Where's Wildwing when you need him?" she asked, as she tried to get a shot past the big guy.
The puck bounced off of Grin's chest, who immediately swung at the puck with his hockey stick, sending it flying towards the sidelines.
It landed in the left hand of Wildwing.
Nosedive stood next to him.
All the ducks stopped and stood still, all but Canard holding their breath.
The first day of Nosedive's return had been joyous, all the ducks in good humor. But a couple days later, Nosedive's emotions and personality had become a roller coaster. He jumped at every shadow and had to be sedated a couple of times because he was aggrivating his injuries. Wildwing stood with him through it all.
As for the skating rink, Nosedive hadn't gone near it, until now.
Nosedive looked up nervously at his brother. His appearance was still a bit rough on the edges, bags under his eyes.
His hair was somewhat limp and lifeless, and the perkiness he usually held absent.
But the bruises sustained in whatever beating he had gotten were gone.
Wildwing looked more at ease than the previous weeks, but he also shared some of Nosedive's traits. The bloodshot eyes and the tired way he carried himself. But the soft smile on his face was welcome.
Canard skated towards them.
Duke watched warily, noticing the look of apprehension on Nosedive's face.
"We need to talk," said Canard, somewhat gruffly.
Nosedive nodded.
Wildwing gently squeezed Nosedive's shoulder.
"What do you hear?" asked Tanya.
"Nothing," responded Duke.
Both ducks were pressing their ears against the sealed door, hoping to catch some of the conversation taking place behind it.
"What are you two doing?" Mallory's sharp voice asked, startling Tanya.
"Shh," responded Duke, still in his place.
"Just, uh, that is," stammered Tanya.
"Canard, Dive, and Wing, " murmured Duke.
"In that case, move aside!" Mallory joined the other two. "I don't hear anything," she muttered.
A few seconds later, a large shadow cast over them. The three looked up to see Grin standing over them, holding four glass cups.
"Simple solutions always come when you're mind is crystal clear," he said.
"Those would work," said Duke, with a grin, putting the cup to good use.
Nosedive sat staring on the floor as Wildwing and Canard closed the door behind him.
"Nosedive," started Canard. "I'm just going to go straight to the point. I don't know everything that happened to you while you were gone, and I can't imagine what must be going inside of you. I do, however, want to apologize that our team wasn't able to help you sooner."
Nosedive glanced up and then back down.
"I'm willing to give you the time you need to recuperate," continued Canard. "Then we will restart your training. I'm not going to start from the beginning, but rather have you run the course and see what skills you still retain, and what you need to learn. You'll be doing exercises to gain back your maximum strength, although judging by some of your recent actions, it shouldn't take long...Unless you've been holding out on us."
Nosedive winced in embarrassment. In a fit of anger earlier on, he had shoved a book case away from the rec room's wall.
"I've also decided that it's time Anaheim knows about the threat of Dragaunus. It makes no sense to keep him a secret from the public after everything he's done. I'll be speaking to Klegghorn, and I think he will agree to this. Will you be willing to add anything about Dragaunus to our press conference?"
Nosedive gave a hesitant nod.
Canard nodded once.
"I also want to know if you're up to a game?"
"What?" asked Nosedive, looking up at Canard.
Wildwing was standing with a pleased look on his face.
"A game," stated Canard. "We have our first game of the play offs at the end of the week."
"Already?"
"Time flies, lil bro," said Wildwing.
"Well?"
"I, I don't know," answered Nosedive. "I...it's been a while, I guess."
"We can give you a work out on the ice, but that's only if you're willing to play. Or, if you wish, sit out the rest of this season."
"No! I mean, I rather not. I'd. . .I would love to play," responded Nosedive, harshly at first, then softly.
Canard nodded. "We'll begin later today. However, we'll be pushing for that press conference to be held tonight, if not tomorrow morning."
Nosedive nodded.
Wildwing grinned as Canard stepped towards the door. "It's gonna be great having you back on the team, Dive. Now we just have to let the others know the good news."
Canard smiled as he opened the door. His smile immediately turned into a frown as the rest of his team landed on his feet. Each of them held a glass cup in hand and had a sheepish look to their face. "Somehow, Wing, I think they know," he said.
The conference room was it's usual blue. Reporters were seated on all the chairs available, while camera men and photographers stood against the wall, hoping for the best shot.
Phil tugged his tie nervously. He had always loved being the center of attention, but that was always to promote something. This press conference was more serious than anything he had ever done before in his life, and it made it worse.
He was given the cue to step forward and begin, several reporters having given their introductions to the camera's rolling.
Behind him stood the team and Klegghorn.
"My name is Phil Palmfeather, manager of the Mighty Duck's team. I just want to thank the Anaheim police force for doing their best in locating one of my missing players, Nosedive. A sincere thanks to Captain Klegghorn who aided us in this time of distress.
"However, having heard several rumors, we are hear to put them to rest. Nosedive wasn't kidnaped by some fanatic. He wasn't exactly kidnaped by a terrorist or an alien hater. He was however, taken from us by someone who is a threat not only to my team, but to you all as well."
Reporter madly wrote down their notes as more light flashed.
"Mr. Palmfeather, Mr. Palmfeather! What do you mean?" some of them shouted.
"Please, no questions until the end," he said. He stepped to the side.
Nosedive moved forward, with Wildwing by his side.
"I was taken from my team for purposes of revenge," started Nosedive, his voice barely heard. The noise dimmed, everyone straining to hear him. "We are not, nor have ever been, just alien ducks from another dimension. We are not hockey players from another world, but rather soldiers from a war. We came here by accident, acting out on a mission." He glanced back at Canard.
Canard stepped up to the podium, as cameras flashed brightly. "People of Anaheim. We come before you today to tell you of a threat that has been looming over your heads for a while. His name is Dragaunus, and he intends to rule your world."
"Where is he?!" raged Dragaunus, hurling one of his droids clear across the room. "Three days! Threewhole days and not a feather of him in sight!"
Chameleon scampered out of the way.
Nightbloom resisted the temptation to roll her eyes as she slowly changed channels on the monitor, looking at news footages.
"We've looked all over for him in this blasted city," Wraith said, his tone ringing slightly false.
"Maybe the police has got him," Siege commented.
"Or the morgue," added Chameleon, under his breath.
The other two Saurians exchanged amused glances.
"Then look for him there! Something's keeping him from contacting us."
"We'll go out to search for him again," offered Siege.
"Is there anyplace we haven't gone?" asked Chameleon, keeping his voice low.
"We haven't been to a movie cinema," responded Wraith.
"Actually...there is a cool flick I wanted to watch."
"I know where he is," Nightbloom's voice sounded out, monotonous as ever.
The three henchmen froze, panic ready to settle in.
"Where?!" shouted Dragaunus, whirling around to face the female Saurian.
She looked back at the monitor.
The other Saurians gaped at the sight.
Canard was on the screen speaking, and behind him stood Nosedive, alive and looking like himself.
"His name is Dragaunus, and he intends to rule your world."
. . .
. . .
An angry roar filled the air.
"WHAT?!?!"
"We have been fighting him for a while, then he traveled into your dimension. We followed him here and continued foiling his plan since. And we vow that we will not stop until he has been brought to justice."
Several people clapped and cheered at Canard's final words.
The other ducks nodded in response.
A maniacal laugh.
A black flame.
Nosedive shook his head. Where were these images coming from?
"Son."
Nosedive's eyebrows met as he stared at the floor in deep concentration. He continued to walk along the hall.
Ever since he got back from...well... wherever he got back from, his brother was with him day and night. It got a bit suffocating after a while. It was as if Wildwing's presence was wrong.
And the sudden anxiety attacks he got, how embarrassing.
He would wake up from some hazy dream, screaming. And sometimes, he would imagine sensing someone by his side. A figure who gave him a sense of belonging. He was positive the only duck that made him feel that way was Wildwing. Not even his parents had that feel of protection. But whenever he was next to Wildwing, he felt alone and unprotected.
The sounds of footsteps broke his concentration. Judging by the sound of them, it was Grin.
"What's wrong, little bud?" asked a deep voice.
He was right.
"Nothing." he answered, hoping that Grin would leave him alone to his thoughts.
"Wanna sit down?"
Fat chance.
Nosedive sighed. Might as well, Grin could be awfully persistent.
Nosedive followed Grin to the rec room. None of the other ducks were around. Thank goodness for small blessings, he thought to himself.
They sat down.
"You look lost," started Grin.
"You could say that," muttered Nosedive.
"What do you mean?"
Nosedive remained silent for a few moments. Then he looked up, his eyes looking haunted. "I don't know," he said. "In my head, I know I'm back home, and I should be feeling safe. But in my heart, I feel like I don't belong."
Something passed through Grin's eyes. Regret? Guilt? Nosedive didn't dare ask.
"Any ideas why?" the giant duck asked.
Nosedive sighed. "No. I keep seeing this visions. And hearing this voice. And...I don't know. I feel different."
Grin's giant hand landed gently on his shoulder. "Just give it some time. It will be okay."
Nosedive sighed. "I hope so."
Nosedive skated on the rink, moving slowly, then picking up speed. He stumbled a bit, then crashed into the ice as he lost his balance. He shook his head. "How long since I've been on the ice?" he thought out loud.
He glanced around, hoping that no one was around to see how bad he had gotten at skating. Well, maybe not bad. His body felt like it wasn't use to it.
Nosedive pushed himself back and and tried again, trying to lose himself in the familiar rhythm of skating. Left...right...left...right.
He smiled to himself as the familiar rhythm finally began to set in.
The stadium was filling up with fanatics. Reporters were also gathered around the press area, while sounds of quacks would sound out from one section at a time.
Nosedive glanced out and promptly panicked.
"I don't think I'm ready, man!" he said, on the verge of hyperventilating.
Wildwing flashed a comforting grin and placed a hand on Nosedive's shoulder. "Relax, baby bro. You'll be fine, you'll see."
"I don't know," said responded Nosedive. "It's like a major attack of stage fright!"
"You always did like to be center stage, kid," remarked Duke.
Nosedive let out a noise that that crossed between a whimper and a growl as he tried to calm his nerves.
Duke laughed.
"Eh, boss?" asked Chameleon.
"What is it?"
"You've never watched hockey before."
Dragaunus snarled. "And I wouldn't have to if Nightbloom's experiment hadn't gone wrong and Darkflame were still here!"
"Do not blame me," Nightbloom answered, her steady and bored voice further infuriating the male saurian. "There is no way Darkflame would have reverted to Nosedive on his own. I used both technology and magic, so therefore, only magic or science could have reverted him back." She stared at the other three saurians.
Chameleon, Siege, and Wraith gulped.
"Think she knows?" asked Chameleon under her breath.
"Suspects, maybe, but she hasn't said anything to Lord Dragaunus," responded Wraith. "Unless..."
"Unless what?" asked Siege.
"Unless she plans to blackmail us."
"Oh, this is just great!"
"So once again you say that your magic is superior! Other than creating Darkflame, I have yet to finish off the ducks with your so called help!" shouted Dragaunus.
"I gave you advice which you chose to ignore at times. Instead you relied on Darkflame to do it on his own instead of utilizing him as you have your own Saurians. He had brains, and a bond with you, and therefore would have made sure that your missions wouldn't have failed no matter what. He was good, but as all teenagers, his sense of direction needed some guidance, which you did not provide."
Dragaunus punched a hole through an unfortunate droid.
Chameleon, Wraith, and Siege slowly backed away.
"Do not blame me," growled Dragaunus.
"I am not blaming you, Civilian. I'm just pointing out your mistakes."
Fans cheered as the Mighty Ducks skated into the arena. Music blared from the speakers as they circled on their starting side before beginning their warm ups.
Wildwing flashed his young brother an encouraging smile.
Nosedive gave a shaky grin in return.
The referee blew on his whistle, and Canard skated to the side.
"I'm starting?" asked Nosedive.
Wildwing nodded.
"Oh, boy," muttered the younger duck.
Dragaunus giggled.
Siege, Wraith, and Chameleon shuddered.
"Uh, just what are you planning?" Chameleon asked, cautiously.
"Darkflame will return one way or another."
"I disapprove," stated Nightbloom.
"And I am going to choose to ignore your opinion!" roared Dragaunus.
"Exactly how do you propose we retrieve him?" asked Wraith.
"By attacking when they least expect it." Dragaunus let out an evil chuckle. "But for now, I think I'll enjoy a nice game of hockey."
Nightbloom rolled her eyes and vanished.
Tanya passed the puck to Duke as one of the opposing team members skated past her.
Duke skated towards the goal, and spotted the defense men heading his way. "Nosedive!" he barked out, sending the puck to his right.
Nosedive caught the puck and spotted the defense men heading his way. He shot it back to Duke.
Duke missed it by several inches.
Nosedive winced. Looks like my aim is off, too.
Their opponents got hold of the puck and went flying towards Wildwing.
Grin checked two of them while Mallory stole the puck from the other player.
"And here we are between periods. This is Bob Caster with Phil Palmfeather, discussing the game play of the Mighty Ducks. Now Phil, we notice that Nosedive seems to be playing a bit slow. Was it so wise putting him back in the game after an indefinite amount of time off the ice?"
"Yeah, well, it was his decision and the decision of the Ducks. While they're great team players, they only seem to listen to me when it's convenient. It will be their decision to take him off the ice." Phil tugged at his collar.
"Any word on what the police are going to do about his kidnapers. We hear that their hasn't been a formal statement released yet..."
"And you'll have to wait until it comes out. Let's just say that Nosedive would rather not hear any mention of it. Bad memories." Then he added "...doesn't know what happened."
Dragaunus's eyes narrowed as he watched the screen. "I'm sure he doesn't. But I'm sure he'll want to know."
Nosedive let out a grunt as his body got checked into the boards. Man, I'm just not with it today, he thought to himself. I'm not with it, period!
He sighed in relief as the bell sounded for the end of second period. His body was aching and he was having trouble catching his breath. Sweat dripped off his beak.
He glanced at the score board and grimaced at the score. It was a tie, no thanks to him. If only I was as good as before, he thought. Then we would be winning by at least two points.
Nosedive made his way to the bench. He froze when he saw Canard standing before him.
"Nosedive!" Canard barked.
Nosedive looked up into his eyes with fear. I'm going to get it now.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Duke tensing up and skating to him.
"Nosedive," repeated Canard, lowering his voice.
"Yeah, Cap'?" Nosedive said, warily.
"Do you think you can continue into the third quarter, or you want to sit out?"
Nosedive glanced at Wildwing who gave him an encouraging smile. The other ducks looked on with apprehension. He glanced back at the scoreboard and made his decision.
"I can't continue. I need more of a work out."
Canard nodded. "Very mature choice, Nosedive. There's hope for you yet."
Nosedive looked up, startled. There had been a gentle, almost teasing, tone in the older duck's voice, and when his eyes met with Canard's, the tan duck had winked.
Nosedive gave a shaky grin as he moved past Canard and sat flopped down on the bench.
Duke and Tanya grinned at each other, while Wildwing looked on proudly.
Mallory and Grin smiled to themselves. Seemed that things were going smoothly.
"And the Ducks win the game against the Dallas Comets, 2 to 1. Close game..."
Dragaunus shut the monitor off. "Play your games, ducks," he sneered. "This season will be your last."