IC Day 9 - Thursday

It's nice to wake up to Motoko barking instead of people with cameras, but at breakfast the announcers, Moxxi and Lulu, come into the dining hall.

"Listen up, Ladies," Lulu announces in her no-nonsense way. "Let's talk about tomorrow. Pink versus Green. Red versus White. Blue versus Yellow."

The dining hall gets loud fast. This is a huge announcement, and so sudden! You know who you are playing against now... This is so big.

"Couple things," Moxxie says with a big smile. "You remember how winners get the lodge and losers don't? Let's talk about the details! Losers also have to give up their phones. Oh, and losers can't leave camp without being disqualified from the show, but winners still can under special circumstances." She is absolutely relishing this, but you and the others are all devastated.

Yeah... there was something about this in the contract, but you didn't think you would actually be **** to stay here while the show was shooting... and giving up your phone? You can't remember even going a day without it before. Now you won't be able to have it at all? Well, only if you lose...

"...and while winners go to the Lodge, losers go to a very special place!" Moxxi claps her hands excitedly. "So look forward to that."

They leave, and the dining hall is in chaos. It takes the coaches a minute to calm everyone down.

Oh no... this is so anxiety-inducing, but Motoko is leading you all to a classroom.

"So we're playing against Yellow Team. It's the worst-case scenario. Karin's good, but we can handle her. Cheryl's the one goalkeeper that Adella can't scare, and to get to her, we have to go through seven girls that have military training and one of the strongest martial artists in the world. Expect excellent teamwork from those police girls, and we can just count Syd as one of them. She's military, not police... but they're all cut from the same cloth." Motoko folds her arms. "How do we beat this?"

"Outplay them," Beth says right away. "These military girls are tough and fast, but they just aren't true footballers. They don't have the same level of skill that we have."

"And if they try to bully you?" Motoko asks.

"Bully them back," Adella replies cockily.

"Wrong! Idiot. Someone give me the correct answer," Motoko barks, and you flinch.

Feng clears her throat. She never says much.

"Flop," she says.

"Thank you!" Motoko nods. "Bait out the aggression. Duni, Beth... use speed to piss them off when the game begins. They will start fouling, and you have to expect it and exploit it. One or two red cards and it won't matter how good their teamwork is. We crush them." Motoko makes a fist, squeezing so tight that you can hear it.

You all shudder. She's hardcore.

"Here is the plan," Motoko says, picking up a marker and going to the board...

...three hours pass. One hour to talk about your plans for the game, and two hours to talk about the fake stuff you will practice today because you know Yellow Team will be spying when you get the field this afternoon.

After lunch you go and do that practice. It's brutal, but Motoko doesn't run you into the ground because you have to play tomorrow. Even so... you are soaked with sweat and totally drained as you and the girls go to the showers before dinner.

In the shower, you catch Olga looking at you several times. You blush and try not to look at her. You haven't been able to stop thinking about last night all day, but there hasn't been any time to even really talk to her...

Finally on the way back to the cabin, because it's dark, Olga pulls you away from the other girls and kisses you deeply... but Adella calls for you two to keep up. You head back, wishing you could be at the lodge already.

Motoko is at the cabin. She warns you all to be responsible and rest up for tomorrow.

You are glad when Olga comes over and sits next to you on your bed. She looks at you in silence until you start to laugh. She's so weird. You are glad she's making you laugh, because you are pretty tense with tomorrow being such a big day.

"Want to sneak out?" she asks.

Of course you do, but...

Yes?

or

No?