Four Leaf Clover | Wild Kratts

Chapter Fourteen - Blooming With Confidence

Note #1: My attempt at writing a sports scene as a non-sports fan.

Aster invites the Wild Kratts to his game tonight. They all happily agree.

"Hey, Aster! How would you like to arrive in style?" Aviva winks while nudging his shoulder.

"You mean you'll let me fly this ship over the arena?" He lights up.

"Not even close, but Jimmy will. Isn't that right, Jimmy?"

"You got it," Jimmy enters the cockpit with the others following.

He starts taking off much to Aster's surprise again.

"This place is awesome!!"

Meanwhile, Aster's teammates and coach wonder where he is. Coach paces back and forth around the bench.

"Hallows..." he mutters under his breath.

"Someone say my name?" A booming voice says over a loudspeaker.

Everyone looks up to see the Tortuga hovering over the arena. Aster descends from the ladder with a grin on his face. "I know y'all missed me!"

The crowd and his teammates watch in awe. Even the coach gapes at the sight.

"Is that the Tortuga?" Someone in the crowd asks.

"It's the Wild Kratts!" An excited kid exclaims noticing the airship.

Aster eventually steps onto the court and approaches his teammates who surround him and bombard him with questions and compliments about his grand entrance. They're really impressed. He looks back at the Tortuga. "Thanks for the ride!"

Jimmy gives him a thumbs up and finds a place to land. The group use their complimentary tickets and sit down waiting for the game to start. The best part about their tickets? They're courtside seats.

Aster is the team's point guard. The way he sprints, jukes, and scores is smooth. He does it with ease. The crowd cheers the loudest whenever he scores.

"Wooo!" Clover hollers.

"Who knew your brother was this talented?" Aviva watched in amazement.

Once Aster lands back on his feet, he puts his hands around his mouth slightly jogging around the court. His fans and Clover do the same. "AHHHHH!" Aster and the crowd yells. Chris and Aviva flinch hearing Clover yell again out of nowhere.

"That's his victory cheer Aster came up with. It's his initials. A.H. Of course he wanted to put his own spin on it," Clover explains. "All the other teams try to call it a foul though. Look," she points to a player on the opposing team irritatedly talking to the referee and gesturing to Aster's cheer as taunting. The ref doesn't call for a foul and continues the game. The opposing player rolls his eyes and glares at Aster.

Aster's team is up by nine points during the fourth quarter. The opposing team is almost catching up. It's a close game. Aster passes the ball to one of his teammates. He shoots. Two more points. The crowd cheers. They both fist bump. Repeat. The other team shoots. It doesn't make it in the hoop. Aster dribbles the ball to the other side of the court. The scowling opponent from before tries to trip and foul Aster. He flops onto the floor and grunts. He was certain he saw the guy glare and grin tauntingly. A new rivalry forms, but Aster tries not to let it get to his head. Victory is almost in reach.

Another member from the opposing team jukes Aster trying to twist his ankles in a sort of way. They see his potential. They're trying to shut him down. This happened to Aster before. They see him as this giant they need to take down. Aster smirks to himself and regains his balance as the other team gets a foul. He makes two free throws, gaining two more points. The more opponents try to block him, the more open his teammates are. Two people try blocking him, but Aster passes the ball to one of his teammates at the three-point mark. He shoots. Three more points. The crowd goes wild again. Aster has the eye of the tiger. He's unstoppable.

The final seconds of the game all come down to this. Aster's team is now up by five points. It could change at any moment. They need to lock in even more than they already are. One of Aster's teammates successfully makes a free throw. Now they're up by six. Aster notices the other team getting serious yet wary. They try throwing for three points, but only one gets in. Down by three points. Twenty seconds left. Aster scores two more points. In the lead by five. Ten seconds left. The opposing team throws a Hail Mary three-pointer. The buzzer goes off as the ball is in the air.

The Wild Kratts jump out of their seats. The crowd roars in celebration. Aster's team won!

After the celebration in the locker room, Aster walks out to the Wild Kratts waiting outside. "So? What did y'all think?"

"I bet Iris would say something like 'Aster, your performance was phenomenal,'" Clover mimics her sister. "But that was a really close game."

"Not gonna lie, I got nervous, but the other team showed it more. I don't let fear get to me," he looks at the rest of the Wild Kratts. "Y'all brave for what you do. Take care of my sister, 'ite?"

"You got it, bro," Jimmy does a cool handshake he and Aster made up hours ago.

"You have our word!" Martin wraps an arm around Clover, bringing her closer to him, giving Aster a thumbs up.

Aster glares at him, but then chuckles. "Y'all crazy, too. See y'all later."

"Bye, Aster!" The group says before he walks off.

Martin eventually lets go of Clover. She clears her throat. "So, what's next?"

"This," Aviva hands Clover a yellow Creature Pod. "I didn't know when would be the right time to give you your own Creature Pod, but it's one step closer."

"One step closer to what?"

"For you to join the team, silly!" Koki nudges Clover's shoulder.

She looks down at her new, shiny Creature Pod fondly then confidently looks up. "I promise to do my very best! I won't disappoint you all!"

"Well then, Clover," Martin walks in front of Clover with Chris following beside him.

"Welcome to the Wild Kratts!" The group cheerfully announce.

The TV turns off as Aster's interview from the press conference ends. A mysterious woman stands from sitting in a sleek, dark red office chair and looks out the window. The Tortuga flies by for a brief moment. An expression of neutrality flashes on her face.

"So, that's what she's doing with her career, huh? I hate to admit it, but it seems rather enjoyable. However..." She walks over to a board with photos of Zach, Gourmand, Donita, and Dabio stuck on with a push pin. "Enjoyment can turn into tragedy at any moment," she scowls at their faces. "I refuse to allow that."

"And if that means I'll have to watch your new allies," she walks over to another board with Chris, Martin, Koki, Jimmy, and Aviva.

"So be it."

She looks over to a picture frame on the desk of a formal family photo. There's five people all dressed in black, formal clothing. Except for one guy wearing a familiar-looking blue tuxedo. The woman is the only one with a serious expression. A serious expression for a serious business so she says.

"It's for the best. It's for the family. It's for me..."