After the Five Star Mobile 500
As Drake Stevenson walked away from the Valentians and Hap O’Loppa, he gave them a very happy wave. He figured this was a fantastic day, but as he walked back to the Team Blue Center to grab his things and get ready to head back home, he spotted a pissed-off man walking his way. He realized it was Nate Ellis and realized that Nate wanted to deal with Hap O’Loppa himself, rather than wait to deal with him after the Valentians were done.
“Hey Stevenson, I thought I told you to leave some for me!” Nate snapped as he walked Drake’s way.
“The Valentians are busy with him right now. As soon as they’re done, you can have him!” Drake replied.
“But I want to deal with him NOW!” Nate snapped.
“OK, fine, go over and deal with them. General Valentijn is having her way with him right now. If you want to have some fun with the Valentians, be my guest.”
There was a little bit of apprehension on Nate’s part. He remembered World Cup 85, when he cheap-shotted Clarissa Alanis Star on a defensive play, a play that angered everyone, even his own teammates. The Valkyrie General spotted Nate and picked him up to deliver something of a “don’t do that again,” which was enough to put an intense fear into Nate. To this day, Nathan Ellis was absolutely terrified of the Valentians and tried to avoid them as much as he could.
“You want me to go over there and tell them to please stop?” Nate sarcastically asked.
“Well shit, man, I’m not telling you what to do,” Drake replied, the tension in his voice evident. “But if you want to deal with them so badly, you go over there, and you go over and tell General Valentijn, like a big boy, to please let you have O’Loppa. I’m sure she’ll be just delighted to see you again, Mr. I took out the general’s wife in a soccer match.”
Nate detected and detested the sarcasm in Drake’s voice. And just like that, he entered into a moment of rage, one of those moments of rage he had so many times as a footballer. Nate hauled his left foot back and fired it – a field goal shot, right in between Drake’s legs. It was similar to the shot Alexis Fotellis had launched against Nate during their last meeting during the last World Cup, a shot that was enough to put Nate out of action for the final matches. And this shot was enough to send Drake to the ground, doubled over in pain, howling in agony, before passing out.
A few minutes later, he woke up to see Taylor Henderson, Chris Holmes and Frank Bronson looking over him.
“You have been kicked in the testicles,” Frank slowly told his teammate, emphasizing every syllable in the last word, almost as if he was trying to prove a point.
Several medics were working on Drake as he laid on the ground, in obvious agony from the shot. Representatives from Team Blue were making their way over to the scene of the incident, including team principal Amanda McAlister.
“Holmes, you been fitted for a firesuit yet?” Amanda asked Chris.
“Not yet,” Chris said.
“We might need to do that tomorrow, either that or have you borrow one of Frank’s,” Amanda said. “We might need you in Newmanistan.”
“Alright, I’ll come in the shop first thing,” Chris replied, looking down at Drake.
Drake howled in agony hearing this conversation. He was in a world of hurt, but the last thing he wanted to do was give up his seat to anyone. There would be more discussions concerning Drake’s condition for the season finale as the days progressed, but at least for the time being, he looked like he was in all kinds of pain.
A day later
The day after the race, Hap O’Loppa was, quite predictably, called into his boss’s office, where he was asked to “tell me in 30 seconds why I should keep you on the payroll or you’re done.” Hap O’Loppa explained that he had just interviewed the Valentians and was going to do an extensive story on them.
“Alright, then you’re done,” his boss said. “I’m not going to tolerate that stunt you pulled.”
After getting chewed out by his boss, Hap O’Loppa went to his desk, took the material given to him by the Valentians, as well as notes he had taken, and started writing.
THE VALENTIANS: A LOOK AT A BELOVED, YET MISUNDERSTOOD GROUP
By Gord “Hap O’Loppa” Radcliff – the Hapilopper City Herald
CONCORD HEIGHTS, CASSADAIGUA – Imagine staring a 380-foot giant in the face. The suit of armor the giant is wearing would almost make you think she’s ready to go to war. And for one horrifying moment, it felt like she and the rest of her flock were going to war.
But then, the mood changes.
“Come join us for a celebration,” the giant says, before offering some cake. “Here’s to wishing Anastasia a good race at the Proving Grounds.”
Not many 380-foot giants decked out in armor would offer cake, but it should come as a surprise to no one that this is General Valentijn of the wonderful world of Valentine Z. That kind of hospitality has helped the Valentians become among the most popular foreign celebrities in Hapilopper.
But Hapiloppians know the Valentians of today, and not how they came to be. It involves a trip through time, a horrifying nuclear fireball and
Today, the Valentians are known as one of the friendliest group of individuals in the multiverse. They are the ones with the massive beds, perhaps the most comfortable around. They are the ones with the incredible hospitality, the kind that make you feel like a long-lost brother or sister, even if you’re just visiting for a weekend on a business trip. And maybe it’s that sort of hospitality that makes them so popular among Hapiloppians.
This season, the Valentians have been blessed with tremendous luck on the race track, with seven wins between Anastasia F.Y. Aye and Clarissa Alanis Star. Aye, along with Thea Alvarez, Jeremiah Brooke and Kai Qiang, will contend for the NSSCRA Championship this weekend at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds in Newmanistan, and maybe that can be chalked up more to excellent preparation in the week leading up to the race, as well as great breaks on track.
Radcliff looked at the story file. He had a start and he had an end. But the middle part was going to take some work. There was a lot of things to take in with the story, and he wanted to do it justice. For a few years, he had been the biggest shit-stirrer in the Hapiloppian news media. He was the one that took down top celebrities when they had been caught doing something. He started scandals with his reporting. But now it looked like his time with the H.C. Herald was coming to an end, and he wanted to end it on an up note.
But he also wanted to keep his name clean. He removed his real name from the byline and started work on the middle section.
. But anyway I remember that offseason Charles Hawking sat me down and told me that if I stopped forcing everything and let my talent shine through that I would be the best to ever do it, and that hit home because he is 7-Time. Hearing that from his mouth really helped me find my calm in the car a bit
