Cheap Tricks

2nd quarter, 1st half, 4:15 left. The score is 1-2. Attack on Mango is down by one point. It's been a very hard fought battle so far, but they're still less than halfway through the game. Both teams are staring to show some signs of tiring, but are still playing their hardest. After a blocked shot from Ruby, Noxian passes the puck forward to a waiting Sapphire, who is headed down the left side of the rink. Her attention appears to be solely focused on the goal. Asuka notices this, and quickly closes in from her right. By the time Sapphire notices Asuka approaching, it's too late. With a loud BANG, Sapphire is slammed into the side of the rink, and falls onto the ice. One of the cameras zooms in on Asuka after the hit, revealing a sinister grin across her face. Asuka was really starting to like how violent she could be as a defender. Sapphire lays in a daze for a few moments while Asuka takes possession of the puck, and passes it up to Nar. By the time Sapphire manages to get herself back onto her skates, Nar fakes a shot, and passes to Juno. Juno completes the pass by taking a shot at the goal, behind the goalie. The goalie's reaction to the sudden pass, and shot is just slightly too slow, and the puck enters the goal, triggering the sound of a horn from above. Cheers erupt from the crowd. Ruby and Nar close in to pile on Juno, but Asuka stays back. She focuses on Noxian, who appears to circle around the trio like a hungry shark. It's as her bandmates are starting to make their way back to their positions that Asuka notices Sapphire approach Noxian. The two have a short  conversation, and Asuka swears they're both looking at her during it. Soon, play resumes. Both teams enter another back and forth, until Wiggy manages a breakaway towards the opposing goal. Asuka moves in to intercept, but she doesn't go in for a hit. It wouldn't feel right to hit a child, even if they're a dragon. Instead, Asuka poke checks the puck, and gains possession. She looks up for a passing opportunity, only to see a blur of motion. Then, she feels a sharp pain in the side of her head, and her vision blurs, before going black. Nar hurries back from their attack to try and get back to defend after Wiggy manages a breakaway. He's confused when he sees Noxian almost as far up as Wiggy is. As a defender, he should be on his side of the rink. A small bout of relief washes over Nar when Asuka manages to gain control of the puck. Then he notices Noxian's path. He breaks out into a sprint in an attempt to catch up, but it's too late. Noxian's elbow comes up just as Asuka's head does. His elbow slams into the side of her head, and she stumbles forwards, eventually collapsing onto the ice. The crowd erupts with "Ooooh"s, and booing. The referee blows his whistle to stop play. A stick is dropped, and gloves are tossed to the ice. Noxian only has a second to be smug about his dirty work before a hand grabs hold of his jersey. His face is then met by a fist. When he's finally able to see his assailant, he's somewhat surprised to find Nar. He was the farthest from the hit at the time. It takes two more punches to the face before Noxian realizes that the referee isn't stopping the fight. When he finally decides to respond, he tries to swipe at Nar with his claws, but the wry little unicorn ducks under it. He takes another punch to the face before throwing one of his own. The force of the punch nearly causes Nar to let go of his jersey, but the little gnat simply won't let go. More punches are thrown, but eventually, Noxian manages to wrestle Nar to the ground. He lifts his fist for another punch, but is stopped by Ryuji, who pulls him off of Nar. "What the hell are you doing Noxian?! What in the hell made you think elbowing someone in the side of the head was a good idea?! Much less trying to KILL the guy who came after you for it!" Noxian's response is simple. "She was a problem. I gave us a solution." When Noxian manages to tear himself away from Ryuji, he sees that Nar is up, and already making his way to the penalty box. The referee makes his way to the middle of the ice, and activates his microphone to deliver the penalties. "Number 3, Dragonautica, Ejection for Illegal maneuver!" The crowd is a mix of boos, and cheers. Noxian simply rolls his eyes, and makes his way back towards the locker room. "Number 4, Attack on Mango, 2 minute minor for fighting!" The arena is awash with boos. Juno and Ruby head over to their bench, where they accompany a doctor out onto the ice. They bring the doctor over to the unconscious Asuka, and stand back to allow him room while he checks on her. Their faces both awash with concern, and anger. For a few moments, there is no crowd. The duo can only focus on Asuka, and the doctor. Concern gives way to relief in short order. The doctor assists Asuka onto her feet, and though she has some trouble balancing, she appears able to stay upright, and skate of her own accord. Regardless, the two help Asuka, and the doctor make their way back to the bench, where the doctor takes Asuka into the locker room. As much as they would like to follow, the game has not been stopped. The two give each other looks of reassurance, then make their way back onto the ice. Juno now takes up the center position in place of Nar. For the next minute, it's going to be 2 on 3.