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// Let's Talk Tactics 
// Story: Supa Canterlot Wondercolt Strikas 
// by DGJabberwocky 
//------------------------------//



Twilight led the Wondercolts and the Strikas to an empty classroom and grabbed two pieces of chalk and tossed one to Rasta who wrote down the names of all teams in the tournament. She said, "So, what can you guys tell us about our Super League opponents? From what Coach told me a little while ago, all the Super League teams are teaming up with schools around Canterlot. To be honest, we're not too worried about most of them, except for my old school, Crystal Prep, who are our biggest rivals."

El Matador spoke up, "You guys have a rivalry too? Our biggest rival is Invincible United, but be careful of those muchachos, they aren't afraid of playing dirty. Well... most our rivals play dirty sometimes, but Invincible United are the worst. The players to watch out for are, Skarra and their captain, Dooma, who are the dirtiest players. Also, Automatic, who is notorious for his powerful throw-ins which can lead to goals."

Twilight nodded and jotted down the information.

Next was Cool Joe, "Moving on to Sultans FC, their sheikh generally tries to introduce gimmicks for example, loudspeakers in the stadium to disorient the opponents."

Rasta spoke up, "Next up is Orion, the team's specialty is airborne play, partially aided by an anti-gravity chamber. Their coach, Professor Black, is crazy about space observation and exploration."

Blok was next to share, while Shakes translated, "Technicali and their coach is Toni Vern relies heavily on technology. Vern is also known for underhanded tactics, like when he signed Blok's brother, Attak, just for the sake of mind games. The rest of the team believe in fairplay"

Bo chipped in, "Grimm FC: They tend to rely on scare tactics to freak out opponents. But the REAL one to watch out for is Spike Dawson. He's a former player with a bit of a grudge against me, since my junior league days. While making a save, I accidentally injured him, I think it was an ankle sprain and easy to recover from, at least that's what I've been told, but he chose to retire and has blamed me for ending his career. Since then, he was always trying to sabotage me"

Tiger stepped up, "Next up is Nakama FC, coached by Uragiri, he's a tough taskmaster and the team are one of the most disciplined and believe in honour. Not sure if the same can be said for Uragiri though"

Klaus took over, "Zer is also Iron Tank FC, coached by Admiral von Pushup, who uses military techniques to train his players. Zis team is also dangerous because they can be very rough and aggressive."

Rainbow couldn't resist bragging, "Bah! how tough can they be?"

Rasta cautioned, "Be careful Rainbow Dash, by rough, we mean that Iron Tank are not afraid of injuring anyone, ask Shakes-man."

At that point, Shakes' hand subconsciously covered his knee, and Rainbow deflated.

Klaus continued, "Ze ones to vatch out for are Uber, Thor and their goalkeeper, Ze Mangler."

North Shaw stepped up, "Dudes! Don't forget, there is also, Hydra FC led by Coach Del Aqua. These blokes are particularly good at their home games, mostly because of their floating stadium. The one to watch out for is Liquido, he is said to be one of the fastest midfielders."

Shakes walked up and threw an arm around North's shoulder and ruffled his blonde hair, "Also, North and Liquido have a bit of a rivalry over who is the better surfer."

"So, who's next?" asked Sunset.

Shakes replied, "Barka FC with their star striker Riano, and trust me, Big Bo and Barb are gonna get a proper workout when he plays! There's also Club Palmentieri with their star player, Don Aldo, and to make matters more interesting, they are coached by the legendary striker Edwin."

Bo spoke again, "Another tough team is Azul, especially in terms of defence mostly thanks to their goalie, De Los Santos. He's pretty much a giant and is able to cover the goal quite easily."

Cool Joe spoke next, "There is also Cosmos, with their star player, Ninja, and they too resort to dubious tactics."

Rasta concluded, "Finally, we have, Colossus, FC Cognito and Lokomotiv, they are not as strong as the other teams, but they are not to be underestimated"

After a few moments of silence, Twilight spoke up, "Aside from Crystal Prep, not many of the schools in Canterlot pose much of a threat, but then again, like you said Rasta, they are not to be underestimated."

Suddenly, there was an exclamation from Klaus, who was holding his phone, and everyone gathered around him immediately. 

"What is is Klaus, man?"

The German's voice trembled a little, "Ze sheikh has signed the Amal 3 for a record-breaking transfer fee, previously held by El Matador."

Upon hearing that, the pony-tail haired Spaniard exploded, "WHAT!!!! YOU MEAN TO SAY I'M NOW THE SECOND MOST EXPENSIVE SUPER LEAGUE PLAYER!"

Klaus sheepishly held up four fingers and Matador fainted.

"What else does the article say, Klaus man?" asked Rasta.

"Umm... Sultans have also partnered with zis school called Griffonstone High, led by zere captain, Gilda."

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy made a face, Cool Joe noticed immediately, "I take you and this Gilda gal have a history."

"You could say that, Gilda used to be a friend of mine until I found out that she bullied Flutters, here."



Shakes turned to Coach, who had just come inside the classroom, "So, when does the tournament begin? and when do we play?"

Coach checked his cell phone, "The tournament begins next week with Sultans facing Lokomotiv in Dubai, we play at Strika Land against Invincible United, and it's gonna be a double rivalry, as they are partnering Crystal Prep."

Applejack mused, "This is gonna be fun."

Coach continued, "However, we will be watching the Sultan's match in Dubai, because I'm curious to see the Amal 3 in action. So, we're gonna be taking notes."

Twilight squealed, "RESEARCH! I LOVE RESEARCH!"

Sunset clapped a hand over Twilight's mouth as she babbled about formulas, studying, tactics, while Rainbow Dash simply muttered, "Egghead."