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They shouldn't have been friends to begin with, they're too different.
Two siblings hailing from the center of Von Gotterdam, Prim and Mary didn't even think about becoming marble athletes in the first place. Their focus was on their studies, with both of them aspiring to follow in their family's legacy of becoming masters in art restoration. It was a tough journey, at one point Mary's grades slipped considerably near her last year of highschool causing a lot of stress and panic untill Prim jumped in to aid his sister. Thankfully for both of them, Prim was a master at the subject, so slowly and securely, they both managed to graduate with honors and receive a scholarship at the Von Gotterdam Academy of Art, one of the most prestigious universities in the marble world that values art to a whole another degree.
Both of them had an affinity for art restoration - Prim was a master at replicating art styles, some more difficult than others, with his affinity pandering towards the contemporary art. Mary, with her light hand as Prim once said during a course on retouching paintings, was the one who knew how to approach a painting without the piece crumbling in her hands. Marble History was one of her favorite subjects overall, which translated very well into her art major, given that several of the most sought after projects for students were historical artefacts, restoration of monuments and sites protected by the Marble World Heritage (or MWH for short), and bringing back pieces of art back to life.
Several months before they had to present their bachelor thesis in front of an auditory, the two were casted in a small group led by one of their professors. The project was initially met with a slight skepticism, causing several to drop out at the idea that they would be heading all the way to a restaurant in the city of Om for their practice, leaving the professor quite disappointed that they didn't even let him finish the sentence beforehand. However, Prim and Mary remained steady, waiting for him to finish what he had to say, giving him a sense of hope that there's at least someone who was willing to give this project a chance. Mary, especially, was ecstatic, given that her bachelor thesis was led under the supervision of said professor in cause and that would've aided her tons in her research. So, without a questionable doubt, they were in.
Took them a few weeks for the visas to be approved for the travels, given their academy had a partnership with a site nor far from the city of Om, their destination. So, besides a handful of clothes, their documents and of course, their painting tools, they went straight to the airport to catch the first flight to Om.
Om was a very old city hidden between the mountain ranges, perhaps one of the oldest cities currently resided by an active population, where you could tell they cherished their artwork more than anything. You could see art wherever you went, as primitive or as complex that might be, this was a paradise for any aspiring artist or art major. Professor Green, the coordinator of the project and their professor on the subject of Marble History, had a beautiful partnership with some of the scholars currently residing in Om and whom was more than happy to share their advices and wisdom to students abroad. This region isn't easy to reach, given that they've been slowly getting more open to foreigners to improve their tourism, but Mr. Green has fought hard to maintain this collaboration alive for the mew generations of art students to see the beauty of this once unreachable place.
And thus, in the middle of the city, there lies an imposing temple - the Temple of Om, in its marvellous form, with intricate designs and sculptures that were unique to the region, a testament of the history of this city and a symbol of peace and resilience for its residents, right in front of the two siblings who were staring at it in absolute shock. Mary was amazed, Prim was speechless, and professor Green beamed proudly at both of them feeling more confident that he chose the right students for this project. Once they stepped in, they entered a family owned dumpling restaurant, sheltered right inside of it, owned by one of the most frequent collaborators with their university. The place looked empty, with no customer there besides the workers and the manager Memo, but the inside of it was beautifully decorated, with a lot of emphasis on the traditional motifs, in its signature green, yellow and purple shades that didn't feel so different from the exterior of the temple. Their task was to restore some key areas of the temple, areas whom have been left abandoned by other projects whom have sworn to do the task but whom left them even more in shambles, and offer the two students an unique experience in the land of Om by visiting several sites located near it. Didn't look like a difficult task, after all, they've done a lot of courses and practices on how to restore historical artworks. With a bit of guidance and practicing the local techniques, they'll be doing wonderfully.
The silence didn't hold for long, with four young customers, similarly in age with Prim and Mary, made their way to the restaurant to order yet another set of dumplings for the day. The manager looked thrilled, since the four were regular customers and were excited to meet new visitors, hence he introduced them to the pair of siblings. The group of four, namely Mo, Momo, Momomo and Momomomo - have been friends for quite a while and were extremely passionate about marble sports, wishing that maybe, someday, they'd end up debuting in the big leagues. Their excitement and enthusiasm startled a bit the two, especially Mary whom was quieter in nature, but it didn't take long for the six to sit at a table full with dumplings of all shapes and sizes to eventually properly introduce themselves and become friends. Momomo even brought several ideas about their jersey and their marble vehicles design, but neither of them could draw that well, Mo couldn't even draw a straight line on paper. Prim and Mary offered to draw it for them, which they absolutely agreed without hesitation.
And their time in the land of Om was nothing short of exciting - they took some time to perfect the local artwork and eventually get to work proper with the strict guidance of their professor, with Prim taking several pictures from time to time of his sister focusing on her restoration to add to her bachelor thesis for validity of her research, taking a break for dumplings and aiding the Momo's with their innovative concepts and bring them to life visually, and the break they had they spent it with their new friends, whom have been playing tour guides across the city of Om. Besides that, given how the project lacked the students to rent a proper bus, the four Momo's tagged along for the trip in a van, hence becoming a new experience for them too, given how they didn't dwelve a lot outside their home city. But they made a lot of memories and learnt a little bit from each other - the Momo's learnt about the beauty of art and their local history, while Prim and Mary learnt about how to break their barriers and be more confident in themselves, given how their excitement for learning new things made the Momo's so unbelievably endearing. After all, they wanted to name themselves Team Momo, it just felt right.
Their professor was extremely proud of their perseverance and their ability to master such a detailed technique, and reassured them that they have a strong chance to become art restorers in the future. The restaurant was nothing short of proud too, being amazed at how just two mere students managed to learn so quick and with such a proficiency, as if they were local painters. Their friends were cheering along, being so happy at how they managed to realize such beautiful art in such a short time.
Since then, the six remained in touch, having a group chat where they'd share every bit of their adventures and promising that they'd return the favor if they'd ever come to Von Gotterdam someday. With large hugs, a few tears and a bittersweet goodbye, the siblings had to go back home, but with an experience never to forget.
As expected for such hardworking marble artisans, Prim and Mary graduated top of their classes at their academy, eventually getting their bachelors in art restoration not long after. They sent all the pictures to the members of Team Momo, now more set on this team's name than ever, whom greeted the two graduates with a spam of cheers, congratulations, and video reactions of support and pride. The two were smiling at the reactions, sending back so many heart emojis and even filmed themselves with their graduation outfits on and their diplomas. By that time they've befriended two other - namely Rima and Imar - whom both were the polar opposites of the siblings, but reminded them so much of Team Momo with their determination to become marble athletes. With Prim and Mary designing their image and Rima with Imar focusing on their strategy, Team Primary was born. The uniforms were in primary colors, the ever so known red, yellow and blue, giving both Prim and Mary their recognitions as art specialists, but also honoring their region, who was very well versed in art.
They had humble starts in 2016, but Van Gotterdam wasn't built in a day either. They were striving to get better.
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This wasn't supposed to happen, not now, not in a million years.
Marble League 2017 was a hectic year for Team Primary. They didn't even expect to enter the 2017 season given their poor performance last year, but the wheel spun their way and got a chance for qualifying, which they took it in great stride.
By the time they met the teams they were competing against, Prim and Mary met a very familiar group that were competing in the same year with them. By the time they realized, Team Momo was swarming the two with a group hug and a lot of reminiscing, hoping they'd be able to catch on to the lost time. They were extremely surprised to see Prim and Mary competing, given their hesitance for marble sports as a whole and how they wanted to focus on their art restoration careers. They got introduced to Rima and Imar, whom seemed to resonate with them quite a lot due to their passion for marble sports. At last, they were reunited and ready to rumble.
But unfortunately, Team Momo's valiant fight came to an abrupt pause given the Fidget Spinner Collision event ended up with Momomomo being rushed to the hospital for immediate surgery. The moment took everyone by storm, especially the rest of Team Momo whom were looking horrified and terribly afraid of potentially losing one of their friends right then and there. Wispy, member of the Midnight Wisps at the time, felt like it was all his fault, even if no one ever condemned him for the gruesome accident that happened. Prim and Mary shared the same horrified look as Team Momo, given that they knew Momomomo and how resilient he was, only for his momentum to be cut in such a manner. They immediately rushed to their friends for support and a shoulder to cry on, with Rima and Imar following suit.
For such a team that was wishing so badly to become one of the biggest marble teams in the marble world, to see them in such a state was heartbreaking. They couldn't fathom losing a friend like that, they've been so close, shared so many memories together, planned this journey together, only to end up in tragedy? It felt like the world collapsed under them and didn't knew what to do, both them and the Primary siblings were in shambles. Thank the marble gods for Imar and Rima whom kept their composure just enough to dodge the invasive media trying to take shots of the devastated members, asking them to give their time to process it all. Imar especially played the defense card among the two, being firm in her conviction.
The silence was deafening. The arena went quiet, hoping that they'll hear good news from the hospital and that Momomomo will be recovering. It was obvious that he wasn't gonna compete this year. Hell, Team Momo came here with merely any funds, they had their team coach, manager and all that, but they weren't yet an established team and they feared the idea of being in debt in a foreign region they did not know. For a new team, a money shortage could be either struggling to keep afloat or disbanding the team immediately due to lack of funds to cover all the expenses. They didn't want their story to end up like that.
Prim and Mary reassured them they'll aid with money if that's what he needs for the hospital costs, which they did - they contacted their parents urgently to aid them out, raising funds from their own artworks via bidding to cover some of the costs. Team Momo were eternally greatful for having such friends by their side, so much so that they promised to return the favor someday, but the siblings reassured them it's not a favor and they don't need to repay them with anything. The Wisps also managed to donate a significant amount of money to Momomomo's recovery, courtesy of Wispy whom had insisted on this to happen, still extremely guilt ridden by the whole ordeal.
Memo, the same manager that once was leading the restaurant in the Temple of Om, managed to craft a solution at least for the time being. Given Team Momo were at a severe disadvantage in regards of numbers, he managed to bring his younger sister Mimo as a substitute for the athlete that had been injured. It was a risky move, it was something unheard of to have five members in a roster, but in such dire situation Team Momo couldn't withdraw. They'd be losing way too much if they withdrew now, and he didn't wanna risk either of them into bankruptcy. Besides, Mimo was an aspiring athlete on her own, being one of the most hyped athletes from her division at home and whose introduction to Team Momo would greatly benefit the whole group.
Thankfully for them, Mimo managed to blend into the team dynamics extremely well, managing to gain their first medal of the season and giving a slight confidence boost to Team Momo, whom already have had the crowd by their side supporting them like no other. They may have finished somewhere in the middle, but the important part was that they managed to pull it off. Momomomo recovered from his injury, although his left arm wasn't salvaged in the process - but that didn't deter him from participating in the future Marble League. Due to the massive donations, from which Team Momo did a special video aimed at the public, thanking them through the bottom of their hearts for the donations and good wishes towards their teammate, reassuring them he's fine and giving special thanks to Midnight Wisps and their friends from Team Primary.
This wasn't the end, this was merely just the beginning.
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This should've been a rule breaker, something that wasn't supposed to happen in a main tournament.
2018 was yet again a hectic year for Team Primary. Given the fiasco from 2017 and with Momomomo's accident, the Marble League Association decided to introduce the concept of reserves - essentially an additional fifth member to be added to the roster besides the original four, whom can compete as part of their teams individually if the coach allows it, or can substitute a member in case of an injury. With Mimo dubbed "The First Reserve", she was the inspiration for the idea, given her stellar debut as part of Team Momo in 2017 and the fact that Team Momo decided to make her an integral part of the team from now on, citing Momomomo's injuries as potentially hindering him. By then, he was wearing a metal prosthesis attached by slings to his body, which became quite like an actual functional arm for him.
Thus, they had to find another Primary athlete. Luckily they found one in short time, a young racer named Aryp joined the team on the spot, with their manager at the time being impressed of his racing abilities during Tour de Vellis. Now in complete formation, they had to endure the qualifications for the upcoming Winter Marble League... which they failed at. Miserably.
The team was dysfunctional at best, with a lot of arguments, a lot of throwing the faults, and overall just an extremely tense environment. Some athletes such as the newcomer Aryp wanted to jump ship right from this instant given how they kept on arguing and that arguing led nowhere else but to even more of it. Neither of them could come to an agreement, and at one point many would've quit right this instant.
And yet, their friends managed to work it out somehow. Team Momo managed to pull through in spite of Momomomo's injuries and in spite of the obstacles that kept coming for them, they got a spot for the upcoming league. But things didn't go as planned, yet again, with them breaking another point in the Bobsled event. Momomomo got a big concussion after the second run with the bobsled, his second accident in a span of just 2 years, leaving him no choice but to withdraw from the team temporarily to focus on his health. Momomo, while she was a determined athlete, forgot to mention one thing to her team - she had a severe altitude sickness, which hindered her progress in the run. The marble doctors confirmed their state and allowed them to safely withdraw from Team Momo for the year, leaving them with just three marble athletes and another wave of panicking.
Team Primary learnt about all this in their group chat, now hosting a group of ten marble athletes with the introduction of Mimo, Rima, Imar and Aryp, and they looked extremely desperate. They didn't wanna give up now. They wanted to continue, but they had two members on hold and no one knew what to do further. It felt like 2017 again, but far worse. Mo, Momo and Mimo looked for support and asking for advice on how to moderate all this, even if technically Team Primary wouldn't be a team that could help much, given they were out untill the next showdown. They kept contacting other teams, former teams, anyone that could aid in this situation, and no one gave a sign that they'd be able to help in any capacity. The team looked at one another and had an idea - given how close they were with Team Momo and their prior history with them, couldn't two of them substitute for Momomo and Momomomo during the Winter Marble League? I mean, what do they have to lose, after all?
Their coach, Prima at that time, hesitated at that demand, citing that there would be other teams that would've worked better with them. But after a lot of coercing and pretty much begging her, Prima started calling their manager Memo to propose the idea of two Primary members substituting the two Momo athletes that were currently injured, citing that they've known each other quite well and they were close friends. Again, an extremely risky move, one that wouldn't have been allowed in any tournament in any capacity, but given how dire the situation was for Team Momo, they accepted without a hitch. The IMC, or the International Marble Sports Committee, allowed the merge to happen. Initially it was planned for Prim and Rima to join Team Momo, however due to popular fan demand and citing the friendship between them, they felt like Prim and Mary were more suited for the merge.
And so, after Rima's reluctant agreement to stay at home, the siblings became temporary part of the team, which made the remaining Momo athletes delighted. With a lot of hugs, cries and thanks all over the place, the 5 were reunited once more, this time as one unit. Given that the merge happened between Team Momo and Team Primary, it was no brainer about the team name - thus, Team Momary made their debut on stage, albeit with large controversy coming from Balls of Chaos, citing that Team Primary only uses their "friends" as a positional advantage to re-enter the Marble League unfairly.
Prim took the center stage to address the rumors during one interview with the media, with the question referencing them being "traitors to their own team" and "one whom solely helps their friends out of convenience and nothing else".
"I would like to send my apologies to the Balls of Chaos and their fans for feeling like our return is a way to allegedly sneak through into the League in spite of our non-qualification." began Prim, with his voice lower than usual. "If aiding our friends, the same friends whom we've known before we even started our careers, those same friends whom have been there for us in spite of the distance, is considered as being a traitor to my team, then I'm more than willing to wear the traitor badge with pride. We actually do care dearly about Team Momo, we aren't here to make a statement or to run in their faces that we're back or anything by that sort - this isn't the point, we're not the villains you want to portray us and our will to help isn't for a favor, nor for positional advantage. Team Primary is willing to help Team Momo whenever they need our help, because in spite of our differences, we've remained stronger than ever before. This isn't for any favor, this is because we care about each other. If Balls of Chaos cannot comprehend the gesture, we aren't here to explain it to them any further and we'll let them think however they want. To those who know us better than anyone, they know the truth."
Momo followed suit a few moments earlier to debunk the malicious rumors aimed at Team Primary, given that this became almost personal.
"We've known Prim and Mary since the day them and their professor came in our city to restore the Temple of Om a few years back." stated Momo, "Since then we became close friends, they were our first supporters and those whom allowed us to envision our team the way we planned it. It makes all of us incredibly sad that someone tries to defame them in such a manner and neither of the remaining Team Momo members believe that Prim or Mary would be capable of such things, nor anyone from the Team Primary roster. We are eternally greatful for our friends in Team Primary, especially for Prim and Mary whom have made the trip all the way here. They didn't ask for anything in exchange for their kindness, and they've proven once more to be a shoulder to rely on in times of need. All I can say is that Balls of Chaos are lucky that Team Primary isn't considering a defamation lawsuit for the amount of articles, posters and media outlets that have been spreading these lies, and we hope they reflect onto themselves before judging someone else. We understand the two teams aren't in good terms, but no amount of false allegations will make anyone feel or look any better in the eyes of the international marble fans."
While Prim's statement was very well received among the community at large, it was Momo's who sealed the deal - especially given that statement was made by one of the Momo's, whom at that point was a team the marble race fans began to hold dearly to heart due to their perseverance. Suddenly, the floodgates opened for the Balls of Chaos fans and defenders, as well as the marble media, receiving countless messages of demanding explanations and pretty much an open name and shame campaign. They also managed to point out just how close the two teams were, posting pictures and videos from long time ago when Team Momo and the Team Primary siblings have first met in Om, their valiant effort to shield Team Momo from the paparazzi back in 2017, their auction to aid Momomomo with the hospital expenses and lastly their effort to save Team Momo through becoming placeholders for the two members whom were resting. It didn't take long for the storyline to crumble on its own feet. Everyone was rallying for Team Primary and Team Momo, wishing Team Momary great success.
As for Team Momary? They didn't do brilliantly, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that Team Momo was fine, they were able to finish it in stride once more, and even managed to score a medal or two in the meanwhile. The 5 of them became even stronger together, maybe not by results but in regards of how their friendship remained intact, with them calling Momomo and Momomomo often to check up on them. The two were absolutely stoked to hear how they managed to pull Team Momary through in spite of everything, thanking Prim and Mary once more for their involvement.
The other members of Team Primary weren't so gracious though, with tension already being there among the members, the whole Team Momary project made the situation even worse. Rima resented Mary due to the fan vote, Imar tried to mediate things out to no avail, Prim tried to shield his sister from Rima's verbal rampage and Aryp didn't know what to do by that point, given that he was normalized with the hectic dynamic of Team Primary and feared things won't get better from now on. They decided to part ways temporarily, in hopes that maybe they'll come back and discuss with clearer heads - the two siblings went back into art restoration, Imar and Rima practiced together for other local marble racing competitions, and Aryp took an opportunity to go to Thorston for an exchange program, whom allowed him to interact with the new Thunderbolts members and experience how a Thunderbolt member operates on the field. That took him aback for a moment, given that the program was quite relaxed and chill over the hectic fiasco that was at home with his own team, but he enjoyed the newfound experience.
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They'll drag your effort down, will tarnish your name for good, and you're still willing to help them?
Unsurprisingly, the 2019 qualifiers also didn't go well for Team Primary, and even with their efforts to clear their heads, it all just ended up in yet another shouting match between the members. Blaming each other, blaming other teams, arguing with Prima for not helping enough, it all took a toll on them. Yet again, Team Primary was more shambles than an unity. Imar would joke from time to time that "this is the worst soap opera attempt she'd have seen in ages, worse that she has to endure all of it."
And once more, Team Primary seemed to be considering the route for disbandment. How to even function as a team if the team doesn't wanna function as one? Was all the arguing worth it? Was all that stress worth it? Most of them said "no", and yet neither of them wanted to break through and say "I'm quitting the team, you do whatever you want".
Prim and Mary were back home in Van Gotterdam, ready to sign yet another project with a reputable artisan, when they received several messages on the group chat with Team Momo and Team Primary.
Momo: hey guys, how are you doing?
Mimo: heyyyyyy
Momomo: team primary, are y'all leaving us on seen?
Mimo: so rude of them
Mo: ikr
The two started to laugh a bit before replying to the messages.
Prim: hey guys, sorry for answering so late, me and Mary were busy with a project
Prim: what's up?
Momomomo prepared to reply, while they noticed that the other Team Primary members muted the chatroom to not receive any notifications.
Momomomo: well, we may or may not be in Van Gotterdam rn
Mary: wait, are you fr?
Mimo: yep! although i think we got kinda lost, but it's a very pretty city!
Mo: kinda lost? we've been roaming in circles here, Mimo
Mimo: ...still.
Mary: wait, what do you mean you're here now?
Mo: we are!
Prim: proof or I don't believe you.
Team Momo all logged out for a brief moment, probably finding out which one had a better camera to take a group picture with, and not long after they sent a picture to the group chat. Momomomo was the one that took the selfie, with Mimo holding onto him, Momo and Mo sitting right behind them and Momomo waving in the back near a spot where tulips were in full bloom. After all, this time was perfect for a walk in the Van Gotterdam, not too sunny, not too hot, just perfect. After another round of scanning, the siblings found what they were looking for - there was a sign right behind Mo that showed several directions made in their language, a pretty standard sign with arrows and such. For the season, the pole was decorated with flowers, specifically red, yellow and blue, which only showed one location for them.
Mary: stay there, we'll come to get you
Mary: didn't knew you were at Palette Park, that's one of our favorite spots
Mary: and yeah it's quite of a mess to roam through it, feels kind of like a maze
Mo: you like gardens that much though?
Prim: very much, it's where we get inspiration from usually
Momo: we'll stay here, don't worry
Momo: only hope Mimo doesn't venture too far, she's been taking pictures of absolutely everything in sight
Mimo: but I like the city :( and we haven't been here before so this is all new to me!
The siblings turned left to pass on the opposite side of the street, heading straight to the easternmost opening towards Palette Park. That was the closest they could get to a shortcut, given that Team Momo weren't too far away from where they were. Mary almost broke a heel while rushing to greet them, but thankfully her boots were sturdy enough and she had some glue left in her purse.
They were greeted with Mimo, yet on another of her escapades to see the world. She was there with a checkered green beret, a thrifted camera she purchased from one of those second hand shops whom worked brilliantly, and with a mix of curiosity and annoyance written all over her face.
"Hey, watch out, I wanted to ch- Oh, Prim! Mary! So glad you managed to make it!" Mimo reached to hug them both, her annoyed tone changing to an excited one, now that she knew who she faced with. The rest of Team Momo joined into yet another group hug, one of the very many they shared throughout the years. They were reunited once more.
"Wait," paused Momo, a bit confused, "Is it just you two? Where's Rima, Imar and Aryp?"
The siblings didn't even knew what to say to this remark. Prim was looking at Mary, Mary was looking at Prim, both wondering what to say next, to tell it all or to brush it off in hopes things may get better?
"They didn't manage to reach in time, I'm afraid." said Mary, sighing, "It's a long story, we'll tell you about it while we introduce you to the park as a whole. I feel like you only went to the east wing of it and not elsewhere, I promise it looks better than this side." With that said and with looks of concern on the Momo's, they proceeded on a small walk around the park. Prim and Mary tried their very best to introduce the park in their very best of their abilities like they were paid tour guides. Mo proceeded to ask further details, Mimo was taking pictures of everything she saw, Momomo checked after Momomomo given that he still didn't get fully used to his prosthetic, and Momo was scanning the siblings furthermore in hopes he'd find more about what bothered them. The tour was lengthy, with the siblings not missing any details across their journey - the Palette Park, the Academy of Art (where they'd meet once more with Professor Green, albeit very briefly), their home, several places to take pictures much to Mimo's delight, and of course, all immortalized into Mimo's digital camera and through several selfies.
Given the sun was about to set, they resorted to a cafe near the hotel Team Momo decided to stay in. It had a good price to quality assortment of drinks and beverages, and it's a place very much preferred for the siblings to sit by and watch the view from the highest point of the city. Prim and Mary settled on their usual cappuccinos, Mo tried a latte, Momomo followed the siblings with ordering cappuccino, Momomomo opted for herbal tea of some kind, Momo and Mimo went for the hot chocolate alternative. While awaiting for their orders to come, Momo began to speak.
"So, is everything okay with you? You seem quite tense." he asked, looking at the two Primary siblings.
"We're fine, thankfully." said Prim while staring at the view, "Things in Team Primary however? Not so great, unfortunately."
"Oh, what happened? Perhaps we could help out a bit?" asked Momomomo.
And with their drinks on the table at the very last and with the waiter leaving the premise, the siblings spilled it all. The fights, the tension, the uproar, the hurt, the disappointment, everything that they've been bottling it up in the past years or so. It felt relieving to have someone actually listening to you, and Team Momo did their very best to support them at least emotionally in this turmoil. They were left quite astounded at everything that's been said, they knew things weren't pretty pink in Team Primary but never imagined it to go this badly.
"Why would Rima be envious of you though, I don't understand... I knew you had that fight on the phone after the league ended, but never knew she'd hold such a grudge on a situation like that." replied Momomo, almost feeling guilty given what she heard. Mary reassured her it's not her fault and things had been rocky since quite a while.
"How do Imar and Aryp react usually?" asked Momo, curiously.
"Neutral, mostly. Aryp had said he'd wanna leave multiple times but he never made the paperwork to do so. Imar tried her best to be the voice of reason but unfortunately did not work. And we're stuck in this limbo." said Prim with a sad expression.
Mimo skeemed through the photos and posted a very appropriate one to the group chat. It was them 7, Prim and Mary in the middle, Mo, Momo and Mimo on their right, and Momomo with Momomomo on their left. They asked the waiter to take a picture of them.
[picture attached]
Mimo: saying hi from Von Gotterdam :) missing you guys, hopefully we reunite in complete formation!
"Have you ever considered team counseling?" asked Momomomo, adjusting his prosthetic in place. "I've heard several teams did that in their worst of times and it managed to keep them back to some normalcy. Maybe it could work for you too?"
"Is that a thing?" asked Mary.
"Yeah, been for a while, but not many teams admit to using them. It may be your first step ahead, given neither of you want to disband and neither one wants to break apart from the group. That means you all still aspire for the same goal, no?"
And he's right to some extent. Prim loved being a racer, the adrenaline rush was exhilarating, and he wouldn't have traded this experience for the world. Mary, however, was lesser convinced, given she's been quite the target recently for her poor performances which took a toll on her emotionally. Rima hated her, the fans started to hate her even more, she didn't feel like belonging into Team Primary's dynamics.
Team Momo and Prim were not agreeing with her statements.
"You've proven your worth just as much as everyone else did, Mary. Just because you had some weak events placement wise doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Prim wouldn't have continued this journey without you - if you leave, he'll leave, because you two come as a package deal." explained Momomo, softly this time.
"Yeah, you keep doing nicely there, sister." added Prim, with a smile. "I mean we all suck as racers, what else is there to say? But we had each other. That's all it matters."
Mary smiled, while sipping on her cup of cappuccino before thinking all of them for their reassurance. Mimo picked up her phone to check the group chat, and lo and behold, there was a message up there. She asked them to open the group chat, only to be met by one reply.
Imar: omg, you guys look adorable! i'm sorry i couldn't come, hopefully next time will do!
"I think Imar would be on board with the team counseling." affirmed Momo, staring at the message. "The issue would be Rima rather than anyone else. I doubt Aryp would be against it either."
With all that said and the bill paid, the two teams parted ways, with the siblings feeling slightly more confident this time around that perhaps things aren't over yet for Team Primary. With Team Momo's suggestion in mind, they approached the rest of the members with the idea, with manager Prima to join as well, given this was an internal conflict between team members they had to resolve. Imar was fine with it, Aryp was too, Rima was hesitant though. Prima had to play the tougher card by removing her from the team, which left her no choice but to agree to the counseling.
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So, what now? You still wanna sit with one of the worst teams in the tournament?
It proved that the decision to take up team counseling had worked in their favor. Besides that, they opted for another coach - Secondary, being one of the more known coaches in the area, agreed to aid Team Primary for the upcoming leagues. It was tough to reunite the scraps of what once was Team Primary and tie them neatly, but it was more of an effort now than they tried to do in the past years or so. The captaincy kept switching back and forth between members, the roster kept changing forms in hopes to find whatever sticks, and they kept moving forward. Rima even managed to warm up to her team after her debut in Marbula One, when Prim stood up to manager Prima for her behavior towards Rima at the beginning of season 2, with Team Primary essentially firing her on the spot. Rima never forgot that moment and even apologized profusely for behaving the way she did at the following team counseling session, saying that she only felt jealous about how they get enough spotlight to shine as marble athletes and she felt like getting the short stick. Even apologized to Mary for making her the punching bag when she was nowhere at fault for that. Thankfully, they forgave her and that was perhaps the closest someone would see Team Primary as an unity. Aryp's cousin, Rypr, managed to get the manager position through an interview after Prima fell out of their graces.
Coming to present day, Team Primary is perceived quite of a mixed bag among the dedicated marble race fans. Some pretty much consider them a failure among them all, a placeholder for potential rookie teams to debut, nothing but a mess with them keeping to change their captaincy once every year or two to no results whatsoever, a waste of time and resources, the list could go on and on. Their defenders think differently, however - a team that fought valiantly to make themselves seen by an international audience, in spite of the turmoil that they've dealt with in the past, a team that had been true to their promises based on helping Team Momo whenever they could, a team whom could've retired earlier on but whom had found their support in their friends to keep fighting, a team that managed to show some promise in certain events (specifically Aryp for racing events), and who was remarkably memorable for a team whom some claim is a "waste of time and space". The 5 of them get used to that treatment after all, it's nothing new, nothing unusual, the same old story.
Team Momo however, that's another story - very endearingly called by the fans as "the people's team", it's the one team people rooted for regardless of how they'd place in the competitions, the team whom if someone sent them hate hell would break loose, the team whom had been ever so graciously accepting and thankful for each and every single one of their fans. Even in spite of the accidents and their oscillating journey through the competitions thus far, they've managed to come out stronger than ever before and with an army behind them for defense. And they wanted to stay true to their title - they've organized fan meetings, interviews, supported a lot of local businesses that were close to bankruptcy, donated to charity, interacted with their fans every so often through their official social media page, but also made very sure their kindness never outscored their revenue - after all, they wouldn't risk to go bankrupt themselves even if the fans would've pulled the mountains with their bare hands to help them out.
And as tradition goes, Team Momo and Team Primary visit each other whenever they can. Their friendship only grew stronger as years progressed, with now Team Primary being a full unit rather than the two siblings, and they made very sure to capture each moment they spent together. Selfies, pictures where they'd tag each other, promotional pictures, group pictures both in Marble League and Marbula One, videos where you could see them cheering for their friends, all of it had been thoroughly documented through each members social media and their official team pages.
This time around, Team Primary was at the Temple of Om to serve a delicious feast full of dumplings at a rotund table with their friends from Team Momo. Imar was admiring the scenery, asking from time to time about the delicacies of the region. Rima was feasting on the dumplings. Aryp was checking his phone, ready to tag everyone at the table in his new story.
"Prim, Mary, you did a phenomenal job with your restoration last time you've been here!" beamed Mimo, pointing at the statues near their table, "They look like they've been made yesterday!"
"Thanks, Mimo." smiled Prim, "The structure was made by me, Mary did the painting job. I think that statue specifically is in her bachelor thesis, I took the picture last time when she was painting it."
"No jokes though, that's extremely impressive. How long did it take you to pull all this?" asked Aryp, now curious about the statues.
"About 3 months and a lot of clay." said Mary, giggling a bit, "Mo had to get Momomomo in a wheelbarrow because he managed to get stuck in the mud near the site we were supposed to cover."
"Worst excavation I had to do in my entire life, mind you." Mo retorted, glaring at Momomomo whom was happy to be present at the gathering, "Do you have any idea how heavy he is? I thought I'd be sinking with him given how he became extremely clingy."
"I can tell," said Rima, laughing, "I'm already imagining you two probably battling it out there on how to get yourselves out of the situation."
The atmosphere was light, everyone was beaming and feasting on the dumplings to the joy of the owners, that was untill Momomo stood up and grabbed everyone's attention. Now all eyes were on her.
"Alright, now that we're in complete formation at the very last," she opened, with her face as sunny as the weather outside, "I'd like to make a toast."
"With what, we don't have drinks here, Momomo." replied Mo, confused.
"Raise a dumpling and let me have this moment. They didn't have fancier drinks other than water, this is what we're working with."
They all rose a dumpling each in their chopsticks, with Momomo selecting the largest she had on the plate.
"So, as I said, I'd like to make a toast. For the best teammates a marble athlete could wish for, and for the best friends that anyone would aspire to be. It's been like, what, a decade almost since we've met Prim and Mary? When we met again as Team Primary and Team Momo in tournaments officially? Give and take?"
They all looked at each other, nodding in agreement, every single one of them smiling.
"Even if we're quite different, we managed to bond like no one ever did, didn't we?" she laughed softly, before coming back to her words, "So this day is a special day for us, an anniversary we've held since the day we met, and which brought us to the most amazing marble athletes I'm so very glad to be friends with. For Prim and Mary, for Imar, for Rima and for Aryp, thank you for being part of our journey, for being our first ever fans when we started as Team Momo, for jumping in action whenever we needed you the most, for making this experience worthwhile. We know that you never asked for anything even if we did promise you to pay you back for everything you've done towards us throughout the years, but we feel like you deserve the world and beyond for each and every memory we shared and collected. You've been there for us in ways even we cannot explain, and for that we're forever greatful."
Mary started to tear up at the monologue, with Rima handing her a handkerchief and Imar hugging her. Prim stood up, adopting a similar position as Momomo at the table.
"If we're here to make a toast, we'd love to make one for you as well, given the event." said Prim with a confident tone, "To the best marble athletes we know in this whole marble universe, thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey, just as much as you have been part to ours. To put it simply, without you I don't think we'd be here as Team Primary. You've saved us many times throughout this journey, even if you don't feel like you've done much. Hell, you gave us the idea of team counseling in the first place. You are the reason why we're here as we currently speak and we owe our current journey to you."
"Wait, really?" asked Rima, shocked. Imar and Aryp were just as astounded, while the rest of the Momo's were approving of Prim's statements.
"We couldn't just let you free falling, could we? Momomomo was the one who actually suggested it to them." said Momo, pointing at Momomomo.
"Heard about it from another team, and thought you'd need it too. I'm glad you were all on board with it."
The members smiled, silently thanking them.
"So, I wanna make a toast specifically to celebrate the accomplishments of Team Momo, from their humble beginnings all the way to today, for the people's team and for the chosen family we've made. Thank you for everything, to Mo, to Momo, Momomo, Momomomo and Mimo, and hopefully to many more years together!"
"To Team Primary and to Team Momo!" beamed Mimo, with her dumpling held up.
"To Team Momary?" asked Mary, smiling at her colleagues.
"To Team Momary!" everyone chanted in delight, slightly meeting the dumplings in the middle as if it was a glass of champagne.
And so, the two teams, for as different as they would seem from afar, have proven to be perhaps the most rock solid friendship of the entire franchise. Regardless of the results or their overall performances, they'll be there supporting one another through thick and thin. Just like in the old days, as they once promised to one another long time ago. Whether if it's Team Primary, Team Momo or the short lived Team Momary - it's a friendship that stood the test of time and proved to stand the test of time to this very day.