As it turned out, his name was much easier to change than the rest of his predicament.  Figuring out how to improve his teamwork was difficult to say the least.  And according to Suga, it started with J-Hope, their admittedly weakest player.

            “Why do I have to start with him?  No offense,” Rap Monster immediately added when he pointed at J-Hope.

            “None taken,” the other male shrugged with a goofy smile.  “I never said I liked the sport.  I just like playing with them.”

            Rap Monster sighed as Suga nodded in agreement.  “I’ve gotta see if you can work with individuals as much as you can work with the rest of us,” he explained, tossing the more than familiar heavy ball towards the duo.  Rap Monster reacted first and snagged it before J-Hope could awkwardly try to catch it.  At least he’d gotten that part figured out.  “Good,” Suga grinned, brushing his hands off.  “You’ve already got a good start.”

            J-Hope laughed nervously, relief obvious on his features, and looked to his partner for the day.  “Let’s do our best!” he cheered, to which Rap Monster had to try very hard not to roll his eyes.

            They were set against by V and Jimin to give them a range of participants while Jin worked with Jungkook separately and Suga observed.  Lazy bastard.  In all honesty, Rap Monster did not make much progress working with J-Hope the first day.  Or the next.  And by the third day, he was pretty much certain Suga was trying to sabotage him because it was just about impossible.  He envied the others who got to cycle in and out, spending time with Suga who was abundantly competent while he was left with the hopeless wonder.

            Miraculously, he did not lose his temper or transform at all (Suga had forbidden it until he could act straight in his human guise), but it was a near thing.  He was more than surprised when J-Hope was the first to say something actually.  “Seriously, Suga,” he panted after another unsuccessful attempt at making the mark zone, hands on his knees and back bowed.  “I’m a placeholder in the games.  Why am I doing this again?”

            Rap Monster frowned in surprise and Suga stopped what he was doing while Jimin and Jungkook just looked at him with confused expressions.  Before anyone could say anything else, V stormed over, outraged and irritated at Rap Monster.  He promptly stepped between them both and looked J-Hope in the eyes, “You are not a placeholder!”

            Taken aback, Rap Monster stepped away and snuck a glance at Suga who had a sly and speculative look on his face.  Much like Jin.  “But I’m not good-”

            “And that’s his fault!” V pointed back at Rap Monster without looking away.  “Suga!  I demand to take his place this time,” V exclaimed enthusiastically as he held his ground beside J-Hope.

            “By all means,” Suga laughed, wandering over to snag Rap Monster’s wrist so he could drag him to the sidelines again.  “You watch,” he instructed, lingering close with his arms over his chest.  Muttering under his breath, Rap Monster did as instructed.  As the two pairs played, Suga kept up a running commentary to explain why they worked, or didn’t, and pointed out explicitly what V was doing that worked so very well.

            “I’ve been trying to do that,” Rap Monster exhaled while his shoulders slumped and he was startled when Suga rounded on him.

            “You know it here,” the shorter male pointed out, jabbing Rap Monster in the chest.  “You don’t listen to it here.”  He tapped his head, making Rap Monster flinch away.  “It’s basic!  Every team is only as strong as their weakest link.”

            “I’m not a weak player,” Rap Monster reminded him defensively.

            “No.  You’re a damn strong one,” Suga conceded, finger in his face.  “But you’re a lousy team player and that is what we need.”

            When Suga walked away, Rap Monster clapped both hands over his face and groaned quietly to himself.  “What am I doing here…?”

            “Experiencing severe growing pains,” Jin explained as he rested an arm on Rap Monster’s shoulder while he watched the pairs competing.

            “You again…”

            “He wants you to do well, you know,” Jin commented with a sidelong look.  “But you’re really good at sabotaging yourself,” he added with a pitying expression.  He yelped when Rap Monster shoved him away and refused to look his direction.

            That wasn’t to say that he didn’t look after Suga, whose disappointment hurt.  Why it hurt, he wasn’t entirely sure, but it was yet another thing Rap Monster didn’t care for.  His nails dug into the palm of his hand and Rap Monster clenched his jaw with determination.  He was better than this.  Dammit!  He would be better than this.

            Practice that day didn’t do so well, but Rap Monster applied himself with single minded intensity to his task in the following week.  Under Suga – and V’s – strict observation, he finally managed to get a better handle on what he needed to be doing.  As he had to find out on his own, because no, Suga wouldn’t tell him, he couldn’t do the offense all by himself.  Especially not with J-Hope.  Working with the other male wasn’t about his strengths as much as it was about compensating for J-Hope’s weaknesses, which were many, to be fair.  And that was probably why he had such a damnably hard time adapting.

            It wasn’t until they were both able to manage at least one point in the mark zone that Suga relented enough for them to switch up.  Regardless, the occurrence left them befuddled by the situation.  Apparently, so were Jungkook and V, who were the current opponents for the day.

            “Did they-” V started to say, flapping gently in the air while he pointed at J-Hope, not Rap Monster, in the mark zone.

            “They did,” Jungkook nodded in concession, laughing to himself in the next moment.

            “I’ll be damned,” Suga grinned, jogging over from his practice with Jin and Jimin.

            “He did it,” J-Hope pointed as he dropped the ball, just barely missing his foot.  A tired and winded Rap Monster looked around before he hesitantly nodded in agreement.

            “That he did,” Suga laughed while he clapped his hands.  “And just in time for out next match,” he added with a wink.

            “Huh?” Rap Monster exhaled in dumbfounded acknowledgement.

            “Next week.  We’ve got a match against the Infinites,” he winked slyly, more than pleased with himself.  “Which means we’ve got five days to get you ready to play with the rest of us without losing your again,” Suga snorted, making Rap Monster roll his eyes.

            “It was just one time,” he groaned piteously.

            “Which means you’re likely to do it again,” Suga reminded with no remorse.

            “Can I at least have a new partner?” Rap Monster asked in a defeated tone.

            “Yeah.  Actually, you can have two,” Suga winked, waving Jin and Jungkook over.  “Three on three matches!” he cheered enthusiastically.  “Don’t worry, J-Hope.  I’ll jump in soon,” he promised with his arms over his chest.

            “Yes!” the other male grinned excitedly, more than ready for a break.

            Over the next five days, Rap Monster was pushed hard, by all of them, but Suga was always riding his .  Worse still, he wasn’t given much chance to compete against the other male so while they were often butting heads, and very rarely on the same team, he didn’t get many opportunities to best him either.  That was something Rap Monster didn’t find entirely fair at all.  But it didn’t matter when the match with the Infinites rolled around anyway.

            “Okay!  You guys already know they’ve got a setup like us and are going to be tough to beat too,” Suga nodded seriously, his hand on the bottom of all of theirs while they gathered around for the pep talk.  “But we can do this!” he cheered, pulling agreeing cries from his teammates.

            “Piece of cake,” Jin laughed, especially when Suga gave him a wry look.

            “Who’s on the field first?” Rap Monster asked with a glance at the terrain: icy mountains like he’d first seen them practicing on.  Spectators for this event had to watch from afar, either on a different peak or from the training center itself.  He had yet to figure out just how the creators were able to fit entire, massive scenarios in a confined space but he didn’t argue.

            “J-Hope and Jungkook will sit out first,” Suga called, laughing when the latter pouted at him.  “Don’t worry, Jungkookie,” he reached out to ruffle the younger male’s hair.  “You’ll get your chance.”  He turned to look at the rest of the group.  “Jin, Jimin, and V.  You all know what to do.”

            “Of course!” V made a strange face, some cross between annoyance and excitement, which looked utterly weird, which was not uncommon, as Rap Monster had been finding out more and more.

            “What about me?” Rap Monster had to ask, noticing he’d been skipped.

            “You’re working on defense today,” Suga eyed him.

            “But that’s all I’ve been working on at practice,” Rap Monster grumbled with a flat expression.

            “Exactly.”  There were no words to accompany that response so Rap Monster simply remained quiet and waved his hand in acceptance while his teammates tried not to laugh.  “Ready?  On three: one, two-”

            “Bulletproof Boyscouts!” they cheered enthusiastically before they started to break up and head for their positions.

            “I still think we need to change that name,” Rap Monster sighed to himself while he shadowed Suga initially.

            As usual, the flyers vied for the ball first with Myungsoo muscling V out of the way, only to be overtaken as soon as he got his hands on the target.  They scuffled briefly in the air and V had to use both feet to pry himself away with the ball so he could toss it back to his team, allowing the match to begin in earnest.

            As Rap Monster recalled, none of them were descended from gods so they were somewhat more predictable in nature, though it was no easy competition all the same, just as Suga predicted.  On more than one occasion, he found himself flying backwards from some combined attack that left him reeling, only to be picked up by one of his teammates so they could regroup.  By the end of the second round, where both sides had a point, Jungkook traded in for Jin and J-Hope continued to be moral support, cheering loudly on the sidelines.

            They picked up speed and momentum, taking the lead for the second point but lost it soon after when Hoya, who Rap Monster was convinced was related to Hercules, actually threw the ball across the playing field, nearly taking V out in the process, but Dongwoo, who was some sort of dragon descendant, caught it.  Mind you, he nearly fell off the other side of the mountain when he did, but they got the point.

            Suga called J-Hope in to give V a break, letting the flyer recover from the close call.  With four strong players, it was difficult to reclaim the ball, but as soon as they did, Suga announced, “Battering ram formation!” to which everyone regrouped around him immediately while Rap Monster’s eyes went wide.  “Stay on my tail and don’t break until you have to,” Suga pointed at him intently.

            “Yes!” Jungkook grinned, turning golden while Jimin transformed into his monstrous form and J-Hope rode on his back, clutching the ball and his box tightly.  Suga looped crystalline cords around Jungkook’s arms while he held onto Jimin and positioned himself like the mast of a ship.

            “Go!” Suga cried, skiing behind them when the trio started sliding down the mountain slope, gathering more speed as they did so.  Rap Monster was hard pressed to keep up, but he did with a series of bounding leaps after them, holding his breath as he watched to see how things would play out.

            And there was Hoya with Dongwoo at the bottom: the powerhouses of the group.  On the sides, he could see Sunggyu and Sungyeol preparing attacks with projectiles, and in the air, Woohyun waited this time, Pegasus wings detailing his lineage.  Jungkook yelled with his fist jutted forward and they connected with a burst of energy that sent snow flying everywhere.  J-Hope careened over their heads at the sudden stop and Suga launched himself after, taking the ball so he could continue towards the mark zone.

            Taking a deep breath, Rap Monster took on his monstrous guise and leaped after, arms spread wide to glide under Suga while he provided cover from the attacks below.  He was able to see Jimin toss Jungkook up to catch the falling J-Hope, both crashing into the mountain side hard enough to leave a crater.  And then he was pelted by giant snowballs that nearly sent him out of the sky while Suga had to contend with the flyer above.

            “Rapmon!” the other male cried in warning, giving him enough head’s up to see the ball falling towards him.  “Go!” Suga cheered, still tangling with Woohyun, hanging onto the other male so he didn’t fall.

            Rap Monster twisted in the air to catch the target against his body, immediately losing altitude for it.  Holding onto it with one hand, he angled towards the mark zone, diving headfirst as he folded his arms to go faster, shrinking at the same time.  He’d long since been convinced it was easier to get the point in his normal size.  Amidst other projectiles that whizzed by him at frightening speeds, Rap Monster slammed into the mark zone, burying the ball several feet in the mountain before he went flying off the other side from too much momentum.  “!” he flailed, going into a freefall.

            He nearly had the breath knocked out of him when cords snagged him from behind, yanking him to a brutal stop.  “Gotcha!” Suga yelled triumphantly, sagging in Woohyun’s grasp as the flyer held him aloft long enough to perform the maneuver.

            “I had it,” Rap Monster rasped while he held onto the cords as he got close enough to touch the ground again.

            “Sure you did,” Suga laughed, grinning like an idiot.  “Good job!”  He looked over his shoulder and nodded, “Thanks Woohyun.”

            “No problem,” the flyer chuckled, setting him down to rejoin his own team.

            “Why don’t you switch out with Jin?” Suga nodded towards the sidelines.  “He’s probably ready to join in.  J-Hope can trade with V.”

            “Yes sir,” Rap Monster nodded in dazed and exhilarated agreement.  He was a little bit shaky after that last play, never mind how successful it had been.

            “Good job!” V surprised him by giving him a high five as they passed each other.

            “Sure,” he responded by rote, looking after the flyer in confusion.

            “You’re going to be bruised all to Tartarus,” J-Hope laughed with a glance at Rap Monster who was limping just a bit from the aftereffects.

            “You’re one to talk,” he snorted with a roll of his eyes.  “Pay attention to the game.  We’ve got a match to win,” Rap Monster reminded him, standing close and awkwardly rubbing J-Hope’s back when he saw the other male shivering from the cold.  Being buried in snow would do that to you.

            The next three points resulted in the groups maintaining an even tie with Rap Monster switching out frequently, though by the final match, he found himself in the current team with an adrenaline rush so high he thought he might pass out.  Jin and J-Hope were on the sidelines and it was them against the Infinite’s aces, plus the wild card that was Sungjong.

            “Ah ,” Suga grumbled with a frown at the slender male.  “Phoenix descendant.  They must be getting antsy if they’re calling him in,” he explained to Rap Monster with a glance towards Jin who was chewing his lip nervously.

            “Why?”

            “He’s not a strong player but he’s a terribly effective defense against most attacks,” Suga muttered, waving Jin in and sending Jimin out.  “Come.  Let’s do this!” he cried, pumping his fist in the air.

            Antsy as ever, Rap Monster joined in the fray, ready to do his part.  They had the ball and Woohyun was carrying Sungjong who had yet to show his true colors.  Hoya, Dongwoo, and Sungyeol dominated the ground, in full defensive mode.  The round started and everything became a blur to Rap Monster.  His breath came out in huge, misty bursts and the coldness stung the back of his throat while he tried to keep up in a constant back and forth volley of losing and regaining the ball.

            Jin stuck to Suga like a barnacle and V maintained a harrying position up top, trying to keep Woohyun and Sungjong away from the mark zone.  He was having troubles of his own though since the latter could send little waves of flame after him, the sight of which was difficult to ignore for even the most hardened player.  Rap Monster kept finding himself pairing off with Hoya, frustrated by the strength the other player could call upon.  Jungkook was having just as hard a time with Dongwoo, while Suga and Jin played with Sungyeol, offering assistance to the others when they could.

            Eventually, the tide changed and with a concentrated effort, Suga’s team pushed towards the mark zone with a minimal lead.  “Sleigh ride!” Suga announced and Rap Monster grinned, shifting to his monstrous form so the former could loop a cord around his neck, allowing him to ride behind at much faster speeds than he could run alone.  Jungkook and Jin teamed up to distract their pursuit, leaving V in the air to harry Woohyun and Sungjong unsuccessfully.

            “Incoming!” he cried in warning, flinching away from another few waves of fire that Sungjong flicked at him.  He was already singed from where he hadn’t been fast enough several times, but still trying.

            Rap Monster saw the pair floating into position above him and then tilted his head in surprise as Sungjong grew wings of flame which he flapped down the mountain.  A roaring stream of fire gouged the mountain side, heading for Rap Monster so that he had to turn, bearing the brunt of the attack against his more impervious back.

            “Yah!” Suga yelped, the cord disappearing in the flame so that he started tumbling down the mountain.

            “Suga!” Rap Monster cried, freaking out in the next instant when a rain of slushy snow and water smacked him from behind.  Water was bad.  Very bad.  Reactively, he clawed the mountain and threw himself down after Suga, arms outstretched to catch the much smaller figure within the protective embrace of his gliding wings.  “Hold on!” he called out, balling up as much as possible while he bounced down the hill, crashing into the bottom at an awkward angle that nearly made him open up on impact.

            Suga’s scream and the immediate feel of freezing water against his skin made him convulse even harder.  And then he had to fight against the weight of more snow and crap that kept falling after the initial wave.  With his head buried under his arms and tail wrapped around him securely, he spied Suga curled up against his chest, arms covering his head defensively and the ball wedged between one of Rap Monster’s wing flaps and side.  That felt weird.

            “You alright?” he whispered, leaning forward just enough to nudge Suga’s arms with his nose.

            Very slowly, the other male uncurled and looked up at Rap Monster’s massive maw.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I think so,” he nodded in a small voice.  “Well that didn’t go as planned,” he forced a laugh, edging away from the small trickle of water that was beginning to wind its way in as it melted and found a path through Rap Monster’s defenses.

            “No, but I’ve got your back,” he smiled, blowing warm air on Suga’s face when he laughed once.  It was strange that he only felt glad for that when he thought he might have felt superior for saving Suga from his weakness.  He didn’t though.  Not even a little bit.

            “And boy am I glad you do,” Suga responded, exhaling in relief as he laid out against the warmth of Rap Monster’s chest and patted the smooth surface with his hand.

            “Let’s see if I can’t do something to get us out of this mess,” Rap Monster murmured, shifting against the heavy mass of weight pressing against him.

            “Careful,” Suga warned, concerned when more slush came in.

            “I am,” he retorted, wrapping his arms tighter around himself so he could pull his head out, ramming it through the slushy snow.  He broke the surface and sent someone flying when he did so.

            “You’re okay!” Jungkook and Jimin yelled at the same time, slogging through the cold mush with open arms to attack his head with awkward hugs.

            “Suga?” Jin asked as J-Hope and V waited with bated breath, along with the rest of the Infinites.  It looked like Hoya was the one he’d thrown but it was because he was trying to dig them out by the looks of the makeshift shovel, part of the remains of a boulder.  Not that it did much with all the slush resettling back into place with each scoop.

            “He’s fine,” Rap Monster nodded.  “Got him tucked away under my wings,” he shrugged, shifting the snow.

            “Yes!” they all cheered exuberantly.

            “Hey flamer!” he snapped, eyeing a tearful and almost panicking Sungjong who jumped at being addressed.  “Don’t do that again,” he huffed, shaking the slushy snow off his head with a quick jerk.  With tears starting to trail down his cheeks, Sungjong nodded while Myungsoo, whose digging ability was pretty much that of an ordinary human, comforted him.  A cold chill made Rap Monster shiver and the whole mound he was under moved.  “Now if you don’t mind, could you guys get us out of here?  It’s freezing!”  Literally.

            While it took a lot of doing, which required Rap Monster to simply sit still and wait so he didn’t get Suga wet, eventually they were both hauled out of the slush and Suga was flown to safety by a very protective V.  Shivering madly, Rap Monster reverted to his human guise and was immediately given a blanket.  And then another when that one was soaked through in seconds.

            The ball was retrieved but both teams agreed to leave it as a tie and go from there.  They’d had enough excitement for one day.  Approval was heard unanimously from the crowds who cheered loud enough for them to hear it all the way to the locker rooms.  Sunny came in to heat the room like a hot rock, turning her back so they could at least have that bit of privacy while still being close to the heat source.

            Wet clothes were sloughed off and replaced by dry ones and blankets, revealing a mild case of burns on Rap Monster’s back but little else for the efforts of their game.  “I can’t even feel it,” he laughed through chattering teeth.  Jimin and Jungkook were on either side of him, trying to rub warmth into his body, while Jin and V did the same thing for Suga.  J-Hope kept Sunny distracted so she wouldn’t feel completely awkward in their company, though it was clear the young man had no idea what to say, and he had to keep stepping back just a bit as the heat became too much for him.

            “Thank you,” Suga nodded at Rap Monster when they’d both heated up enough to talk normally again.

            “Of course,” he shrugged, glancing to either side as his aides continued to help him.  “Besides.  That’s what teammates are for.”

            Suga laughed and shook his head with a wry glance at Jin and V.  They nodded in agreement and he added, “After what you did, I’d say that at least makes us friends.”

            “Yeah?” Rap Monster smiled tentatively as a warm sensation spread from the inside out.

            “Yeah,” Suga murmured, reaching his hand out to shake, which Rap Monster did gladly.

            “Aw yeah!” Jimin and Jungkook beamed, attacking him with excited hugs.

(a/n: Yes!  A SugaMon moment.  ^_^  hehe  That was fun to write.  Woot!  And I think I should be able to wrap this up in two chapters - by the deadline with any luck.  If I'm right.  We shall see.  Hopefully that'll be the case and I'll have time enough to manage it.  I'm trying guys!)