*Shout out to divergent_spn61 for her help with this chapter.

****

February 19, 2017

We lost to the Stars in OT, but that's okay cause honestly there's no team that I'd rather lose to than Dallas. And you better believe, Lightning fans, if we'd lost to the Colorado Avalanche, I'd be smacking Jonathan Drouin across the face.

JO'S HANDS ARE SO SLICK! I'm so jealous!

(That's right, you heard it from the blond's mouth, he's jealous of me!)

Don't get your hopes up Jo, you still couldn't beat me in a pretty boy battle even if you had a less gay hairstyle.

(Vladdy's jealous guys.)

Oh, go make love to Nathan MacKinnon and get out of my writing space! AHlksdjfajidfaopjf -- Dammit Jo!

Sorry about that guys, he tried to take my computer away from me on the plane here as we are now heading toward the City of No Air Denver, Colorado. Oh, who's singing horribly off key? Why it's Brian Boyle.

Kuchy Kuchy Goo! I love cookies! - Nikita Kucherov

Go away Kuch! Here's a cookie. Now shoo.

No, Sustr, I didn't say "Shu"! Sit back down! No one called your name.

As much as I love this team, they kinda drive me insane to some extent. I look over at Yzerchuk (yes, I brought it with me, can't trust how high Denver is after all), and I see the circus top roof of Denver International Airport. I know as soon as most of us step off this plane, we're going to be winded.

However, the lack of oxygen in the 'Mile High City' isn't what's lingering on my mind. Those damn blackouts are, and I don't know what causes them! Maybe it's a hex, a sign from Gretzky, Cally and Killer trying to prank me, Gally, Vessey, I JUST DON'T KNOW!!

"Please turn off all electronics until we descend into Denver International Airport, and we would like to welcome you to Denver, Colorado as we land."

Welp, guess it's time to go. For now.

****

Riding on the bus out of the circus arena with a whale tail on it, I gaze at Yzerchuk and the mountains it sits behind. The sun shines down, and makes what remaining snow glisten on their peaks.

And I swear, if ANYONE mocks me for writing somewhat decently here...well, they don't want to be there in the first place!

Anyway, I look at the team as we approach the outskirts of Denver, and they are joking and laughing as if nothing had happened. Stammer even cracks a small smile at Pally and Kuch as Kuch, well does what he does best: drive Pally insane.

You have no idea what's coming kid.

I blurt out, "Who's there? Show yourself?"

The team falls silent, and it was so quiet you could hear Kuch munch on his cookie handed to him by Pally, so he'd stop being annoying.

"Vladdy, are you losing your mind?" Killer asks me.

I quickly shake my head as we pull up to the hotel. I am NOT CRAZY! I swear, the voice just said I have no idea....wait, no idea of what's to come. Who was that weird voice though?

"Vladdy lay off the cheese, man," Cally remarks with a chuckle. "Causing you to go a little Koekkoek."

I walk into the hotel and see my teammates standing in the lobby, shock written on their faces. I look at them and shake my head, assuming that they are gawking at Cally's latest pie victim.

I couldn't have been more off, instead, I see Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog giving my team the look of death. They seem pretty angry for some reason at MY team, who literally had just arrived in Denver. Also, Nathan's glaring at Jo, which is odd. Knowing those two are such good friends.

I look at the two Avalanche players and roll my eyes. "Can I help you?"

Nathan comes up and points his finger at me. "Did you take LK?" He then turns back to Jo. "Or did you take it?"

Jo looks at Nathan confused and runs a hand through his poofy brunette hair. "What's 'LK'?"

Gabriel replies, "We literally just earned the Bronco back from the Hockey Gods, and someone has the nerve to steal it!" The Captain of the Avalanche then comes up to me. "Did you steal our Bronco?"

What the hell? "No. I wouldn't want to mess with any other team's weapon. I have Tampa's right here, so why would I want to steal another team's power weapon?" How many damn times to I have to explain this to other teams? I don't cheat or steal. To prove this to the Colorado players, I held up Yzerchuk. "In fact, I've been trying to avoid anyone taking Yzerchuk. So, check your facts Av."

Gabriel sighs. "Well, then who took it? Did we anger the Hockey Gods again?"

"I don't think so. Trust me, you would know if you make them mad."

Nathan sighs to himself. "Guess we'll never find LK then."

"Who is LK?" I ask.

"Landeskinnon, our bronco we take care of. He used to be known as Sakicroy, but then there was...you know...the great fight of 2016. But we were able to get him back and we've renamed him to Landeskinnon, after Gabe and I. We only use it in case of a Red Wings invasion. Our main rival, you know. I don't know what we would do without him," Nathan explains.

"Need my help? I'm all for helping out another team." I flash them both a kind smirky grin. "Trust me."

Killer snorts from nearby, "Trust Vladdy Namestnikov. Sure."

I flip him off and then flash him a smirky grin and a wink.

"STAMMER! VLADDY FLIPPED ME OFF!!" Killer shouts out.

"Killer, I'm right here, I saw, also grow a pair," Stammer says.

Gabriel and Nathan look at me and start to slowly smile. Then they nod their heads. "Sure!" they say in unison.

"Yeah, that would be awesome! And we could show you what Denver truly is li-" Nathan begins to say, before the two Avs glance at the television set in the lobby as a breaking news alert comes racing across the screen.

'HORSE RUNNING RAMPANT ON 16TH STREET MALL! DOG RIDER HAS NO IDEA TO CONTROL BUCKING BRONCO! EVACUATE AREA IMMEDIATELY!'

"That's LK, and Bernie is riding him! We've got to stop them before they cause any more damage to Denver!" Nathan shouts out.

"OHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO!!" TJ's panicked voice shouts out.

"Brayden would like to help out as well! Brayden will get to know more of the NHL," Brayden says with a massive smile on his face.

As Brayden, Jo, Killer, Stammer and a few others dart toward the door with the two Avalanche players, I stand there, holding Yzerchuk in my hands with my head cocked to the side and an eyebrow raised up, thinking, Bernie? Oh, right the weird dog mascot...

"Vladdy, come on!! You can't stay here alone!" Jo calls out.

"Ha-ha says the one who got captured by--" I receive a firm smack to the head from Boyle.

"Not the time, blondie," Boyle remarks.

Nathan, Gabriel, Jo, Brayden, Stammer, Killer, Boyle and I rush out of the hotel, and we happen to be - by lucky coincidence - only a block away from where the scene is developing with their 'weapon'. TJ and Pally remain behind with Kuch, cause it's too dangerous for the Baby Russian (but not the lead singers of the Lightning Bolts or the DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, me!!).

We skid to a halt outside and I am holding Yzerchuk in my hands, just in case we need another way to stop Landeskinnion (and, you know, cause I can't leave him alone with Vesey, Gallagher, Shaw, Brad Marchand, DeAngelo, Sidney Crosby and Bettman running around trying to steal him from me).

At once, the horse gallops right by me with their mascot - Bernie - riding it.

"Oh, Bernie..." Nathan shakes his head.

"So problem solved?" I question, clasping my hands together. "Looks like we're good here?!" I turn and start to walk back in when Gabriel grabs me by the collar of my shirt, halting me in place.

"Not so fast Yzerchuk Boy, somehow we gotta stop that horse!" the captain of the Avalanche remarks.

Crap.

Nathan and Jo share a look, while I look down the road to where the horse and mascot are terrorizing the city. I sigh and flick Yzerchuk out, muttering, "In Yzerchuk we trust!" My hockey stick morphs into the Lightning Bolt and I take aim at the horse. "I'll stop them! Yzerchuk--" I begin.

"NO! Don't hurt Landeskinnon!" Nathan shouts out, jumping at me and tackling me.

I crash to the ground as Yzerchuk shoots electricity into the air. (Let me pause and explain something here, Bolts fans, no longer does Yzerchuk require the spark of the offense to work...that's all through me and my electrokinesis powers. All it takes is a focus and drive to use them at their fullest power. While the offense does still allow Yzerchuk to spark and be alive in a game, it's mainly through me!)

Nathan pins me to the ground as the lightning strikes the air and spooks the horse, causing him to toss Bernie from it's back and whinny loudly.

"Nate, look out!" Gabriel's cry rings out.

Nathan and I look to see the horse galloping in anger right toward us. I push Nathan off of me and begin to scramble to my feet, when I realize neither of us will have enough time to flee. Jo darts out and gets in the horse's path.

"NO, JO!" Nathan and I scream out.

Jo braces for the impact of the horse to slam into him, but Landeskinnon skids on the gravel street and comes to a halt a foot before Jo. At once, I resume getting to my feet as well as Nathan and dash over to him. The horse snorts at me and I whack it on the head with Yzerchuk (who's, you know the drill, a hockey stick once more).

"Bad Bronco!" I snap.

Landeskinnon snorts at me again and shakes its head. Brayden, Stammer, Boyle, Killer and the rest of the team is standing in shock before the hotel's doors. Nathan and Gabriel slowly come forward as does a dizzy Bernie.

Jo snatches Yzerchuk from me and frowns. "Stop Vladdy, Landeskinnon didn't know any better. He's harmless!" He then reaches out to pet Landeskinnon's head, where a white star-shaped mark is. "See?"

Nathan smiles and joins Jo with Gabriel. I take my hockey stick back and glare at the horse. But I eventually deflate and join in the petting session. Well, until Landeskinnon decides to be a smart ass (get it?) and steal Yzerchuk from my grasp with his teeth.

He starts to trot off with it and I go into chase mode and literally throw myself at the horse, hugging him around the neck and snapping, "DROP IT! DROP YZERCHUK! NATHAN, TELL YOUR STUPID HORSE TO LET YZERCHUK GO!" And before I know it, I'm on the back of the brown bronco, clutching tightly to the horse, who trots around the road with Yzerchuk in his mouth.

They don't have bronco horses in Detroit or Russia, people!

Everyone laughs at us as I attempt to steal my hockey stick back. This is all a big game by the dang magical horse of the Colorado Avalanche...not cool. I don't like horses now, Bolts fans. (Just kidding, I was just heated in the moment. Don't take my Yzerchuk!) And that is how I met the Avalanche's 'Yzerchuk'.