Thank you keiman and kei and daisygirl101 for beta reading and helping me improve!

I do not own Chicken Little. Chicken Little is owned by Disney. I only lay claim to Chauncey Cheetah.

Chapter 15

Almost the entire playoffs were a breeze for Chauncey, Ryan, and the Acorns. They dominated every game and breezed their way to the championship game.

Unfortunately, their hopes of redemption from last year took a devastating blow. In the final minute of the semifinal game, Ryan Rabbit tweaked his right ankle, and was subsequently ruled out for the championship game. To add insult to injury, the Acorns realized they would be playing the Spud Valley Taters.

Chauncey Cheetah realized that although he had always been playing with a heavy workload, his workload got much heavier without his trusty sidekick by his side.

To celebrate the Acorns reaching the championship game, the cheerleaders decorated every hallway in the school. Everywhere there would be the school colors, red and white.

As he and Chicken Little's friends made their way to Oakey Oaks Middle School's gymnasium, they were talking about the game. Since the Acorns had homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, the championship game was to be played at the Acorns' home court; they owned the tiebreaker with the Taters due to a larger margin of victory over the course of the season.

"You ready for tonight, Chauncey?" Chicken Little asked.

"Locked in and ready as I'll ever be," the cheetah replied, determination on his face.

"It's sad you'll have to do this without Ryan Rabbit," Abby pointed out.

"It really pains me Ryan got hurt. Believe me, without him, the team is not the same. Unfortunately for us, Spud Valley will not show us any sympathy whatsoever for losing one of our best players. Our archrivals are going to try to take advantage of his absence, so we'll have to be ready to adjust our game without him," Chauncey stated, with a disappointed look on his face.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Fish tried to say, "Aren't you guys forgetting something?"

"Oh yeah. We are forgetting something. Thank you for pointing that out Fish," Chicken Little said.

Fish smiled and nodded.

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"Did you guys forget something at home? If you did, I could run back and get it since we have time…." Chauncey started before Chicken Little cut him off politely.

"Oh no. We did not forget anything. What he remined us of was to talk to you about Foxy Loxy," the chicken replied.

"Oh okay. What about her? Just so you know, I have come to accept not everyone will like you. I'd rather be popular and humble than be popular and mean," Chauncey said.

"That's very nice of you to say Chauncey. However, what Chicken Little is trying to say is maybe you should try to do something nice for her. Maybe that will make her stop being mean to you," Abby explained.

Chauncey's eyes widened in shock and surprise. "You remember what she did to me in physical education? How can I make her stop being mean to you if she is not only mean to me, but you guys as well?"

"He's got a point guys. Maybe we should just let Foxy bully us instead of trying to make amends with her," Runt suggested.

"Runt!" Abby groaned in annoyance.

"Sorry!" the pig stated, ashamed.

"It's okay Runt. You do not have to be sorry for anything. I suppose you do have a point with how mean she has been to you guys. Know this though; my parents once told me it is never too late to do anything right. Maybe doing something right will convince Foxy otherwise," Chauncey explained.

Everyone contemplated about this.

"Well, I suppose you could give it a shot Chauncey. Not sure what will happen, but I hope for only the best," Runt said.

"I appreciate that, Runt. After the game, maybe I will take her to get some ice cream, hot chocolate, or something," Chauncey suggested.

"That's a good idea Chauncey," Chicken Little complimented.

"Thanks man," the cheetah smiled.

"Anytime bro," the chicken beamed back.

Soon they were at the gymnasium. Due to the sold-out crowds for every game this year for the Acorns, they had to get there a few hours before each game to sit up front and support the team.

Buck Cluck was not there yet, but he assured his son and his friends he would be there after he got off work.

Sure enough, he arrived just ten minutes after his son and his friends.

As he approached the group, they all smiled and greeted him, "Hey Mr. Cluck!"

Buck Cluck smiled, "Afternoon kids."

Chicken Little smiled, "Hey Dad."

The rooster smiled as he gently patted his son on the head. "Hey there son. How was your day?"

"It was pretty good. Got an A on an exam in Mutton. How was work Dad?" Chicken Little said.

"Glad to hear you did well son! My day was great," Buck smiled.

"That's good," the chicken nodded with a smile.

As they talked, more people were showing up in the gymnasium. Coaches, referees, the scorekeepers, and the Dog Announcer were some of the first people other than Chicken Little, his father, and his friends to show up. The Dog Announcer smiled at the group, and briefly chatted with them before making his way to where he would announce the game. Other players for the team, as well as the players for the Spud Valley Taters, began to make their way towards their respective sides of the gym upon entering. Soon, other residents of Oakey Oaks arrived, including mayor Turkey Lurkey.

As the clock on the scoreboard ticked down, everyone was just chatting, finding their seats, and grabbing snacks and drinks from the concession stand.

When the clock ticked down to one hour remaining until tip-off, Chauncey knew it was time to head to the locker room.

"Well guys. Tip-off is in an hour. It's time for me to head to the locker room," Chauncey said.

"Good luck Chauncey. Remember, just stay calm, focus, and play your game," Buck stated, giving him a thumbs up and a wink.

"Thank you, Mr. Cluck. We will win tonight. I promise," Chauncey stated as he waved to friends who were waving him good luck and made his way to the locker room.