The morning after the party, Darcy wakes hungover and distracted by thoughts of kissing Professor Orion. She retrieves the bag of Griffin feces hidden in her closet and meets Geraldine at the Pitball Stadium. Tory joins them, and Geraldine uses her key to let them into the team locker room where new uniforms await the day’s match against Starlight Academy.

Wearing latex gloves, Darcy and Tory rub Griffin feces all over the inside of Max’s uniform. Geraldine contributes by rubbing glitter into Caleb’s shorts. They carefully clean up and leave the stadium undetected.

At The Orb, their Atlases ping with a notification about an article in The Celestial Times. Written by Gustav Vulpecula, the piece slanders the twins, portraying Tory as a sex addict and Darcy as mentally unstable and delusional. The article includes a quote from Max urging them to rescind their claim to the throne for the good of the kingdom. Geraldine storms off to ask her father to retract it. Despite their anger, Darcy and Tory resolve to ignore the lies, looking forward to Max’s public humiliation during the match.

Tory sneaks back into Ignis House at dawn and slides an envelope under Milton Hubert’s door. It contains 1 of Darius’s stolen rings and a fake love note from a secret admirer, enchanted by Sofia to burn after two minutes.

In the common room, Darius needles Tory about the sex addiction rumor and her encounter with Caleb. She fires back confidently, clearly annoying him. Marguerite attempts to attract Darius’s attention, fails, and insults Tory. Darius dismisses her, sending her away in tears. Tory settles in to watch the trap spring.

Milton enters wearing the planted ring and a flashy watch. Darius confronts him, his voice low and threatening, demanding to know where he got it. Darius explains that the ring was stolen the night his room burned down. Milton panics, stating someone sent the ring anonymously, and tosses the ring and his watch at Darius’s feet. Darius searches Milton’s room. A crash and Dragon’s roar echo from upstairs. Darius returns and hurls stolen gold coins at Milton, then attacks him with magic, slamming him into a wall with fire, freezing him with ice, and kicking him. Darius publicly shuns Milton, declaring him a traitor and ordering the entire House to treat him as if he does not exist. The crowd immediately complies.

Tory feels both guilt and satisfaction at seeing Darius’s inner circle fracture. From a window, she watches Darius in Dragon form fly away, breathing a massive fireball into the sky.

Darcy, Tory, Diego, and Sofia head to the Pitball stadium for the match against Starlight Academy. Other students taunt them about the slanderous article. Principal Nova intercepts them and insists they sit in reserved Pitside seats near the Celestial Councillors, including Lionel and the other Heirs’ parents. Sofia explains the protective force field around the pitch and begins teaching Darcy the complex rules of Pitball.

The cheerleading squads, led by Marguerite for Zodiac, perform dazzling routines with fire and air magic. Coach Orion leads the Zodiac team onto the field. The roster includes the four Heirs, Damian Evergile (filling in for Milton), Ashanti Larue, Justin Masters, Badgerville, Geraldine, and Jones. Professor Prestos acts as referee.

The match begins violently with Darius punching Starlight’s captain, Quentin. A chaotic brawl breaks out as the teams fight to gain control of the ball. Seth’s opponent is ruled out of the game, resulting in a penalty for the Starlight team. Max’s skin begins turning purple and blotchy from the Griffin feces, and he yells that it is burning. Darcy and Tory laugh. The first round ends 0-0 after Starlight’s 1-point goal is negated by a penalty.

Sofia explains the next phase: elemental balls are randomly fired onto the pitch and must be scored within five minutes or they explode. The tension mounts as the game’s brutal, magical nature becomes clear.

The second round begins with an Airball. Max’s uniform suddenly burns him, the sensation concentrated in his groin. He douses himself with water magic for temporary relief but slips in the puddle he creates. The Starlight Waterback tackles him. As the burning erupts again, the Waterback pins Max down, leaving him unable to concentrate on his magic. The referee calls him out, forcing him to the bench.

Orion confronts Max furiously. Max shows him the purple welts covering his body, and Orion identifies the cause as Griffin feces. He explains that healing magic will not work and only a special potion from the infirmary can cure it. Max refuses to leave because his father is watching. Orion gives him an ultimatum: play through the pain or be subbed out. Max chooses to stay.

An inflatable Pegasus sex toy with Caleb’s name floats over the crowd, distracting him. Caleb fumbles a pass, the ball drops, and Zodiac loses 5 points. Although Seth manages to score immediately afterwards, the team remains down by 4 points. Max returns to the pitch, determined to push through the agony for the rest of the match.

Tory revels in watching the Heirs fall apart and the Celestial Councillors’ mounting humiliation. Professor Washer urgently approaches Principal Nova, claiming his cards showed him a vision of terror, fire, and death at the stadium. Nova dismisses him, citing his history of false predictions. As Washer retreats through the crowd, he silently warns Tory and Darcy to run. The twins discuss the warning but remain skeptical, noting Nova’s lack of concern.

Back on the pitch, Darius tackles a Starlight player named Olef so violently he breaks the player’s back. Medical staff carry him off. Geraldine makes an excellent defensive play that forces Starlight to drop the ball, costing the opposing team 5 points. Tory cheers for her friend.

The timer counts down as Seth races toward the Pit with the ball. The crowd chants the final seconds. Seth propels himself into the air, but opposing air Elementals counter his magic. Time runs out, and the ball explodes in his arms, knocking him from the sky. He crashes to the ground but recovers as Darius helps him up. Despite the chaos and violence, Tory admits to Darcy that she loves the brutal, magical game.

At halftime, Orion rages at the team in the locker room. They are losing to the inferior Starlight Academy, and the Heirs are falling apart. He singles out Geraldine as the only player performing well, then confronts each Heir individually.

He tells Caleb to ignore the crowd’s taunts about the Pegasus rumor. He examines Max’s worsening purple rash and offers to sub him out, but Max insists on playing. Orion warns him to improve or suffer consequences. He is particularly rough with Seth. Seth has a breakdown over his flea infestation and being shunned by his pack, begging Orion for help. Orion tells him the flea dip is scheduled for next week and orders him to endure until then. Seth agrees to play better.

Orion speaks more gently with Darius, who admits he is distracted by Milton’s betrayal. Orion promises to help Darius get revenge after the match but insists his friends need him focused now. The team attempts to rally, chanting their motto without conviction, jumping and pumping their fists as energy builds.

As Orion watches them, he reflects that the motto feels like the biggest lie he has ever heard—he has never seen the Celestial Heirs look so rattled.