Here's the kickoff.
The winner of today's game will move on to
the state championship one week from today.
Come on, let's go. Get in there.
- Play your game, buddy. - Come on, let's go.
Good hustle, fellas.
A victory today will send the Crows to the state championship.
Remember to stop by the Talon tonight after the game.
So, are you the guy?
I guess that depends on what you're looking for.
Mikhail Mxyzl...
Mxyzptlk.
Let me guess, you want to buy a vowel.
No, I just would like to put 80 on the game.
What, you mean the game that started already?
Well, I'm sorry I can't take a bet after the kickoff.
Rookie, huh?
Well, maybe in your case, I'll make an exception.
Thanks. Can you put me down for Smallville to win?
You sure about that? I have a funny feeling about the quarterback today.
Yeah, well, as much as I hate to admit it, I never bet against Clark Kent.
Well, suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Rule number one, a bet is a bet.
Ten seconds left in the fourth quarter. It's fourth and one.
This is it boys! This is what we've been working for!
Alright, guys, here we go.
Ready?
Blue 32, Blue 32. Hut!
Fumble.
And a fumble by the Crows.
The ball is picked up by Clark Kent.
He's charging...
Trip.
Touchdown!
Crows win the game!
Unbelievable!
Is he okay?
His collarbone's broken in two places.
I can't figure out how you could pommel a guy
that outweighs you by 100 pounds and shatter his collarbone.
I'm sorry.
It must have been an accident, I mean, I got a surge of adrenaline.
Adrenaline doesn't explain the fact that you went from chucking bails of hay
to chucking 60-yard passes overnight.
I guess I'm a fast learner. I mean, you said yourself I was a natural.
Yeah, a natural who adamantly refuses to see a doctor
after he collapsed a couple of weeks ago.
What are you trying to say?
Coach Quigley thinks you're on some kind of performance-enhancing drug.
What? Like steroids?
What do you think?
I put myself on the line and said there's
no way that Clark Kent would do something like that.
- I'm not on drugs. - I hope not.
Because if it comes out that you're not on the same playing field as these guys...
let's say it'll be disappointing to have to forfeit an entire championship season.
And a college career.
I can't imagine what it must have been like to grow up in a war-torn country.
Obviously.
I guess, this is as far you can get from scavenging the streets,
but growing up hand-to-mouth, does tend to make you resourceful.
Resourceful enough to get the attention
of my father's LuthorCorp foreign exchange scholarship.
So how do you like Smallville high?
I think it is the perfect place for me to make my American dream.
There are many opportunities and the girls are pretty.
Well, I hope that the classes aren't too difficult for you.
I reviewed your application, I must say I was
surprised by your poor test scores and grades.
Look, Mikhail, I'm just curious
why my father would award a scholarship historically earmarked for future
Nobel prize winners to a perennial C student.
You want to send me back.
No.
I'd just like to know what you're really doing here.
What potential did my father see in you, Mikhail?
Cut.
Potential you do not see on a report card, Mr. Luthor.
Hey!
I didn't realize bookies made house calls especially after-hours.
Well, I guess I just walked right into the lion's mouth, hm?
- What are you talking about? - Well, you know...
You're a first timer and you show up at the end of the season,
I asked some questions.
And I don't think it is coincidence that you are
also Smallville's most notorious whistle-blower.
Notorious, huh? I like the sound of that.
So this bet was just research for the article?
Front page if you play your cards right.
I don't suppose that being a local celebrity it'll be good for business.
I think maybe you should change professions.
- You just found my Achille's Heel. - What, greed?
No, pretty girls with infectious smiles.
I'm still writing the article.
If you don't even know when to place a bet
I don't think you have the inside scoop you're looking for.
Promise not to mention my name.
And I'll let you shadow me, I'll be your personal escort
through the seedier parts of Smallville.
If I cut you a break, I expect a full behind the scene tour.
Of course, and the first stop
is the Winner's Circle.
So, what are you going to do with the money?
- Textbooks. - Oh, don't go too crazy, huh?
Yeah, well, my dad's on unemployment
so my college fund sort of took a massive hit this year.
How would you like to make enough money to pay for
an entire semester of tuition before you wake up tomorrow morning?
I have to go to the Shark's game in Metropolis tonight...
Sharks. Eight to one.
If you want the big article you have to get inside the mind of a gambler.
You have to be ready to raise the stakes.
That is if you aren't scared.
Count me in.
There's more to life than championships, Clark.
I bet it's easy to say that when you have one.
Dad, when I put on that uniform
it's like I forget who I am but at the same time I've never known myself better.
It's more than just a game.
Clark, I allowed you to join the football team
because I though you understood your responsibility
not to let anybody get hurt out there.
And I accepted that responsibility because I know I can control my abilities.
Then explain to me why there's a kid lying in a hospital bed right now!
Have you ever seen me trip? Ever?
Something happened out on that field it's was like I couldn't control my own legs.
Just because you are strong, doesn't mean you can't get rattled out there
just like anybody else.
I'm sorry but the last place you need to be right now
is on that football field and you know it.
Coach Quigley is likely to be at the victory party tonight.
Now I'll give him a call and I'll be the bad guy.
No, dad.
Like you said, it's my responsibility.
Coach, can I talk to you for a second?
- What's up? - Kent!
Kent, oh! Huge save today!
Oh, man! What a play! You put us in the championship!
No, the team put us in the championship.
- I can see the ring on my finger already. - I can see the scholarships lined up.
Oh, yeah! I can't wait man. I can't wait.
Hey, Clark, you're here!
Coach, coach, coach!
Alright, alright!
Topeka West may have three titles under it's belt
but I know we have a real shot at the championship
and this year we got it all.
An impenetrable defense, an aggressive offense.
And a golden arm!
Let's go take the title home!
Crows! Crows! Crows!
- I like the new textbooks! - Hi!
Don't worry, I just took ten percent off the top for fun
the rest of my winnings are tucked safely away for college tuition.
Well, I'm glad that my tip paid off for you.
Are you kidding me? The game was awesome!
I haven't had that much fun on a couch since Johnny Rosenblatt in fifth grade!
I mean, all of those painted beer-bellies and foam hands suddenly make sense
when you have something riding on the game!
Well, now, see, why would you want to go and spoil all the fun
by writing that article?
Because it just keeps getting juicier by the minute.
Are you sure about that?
Why are you gonna do something to change my mind?
Nice try, you're very cute.
But I already gave you anonymity and it's going to press tonight.
But you're only starting to scratch the surface
and I can give you so much more dirt.
You're just trying to stall the article, aren't you?
I don't think you understand me, Chloe.
I always get what I want.
On looks, apparently, because your charm just ran out.
Stop.
Kiss me.
This is me asking you nicely.
Now you're going to drop that article whether you want to or not.
I've never seen you miss before.
I've also never seen you shrink away from responsibility no matter how difficult.
You just saw the look on those guys' faces I couldn't let them down.
I just thought I could find a way to play like everyone else.
Clark. Open your hand.
What are you doing?
You know how dangerous Kryptonite is!
I always get better after it's gone.
So what if I'm playing sick? Other guys play injured.
And if dad know I don't have my abilities and can't hurt anyone.
You are not taking meteor rocks on that field.
I know this is hard, you can't make yourself sick!
- And I can't quit either! - Clark, the answer is no.
You asked your father if we'd ever seen you trip before?
Never. Not without Kryptonite.
I was so excited to see you get a chance to be like everyone else
that I guess I forgot for a moment that you aren't.
I didn't think anything of it when you tripped but
you've never had mishaps like other kids.
Something happened to you out there.
And if you really wanna play in the game on Saturday
you need to find out what it was.
It's alright, Clark, you can stay.
I thought you had some self-imposed restraining order against me.
Does this mean you're talking to me again?
No, this just means that I'm willing to take a chance
on getting your Dr. Jekyll side today.
What's up with the self flogging?
I watching the sports editor's tape of the game.
Trying to figure out what happened but...
It's like I had no control like my mind was sending one message but...
But your body was getting another.
- Yeah. - It's Mikhail.
The foreign exchange kid?
- Mixa.. - Mxyzptlk.
Say that three times fast. He's our new resident puppet master.
This is kind of embarrassing but he made me kiss him.
Made you?
Yeah, it was just like how you explained your trip.
It was like someone else was controlling me.
Okay, but why would he want me to throw the game?
Clark, he's the biggest bookie in the school.
The power to control the odds.
Let me do a search on his name.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Mxyzptlk didn't bring anything up.
Well, what's that?
It's Mikhail's name backwards.
Looks like a nursery rhyme gone bad.
Yeah, it's some legend from the Piatori region in the Balkans.
That's near where Mikhail's from.
It says the region's been terrorized for centuries by a bloodline of people
who have, who can control the hand of luck.
It's not exactly luck if they're controlling people.
What does it say about the backwards name?
The family changed their name a century ago and fled the area
to escape the stigma after a village mysteriously burned to the ground.
Looks like Mikhail's still running from his heritage.
It doesn't exactly say how to stop the kissing bandit, does it?
Oh, here, according to the legends, the only thing
that stopped them was a plague of locusts.
There may be one other force they didn't count on.
Think about it. Who brought him here in the first place?
You want me to deport a LuthorCorp exchange student?
Gambling on Crows games, isn't a sanctioned extracurricular.
I'm surprised you care so much about some half-rate bookie.
Or is there something else about Mikhail you are not telling me?
Lex, you sponsored him, I just thought you might wanna do something about it.
Of course I'll look into it.
But I'm surprised you didn't go to the principal first or Coach Teague.
But then I could see how that can be more complicated than it sounds.
Why would it be more complicated?
Come on.
I can't be the only one who's picked up on Lana's fondness for quarterbacks.
Even retired ones.
Yeah, to be honest, it has been hard to see her with someone else.
Don't worry, Paris can have a magical effect on people
but the enchantment has a funny way of waning the longer you're gone.
I know Lana.
She's never been this serious about anyone.
You sound awfully concerned about that for
someone who let her walk out of his life.
Yeah, I guess the whole, "If you love them set them free" thing kind of backfired.
It's not about love, Clark.
It's about what you're willing to do for it.
On that field, you'll do whatever it takes to win.
But if you're not willing to do the same for Lana,
maybe she doesn't mean as much to you as you think.
Clark on steroids. It's a little hard to picture.
It happens to a lot of guys.
You want so badly to outperform everyone
before you know it, all they care about is winning no matter what the cost.
You're not responsible for Clark.
Actually I am.
Coach Quigley asked me to give him a drug test and I never mentioned it to Clark
so I lied and said it came back clean.
- Why would you do that? - I don't know.
Because I believe in Clark! And because he knows about us.
I didn't want to stir the waters.
If he wanted to get back at me, all he has got to do is tell
somebody at the school, and I lose my job.
- Clark wouldn't make it personal. - Why not?
I mean, I can't imagine what I'd do if someone tried to take you away from me.
Nobody took me away from Clark, I left.
Right.
Clark's a big part of the reason why I took off for Paris in the first place.
Oh, well, that must be from the book of things
you never wanna hear about your girlfriend's ex.
Look Jason, I'm with you now and I couldn't be happier.
And I know, I know, Clark can be unpredictable
but he knows that you need this job to stay in college.
I know it's hard because you've been so close to him
but are you sure you really know him?
Don't get me wrong, Mikhail. I appreciate your entrepreneurial ingenuity
but importing bookies tends to reflect poorly on a company.
These are just fun games.
The INS isn't exactly renowned for their good sportsmanship.
They're revoking your student visa and sending you back home.
But a man like you can pull strings to keep me here, yes?
If I wanted to.
But whatever talents my father saw in you they're not worth the embarrassment
you bring to me and my company.
I've made the arrangements
you'll be halfway over the Atlantic by morning.
You don't really want that.
You want to know why your dad brought me here?
Not that badly.
What if we make a wager?
Now, why would I take a bet when I can just have you thrown out of here?
Because I know gamblers better than anybody.
You're the caviar kind.
See when you hold everything in your hand the only thing that can give you a thrill
is putting your chips on the one thing that can slip through your fingers.
And what would that one thing be, Mikhail?
Well in this case, me.
How much do you believe in this quarterback friend of yours, Clark Kent?
The Championship Game?
What's the wager?
If the Crows lose, you arrange citizenship for me
and one million dollars to start anew again.
And if the Crows win
I have a hard time believing you can cover that bet.
I can't. But the reason your father brought me here is
far more valuable than just money.
Oh, look.
A real, live, American football superhero.
What are you doing here?
I came here to thank you for ratting me out to Lex.
It wasn't hard to figure out, I knew Chloe would squeal just not to him.
She's too proud.
You seemed to be the common denominator, so...
You forget, games are my business so if you don't know the players
you cannot guess the outcome.
I thought you'd be halfway back to the Village of the Damned by now.
I'm not cursed, Clark. I am lucky.
And on Saturday, the championship game I'm going to be very lucky.
- If you think I'll throw that game... - If...
When there is an if, there are odds and I always beat the odds.
Choke.
For example, the odds in the championship
are based on your playing, if you don't go out on the field
then my profit margin takes an unfortunate turn.
That is why you're not going to tell anyone else about me
and you're going to be on that field.
Unless, you want to see more of your buddies in the hospital.
Breathe.
- Chloe. - Hey!
Clark, warm-up in 15 minutes.
I sure hope you had better luck with the locusts than I did with Lex.
Last time I checked they weren't selling biblical plagues on Amazon
but since every legend is born in the seed of truth,
I did look up our favorite apocalyptic critters.
Besides eating crops in a single bound, what else can they do?
Well, when locusts swarm, they emit an energy wave
to avoid crashing into each other.
Maybe Mikhail's commands operate on a similar frequency, like a radio signal.
Or a dog whistle, the sound travels but the human ear doesn't pick it up.
Yeah, now what's interesting is that once locusts signal are jammed,
they can't fly anymore without running into each other. It's permanent.
Or maybe all we have to do is find something
that will jam Mikhail's frequency for good.
I think I know just where to find that. So now we just have to find him.
Knowing his quest for The Great American Dream
he's got a lot of bets riding on this game. He'll be here.
- Okay. - I gotta go.
- Good Luck. - Thanks.
Greetings Football fans and welcome to the championship game
between the Topeka Valley Huskies and your Smallville Crows!
Alright, let's go! Alright. Let's go, let's go. Come on.
Clark.
What are you doing?
You know what Mikhail said. He'd hurt those guys if I wasn't out there.
I bet you 250 pound guys banging into each other on a football field is one thing...
but getting hit by you is like getting run over by a freight train.
- It's a big difference, son. - I hope that doesn't happen.
I think Chloe and I found a way to stop Mikhail.
Oh, Chloe and you think you found a way to stop.
Well I'm sorry, son, thinking is not good enough.
Dad, I know you don't agree with me but sometimes taking responsibility means
having faith in yourself to make the hard choices.
And it also means being willing to accept the consequences.
Every handshake, every hug, every time
I'm out on that field I make a conscious decision to fall
when those guys hit me so they don't get hurt.
No matter how hard you try, you can't understand that.
That's why it's my decision, not yours.
You're starting to sound more and more like your father.
I hope so, dad.
Now taking the field, your Smallville Crows!
Today's Crows captains are seniors Cameron Jiff
Jay Crozer, Austin Thompson and Clark Kent.
The Crows are undefeated in 13 contests this season.
They are lead by third-year head Coach Blaine Quigley.
We'd like to thank today's sponsors the Smallville Ledger
LuthorCorp, D.D. Davenport's Autobody Shop and Old Spice Red Zone.
Trip.
Alright, let's go, let's go. Let's go, come on, come on.
Fumble.
Fancy toy!
Stop.
Looks like someone's been broken.
Kinda sucks when you have to play fair doesn't it?
Yes, well, in my country, you do not survive
if you cannot adapt to the unexpected.
The Crows regain possession!
The Crows immediately call their last time out.
Clark.
What are you doing here?
Here's how the last play in my game works.
If the Crows score another touchdown, Chloe's dead.
If you don't go back out on the field right now
and lose the game, Chloe's dead.
Kent. Let's go. Alright.
We need an Ace-back Montana Post.
This is it. This is for the title.
The Crows have a first and ten on the 50-yard line.
Five seconds remaining on the clock.
Smallville has time for one more play.
The season all comes down to this.
Touchdown! The Crows win!
Clark Kent makes another unbelievable play!
Come on, man! We're missing the party!
Congratulations to the Crows for an undefeated season.
Looks like championship quarterbacks no longer have a curfew, huh?
I'm late... sorry.
Clark.
Your mother and I know that Mikhail was arrested.
Now, when I was out on that same field
all I had to worry about was completing the next pass
or whether or not I was gonna get sacked.
We're very proud of you.
For everything.
Hey you, come on. Good night.
I don't know what it is with you but no matter
how many times I put you in the penalty box, it never sticks.
I hear you're quite the hero tonight, Clark Kent.
Yeah, well, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have won the game.
Yeah, well, you can thank Uncle Sam for that.
My Uncle Sam.
It's amazing the access a three star General has to cool toys.
And you never know when a jamming device for
Stealth Fighters will come in handy in a football game!
Because of that jamming device Mikhail can't control anyone anymore.
Awesome.
But what I don't understand is how I miraculously came untied.
And what I don't understand is how you got sucked
into anything besides anonymous tips.
Well, we all have our weaknesses, I guess.
Except for you, of course.
You'll find your new accommodations a lot more comfortable than county lock-up.
And where are you taking me?
Don't worry.
You're gonna have a lot of company.
I'm not worried, I have the feeling I can learn a lot from you
but I'm just sorry we can't make good on our agreement.
You underestimate the value of my winnings.
I told you Mr. Luthor, I've lost my talent.
Mikhail, if there's one thing I've learned
is that anything lost, can be found again.
If you knew I had a special talent then why did you bet against me?
I didn't. I bet on Clark Kent.
Like I said,
you're not alone.
Lana. Hey, where's Jason?
I've been looking for him, I actually left him three messages.
Yeah I know.
I thought he'd want to know that Metropolis University
offered me a scholarship.
That's great Clark.
One of the scouts he called saw me in the game.
I wanted to thank him for trusting me.
Well it's too bad that you couldn't return the favor.
Jason was fired this morning.
It's good to know the local football star still has time for his friends.
I wouldn't put it like that.
Wild guess.
You're not talking about the football star part.
Maybe I wasn't clear.
But what you and I talk about is supposed to stay between us.
I see.
So today I'm taking the role of the despicable untrustworthy friend
and as usual our hero is making the fatal flaw of jumping to conclusions.
Are you gonna tell me you weren't the one who got Jason fired?
A teacher-student liaison is a taboo that's pretty hard to come back from.
Oh, you're gonna take the moral high ground on this?
Clark, I'd hate to see Lana's infatuation earn her a "Scarlet Letter" around town.
Well she has you to thank for that!
Cause you and I were the only two who knew about it. Now everybody's talking.
You didn't do this to protect her.
You know Lana isn't meant to be with Jason.
Maybe a year ago, I would've believed that you got him fired out
of some twisted loyalty for being my friend.
But you didn't do this for me.
Why did you do it?