{All for the Game/VRI}

All for the Game. The plot centers on the fictional sport of Axie, which combines elements of lacrosse, hockey and football. The game is characterized by high dynamism and toughness. The story of the team "Foxes" from the University of Palmetto, which, being outsiders, is trying to rise from the bottom of the standings and win the national championship. Neil Josten has been on the run for many years, hiding from his dark past. Having joined the Foxes, he is forced to fight not only with rivals, but also with comrades, each of whom has his own difficult secrets. Everyone has their own traumatic experience, and how the past affects the present and relationships with others is explored in detail. The story is not only about sports, but also about how people learn to trust, find a "family" and fight inner demons.

Exi is a fictional team sport. Exi is a hybrid game that combines elements of lacrosse, hockey, and football. The field (court) is similar to a football field, but it is surrounded on all sides by plexiglass (organic glass) about 13 mm thick. The gate is marked with a rectangle on the wall. A goal is only counted if the ball touches a wall and lights up with a red light. Equipment: players are required to wear a protective helmet (it is removed only with the permission of the referee). Knee pads, elbow pads and groin protection ("shell") are also recommended. There are four positions in the game - forward, midfielder, defender and goalkeeper. Six players from each team can be on the field at the same time. Match duration: two halves of 45 minutes each with a 15-minute break. Body checks: Rough pressure is allowed, but only against the ball carrier or the one who is about to receive a pass. Physical contact with the goalkeeper is prohibited. Restrictions: you cannot hit the opponent with a stick, and the goalkeeper has the right to play with his hands. The story of the creation of
Ekshi was invented by Kaylee Day (Kevin's mother) and Tetsuji Moriyama about 30 years ago in Japan (at the University of Fukui) as an experiment. The game first spread to the university environment, then to street teams, and later outside of Japan when Kaylee returned to the United States. In the center of the story is the team "Foxes" of Palmetto University. This is a group of outsiders, each of whom has a difficult past and psychological traumas. For Neil, playing Exi becomes a way to escape from his pursuers and find a new family. Through the exi, the themes of trust, overcoming the past and the power of team cohesion are revealed.

Aaron Michael Minyard. Nicknamed "The Normal One" (compared to his twin brother, Andrew). Date of birth: November 4th. Zodiac sign: Scorpio. Place of birth: San Jose, California, USA. Age: 20. Student at Palmetto University. Residence: Fox Tower (formerly room 317, later 321). Defenseman for the Palmetto Foxes, number 5. Gender: male. Height: 152 cm. Hair: blond. Eyes: hazel. Skin: pale. Aaron and his twin brother, Andrew, are identical twins with blond hair and brown eyes. It would be almost impossible to tell them apart if they switched places; only Renee and Neil can do this. Aaron is a withdrawn, reserved, and sometimes sarcastic person who prefers not to reveal his thoughts and emotions. He strives for a normal life, is a good student at the Faculty of Medicine, and dreams of becoming a doctor. Unlike the impulsive and unpredictable Andrew, Aaron tries to stay away from his brother's dark world. Aaron and Andrew were separated as infants: their mother, Tilda, initially placed Andrew in foster care, later returning and taking only Aaron. Tilda abused Aaron, beating him, which led to his drug addiction in high school. Through a combination of circumstances and Uncle Luther's persistence, they were reunited and began living with their mother. When Andrew was sent to juvenile detention, Aaron sent him a letter asking to meet, but was abruptly refused. Upon Andrew's release, they struck a mutual protection deal. Andrew staged a car accident to kill Tilda after learning of her abuse of his brother. Afterward, Andrew locked Aaron in the bathroom until he recovered from withdrawal. After his aunt's death, Nicky returned from Germany to become the twins' guardian and helped them secure scholarships to Palmetto University. His relationship with Andrew is complex and tense, full of mutual resentment and misunderstanding. He blamed his brother for Tilda's death. After Andrew killed Drake to protect Aaron, he realized his brother's true motives. He isn't particularly friendly with the team. He speaks German.

Natalie Renee Walker (born Natalie Shields). Nicknames Angel, Sweetie, Jeanne d'Exy, the sun, a miracle. Date of birth: September 27. Zodiac sign Libra. Age 24 years. Orientation heterosexual. A student at Palmetto University, a former gang member. Residence: Fox Tower Dormitory in North Dakota (former). The Foxes team, goalkeeper position, jersey number 9. Height 5'4" (162 cm). Her hair is white with tips dyed in pastel rainbow shades, cut into a bob. The clothes are as feminine as possible, almost without makeup. Tattoo wings on the back (originally conceived as angelic, but due to the lack of professionalism of the masters in the gang they turned out to be similar to dragons - Renee herself considers this symbolic and ironic). Friendly, ready to support and give advice. Creative, she does a lot with her own hands. He does not like arguments, in team conflicts he usually takes a neutral position. Caring, peaceful. Christian. He knows how to handle knives. It acts as a "stabilizing" factor for Andrew. He loves cooking, mainly baking. At the age of 10, she got into a gang, where she was sexually assaulted by eight men. Later, one of the attackers continued to pay attention to her. Renee trained hard to take revenge, and eventually killed the man. The leader of the gang, having learned about this, raised its status and attributed the death to another criminal group. When the police caught Renee for being part of a gang, she was given to a foster family. She was adopted by Stephanie, who gave her the name Renée, introduced her to Christianity and helped her get a second chance. At one of the matches, Renee's team was noticed by Wymack and so it got to the Foxes. At first, the girls were not accepted because of their gender, but later they became an integral part of the team. Renee is one of the two goalkeepers of the Foxes. She is known for her serene warmth and deep faith, but behind her soft smile lies a dark past and a quiet, imposing strength. René often acts as an intermediary between comrades, gives friendly advice. She is friends with Andrew, they often arrange sparring.

David Vincent Wymack. Nickname "Father of Foxes". Age 40-50 years. Coach of the Palmetto University Foxes team in exi. Place of residence South Carolina, hometown of Washington. Wymack is a large man with flame tattoos on his arms. He has brown eyes, he often wears a white sweater and jeans. Wymack founded Foxes to give people from troubled families another chance. He sincerely believes in his mission and considers himself an idealist. Despite his harsh methods, he genuinely cares about his charges, going above and beyond the duties of a coach to ensure their safety. Shrewd and sees the true essence of things, rude in manners and does not obey authority, tolerant of vices and coping mechanisms for players without judgment, but pushes them to a healthier life, perceptive, sees what really is, and not what others say. Allows the team to determine the hierarchy itself, instead of intervening in fights, assigns more grueling training as a punishment, uses humorous threats (such as running a lap or a marathon) and sarcasm to get the team to behave well, warns players not to overexert themselves on the court, especially when injured - he would rather lose the game than allow an injured player to get a more serious injury in the future. His parents were in a forced marriage, his father suffered from alcoholism and was abusive, eventually gouging out his mother's eye with a corkscrew, after which Vaimak left home. He wandered, grabbed any job, returned to school, went in for sports and eventually found his calling, becoming a coach. Wymack was friends with Kaylee, who taught him how to play Eksi. There was a single intimate contact between them, in which Kevin, the star player of the Foxes, was conceived. After Kaylee's death, Wymack kept in touch with Kevin, but did not know that he was his son. A couple of years ago, I injured my hip joint, I was forced to take painkillers. He claims that he is allergic to cleaning products, but this is not confirmed by medical indications.

Kevin Day. Nickname "Son of the Exi" (with Riko). Date of birth: February 22. Zodiac sign Pisces. Dark hair, green eyes. Forward of the Foxes team (Palmetto University), former player of the Ravens (Edgar Allan's team). Residence: Fox Tower (room 317), formerly "The Nest". Mother Kaylee Day (deceased), father David Weimak, former guardian of Tetsuji Moriyama, "half-brother" of Riko. Exy is Kevin's whole life, he looks down on those who are less devoted to this sport. He is not afraid to harshly point out to others their shortcomings. Due to his difficult past (being raised by Moriyama, being abused by Riko), Kevin developed anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. He does not know how to cope with stress in healthy ways - he often snaps at others or starts drinking (he did not drink before joining the Foxes). On his left boredom, Kevin had a tattoo with the number "2" on it. As a child, he drew it with a permanent marker, and later covered it with a queen chess piece. This symbolizes that the queen is the most powerful piece, despite the fact that it is less "important" than the king (Rico). Kevin has a special bond with Andrew: he keeps Andrew's medicine while he is sober and believes that Andrew will protect him from the Moriyama clan. With Neil, Kevin is aloof at first, but later sees great potential in him and begins to train with him. After the death of his mother in a car accident, Kevin was taken in by Tetsuji. He grew up with Rico at Evermore Castle, spending all his time training and being considered the team's unofficial mascot. Rico broke Kevin's arm. The injuries were hidden under the guise of a skiing accident. After that, Kevin moved to Palmetto University, first as an assistant coach of Wymack, and then as a full-fledged striker for the Foxes, having been forced to relearn to play with his right hand. Upon learning that the Ravens had changed districts to compete, Kevin became frightened of returning to Rico and tried to physically confront Wymack, but ended up staying on the team. Kevin rarely smiles, except in the press, which is why he is often seen as arrogant.

Andrew Minyard. Andrew's childhood was extremely traumatic: his biological mother abandoned him immediately after birth and he changed twelve foster families, where he faced violence. At the age of seven, he was sexually abused by a guardian, which formed his aversion to the word "please". Later, in Cass Spear's family, he was again abused by her son Drake. As a result, Andrew ended up in a juvenile colony, where he became interested in exi. His brutality both on and off the pitch is due to his difficult past. He wears black bandages on his forearms, which is not just a style, but a way to hide scars from self-harm and a knife sheath that serves as a shield against the outside world. Andrew has bipolar disorder (manic depression), and court-prescribed antidepressants dull emotions but cause mania. Periodically, he refuses pills, which makes him even more unpredictable. Andrew is a student of the Department of Criminal Justice at Palmetto University and the goalkeeper of the Foxes team. He made a deal with coach David Vaimack: he joined the team on the condition that his twin brother Aaron and cousin Nicky would play with him, and that he would be allowed not to take drugs during matches. At the Twilight Paradise Club (which became his "territory"), he tested people on drugs to see if they posed a threat to him or his "family." Andrew has a very narrow circle of "friends" - these are Aaron, Nicky, Kevin and Neil. Their relationship with Neil develops slowly, through a lot of misunderstandings, pain, and eventually leads to a kind of mutual understanding. Also notable is his platonic bond with Renee: both have endured a difficult childhood and abuse, and their relationship has become an example of how two broken people can support each other.

Neil Josten (Nathaniel Abram Vesninsky). Place of birth: Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Father Nathan Wesninsky ("The Butcher of Baltimore"), right hand man of the head of the yakuza Kengo Moriyama, mother Mary Hatford, uncle Stuart Hatford. Student of Palmetto State University, exi player, member of the Foxes team. A short (about 160 cm), athletic young man. Natural features: red hair and blue eyes. In the beginning, she dyes her hair brown and wears brown contact lenses to blend in with the crowd. His body has extensive scars from his father's abuse and life on the run. He is shrewd, secretive, does not trust people (especially middle-aged men who remind him of his father), tries to solve problems on his own, and seeks to control the situation. He has a short temper, which he inherited from his father. Obsessed with the Exi, ready to risk everything to play for the Foxes. Life on the run with his mother, constant relocations (France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Montreal). The death of his mother during one of the persecutions of his father. Getting the name Neil Josten and trying to join the Foxes team. Conflict with Moriyama's family: Rico tries to lure Neal into his team, torturing him. Confrontation with his father: Nathan Wesninsky is released from prison, kidnaps Neil and tries to kill him, is saved by his uncle Stewart, his father dies. After the hospital, Neil tells the truth to the team, abandons the past and the name Vesninski, and begins a new life with the Foxes. As a child, he played in the Little League of Exi under the name Abram. Trained in the use of knives and pistols by Lola Malcolm, his father's assistant. His favorite tactics in Exi are fast breaks and unexpected maneuvers, using speed and agility against larger opponents. The change of appearance (the return of red hair and blue eyes) symbolizes self-acceptance and readiness to face the past.

Allison Jamaica Reynolds. Date of birth: July 16. Zodiac sign Cancer. A student at Palmetto University, lives in the Fox Tower dormitory. Midfielder, jersey number 7. His father was Mr. Reynolds and his mother was Mrs. Reynolds. Romantic partner: Seth (deceased, his ashes were later installed by Alison in a fountain near her house). Alison is a former heiress to the extremely wealthy Reynolds family, which owns a chain of resorts and is valued at billions of dollars. She chose a career in sports (exi), and not the continuation of the family business, which is why her parents disowned her and disinherited her. Alison is always impeccably dressed, she has long platinum blonde hair that she curls and flawless makeup. Her wardrobe consists of designer items. Proud and strong-willed, she can be sarcastic and unbending, but deep down she is kind. She loves to gossip, bet on relationships and social events. As a teenager, Alison was hospitalized for bulimia. He specializes in fashion design and marketing, knows how to use makeup. Owner of a pink convertible. With Seth, their relationship was unstable and full of conflicts. They had never met for more than a few months. After Seth's death, Alison received his ashes and installed them in the fountain outside her house. Alison and Renee remain close friends. Behind Alison's haughty façade hides a strong personality capable of deep feelings and loyalty to the team. Her path is overcoming superficiality, finding true friendship and accepting herself.

Matthew Donovan Boyd. Date of birth: August 5. The zodiac sign is Leo. Palmetto University student, member of the Palmetto Foxes team, defensive position, jersey number 4. Place of residence: Fox Tower dormitory (room 321). He is about 195-197 cm tall and has black hair, which he styles with gel in the form of short spikes. On both hands, traces of previously used injecting drugs are visible. His mother is Randy Boyd (professional boxer) and his father is Donald Boyd (doctor). His parents separated when Matt was a child, and he lived with his father due to his mother's irregular schedule. In Randy's absence, Donald dragged his son into a riotous lifestyle, which led to Matt's addiction to cocaine and heroin. Later, Randy helped him go to rehabilitation, and it was she who introduced him to boxing and exi as an alternative to addictions. His girlfriend is Dan, the captain of the Foxes. Their relationship is described as healthy and supportive. Matt is a reliable and kind person who becomes a support for his comrades. He genuinely accepts Neil into the team, becomes one of his first friends, and offers unconditional support. Despite his impressive build, he can be a formidable opponent on the field and a fierce defender of friends off it. Matt is loyal to Dan and the team, ready to protect his friends, even if it goes against the rules. In his first year with the Foxes, Matt found it difficult to stay sober due to the constant presence of drugs in the lives of his teammates. When the cousins joined the team, Andrew, noticing Matt's unstable condition, with Randy's permission, took him to a place where he got him drunk and offered him a speedball. This caused Matt to have a violent relapse, but with the help of Betsy and Randy, he made a full recovery. At the same time, Matt does not hold a grudge against Andrew, believing that the method was harsh, but worked. During summer training, Allison, Seth, Renee and Neil drove to training in the trunk of his van.

Betsy Joe Dobson (nickname Bee). Betsy is a team psychiatrist for the university's Foxes team and a psychiatrist at Palmetto University. Pale brown hair to the chin, brown eyes, narrow-rimmed glasses, "a few extra curves" and lines of laughter on her face. She suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and her office is in order. She loves cocoa and drinks it during sessions. Allows patients to refer to her in a variety of ways, from "Betsy" to "Doc" to "Hey you." She attended school in Charleston with Abby, with whom she later continued to communicate. Previously, she worked in a juvenile colony, then transferred to Palmetto University, where she was responsible for monitoring extreme cases of mental illness. In general, the team likes Betsy, Nicky considers her "amazing". She develops a good relationship with Andrew - he calls her "Bi" and regularly attends therapy sessions. Helps players cope with psychological trauma, addictions, and behavior problems. He regularly conducts sessions with Andrew, trying to help him control his condition and understand complex reactions. Also works with other players.

Abigail Marie Winfield. Nickname Abby (among the "Foxes"). Date of birth: August. Belonging to the Palmetto Fox (Palmetto University). Team Medic (nurse). Previously, she worked as a physiotherapist for David Weimack after he suffered a hip injury and he also got her a job at the university. Place of residence: South Carolina. The house is one-story, a five-minute drive from campus. There is a driveway for two cars. The house has enough space to accommodate Andrew, Aaron, Nicky and Kevin for the summer. Abby is a determined and down-to-earth woman who isn't afraid to talk directly to players and end arguments. She sincerely cares about the "Foxes", often acting as a surrogate mother for many of them. Her leadership style is softer than Wymack's - more gentle and supportive. She is well aware of the psychological trauma of the players and works closely with Betsy, who serves as the team's psychologist. Abby is particularly close to Kevin and has a deep sympathy for Neil. Andrew: Abby doesn't approve of his tendency to drink alcohol along with his medications. She holds Nicky responsible for keeping an eye on this, and threatens to revoke Andrew's right to visit the court if he breaks the rule. She also disapproves of the way Andrew treated Matt and Dan a year earlier. David: There are rumors about a romantic relationship between them. Betsy: They've been friends since high school in Charleston and have kept in touch since graduation. Abby has a tragic past involving the loss of a loved one, which makes her even more sensitive to someone else's pain.