《Football singularity》 Chapter 1 I’m Back ?[An] Hello, my dear Readers, this is my first time trying to write a novel so please bear with me. I hope you give the story a chance and enjoy your journey in my world. "it''s only real when you don''t believe it so believe it" Plus Ultraaaaaaaaaaaaaa ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~ So would you believe me if I told you I travelled back in time, no I mean my mind did kinda? Some of you might call me crazy or delusional but there''s no way a six-year-old me would think about buying bitcoin in the future. Yet here I was sitting on my bed with cold sweat running down my back hoping this is not a dream. Looking around my room I can see posters of Didier Drogba''s slide celebration, Ronaldo doing the Sui and Robben hugging the Allianz Arena. I pinched myself three times, I even pped my cheeks which I regret to be honest as that shit hurts. No other way about it this is definitely real or some mad scientist is having the time of his life with my brain. Honestly don''t even want to think about that, the only scientist I''ll ever like is Dr.stone but only for season one though lost interest after that. Anyways after I made sure this is real and not some new version of lucid dreams or hallucinations caused by being intoxicated I started dancing as my life was limitless now. I could totally buy stocks early and live my life like it''s a non-stop vacation. [Ding System detects that the host soul has sessfully travelled back in time] "Huh, what''s that? Who''s talking?" ~Ding analysis of the host Body shows that all vitals are healthy with no hidden defects~ ~ Ding synchronising the host body with older souls to avoid mental health risks ~ [10, 9, 8, ¡­] "Wait a minute what exactly are u doing to me?" ~ It is rmended that the host rxes through this process as it will be painful ~ "What do u mean painful? Can I just not do it and take my chances with my mental health" ~ Negative Host request has been overwritten ~ [3, 2, 1] "Argh" I closed my eyes expecting an excruciating pain but all I felt was a cold but oddly rxing current enveloping my entire body. "This isn''t so bad I could get used to this.." Then it happened excruciating pain so bad spread all over my body from the depth of my soul. I tried to scream out but only wheezing sounds came as my body began spazzing out of my control. . . . [A whileter] I don''t know how long that went on for I kept slipping out of consciousness. I slowly sat up on my bed moved my body and noticed that I felt much lighter and my movements seemed a lot more natural. ~ Ding host has sessfully synchronised his soul with his younger self ~ There is that voice again, I looked around but could see anyone. I got off my bed and looked underneath it and checked under my covers but still nothing. After making sure no one was there I hesitantly spoke out. "Excuse me but who are u n why did u put me through that?" ~ Ding the answer to your question is simple I am the singrity system that we''ll help the host in bing a singrity in your chosen field~ Hmmm, that sounds so surreal, isn''t it basically just giving me a cheat code? How awesome is this first I travel back in time n then I get given extra plot armour. ~ Ding to answer your second question, the reason the host had to experience the process of synchronisation was to prevent your younger soul from rejecting your current one and treating it like a virus ~ Oh alright, that shit still hurts and what would have happened if my younger soul was to reject me? ~ Ding the host would have be mentally unstable over time and could''ve resulted in the host developing multiple personalities ~ Dang thank you I guess but that shit is still painful. Anyways what can u do as a System and is there a price for this cheat? Because I don''t feel like selling my soul or kidneys I need both of those. [Ding system will fully activate shortly please stand by and worry not your soul is worth less to the system] Wtf do you mean it''s worth less? You are worthless! Your whole family is worthless! Your mama is ¡­ no wait that''s too far. Maybe I''m overreacting a little bit? They do say don''t look a gift horse in the mouth well in this case a weird cheat system. After calming down from my meltdown, I notice how I''m behaving more like a child even though just moments ago I was a 30-year-old man. Hmm, it''s all that system''s fault it probably messed with my emotions why''ll it was torturin "ahem" giving me treatment. [Ding System is now fully active] TO BE CONTINUED Chapter 2 Why Am I Back Here? ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~ [ Ding hello host I''m the singrity system and I am here to help you on your journey to bing a singrity ] "Hi you already said all that but what does it actually mean to be a singrity?" I said to the feminine voice in my head as I was still pondering whether I''m just having a strangely vivid dream or if this is actually real. Don''t get me wrong I am over the moon over this situation but in the back of my mind, there is a voice telling me no one is this lucky for no reason. [Rest assured host this is very much real, and the reason for your rebirth is due to your belief in God and never giving up on yourself even with the rough hand you were dealt] Huh, so you''re telling me aspensation for the shit I had to go through in my whole life I get to relive it again what kinda bull***t is this? My eyes begin to moisten as I look around the dpidated orphanage room with water-stained mattresses all over the floor. I ball my hands only to see that I''m all skin and bones to the point it''s a wonder I''m still standing. Now that I look at the posters of Drogba and Ronaldo again I notice the obvious decay on them. "why am I back here?" Of all ces why did it have to be this hellhole I can feel my chest tighten up remembering where exactly I am. This ce may seem like just a dpidated orphanage by the coast of Cuba but in reality, this is a human trafficking ring that takes refugees and sells them to the highest bidders. My name is Rakim Eze I was born in the slums of Lagos Nigeria in the year 2003, Sadly my mother died soon after my first birthday and I was taken in by her rtives, That day marked the beginning of my nightmare. At first, they just ignored me and asionally beat me when they were bored. However after a year or so they deemed that to be too good for me and decided to lock me in a room for days without feeding only letting me out when they happened to feel magnanimous. This went on till I was 4 as around that time a civil war broke out that affected the whole country causing a lot of people to try and flee the country. That''s how I ended up in his situation, instead of taking me with them to Europe they sold me to an upstart human trafficking ring based in Cuba. [Host please stay calm down although your life was a tragic one now you have me to assist you through your journey] Hearing the oddly serene robotic vice of the system seemed to bring me back from my despair. She''s right I''ve got a second chance to create a better life for myself there is no way I''ll let them use me as a tool to get a few hundred bucks. [Thank you forforting me, by the way how old am I exactly?] I asked the system in my head as I felt it would be a bit crazy to continue talking to the air. [Host no need to thank me that''s what I''m here for. Please say status to ess your basic information] I did just that and a translucent screen resembling a videogame came up with my information. [ Status screen] Name: Rakim Eze Age: 5yrs/ 3mon/ 6days (Attention!: suffering from a severe case of starvation) (Attention!!: suffering from deep-rooted internal injuries) Further functions locked] (Sigh) At least am not six yet, because that''s when they sold me to some warlord in Congo to be a child Soulja. Just thinking about it makes me mad there''s no way I''m wasting my life because of these monsters. I take a deep breath to calm myself before focusing again [ why isn''t there more information? and It looks like I really am just skin and bones] I ask the system as I digest how serious my situation actually is. [ Host please select a career path to unlock full functions of the system ] She replied to me with a patient tone as her voice started sounding more natural. Now that I think about it I''ve not asked for her name yet which is very rude of me, so I did just that. "em excuse me system do you have a name I can call you by? I feel awkward calling you system." I feel a little weird asking a machine for its name but then again she''s no mere machine. [ Thank you for asking and you can call me Eva as that is the name my creator has blessed me with ] she replied with pride as she spoke of her name, I guess she has some sort of feelings too. "ok, back to the topic what are the career options I can pick from Eva?" I asked brimming with expectations as this would quite literally decide my future path in this new life. [ Please select your desired profession to start your journey on the path to bing The Singrity ] a) Boxer b) Musician c) Actor d) Ser yer e) Basketballer f) Swimmer G) Other Sports [ Ding: The system will aid you on your journey to ascend to bing unrivalled in all the above professions bing the singrity ] [ Please make your choice after careful consideration. The choice is irreversible. ] (Notice host will receive a wee gift for choosing a profession) "Is this for real?" I exined as I look at the list of professions that allowed one to be showered with fame and glory enough for a lifetime. [Eva how does my wee gift depend on which profession i chose] I ask her as this decision would decide the rest of my life. [ Host the wee gift will be tailored to the profession u choose however the effect of the gift will depend on the host''s luck ] Hmm, ok I think I understand, looking at the options I''m drawn to bing a singer as that seems like a lot of fun n the parties seem unreal. But thinking of my current situation I better pick something physical maybe it''ll help me escape from these monsters. So it''s either between bing a Boxer, a Basketballer or a football yer. Yh not calling it ser don''t know what Eva was thinking about that. I contemted my three options and used all of my five-year-old brain power to make this life-changing decision. I felt like a certain schonen mc with a ck Mask as I felt the gears in my head turn toe up with the answer. "Huh" I took a deep breath as made up my decision. Boxer¡­ . . . To Be Continued¡­ Chapter 3 Birth Of A Legend ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~ Boxer¡­ [ Host Please confirm your choice as it will be irreversible ] Just as I was about to say yes, I caught sight of the wall and saw Drogba''s big smile as he was mid-knee slide celebration. Right next to him was the back of Man united''s number seven celebrating like a king. That''s when I thought I wanted to be like these guys, soaring high on the grandest stage of them all and earning a lot of money doing it. And being a boxer although cool would probably hurt a lot. "Eva I choose the footballer profession instead, of the Boxer one," I said out loud with conviction in an attempt to convince myself that I was making the right decision. [ Host, please confirm your choice ] "I confirm" I answered her almost instantly as if I was on some sort of timer. [ Ding! The system has been updated into the Football singrity system please open the starter pack ] ''Alright now we talking, Eva let me see that gift pack can''t wait to go super Saiyan.'' I thought in my head as the excitement of it all was finally getting to me. [ Ding Host has been granted a one-time free diamond gift pack as a wee gift ] [ The pack will draw 3 random footballers above silver rating and grant the host one of their most prominent traits. This pack will also contain a C-grade vitality potion. ] oh ok, I think I understand what''s going on here, it is basically giving me some skill boosts and a bottle filled with alien juice. [ Dimond pack lets the host select a specific trait/talent from 1 of the 3 ] Dang, that seems quite self-exnatory, It''s basically like drawing a FIFA pack and hoping to get someone good. Eva, please open the gift pack I''m dying of excitement over here. [ Understood Dimond chest opening ] Just as she said that my vision changed to that of a dimly lit tunnel as I approached a majestic Dimond encrusted chest lying quietly on a podium. When I reached it the lid slid open and silver smoke slowly came out as a silver Czech republic g appeared with a 74 oval rating printed on it. Shortly after the name Tomas Repka appeared for three seconds before the entire card disappeared. Well, I don''t know who Tomas is but hopefully, he''ll have a decent trait/talent I can copy. I thought to myself hoping for someone I actually recognize and who is hopefully good. My attention was drawn to the chest again as the smoke turned golden with confetti flying about in the air as a massive Nethends g was floating in the as the music kicked in. Seeing all the fan fair got me excited as I watched a Bayern Munich badge appear on the g followed by a massive 90 oval rating. Seeing Robben step out from behind the g I couldn''t hold my excitement as I started dancing on the spot as getting a trait to form him alone basically guaranteed me a decent career in football, plus he''s 90 oval in this one. Just like Thomas Robben disappeared as soon as he came, the chest started vibrating rather violently before taking off into the sky and exploding into bright vibrant colours in all directions. just as I thought I was being cheated out of my third card the sky darkened as a bright football-shaped spaceship crashed right reform me. Out of the rubble, a tall figure walked out looking unfazed about falling out of the sky as he looked at me with a huge green. He was dressed in a dark blue Paris jersey from head to toe which made his tall statute seem even more impressive as he was standing there with his arms folded. Just as I was regaining my bearings at seeing one of the best footballers of the twentieth century I was caught off guard as a throne appeared behind him. 2 lions walked out from behind it as he took a seat with his arms still crossed as a massive Sweden g covered the sky with a big 92 Oval and the name tan written on it. Looking at all the craziness that has apanied tan my worth couldn''t help from twitching. ''Eva was all this really necessary?'' I asked rather exasperated as it took an extra ten minutes just for him than for the thirty seconds the other two took. [ I''m sorry host but the yer''s enormous self-belief has transformed his ego in a way that leaves asting impression no matter what time and space he''s mentioned in. ] she replied in a rather helpless tone. ''So what your saying is that tan''s self-belief in himself has transformed in a way that no matter when his mentioned hell has asting impression?'' I asked trying to understand this absurdness. [ Yes host his ego has gotten so strong that even though he''s not famous yet in 2008 it has enough power to influence the system to give it extra time to shine. ] Damm that''s some willpower, I hope I gain some of that in the future. [ Host please select one of the yer''s specific traits you wish to obtain. ] ''Eva I wish to take Robben''s speed dribbler trait'' I said with confidence as it would be quite fun to just zoom past yers. [ Host choice has been confirmed ] [ Reward''s: Robben''s Speedy dribbler trait ] [ The speedy dribbler trait allows the host to perform skill moves at his maximum speed] [ Random Reword: Left Foot King ] [ Your left foot will be as dominant as your right foot and move just as naturally] - note the host will only gain the talent of the traits and will have to work hard in order to maximise his potential in them. looking at those notifications I was over the moon at the two talents I received from the Bayern long-range assassin. After a minute of celebration, I calmed down waiting to see what other traits I would gain from the other two. [ Ding Rewords calcted ] [ Tomas Repka''s prominent Arial king talent has been Reworded ] [ As Tomas has a jumping talent as high as 87 the host will have a high growth rate when ites to aerial duals. ] [ tan''s prominent ir talent has been Reword ] [ A yer with this trait will be less likely to make errors when attempting ir moves, A yer with this Trait will get the full amount of curl when he takes a finesse shot when the ball is on the ground. ] The talents of the two of them are beyond my expectations with them my legend will definitely be born. [ Host, please brace yourself as the talents will fuse with you in 3, 2, 1 ] the calm voice of the system rang out as I braced myself for the pain I would face once again. I closed my eyes as a cold tingling sensation filled my whole body before focusing on both of my legs as system notification filled my vision. [ Ding: left foot king trait has merged with the host ] [ host has gained the new trait of Ambipedal king ] [ Ding: Host speedy dribbler trait has merged ] [ Ding: Host body has merged with the trial king trait. ] [ Ding: Host body has merged with the ir trait ] [ Ding merging process is nowplete please check your status andplete your first quest. ] Chapter 4 Quest ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~~ I was in a daze for a second as my whole body felt incredible, especially my legs they both felt natural and I couldn''t tell which of them was my dominant foot. I stood up and jumped up and down lightly on my feet and my body felt so light, it was incredible. Next, I watched as a dark green bottle materialised in my hands with a small C written on it. as I brought it closer to my eyes I saw small electrical currents inside it which slowly danced around in the liquid. [ Ding C grade vitality potion ] After receiving that notification I didn''t hesitate anymore as I opened the bottle and swallowed it whole in one gulp. The green liquid smoothly went down and a warm calming sensation spread all over my body as it massaged all my muscles, ligaments and bones removing any defects that were in my body. After a minute of this sensation, I coughed up ck-coloured blood to feel refreshed and strengthened by the power of the C-grade vitality potion. Aftering out of my euphoria I finally focused on the system again wanting to see what had changed in my status. ''open status [ Status ] Football Singrity System ~~~ POPULATING USER INTERFACE... UPDATING USER STATS... UPDATING MISSIONS... THE FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY UPDATED ~~~ USERS CAN ACCESS INFO BY FOLLOWING THE TAB MENUS ~~~ The message ended there. The virtual screen once again became nk. But not for long. Shortly, glowing golden tab menus started popting the screen. ~~~ FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Eze AGE: 5yrs/ 3mon/ 6days TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 0 (Evaluation: A pitiful boy far from bing a professional ser yer however has the potential to be a decent yer.) USER MENU [ USER STATS ] [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS ] [ SYSTEM SHOP (locked) ] [ SYSTEM LOTTERY (locked) ] [ SNOOPING TOOL (locked) ] ~~~ (Pleaseplete system missions to unlock more functions.) Rakim could instantly understand the contents of the system User-Interface after taking a single nce at it. The User Interface was that of a mobile game that the user could use to navigate the game menus. But Rakim was perturbed by the system''s assessment of his talent. He had yed football in his free time and was decent at it for someone who just walked off the street. since he was twenty years old he loved the sport but was too old to have any hope of bing good at it. But the system was assessing his talent at Grade B. The grading was different from Rakims expectations. So, he tapped on the ''USER STATS'' button to understand why. Another list popted the virtual page as soon as his finger left the virtual button. [ USER STATS ] >Physical Fitness: D+ >Football Technique: D+ >Game Intelligence: E+ ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors:? ''I''m the man, who the man I''m the man!'' got an S rank stat from the get-go, I am basically Demi god at this point. What''s with that X-factor tho? I don''t really want to join that show makes no sense if I''m gonna be a baller. looking at my stats I was slightly puzzled at how I could have a B-level talent with average-level Football stats, but I''m guessing that the S-grade mentality dragged my overall rating up. ~~~ ''Eva, can u show me the breakdown of my physical stats please?'' I asked her wanting to understand how it was broken down. [ USER STATS ] >Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: D+) Bnce and Coordination: D Speed: C+ (67) Agility: E+ (48) Strength: D (52) Stamina: C (60) ~~~ Rakim did not continue to asses his stats as he felt as if it would only serve to further confuse him. He rubbed his palms together in anticipation as he was determined to create a better life for himself. Thus, without further dy, he clicked the Singrity Missions tab on the system interface. If the system had a method to increase his powers and help him escape captivity, it had to be through a mission. That was a no-brainer for anyone who had ever read a system-tagged novel. The tab was already blinking with a red light showing that there was already a mission waiting for him toplete them. ~~~ [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS ] !SINGULARITY MISSION!: CAGED BIRD! #Task 1: sneak out at midnight #Task 2: Go unnoticed #Task 3: Make it to Cruise Terminal Havan before (12:00 noon) #Task 4: Sneak onto the going marry (Note: The Singrity Cannot be held down by mere mortals. ) ~~~ Rewards: > A Grade Enlightenment Elixer >A random Chance to learn a Skill from an Icon. > 1000 SP > Boost in host position of choice. ~~~ Punishment if Mission is iplete after the stipted time. >system Locked for 6 years. >Host will Revert to the state before the gift pack merge. ~~~ (Note: failure is not an Option for The Singrity) ~~~ Rakim''s eyes widened upon seeing the system mission a sense of dread filled the pit of his stomach as he nced at the punishment again. Since he''s been through a lot in the past few hours, he was tired and spent out. However, looking at the mission all sense of tiredness instantly vanished. He looked around himself in search of something useful in his escape. After carefully observing his surroundings he couldn''t find anything helpful, all the beds in therge room are empty and left in a messy state. ~~~ I stood up from the bed as I made my way toward the door to where I could see thete noon sun shining bright. After stepping out of the door what greeted him was a dpidated yground where kids of all ages from 6 to 17 could be seen ying around. He was actually the youngest in this bath of kidnapped kids, as ording to the kidnappers it''s too much of a hassle to take care of children below 5 years. Upon closer inspection of the kids, he noticed the dull eyes that had given up any thoughts of resistance. All the Children who were in this camp slowly but surely developed a cruel side as the kidnappers encouraged infighting between them by limiting the amount of food they get. ~~~ I looked around the yground for a while until I spotted him sitting leisurely on the swings surrounded by his own little clique. The boy''s name is Finn and he is around 17 years old, he has quite a tall stature at 1.90m and he has a well-defined physic. You might be wondering how he''s able to be so well off when we are all in the same camp, well it''s actually simple, he''s not really a captive here. Although he hangs around with the bullies of the bunch he is kind to everyone and acts as an older brother figure you can confide in. Finn is the son of the gang leader of the people that have captured us. Well to everyone else he''s just some other unfortunate child that got caught by the kidnappers just like us. But In reality, he''s just here to make sure we don''t get any funny ideas such as escaping or contacting authority that hasn''t been bought off. I learned this the hard way in my past life as I ended up having to confide in him when I tried to make my escape. ~~~~ [Finn POV] Finn frowned after seeing a scarwny boy making his way toward him. He knew the boy a little bit, after all, he spent the past year since his arrival slowly breaking down the boy''s mentality from the shadows by using his goons. What puzzled him is the fact that the boy was standing right now after all he had instructed the boys to beat him up in the morning. It is not that he''s got something personally against the kid. It is so enjoyable to watch a mind slowly break and sink into despair as it starts grasping at hope from someone it usually wouldn''t. Out of all the kids, I''ve yed this little game with so far he''s definitely the youngest, but for the past year, the kid has mostly kept to himself hardly interacting with anyone here. ~~~ ''I so want to beat that smug mf up'' but that would just get me killed, plus I need him if I''m gonna cause enough panic and confusion for my escape. Just as I was fifty yards from where Finn and his gang were sitting I cut a hard right because who in their right mind walks right up to the bad guy? making sure to look slightly suspicious I approached an older boy by the name of Ian. He had his back on me so he didn''t catch sight of my actions which served my purpose pretty well. I tapped him on the shoulder once I reached him, making him jump slightly as his head turned so fast I thought it was gonnae right off. "You okay there," I asked him in worry as that did not look healthy at all, and by the pained look on his face, it seems he was finally feeling the effects of it. "Yh I''m fine," He said in a gruff, but I''m not sure if he was trying to convince himself or me. Looking at him he''s a thin boy around 1.70m tall with dirty blond hair, he was wearing worn-out clothes like the rest of us but he seems ed in better shape. He has a face that could only belong to a salesman to match his looks. "I know I''m good looking but I don''t swing that way kid" he joked with a bit of a defensive posture. Guess I was staring at him for a little too long for hisfort. "Bro you know I''m 5 right? Even if I wasn''t no man couldpare to J.Lo" I said to him as I remembered my celebrity crush on Jennifer when I was young. He seemed taken aback by my response almost as if I shattered his worldview by having zero attraction to him. He must really love himself to be able to think so highly of his above-average looks. I''m not one topare looks or anything but I''m pretty sure I''m handsome for a five-year-old. I have a small afro crowning my head followed by a symmetrical facial structure add that with my light skinplexion I''m basically Adonis. Anyways back to the point, I looked him in the eyes and said "Do you want revenge on Finn?" . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be continued Chapter 5 Instigation 1 ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~~ "Do you want revenge on Finn?" There was a pin-drop silence between us as soon as those words left my lips, it was almost as if the world came to stop. You could hear all the kid''s voices around us with unnatural rity as if they were screaming in your ear. "Brat what did you say?" he said as he pulled me close on my shirt cooler, I could see the veins in his hand''s bulge as he was ready to unleash them if my answer didn''t satisfy him. Throughout his action my eyes never left him, I knew once I showed any signs of weakness I would be finished. If I want my n to work I need this hot head to help me, but it needs to be his own idea. ~~~ Ian has been in this camp for many years and knows all the ins and outs of this ce. He usually runs errands for the gang that has captured us and keep in mind it''s not your regr errands like grocery shopping, it''s more like dropping off certain packages to people. These packages usually contain a plethora of things in them from kilos worth of drugs to body parts of family members to send warnings to enemy cartels. However, due to his resourcefulness, he has managed to create a lot of side hustles for himself one of them being able to get u anything u want for the right price. But there lies the problem; for one the gang does not know of this and the only person other than Ian who knows where his storage is located is Finn as they are partners to some extent. Now you might be asking if they are partners why would he betray Finn? It is very simple actually ''Greed!'' Both of them are very greedy and hate the fact that they have to share such a good pie with the other. So if I can push the right buttons I''ll be able to steer them on a collision course of mutual destruction. ~~~ [Ian Pov] "You heard what I said." The kid in my arm choked out between gasping for breath, he''s got some balls ill give him that. It''s been a long while since one of the little pipsqueaks talked to me in this manner. hmm, Thest one who did so what was his name again? I can''t really remember, it is probably not important, anyways let us just say that poor fellow didn''t enjoy garbage day. "Do you not have an interest in living?" I hissed back at the kid with a bit of venom as he was starting to get on myst nerve. "Exin yourself now!" I told him as I slightly loosened my grip on his cooler so he could breathe, he was beginning to look a little blue and that can''t be good. ~~~ [MC Pov] "huff" I breathed in and out heavily trying to calm my raging heart, everything is going as expected so far. I''ve got his attention now just need to spin a yawn so great that even the court troubadours would be jealous. "That hurt you know," I said to him whilst massaging my neck trying to ease the strain from just now. Looking at his impatient bodynguage though I could tell I wouldn''t get much more time to breathe if I don''t get to the point soon. "Someone told me you can get me anything for the right price?" I spoke up again finally getting to the point at hand. "what''s it to you? And what''s it got to do with getting revenge on Finn?" He answered looking a little apprehensive that I knew of his side hustle, usually it''s Finn who gets the orders and he is the one that delivers. "It''s nothing really I just want more food and you can provide it at least I''ve heard so?" I told him in a serious tone making it clear to him that I was done beating around the bush. He released his hands in order to get a better look at me and seeing my malnourished body seemed to make him realise I was not lying to him. Guess my poor circumstances over the years helped me cast a psychological shadow of someone whos desperate for the slightest amount of food. "Everyones is hungry in the world, but no meal is free you know that right?" Ian said with a voice that could only belong to a scammer who is about to get u you to sell your kidneys and make you pay him for it. "I understand that, but I heard information is very valuable?" I felt like a matador slowly raising the red cape over this bull''s head, in order to make him focus and charge in one direction. "That depends on the information you are offering, the newspaper has got information doesn''t mean that it''s valuable to me." He shot back at me with a slightly disinterested look, believing I was just a brat wasting his time. "That makes a lot of sense, guess you getting robbed tonight doesn''t count as valuable" I spoke under my breath but still loud enough for him to hear me. "Say that again," He said with a serious look as all the nonchnce and calmness seemed to have vanished from his body instantly. "Never mind that who is going to rob me?" he double down on his question as if he was getting his priorities straight. "Finn, Who else here would dear to rob you?" I told him in a calm voice to make me seem as assured of myself as possible. "Don''t believe me? well, I overheard one of his goons talking about emptying a warehouse in Camilo." After saying that I waited patiently to see his reaction to my words. I didn''t have to wait long after I mentioned Camilo, as his face constricted in anger and he clenched his fist hard as his veins bulged all over. Just as I was worried that he''s gonna blow a fuse right here by how red his face was getting from all the anger he asked me "what time are they going to do it?" It seems he did not put it past Finn to rob him so he didn''t even question the validity of my information. "Will you give me my food if I tell you?" I asked to further reinforce the Idea of me only telling him this for the sake of food. I''m doing this because it is a lot easier to trust something if you paid for it than when u get it for free. "Yes yes you will get your food, just hurry up and spill it and don''t leave anything out," he said impatiently as he pulled out a paper bag filled with bread from the bag he kept under the bench he had been sitting on. I quickly grabbed the bag with a feline''s agility before he could even think of taking it back. I opened the bag to make sure there was food inside making it seem like I didn''t trust his integrity. For the record, I don''t and that seemed to piss him off but he did not say anything. "They said they will rob you tonight at midnight before going to some club," I mentioned the club as Finn''s goons have been talking about going to the club all week and this would further eliminate the seed of drought. ~~~ [Ian Pov] Listening to this kid I thought I was getting pranked at first especially when he said that Finn will rob me. who would believe a five-year-old kid when he tells u something like this, he''s probably thinking he can get some easy food and looking at him god knows he needs it. However just as I was about to dismiss him after a small beating he named the location of my warehouse urately which can only mean that what he overheard is probably true. Normally I wouldn''t think that Finn was able to betray me to this degree buttely he''s been trying to get more control over everything and that psycho would do anything once he sets his mind to it. Another reason why all this makes sense is that after ourst argument over how we do business he and his goons started freezing me out. They did say we were ok a few days ago but they didn''t let me go to the club with them tonight which I thought was odd. Now it all makes sense those dogs were just giving me a false sense of security. "That''s enough boy, you can get lost now," I told the kid as his presence here would only distract me from formting a good countermeasure for those snakes. They do say the best psychopath is one that is dead, let this snake be a testament to that. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 6 Instigation 2 ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~ I left immediately as soon as his voice fell. Looking at his eyes that were out for blood it would be suicidal to stick around this crazed bull any longer. And that smile on his lips just looks so dam creepy, he''s probably been sniffing way too much glue to smile like that after just being told that he''s about to be robbed. I don''t know what''s wrong with him mentally but ill dip anyways in case that stuff is contagious. You know these days everything can be a disease, I just got this second chance at life it would be shameful to be infected with whatever insanity is running around in his head. I''m actually doing the world a huge favour imagine a psychopath who looks this good, id basically be asking for some type of TickTalk meme at that point. Regr people''s problems would seem like a joke if even someone with a system can catch a disease like this. Ok, I think I''m going down a dangerous road here, better keep myself grounded till I got the skills to back the ego. ~~~ [That was dangerous you know] EVAs sweet voice with a hint of concern spoke in my head, I had almost forgotten she was in there by how quiet she has been this whole time. ''I know Eva no need to remind me.'' I answered her as I made my way back towards the house whilst ncing towards Finn from time to time. [Then why do it? What if he decided to hurt you just for the sake of it?] She seemed a little pissed at my actions which she deemed reckless. ''You ask why? hmm, I guess there are two reasons really.'' I told her trying to act a little mysterious as I was feeling quite smug that even the powerful her couldn''t understand my thought process. [What could possibly be worth poking the honest nest? When you could just try your luck at sneaking out.] Eva answered with a little more annoyance in her tone, I think she''s about to lose all hope for me. ''Pride I guess? they both made my life hell when I was here in my past life'' I told her with a bit more seriousness, as I made my way back to the room before promptly devouring all the loaves of bread in the bag. [stupid] I think she has defiantly lost all hope she had for me now. ~~~ After I finished devouring all of the bread I made my way to the kitchen to get some water. climbing on a nearby stole I was able to get drink some water from the tap finally quenching my thirst and allowing my body to better digest the bred. Done with attending to my basic bodily needs I was just about to go back to the bedroom to get some sleep as I won''t get much tonight. However, life had other ns in store for me, Guess there''s no rest for the wicked or in my case the handsome. ~~~ [you are doing it again.] Evamented on my slight narcissistic tendency, which btw I think is a side effect of the torture I suffered from the system. Because in my past life although I was extremely handsome, I would never brag about it just sneakily point it out. Like, let''s say someone asked me for directions I would just point out that they had to go past the reflection of that beautiful man and turn left. ~~~ Just as I turned around I saw a tall and built figure leaning against the wooden door frame of the kitchen. The boy had dark brown shoulder-length hair that was quite wavy as it seemed to slither down from the crown of his head. He had light brown eyes with a hint of yellow in them which seemed to glow when the light hit them at the right angle. You guessed it, it''s Finn standing there like some second-rate bond viin who has just formted his next evil n. He''s got his arms folded and everything probably trying to exert some sort of psychological pressure on me. "Kid we need to talk" Finn ordered with a tone that left nothing for a rebuttal, as he made his way to one of the chairs in the kitchen and motioned for me to sit in front of him. I did as he asked as doing the opposite would be tantamount to setting off the ticking time bomb that is Finn. "W-what... do ... you want to talk about?" I stuttered out as I took the seat across from him whilst making fire to keep my eye level low so our eyes wouldn''t meet. ~~~ [Finn Pov] I was having a good day well as good as it could get when you have to babysit a group of kids. God do I pity how stupid these kids are to believe that they have a chance of adoption or for even trusting me in the first ce. Anyways the day started like any other as I ordered my underlings to beat up a random kid in order to bless the day. After that was done I had breakfast and made ns with my guys about this enemy group we are going to rob tonight. But that Weasel Ian had to go ruin it by acting as me and him a chummy again, like can you believe it he didn''t ept giving me a bigger share of the profit, but still wants to be brothers in arms. What a fool he should be thankful that I''m even cooperating instead of getting rid of him. Well after making him leave me alone, colour me surprised that a whileter the kid I asked these dogs around me to beat up walked towards him. What puzzled me, even more, is the fact that after that same boy left Ian stormed off angrily after throwing me a few nces. ~~~ "What did you tell Ian? and don''t lie to me, I don''t like it when someone lies to me," I told the kid as my fingers started impatiently tapping the table next to me. The kid seemed nervous as he started squirming on the chair as if someone had set it on fire. "P party" Was all that came out of the boy''s mouth as it seem he was too scared to even formte a sentence. F**k this is going to be troublesome I hate it when they start crying, plus I have no patients for this nonsense right now. "Hey kid, are you trying to piss me off?" I raised my voice at him in an attempt to stop him from panicking. "Hurry up n tell me what I want to know, and stop wasting my time," I ordered again as I closed my fist in an attempt to calm the sudden urge to break something. "I... I t told him about the party one of your friends was talking about in the morning" The kid slowly spit out after calming his breathing and building up all the courage he could muster. "And what exactly did u say about it?" I asked in a slightly more serious tone as this could be important, after all, I don''t want that weezel any near this operation. "Just that use are going somewhere with a lot of girls and booze" He stated back at me with a scared expression like a kid whose hand was caught in the cookie jar. "Oh aren''t you a brave one, what was his reaction when u told him?" I asked again as my gaze was burning itself into the boy''s skull trying to dig for all the secrets he could be keeping. "He just startedughing and then sent me away but," the boy stated slowly as if he was testing the waters as he slowly made small eye contact with me for a second. Maybe he''s still scared of me due to the atmosphere I''ve been exuding and is holding back which is truly annoying if you ask me. "Just tell me so we can end this little shindig." I calmly told him as I just wanted to get this over with at this point. "ok ... he muttered something about emptying a warehouse tonight to stick it to some snake." He finally stated as a bomb went off in my head, realising the implications of this information of that weasel having betrayed me. ''He''ll pay, ill make him pay, hehe I''ll make his life a living hell.'' I thought to myself as my thoughts started rampaging thinking of different ways to break him but before that let''s get rid of the pipsqueak can''t think clearly with him around. "boy, you can leave," I told him as he quickly scurried away as if a monster was chasing him. "Oh and in the future don''t speak about anything u see my guys do understand," I stated just before he reached the door making him turn and nod franticly. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 7 Escape 1 ?I wrote this the night when Pele Died so I would like to say thank you to a legend that has blessed the green field. RIP + ~~~ I decided to release this chapter a day early as my New Year''s present to all of yous. Happy new year and may the force be with you. [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~ [Mc Pov] Hahahaha I can''t believe that half-baked n actually worked, I feel like a marite yer slowly pulling the strings of two puppets making them slowly but surely go crazy. I could barely hide my huge grin as I exited the kitchen as fast as I could in order to best sell the role of a scared kid. By the way, I should be given an award for that oscar worthy performance I just gave in there, at least I deserve a standing ovation at the Emmys. But then again it is like fight club up in there these days withedians getting smacked close range and whatnot. ~~~ [Maybe you should''ve chosen the actor profession instead] Eva muttered in my head sounding a little bbergasted at the fact my n even seed. ''What can I say I''m blessed with a lot of talent.'' I answered her smugly as I made my way back to my bed to get some sleep finally. [You are blessed with a lot of something that''s for sure] she spoke with a little venom in her voice, it seems I''d annoyed her enough for one day. ''Now don''t be like that Eva, let us just say I got lucky and leave it at that'' I jokingly stated as Iid down on my bed making sure to cover myself so I could get some shuteye. ~~~ [23:40 pm] My head felt a bit hazy as I slowly opened my eyes trying to stabilise my eyesight in the darkness due to daylight no longer serving as a guiding light. After a couple of seconds, my eyes slowly adjusted to my surroundings and theck of light. I looked around and noticed that most of the beds were filled with kids fast asleep, the only beds that were empty were the ones belonging to Finn''s group and Ian''s bed guess both decoys have been deployed. After making sure that the n was in motion I slowly rolled out of bed making sure to create the least amount of noise as there is zero room for error now. After sessfully reaching the ground I got into a crouching position and put my pillow under the nket and grabbed my neighbour''s as well which was justying on the ground. Now that the second contingency was set I started slowly making my way to the bathroom as there is something there that I''m gonna need if I''m gonna make it out of this country in one piece. Just as I was about to finish my mission impossible sneak out of the room the kid on thest bed dropped out of his bed creating a thing noise. Boy that looks like it must hurt, he slowly opened his eyes and we made eye contact. This must''ve been the longest two seconds in my life as we held eye contact, my heart skipped a beat and I stopped breathing all movements in my body perfectly stop at this second as sweat started to slowly gather on my forehead. Maybe it was because he was half asleep or maybe it was the fact that the goddess of luck seemed to love me at this moment but the boy just reached for his pillow and nket before passing out on the floor. ~~~ I breathed out in relief as I made my way out of the room where I could finally stand up, but I wasted no time making my way to the bathroom. In there I saw a rack with clothing hanging on them and I quickly chose a ck tracksuit and changed it for my current clothes. Next, I grabbed a ck hoodie with some holes and a pair of dark blue trainers that were In good condition and fit me. Afterpleting my robber makeover I quickly made my way to thest stall which is the main reason for me having to stop by here as this is actually where the gang keep all our paperwork in. I guess the reasoning behind this is that no one would expect it I guess that paranoia really runs in Finn''s family as this location is only known to Finn and his dad. I only found out about this when I was soldst time around as he took me here to take photos for his collection, anyways now that I know I can really leave a present for his collection one he will never forget. After opening the stall I moved the toilet stool and low n behold a meter-sized hole opened up, inside was a small office with documents and a typewriter guess the digital age hasn''t reached here yet. I quickly got in and made my way to the desk where a footlong box was ced in the centre of the desk. I wasted no time opening the box as it was left opened guess he thought the was no need for more precautions after nting his office in the below-the-shits literally. In the box, there was a stack of dors in the form of fifties bound by a rubber band and a small pile of passports which was my real goal. I put on the ck gloves that were on the desk before I continued any further just cause they helped set the whole mood better. After rummaging through the box I found mine which had a picture of me when I was about two if you wondering yes I was handsome back then too. For good measure, I grabbed as many stacks of fifties in Das as I could carry and stuffed them in my pockets. Then I made my way to the wall of trophies where all the leader''s collections were disyed proudly like some awards. On the wall there were pictures of kids of all ages who have been through this camp, there were also documents of illegal activities they havepleted. Basically, this wall is the group''s Achilles hill as it clearly states all activities they have pulled and where they have sent the kids and if that wasn''t bad enough it also states what high-profile figures support the gang. ~~~ ''Eva show me the mission panel again please'' I asked her so I can better coordinate my next steps as I was carefully inspecting the wall in its entirety. [right away host] she promptly replied as a holographic panel appeared in my view. ~~~ [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS ] !SINGULARITY MISSION!: CAGED BIRD! #Task 1: sneak out at midnight #Task 2: Go unnoticed #Task 3: Make it to Cruise Terminal Havan before (12:00 noon) #Task 4: Sneak onto the going marry (Note: The Singrity Cannot be held down by mere mortals. ) ~~~ Hmm, ok so it''s about 23:55 right now so I better start making my way out of here. Before leaving tho let''s start a burnfire so that this collection can really light up this room. In order to buy myself enough time for my escape I''m gonna have to get my macgyver hat on to create something close to a dyed burnfire. Looking around I found a candle rope and a canister of oil, my mind started spinning as I remembered a lunatic and his philosophy on art, but thinking about it now he was on to something. First of I grabbed a nearby camera and started taking pictures. It was one of the cameras that print out the finished project so I wouldn''t have to worry about developing it. Afterpleting my photoshoot I took the small oil canister and started soaking the bottom of the wall heavily. Now with thatplete, I snapped the Candell in half and got rid of the stump at the bottom so I could tie the small rope to the bottom of it. With that done I lightly sprinkled the rope with a bit of oil and connected the other end of it to the bottom of the wall. ~~~ ''Complete'' i breathed out with a sigh as I looked at my handy work, with this set-up art will really be an explosion. I went back to the desk and grabbed stacks of paper that looked important and put them in an envelope together with the photos before taping them to my body underneath the shirt i had on under my hoodie. I took out a match before lighting the candle and made my back out of the room as carefully as I could. ''Hey, Eva what''s the likely hood someone is sitting on the pan when this blow?'' I asked her as I hadn''t considered the fact that this is built below the toilets. [There is a 20% chance] she answered slightly exasperated that I hadn''t thought this far ahead. Well, I''m kinda under time pressure and had to do all that in 5 minutes, anyways let us hope it''s someone bad if it happens. >_< [An: I promise this arc is almost over so to those sitting on the hot seat so to say and can''t seem to survive 10 chapters of character building, fear not your prayers were heard and will most defiantly be ignored. I love some of thements and try my best to interact with them please continue to interact with me as it will give me an idea of what you think of the chapter.] . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 8 Escape 2 ?I wrote this the night when Pele Died so I would like to say thank you to a legend that has blessed the green field. RIP + ~~~ [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~ I guess this is not what they meant with the hot seat. After contemting the moral aspect of setting a fire under the toilets I refocused on my escape as I made my way out of the toilets. The hall was empty so I promptly made my way to the garage that was connected to the house at the end of the hall. Slowly opening the door I made sure no one was in the hall before going out myself making sure to lock the door behind me. The garage was littered with pieces of equipment and oil stains all over the ce that gave off the feeling of a mechanic workshop. Looking around I saw that the car was gone but at the side of the wall there was a mountain bike and upon closer inspection, it was in good condition. I wasted no time taking it after making sure it wasn''t too big for me. The garage had two different exits one being the main shutters that opened towards the main road and the second being a side door, which opens facing a thin wired fence. I chose to leave out of the side door as it made the least amount of noise. Before exiting I grabbed a pair of metal snippers on the workbench which I chose to cut open the fence with making a big enough hole for the bike and me. With my all-ck get up I truly felt like a burr only I''m not breaking into a house but out of a jail designed to ruin my life. With everything ready, I slowly pushed the bike out of the side door and through the whole, I created onto the neighbour''s property. Looking left and right at his property there was nothing there, so I continued making my way through hiswn and approached his driveway. The moon was shining bright this morning and mixed with the quiet atmosphere it painted quite the serene scene. However, this peaceful silence was abruptly stopped when I noticed the sound of more footsteps when I should''ve been alone. Just as I was halfway across thewn I heard a low growl that made my heart stop for a second because at that very moment I saw a picture of a monster on the side of the house. Below that monster''s picture, it read beware dogs. Slowly turning my head towards the rattling noise of metal I saw two massive white Pitbulls staring at me with dull ck eyes. They seemed to have chains around their necks which exined the nging noise, they were connected to the side of the house on a long thick rope. They looked like monsters that have just been woken from a peaceful slumber, so now they feel obligated to tear something to shreds. I vaguely saw the dog on the right grin in anticipation as if something exciting is about to happen. We held eye contact for a whole three seconds when the left one barked which seemed to signal the end of this Mexican standoff. Almost instantly as soon as the bark fell my body moved on its own like a sprinter who heard the start gun go off, as I kicked off the ground with all my might pushing the bike forward and began peddling with all my strength. Maybe I was lucky or the dogs were waiting for me to bark back at them but that slight dy allowed me to mount the bike and start peddling before they finally reacted and started chasing me. At this moment in life, I had my own little Tom and Jerry moment when one of the dogs caught up to me on my right and lunged up high trying to take me down. As the dog was in the air I must have activated ultra instinct or something as I instinctively leaned forward barely missing its bbery maul that was aiming for my neck. However, I wasn''t as lucky as Jerry who always seemed toe out unscathed when dogging Tom''s attacks, as I felt its ws cleaving a gash on my left shoulder which was slow to react to my newly gained ultra instinct. The sudden pain made me pull the bike abruptly to the left which served me well in dogging the second attack. After stabilising the bike I peeked to my left where the first beast was getting close again and judging from the look it was giving me I''m its next meal n. It didn''t waste any more time before taking off towards me again as if it was on some kinda jet fuel juice or nitro. I''m not gonna go out like this so I moved my body weight to the right before abruptly kicking out with my left foot hitting it right under its throat and as it was mid-air it had no chance of dodging my attack. That seemed to just be enough to critically hurt it as its whole body folded in mid-air changing directions andnding on thewn behind me as it started whimpering. Guess now that my legs are equally dominant I pack quite the rocket in my left. I could have sworn I saw the second dog''s eyes leave its body as it stopped for a second after seeing its friend''s oue after attempting to attack me again. Well, that bought me enough time to reach the firm ground on the driveway before it realised it was supposed to be chasing me. It gritted its teeth gathering its courage again as it saw me getting away, charging me at full speed trying to catch me again. This was its mistake tho as it didn''t seem to notice the rope on the ground was no longer following its movements. All I heard was a choking yelp as I saw a dog whose neck was jerked back in the air mid-flight causing its whole body to change its flight path and crash on the ground. Not paying it any mind I quickly made my way down the driveway and lucky for me the exit was on the side street and not on the same one as the one from the camp. ~~~ ''Eva, can you set me a route to havan please?'' I asked her as I had no idea where to go from there. [What do I look like Siri to you] She shot back sounding a little angry at me for underappreciating her skill and wanting to use her as a mere map. ''so you can''t even do a simple skill that Siri can?'' I asked her in a teasing voice in an attempt to get her to just do it. [who said I can''t? (hmph) Here now leave me alone! Hope tuck Samma (mumble).] She answered with a dissatisfied voice before pulling up my system mission tab. ''Thank you and what was thest thing?'' I asked her as I could not hear her. -_- ''tell me -_- [Ding] [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS ] !SINGULARITY MISSION!: CAGED BIRD! #Task 1: sneak out at midnight - Complete #Task 2: Go unnoticed - Complete #Task 3: Make it to Cruise Terminal Havan before (12:00 noon) #Task 4: Sneak onto the going marry (Note: The Singrity Cannot be held down by mere mortals. ) ~~~ [Rout being set to Cruise terminal Havan] [Please follow the route set] . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 9 Free ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] Please leave a review after you read the chapter it helps me a lot. ~~~ ''Thanks'' Seeing a small google map floating in front of me I wasted no time following it as I have a good fifty Kilometers to cover. If I was walking it would be a good 11 hours before I reached my destination but thanks to the bike I should be able to cut that in half. It''s gonna be a long journey, I guess this is what they mean when they talk about taking it one step at a time. Well with me it''s more like a pedal at a time, it''s all semantics in the end, and I''m not gonna be a big fan at the end of this. First things first let''s get as far away from her as possible. I did just that as I hightailed it on my bike as fast as my body would naturally let me. If I''m being honest I think I was still scared that those monsters masquerading as dogs would get loose any second and continue the hunt for little old me. The map led me through a trail along the countryside, although it was dark I could still recognise the subtle beauty of the country. There were mostly trees and the asional tobo fields along the way, I did see a lot of horses and cattle which surprised me if I''m being honest. I recon the countryside looks quite calming during the day, what with all the nature and little as possible industrial impact on the asional forests. It felt like this was the system''s way of making me get some cardio in and it seems like I really need it my breathing is starting to get really rugged. I was sweating buckets here and it felt like my body was in overdrive as all my muscles felt active and burning like a car whose engine is about to overheat. Two hours into the journey every bone in my body felt like it was made of lead and It was a struggle just to continue lifting my legs. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle at this point and my whole body was telling me to just give up and rx to take a rest. But I knew if I took a break right now I won''t be able to push myself to keep going through this torture so I just gritted my teeth and fought through the pain, even if the ground started to look reallyfortable at some point in the journey. ~~~ After around five or so hours of nonstop pedalling, I got to a diner and decided to stop to get some breakfast, because most of my journey had been powered through by sheer determination and willpower. At some point, my left shoulder started feeling numb and when I came to a stop I finally started feeling the weird sensation. It felt like I had slept on it with how much like dead weight it felt, except it wasn''t getting back to normal any time soon. I parked the bike at the side of the diner, the outside of the building was coloured with white paint that seemed to have seen better days and had red tiles on the roof which could also use a coat of paint. There was a big neon green mike lighting up on the windows, I guess that''s the guy that owns the joint then. I wasted about a few seconds looking at the flickering mike logo that looked like it would give up on shining any second now. Before promptly walking into the joint, the ce was deserted except for the waitress at the counter so I sat down in an empty booth by the window and checked out the menu. Oh, what I wouldn''t give for an English breakfast right about now, with some hash brown and some smoky bacon. It didn''t take long till the only waitress in the ce approached me with a smile which made no sense this early in the morning. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and had a yellow worn-down name tag with the name Lana printed on it, she was around 1.70 m with brown eyes, and she had shoulder-length ck hair to finish the look. She was wearing a beige colour uniform and a ck skirt which honestly did her beauty no justice. "Hello, what can I get for you?" she asked in a friendly tone as she beamed a smile towards me. Guess the saying that clothes don''t make the woman does apply here, as her personality seemed to be a total contrast to the dull employee uniform. The menu was written in Spanish and with the time I''ve spent here in my past life, it was easy to understand after giving it a once over I settled on what I wanted. "I''ll get the toast with scrambled eggs and a cup of tea to go with it please," I answered her with a smile on my face as she wrote down my order on her notepad. It''s no Full English breakfast but considering that it looks like this body hasn''t had a proper meal in a few days it will do. "Excuse me can I use your toilet?" I asked her before she could turn around because I really need to check out my shoulder this numb feeling is starting to bug me. "yes of course it''s just over there to the left," She told me while she pointed towards the far end of the counter. "Thank you" I answered her before making my way towards the bathroom following the direction she pointed out. ~~~ I took off my hoodie to get a better look at my shoulder, and all I saw was the dried-over blood that has been running down my arm all night. I turned on the cold water and started slowly washing off the blood, it stung when the water got onto the w marks. I ripped up my shirt before tying it around the wound to create some pressure on it. Afterpleting my little medical procedure I put my hoodie back on and sshed some water on my face. Looking at my reflection in the mirror I saw myself smiling, even though I was in so much pain from the w mark and loss of blood all I could do was smile. [maybe you''ve finally gone crazy] Eva chimed in with a teasing voice as shemented on my smile, it seems she is still angry with the Siriment from earlier. ''Well If insanity is the price for freedom, I''ll pay the piper any time of the week'' I answered her as the smile on my face fully bloomed before I headed back to my seat. It didn''t take long for Lana toe with my scrambled eggs with a toast and a cup of tea, it honestly surprised me how she was carrying all of it. I gave her a fifty-dor note because she was giving me the look that you get when they''re not sure if you can foot the bill. That seemed to work as she beamed me a smile before turning around and starting to hum a tune. She really is way too happy at five in the morning, guess some people are just morning people. I started munching down on the eggs while enjoying the tea as I contemted my next move now that I have gained a sliver of freedom. ~~~ The clock read 6:30 am when I finished my food, looking out the window I caught a glimpse of the sunrise which was just peaking over the horizon. The morning dew was still hanging in the air outside guess I didn''t notice it during my journey here. After I gathered my thoughts together I quickly made my way outside making sure to thank Lana for the breakfast. Luckily for me, my bike was still there so I quickly took off towards Havan, wanting to get there as early as possible to stake out the going merry. Pedalling down the open road made me feel kinda weird especially when the morning traffic started zooming past me. I got some odd looks from some drivers who felt like I was wasting their time, oh and they let me know it by honking like maniacs whilst zooming past me. I finally spotted the wide ocean after an hour of nonstop honking that almost drove me crazy. The air had a slightly salty aftertaste to it and the sky was being overcrowded by pigeons and seagulls fighting each other for breakfast. The Havan pier was surprisingly buzzing at eight in the morning, with fishermen unloading ships or leaving for an honest day''s of work. ? "Let us Find the going Merry," I muttered to myself as I started cruising along the pier. [An: Almost didn''t write this chapter, but I thought it was important to the story so I hope you enjoyed the read.] . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 10 The Merry ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 6 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it.] ~~~ [Ding Stamina has levelled up] >Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: C- Bnce and Coordination: D+ Speed: C+ (67) Agility: E+ (48) Strength: D (52) Stamina: C+ (65) ''Looks like all that hard work throughout the night was worth it'' I thought to myself looking at the upgrade to my stamina. Seems like that is the only thing that''s upgraded, guess I need to work hard, especially on my agility it''s horrible for someone who''s got two strong feet. ~~~ Looking around the pier It felt like I was looking at hundreds of worker ants up close just getting on with their work and not bothering about anything else. Tons of sea creatures were being unloaded from huge ships by the workers as if it was normal for them. I don''t think I''ve ever seen so many dead fish in one ce in both of my life and if I''m being honest the stench of them is nauseating. After spending about thirty minutes navigating the morning fish market I finally reached the other side. Why does it have to be so crowded? it''s like a movie festival up in this ce. Looking out onto the clear blue sea floor was a sight to behold, it really emphasised to me that I was free to enjoy sights like these. Going down the docks I could see rows upon rows of different types of boats. From little speed boats that look like sports cars made for water to massive yachts that looked like vis on the water. Honestly trying to locate the going merry is gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack among all these boats. Realising that I''m not gonna get anywhere just looking for the boat like a headless chicken I made my way towards a hut that looked to be the information point. There was a middle-aged blond woman dressed in a white sailor''s uniform who was working the information booth. ~~~ "Hello, what can I help you with?" She asked me with a professional smile as she gave me a once over with her eyes, guess my look is a bit suspicious among all these expensive boats. "Hi, I got hired to help clean a boat called the going merry but I can''t seem to locate it," I told her while scratching the back of my head trying to look as innocent as possible. That lie should work as it''s not umon to see children being employed for menial work here. "Oh alright that''s no problem just let me check the system for you" she answered while looking through her ledgers. It didn''t take long for her to find what she was looking for under the hundreds of names that were in her leger. "The boat is docked at G17, just keep walking straight and you will spot it," she said while pointing out the directions on a map she had on the table. "Thanks, I appreciate the help" I thanked her as I promptly made my way following the direction she gave me. ~~~ After walking down the pier for a while I finally reached the G lot and there were Loads of medium-sized luxury yachts scattered about the ce. looking through the rows of yachts I finally located a beautiful beige colour ship with a sheep''s head at the bow. The yacht had this elegant feeling to it like a barreling who danced gracefully on stage. "Guess this must be the going merry then" I muttered under my breath while admiring this stunning piece of machinery. The Merry looked like it could have at least four five-star all-inclusive bedrooms, and the ship was decorated with golden flowers all over the ce. [How did you figure that? by the big going merry written on the side] Eva teased me from inside of my head. That''s when I finally noticed its name which was written in bold letters on the side, When did that appear it wasn''t there a second ago. ~~~ Now that I know where the merry is I made my way out of the pier back into tow looking for a pharmacy. It didn''t take long for me to find one in town, the massive red cross was a big giveaway. Going in I went and bought a roll of bandages with a packet of paracetamol, I couldn''t really risk getting sick when I''m at sea, could I? After paying for the medicine I made my way to one of the public bathrooms. When I arrived I waste no time taking off my hoodie and top so I could apply the bandages to myself. It was a struggle applying the bandages to my body, Having to try and reach around my shoulder to best wrap ce the bandages. For one I had no idea what I was actually doing so it turned out quite crooked at first but nothing a few tries couldn''t solve. Eventually, I did manage to decently fit the bandages around my upper body making me look like a bit of a mummy. With that done I dawned on my tracksuit top and hoodie again couldn''t really wear the bloodied shirt anymore so I threw it in the bin. After exiting the bathrooms I made my way to a nearby supermarket to buy some food for my journey. I made sure to buy things that wouldn''t perish within a week, as I wouldn''t know How long I would be on the sea. With all the necessities gathered, I clutched my bag with my things and promptly made my way back towards the going merry. ~~~ Back at the merry, I waited till I was sure no one was around before I jumped on board. I quickly made my way below deck as it seemed like whoever owned the yacht wasn''t there yet. Going through the corridor I found one master bedroom and two other side rooms, so I choose one of the side rooms with the massive walk-in closet as that seemed like a good location to hide. Going through the closet it seemed to be long to a young girl judging by the clothes she kept in there. I found a corner that was quite well hidden behind some of her clothes and chose to make that my new camping spot for the foreseeable future. ~~~ [DING SINGULARITY MISSIONS COMPLEATED] !SINGULARITY MISSION!: CAGED BIRD! #Task 1: sneak out at midnight [Compleate] #Task 2: Go unnoticed [Compleate] #Task 3: Make it to Cruise Terminal Havan before (12:00 noon) [Compleate 9 am] #Task 4: Sneak onto the going marry [Compleate] (Note: The Singrity Cannot be held down by mere mortals. ) ~~~ Rewards: > A Grade Enlightenment Elixer >A random Chance to learn a Skill from an Icon. > 1000 SP > Boost in host position of choice. ~~~ Just as I was about to try and get some sleep as I felt exhausted from my fifty kilometres journey here the system rang out. Looking at the missionplete notification it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders and it meant that all my efforts were worth it. "Go me" I muttered as my vision slowly faded guess the physical and mental toll I put my body through the whole night is finally catching up to me. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 11 Emma ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Emma Pov] my name is Emma Rex and you could say I''m lucky growing up in a loving family that provides me with anything a little girl could ever wish for. I guess you could say that I''m rich well my parents are if we are being exact but thates with its bonuses for me being their child and all. My mom is my entire world as she showers me with her love whenever she can, her dream was always to have a big family but after she had me she found out she was unable to have children again. The doctors said that my birth was a miracle in itself but if you were to ask me mum survivingbour was the real miracle. She tells me that the idea of getting to hold and watch me grow up is what gave her the strength to fight for her life that day. I got lucky that my Lisa didn''t die that day, that''s my mum''s name by the way and she is as beautiful if not more than Monalisa in my eyes. I know she loves me with all her heart but her heart broke a little when she found out she couldn''t have any more kids. I think that''s why she works so hard trying to seed in her career as a personal trainer. she''s studied sports science, sports nutrition, and even sports psychology just so she could stand on the same starting line as her other malepetitors in the same industry. I guess she is what you would call a struggling talent as she is way overqualified to be struggling in the industry. She says that she loves her job as she gets to help people reach their full potential when they themselves don''t believe in themselves. She works so hard to help athletes reach their potential only to be thrown to the side when they reach a little sess for the simple reason of being a woman. She doesn''t say it but I know she is hurt by it because in her mind it''s as if her child was rejecting her efforts, which is why I think she hasn''t given up yet as it''s like helping set her son she never had up for sess. My dad on the other hand is a superhero in my eyes. He gave up his family''s inheritance when they tried to threaten him with that, all in order to make us a whole family when I was born. He struggled to open a sports equipmentpany in the states with thest of the trust fund that was left to him. He worked hard to grow thepany over the years and slowly but surely he has built a small business empire. My dad''s name is Ben Rex, he took my mum''s family name when they got married. He said since he has to change his name anyways he might as well take hers. He''s handsome too with his short ck mop of hair and his tall build he reminds me of batman without the secret identity. In a way he had a second child, he could care for when he opened the business, I guess the news that I''m gonna be his only child hit him hard too. However, he has never made me feel bad for being his only child on the contrary he''s almost drowning me with love whenever he gets the chance. One example is this holiday we are on for my birthday because I wanted to go to a beach and swim he took us to Cuba where it''s still warm in October. He took me and mom on our family yacht he bought some time ago all the way to Cuba just so we could spend some quality family time. ~~~ We have been in Havana for the past three days and today will finally be going back to the states. Although I''ve enjoyed my time with my family I''m not a big fan of Cuba if I''m being honest it seems like the whole country has ayer of tension and money is the only thing that seems to have a voice here. We set sail at 12 sharp my dad is a stickler for punctuality so around 11 am I had my bags parked and ready to go. We nned to have lunch on the ship so I made my way there with our captain Joe. He''s not like a ship''s captain more like the army kind, he is my dad''s bodyguard even tho I don''t really think he needs one it''s not like he''s the president. Even though he was not in the navy he learned to drive a boat in the marines so I started calling him captain Joe. Anyways captain Joe is like my dad''s best friend they grew up together before he left to join the Marines. He retired three years ago and started doing security for my dad but if you ask me he''s just trying to stay busy after being on active duty for a decade. Anyways we quickly made our way to the going merry which is our boat well more like a yacht. Dad was obsessed with this pirate manga when growing up so he named the boat after it, he even had the ship customised to look more like its mang counterpart. Joe loaded my things onto the boat before I took them to my room so I could get ready for our lunchter. ~~~ After setting my thing aside in my walk-in closet I got changed into a yellow sundress before making my back out onto the deck. When I got out onto the deck I noticed that we had already set sail for quite a while. On one of the sun lounges on the deck of the boat, the sun shined to reveal a woman with light blonde hair to her shoulders, and really bright eyes. She had a huge sun hat with sunsses and was rxing in the sun. She looked to be in her mid-twenties but in reality, she is twenty-seven this year but age didn''t seem to want to blemish her looks. "Hello, Em''s," She said to me smiling as she waved me over to the sun chair next to her as she put the book in her hands down. The next thing I knew was that she took out a tube of sun lotion with factor thirty printed on it as she gave me an expectant look. "Hello mom" I smiled at her while I took the seat next to her. She wasted no time applying the lotion on my arms smearing it all over me making sure there is no chance of me suffering a sunburn. "All done sweetie," she said as she finally finished applying the lotion to my body making sure to get every inch of my exposed skin. Sometimes I think that in her eyes I''ll always be that little baby she held in her arms all those years ago. "Mom you always overdo it" I pouted at her but she just startedughing at me before getting up to enjoy the sea breeze as the wind yed with her locks. ~~~ I was sitting at the table that was decked out with all types of light and healthy delicacies that mom prepared. she was sitting to my left still reading the book she had started earlier. "How is my little princess doing?" A masculine voice came from behind me as his hand ruffled through my blond locks. I quickly turned around from the chair I was sitting on to face him. This man was the definition of huge. He was easily 6''5 and was buff like he hits the gym every day. Yet, his face had some wrinkles from smiling andughing too much. His light eyes were a dark grey and matched the silver suit he was wearing. "Oh and what about me?" mom asked him as she pouted a little to get his attention, she can be a little petty when ites to my dad. She likes a little bunny that wants his attention when she''s bored. "haha I miss u too my dear wife," he said as he pressed a light kiss on the head before taking the seat across from her. Shortly after captain joe came to the table and joined us for lunch. There was a lot going on, with dad having a conversation with joe and mom but I felt at peace. This is way better than when it is dead silent. There was constantughing even when they were supposedly fighting about a particr topic. "Listen up! Dinner is on the table so start simmering so we can start digging in." Mom said as she started filling the tes with a bit of everything. With that said we promptly started devouring the meal as the atmosphere remained calm and serene. After lunch, came dessert. vani. I saw ice cream. Mom frowned seeing dad serve it to me, yet she didn''t say anything. After lunch was done I excused myself from the table to go and take a nap. I wasted no time making my way to my room and into my closet to change into morefortable clothes. That''s when I noticed a weird stench that wasing from my closet. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 12 The Boy ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ I slowly went deeper into my closet in an attempt to locate where this foreign stench wasing from. It smelled like sweet or mud and had this slightly metallic stench that left a weird feeling in my stomach. Moving some of my older clothes to the side at the back corner of the closet, which has probably been here for months without being worn. Just as I was moving thest piece of clothing I jumped back with a yelp at the sight of a young boy passed out on the floor. After calming my nerves at the sudden appearance of a random boy in my closet. Noticing that he was still asleep even after my surprised yelp brought further calm to me allowing me to think clearly. Sniffing the air I was certain that the god-awful smell of sweat and dirt was defiantlying from him. I took a step closer to him and reached out my hand to touch his forehead to tap him awake. However, when I touch his head it was like touching a radiator that was exuding heat at max power, guess he''s having a fever. Not knowing what to do I decided to go and get mom as she will probably know what to do. ~~~ [Lisa Pov] I was sitting at the table where I and my family just had an enjoyable lunch which we hadn''t had in a while with my and my husband''s busy schedules. Ben was chatting with his friend Joe about how he believed he could win a fight with a shark if one shows up. Sometimes I wonder where he gets the confidence, I think it started inting when Emma called him Batman once. Ever since then, he''s been trying to live up to this superhero image that our daughter has built up for him. Don''t get me wrong he''s always had unnatural self-belief, he''s been my backbone all the way through our marriage and especially my pregnancy with Emma. Anyways I''m d Joe has been there to keep him safe after returning from active duty. As some stunts he started to pull in order to live up to the superhero persona were getting outrageous at some point. I think what made him stop is when he found Emma asking Santa to keep her dad safe and help him stop taking risks with his life. Even though he loves the adrenalin rush he gets from doing things like sky diving and bungy jumping one look at our daughter''s sad expression made his obsession for it crumble. Speaking of my daughter there shees, which is puzzling since she is supposed to be having her afternoon nap. It seems I wasn''t the only one to notice this oddity as Emma hates it when her routine is interrupted. "Emma dear is everything Ok?" Ben asked in a worried tone as he looked at the panicked look on Emma. He is always ready to drop whatever he is doing whenever ites to Emma, I once watched him quite literally drop a twenty thousand Dor vase just to catch emmas doll that fell from the second floor. I was so mad at him for that stunt, so I made him sleep on the couch for a week. I wasn''t mad that he broke the vase its the fact he wasted money buying it just to break it to catch a ten-dor doll that would have survived the fall. "What''s wrong Emma?" I asked her in a more serious tone as she usually speaks her mind right away except when she did something wrong. That seemed to work as she snapped out of her panic and answered me. "There''s a boy in my closet" The atmosphere was deadly silent as soon as her words fell and I could tell she was serious in her answers by the way her cheeks blushed. "What do you mean there is a boy in your closet?" Ben shot up from the ground as he asked in a stern tone, I don''t know when but at some point he ended up there. He can be so dramatic sometimes, it is honestly worrying that he runs a million-dorpany. "Exactly what I said he''s passed out in my closet" Emma quickly answered him as her cheeks continued to heat up obviously embarrassed by the direction the conversation was taking. "He''s too hot" she stammered out under her breath but with the silence, she might as well be screaming it out. That seemed to be thest straw for my husband as he marched inside the ship like a man possed with joe hot on his heels while having an amused smile on his face at how Ben was acting. I started chuckling seeing him act this way before promptly following him with Emma by my side. ~~~ In Emma''s room at the entrance of her closet, I saw my husband who had a dumbfounded look on his face as he stared at what seemed to be a five-year-old boy in rugged ck clothing. However, he soon regained hisposure as he faced Emma with a questioning look probably hinting at her hotment. Her cheeks blushed harder after being put under the microscope again as she quickly turned away from the looks she was getting. "His head is hot" She managed to blurt out before hiding behind me. Her words seemed to make my husband realise the situation as he stretched out his hand in an effort to feel the boy''s temperature. "Your right he''s got a severe fever," he said with a serious tone as he picked up the boy from the ground before cing him on Emma''s bed. That''s when I noticed the stic bag that was lying next to the kid. Looking at the contents in the bag it seems the boy knew he had a fever as I found a packet of paracetamol. It also seems like he nned to hitch a ride with us by the number of non-perishables in his bag. "I think he''s bleeding from somewhere," I heard Joe interject as he started removing the boy''s hoodie and top. Lo and behold he really was bleeding from his left shoulder, but it seems to be caused by the bandages aggravating the wound because some idiot tied it wrong and too tight. "What''s that?" Emma interjected as joe was busy removing the bandages. Looking at what she pointed it seemed to be a folded-up envelope that was taped to the boy. Spotting what Emma pointed out Ben quickly removed the tape from the boy''s body freeing the envelope. He wasted no time opening it but as soon as he looked inside a deep frown was stered on his face as he looked back and forth between the envelope and the boy. My daughter seemed to be getting impatient by the fact he didn''t say anything after looking at the context of the envelope. "It''s nothing go get the medkit for joe," He said in a stern tone to her that left no room for an argument. She was slightly shocked by his tone but promptly followed his instructions as she left the room. "What is wrong babe?" I asked him as it''s highly odd for him to not even entertain Emma''s curious questions, the only time he does this is when it''s serious and he''s trying to protect her. He didn''t answer me but just handed me a stack of photos from the envelope, giving some to joe as well who had stopped what he was doing noticing Ben''s atmosphere. Looking through the pictures I was slightly confused at first before I realised what was going on in them as tears threatened to burst out from my eyes. Kids are being treated likemon cabbage to be sold to the highest bidder in the pictures, some were even trafficked to a war zone to be child Soulja''s. The pictures seemed to be taken from some kind of sick wall of trophies as I could notice prices written below some pictures of kids, This seemed to be some sort of an attempt to make some sort of sick ranking system. My eyes involuntarily moved to the passed to the kid who was still lightly bleeding out of a wound that seemed to be a w mark and I couldn''t hold back my tears anymore. It''s now that I fully notice his malnourished frame of someone who has not received a proper meal in years. It seems like he''s recently gained some muscles but with the bad state, his body looked to be in it''s a wonder he was able to build some. "why are you crying?" . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 13 Sticky Business ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ "Why are you crying" I turned around to see a worried Emma who was carrying a first-aid bag that was almost half her height. Not knowing how to answer her for a second, I quickly wiped the tears off my cheeks before taking the first aid bag off her hands and making my way to the kid''s side. "Mommy just doesn''t like seeing blood" Ben answered her as he saw that I wasn''t going to respond to her. Ignoring my daughter''s questioning look I inspected the boy''s wound which seemed to be caused by the w of an animal. Joe seeing my serious look wanted to take over the med kit to treat the boy but I lightly showed his hands away as I started cleaning the wound. My actions seemed to have surprised everyone in the room as I noticed that no one was talking, to be exact it was almost like they were trying to make as little noise as possible. "shouldn''t one of you two go and steer the ship" That seemed to wake them out of their stupor as they franticly left the room. I guess they must have forgotten that weid anchor a while ago. I did notice that Ben made sure to take all the pictures and the envelope that the boy was carrying with him. He probably just wants to give me some space so he can study the information in the envelope. "Emma, can you get me a basin of cold water and a cloth?" I lightly asked her as I noticed she was just standing there with a worried expression fiddling with her hands, not knowing how to help out. My words seemed to be the answer she was looking for as she quite literally jumped up and raced to the kitchen. After making sure that the wound was clean I fished out the Isopropyl alcohol in the kit and gently disinfected the wound. Just as I was done disinfecting the wound, I turned around to the sight of Emma carrying a basin of water almost filled to the brim with water. I held back the urge to facepalm after seeing how focused she was trying to make sure not to spill the contexts of the basin. I took the basin off of her hands and ced it on the table next to me. "Please help me hold him up so we can bandage him," I told her as she promptly helped me hold his upper body up. It helped that he hardly weighed anything so it wasn''t a struggle for her to support his body weight. I wasted no time cleanly wrapping up his left shoulder and upper body in bandages not too tight but firm enough not to fall off. With that done I picked him up before cing him on the couch in the room so I could change the bloodied sheets of the bed. While I was doing that I had Emma gently wipe the sweat off the boy making sure to help cool him down. After changing the sheets of the bed and removing every speck of blood from the room I tucked the boy back into bed making sure he wasfortable. with all that done I fed him some aspirins from the kit as I don''t really trust the medicine in the boy''s bag due t never having seen that brand before. Looking at him now that his face was clean from all the dirt that was there before he looks cute with his light brownplexion and quite symmetric bone structure plus the small fro just enhances it. The way his cheeks puffed up when he breathed only helped to heighten the cuteness. Once the boy''s treatment was done I slowly left the room only to realise that Emma had tucked herself in on the other side of the double bed with her own nket. "What are you doing Emma," I asked her in a rather exasperated tone at her actions. But from her deadpan look, I could tell I was not gonna get a proper answer. Just as expected she replied in a matter-of-fact tone "Going to sleep, plus someone has to stay with Rakim" She told me before she turned over to face the boy while trying to fall asleep. "Wait how do you know his name?" I asked her because there wasn''t any information about him in the folder or the bag he carried. "His passport fell out of his pocket when dad was carrying him" she replied as she pointed to a small booklet that wasying on her dresser. "You could have told me you know his name," I told her a little pissed she didn''t mention that she knew his name this whole time. "You didn''t ask" She replied without batting an eye as if its only natural. "What am I gonna do with you" I muttered to myself as I grabbed the passport before quickly making my way out of the room, not wanting to continue this conversation any longer. ~~~ [Ben Pov] Sitting in the wheel house I was going through the contexts of the folder my best friend joe after he set a course to the harbour in Tampa. I knew my wife hates it when kids are mistreated so the best I could do was to figure out the exact situation first. Looking through the paperwork in front of me it looked like some type of small-scale organisation was trying its best to raise its scale of operation. They first started by selling and supplying drugs but with massive cartels in Cuba, they were quickly sent running by otherpetitors. With that venture leading to a dead end quite literally with the former gang leader being killed, they turned to supply arms and human trafficking through the lead of the current leader who took over more than two decades ago. He transformed the dying gang into one that was on its way to devouring its neighbouring cartel in twenty years. It seems the man had gathered evidence so he could make use of various governments all over the globe to get rid of the heads of these cartels. The evidence is detailed enough to call for the death penalty for most of the people on here, detailing their wrongdoings and who exactly in the government was backing them. The info in this envelope is scary not only because it incriminates people who hold high positions such as CIA Branch directors but because it details exactly where all these people''s safe houses are. The evidence in the folder cast a death sentence on whoever is mentioned. The leader goes by the name El Chapo, it seems like his base of operation is in Mexico and is currently in the process of expanding into Cuba with the human trafficking ring. Whoeverpiled all this evidence seemed to only be a branch leader trying to create an opportunity for himself though. Too bad for him that all his work seemed to have ended up with the kid. "This is some sticky business" Joemented with a bit of worry in his tone as he highlighted the weight this evidence hold against so many dangerous people. He would probably know best how bad this situation is having dealt with far worse in the marines. "It''s quite literally a ticking time bomb my friend" I sighed as I answered him nodding my head slowly trying to think of how to best handle this situation. I knew we should have just gone to Disneynd instead, but who asked me to be such a sucker when ites to my daughter. "I''ll ask my dad to deal with it he owes me this much" I stated after a while of contemtion, seeing as this would be the only safe option to deal with the evidence. My statement seemed to have surprised joe as he looked at me as if I had grown a second head. Just as I was about to answer him I heard footsteps approaching us and upon turning around I saw that it was my wife, who seemed to have calmed down from her earlier anger. She smiled at me before handing me a small booklet and stating "his name is Rakim" with a triumphant smile on her face as if she had won some kind of bet. I was utterly confused as to what she was talking about and my facial expression seemed to tell her that. "It''s all your daughter''s fault" she stated as she took a seat next to me before motioning to the booklet, which I now discovered to be a passport of some sort. After opening it I saw a picture of a two-year-old with the name Rakim Eze printed on it. "Oh ok I understand, where is Emma anyways" I answered her as I focused my attention on her again, wondering where my daughter was since she didn''t follow Lisa out here. "She''s sleeping" is all that came out of her mouth leaving me further confused, wondering if she was doing it on purpose. I would never say this aloud but I think Emmas vague answers, when she is nervous or angry, are inherited from Lisa. "Where is she sleeping" I further irritated my question to her as I was slowly losing my patience with her vague answers. Emma must have said something to make her take it out on me, it''s hard sometimes (sigh). "In her bed where else?" She answered me as if she was stating a simple fact, making it seem as if there wasn''t a boyying in our daughter''s bed. Looking at her smiling expression to my dumbfounded reaction to what she told me, it seems she has achieved her goal as she burst intoughter. All I could do was facepalm at the situation and try to think of happy thoughts before I decide to actually go overboard to fight a shark. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 14 Sticky Business 2 ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Ben Pov] Listening to Juliaughing, made the whole situation a lot less gloomy, shedding a bit of light on the situation. It seems I wasn''t the only one affected by her as I spotted Joe giving me a teasing grin. After about a minute ofughing, she turned to me with a serious demeanour indicating she was done joking around. How she manages to change her mood so quickly will forever be a mystery to me, it must be a woman thing as my mom used to do that a lot too. "So how bad is the situation?" she asked me, wanting to get right into the nitty and gritty, and the no-nonsense look on her face only further affirmed it. "It''s a sticky business" Joe repeated his words from earlier with a solemn tone as he faced Julia. At this point, he is starting to sound like a broken record guess the weight of the information must be bad if even a seasoned Soulja like him is fazed by it. "That Bad huh" was all Julia said as she got up from her chair and went to the window to stare at the passing waves. I could practically see the gears in her mind turning by the second as if she was answering the questions to life. Joe began giving her a rundown of the situation from start to finish so that she could get a clearer died of what we were dealing with. By the time Joe exined the situation to her, she was practically trying to squeeze all the life out of the railing she held on to. "Make them pay" is all that she said to me before forcefully mming her hand on the window seal trying to release some of her frustration. That seemed to somewhat help, as she calmed down and, took a seat on her chair again. "So what are we gonna do with the boy?" I carefully asked wanting to know her opinion as she seemed quite emotionally invested when it came to treating his wounds earlier. My question seemed to trigger her a little though, as she shot me a re. "His name is Rakim," she said without losing eye contact with me as if she was trying to engrave her words in my mind. Oh boy, it seems she''s already attached to the boy, even though she has not even had a conversation with him yet. "Ok, so what do you want to do with Rakim?" I asked my question again making sure to say his name this time, I felt like I was navigating a minefield at this point. Saying his name seemed to satisfy her as she finally stopped ring at me as if I was on trial for something. There was a silence that hung in the atmosphere as no one spoke for a while. Looking at Lisa she seemed to be having an internal battle on what to do with Rakim. It''s understandable he''s basically just a child who should be getting taken care of by his parent, with him only being five. "Let''s just wait for him to wake up before making any decisions," She said as she picked up his passport from the table. Looks like this situation is too close to home for her. ~~~ [Lisa Pov] Looking at the passport that looked like it had been through some tough years. I flipped through it till a picture of a two-year-old kid with big innocent eyes stared back at me. The smile of the child in the photo makes me wonder what kind of monsters were heartless enough to mistreat him. I can''t help but feel that this is fate or some type of divine intervention that has led him to us. From all the boats he could have chosen to go onboard off, what are the odds that he would choose ours? It is not like he knew beforehand what kind of people we are. It was like drawing a lottery ticket and hoping that the person he met wasn''t as bad as the people who held him captive. I was just arguing with Ben about how I didn''t want to adopt a few months ago. But looking at how helpless Rakim looked bleeding all over Emma''s bed just made me want to take care of him. I''ve never felt this way about anyone else except Emma when she was first born, it''s as if my motherly instincts just took over. I just don''t know if I could be a good enough mother for a child that is not mine. It looked like Ben noticed my mood as he started giving me worry-filled nces. Kids have been a taboo topic for us for a while now. We both talked about having a big family when we first dated. However, when we found out that I couldn''t have any more children that n went down the drain. It hit both of us pretty hard as it had been a major n for our future for a long time. Ben has always wanted to have a son to cause trouble with, one he could brag about his athletic achievements to. Since ording to him Emma and I don''t seem to appreciate his athletic prowess. I guess that''s why he has been so insistent that we should adopt in the past, saying he doesn''t need blood ties to be their father. I love him for that he''s just got such a big heart. It''s not like I don''t want children, it''s just that I didn''t want to randomly adopt someone. However now that there is a child that needs help, I can''t help but want to care for him. It feels like God just dropped him into our lives and told us to make the best out of it. One moment we were arguing about adoption and in the next moment a child just papers out of nowhere. Now if that is not the universe trying to send us a message then I don''t know what is. This is the type of stuff that Hollywood scripts are made out of. I could see it in bens eyes as well that he wanted to protect the boy. Guess he really is a hero at heart and not just someone that pretends to be one by pulling dumb stunts. I''ll just wait to see what he is like when he wakes up. There is no point in formting a n for his future without him. Looking at Be who was watching the waves, it seems like he has reached the same conclusion. Sometimes I wonder how such a big goof can be so rational sometimes, it''s like he''s got a switch in his head that he flips. ~~~ [General Pov] in a slightly luxurious room on what seemed to be a boat a quite peculiar scene yed out. A little blond-haired girl who seemed to be around the age of ten could be seen intently staring at an unconscious boy. They were both covered in warm nkets that kept the cold air from touching them. The boy seemed to be having a peaceful dream as he justy next to the girl with a wide smile on his face. Looking at the smile on the boy''s face seemed to relieve the girl somewhat as a small smile crept up on her face as well. The little girl''s name was Emma and today could be said to be the first time that she shared her bed with anyone other than her parents. Usually, she likes to keep her distance from people she doesn''t know but something about the boy seemed to draw her curiosity. It also helped that she could annoy her mother with her actions. She has never seen her mother act so affectionately with another child except with her. So she relished the opportunity to annoy her a little when she chose to sleep next to the boy named Rakim. ~~~ [Emma Pov] I felt relieved looking at Rakim who was peacefully sleeping next to me without a care in the world. I stretched my hand to poke his hamster-like cheeks that kept puffing up only to see his nose scrunch up when I made contact. Mesmerised I couldn''t help myself from poking a few more times. This must be why my friends in schools bully their younger siblings, it''s so cute looking at their reactions. After satisfying my newfound hobby for a little while I finally gave it a res as I was starting to feel a little tired now. Quickly making sure that his temperature had gone down from earlier and that he wasyingfortably. I kind of felt like a mother hen taking care of her chick at this moment. Once I was sure he was ok Iid on my back and closed my eyes to finally get some sleep. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 15 Sleeping Beauty ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] I was having the strangest dream. In the dream, I was being chased by creatures that were burning up like a bonfire. I kept running and running but no matter how far away I got they would always catch up to me. At one point I was so exhausted I couldn''t run anymore my body just didn''t have the energy to continue further. "Eva you there?" I desperately called out to the only being that has ever helped me. I kept calling out to her as the creatures slowly approached me, however no matter how much I screamed I got no response. Getting no response to my cry for help something in me snapped. It figures that everything was just a dream. Who did I think I was believing I could live a happy life? Go figure that someone like me just wasn''t destined for greatness. It must have been someone''s sick joke letting me dream of freedom. The burning figures finally reached in front of me and I was able to recognise some faces behind the mes that obstructed my sight. The one leading them was Finn and judging by the angry face he was making he was not happy with me. Once the mob of creatures swarmed me they wasted no time beating on me. My skin had caught fire at some point, I could feel a burning sensation slowly devouring me every second. I tried to scream to release the agony I was feeling but no sound would leave my body no matter how hard I tried. After a while of being beaten and burned the pain slowly melted away. Maybe it was due to the pain or me just wanting to escape it. But at some point, I felt as if I was watching someone else get beat up while he slowly burned away. I don''t know when but at some point the creatures decided that they had their fun. They left me burning on the ground justying there waiting for the end. As they left they made a bone-churning noise which I can only assume isughter. Looking at the red sky I ignored the fire that was still engulfing me. That''s when I caught sight of a white figure with wings and golden locks. My stare must have attracted its attention as she turned around and looked at me curiously. I don''t know how but I could make out the Pity filled expression that was stered on her face. I saw her slowly fly down towards me, and I finally noticed her white wings. Wow is she an angel, She must be if the shoes fit? well in this case I guess it''s a case of wings fitting. Shended next to me a bit clumsily which made me almost dought that she was an angel if it wasn''t for the halo on her head. She slowly sat down next to me with a smile that seemed to melt all my worries away. Her next actions left me baffled though. I watched as she waved her sleeves and the mes in my body vanished as if they were never there. The mes disappearing seemed to satisfy her as she beamed me another smile that slowly made me want to shut my eyes. Thest thing I remember before passing out was that she began poking y cheeks whilst giggling to herself. Through my heavy eyes, I could see that she seemed to genuinely relish it, which I thought was quite weird. ~~~ My head felt groggy as I slowly opened my eyes only to find an unfamiliar roof. My mind took a while to focus that''s when I noticed that I seemed to beying on some kind of bed. The mattress felt soft andfortable as if it was specifically made for myfort. That was the weirdest dream I''ve ever had in both lives. I don''t seem to be burned anywhere at least I don''t feel any pain. The only odd thing is that I feel sluggish and my breathing is a bitboured but other than that I''m ok. That angle sure was a weird one, I''m d she helped me but she got some weird hobbies. I slowly lifted my right hand from underneath the nket so I could massage my temple. That''s when I noticed that some type of wet cloth was ced on me. My eyes widened at the realisation that I didn''t fall asleep on this bed. Looking to my right I noticed the walk-in closet I was supposed to be in as a sense of panic slowly settled in. I carefully turned my head to the left to figure out who was breathing behind me. "Angel" I muttered when Iid my eyes on her gold-blond hair that seemed to trickle down her head to frame her face. Although her eyes were shut that only helped to highlight her long eyshes and her cute little nose. The girl sleeping next to me seemed to be around ten years old. I noticed how her cheeks slightly reddened the longer I stared at her. It seems like she is awake and pretending to be asleep. Let''s see how long she can keep up her act. "I must be dreaming there''s no way an angel would be sleeping next to me" I lightly said trying to get a reaction out of the girl. However other than her cheeks gaining a deeper shade of red nothing happened. It seems she is quitemitted to her act of a sleeping beauty. "I must be hallucinating, I think I saw the angle blush," I said again making sure to sound as confused as possible. That seemed to trigger her more as her cheeks lit up like Rudolf the rain dier. I couldn''t resist the urge to poke her cheek anymore and so I did. As soon as my finger made contact with her eyes shot open looking at me as if I had taken something precious from her. She had turquoise green eyes that looked like emeralds shining more beautifully than stars in the night sky. We held eye contact for three seconds not saying anything. I was mesmerized by her beauty as for her she must''ve been blinded by the handsome me. "Get your finger off me" Is all she said after our awkward silence. I quicklyplied feeling a little embarrassed at my actions now. She seemed to share the sentiment as she quickly looked away breaking our staring contest. "I was only getting my revenge," I told her with a pout before she could reprimand me for my actions. This caused her eyes to widen a little as if she has actually done something wrong. "Revenge for what?" She asked me slightly embarrassed about something she had done. Whatever it is I can only assume it''s something she had done while I was asleep. I was certain of this by the guilty expression that was stered on her face. She has a terrible poker face, I would never take her gambling. "You were poking me in my dream," I told her righteously as if I wasn''t ming her for something that happened in the fiction of my mind. However, what dumbfounded me was the fact that the guilty expression on her face was actually deepening. Wait did she really poke me in my dream, and here I thought I was just spouting nonsense? "I just couldn''t resist, it was just too satisfying poking you when you were sleeping." She managed to stammer out amidst her embarrassment. She continued mumbling a string of apologies as she became more embarrassed. I was slightly caught off guard that what I thought was me lying turned out to be true. "hahaha" I burst outughing looking at the girl who was still apologising. Myughter seemed to snap her out of her apologetic ramble. Myughter seemed infectious as she soon joined inughing heartily. The room was filled with ourughter slowly washing away all the awkwardness away. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ Please leave a review after reading to give the story some exposure and I''ll post extra chapters as prize] [Mass Release Goals] [ 100 Power Stones = One extra Chapter] [ 200 Power Stones = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 16 Another Angel ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ Weughed for a long while until our stomachs started protesting causing us to stop to catch our breath. Looking at the girl who had sat up to gasp for breath I did the same trying to get some air in my lungs. "Hi, my name is Rakim what about you," I asked her after catching my breath wanting to finally know what her name was. "I know and my name is Emma," She said after a few seconds of catching her breath. "Oh, how did you know my name are you really an angel?" I asked her a little surprised that she already knew my name. "I''M NOT AN ANGEL" She abruptly shouted looking a little flustered. Guess she is still embarrassed from earlier. "Ok then nice to meet you, Emma," I said to her smiling at the flustered expression that she was still giving me. I struggled to sit up and lean on the backboard of the bed only to notice that I wasn''t wearing a top. The only thing covering me was bandages which seemed to be different from the ones I applied. Wanting to mess with the girl again as she seemed way too innocent. I gave her an apprehensive look before looking at my topless body. She seemed to realise what I was thinking as her cheeks turned red trying to avoid eye contact. "Pervert," I said after a moment of silence making sure to cover myself with the nket. This caused the girl to panic, and she started looking around everywhere for an answer that would clear up the misunderstanding. "It wasn''t me" She quickly said in her panic trying her best to look as convincing as possible. However, she just looked like someone who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I guess the doubt on my face made her panic even more as she quickly closed the distance holding my hands. "Please, believe me, I swear it wants me," she said while tightly grasping my hand almost breaking it if I was to say no. Looking at her face I could see small tears welling up ready to burst out any moment now. "Ok I believe you," I said to her with a defeated tone not wanting to see a girl cry. Man those puppy dog eyes are way too lethal, I don''t think anyone would be able to resist them. Hearing my answer a beautiful smile blossomed on her face as she tightly hugged me. "Ahem" was all we heard from someone trying to get our attention at the door. We both slowly turned our heads only to see a gorgeous woman sending us a teasing smile. The girl still hugging me seemed to know her. She jumped away from me as quickly as she could in an attempt to plead her innocence. "It is not what it looks like" She shouted before the women could speak. The woman was the spitting image of the girl, the only distinction between them being that she had brown-yellow eyes. Her eyes seemed to almost glow golden as the setting sun hit her face making her seem ethereal. "Angel" I subconsciously said mesmerised by her smile. This caused both of them to stare at me as if I had grown a second head. I feel like a broken record at this point, someone better stop me. "Haha, I''ve never heard that one before," The woman said amusedly as she took a seat on the couch before the sofa. She genuinely seemed happy at myment as the smile on her face never left her. "Do you say that to everyone," The girl next to me pouted as she gave me a stare which looked like it could kill. She seemed genuinely mad at me which honestly surprised me if I''m being honest. "Not to everyone just too real angels" I answered her with a smirk trying to get out of this awkward situation. That seemed to work as it stunned her making her embarrassed again. That seemed to be her default setting of either angry or embarrassed. ~~~ "That was fun to watch, my name is Lisa," the woman sitting across from me said with a happy smile on her face. Honestly, it''s weird how alike both of their smiles are it''s like watching the kid and the grown-up version in one go. "Hi I''m Rakim" I answered trying to not get flustered by her smile. She seemed to notice that as her smile never left her face. "thank you for saving me" I sincerely told her, assuming she was the one that changed my bandages. Judging by how easily Emma gets flustered I doubt she would have been the one to change my bandages. "You''re wee, it was the right thing to do," She said as the smile on her face became a sad one. Guess Emma isn''t the only one who wears her heart on her sleeves when ites to showing emotions. "Let us go and eat something before we talk," she said as she went to the closet to take out a white hoodie for me to wear. I quickly put it on not wanting to be the only one that''s half naked. I quickly got up from the bed only to feel a little light-headed as I clutched my head. Guess I got up a little too quickly for my body to handle. It took me a second before the ufortable feeling in my head vanished. "Are you alright?" Lisa asked me with a worried look on her face after noticing that I was a little unsteady. "yes I''m fine please lead the way" I answered her after regaining my bearings. Hearing my words she quickly lead the way to the kitchen with Emma and I following. The kitchen surprisingly looked quite high-tech considering it was on a boat. I and Emma sat down at the dining table that was also in the room eagerly waiting for our meal. At least I was eager to eat something the same couldn''t be said for Emma. She was almost falling asleep in her rabbit pyjamas guess she didn''t get enough sleep. I didn''t have to wait long as Lisa served me a bowl of chicken noodle soup with garlic budgets that seemed to be fresh out of the oven. I wasted no time and quickly started devouring the meal in front of me. I must have looked like a starving beast who finally got a full meal. Looking up from my half-eaten bowl I saw Lisa giving me a sympathetic smile. Not wanting to worry her any further I slowed down and started slowly eating the food in front of me. I don''t think it helped as the sympathetic smile never left her face. "Hello" I heard a gruff voice from behind me which caused me to stop eating and abruptly turn my head to get a look at whoever it was. . . . . [you can read five chapters ahead on my Patreon so if you wish to support me head on over] [Mass Release Goals] [ 100 Power Stones = One extra Chapter] [ 200 Power Stones = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 17 A Chat ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] [100 Power stone Bonus!!!!] ~~~ "Hello" I heard a gruff voice from behind me which caused me to stop eating and abruptly turn my head to get a look at whoever it was. Turning around on the chair I was met with the sight of a giant. He was the definition of huge, somewhere around 6''5. My neck hurt looking up at him, it felt like I was looking up at a mountain. I froze when our eyes met his dark grey eyes seem to draw me in with an intensity that made me subconsciously straighten my posture. He was wearing white shorts that had a palm tree printed on them, the look waspleted with a ck tropical Hawaiian shirt. Although the holiday look gave him a rxed vibe, his intense eyes on the other hand seemed to nullify the effect. "Ben stop it before you scare him" Lisa reprimanded the giant who seemed to be called ben from beside me. Hearing Lisa reprimand him, he immediately broke our eye contact as he scratched the back of his head. "I see you are awake," Ben said to me as he took the seat across from me sitting next to Emma. There was a light smile on his face at this moment that held a sense of reassurance. This made me calm down a little as my shoulders visibly rxed. "Yh thank you for helping me" I answered him sincerely as I had gathered that they had treated my wounds when I was unconscious. Judging by how the warm smile never left his face my guess seemed to be right. "Finish your food and then we will talk," he said after noticing that I was still not done eating my food. I heeded his words and quickly finished my food not wanting to keep him waiting for too long. ~~~ After finishing our meal Lisa promptly cleared mine and Emma''s dishes before joining us around the table. The atmosphere was a bit awkward for a moment as everyone around the table stared at me. The intense looks from the three of them made me feel awkward, I was as if they were waiting for me to share some secret information. "Where should I start?" I asked them not wanting to continue with this weird atmosphere. Judging by the look of anticipation on Emma''s face I realised if I didn''t start speaking she might very well the answers out of me. "How about the beginning," Ben said with a calm tone and a reassuring smile that made me want to share all my secrets with him. Dang, that''s a scary superpower maybe this guy is some type of psychologist. (Sigh) "Ok I was born in Nigeria in a city called Lagos, My mother died shortly after my birth" I started off slowly trying to remember every detail of my mother in my first year of life. I can''t clearly remember what she looked like but I guess I formed my own mental image of her. The only memory of her I had left of her was her singing me to sleep and her bright smile when I took my first steps. I took a second trying to restrain my overflowing emotions. I seemed to be a step toote though as I felt something wet running down my cheeks. Before I could wipe my tears with my sleeve a gentle hand wiped them for me using a handkerchief. Looking up I saw that the hand belonged to Lisa, who now had a sad smile on her face. "Thank you" I muttered taking the handkerchief and wiping the tears off my cheeks. I haven''t shed tears for a long time it felt kind of weird. Thest time I cried like this was when I lost her in my past life. After that event life didn''t really allow me enough time to shed tears. Taking a deep breath I looked up at the three worried people stealing my determination to continue the story. So I did, I told them how shortly after her death I was taken in by her family. I told them how I spent my days locked in a room for days for the majority of my life with my rtives. I went on to tell them how I soon realised that those lonely days in that room would be the most peaceful ones id ever get. I told them about how I was starved for days only getting some scraps that they gave me. I went on to tell them how I was battered and bruised when they needed entertainment for their boredom. Finally, I told them that my nightmare with my rtives only ended when they sold me to the human trafficking gang. Looking up from the table I was met with the tear-filled face of Emma and Lisa, Ben seemed to have tears welling up in his eyes as well. Looking at the tears on their faces I felt as if a lump was stuck in my throat. This was the first time that I''d seen that someone was crying for my sake. I don''t know when she moved but at some point, Emma walked to my side and put me in a hug trying tofort me. Surprised by the sudden hug from her I didn''t react and just sat there as I cried for the third time in both my lives. I eventually went on to describe my prison break from the camp. The details of how I may have set a fire underneath the toilets caused ben to chuckle a little. This was quickly stopped by a stern look from Lisa and what I assume was a kick under the table. Which caused me to slightly chuckle only to get reprimanded for my behaviour as well. I told them how I got chased by the two bulldogs and suffered my shoulder wound. Ben chuckled again when he heard me referring to it as my tom and jerry moment. The rest of the story was uneventful after I told them that I just randomly picked a boat that seemed to have friendly owners. ~~~ There was a heavy atmosphere in the room as no one spoke. Everyone had calmed down after a while gathering their emotions. Although I was okay now Emma did not seem to believe me as she sat next to me keeping a close eye on me. I felt like a fragile kitten being watched by the mother cat so I wouldn''t hurt myself. I felt a little guilty for enjoying the feeling of being fussed over by another person. (cough) Ben coughed lightly to get my attention from the mother cat that was still fussing over me. His eyes had softened a lot from the intense aura they gave off earlier. It seems that even a giant like him has a soft heart. Guess you can never judge a book by its cover he looks like a serious man but is actually a big softy. "What do you n to do now that you''re free?" he asked in a calm and gentle voice. It felt a little like I was answering a life-changing question like the one the system gave me. Speaking of the system where is Eva anyways? "I''m going to Be the Best football yer ever" I answered him with conviction after taking a second to think carefully. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ 100 Power Stones = One extra Chapter] [ 200 Power Stones = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 18 Impulsive Lioness ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ "repeat that please," Ben asked a little dumbfounded at my answers. He looked like he wasn''t expecting my answer which to be fair was quite random. Looking at Lisa next to Ben she seemed taken aback by my answer too. "I''m gonna y football for a living" I repeated myself with confidence I didn''t know I had meeting their doubt-filled gazes. Hearing my words both of the adults shared a look with each other seeminglymunicating something. "Why do you want to be a footballer?" Lisa asked me in a slightly curious tone wanting to understand my reasoning behind it. Ben seemed to share her thoughts as he leaned forward to hear my answer. "I was chosen to y the game, plus it looks like a lot of fun," I told them with pride expecting them to understand the great destiny that I was given by the system. However, that did not happen as Ben''s mouth visibly twitched and Lisa facepalmed with a concerned smile on her face. "Another one that''s delusional" She muttered under her breath before she abruptly stood up from her chair and approached me. she crouched down till we were at eye level so that we could make eye contact. "You are going to school and then maybe you can y football," She said after a moment of silence, surprising me a little. This whole conversation took a weird direction I was not sure I liked. Judging by the firm look she was giving me she wouldn''t take no for an answer. "No I''m ying Football" I shot back not wanting to back down so easily but her intense re only intensified after my words. She ced her hands on my shoulder making me jump a little startled by her actions. "Listen, every child living with me will get a full education," she said with an intense tone looking like a lioness educating her cub. She left no room for me to protest as if her words were thews of nature. That''s when it hit me, who said I''m gonna be living with you? Just as I was thinking of trying to protest again she shot me a warning re that shut me up. ~~~ There was an awkward silence after our little interaction was over. No one said anything seemingly waiting for the lioness to say something first. Peaking at her I noticed that she was still looking at me as if daring me to say something to contradict her. "Fine I''ll go to a school with a football program," I told her in defeat trying to somewhat appease her anger. "But why do I have to live with you?" I carefully asked trying not to trigger her anger again. "You have to live with me because you are my son from now on," she said in a matter-of-fact tone as if she was reading a quote from a book or something. This sentence left me speechless again not knowing how to answer her for a second. This woman might be crazy because she''s not making any sense right now. Seems like I wasn''t the only one dumbfounded by her as I noticed Ben''s mouth visibly twitch. He gave me an apologetic look trying to convey his condolences which further confused me. "Who decided that?" I asked again not wanting to give up on this argument at this point I just did not want to lose if I''m being honest. But her next action left me baffled and at a loss for words. She put her arms around me and just pulled me into her embrace hugging me as tightly as she could. Looking at Ben''s wide eyes it seems he wasn''t expecting her actions either. "Every child should have a mother to raise them and I''ll be yours from now on" She gently whispered into my ear as stroked my back. I didn''t know what to say to her and I could feel tears threatening to burst out again. Holding back my tears I closed my eyes and simply enjoyed the warmth of the hug I was receiving. ~~~ [Bens Pov] That conversation was an emotional rollercoaster. The kid has really been through a lot throughout his short life. He''s seen and experienced the ugly side of human nature first-hand and managed to survive. It''s quitemendable that he''s still willing to chase a dream like bing a footballer after having seen how harsh the world really is. I sent Emma away to show Rakim around the ship so I could have a private talk with Lisa. However, judging from the anxiousness that''s oozing off of her it''s gonna be a weird chat. To be fair I did want to adopt before so it''s not like I''m against the decision. From the way, both Lisa and Emma acted when they heard the boy''s story it seems like they already want to protect him. (sigh) I couldn''t help sighing looking at Lisa who was sitting across from me nervously twiddling her thumbs. She must be worried about how I would react to her decision of wanting to raise him. She can be impulsive once she gets emotionally invested in something and makes rash decisions. "I''m sorry, I know we should''ve talked about it first" She slowly said after the silence got too much for her to bear. She seemed worried about how I would react after all it''s a big decision to adopt a kid, especially one that has been through so much. The past trauma will follow the child for the rest of his life and there may be some difficulties when building a rtionship. "Yes, you should''ve talked to me first before making such a big decision," I calmly told her as I massaged the bridge of my nose. It''s not like I''m against the Idea it''s just that huge decisions like these should be made together when you are married. Communication can o a long way in keeping a marriage going or so I''ve heard. "I know wanted to give him a home, somewhere he can grow up happy," she told me with a serious look, conveying her determination to this decision. By the look, she was giving me some might think that I was taking something precious away from her. (sigh) "Stop giving me that look, I agree that we should raise him," I told her making her serious expression morph into a bright smile. "Just in the future when we make decisions that affect our family we will do them together" I continued making her nod in affirmation before she embraced me in a hug. ~~~~ [Mc Pov] Walking around the ship with Emma was like discovering a new world. When I sneaked on board I didn''t look around much as I was concerned with finding a hiding spot. The ship had a small jacuzzi on the top deck next to the sun longer. There was a proper lounge once you walked into the ship decked out with red and ck leather couches. There was even a small firece be low the wall-mounted tscreen Tv. I''m not sure whose bright idea it was to put a firece on a boat but I guess it must be safe if it is there. Passing the lounge Emma took me along a corridor to a room that was decked out with LED lights and loads of arcade games. From Pacman to Donky Kong they even had a street fighters machine. What drew my attention however was a small ck device that had PS3 written on it. Making my way over to it I found a rack filled with all kinds of games that goes with the console. In my past life, I had bought myself one of these in myte twenties trying to recreate a semnce of the youth I never had. "Do you want to y one of the games?" Emma asked from behind me after she noticed my fixation on the console. "Yes most defiantly, do you have Fifa?" I answered her a little excited at the prospect of being able to y the ystation again. She didn''t answer and just started shuffling through the game cases till she pulled out a disc for FIFA 08. [ I Hope you don''t get addicted because that would be bad] Evas voice rang in my head making me remember her existence. I can''t believe I totally forgot she was in my head, In my defence, I got caught up dealing with other things. '' I almost thought you dint exist and were just a hallucination I made up'' I answered her after a moment of silence. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 19 Emotional Damage ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [I assure you that I exist] Eva told me with a teasing voice. ''Anyways what took you so long to speak up I asked her wondering why she had been silent all this time. [Oh, I was just sleeping] she told me as she yawned to make it more convincing. but ''I didn''t know you could sleep'' I told her while I thought about why an AI would need sleep. She was just ignoring me because of what happened earlier in the morning. [There are a lot of things you do not know] she answered me in a proud tone. guess I was right; she is still angry at me for what happened earlier. '' Okay let us talkter I want to y some FIFA first'' I told her as I noticed the weird look Emma was giving me for taking so long to pick a team. ~~~~ I took a seat next to Emma on the huge blue bean bags she was sitting on. My body sank right into the bag creating the perfect outline of my body so I could rx. She handed me a white controller as she used a Red one to start the game. The game loaded up as the Iconic EA voiceover rang out taking us into the game. Emma wasted no time starting a match when she reached the main menu. ''"Do you know how to y?" she suddenly asked me as she turned to look at me. "Yeah, I think it shouldn''t be too hard football is still football" I answered her only to receive a weird look from her. It is not like I can tell her I have learned how to y in my past life or something, right? "Let me just exin the buttons to you then," she said to me obviously not believing that I knew how to y. She quickly gave me a rundown of all the basics of each button on both attack and defence. After she was done, she finally focused back on the game and started picking out her team. Not wanting to keep her waiting any longer I chose to go with Bayern Munich. I have always loved the team, especially how they have managed topete with the El sico giants and the premier league top six. Emma chose to go with Manchester United which had a star-studded line-up. yers like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and of course prime Ronaldo could be seen sporting the Iconic Red strip. I think it was in 08 that Ronaldo entered his prime going on to put up crazy numbers in the next season with Real Madrid. He went on to battle it out with Messi in La Liga until he be bing unstoppable in 2014. The yers shook hands and lined up on their perspective sides getting ready for the exhibition match. Bayern Munich was dressed up in white facing the sea of red away fans'' jerseys in the Old Trafford stadium. "Hello, I''m your Host Martin Tyler and with me is n Smith we present to you an exhibition match of the highest calibre" "What a match it is Martin, not every day you get to see these two teamspete with one another." With the sound of the two iconicmentators'' voices, the match soon started. Emma was surprisingly good she kept the ball and used her superior nks to bombard my box. Controlling Ronaldo, she charged down the right nk easily getting past Jansen before cutting across the edge of the box. Not wanting to let her continue further I attempted a slide tackle with L¨²cio, but it was toote as Ronaldo shot fiercely from the edge of the box. The ball drew an arc heading to the top left corner with unstoppable momentum not giving anyone a chance to stop it. It was at this moment that a hand appeared behind the ball tipping it over the bar at thest moment. "What an incredible run from Ronaldo, he did everything right from start to finish, But Kahn was alert and ready for him" Martins''s excited voice rang out as he started analysing what had just happened. Turning my head to the right I saw Emma sending me a teasing smile, and that is when I realised that this might not be as fun as I thought it would be. ~~~ (Wheet! Wheet! Wheet!) The referee blew his whistle three times to signal the end of the match if you could even call this a match. The scoreboard disyed a 10:1 win for Manchester and the only reason Bayern managed to score was due to a deflection from a corner kick. Looking at Emma''s smiling face I felt as if my entire worldview had changed. Throughout the whole game, she had been toying with me from using skill moves that sent my yers sliding to trying long-range trick shots. From start to finish it looked like she hardly even tried, and somehow, she still managed to destroy me this badly. "I''m never ying with you again," I told her as I got up from the bean bag trying to suppress the trauma I had just suffered. "Oh, c''mon I''ll go easy on you next time," she said in an attempt to get me toe back and y. One look at her smile though and any thoughts of a rematch were thrown out of the window. I am not a sore loser or anything of the like, but I am not a masochist either, experiencing my pride being beaten up once is enough for me. "No way, Let''s just y something else," I told her as I made my way to one of the arcade games that were in the room. I heard her chuckle a little before she followed me to the next game. However, after losing a few different games to her I started to question my life a little. We yed a total of 5 games and in each of them, she destroyed me effortlessly. At this point, mypetitive spirit was roused and all I wanted was to beat her at a game. So, I looked around the room till I noticed a game called Dance dance revolution and my eyes lit up. I may not be the best dancer but thanks to the system my leg coordination is now on a superb level. I wasted no time dragging her there wanting to quickly try and defeat her. Her smile should have been an indication to me that I was going to get destroyed again and I did end up losing. Turns out she has been taking dance lessons since she was four and is one of the best dancers in her group. [You bring shame to the Singrity system] Evamented after my third loss in a row at the game. It is not like she was wrong though I have not been able to beat her at any of the games we have yed. Guess they did not lie in front of absolute strength all resistance is futile. ''You are sure she''s not the real singrity?'' I asked her as I tried to catch my breath from all the dancing. Looking at Emma she looked as if she had just gone through a warm-up instead of a serious dance battle. [hahaha Maybe her power level is over 900] she answered me with a Dragon Ball reference causing my mouth to twitch slightly. Thinking about it though her power level might as well be over 900 with how effortlessly she has been schooling me. "I''ve lost today but I''ll definitely beat you someday," I told Emma with determination as I felt like I had just discovered a hidden boss in a video game or something. "Haha you can try, maybe next time I''ll even sweet a little" she calmly told me as she started walking out of the room. Hearing her words was like receiving a critical hit of emotional damage. ~~~ It waste so Emma took me to the bathroom so we could get ready for bed. She gave me spare toiletries that were kept in the cupboard for me to use. We quickly finished brushing our teeth and washing our faces using water and some weird cream she handed me. She led me back to her room and turned on the TV on the wall which I am just now noticing. I need to work on my observation skill if I did not notice this massive thing. she put on the Iron Man before she tucked herself in next to me. "Hope I didn''t traumatise you earlier, it''s just been so long till someone was willing to y against me," she said as she remained focussed on the movie, guess she has not seen it yet. Realising the meaning of her words I felt lucky I did not try to bet with her, it would have been like giving myself up for ughter. "I think I''ll survive although my pride has taken a beating, I did have fun though so thanks," I told her as I turned my attention to her. I just managed to notice a slight smile on her face before it quickly disappeared. I returned my attention to the movie just as Tony''s convoy was being attacked. ''Eva Please pull up my rewords'' I asked Eva with a little excitement at finally getting my hard-earned rewards. [thought you would never ask] she answered as the system screen appeared in my vision. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 20 Rewards ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [DING SINGULARITY MISSIONS COMPLEATED] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! CAGED BIRD! #Task 1: sneak out at midnight [Complete] #Task 2: Go unnoticed [Complete] #Task 3: Make it to Cruise Terminal Havan before (12:00 noon) [Complete 9 am] #Task 4: Sneak onto the going marry [Complete] (Note: The Singrity Cannot be held down by mere mortals.) ~~~ Completion grade: A Rewards: > A Grade Enlightenment Elixir >A random Chance to learn a Skill from an Icon. > 1000 SP + 100 SP [A grade bonus] > Boost in host position of choice. >SYSTEM SHOP (temporarily unlocked) >SYSTEM LOTTERY (temporarily unlocked) ~~~ I noticed that the system-shop and system-lottery tabs were glowing with a yellow colour on the user interface. Having yed some games and read and read Webnovels I could tell that I could now ess those tabs. I wasted no time and pressed on the shop tab to have a look at what was for sale. The interface changes to reveal loads of tabs that were supposed to hold items like in the game Minecraft. But right now, the shop was empty, the only thing on the shelf is the A-grade enlightenment Elixer which was priced at zero points. This must be how the system gives me my rewords, guess It could not afford an inventory. Not wanting to consume the elixir right now I exited the tab after noticing a twenty-four-hour timer of when I had to redeem my rewards. I made my way to words the lottery section only to find a massive wheel that waspletely nk. ''What''s going on Eva'' I asked her wondering if the system is having a glitch. [You have not picked a position yet, that is why the lottery is nk, other than mystery boxes most rewards will be specific to the host position of choice] She exined professionally, guess when ites to doing her job, she gets serious. ''Alright I understand, where can I pick my position then?'' I asked her but, she did not bother answering me and just pulled up a ta of a football field with all the positions disyed. Looking at all the positions one could y I immediately eliminated all the defensive ones. I know they are important, but it just seems like such a thankless job especially when you are a goalkeeper. When the opposing team scores they get the brunt of the me and when they save a shot, they just did their job nothing special. Eliminating all the defending roles on the pitch only left me with wingers and strikers. Midfield is a tricky one since they must focus on both attacks and defend. I would rather focus on scoring goals and dancing around yers on the park, so the central midfield position was also eliminated. I finally chose the Right wing as my main position and the left wing as my secondary. What is the point of having too strong feet if you are going to restrict yourself to one nk? After locking in my choices, the system tab glowed a little before it took me to my status screen. ~~~ FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Eze AGE: 5yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 1100 Position: RM, LM (Evaluation: A pitiful boy with versatile talents far from bing a professional ser yer however has the potential to be a decent yer.) ~~~ Looking at my status which had hardly changed was like pouring cold water on my excitement. I was happy though that my career path had been set and I could focus on achieving it with all my strength. Having nothing more to look at on the status screen I quickly made my way back to the lottery wheel that now had light golden names all around it. The names of the yers were iconic yers like Pele, Baggio, Ronaldinho and many others. The onlymonality between the yers was that they were attack-oriented yers who had a skill that allowed them to be deadly when ites to scoring goals. Not being able to hold my excitement any longer I pressed the spin button. Without further ado, the wheel started rapidly spinning blurring all the names into a ck circle that went around the wheel. After about thirty seconds the wheel started to slow down little by little until it was at itsst leg. The pin was pointing towards Giggs as it wasing to a stop but at thest second the pin moved onto the next yer. Seeing the yer''s name that appeared, a smile formed on my lips as he is a genius from thend of football Brazil. The name that appeared is Kaka arguably the best ymaker to ever set foot on the green grass. I had hit the jackpot, being able to learn from him is just marvellous. ~~~ [Ding! The host has gained the one-time chance to learn from Kaka in your sleep] (It Is rmended that the host take a focus supplement from the system to make the most of this opportunity.) ~~~ I am starting to believe that the system had it all nned out first the enlightenment potion and now this. Not going toin though whatever gives me an edge is a weed gift. Not wanting to waste any more time I made my way to the bathroom so I could take the potion. [The system must feel pity on you and is being generous] Evamented stopping my earlier thoughts. Could it just be that it is feeling sorry for me and is being generous to give me a boost on my new life? ''Whatever if I get these rewards it can continue to pity me'' I told her as I focused back on the screen in front of me. [A- Grade potion] (Consume in the next 10 seconds upon leaving the system, it will take effect in thirty minutes and willst for seven hours.) I shot up from the bed as if I were sitting on pins and needles, this earned me a weird look from Emma. "I need to use the toilet," I told her as I quickly made my out of the room not giving her a chance to reply. After closing the bathroom doors, I immediately redeemed the potion with no hesitation. I wasted no time and immediately drank the potion as soon as it appeared and just like magic the bottle disappeared. Is the system trying to be environmentally friendly or just being careful oh well good for it, I guess. The liquid felt cold and calming as it entered my body, but it felt as if it was going straight to my head. After a minute or so all I felt was a calmness that could help me tackle any problem I would face. I knew the potion was not in effect yet so this must be slowly preparing my body for it. I made my way back to the room to find Emma still giving me a weird look. Not wanting to get into a weird conversation I tucked myself in to get some sleep not wanting to continue watching the movie. "Good night angel, Emma" I lightly told her as I started trying to sleep. What I did not know was that Emma had another blush on her face as her mouth slightly twitched out of embarrassment. That seemed to make her forget to ask whatever was on her mind. "Good night" was all I heard as she turned the Tv off and headed to sleep. ~~~ [Finn Pov] "How did it all go so wrong?" . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] To Be continued... Chapter 21 The Snake And The Weasel ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Finn Pov] "How did it all go so wrong?" I asked myself looking at the rising sunrise. (cough) breathing has be a struggle, probably because my blood is not staying put in my body. Shouldn''t my life be shing before my eyes or something? At this point, I don''t even feel the pain from all the holes in my body. The only thing that''s been keeping me concise is trying to figure out how it went so wrong. [ 01:00 am] I and my guys are just sitting in the middle of nowhere in the ck van that belonged to the gang. We are five in total everyone in the car was holding a de just waiting to sh it at someone. We are all a little tipsy but that''s what gives us the courage for what needs to be done. None of us has ever killed anyone so the extra liquid courage is appreciated. little joe has been twitching at every little thing and it''s starting to get on my nerves. If I didn''t need him for this, I would have beat him up myself but he''s quite strong so he will be helpful. The paranoia must be messing with his head, and it seems like I''m not the only one who noticed. "Yo Joe stop twitching about it''s starting to piss me off," A short boy in the back seat said as he red at Joe. "Who do you think your talking to baby Tim" Joe shot back as he pointed one of three kitchen knives at him. The tension in the car reached the extreme with everyone clutching their knives. "Hey, you idiots better stop ying, I''m not in the best of moods right now and you are starting to piss me off" I raised my voice at them at the same time I pulled out a ck revolver I had taken out from my dad''s room. Joe was looking down the barrel of the gun and the fear of it must have fixed whatever overconfidence he had gained from carrying a couple of knives. "I''m sorry boss," he said with fear still stered all over his face guess this is the first time looking down the barrel of a gun. Humans are weird creatures that have been shackled by fear since the start of time. For example, Joe here lost all his confidence as soon as he saw that a gun was pointing at him. He didn''t even consider the fact that I need him toplete the missing and wouldn''t even think of shooting him yet. The reason we fear guns is because of all the potential harm they can cause which scares us. That''s why you get some people who can''t even bring themselves to lift a gun without immediately starting to shake. ncing at the other guys for a second, I notice that none of them dared to make any sudden movements. It was like the mere presence of a gun had petrified them. Almost like that one story of a girl with the weird snake hair that turns you to stone when you make eye contact. what''s it called again? hmm I can''t remember it is not important anyways. Looking at the four of them, all had cold sweat running down them. Guess my minute if self-musing must have scared them shitless. "Well don''t let it happen again," I told him as I took the revolver back. His breathing became slower, but he didn''t dare to make any more noise or sudden movement after my gentle warning. Turning my attention out of the window again I heard the lot of them gulp hard in an attempt to stabilise their breathing again. "I think that''s him and he''s gotpany," Tim said as he pointed towards a warehouse where a bunch of guys were gathering seemingly waiting for something. That should have set off rm bells in my head but as soon as I spotted Ian among them, I ripped open the door. My guys wasted no time following me even after the little trauma I caused them. There is a reason fear is one of the most effective ways to rule over someone. Once you fear someone you give them a certain amount of power over you that they can utilise to manipte you. ~~~ "Look what the cat dragged in" Ian sneered at me with a disdainced tone. The five guys around him chuckled too as they pulled out their knives ready for anything. Not to be outdone we all drew our knives as well. "I was just on a walk and stumbled upon you," I told him with a slight smile on my lips not showing any weakness. That seemed to enrage him further as he roughly clenched his free before pointing at me. "Must be some walk if a snake like you slithered so far from home?" He bellowed as his face turned red from anger. It looks like he''s close to the boiling point and judging by how he is slowly inching forward it seems to be true. "Well, you could say I was hunting a weasel," I said with a sneer as I goateed him by throwing up my middle finger. That did the trick as he and all his goons started charging us. ~~~ [General Pov] It is a quiet serene night in the skies of Cuba. The stars are bright on this particr night dancing around the bright full moon. The busy streets are deserted on this serene night almost as if all the souls are nowhere to be seen. It''s as if the inhabitants of the country are paying respect to this peaceful atmosphere by staying indoors in an attempt not to disturb it. In stark contrast to the peaceful scene that had spread all over the country, a sight that can only be described as chaos was ying out in a parking lot. Two groups of young men were colliding with each other in an attempt to just each other. It is almost as if they didn''t get the memo and decided to stir the waters of this calm night. ~~~ [Fin Pov] Ian enraged by my boasting swung his de in a cleaving motion at my chest. I manage to react fast enough to sidestep the swing Ian but the guy next to me was not so lucky as he got shed on his torso. Taking advantage of Ina''s missed swing I sent a powerful hook to his face sending him crashing to the ground. Just as I was about to capitalise on this chance to cause a world of pain to him, I was tackled to the ground by someone. I almost forgot that there were more people here, I mused as my body hit the concert. The boy got on top of me and assumed a sloppy mount position as he sent a barrage of punches at fins face. The punches did the trick of snapping me out of my dazed after being taken down. A sense of calm washed over me as I made eye contact with him between one of his punches. His eyes were afraid written all over him almost like he was the one being beaten up. ''Such a weak mindset, let me help you end it for you'' I thought to myself as I deflected one of his punches. Taking this chance, I used my knife that was lying next to me and lodged it into his throat. The guy''s look of disbelief as he touched his neck which was flowing with blood baffled me. What did he expect to happen this is not a game if you are not ready to kill why are you even here? Oh well let us hope he will be a bit smarter in his next life, but his blood sure is disgusting though tastes a little salty. Pushing him off me I picked up his knives as his hands were clutching on mine as if that would stop him from leaving this world. Looking at the chaotic scene in front of me a smile slowly came to my face. Joe was fighting against two guys at the same time duel wielding two knives but for some reason, I do not really want to know he had his third knife in his mouth. That guy is not right in the head the drugs he took before this must have pushed him over the edge. He looks like a rabid dog that has been let loose, I might have to put him down after this. Running my blood-covered hand through my hair I look around for my next target. Noticing a guy with his back to me I approach him from behind making sure to stay in his blind spot. I waited for him to stab at one of my guys before making my move. He is knife was deep in my guy''s heart causing his hand to tremble as the reality of taking a life finally settled in. ''So weak'' I thought to myself as I yanked his hair back and shed my knife across his neck causing more blood to spurt on me. Maybe I am the abnormal one all I feel is calmness when I take a life. This must be how Picasso felt when painting, chaos truly does paint the perfect picture. . . . . [Mass Release Goals] [ 100 stones = One extra Chapter] To Be Continued... Chapter 22 The Snake And The Weasel 2 ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] Bonus Chapter for the two hundred power stones fromst week. ~~~ ''So weak'' I thought to myself as I yanked his hair back and shed my knife across his neck causing more blood to spurt on me. Maybe I am the abnormal one all I feel is calmness when I take a life. This must be how Picasso felt when painting, chaos truly does paint the perfect picture. The sensation I felt when I slit his neck is slightly addictive, I could get used to it. Watching his blood spray out of his body is a fascinating sight. The tearing sound as the skin on his neck separated to open the floodgates of blood is simply mesmerising. Almost as good as opening a fine thirty-year-old wine. Well maybe not the same thing as drinking wine makes me feel bored, but this is far more exciting. "argh" looking to my left I saw one of the little shits stick a bled in my side taking me out of my trance. Angry at being interrupted I held onto his hand with my left stopping him from pulling out the knife. Not wasting a second, I stabbed at his heart using the space between his ribs to gain better ess. Just as I was about to kick him away, I notice another knife stuck in my side tearing open my flesh. Looking down I noticed that the guy I had stabbed had another knife which he used to try and finish me. Looking back at the guy, I noticed a smirk stered on his face as if he were some kind of martyr. The smile soon disappeared though as blood rushed out of his mouth, guess his heart decided it had enough and quit its job. His horrified look was a sight to be held as his body started spasming slowly shutting down as he fell to the floor. Not paying him any more mind I stepped over his still lightly spasming body to get a clear look at the fight. What came to my sight was the body of Joe dropping to the ground as blood sprayed out of his body. Looking at his wound I could see a distinct x-shaped gash that seemed to be letting his blood exit his body as it pleased. His three knives fell out of his grasp as he crashed onto the ground. Guess I won''t wave to kill him after this, oh well ill just kill whoever ruined my newfound pleasure. The guy that had done this to him stood over his body as he wiped the blood off his machete in an attempt to not lose any sharpness. Guess I can understand that I wouldn''t want to use something that had a weak person''s blood on it. Looking around I could see that other than the machete guy and me the only people still standing were Ian and Tim. They seemed to be in the middle of trying to tear each other apart. Not wanting to interrupt their fun I made my way towards machete man as I threw the de in my hand to the ground. He seemed to notice my approach but was slightly surprised at the fact I threw my de away. He started smirking as he slowly approached me while he had his sword over his shoulder in a rxed manner not seeing me as a threat. That was a fatal mistake, and I was gonna make him pay for trying to look down on me, especially me. "Haha Here to beg for mercy little snake" He condescendingly chuckled as he stopped a foot in front of me. Looking up at him as he was a head taller than me all I could think of is how to wipe that fall''s sense of superiority on his face. That''s when the answer presented itself as I felt a painful sting to my sides where the knives from earlier were still lodged. "No, I''m just here to congratte you," I said to him as my right hand reached for my side but looking at his face he was utterly confused by my words. Once my hand grasped the hilt of the knives pulled it out in one motion swift as I closed the short distance between us with an instep I learned from boxing. Ignoring the pain that pulling out the knife caused me I capitalise on his moment of surprise jabbing the knife into the armpit of the hand that was holding the machete. Before he could even scream, I used the momentum of my charge to take him down as we tumbled to the floor. The shock and pain from my sudden actions must have disoriented him for a second causing him to stumble while trying to get up. Not giving him a chance to get back u I pulled out the other knife in my body and stabbed his side as I got on top of him. "Congratte you on surviving long enough form to kill you," I said to him as I started punching relishing in the ecstasy it brought me. Causing someone''s pain and suffering is a feeling ill never get used to. Looking at his battered face brought a sense of satisfaction knowing I''m the one that caused it. Want ting to ned things I pulled the knife that was still in his armpit causing blood to flow from one of his torn arteries. "Goodbye," I smirked as I brought the knife down towards his through, which is starting to be my favourite spot to poke holes in. However, the pain of something prating my back threw me off course shing his face. Reaching for the knife in my back I realise that this guy had taken a page out of my own book and used the knife in his body to surprise me. Realizing my sloppiness only seemed to only enrage me further. I used my fine knee to hold down his fine arm not wanting a repeat of before. "Let us try this again shall we," I said as a huge sadistic grin formed on my lips. I wasted no more time in bringing down the knife to his throat causing his blood to spurt all over me soaking me. I wasn''t done yet though as continued to stab his body for what felt like a minute straight before my anger finally subsided. ''At least you were a little strong'' I muttered as I got up from his dismantled body. His upper body looked as if a surgeon was messing about and decided to poke a few thousand holes for fun. Wiping the blood from my face I licked it, and he tasted a bit sweet, which must be because he''s a little strong. Pullin out the knife from his body I looked towards Ian and Tim to a sight that surprised me. An arm-length de was skewering his stomach poking out of his back. Blood was flowing out of his body as he fell forward towards Ian. Thetter wasted no time holding onto his body and kicked his body away and removed his de. This caused his innards to flood out of the hole he created. Inan was drenched in blood looking like a dog that had managed to survive the pound. He seemed to be limping, but his eyes looked like that of someone possessed. His half-dead eyes were trained on me as he ignored the wounds all over his body. ''Looks like we are more alike than I had thought.'' I mused to myself as I touched my wound which was stillcking blood. "And then there were two" Ian spoke up getting my attention and making me snap out of my musing. Oh well, let us end this my head is starting to get a little light-headed maybe it''s probably because I haven''t killed enough. That ecstasy seemed to bring me a sense of rity let''s try and get that feeling back. "No there can only be one my old friend" I calmly said as I reached for the back of my pants and pulled out the revolver, I had brought with me. It seems I wasn''t the only one who had the Idea to bring something with a bang. The moment my revolver pointed at him; he also had a gun pointed at me as we stared at each other. "Hahahaha Now this is truly funny," Ian said as he startedughing historically. Looking at this odd situation it really is funny. We are both so different from each other, yet we are so alike in our thinking. We could''ve used our guns right from the start but deep down we didn''t want to share the loot, so we let the chaos ensue. "Hahaha Your right it''s quiteical but let''s end this I''m getting bored," I said after a minute ofughing before I pulled the trigger and jumped to the right. (bang) It seems he had the same idea as he immediately started shooting back. (Bang) (Bang) (Bang) Bullets started flying all over the ce as I tried my best to dodge his shots. The recoil of the first shot was stronger than I expected, and my hand twisted back roughly. Lucky for me he didn''t seem to expect the recoil either as his first shot just grazed my cheek. Having learned my lesson, I held the revolver with more power as I shot towards his chest. That seemed to do the trick as it impacted almost immediately with his chest. The shot must''ve sent him flying backwards as his body seems to be getting further and further away from me. I crashed on my back hitting the ground hard and slid for a little distance. Trying to sit up I felt all the power leave my body only to be reced by a burning sensation on my chest. Bringing my hand to my chest I felt a small hole that wasn''t there a second ago. Looking over at Ian he seemed to be down for the count as well. Looking up at the night sky that had kept its serene atmosphere all throughout the chaos. I started feeling a little mncholy thinking about how all the beautiful art I painted tonight had zero effect on the world. "How did it all go so wrong?" I muttered as my eyes started feeling heavy slowly closing. My breathing was heavy and a little rugged it was painful just trying to take in oxygen in. ''I guess I''m weak too for just dying like that'' I mused as darkness descended on me. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 23 Im A Farmer ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [General Pov] The calm morning sea breeze brushed the deserted streets of Santa Cruz del Norte. The early morning sun was peaking over the horizon ready to greet a new day. The morning dew had yet to fully form on the des of grass. Not a soul can be seen wandering the street almost like they were waiting for the sun to wake up first. On this quiet morning, a man by the name of Anton was driving his car on the empty roads in an attempt to get an early start to his busy day. Austin Is what you would call an ambitious man. For generations, his family have been working people of thend, owning their own far which has allowed their family to prosper. His Father was a farmer and his father''s father was a farmer as well it is in his blood to work on thend for a living. He did not like the idea of wasting his youth working on the farm only to end up having to put his children through the same hardships. He decided to start a business using what thend has given to him to create a brighter future for his family. It is not that he iszy and does not value the effort his father has put into working the fields day in and day out. If he was honest, he loves the calmness and satisfaction, he gains from working in the field and harvesting a good yield. However, he wants to be like his great grandfather who went from a normal man living off the sea to investing in building a farm for his family. Wanting to step into his hero''s footsteps he decided to start selling the goods that his family produces on the farm. He spent years studying how to increase the yield and looking into how to best market and sell his products. Two years ago, he started to slowly sell his products in the farmer''s market. He gained a lot of connections with small supermarkets and other farmers whom he pestered for advice in his endeavour till theyplied. He managed to get a trade deal with a big supermarket at the start of the year catapulting his small business astronomically. His dreams were finally bing true and the proud look on his dads only affirmed it. He was currently on his way to one of the warehouses he had rented to check on the inventory for the goods that are to be delivered today. Just as he turned the corner, he mmed the brakes out of shock at the sight that was before him. The street that was supposed to lead to a row of warehouses was now in a state of chaos. Bodies were lying everywhere and blood was still flowing down the street soaking it in a sea of red. He could see what seems to be the aftermath of a fight. Looking at the state the bodies were in it looked more like a death match. The sight of so many bodies scared him shitless to the point his body started shaking in panic. Somehow managing to reach for his phone Antonio managed to dial 106. Stepping out of his pickup truck while the phone rang, he tried to breathe in some air to calm himself. However, the air had a sickening metallic aftertaste to it, that made him vomit his breakfast out. Just as thest of his scrambled eggs left his body the phone finally connected. The cell connections of his old Nokia are not the best but due to sentimental reasons, he has kept it. ? "This is the police how can we help you" a rugged male voice came through the phone. The man on the other end sounded like he had just woken up from his sleep. "I, I need help, there are dead bodies everywhere" Antonio managed to spit out before he started feeling sick again. His stomach contracted up and down in an attempt to squeeze all the remaining fluids out of it. "Calm down sir tell me where you are?" The man on the other end spoke up with a bit more urgency now. Hearing the man''s serious voice helped him calm down a little enough to formte his thoughts to answer him. "I''m in Camilo, at the warehouse district," I quickly told him as I averted my eyes from the messy scene that the street has turned into. Looking at the scene was like looking at a movie that you could touch. Only he could smell everything as well which only made him feel sick. While he was zoning out, he did not even realise that the call was ended. He only snapped out of his trance when he heard the distant sirens approaching him. Not long after squads of police officers came to a halt behind him. Not paying him any attention the officers quickly started investigating the massacre that the street had turned into. "Excuse me sir are you the one that made the call," a young officer asked him. The young man looked like he had just passed the police exams and was looking to make his mark in the force. How great youthful ambition is let us hope reality does not hurt him too much with its ruthlessness. "Emm, Yes I''m a Farmer" I stammered out with a little shock when he appeared before me. Why did I tell him I am a farmer though, oh well at this point it is better to be a farmer. "Emm ok can I ask you some questions? What is your name?" The officer asked again a little surprised by Antonio''s answer. The officer was looking at him up and down wanting to confirm that he did not have anything to do with the gruesome scene in front of him. "I''m Farmer Antonio" I reradiated again wanting to make sure that the officer knew I was not involved in this nonsense. "Of course and I''m a police officer" The police officer states in a deadpan voice obviously getting sick of this interaction. ~~~ In another ce at what seemed to be a small orphanage, a man was having the worst morning of his life. He had been drinking all night and was feeling the aftereffects of it now in the early morning. A massive migraine was hellbent on torturing his head as he felt a massive hangover clouding his eyes. Somehow making his way to the toilets in his hazy morning stumble he sat down and started relieving himself. Taking a seat as he was unable to keep standing, he passed out after a while in his sleepiness. After an unknown amount of time, he was awoken by a hot sensation he felt. Looking around through his hazy eyes he did not understand where the sudden heat wasing from. Momentster he jumped up as a painful sensation coursed through his rear end making him rub it in an attempt to rub away the pain. His bum felt smooth all the hair that was there before seemed to be burned off. Momentster he noticed a smoky scent that seemed to being from around him making him cough. He quickly pulled up his pants and charged out of the stall only to see walls engulfed in mes. "Cough I must be having a nightmare" he muttered as looked around the raging inferno that wasing from below him. Not wasting any more time he ran out of the bathroom as quickly as he could in an attempt to save his life. "WAKE UP THERE IS A FIRE" he started yelling as he run down the hallway quickly leaving the area. He had no intention of making sure everyone got out as his life was his priority. . . [Please leave a review after reading.] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 24 Sunny Smile Kaka ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 9 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, and a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ Far away from the morning chaos on the high sea, a little boy could be seen sleeping soundly next to a girl on arge double bed. They seemed to be on arge boat speedily moving across the Gulf of Mexico towards the bay of Miami. The waves seemed to be in a state of calm almost as if it was making way for the ship that charged through them. The little boy seemed to be having a happy dream as seen by the wide smile that was on his little face. The only indication of movement from the boy was the twitching of his eyes that appeared every so often. Unknown to anyone his eyes lightly glowed with a golden sheen, which was being covered by his eyelids. ~~~ [Rakim Pov] Looking around me, I seem to be on a green football field with two goals at each side surrounded by a dome that resembled a diator ring. The stand''s looked deserted with not a soul in sight but that took nothing away from the beauty of the structure. I could easily imagine how intense the atmosphere would be if it were a field with a few thousand people. Looking at my body seemed to be wearing a white sports top with ck stripes that matched the colour scheme of my white Adidas boots. I was also wearing ck shorts which matched my knee-high socks. Bending down to fold my socks down to just above my shin pads as I hate the feeling of having the socks so high. Jumping up and down I felt far morefortable now that my knees were freed from their restraints. Mesmerised by the structure of the stadium and the football gear I was wearing I did not notice how a figure approached me. looking up at the shadow that covered me the first thing that came to my sight was an AC Mn strip. The man towered over me he was at least six feet tall. He had dark brown hair that had slight locks in them matching his chestnut brown eyes. All his features were overshadowed though by his bright sunny smile that seemed to illuminate the entire world. You have probably guessed it the smiling man in front of me is the one and only Kaka. "Haha, Hallo kid you want to y some football" Kaka spoke up to me as his smile never left his face. Stunned by his sudden appearance in front of me and his words I was left speechless. Looking at his feet I was wondering where he got a football from guess some Brazilians truly are magicians with the ball. "Huh, Hello Mr Kaka, I''d love to y with you, but I don''t think I''m good enough to give you a good challenge," I told him honestly aftering out of my stupor. My words made him frown for a second as bent down on one knee, so we were at eye level. "You got to start somewhere kid, believing is half of the battle," he said with a serious tone while cing a hand on my shoulder in an attempt tofort me. Gaining a bit of confidence from his words I nodded at him indicating that I understood. "Ok let''s y, what are we doing first," I asked him curiously, excited to finally be kicking a ball even if it is in my dream. My words seemed to have activated whatever forces controlled my dream as different training drills started appearing all over the field. It looked like one of that army training courses you would see in movies. "Follow me and we will get started" He stated as he started drilling the ball into a square-shaped box filled with cones of assorted colours. looking at the box that was covered with cones was like looking at a packet of skittles. "Alright, you''re going to dribble the ball in the box and try to round the cone of the colour I''m going to call out whilst avoiding all other cones." He stated as he demonstrated the drill for me. He expertly manoeuvred around all the cones which were barely fifty centimetres from one another. Using both of his feet he managed to arrive at every cone colour I called out for a whole minute straight without missing a beat. "I''ve got this" I pumped myself up as I entered the square and got a hold of the ball with my feet. Touching the ball with my feet it felt almost electric as if I were reunited with a long-lost friend. It just felt right to kick the ball underneath my feet almost as if I were missing something when I normally walked. "Blue" hearing his shout I carefully manoeuvred around the Red, green, yellow, and purple cones making my way to the blue one. My speed might as well have been a snail''s pacepared to Kaka or anyone really. However, by getting around the cones and ying one-twos with my feet I got a better feel for the ball. "White" He shouted again as soon as I made it around the blue cone leaving me no time to celebrate my small achievement. Heding hismand I instantly located a white cone and started making my way through the maze. "ck" The shout came again setting my next course. Feeling a little more confident I decided to pick up the pace. This turned out to be a mistake as in an attempt to speed up I used too much power and sent the ball straight at a cone. This messed up my rhythm causing me to trip over the ball in an attempt to reach the ball in time. Quickly getting up after my tumble I controlled the ball again with my right foot and charged at the cones again. This scene repeated itself for quite a while to the point I and the grass became best friends. However, after each time visible felt that my control over the ball increased with each try. At some point, Ipletely lost sight of my surroundings the only thing in my field of vision being the ball and the cones. The only sound that could register in my ears was the colour kaka called out and the drumming of my heartbeat that set the rhythm of my dribble. "STOP" I heard him say after I made it around a pink cone which caused my whole body to abruptly stop. This turned out to be an unwise decision which I found out the next second as the inertia of my motion send me flying to the ground into the arms of my friend the grass. Sitting up from the fall I could not help and smile widely like a madman who had just discovered a treasure. I am not losing my mind or anything from the fall or anything so no need for a psychologist. The reason for my smile is that I had managed to round ten cones in a row without failure and increasing my speed each time I felt like a little tornado which was zooming past each cone as the wind gently hugged my body changing directions in split seconds. "Haha, kid follow me to the next drill," he said chuckling as he walked to the next station leaving me on the ground. Not wanting to get left behind I quickly followed him eager to learn more from the smiling prince of football. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 25 Training With The Prince ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. You can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts, With a daily upload schedule. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ Quickly following behind Kaka, he led me to a station that looked to be like a small racecourse with stic yers pinned everywhere. The stic yers were spread over varying distances from one meter to three meters. Looking at the figures that wereid out in a snake-like jungle I was slightly confused about what the next drill could be. Kaka seemed to sense my confused look as he scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. Looking at him he quickly looked away in an attempt to escape my questioning re. However, instead of exining what to do he simply grabbed the ball from my feet and charged at the exercise. Guess he wants me to learn by observing him must be a genius thing not being able to exin their thought process. He sped past the first opponent who had a distance of one meter between the next checkpoints. After passing the figure he suddenly slowed down for a beat before elerating with a body feint past the next yer. He did this throughout the course elerating past short distances and slowing his pace when he had a bit of room. Watching him do the course was like watching a skilled dancer who would go from dancing fast to suddenly slowing down. Mesmerised by his dance-like dribbling I almost didn''t notice when Kaka made it back to me looking like he barely got a workout from that. Not waiting for him to say anything I took the ball and line up at the starting line. (huff) Taking a deep breath in I closed my eyes trying to calm my emotion as I tried to concentrate on remembering his movements to the best of my abilities. For some reason, I could clearly in vision his movements as he went through the drill almost as if I was watching him do it again. (huff) Taking another deep breath my eyes shot open as my left foot lunged towards the ball quickly moving past the first figure. Trying to slow down abruptly I did not anticipate the ball to jump away from me due to how much power I put into my first lunge. Having lost control of the ball I had to restart the drill. This time I chose to go past the right side with a little less speed and more emphasising on control. I managed to gain control of the ball after passing the figure, but I came to a stop this time. This made it a bit awkward when I tried to elerate again as I tripped over the ball embracing my old friend on the grass. This is starting to be a habit feels like I''m more on the ground than ying football at this point. "What am I doing wrong" I mused to myself as I made my way to the start again. Spending a while thinking about what it was, I was missing I came to a realisation. The thing that I was missing was a rhythm to my dribbling style. Just like dancing follows a certain body rhythm so does dribbling especially if I want to do what Kaka did. If I want to abruptly stop and suddenly elerate, I''m going to need rhythm in my dribble. ~~~ After about an hour of trying the drill continuously, I managed toplete the drill for the first time. I had finally figured out a rhythm and breathing method that worked for me. Halfway through my tries to integrate rhythm into my dribble I realised the importance of air. This may sound stupid sin we need air to breathe but sometimes hold my breath to push myself harder. Doing this caused me to be out of breath halfway through causing my rhythm to copse and I lost control of the ball. So, I started taking small, short breaths when doing a dribble in a one-two rhythm. After a couple of tweaks, I finally managed to make it through the course and still have enough strength to continue running. Motivated by my sess in finallypleting the dribble maze I jumped up for joy. Not wanting to lose the feeling though I quickly made my way to the start and run through the drill a second time this time at a faster pace. I noticed that when changing directions and sudden eleration my body had the power to do a lot more. This was due to how my breathing aligned with my movement, breathing in when slowing down and out when stepping on the gas. The feeling of finally being able to do the drill felt exhrating to the point I started smiling like a fool. This must be why Kaka smiles all the time, this feeling is like getting a sugar rush or experiencing a roller-coaster ride. After about ten more runs through the course, I started trying to bring in small skills. I started with a simple drop-the-shoulder motion before passing the figure on the opposite side. It took me a while before this motion became a little morefortable for me. I did end up on the floor a couple of times or ran straight into the unmoving figure which earned me a chuckle from Kaka. I had forgotten he was even there as I was immersed in my training but not wanting to bother with him, I continued to work on my feints. In a while, I managed to somehow integrate the body feints in my dribbling rhythm with my head intact. I was thankful that I was doing this in my dream otherwise I would have so many bruises on my body some might think I got attacked by a gang of boxers. The next skill I worked on was the chop cut taking a page straight out of one of the goats of the game. Lionel Messi uses this skill to quickly change the direction of the ball and with my feints, it would be a perfect fit for me. The skill was rather hard not because it''s someplicated Manuvir it''s because of how natural it felt at first. To perform the move, I have to use the side of my foot to chop at the side of the ball to change directions instead of the top of my foot which I''m used to using. It felt like I was back to the start of the session as I kept putting too much power into my chops and losing control of the ball. Attempting to get the skill down I trained it without the feints, so I can get at least an entry-level understanding of the manoeuvre. Even with the less difficulty the simple-looking skill was a nightmare to integrate into my newly developed dribbling rhythm. In the end, I did manage toplete a couple of rounds using the chop skill. However, every now and then I would still mess up and lose control so it''s a work in progress. ~~~ Finishing a chop dribble through the maze I finally had enough and stopped to catch my breath. Not sure how long I had trained for as at some point I felt this need for improvement and speed that everything else disappeared into blurry after images. Walking over to a Kaka who looked like an abandoned puppy I felt quite sorry forpletely forgetting him twice. "I''m sorry I was just having too much fun" I apologetically told him, scratching the back of my head hoping he would ept my apology. "It''s Okay young lion I used to be like that too when I was young," he said as he stood up from the grass patting stray des of grass off his clothes. Good thing he''s not mad, I know a lot of teachers would be fuming if their students ignored them and started doing their own thing. Even if what I was doing could be considered studying the same subject. Some teachers are weird though as they will get mad if you study their subject in front of them without letting them be the ones to impart the knowledge to you. "Young lion?" I breathe in relief as he wasn''t mad at me, but I was slightly confused by the lion''sment. "You are a lion cub that''s slowly growing up," he said as he stepped forward and took the ball from me before I could react. He started juggling the ball up and down before sending me a pass in the air only for me to drop it. I tried to imitate him and somehow after three juggles, I passed it back to him. He trapped the ball with ease continuing to juggle it before he passed it back to me. This back and forth continued for a little while till I managed to juggle the ball ten times in a row getting morefortable with the feel of the ball. Passing the ball to him he didn''t continue to juggle the ball this time as he flicked it up and started bouncing it on his head. He looked like a seal he bounces the ball on his head. What he did next blew my mind and made me want to cry for thinking my ten juggles in a row were good. He let the ball roll down his back before flicking it up with his heel only to catch it on his neck, this whole time he didn''t even make eye contact with the ball. Knocking the ball back into the air he let it drop on his right shoulder. From there he took it with his feet again and casually performed three around the world again. To finish off his magic show because that''s what this looked like to me, he sted the ball high into the sky as he looked at me. "You will be a real lion once you can do this," he said with a wide grin that looked challenging and filled with expectations. Just as I was about to p for him the ball came down on his right leg perfectly and he trapped it with absolute control not letting the ball level his vice grip of a foot. "Monster" I muttered as fell onto my back at the beast in human form that was before and teaching me this whole time. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 26 Land On The Horizon ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] !Power stone Bonus Chapter! ~~~ "Monster" I muttered falling onto my back and looking up at the beast in human form. To think he has been teaching me this whole time. Looking at my gobsmacked expression he startedughing heartily as if what he has done was just amon skill. This moment is when I realised that I hate the way geniuses think. "Looks like our time is up kid," he said as he looked up at the sky as if there was a clock up there that told him the exact time. Slightly confused by his words I was just about to ask him what he meant. "The skills you''ve learnt here will make it easier for you to recreate them once you wake up, so work hard." He interrupted me as his body started to slowly fade. This feels a bit like one of those cheesy goodbyes in Donghua''s. When the expert is dying or ascends to the higher heavens leaving his student with some heartfelt words of wisdom. Since he is basically my master Obi-Wan, I did not speak my sarcasticment and just nodded to his words of wisdom. That seemed to do the trick as the fading animation sped up ending this cheesy moment. Looking around the now empty pitch I started feeling drowsy as my eyes shut putting me to sleep. ~~~ "Mom, I don''t think he''s ever waking up" I heard a familiar young voice of a girl speak. "You might be right, we might have to use extreme means to wake him" An older voice of a woman spoke up, her voice also sounded familiar. "What extreme means can we take I''ve already tried shaking him, but he just wouldn''t wake up." The young voice spoke up again with a worried tone. "Just get a bucket of cold water that will wake him up" The older voice spoke up in a serious tone as if she were passing on valuable information. ? Hearing their familiar voices something in the back of my mind told me that I knew them. Yes, does not that serious voice sounds a bit like that lioness who said I am her son now? Then that young voice must be Emma, but why are they talking in my dream just let me sleep. Wait what do they mean by extreme measures to wake me up? Thinking about that scary thought my eyes shot open as my body reflexively sat up. As soon as I sat up, I heard a distinct bang of something hitting the ground. The loud noise drew my attention to Lisa who was drenched in water. Emma was on the ground and next to her was an empty basin of water. There was a moment of silence where no one spoke creating a weird atmosphere of us three just looking into space. I made eye contact with Emma who seemed a bit embarrassed that she had slipped due to her shock. Turning my head, I looked at Lisa who also seemed surprised by what had just happened. Making eye contact with her she seemed to just be feeling the effects of the chilly water as her body shivered slightly. Deciding I did not want to deal with whatever was happening I grabbed the nket andid back down. "You get up right now!" Lisa roared three seconds after I had covered myself. Attesting to her order I sat up again not wanting to anger her anymore. "Yes, Mam" I shouted at her in a mock salute causing her lip to visibly twitch in annoyance. The speed at which her expressions changed from annoyance to anger was a sight to be held. "How long do you n to sleep it''s already noon," she says to me visibly annoyed at my earlier actions. "I''ll wake up don''t worry I was just getting my beauty sleep," I told her as I quickly got out of bed still wearing my tracksuit bottoms from the night before. My quick response seemed to make her happy, so I decided to mess with her a little. "Why are you wet though? if you wanted a shower, I''m sure the bathroom is free" I told her with a look of contemtion. Judging by how her left eye twitched and she started visibly trembling, I really managed to trigger her this time. ~~~ Huff Just get ready and get something to eat she told me before she stomped out of the room. Maybe I took it a little too far? I do not know why I do it but every time I think about how she just proimed herself to be my mother makes me want to mess with her. I have nothing against her, it is simply hard for me to try and think of recing my mother. At this point, I think it''s the idea of it all that scares me more than anything. All my memories of my mom might as well be a fictional image of what I believe she was like. It is not fair to try and put those standards on Lisa if she really bes my new mom. I think it''s because the little time I spent with my birth mother was the safest I have felt in both my life. It seems I''ve started to subconsciously try to guard those feelings I associate with my mom. In reality, I probably had a mundane first year of life with a loving mother. The mind is a tricky thing, guess whoever said that was not lying. Realising how mean and rude I have been acting to a woman who has shown me nothing but care and love I hit my head in frustration. Not wanting to let this situation escte further I quickly ran after her after making sure Emma was ok and did not hurt herself. Following the direction, she stormed off I did notice how I ran past a man in a sailor suit. Running down the corridor I finally noticed my target as she has just exited the ship onto the deck. It seems she noticed my approach as she turned around to face me with a surprised look on her face. Not stopping I jumped at her and envelope her in a hug almost as if I was rugby tackling her. I think my charge might have knocked the wind out of her causing her to take a step back, so we did not fall. ~~~ [Lisa Pov] ''What is going on with him'' I mused to myself as I made my way to the deck of the ship. Maybe I was a little forceful yesterday, Guess I would be angry if someone just decided they were my new parent. I thought he epted it though he did not argue against me after our hugst night. Maybe I do not project enough motherly presence and that is why he rejects me. How can I project a motherly presence though, I have never read Cosmo so I cannot really be a traditional mother. Stuck in my train of thought of how to be more motherly I suddenly heard fast footsteps approaching me. Turning around to face whoever it is I see Rakim charging at me at quite a speed. Like a deer in headlights, I froze as he jumped at me hugging my waist. I had to take a step back to stabilise my body so that we would not fall to the ground. "I''m Sorry" I heard him mutter while still hugging me. This is surprising, to say the least, I thought he was angry at me. He might have bipr his mood changes too quickly, but I will notin since this means he epts me, right? "It''s alright let''s get some food," I told him breaking up our small hug. Leading him to the kitchen I quickly prepared an oatmeal dish filled with fruits. I like to prepare healthy meals for my family ever since I started my studies into the human body. By now it is almost a reflex that I prepare something healthy, as knowing the effects of bad dieting on your body is honestly concerning. Most athletes underperformed due to not having a bnced diet that fits in with their routine. I have seen athletes get into bad injuries just because they did not take care of their bodies well enough. You might think that it is just one bite of a pizza what harm could it possibly do, you will just walk it off. However, your body will store the extra calories and over time it will create an imbnce in your body. Anyways looking at how he is gulping down the breakfast he probably likes it. We spent about twenty minutes infortable silence as he finished his food. Looking at his hair it is quite unkempt it is probably for the best to just hop it down. Oh well we will deal with thatter; I cannot really start cutting his hair right now, can I? "Thanks that tasted good," he said to me as he put the bowl in the sink. Turning back towards me he stopped for a second before he rushed past me. Turning around I saw him leaning against the railings as he looked into the distance. "Land Insight" He shouted as if he was some sort of sailor on a pirate ship. True to his words though in the distance, the outline of Tampa Bay was starting to be visible. Guess we are finally going home; I loved the vacation but there is no ce like home. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 27 Skills And Mother ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ ncing at Rakim in front of me I couldn''t help a smile forming on my lips. The look of curiosity on his face as he stared into the distance is just so cute. It took all my willpower not to pounce on him and start pinching his cheeks. I just couldn''t bring myself to interrupt the look of mesmerisation that he currently had as we sailed past the coastline of Cape Coral. "Are you serious about wanting to be my mother?" I heard him say lightly in a barely audible. Not quite sure where this came from m but the nervous look on his face showed me that he is anxious about this topic. "Yes, I''m very serious about this decision, you will be a part of our family from now on," I answered him almost instantly not wanting him to think I was considering this answer. Hearing my answer his nervous expression lessened slightly. It was as if hearing my answer lifted a weight that he had been carrying around with him. "Okay if you''re sure I will be your son from now on," he said again still having a nervous expression which is now slightly bashful. Hearing him call himself my son I felt a warm sensation in my heart. Not holding back anymore I pulled him into another hug, which is starting to bemon. I''m notining though Emma stopped letting me hug her saying that now that she is nine, she''s too old for that. "So are you my little brother then" we heard the voice of Emma from behind us. Turning around to look at her I noticed the slight frown on her face. She must be jealous that I''m hugging Rakim, but she will never admit it. I don''t know how else to exin how much time she spent with him yesterday. It is not that she is a rude person it''s just that she has little patience for people she does not like. I still remember on herst birthday how she ignored her uncle when he tried to give her his present. He thought he was smug by trying to use my daughter to get close to his estranged brother too. His smug smile faded quickly when she asked who he was and that she was not supposed to take gifts from strangers. "Yes, I''ll be your big brother" I heard Rakim say as he struggled out of my hug. His statement confused me as Emma is the older of the two. It seems Emma was confused too as her frown deepened a little. "No, I''m older so I will be the big Sister" Emma refuted his statement taking a step towards him. Both her hands were on her hips in an attempt to show her dominance but to me, she just looked like a kid trying to act tall. "I''ll hug you if I''m your older brother," he said as he threw me for a loop. But looking at Emma''s contemtive look she is seriously considering this. "Ok but I get to hug u whenever I want," she said having made up her mind. Looking at her serious face it seems she is a hundred percent certain about this. My mouth involuntarily twitched at how easily she agreed to that. Usually, she would argue about it for a little while and wouldn''t give up until she got what she wants. "Deal" Rakim answered with a triumphant smile as if he had won a big battle. Well in a way he kind of did, arguing with her you might as well be fighting a war. Emma didn''t bother with it though as she enveloped him in a hug. She made eye contact with me and stuck out her tongue at me in a taunting manner. This girl is something else seems like she was willing to give up her argument just to spite me. ~~~ [Rakim Pov] It took a while for Emma to let me get out of her hug which apparently, she is now entitled to ording to our deal. I guess she is kind of right about it so I can''t evenin when she starts hugging me. Gazing at the Land that was slowly getting closer I realised that it would take a while for us to reachnd. So, I decided to try some of the skills I learned in my dream yesterday. "Do use have a football on board?" I asked Emma and Lisa who seemed quite surprised by my sudden question. Lisa thought for a second before walking somewhere into the ship only to return shortly with a ck and white football. "Here u go," she said as she threw it at me. catching the ball with my hands I stared intently at it. However, the feeling I was looking for never appeared. Looking at the strange gaze I was getting from the two girls I''d been staring at it for too long. Ignoring them I decided to check with Ava instead of fumbling about. ~~~ ''Eva, can you show me my status'' I asked her in my head not wanting to look crazier than I already looked at the two girls. In order to not make them worry I let go of the ball and started juggling the ball while talking to Eva. [Yes, right away host] She promptly answered me. [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Eze AGE: 5yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 1100 Position: RM, LM (Evaluation: A pitiful boy with versatile talents far from bing a professional ser yer however has the potential to be a decent yer.) USER MENU [ USER STATS] [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS] [ SYSTEM SHOP (locked)] [ SYSTEM LOTTERY (locked)] [ SNOOPING TOOL (locked)] ] Looking at how my status had not changed much I decided to go straight to my user stats tab since that''s what I worked on. As if knowing what I wanted Ava instantly opened up the stats tab without me asking her. [ USER STATS] >Physical Fitness: D+ >Football Technique: C >Game Intelligence: E+ ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors:? Looking down it seems that my technique did improve slightly. Seeing this a smile bloomed on my face as this meant that all my effort was worth itst night. But I was slightly confused as there wasn''t a tab for my skills anywhere. ''Ava where are the skills that I have learnedst night,'' I asked her slightly confused by why they weren''t there. [Host since what you learned is counted under running skills it won''t be on the system. This means that the host dribbling is not counted as an active skill. However, once the host gains a basic proficiency in the body feint or the chop cuts and simr skills they will show up on the system as conditional passive skills.] She went on a long monologue exining all the ins and outs of my skill setup. ''So let me get this straight as long as I get a basic mastery of a skill it will show up on the system'' I asked her to want to make sure I was on the same page as her. [Yes, host but just like in the training session other factors will affect your ability to perform a skill move] She answered me confirming my suspicions on how much my rhythm matter when dribbling. I now understood that the system would make it easier for me to learn skills and use them in a match. However, it''s not like in an RPG game where you would just press the skills and it would activate. I would have to perform skills myself and depending on the situation things such as my bnce, my speed, and my technique would be the deciding factor on whether I can perform them. I better start grinding my technique before anything else so I can dance around yers. It''s much more fun being a winger that can y around the defender''s nose than one who can only run. So, the most important skill that I will focus on, for now, will be bnce and technique. ~~~~ Snapping out of my musing caused me to lose control of the ball making it drop onto the deck. Seeing the ball drop from my barefoot I realised that I''d been juggling it the whole time subconsciously. Judging by the looks of Emma and Lisa that seems to be the case, which I can only attribute to the C-level technique. "See I told you I was made to y the game," I told them with a smug smile showing shamelessly showing off the system''s effect on my body. It is not like I''m lying my second life is basically connected to ying football. "I guess you are Okay" Lisa muttered as she turned her head not wanting to look at my smug smile. Her reaction caused me tough as I got the ball and started juggling again trying to beat my record again. But maybe due to karma or some higher power messing with me, I dropped the ball after five juggles. "Haha Who asked you to try and be smug with me," Lisa chuckled before she left men and Emma alone to go and tend to something. Looking at Emma she also had a slight smile on her face making my face heat up. Not wanting to give up I picked up the ball and started juggling it wanting to increase my feeling for the ball. This went on for the rest of our journey as we approached Tampa Bay. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 28 [Bonus ]Home ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ After Like, an hour or so, the ship finally docked at Tampa Bay. Apparently, the Rex family stay close by in a city called Ondo. I was supposed to pack my things so I could take them to their house but seeing as I don''t have anything I decided to help Emma. God knows she needs the help, for some reason she brought two suitcases worth of belongings. "Were you nning to stay there long term or something," I asked her as I jumped on her suitcase lid in an attempt to get it shut. We have been trying to close it for the past ten minutes to no avail. I don''t think my jumping on it even helps with how malnourished I have be over the years. "No these are just the essentials" She answered with a confident smile on her face. I just sighed as I looked at the number of clothes and other random things she brought. Guess everyone has their own interpretation of essentials. "How are seven bunnies and two dog plushies essentials?" I asked her to want to understand her thought process. Her slight re made me regret questioning her obsession with teddy bears and plushies though. Good thing for me I was saved by a knock on the door by a Ben who was probablying to check on us. "You two almost ready?" He asked us in a cheery voice. He must be d to finally be going home again after two weeks of vacation. No matter how wonderful the outside world is there''s no ce that gives you the same feeling as home. "Yes, we just can''t get thest bag to shut" Emma wry answered him as she motioned to the ck suitcase I was sitting on. Ben burst into a chuckle upon seeing our predicament as he approached the suitcase. He simply used his hands to press down on the lid bulging his muscles before managing to close it with the zipper. "You need to grow some muscles kid," hemented as he picked up both suitcases showing off his strength. My lips twitched after hearing his words, it''s not like I can just tell my body to start producing muscles. "Just wait I''ll be stronger than you soon enough," I told him with confidence at my future prospect. hearing my answer, he just smiled at me as he walked out of the room followed by a chuckling Emma. Not knowing what was so funny I just followed behind them in contemting whether I said something funny. Walking down the ramp of the ship my feet finally touched firm ground again. This felt slightly unnatural after being on a boat for two days but after taking a couple of steps that feeling vanished. I followed Ben and Emma out of the Tampa Bay harbour as they led me through a parking lot with loads of high-end cars. Walking past the cars we got to a white car with the Range Rover that seemed to be brand new. Inside the car, Lisa was sitting on the passenger wearing arge yellow hat that matched her sundress. "Took you long enough, joe was getting impatient waiting for you" Lisa called out to us while Ben and I started loading Emma''s bags in the already-packed trunk. Guess Emma isn''t the only one with a lot of essentials. Not bothering to voice my newfound realisation of where Emma got her habit from. I finally noticed the man next to her who was leaning on a ck car that seemed to be an Audi. The man was wearing a white sailor suit looking a little like a military uniform. Looking closely at the man he seemed quite familiar almost like I''d seen him not too long ago. "They couldn''t close a simple suitcase," Ben told the two adults throwing us under the bus and causing me to snap out of thought to look at him. Throwing a re at him, as it felt like this was another jab at myck of muscles again. Emma''s light chuckle seemed to confirm my assumption. My body really needs to start growing some muscles fast this is starting to be a thing. "Shall we get going then?" Lisa said probably impatient to get home. Adhering to her request Ben hurried to the driver''s seat. I''d like to think that it was my re that sent him running though, it''s healthier for my ego and mental state. Emma and I quickly got into the back seat of the car as our journey began. Looking around at the interior of the car I felt weird sitting in here. The car had pristine white leather seats with a wine-red pattern adding to the elegance of the seats. ncing at the dashboard upfront it felt like I was in a spaceship with all the high-tech-looking buttons. This was without mentioning howfortable the atmosphere felt. This was nothing like the rust bucket my uncle drove back in Nigeria that he wouldn''t let me touch in case I damaged it. The funny thing about this is the fact that the door was loose and came off the hinges every now and then. However, looking at my rugged tracksuit I felt off just sitting there as if at any moment id ruin the car somehow. This feeling made it ufortable to enjoy the car as I was too busy trying to not sully the car somehow. Emma seemed to notice my ufortable bodynguage and started patting my head as if I was a puppy. Somehow this made me feel even worse causing me to forget the ufortableness recing it with embarrassment. "Stop that I''m meant to be the big brother," I told her trying to get rid of the embarrassment. All I received was a chuckle as she continued to pat my head seemingly enjoying the action. Deciding to ignore her actions I focused my attention on the outside world that was passing us by. The senary outside seemed like a paradise mixed with modern touches that served to help entuate the beauty of the ce. Even though we were on the highway that seemed to be called rote four for some reason which confused me. It''s not like this is some Pok¨¦mon game or maybe it is, and someone forgot to tell me. As we drove down the Pok¨¦mon route, I saw a lot of greenery with a lot ofkes scattered along the route. ~~~ After an hour on the Pok¨¦mon rote, we seemed to have arrived at our destination somewhere in Ondo. This city was just as vibrant as all the ces we have been to, it just had a lot of modern buildings giving it a serene atmosphere. There were palm trees at the side of the wide roads further creating the bnce of modernity and nature. Travelling along the street we turned into a neighbourhood which seemed more like an estate. You might be wondering what the difference between an estate and a neighbourhood is. Well, if your neighbourhood is covered full of vis and genuinely reeks of money it is probably an estate. That''s a bit vague of an exnation but that is how I imagine an estate to be. Slightly gawking at the beautiful houses, we passed I was starting to realise how wealthy this family really is. Even though this was a housingmunity we passed a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. It seems like you could enjoy a leisurely life without ever leaving the estate. My worldview keeps changing the longer I stay with this family maybe I should stop expecting things. Deciding to just let life surprise me we pulled into a driveway of a white modern-looking vi that had some grey walls and a ck garage door. The vi seemed to be two stories which were on the small scale in the estate. I''ve seen some oundish houses that caused my lips to twitch wondering what entric people would want to live there. One of the houses looked like it wanted to imitate a castle in the Middle Ages but stopped halfway through as it tried to be modern. I don''t know what the architect was thinking when designing that monstrosity, probably ate the wrong skittles vour and this happened. "Wee to your new home," Ben said to me as he parked the car next to a yellow Porsche in front of the garage door. His sudden address to me surprised me as he and I barely interacted with each other. Not knowing what to say to him I just nodded in acknowledgement of his words. "Let us get inside," Lisa said as she quickly opened the door and headed straight for the front door of the house forgetting the bags in the trunk. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 29 A Father 1 ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ After Ben and I carried the bags, I finally got to see they beauty of the house form the inside. The exterior defiantly did not lie to me it is everything that was advertised for sure. It is everything I was expecting when I looked at it from the outside. This stunning home was masterfully designed and built to disy the beautifulkefront views. It was to die for looking at it from the living room as the sun set, I felt like I could reach out and hold it. The living room had an open floor n reaching all the way up to the second floor, which overlooked the living room. There was a fire pit-type thing that ran along the ground just below a tscreen Tv. There was arge white couch in the middle of the living room that faced the firece creating afortable atmosphere. Looking out past the couch there wererge ss windows that highlighted an infinity pool. The pool was on a Poarch next to an outside fire pit and a jacuzzi that had some LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lights around them. Past that I could see a grass garden that led to ake that seemed to be the centre of thismunity. Looking around the room I was mesmerised by what I was seeing. It feels like I''m inside a movie or something where the main character would end up in a random vi. Guess Lisa must have noticed me as she approached me with a smile. "Do you want a tour of your new house?" she said to me as she approached me with a smile. She was probably trying to make me feel wee as I look way out of ce just standing at the entrance of the living room. "Actually, I need to take Rakim somewhere" Ben spoke up from behind me twirling a set of a car key in his hands. Not waiting for Lisa''s response, he headed for the door, and I just followed him not knowing what else to do. stepping back outside we boarded the range again as we pulled out of the driveway with me in the passenger seat. Honestly, I am starting to get sick of car journeys well any journeys on moving vehicles in general. First, I had a mad long journey on a bike then the boat ride although I slept most of it but still and now car rides. Maybe I should develop one of those motion sickness things so they will stop dragging me on these road trips. ~~~ After a little while of driving in silence I couldn''t resist the urge to talk so I asked him what was on my mind right now. "Where are we going?" I said as I turned my attention towards him to get some answers about our impromptu excursion. Plus, I''ve not spent a lot of time with Ben on my own so I''m a little nervus. "We are going to get a few things for you and meet someone" he said in a matter-of-fact tone as he drove to what seemed like the shopping district of themunity. Still baffled at what we were doing here I watched him stop in front of a store that had rex written in capital letters. Judging by the name they must own the store and him walking out towards it confirms my assumptions. Quickly following behind him we entered the store that seemed like a showcase for clothing, shoes, and sports equipment. Still wondering why, he would bring me here I watched him wave me over to an asion man that had greeted him. The man was like a full head shorter than ben and he was decked out in muscr that were highlighted by the polo he was wearing. His head is bald following the footsteps of a certain caped hero, but his massive ck beard made him look a bit like a Viking. Looking at his name tag his name seems to be Bjorn, so I wasn''t so far off with my Viking assumption. "Rakim this is Bjorn the manager of our store at this mall" be said to me as he motioned to the bear like man in front of me. I nodded at the man in response still trying to understand why I''m here in the first ce. "Bjorn my friend this is my son Rakim" he said introducing me, which seemed to confuse the both of us a little. Bjorn seemed to be confused since he apparently knew the rex family. I on the other hand was confused about the fact he called me his son. It''s not like I''ve got something against it, it''s just that me and him haven''t really talked about my adoption at all. I guess Lisa must have talked with him about it and it wouldn''t be bad to have a father figure to look up to for once. " I need to get him some clothes and shoes the essentials really." he said to Bjorn leading me to words a rack of cloths. He simply nodded as he got back to work leaving me and Ben alone in the Ilse. Looking up at ben I saw that he was seriously inspecting the cloths as if he was solving a math problem trying to pick out the right ones. "You don''t have to do this for me" I quietly told him not really sure why I was saying it. My voice was nearly audible, but he seemed to have heard me as he turned to words me with a sports shirt. Holding it up against my body in an attempt to grasp my size he held it there for a few seconds before making eye contact with me. "I''m not doing it for you, I''m doing it for my son," he said to me as he put a couple of adidas and Nike tops and bottoms in the basket he was carrying. His answer was more confusing than anything leaving me with more questions than anything else. He seemed to realise that as he turned back to me. "You know we have always wanted more children, but sadly we could only have Emma which we are thankful for." He said to me in a soft voice that made me feelforted, there he goes using his superpower again. "We have been thinking about adoption for a while now, so when you feel into our life, we decided to take it as a sign." he continued as still keeping eye contact with me, making sure I understood what he was saying. "So, to us you''re not a coincident but a miracle, Haha let''s get you some shoes as well I think we even sell football boots here" He spoke up aging before I could speak up as he headed to a wall that disyed several types of shoes. Not wanting to be left behind I simply followed him there in silence. The wall seemed to have shoes belonging to every major brand, from Nike, Adidas, Jordan, and even Gi. Although I did not even know Gi mad shoes and judging by the fur on the shoe maybe they should stop. It is weird how they find a way to put animal material on almost everything thy produce. I had put money on the fact that the designers argue about how much fur they can out on a perfectly ok shoe. ~~~ Ben had me try various shoes from air Jordans to Nike air max''s for like twenty minutes. He seemed to love shoes as he just continued to pick out ones that he liked and asked me to try them in my size. My feet are still growing but I am already a size eight which is not bad for a growing child. apparently, this means I will grow tall ording to Ben, but I think he was just trying to make me feel better about not being able to reach the top shelf. After we were done trying out all most all the shoes, we liked in the shop I went into the changing room to get change into one of the out fits he picked out for me. Now dressed in a pair of white Nike joggers I felt much more confidant matching the joggers I sported a Nike shirt. Completing the look was a pair of white Air Jordans 13 with a blue outline at the bottom. Looking in the mirror my aura had drastically changed, guess the saying about the cloths making the man were not too far off. "You clean up quite nice" Benmented at me as I stepped out of the changing room. Looking at him he was holding bags that seemed to contain the things he was just picking out for me. This slightly startled me as some of those price tags were no joke, especially the shoes. "Why did you buy all of it, I thought we were just getting essentials?" I questioned him as I stared at the three bags that were full to the brim with goods. Thats when I remembered what Emma and Lisa considered essentials when they packed. At this moment I felt like sherlock Holmes as I solved the mystery of the meaning of essential in this family. "Come let''s look at Ser boots" My lips twitched hearing his words, does he seriously want to buy more things. However, when I realised that ser meant football here, I immediately quickened my steps and followed after him with an eager smile. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 30 A Father (2) ?I just realised Webnovel messed up my uploading order so that''s why it seems a bit muddled. Good news for you I''ve uploaded three chapters because of this. This is the order you should read it in: Father (2), A Family, Rex, and then Court, Sorry for the inconvenience but at least you get an early three chapters. [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ Quickly blitzing past Ben, I arrived at the holy grail for a football fan or yer. Maybe not the holy grail but it was a treasure stove of various kinds of boots that are used for various sports. Looking at the different football boots My gaze was immediately drawn stored a pair of Adidas boots that seemed to be from the predator''s edition. Picking them up I felt the leather coating the boot was made from. "Good eyes kid those are the best predators thepany has made yet" A gruff voice spoke up from behind me. Startled by the sudden voice I turned around only to see Bjorn standing there with a grin on his face. "Yeah, I like how they feel too" I answered him subconsciously as I looked back down at the boots in my hand. I''ve never worn boots to y football except in my dreams, but I feel like with these pair I''ll go wild on the pitch. "Yes, they were made withfort in mind, here have a look at these too," he said as he handed me a ck boot that had a pink Nike logo on it. ''Nike Mercurial SL'' I mentally read out the name of the boot. I was by far slenderer than the predators almost as if it was designed to hug the skin. "That one was designed with speed in mind and recently the wonder kid that ys for Manchester debuted them in a match," Bjornmented exining why the boot was a lot slenderer than the predators I had in my other hand. Both boots in my hands held like weapons ready to be unleashed in battle, I just had to pick the weapon of my choice. "Let us take both and you can break them in and see which one you are morefortable withter on," Ben spoke up from behind me holding a ball in his hand having gotten rid of the shopping bags somehow. Not knowing what to say I just nodded at him as I couldn''t really decide which one, I liked more. ~~~ After checking out the shoes and balls at the counter we were back in the car and started driving on the roads again. It took about fifteen minutes till we stopped at what seemed to be a cafe or maybe some kind of bakery. I saw families and couples sitting here enjoying the afternoon sun with some coffee and pastries. "Let''s go in the person I want you to meet will be here soon," Ben said as he promptly alighted the car not waiting for me to respond. I thought Bjorn was the person I was supposed to meet. (sigh) It feels like I''m on a meet and greet at this point just meeting new people every day. "Who are we meeting now?" I asked ben joining him at the table he was sitting on. He did not answer me right away picking up a menu on the table seemingly scanning the delicacies that were on it. "We are meeting a family friend, who will help u with your adoption, can''t really have you stay here illegally right?" He answered me nonchntly not making eye contact with me still focused on the menu. If it wasn''t for the fact, I''m getting used to him, I would genuinely think he cared more about getting the perfect pastries. It didn''t take long for a waitress toe and take Ben''s order, who ended up ordering enough for three people. He either has a giant sweet tooth or he''s ordering for me too which is slightly more believable. However, going by how much he ordered I hope he doesn''t expect me to eat half of that. We spent the next ten minutes chatting about trivial things. It was mostly me asking him questions about his life. He seems to be a little of an adrenaline junky having done almost every high-risk sport and activity. He told me he got into it when one of his friends dared him to Bungy jump and he was hooked ever since. Something about his weird smile she talked about the feeling of jumping off a ne or doing a flip on a bike made me want to keep my distance. I think I will stick to ying football no need to risk my life just for a bit of adrenaline. I also found out that his family is originally from Scond somewhere in the United Kingdom. Judging by how his mood changed from talking about them I don''t think that they have a good rtionship or are close. I just stuck to asking questions about his life string away from that depressing subject. After about ten minutes into our conversation, the waitress came back with his order of pastries and some milkshakes. ~~~ "I see you still have a sweet tooth, Ben," A man wearing a grey suit said as he sat down at our table. The man looked like a clockmaker of some sort with that suit on, and the monocle he was wearing further reformed that image of an intellectual. The man looked to be in histe fifties and gave off a grandpa vibe with his light smile. "Hello, Uncle Williams how is your morning been?" Ben responded to the gentlemanly dressed man who I now know is named Wims. The name somehow suited him perfectly, I didn''t even know a name could suit someone till now. "You must be Rakim, Wee to the family," he said turning his attention to me as he held his hand out for me to shake. Not leaving the friendly Scotsman''s outstretched hand hanging I nodded at him shaking his hand firmly. His whole demeanour made me focus on him and subconsciously straighten my sitting posture. It was like meeting an important diplomat or someone who demanded respect being around him. I was not the only one to notice his unique aura as I saw multiple people nce at him from time to time. "Thanks, and nice to meet you, Mr Williams," I politely said to him before taking a sip of my strawberry milkshake. I was quite nervous around him even though he seemed like a nice person it is just his vibe that made me feel I should be on my best behaviour. Although he seems like a sophisticated guy, I was wondering how he was going to help me get adopted. I think he would have to try and contact my next of kin or something, I do not really know how he would do that though. Especially since my mom is dead and my cousin''s family had abandoned me going God knows where. "Don''t get nervous you''re not on a trial kid, I will be representing you and applying for you to be emergency fostered by Ben and his family." He slowly exined making my thoughts calm down and listen to him as he seems to know what he is talking about. "Since you are not a ward of the United State the foster care system won''t have a legitimate reason to block us so." He continued what he was saying sounding slightly off put when mentioning the foster care system. I have not experienced being in the system, but I am guessing it is probably better to have acking system watching out for you than having nothing. "I will argue with the courts on the grounds that you''re a war refuge from the civil war and make a case of you being abandoned which from what I understand is true." He stated again at a brisk pace almost as if he was simply stating things that happened on the morning news or something like that. Looking at his calm face that was sipping a cup of tea between sentences he might as well be having afternoon tea at a brunch. " I can''t promise to work miracles, but this should be easy enough for me otherwise Stanford is really useless, we might as well apply for citizenship of your guardian, so they won''t be able to separate you in the future" He calmly finished speaking as he looked me in the eyes as if waiting to see if I understood what he was saying. If I''m being honest, I only understood half of it but that was enough for me to know I was in safe hands. "Ok let''s just do that" I finally answered him trying to sound confidant but judging by how bens mouth twitched it didn''t work whatsoever. Guess I better start working on my poker face don''t want everyone reading me like a book. "Alright with you content I reach out to my friends in the state court and that should streamline things," he said calmly to ben as he got up from his chair. He must be a busy man as its just now that I noticed that he never took his coat off even though the sun is out. I think this whole meeting was just to keep me in the loop as Ben didn''t seem to have any questions for him. "Goodbye and thank you." I said to the gentleman as I stood up to shake his hands. Although I only had a short conversation with the man, he gave me a way to close the dark chapter of my past life. It will always be a part of me, but it won''t be able to Schakel me anymore moving forward. "My pleasure, say hello to my niece for me" he said as he walked away to words his car. I''m guessing he must be Lisa''s uncle Since Ben doesn''t really like his family from what I have gathered. Let''s hope everything works out as easy as he had exined it earlier, don''t think I want that kind of drama in my life. . . [An this is the secondst chapter of volume one, we will be going into the football side of things in volume two thank you for being patient and hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Have a blessed day] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 31 33 Court ?I just realised Webnovel messed up my uploading order so that''s why it seems a bit muddled. Good news for you I''ve uploaded three chapters because of this. This is the order you should read it in: Father (2), A Family, Rex, and then Court, Sorry for the inconvenience but at least you get an early three chapters. [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ "Yes, let''s go you two look Beautiful by the way," I told them with a smile as I got off my chair hanging my zer over my shoulder. Lisa was wearing a beautiful mustard-coloured dress that hugged her waist that highlighted her blond curls. The dress matched her earrings that seemed to be some type of yellow flower. Her looks really rivalled the ones of angels which was further proven by the bright yellowish eyes that seemed to light up the room. The only surprising thing was the fact that she wore white high heels. She really loves the colour Yellow it''s almost to the point of being an obsession. Next to Lisa was Emma who wore a white dress with white flowers on it. Unlike her mother who became more beautiful when dressing up, her dress made her look more adorable. Especially with her hair that was tied in a bun with only small strands crowning her face that had a light tint of red to them due to her naturalpletion. Emma was not wearing earrings instead she wore a small blue dolphin ne that matches her dress. "Aww thanks that''s the sweat of you hon, let us get going before we arete" Lisa answered as she lead us out the front door. Not long afterwards we set off in the white rover listening to some Flo rider on the radio. Although it was around seven in the morning the early summer weather set a serene mood, especially with the scenic views here in Ondo. "Are you excited?" Emma asked me drawing my attention from the window. Looking at the curious look on her face I couldn''t help but chuckle at her. She wasn''t a morning person before but after like two weeks of seeing my work out in the morning she started joining us. She joined the runs and yoga sessions in the morning before getting ready for school but she would always grumble about how she was the only one who had to go to school. "A little I guess but more than anything, I''m happy that we will officially be a family on paper," I answered her as I beamed a genuinely happy smile. Today the courts are officially gonna make Lisa and Ben my parents and change myst name with it. I still remember how ben thought I would be apprehensive to change my name to their family name Rex. [shback] I was sitting in the lounge area on the back garden porch doing some of my homework with Emma. She was trying to help me understand the importance of the history ss that Lisa has been forcing me to study. However, if you ask me some of the things are just so boring because you just can''t rte to them or it just sounds so far-fetched. More than anything I think it is myck of motivation for it that is making it such a struggle to learn. side note to that why are the history books so big, some of those things weigh more than bricks. Anyways as I was struggling through my tortures history homework I saw my saviour arrive, well maybe not a saviour but a weed distinction. Ben approached the table with a solemn look causing me and Emma to quieten down. Judging by the solemn look on his face I knew whatever he wanted to talk about was serious. "What''s up why do you look so serious?" I curiously asked him wanting any excuse to get away from learning about Shakespeare. I don''t hate the dude just don''t really want to learn about his life, not my kind of thing. "It''s about your adoption how do you feel about taking ourst name?" Ben asked me carefully as if I was a fragile egg he was making sure not to drop. "I don''t mind, actually I would love to leave my family name behind" I answered him in a serious tone before focusing back on my book on Shakespeare. I wasn''t lying I really wanted to leave behind my family name and just wanted to keep the name that my mother gave me herself. Plus if I take the Rex name I''ll feel more connected to my new family who is doing their best to love and raise me. "Stop spacing out and focus," Emma said from beside me bringing me out of my musing. (sigh) Let us just get this over with, to be or not to be and all that nonsense. ~~~ After twenty more minutes on the road, we finally reached the courthouse. Standing in front of the roman style building gave me an awe-inspiring feeling. You could literally feel the history and culture just by looking at the massive stone pirs. There were some Latin words engraved on the walls that just enhanced the feeling of prestige. Walking into the courthouse we soon met up with a familiar man dressed in a grey checkered suit holding a ck briefcase. The man was, of course, uncle Wims who seemed to be waiting for us. I don''t think the man owns any other clothing other than suits and formal wear, it would be fun to see him wearing jeans and a jumper. Maybe Emma and I should work on a n for that for Christmas or something. "Good morning hope yous are doing great" He treated us with a smile not knowing I had just made up my mind to plot against him. haha, I guess what they say about ignorance being bliss is really true. "A good Morning to you too" Ben answered him as he shook his hands whilst Lisa simply embraced the man in a tight hug. The surprised look on his face caused me to chuckle a little, guess no one other than his family would dare to just hug him like that. "Alright, let me go tell them we are ready shouldn''t take any longer than ten minutes." He said as he quickly fled to a nearby receptionist. He must have been scared that I and Emma would suddenly jump at him for a hug. It didn''t take long for him toe back to us and just as predicted we would just have to wait for ten more minutes. "Lisa tells me you''ve been training with her" Uncle Williams suddenly spoke up as he turned his attention to me. "Yeah she''s a strict teacher, the only thing that keeps me going sometimes is her cooking" I answered him with a wry smile on my face. This seemed to make himugh, feels like he just wanted to shift the awkwardness from earlier to someone else. "Oh Camon it''s not that bad, you''ll thank me once the Nike camp starts" Lisa cut into the conversation defending her torture''s training. It''s not like she is a bad teacher she just doesn''t let you rest until the drill is done. Which is good as it has pushed me to try my best and not cheat myself by not giving it my all. "Yeah if I survive till then," I said to her causing her to pout a little. I have been looking forward to the Nike camp though. Because Ben works with the Nike branches for his store''s goods he found out about a summer ser camp that they were holding. He managed to get me a spot without having to get scouted due to his business rtionships with them. I just know Some of the yers are going to hate on me for getting special treatment but that will just make it sweeter when dancing around them. "Speaking of the camp, are you looking forward to it kid," He asked me sounding genuinely curious, apparently his English genes still love the game of football. He hates it when anyone calls it ser, saying something about disrespecting the beautiful game. He is a massive Chelsea fan which we ended up bonding over. Especially when we talk about Drogba''s performance since he is my favourite yer at Chelsea. "Yeah I can''t wait to show what I can do, feels like my body is just waiting to explode" I excitedly told him. Thinking about all the hard work I put in it wouldn''t be wrong to say that I''ve been dying to show off to someone. Lisa always downys my ability saying it''s to keep me humble but It''s disheartening when she''s not even impressed when I managed to get a score of sixty-two on the pacer test. I liked to think that she is just too used to the awesome me that it doesn''t impress her anymore. "Haha that''s the spirit show them no mercy, Oh looks like they are ready for us," He said with an amused smile as he got up from the bench we were sitting on. Following behind him, he led us to one of the many courtrooms here. Stepping into the room it''s much smaller than I had expected it to be, probably because it is a family court and they don''t expect families exceeding twenty people. Behind an elevated podium on the other end of the room sat an African American man who looks to be in histe fifties judging by his grey hair. He sported the ssic ck and white robes that every judge wears as he looked over a stack of documents. He gave off an intellectual yet domineering aura, probably from the power he holds to decide someone''s life. Following behind Williams I passed a white fence-type contraption that separated the rows of benches from the court area. There was a small table on the left-hand side where we stood behind the chairs waiting for the statewyers to show up. It took about five minutes for them to show up in the courtroom which seemed to annoy Judge Jackson. It was only after getting past the intimidating presence that I noticed his name tag on his desk. "Nice to see you''s have finally decided to join us" The judge spoke up with an annoyed tone as he looked towards a blond woman in formal attire. she looked to be in herte twenties and probably just passed her bar exams a few years ago. Looking at her unflustered face as she approached her own desk you could tell that she is quiteposed. "I''m sorry sir it won''t happen again" She answered as she put down her folder on her desk. Judging by her nonchnt manner you could tell she is used to dealing with men in power like the judge. "You may take your seats, let the proceedings being in the case custody case of Mr Rakim Eze (Bang)" He said loudly with a voice filled with charisma thatmanded attention from the entire room before mming his gravel. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 32 A Family ?I just realised Webnovel messed up my uploading order so that''s why it seems a bit muddled. Good news for you I''ve uploaded three chapters because of this. This is the order you should read it in: Father (2), A Family, Rex, and then Court, Sorry for the inconvenience but at least you get an early three chapters. [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ After Mr Williams left us there was afortable silence at our table. We continued eating some of the pastries which now seemed too much since Williams did not touch any of them. Although I wouldn''t say I have a sweet tooth but the cinnamon rolls from this ce are to die for. Especially since they are still warm, must have been from a fresh batch because I don''t think they could make them fresh for each customer. "So is Williams''s, Lisa''s uncle?" I asked ben wanting to understand what rtionship he had with the family. Ben seemed caught off guard by my sudden question as he was just about to eat another strawberry tart. "Erm, yeah he''s her uncle, he''s actually the reason we met" He answered me with a nostalgic look in his eyes. It must be a fond memory judging by how his eyes sparkled and the wide smile he has now. "Oh ok, he reminds me a little of Sherlock from the detective books" I honestly told him my opinion wanting to see his reaction. Ben seemed amused by myment causing him to chuckle slightly. "You are not the first one to make that analogy, and not that far off since he was born in Ennd" He stated still chuckling from myment. I guess it is not the worst thing to have sherlock as awyer. "Anyways I met Lisa when she came to live with him here so she could go to school in the states," Ben exined the rtionship between the two giving me a bit of context into their rtionship. He went on to exin that he met her when he was trying to hire Mr William''s legal services. Apparently, the gentleman is a shark when ites towyers, managing to get results like no other. "Let''s pack up the rest and we can take it home," Ben said as he stood up to get pastry bags from the cafe. He soon came back, and we promptly packed up the baked goods that no one had even touched. (sigh) Another car journey I really need to hurry up on that motion sickness thing. ~~~ "What was your childhood like?" I carefully asked him, wanting to understand more about him. He seems like a happy man that is always smiling but he has a serious side to him carrying the problems of his family on his shoulders. "Hmm, I would say it was a mixed bag of things," he said as his eyes never left the road. The serious look he had made me feel like maybe I shouldn''t have asked about it. We sat in awkward silence for a while as neither of us spoke. "My parents are what you would call control freaks" He spoke up after a while breaking the silence between the both of us. He went on to tell me how his parents had his entire life n out, from where he would go to school and clubs, which he had to join to make the right friends. ording to them, there is no point in wasting your time by making friends with someone that will only hold you back. In one of their ns for him, he was supposed to reach a deal with Williams to represent their familypany. However, the man didn''t seem to like his parents much saying that the way they treat people simply disgusts him. So, in one of the meetings to try and convince him to take them on as clients he met Lisa. It''s been a roller-coaster ever since then with Lisa getting him into a lot of trouble with his parents. What broke their fragile family rtionship is when his parents tried to force Lisa to get an abortion. Ben had lost his temper with his parents for the first time in his life when he found out about it. So, when they decided to threaten to disown him, he readily jumped at the chance to break things off with them. It helped that they had the support and blessing for their union from Lisa''s Parents. "That is my story I guess, the only person from my family I still talk to is my big sister," Ben said as he finished his story with a slightly mncholy tone to his voice. Looking at the proud man that I have gotten to know it''s hard to imagine what he has been through. What is even more impressive is the fact he is able to keep smiling and be a rock for the family he built for himself. "I think you are strong for choosing to stand by Lisa, not many would have chosen them same with the pressure you received from your family," I told him with a smile on my face as my respect for the man in front of me rose a couple of notches. My statement seemed to have stunned him a little before a smile appeared on his face as well. ~~~ We arrived back at the house shortly with afortable atmosphere in the car. I felt that this impromptu trip helped me get closer to ben and trust him more. I can''t wait to try out the football boots as well I''ve been itching to y football ever since I got the system. Lost in my thought about the future I didn''t even notice when we reached the front house door with the shopping bags in our hands. I should have known something was off when Ben let me go ahead of him when opening the front house door. When I realised the oddity of the situation it was toote as a popping sound went off next to my ear catching me by surprise. Jumping back in surprise I looked to my right where the noise came from, only to see confetti flying towards me. The owner of the deadly surprise was Lisa who was grinning from ear to ear visibly happy about my surprised reaction. Next to her was Emma who was still holding her confetti ster without having pulled the trigger. Looking at her facial expression she seemed to be indecisive about whether to pull the trigger or not. "What''s all this for," I asked Lisa as I slowly made my way into the house still wary of another attack, especially with Emma still holding her confetti weapon. It seems I was right to be worried as Lisa grabbed the ster from her hand and fired it off in my direction again. "It''s your wee celebration, we are happy you''re joining our family" she answered with enthusiasm pulling me into a quick hug. Before I could even respond she pulled me up the stairs with the other two hot on our trails. I could hear ben chuckling in the background, I guess he is used to his wife''s enthusiasm. "This is your new bedroom it is still bare, but we figured we will let you decorate it to your liking," Ben said from behind me stealing the thunder from Lisa who did not seem happy about it. Ignoring the re, she was sending Ben I walked into the room trying to get a better look at it. The room had a double bed against the wall that looked out onto the backyard giving me a pleasant view of theke. I noticed that there was a balcony outside too which was nice I guess not as I''ve ever been on one. The room seemed to have a walk-in closet simr to the one on the ship. The walls were coloured mint green and were rtively clean and empty, it must have been a guest room before or something. "This is nice, the nicest I''ve ever had, thank you," I said absentmindedly as still mesmerised by the room. This will be the nicest room I''ve ever had, considering one was a dark room and the other was a camp full of kids. Comparing the two of them with this one is likeparing a dump to a five-star hotel, it''s the difference between heaven and earth. [An: finally used the heaven and earth line, feels like I''ve reached a milestone as a Webnovel author.] "This is not even the best part," Emma said as she opened a side door to a room that seemed to be a small bathroom. The room was small only containing a sink and cupboards for toiletries and the sorts. This was convenient and all but why would a small bathroom be the best part of the room? Emma seemed to see my puzzled expression and when she looked into the bathroom, she seemed to realise why I was confused. "That''s not what I meant, look here our rooms are connected" Looking through the bathroom I could see directly into her room. Her walls were a light shade of blue resembling clouds from what I could see from here. "That''s cool we can hang out all the time then," I told her with a smile as she can be quite fun to be around. My words seemed to make her happy as a wide smile appeared on her face at the prospect of hanging out all the time. "Alright we will let you settle in Emma will give you a tour of the rest of the house," Lisa said to me as she took my bags that were in bens hands and put them in the room. Her smile disappeared as fast as it came, as she dragged Ben away probably still mad at what happened earlier. "Want to have a look at our balcony before we start," Emma asked as she went to the big ss door and opened it. The warm afternoon breeze blew in as soon as she opened the door giving me a calming feeling. Following behind her I stepped out onto the balcony which seemed to also connect to Emma''s room. From the balcony, we could overlook the Infinity pool on the back garden Poarch which led to the perfectly cut grass in the garden. Looking past the garden we could see the reflection of the sun making flowers glisten like stars on the water. This scene alone is probably the reason why most people choose to live here. "This is beautiful" Is all that came out of my mouth as I gazed at theke. Well, I better start unpacking and get ready for my future now that I can focus on football more seriously. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 33 32 Rex ?I just realised Webnovel messed up my uploading order so that''s why it seems a bit muddled. Good news for you I''ve uploaded three chapters because of this. This is the order you should read it in: Father (2), A Family, Rex, and then Court, Sorry for the inconvenience but at least you get an early three chapters. [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [3-month Time skip] [Rakim Pov] It''s been a rollercoaster-like three months for me but I''m happy it''s finally ending and I''m getting a sense of normalcy. Today has been a hectic day for me, I had to get up at six am early in the morning and get ready to look my best. You might be wondering why, well that is a long story but to cut it short I''m going to court. Don''t jump to assumptions I didn''t break thew or anything but after five months of living with the Rex family, I''m getting adopted. It wasn''t supposed to take this long but apparently, there wereplications with the federal justice system. I don''t fully understand it, but they sent ady to observe me and ensure I wasn''t being kidnapped again. Even after telling her that no one in their sane mind would kidnap someone just to try and raise them. That didn''t seem to help as she continued to make unannounced visits like a salesperson who could not take no for answer. The weird thing about her is that she would try and ask me questions about my blood rtives. Questions like where do you think they could be? Do you think they would be able to take care of you? At some point, I just started ignoring her and avoided her the best I could. After two months of this nonsense, Lisa finally lost her patience for the women and went straight to her boss dragging Uncle Williams along. I do not know what happened in that meeting as I didn''t attend but that woman never showed up again. Instead, we did get visited by a child counsellor who evaluated me for three weeks or so. He was a nice man who had this calming aura about him that almost reminded me of Ben''s. Well although he too showed up unannounced, he didn''t start nit-picking at everything as that other woman did. I onlyter found out that she was trying to buy time so that my rtives could be found or something like that. ording to her, she believes children with no parents should be raised by their rtives and not strangers. This pissed me off as she had no idea what my rtives were like, and she was trying to send me back to them. But now I understood why Lisa had kicked her out of the house during one of her visits. [shback] Sitting on the couch me and Emma are currently watching one of her dance team''s training videos. They have been working for months on various routines forpetitions that areing up during the summer. Although she''s in grade three this year she''s good enough to be dancing with a middle school dance troupe. Just thinking about how I thought that I could beat her at Dance, Dance revolution makes me want to bang my head. Anyways she can be a little of a perfectionist when ites to her dancing forcing me to watch it with her dozens of times to look for the littlest mistakes she can fix. Just as we were about to rewatch the same routine for the fourth time we heard shouting at the door. "Don''t take another step in my house, I''m sick of your nonsense" we heard Lisa angrily shout at someone. This is quite surprising as she hardly loses herposure with anyone outside the family. Looking up at who she was shouting at I saw Mrs stones my counsellor standing there with a shocked look on her face. She was like a deer caught in the headlights as she stared disbelievingly at Lisa. "What is the meaning of this, I''m here for a surprise visit" She angrily shouted back in an attempt to gain some of herposure back. "Go surprised someone else, I''m done putting up with you, don''te here again!" Lisa shouted back at the woman as she mmed the door in her face. She turned around and made eye contact with the both of us. One look at her re made the both of us not dare to ask what put her in such a bad mood. "I think you should put more pizzazz in thatst turn," I said to Emma pointing at the video in an attempt to cut the tension that had built up. That seemed to work as Emma refocused on the Tv as if nothing had happened. ~~~ Other than my councillor drama my life has been rtively calm for the most part. Emma went back to school the following Monday after we arrived apparently, she was on spring break, and that''s why they celebrate her birthday with a trip. I couldn''t go to school because I wasn''t registered anywhere in the country. That didn''t stop Lisa from home-schooling me for the time being. I enjoyed learning actually it was as if another world had opened up for me with knowledge just on the edge of my fingertips. I didn''t just study for three months though, I forced Lisa to oversee my body conditioning since that''s what she does for a living. At first, she was against it saying something about not wanting to train a little kid even if it''s her own. However, when I made a deal with her that I would stay on top of my studies if she helped and that seemed to sway her. From the first day, she was a ruthless drill sergeant, waking me up at six in the morning for a five Kilometre run. Then she would make me do Yoga for an hour directing me into weird poses that made me feel like I was training to be a Balearian. Whoever makes up these poses is either a genius or a masochist. Whoes up with the idea to put your ankles behind your ear? The Yoga sessions were hard at the start, but they became rxing especially after the five-kilometre run where she would make me sprint at intervals. The system has been rather silent for the most part of the three months not making a peep which worried me for a while. When I asked Eva about it, she assured me that the system was just in sleep mode until I gained a certain handle on my body''s changes. Apparently, the rewards I received when I got the system are still changing my body ever so slightly. The first week of this warm-up as she called it wiped me out for the morning. The only thing that kept me going was the breakfast I would get afterwards. She would make different dishes every week, so I never got bored with her cooking. I especially like the avocados with poached eggs dish she made. If she became a chef she would make big bucks, especially in one of those health-oriented restaurants. After Breakfast It was school time and she made sure I was paying attention with a little test after each ss and an overall assessment at the end of the week. When ss was finally done, we went back to training doing different exercises like push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and burpees. It wasn''t until Emma got home from ss that I finally got to touch a ball but by then I could hardly lift my legs never mind juggling it. So, Emma and I spent thete afternoon in the pool or in the sauna, turns out the house is bigger than I thought. When Emma showed me around the house I almost wondered if I was staying in some type of hotel or something. The house was equipped with a sauna and a fully equipped gym for exercising. If you are in the mood to watch a movie there is a film room below the ground floor with twenty luxury leather seats. Anyways looking at myself in the mirror I was quite satisfied with my looks making some poses in front of it. I was wearing a ck suit with a white shirt matching my ck dress shoes which made me feel like that double o seven guys I had seen in that one British movie. Although I don''t have a license to kill however my looks sure could make some girls faint. My skin was increasingly clearer due to the skincare routine that Lisa had me and Emma on. The only thing that had me sulking about my looks is my t head with barely any hair. It just felt unnatural not having a mop of afro on my head, but ording to the hairdressers we went to it was impossible to save. Feels like my power was stripped from me after getting the hair cut like that one Samson guy from the bible. ~~~ "(Sigh) At least I''m still handsome" I mumbled out loudmenting on my hair again as I tried to get my tie to work. Who made these things so weird to tie around your neck it''s the seventh time I''ve failed at this. "Let me help you with that" I heard a gruff voice speak out from behind me. Looking up at the mirror again I saw Ben standing there with a clean-shaven beard. He was also wearing a suit that entuated his looks, but whereas mine was ck his was navy blue. Nodding at him I turned around and handed him my tie not wanting to struggle with this any longer. "Haha, I remember how I struggled with my first tie, it was so frustrating that I let my dog use it as a chew toy" Ben chuckled as he recalled how he almost caused his dog to choke on his tie. I''m fairly sure that animal health organisations might want to talk to him about this if they ever found out. I understand the feeling though, if you don''t get the loop exactly right it ends up wonky making you look like a clown. That''s what happened to me instead of making me look dashing the tie just made me feel like a kid trying to copy their dad. That assumption isn''t wrong though as Ben has be a sort of role model for me. I never met my biological father and all the men I''ve met since then have been monsters however ben has been a breath of fresh air. He has been quite busy with work for the past three months since he has just returned from holiday. He still found the time to take care of his family by forcing us to do game nights or just go on pick nicks. He''s far from perfect but he''s been a guiding light for me as to the kind of man I want to be. "Here you go kiddo," he said as he put the tie on me making sure it was straight. The goofy smile on his face as he inspected his creation made me chuckle a little, he can always make meugh. "Haha thanks, I feel like if we had a dog, I probably would have fed it the tie as well," I told him as we made our way downstairs to wait for Lisa and Emma. Sitting on the kitchen stool I focused my attention on the Tv watching some ESPN highlights of an NBA match. The family are big fans of the LA Lakers which tends to irk the neighbours a lot as any team other than the Ondo Magic is the wrong team. The redeeming quality is that they weren''t heat fans as that rivalry is not something you want to get in between especially when u stay in the wrong city. I think the only reason that the neighbour tolerates us is the fact they are massive Dolphins fans. With how huge American football is in the country people are quite forgiving with whatever other team you may support in a different sport. By default, I became a dolphin fan not wanting to risk my safety over this. I heard Emma tell me a story about how someone was bullied to the point of quitting for supporting the wrong football team. "Shall we go? we don''t want to bete" I heard a pleasant voiceing from the second-floor balcony upstairs. Looking up I saw two beautiful angels standing at the top of the stairs leaning at the balcony that encased the second floor allowing you to look down into the living room. I had a lot of OCD moments when for the first week worried about falling off it was so bad that I was leaning against the wall just to feel ok. "Yes, let''s go you two look Beautiful by the way," I told them with a smile as I got off my chair hanging my zer over my shoulder. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 34 34 Objection ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ "You may take your seats, let the proceedings being in the case custody case of Mr Rakim Eze (Bang)" he said loudly with a voice filled with charisma thatmanded attention from the entire room before mming his gavel. "Your honour the state would like to ask to extend Mr Eze''s foster status," The statewyer spoke up first before I could even settle down. Her words left a bitter taste in my mouth, it felt like she is out to ruin my life right now. "Objection your honour,ck of cause" Uncle Williams spoke up before she could finish her sentence. Looking at the woman she seemed annoyed that She was interrupted but she didn''t outwardly react. She simply sent a re towards our direction before refocusing her attention towards the judge. "Your honour the origins of the boy are unknown, so it is with precedence that we gain a thorough understanding." She continued speaking not bothering to give Williams a chance to continue speaking. "Your honour with all due respect Ms Stone''s Job''s is to find an irrefutable reason, not spections, this isn''t some court drama but a boy''s life" He interrupted her not allowing her to continue to dominate the conversation and let her words fester long enough in the judge''s head. You could feel the tension in the air as small sparks flew. "My client is a young child who should be allowed to grow up in a loving family, I see no reason to deny him that" Williams continued speaking in an attempt to get his point across. Looking at the judge I could see him send me a slightly sympathetic look as if he could rte to me. "All Ms stone has aplished over the past three months is to hurt him emotionally by dragging on what should be a simple process." He spoke up again before she could interrupt him trying to appeal with the judge emotionally. ording to Uncle Williams, all papers were already prepared and all we were waiting on was for the court to legitimise it. "I would also like to point out, the counsellor first sent by the state decided to badger my client with questions of his rtives that have caused him mental trauma" He solemnly continued to state his point, making it seem like I''ve been struggling with depression or something. Honestly,wyers are kind of scary if you think about it, they can change the direction of an argument just by twisting words a little bit. It feels like I''m watching a boxing fight and he had just managed to throw an uppercut. "Is this true Ms stones?" Judge Jackson asked her with annoyance written all over his face. It seems like he doesn''t like it whenwyers try to y tricks. Looking at miss Stone''s slightly flustered face it seems she was caught off guard by the sudden question. "Sir let me exin" She tried to interject trying to defend herself and calm down the annoyed judge. However, before she could continue, she was interrupted by the judge''s powerful voice as he dered his decision. "The motion for an extension has been denied (bang)." The judge said loudly as he banged down the gavel making his decision official. "Any other motion you would like to request Miss stone?" He asked after a moment probably noticing the discontent look, she was giving him. After waiting for a couple of moments he turned his attention towards me with a smile on his face making me think he might have bipr. "Son I''m sorry that you have been put through this ordeal," he said in a serious yetforting tone that made him seem like a friendly grandpa. His eyes didn''t contain any of the fierceness they had when he was speaking to the twowyers. "I see that the Rex family can provide the needed means for the boy to grow up in a secure environment, is that right?" The judge spoke up as he seemed to be looking at some documents on his desk. It seems he is just trying to verbally confirm the information he has received. "Yes, your honour, Mr Rex works hard to provide for his family " Uncle Williams promptly answered him to which he only received a nod from the judge. The judge seems like he''s done this plenty of times, so he was just going through the motions. "Judging by how well their daughter is doing both in school and extracurricr activity it''s safe to say that the environment they have created is supportive" He continued speaking making eye contact with Uncle Williams again waiting for his response. "Yes, your honour Rakim is already being home-schooled in order to attend grade two after the summer as he is quite the bright child." He answered the judge again with a hint of pride in his voice when he talked about my academic capabilities. Guess what Ben said about Lisa''s family being academics wasn''t a lie. Almost everyone in the family has gone to a university or a college. With my memories of my past life, it is a lot easier for me to pick up new knowledge and just reaffirm the basic knowledge I had in my past life. "I hear by grant the adoption of Rakim Eze to Ben and Lisa Rex in hopes they raise him with love and support bing of parents. (bang)" he said with a happy smile on his face as he brought down his gavel. Before I could even react to his decision, I heard a happy yelp From Emma on the bench behind me as she jumped up for joy. Her Happy reaction set off an avnche of joyful emotions for us as I turned around to embrace the three of them in a hug. In contrast to our happy atmosphere, MS Stones looked defeated as she sighed and packed up her folder full of documents. What surprised me though was the fact that she approached us with a smile on her face. Her smile almost made me think that the woman who was arguing against my case was not her. "Congrattions Sir Williams and I hope you have a good life kid," she said to us with a smile that made the atmosphere slightly awkward. Thinking I was dreaming or maybe hallucinating I looked towards Emma who also seemed quite shocked by the situation. Seeing her expression, I knew for sure that this was really happening as I turned my attention back to Ms stones. "Haha don''t give me that look, Idon have anything against you I was just doing my job," she said after noticing my odd actions. Seeing her nonchnt manner my mouth couldn''t help but twitch slightly. This must be awyer thing none of them seemed to be normal people. "All food Ms Stone''s, I wish you good luck in your next case, I heard it''s a tough one," Uncle Williams said as he shook her hands and walked to the side with her. Deciding to ignore what just happened I turned my attention back to the judge who was bing us to a massive US g. Lisa, Ben, Emma, and I lined up in front of the g with the judge who seemed to be smiling brightly as his secretary snapped a picture of us. "This Is one of my happier proceedings, I hope that growing up in a loving family will positively impact you and stay out of trouble son," Judge Jackson said to me as he proceeded to leave towards his chambers. Listening to his voice all I could do was nod my head as a smile bloomed on my face. ~~~ Sitting outside the courtroom at one of the small desks Lisa, Ben and I filled out stacks of papers that Williams had prepared for us. My hand was getting tired from all the signing, so I was happy when it was over ten minutester. Most of the papers basically dered that Lisa would be my mother and Ben would be my dad. However, one stack of documents was applying for me to have the same citizenship as my parents. This would make it easier when we go on trips in the future as I wouldn''t have to apply for a visa. The thing that surprised me was when I found out that Ben has dual citizenship in Germany/USA. Whilst Lisa has one for Ennd/USA since her family still lives in London. This means that I could potentially choose between four countries when ites to representing a national team. I''ll have to be careful in the future and make sure to choose the country that can support me the best when ites to the world cup. I might just do a draft between the countries like they do in the NBA. "Alright that''s thest one, I will go and file them," Uncle Williams said as he packed up all the documents getting ready to leave. We spent about three minutes saying goodbye to him before we headed out to the car. "What do you want to eat to celebrate your joining the family officially," Ben asked as we pulled out of the parking lot. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 35 35 Birthday ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [19/07/2008] [General Pov] Early in the morning, the sun was peaking over the Florida skyline saying hello to a new day. Birds could be seen slowly soaring in the sky embracing the morning breeze as they sang their songs. On this fine morning, a young boy around the age of six could be seen standing on a balcony looking far off into the distance. This scene was quite the oddity a young boy being up early at six am in the morning. The boy had on a pair of ck shorts and a tank top. looking closely at the boy you could notice that in fact, he wasn''t looking in any particr direction almost as if there was a screen in front of him. ~~~ [Rakim Pov] ''Good morning Eva can I see my status'' I inwardly asked Eva as I had gotten a notification that the system was done with its sleep. It''s one of the main reasons I woke ups os early in the morning. Today is my sixth birthday and this one feels different from every other one I''ve ever had in my past life. I''m actually excited about this one which is weird for me since it used to be just another day for me. [right away] She responded in a tired voice as if she had just awoken from a deep sleep but still pulled up my status screen. [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 1100 Position: RM, LM (Evaluation: A boy with a lot of potential for bing a professional ser yer, who possesses a lot of talent) USER MENU [ USER STATS] [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS] [ SYSTEM SHOP (locked)] [ SYSTEM LOTTERY (locked)] [ SNOOPING TOOL (locked)] ] Hmm seems like the user menu I could only sigh at how bare it still looked with all the locked tabs. I hope I can open some of the looked tabs at the Nike camp since it is supposed to be one of the best training events for young talents. ''Please open up my stats menu'' I asked her once again as the only new thing on my status is my age which I could have figured out myself. Eva quicklyplied with my request not bothering to speak up as she pulled up the next screen. [ USER STATS] >Physical Fitness: C >Football Technique: C+ >Game Intelligence: E+ ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors:? ''wow my physical stats have jumped by leaps and bounds'' Imented as I looked at my now C+ plus physical stats. Guess sacrificing my beauty sleep for training with Lisa is was worth it, I mean the stats are speaking for themselves. ''Of course, they would go up, all you did for the past three months was hone your body,'' Eva spoke up again which surprised me as she has been quite silent for a while. It''s not like she is wrong though I''ve been pushing myself hard so that I could amaze everyone once I could finally y a match. Before I could even speak Eva pulled up my physical stats breakdown as if she had read my mind or something. [ USER STATS ] >Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: C) Bnce and Coordination: C Speed: B (70) Agility: C + (67) Strength: D+ (57) Stamina: C+ (68) ] ~~~ ''Dang With these stats I might as well be a track star'' I mused to myself feeling giddy about how all the hard work had paid off. I was especially happy about my speed and agility increases since I focused a lot of attention on that during training. Now I really am ready for the Nike camp, it''s time to make a name for myself. [Congrats Host for managing to gain an average C grade in physical stats] Evamented bringing me out of my daydream of dominating the training camp. Now that I think about it this is the first time she has ever praised me for anything something is fishy about this situation. I feel like she is trying to set me up for something and I got my answer the next second as a system notification rang out. [Ding Singrity Mission has been activated] !SINGULARITY MISSION!: Grand Stage! #Task 1 Chosen one: Impress three scouts from one of the major five leagues. (0/3) #Task 2 Killer instinct: Score more than ten goals (0/10) #Task 3 Not on my level: Score 3 goals after passing past five defenders (0/3) (Note: The Singrity can not be ignored) ~~~ Rewards: > Unlock shop function > 10x energy-boosting drink > 1000 SP ~~~ ''Well this is not that bad, you almost had me scared Eva'' I told her as I was expecting some extremely hard mission since she was acting weird about it. The rewards are worth it too I get to unlock a system function which will undoubtedly boost my training progress. [Why would you be scared I would never hurt you, host] She said in a light voice sounding like an innocent angel. Listening to her voice I almost would have believed her if it wasn''t for the fact that she had threatened to lock the system for years on my earlier mission. ''Okay, so why is there no punishment for this mission,'' I asked her hoping to understand why she was being so generous with this mission. I''ve never known her to be generous I mean she has supported me a lot but she has never been this kind. [The reason for there not being a punishment is a birthday gift from me, well actually it is to test the host''s motivation to be the best] she said with a proud voice which caused my mouth to twitch a little. So it''s not really a gift but just another test to confirm my mental fortitude to be the best. "(Sigh) I''m just gonna do some yoga to temper my mental state" I spoke out loud as I went back inside to get my yoga mat in an attempt to clear my mind. I think I will just do a Lebron when I go to the bike camp and wear my Adidas boots. ~~~ [1 hourter] "Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday dear Rakim Happy Birthday To You," I heard Emma, Lisa and Ben sing as I came down the stairs towards the dining room. Looking at Lisa''s hands she was carrying a white zed cake that seemed to be my favourite red velvet vour. On the cake, there was a picture of a tiger holding a football with six lit candles. "Quickly blow them out and make a wish," Emma said before I could even say anything seemingly more excited than me. Looking at her excited face I closed my eyes and thought of a wish to make. A momentter I blew out all the candles at once making everyone p as if I hadpleted an impossible task. "What did you wish for," Lisa and Emma asked me simultaneously like little children wanting to know a secrete. I might as well tell them it''s not like it''s a profound wish since anything I could want I''m able to achieve with the system. "I wished for a baby tiger," I told the both of them with a straight face without losing a beat. The looks on Lisa''s and bens faces are to die for they looked like they had heard that big foot lived next door or something. Emma was the exact opposite though she seemed excited about the prospect of getting a pet tiger. She was talking about how she could take it to school on pet days or take it on walks in the neighbourhood. This further caused Ben''s mouth to twitch causing him to interrupt her before she could get ahead of herself. "Emm, Maybe a tiger is a little too much for a first pet how about a cat it''s close enough to a tiger" He tried to cate me and Emma not knowing the effect his words caused in my head. Emma hearing her dad''s voice remained happy as we would still be getting a pet just that it would be a lot smaller. I on the other hand felt like the earth stopped spinning and my thought process suddenly stopped almost as if I had a glitch. "sphemy, how can youpare a tiger with a cat, it''s likeparing a sports car with a Kia" I eximed loudly in an effort to defend the honour and prestige of the king of the jungle. Ben and Lisa seemed shocked by my words but judging by bens face he seemed to agree with my statement. "How about a dog then?" He asked again trying to negotiate with me. If only he knew that a dog was my actual goal because who in their right mind would get a child a pet tiger? So the next best thing is a man''s best friend. "Now your talking," I told him with a bright smile as Lisa pulled me to a chair so we could finally have breakfast. Ignoring Bens''s stunned look because I so easily epted his offer I started loading my te with bacon and waffles. This is one of the few times I''ve seen Lisa prepare unhealthy food for us. She really takes being health concise o the next level, we only get to eat whatever we want once a week or on special asions. "I feel like I just got yed" I heard Ben mutter as he sat down at the table to join us. This caused both Emma and me to startughing knowing our n had worked. We both wanted a pet dog but we knew that our parents wouldn''t just get us a pet. So we decide that I would ask for some outrageous pet for my birthday and Emma would fan the mes. We did have a long discussion on what pet we wanted almost to the point of getting into our first fight. She wanted to get a pony so that she could go horseback riding around theke I on the other hand wanted a dog which is a lot more fun to hang out with. The only way I ended up convincing her is by telling her how she could cuddle with a dog in her bed. That seemed to have won her over making her do a one-eighty and immediately agree. ~~~ "Are you ready for the camp in two days?" Ben asked me as we had just finished dinner and Lisa had left the room to get some kind of present she had prepared. "Yes I feel more than ready, By the way, is there a dress code?" I answered him with confidence and asked the question that was on my mind. Listening to my words he seemed to think for a while before shaking his head. "No there shouldn''t be a dress code at least it wasn''t mentioned in any of the forms" He stated looking curious as to why I had asked him. "I''m thinking of doing a Lebron and showing up with my Adidas boots" I answered him with a smile on my face. Hering what I said his mouth visibly twitched as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Why would you want to do that?" He asked me sounding slightly exasperated by my earlier answer. Emma on the side had stopped paying attention to us as she was typing to her friends on her iPhone 1. "To stand out and no one would even think of a kid doing at a Nike event," I told him feeling proud at my Idea which only caused him to sigh. Just as he was about to put his two cents into the conversation Lisa walked in holding three colourfully wrapped boxes. "Here open your presents son," She said with a beaming smile on her face. What left me stunned though is that this is the first time she has called me son directly. The only other time she called me son was back on the boat when she said she''d be my mom. Before she could hand me the present in her hands I embraced her in a warm hug. "Thanks, Mom," I said slightly blushing as I took the present from her hand and began opening them. Whilst I was focused on destroying the wrapping paper I did not notice the beautiful smile that had formed on Lisa''s face. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 36 36 NIKE Camp ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ Opening the three presents in the first box was a red Bayern kit with the eighteen-year-old muller on the back. I remember she asked me who my favourite yer was, and I just told her muller since Neymar since he is a part of my favourite line-up for Bayern. The kit had a signature on the big twenty-five on the back which honestly surprised me. "How did you get a signed copy," I asked them genuinely curious about how they had managed that. I mean he is a young talent right now, but he still ys for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. The response they gave me was just a chuckle as they continued to urge me to open the next present. The next present was an iPhone one and a pair of white beats headphones that were not supposed to be released for another seven days. I''m assuming that they used some type of connection to get me a pair early. I''m finally going to have something to listen to when doing my workouts, you don''t know how hard it is to stay motivated when doing a five-kilometre run. Thest present seemed to be a shoe box, after removing the wrapping paper I saw the Iconic Jordan logo on a white box. Inside the box, there was a pair of Air Jordan XV Retro SE that just came out this month. The shoe''s primary colour was white with a gold lining which gave the whole shoe a sense of prestige. "Thanks, I love the presents," I told my new parents with a bright smile on my face. This is the first ever birthday present I''ve ever received in both lives which made it quite special for me. Ben simplyughed and started eating a slice of my birthday cake, guess his sugar addiction is acting up again. It''s not really a problem since he eats them in moderation, but I''ve never seen him turn down a piece of cake or a snack. It''s probably a good thing that he works out in the morning, apparently, he has a gym in hispany as well, but I''ve never seen it. "Your wee son, your uncle wanted to be her but his in DC for a case," Lisa told me as she slid the cake tray away from Ben so he wouldn''t finish the whole thing by himself. Seems like she has also noticed his attraction to the sweet things in life. I wasn''t too sad about Uncle William being absent since we had spoken on the phonest night and he wished me a happy birthday. "All good hope his case goes well" I answered her with a smile as I went over to Emma so she could help me set up my phone. She readily agreed as she dismantled the phone box like a pro. looking at the speed of her fingers that were gliding over the touch screen was dizzying so I stopped paying attention. "Here it''s done I''ve added all our phone numbers to it," she said as she handed me my phone after only having it for like half an hour at most. Dang, she must know magic because there is no way that was done with human speed. "Thanks, sis," I said to her with a smile knowing she loved it when I called her my sister. It is probably something about being an only child so having a sibling must be like having a friend for life. I''m notining either since I also love the idea of having a sister, I can share my worries with and plot scheme with. We spent the rest of the day as a family ying games and going on a walk around theke at sunset to enjoy the scenery. We had a burnfire at night where we grilled bratwurst and marshmallows in the backyard. Ben spent the night telling us war stories of him and his friends in college and high school. He only stopped when Lisa sent us to bed at around one in the morning as both me and Emma were falling asleep in our chairs. "This Is by the best birthday I''ve ever had," I told Lisa as she tucked both Emma and me onto my bed. Before she had even left the room my eyes had closed shut ready to enter dreand to great my old friend sleep. ~~~ [21/07/2008] [Location: University of Florida] [Nike Ser Camp] Mike James has been in a terrible mood for the past weeks since he found out that he was given the task to scout a camp full of kids below the age of ten. He has been working as a scout for various clubs in the German Bunde''s Liga for almost ten years having reached his mid-thirties now. Most recently he''s been employed by the German giant BVB with whom he has been working with for the past three years, helping them collect data and attract young talents. This club is one of the few European giants that is known for turning young talents into reliable wonder kids who canpete with the best yer in the world. The camp is mainly a training camp but in reality, it''s for the Nikepany to attract future yers here in the US (Unconditioned State). Thepany loves to sign yers to represent the brand but what they havecked for the past years is a face for their domestic market. They have athletes in the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL they onlyck a superstar that can carry the US banner in the country. They have recently invested a lot into the young phenom Ronaldo from Portugal but if they get a superstar who ys for the national team, they can strangle the domestic market. The reason he got this assignment is due to his failure to get a promotion into a management role. Mike loved his job when he was young as he was able to travel and discover talents for the sport he loves. However, he is looking to settle down now since he is reaching his thirties and his wife wants him to be home more. So, he has been applying for a role as a first-team coach or a youth division director. He didn''t expect that the club he has travelled thousands of miles for has started to value young talents more than the backroom staff that has helped get them there. The club is now more interested in making money by selling yers so coaches and other staff have naturally been ignored. After all, in the game of football managers, coaches and other staff are a dime a dozen. Mike was sent on a mission to the US to scout for talents but if he was being honest, he is just going through the motions since his contract ends this year. If he was to actually find a talent, he wouldn''t rmend it to the club that has not valued all his contribution over the years. He has already been offered a position as a youth academy director by one of their rivals, so he did not have to worry about not having work. ~~~ [Mike Pov] "Yo old man James I didn''t expect to see you here" a mischievous voice spoke up from behind mike as he was heading towards the stadium where the camp is held. Turning his head, He was met by a young man with a youthful face and a blond mop of hair on his head. The young man looked to be in his mid-twenties freshly out of school. "I''m not here by choice kai let''s just hope those brats are worth the trouble" I answered him as I continued to head to the stadium. Nike really went all out for this by booking the gators football stadium for a whole week to train these kids. Taking a seat in the stands I noticed I wasn''t the only scout there. The only difference between all the other scouts and me is that most of them are young and just starting their careers. Looking around I could see scouts from the French, English, and Spanish leagues some of them were from first-tier teams too. It is a pity that they were not valued enough by their club and were sent just to gain basic information. The US talent pool is actually quite vast when ites to raw athleticism it is just that there are way too many major sports in the country. I do have to praise how the country manages to train athletes from an early age till they enter the professional stage. "(Sigh) this country is still far behind Europe when ites to football" I mumbled under my breath as I started looking at the basic information of all the yers present not bothering to look up at the energetic kids on the grass. "Although the level of ser here is quite low, other sports thrive here" I heard kai say as he took a seat next to me. This is going to be annoying if this chatterbox is going to be sitting next to me all day. "Anyways since you are a local is there anyone interesting at this camp?" I asked him wanting to get some useful information since he was going to talk anyways. It seems I was right as he visibly beamed and started introducing yers that he has been looking at over the past year. "We have a good batch of talents in this age group ill mention the noteworthy ones starting with the oldest at the age of ten this year we have Pulisic and Mckennie both of them are the oldest in the camp and have the most potential," kai exined enthusiastically happy to see some rising talents from his country. He''s not lying when he says that they both have a lot of potential, I know for sure that Pulisic has already negotiated a deal with the higher-ups at Dortmund to join the youth divisions. "Yeah, they are both great talents, I''m guessing your Juventus is here for Mckinnie," I asked him with a slight smile on my face. He simply nodded at my question and went on to continue on to the next yers. "At the age of eight we have Dest, Weah, and Ferreira who are also tremendous talents who have yet to grow into their respective roles" He introduced the next batch of yers who are arguably very well known in the footballmunity even though they are so young. The three of them have caught the attention of various scouts in the circle, I am fairly sure one of the major football academies will pick them up in the years toe. "In the six-year age group, there isn''t anyone noteworthy yet but there is apletely unknown name on the list who just turned six two days ago" Kai continued before I couldment on his previous statement. He must really be here just to watch Pulisic and Mckennie, I don''t me him though getting one of them to sign would be a major boost in his career. "Oh, you mean this Rakim Rex, I was actually surprised to see a name I''ve never heard of," I answered him wanting to hear his thoughts on the boy since he might have some information. "I thought he was special since I''ve never heard of him, and he made the camp, but it turns out he got in through connections of his father," Kai said with a hint of disdain in his voice as he stared at a small boy in the distance who seemed to be around 4''2 which is quite good for his age. The odd thing about the boy though is that he was wearing Adidas gear from his under armour and boots they too had the bold three stripes. "Haha what an interesting kid, looks like it''s about to start," I said to Kai as I noted down Rakim''s name and the number twenty-two that was on his bib. My gut feeling was telling me that I might be surprised by the kid or maybe I''m just trying to get rid of the board. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 37 37 Who Is That? ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ Standing on the green field of what seems to be an American football field, I was slightly amazed by the level of professional treatment we were getting. There are about forty kids here, some that look vaguely familiar, and some might as well be background characters in an anime. Let''s hope we do not get attacked by a cmity-level titan because most of these kids wouldn''t survive it. Anyways back on the topic, I have spotted at least twenty coaches here who all seem to serve a purpose in our training, guess they must really want further my talent. I also spotted many men in suits sitting in the stands with video cameras as if they were some sort of TMV reporters. However, looking at how much respect they have been receiving since they arrived, I guess that they are the scouts here to look for talents. "Quit down kids so we can start," A man dressed in a tracksuit and wearing sunsses spoke up gaining all our attention. He seemed to be the man in charge of the camp, judging by how all the staff looked up at him with respect. "I''m coach James to all of you, you all should feel luck at the opportunity you have been given by attending this camp." He said, in a stern voice, instantly silencing anyone who was still whispering. His no-nonsense aura probably yed a big part in it, and no one would want to anger a man that is in charge after all. "Seems like use are finally taking this seriously, we will be testing your physicals first no need to tell us your names it''ll only matter to us once you perform well." He stated calmly with a smirk on his face as he scanned around at all the proud kids in attendance. All the kids who had smug faces from being invited to the cam all began frowning after hearing his words. Looking at them it seems like they wanted to retort but none of them had the guts to raise their words at coach James. "We will test your stamina first, you see that track run around it ten times, easy right?" He said with a straight face seemingly a hundred percent serious. This caused my mouth to twitch slightly, he just asked us to basically do a 4k run and made it seem like a walk. "Those with numbers one to ten congrats you get to go first, oh before I forget you are being timed so I hope you make the top ten" He continued as he walked off towards the track that surrounded the field. As soon as he set off the kids who seem to be in a trance finally reacted and chased after him. one of the braver kids mustered up his courage and spoke up to coach James. "Coach we haven''t done a warmup yet" His question seemed natural but judging by the expression on the coach''s face he messed up. "That''s not my problem, my job is to train you and yours is to be ready for it otherwise why would you be here," he stated matter-of-factly as the other staff started instructing participants one to ten to line up on the race track. "But that''s unfair no one told us that we were going to be doing intensive stuff right away" the kid spoke up again sounding a little wronged. Honestly, he should have just cut his losses since his number is twenty-one, he has got enough time to get a quick warmup. "Hey idiot can you just shut up so we can finally get this over with" I spoke up from the side of the pack stretching my legs in preparation for my turn. "We got her half an hour early and instead of getting ready you were just content on buttering up yourpetitors," I stated again before I proceeded to focus on my stretching again not wanting to bother with the knight in shining football boots anymore. "Like number twenty-two said you had plenty of time to get ready, when a game starts, your opponent is not going to wait for you to be ready for their challenge so you should always be prepared. now start" Coach James stated again before motioning for the coaches on the side to start the first race. The kid with the number twenty-one seemed to have given up on bothering coach James but turned his attention to ring at me. Just like the badass protagonist I am I proceeded to take my beats out of my bag and started dancing to music ignoring everyone around me. To others, it may look like I am just goofing around which is partly true, but I find it easier to engage my whole body when I''m dancing. ~~~ After like forty minutes of waiting, it was finally my group''s turn to go. I didn''t know anyone in my group, but it seems my group was filled with the youngest kids. There were two interesting kids in the group though who seemed more focused than everyone else. One of the boys was a dark-skinned boy whose name is Yunus Musah he had a mop of nappy hair and is a head taller than me at around 4''3. The other kid''s name is Giovanni Reyna he was a tall asion boy who was around 4,7 which ''m quite jealous of. He must have some amazing genes to be this tall and so young I should probably steal his food maybe there is something special in them. Anyways the most noteworthy yers in this exercise were this guy called Pulisic and Mckennie both of them managed all tenps in under fourteen minutes. Pulisic got 13:40 and Mckennie managed to get 13:50 minutes whilst the third fastest only got 15 minutes. That goes to show you how talented yers will manage to separate from the flock of sheep. "Ready Set Go! (Bang)" One of the coaches yelled as he pulled the trigger on the track and field gun bringing me out of my musing as all the other boys around me started sprinting off. Looking at their backs it''s almost like a beast was chasing them as they sprinted with all their strength. By the speed they were running, you would almost think that they didn''t have to run tenps or something. "Let''s get this party rolling then," I said to the proctor at the side confusing him as I began jogging briskly slowly catching up to the pack. Looking at the backs of the kids at that back I noticed that it was Giovanni and Musah Who seemed to have the same idea of taking it easy for the firstp. ~~~ [General Pov] After about half ap he caught up to the two of them running by their side for a while in silence. What he did next seemed to trigger the two kids a little as he sent a provocative smile at them before increasing his speed passing them leisurely. "Hey Giovanni, is it just me or is he looking down on us," Musha said to the boy next to him sounding slightly offended. An angry expression appeared on his face as this was the first time, he''s ever felt anyone his age looks down on him. "I think he is; he doesn''t seem to be taking anyone seriously here look at how he is wearing Adidas so proudly as if he is mocking the camp," The taller kid said to his friend frowning slightly. Seemingly out of natural instincts, he began speeding up trying to close the gap with Rakim. As the race continued an odd scene yed out in the eyes of the viewers as three kids seemed to suddenly pass all the other seven participants. The weirder scene was that once the three kids passed the pack, they contained to slightly increase their speed. By the thirdp, they had managed top everyone running at what seemed to be 75% of their speed. "What is wrong with those three they are going to run out of gas at that pace" a young blond-haired manmented to Coach James as he observed the group that was currently running. "Oh well if they don''t make it then they don''t deserve to be here, but they sure seem determent," Coach James chuckled as he moved up his sunsses. Silence hung in the air between them as they watched the kids race around the track. "Who is that twenty-two anyways, and why is he wearing Adidas is he in the wrong ce?" The blond-haired coach mumbled under his breath seemingly trying to understand the thoughts of the kid. ~~~ [MC POV] "(huff) Finally caught you" I heard two high-pitched voices to my right say as they gasped for breath. The two of them seemed to have been chasing me all this time and here I thought it was my shadow or some type of spirit that was breathing down my neck. If I knew it was just the two of them, I wouldn''t have kept on speeding up with eachp. I should probably stop reading so much manga it''s starting to affect me a little. Judging by their almost out-of-breath faces they seemed to be giving their all to keep up with me. "Oh, it''s you guys and here I thought a Shinigami was chasing me," I told them with a look of relief that they weren''t some kind of monster looking to take my life. However, myment seemed to have upset them a little as the smaller of the two sent me a re. Anyways there is only onep left I might as well go all out for the rest. "Anyways see use at the finish line I need to get going," I told the two of them as I broke off into a sprint tackling the finalp with all my strength. This whole run feels like my regr run in the morning except for the fact it''s a lot duller. Running in circles is not as fun as running around the vibrant senary of Florida, especially with all the little ponds all over the ce. Running at my top speed It didn''t take me long to finish the first half catching up with the pack again. At this point, it feels like they aren''t taking this seriously I mean some of these guys are gasping for breath. Looking at them you would think that they have been running for an hour when it''s only been a little more than twelve minutes. Ignoring these ckers I quickly run through them dodging them like a cone drill before finally passing them. For thest hundred meters, I sprinted with all my strength trying to see how fast I could go. The feeling of the wind brushing by my face was a feeling I''m starting to love. With how light my body has been feeling ever since Lisa''s three-month program I feel invincible at least when ites to running. Just as I passed the finish line, I heard a distinct gasp as shocked looks of disbelief were being sent my way. Slowing down lightly I plopped down on the grass letting my lungs get their well-deserved rest. Closing my eyes, I could still feel the drumming of my heart as it still drummed against my chest letting me know it was still working. ''Eva, what''s my time?'' I inwardly asked her as I watched the two kids from earlier burling down the finish line with all their strength. Guess I must have triggered them badly to motivate them this much. [Your time is 13:38 minutes but I''m sure it could have improved a little if you had taken the whole race seriously] Shemented in my head sounding a mixture of pride and disappointment on my score. ''I''m sorry but it seems like they got more tests in store for us, so I didn''t want to burn myself out'' I told her ncing at the earlier groupspleting different exercises. Some of them are running through cone drills testing their agility whilst others are doing some sort of flexibility test. It''s as if we areb rats being studied and tested to see how much our bodies would allow us to do. [Your right just do not make cking off a habit] Eva muttered in defeat ending the conversation. She worries too much it is not like I ever ck off during training, just that these test pass requirements are just too easy to pass. All you must do is have a decent amount of fitness and you should pass with ease. (sigh) let''s just catch my breath so I can flex in the next drills as well. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 38 [Bonus ] 38 First Game ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ Just as I caught my breath, two tired and sweaty figures plopped on the grass next to me. They looked haggard as they gasped for breath, sweat seemingly flowing like a river out of their body. Looking at them I didn''t bother saying anything and just watched them slowly regain their ability to normally function without gasping. "Looks like the both of you have finally decided to finish up," I told them once they had regained a little bit of their breath. Myment seemed to have been taken in poor taste as both boys just red at me as if I had stolen their most prized possessions. The dark-skinned boy seemed angrier though looking like he was getting ready to tackle me if I made another sarcasticment. "What is your deal dude, do you want a fight or something," He asked me rather loudly sounding mad as he sat up on the grass so he could look down at me. Having to look up at a child my age wasn''t doing my ego any favours. "Yeah, what he said what''s your deal?" the other boy asked also sitting up longing down on me as well. I really hate being short I''ll have to start growing fast otherwise I will have to deal with people looking down on me for the rest of my career. "Just thought you two were interesting and I was right, names Rakim by the way" I answered them with a cheeky smile as I held my fist out for a fist bump. Both of them seemed stunned by my statement their faces visibly twitching at my words. "Names Giovanni, I guess you did end up pushing us to do better" the taller of the kid finally said bumping my fist. This released some of the awkwardness my hand was feeling just hanging there. The boy with the Italian name had ck hair that was styled to the side matching his auburn eyes. "I don''t know if I like you yet, but I respect your strength bro, my name is Yunus," the other boy said to me also bumping my fist. Now that I look closer at him, I could see that other than his mop of ck nappy hair that seemed to match the fierceness of his brown eyes. "Alright now that we are friends try and keep up with me can''t let my friends drag me down now, can I?" I told both of the quickly getting up from the ground and avoiding the hands they had swung my way. They seemed slightly shocked that I dodged them but more than anything they seemed annoyed sending a re my way. "Haha too slow C''mon next drill is up" I spoke up as I headed to the next station not wanting to wait for the ckers that had just finished to catch their breath. ~~~ It took around three hours till we finally finished all the tests, from agility drills to sprinting drills, heck we even did flexibility drills. The only drill I sucked at is the jumping drill gaining a chuckle of revenge from my two new forced friends. It sure is an advantage to be tall, good thing I could wipe the smug look off their faces by reminding them of how I beat them in all the other tests. "Some of you did good and some of you should take this as a wake-up call" Coach James spoke up gaining all our attention. Looking around some of the kids looked proud at his words but most kids seemed to be disheartened and on the verge of crying. "You will have a chance to prove us wrong in the game so for those that are holding back start giving us a reason to pay attention to you" He continued his speech with a smile that seemed like it was smoking us. I didn''t really mind it though as the prospect of ying my first game is exhrating. "Team one will be yers one to ten and so on, you will only be ying twenty minutes each half so make it count" A blond-haired coach spoke up as he started separating us into teams. Apparently, the camp had four keepers in training that were going through a different assessment and would be joining us for the match. Listening to the blond man''s words the three of us approached the ckers in our group trying to make some sort of game n. All the boys seemed excited at the opportunity to show what they could do. Looking at their eager faces, almost made me believe that we didn''t just spend three hours disying our bodily talents. "So, what position do you y?" Giovanni the fake final boss asked me with a quizzical look. At least he lives up to the name I think team rocket would be proud of him. "Never really yed a match but I''mfortable on the right wing though, left is ok too I guess," I answered him with a serious look on my face. My answer must have amazed all of them as none of them spoke for quite a while. "(sigh) you can y right just don''t get in the way" Yunus stated getting nods from the rest of the group. ''I think they are looking down on me I inwardly mused to myself trying to understand their sudden change in attitude. [You did just tell them that you have zero experience ying even a single game of football] she said with an amused voice sounding slightly happy that I was being underestimated. [Ding Mission Triggered] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Don''t Forget About Me! #Task 1 I''m here: Impress 6 of your teammates (0/6) (Note: Your teammates see you as a burden prove them wrong) ~~~ Rewards: > 600 SP ~~~ ''Hmm, a mission makes this whole thing more interesting'' I mused to myself as I slid down the shin pad on my legs a little making sure they wouldn''t restrict my leg movements. ''Let us say hello to the world of football with a bang,'' I thought to myself as I walked onto the pitch that seemed to be shortened from the regr-sized ones. One of the coaches handed me a light white top which had my number twenty-two on the back. Guess they still don''t want to know my name; I''ll have to make them beg to want to know my name then. ~~~ [General Pov] [WHITE TEAM (4 4 3)] 23 (RB) Tyler, 24 (CB) Chirs, 30 (CB) John, 21 (LB) Ben 25 (CM) Ryan, 26 (CAM) Giovanni, 27 (CM) Jon 22 (RW) Rakim, 28 (ST) Jonas, 29 (LW) Yunus [BLACK TEAM (4 4 2)] 31 (RB) Reece, 34 (CB) Finn, 40 (CB) Bruce, 33 (LB) Dest 35 (RM) ke, 36 (CM) Ron, 37 (CM) 32 Jake, (LM) Weah, 38 (ST) Ferreira, 39 (ST) Pepi _____ *FWEEEEEE* With the whistle going off the ck team''s Ferreira kicked the ball back to their midfield before dashing off towards the white team''s half. Ron who received the ball looked slightly panicked on his feet as he spotted a figure dashing at him at an incredible speed. In an effort not to be disposed of the ball, he quickly passed it to Weah on the left. Not expecting the sudden pass, the boy''s first touch of the ball was rather hard causing the ball to bounce off his left foot. Just as he was about to stretch out his right foot to regain control of the ball a small figure poked it away from him. Rakim who poked the ball free from the loose control of Weah wasted no time chasing after it pushing it down the right nk. Jake, the other midfielder was the first to react to his team''s loss of possession as he charged at Rakim sliding in with a lot of momentum in an effort to dispose of the ball at his feet. Just as the two were about to make contact Rakim suddenly slowed down his dribble and suddenly jabbed the ball to his right avoiding the boy who slid out of the pitch. Not looking the slightest bit flustered by the rough tackle the kid continued running down the nk. Dest the ck team''s left back approached the boy tilting his body, seemingly guiding him away from the box in an effort to minimise his threat. Rakim seemed to notice the boy''s approach as he slowed down his dribble a little looking slightly flustered at the pressure. "Here" Giovanni the attacking midfielder called for a pass drawing both their attention. Seemingly having gotten his answer to get out of his predicament he tilted his body to the left getting ready to send a pass to the boy in front of the box. Dest immediately reacted to this movement as his body squared trying to block off the passingne. Just as he jabbed his leg forward to block the passingne Rakim changed direction again and run past the off-bnced boy. Rakim increased his speed heading into the box and straight at the goalkeeper who came out trying to close down his shooting options. seeing this he feigned going right to the near post by dropping the shoulder causing the keeper tomit to challenging him before jabbing the ball to the left putting him off bnce. seeing an openne to the goal he drew his left leg back ready to st the ball into the. However, he paused slightly and chipped the ball further to the left barely dodging a slide tackle as he calmly passed the ball into the. The boy dashed to the corner g taking off his top and showing off his little developed muscles as he slid onto his knees celebrating like a madman. _____ "Hey, Kai what did you say the kid''s name is again," Mike asked the young scout next to him with a teasing smile remembering hisments about the boy from earlier. "Erm er, I think his name is Rakim or something" The young man answered sounding a little embarrassed. "He''s been quite the wild card throughout the trials, I don''t think his physical results have fallen below the top two except the vertical" Mike quietly mused out aloud in an attempt to get the reaction of the other. "Yeah" Is all the answer he received as the young man seemed to be in deep thought. _____ *Fweee* The whistle sounded again restarting the match, however, this time Ferreira seemed to hesitate slightly before passing the ball back all the way to their defenders. No longer hesitating after unloading the ball into his backfield he once again charged forward into the opponent''s half. "Finn, pass here," Ron called out to Finn in an attempt to redeem his blunder from earlier. He run into free space ready to receive the ball however thetter ignored him and kicked it towards the right wing. ke the ck team''s number 35 received the ball with confidence turning with momentum, avoiding the approaching Yunus. Not wasting any time, he dribbled the ball down the right nk trying to create an opportunity. Jon the closest midfielder charged forward at the boy trying to tackle the ball away from ke. Thetter didn''t bother engaging in a confrontation with ke as he passed the ball to Pepi who had gotten free as he ran past Jon. Pepi performed a Marsili turn avoiding the tackle from Giovanni before sending a sharp through ball to Ferreira. Thetter took control of the ball with a deft touch stepping into the box as he immediately pulled the trigger sending the ball flying to the top right corner of the goal. The goalkeeper was glued to the spot unable to react to the powerful shot as he watched it hit the bar falling into the. Ferreira who saw his shot go in only pumped his fist in the air to celebrate seemingly not wanting to cause a scene like the kid from earlier. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 39 39 First Game (2) ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ For the next ten minutes, the game continued in favour of the ck team. The boys in ck dominated the midfield with the extra man in the middle managing to keep the majority of the ball possession. Their formation allowed them to maintain a Highline putting pressure on the white team. The team in white yed a very defensive game trying their best to regain possession of the ball. As the whole team continued to drop into their own half to defend the ck team''s onught an odd scene yed out. On the right wing, a figure could be seen staying close to the halfway line almost as if he didn''t know he was supposed to help defend. It was quite peculiar as when the boy had the ball, he seemed like an animal hunting for a goal. However, he seems to have zero sense of positioning as he ended up in the wrong position a few times causing his team to lose the ball by obstructing their attack. Couple that with his seemingck of motivation toe back and defend his teammates started avoiding his wing entirely during counterattacks. In the eighteenth minute, Weah received the ball on his wing cutting across the edge of the box trying to get a shot on goal. With a fake shot, he managed to create a bit of separation from Tyler who was hot on his trail. Taking this opportunity, he no longer hesitated to send a powerful shot towards the goal. Unlucky for him the goalkeeper was able to react in time to hit the ball back into the field. Nearby defender Chris reacted quickly andunched the ball up the field towards the halfway line. In the middle of the park, Giovanni defeated Ron in the trial duel knocking the ball towards Jonas. Thetter deftly took control of the ball, holding the defender back with his body as he turned to the side to send a pass to Yunus. Thetter didn''t bother taking control of the ball and yed a one-two with the approaching Jon allowing him to get past Reece easily. Bringing the ball down the wing at a high speed he only looked up for a second as he sent a sharp cross into the box. Jonas jumped up high in an attempt to meet the cross head but before he could make contact with the ball, he was outmuscled in the air by the defensive duo of the ck team knocking the ball out of the box. Jonas''s eyes followed the trajectory of the ball as he tumbled to the ground from his aerial manoeuvre. Dest could be seen waiting for the ball to drop but just as he was getting ready to receive it a figure wearing the number twenty-two strip jumped from his blind spot and chested the ball. Rakim who had chested the ball didn''t wait for it to drop and swung his right leg sending a powerful shot towards the goal. To his dismay, he couldn''t keep the ball down as it skimmed off the top bar going out for a goal kick. "Damm, I knew I should have just walked it in, this is what I get for trying to act cool" Dest heard the boy in front of him muse out loud. Hearing the boy''s confidant words his mouth twitched. "This guy is not taking our defence seriously at all" He mumbled as he walked back to his position ready to restart the game. For thest minute or so both teams were at a stalemate before the first half finally ended. Both teams went to the side to get some refreshments and regain some of their stamina for the second half. ____ [MC POV] "Hey, Luigi what I''m I doing wrong? I''m never in the right position, it feels like I''m out of sync with all of you" I told Giovani seriously thinking about why I''m always out of position when I try to get the ball from my teammates. My words seemed to surprise the tall boy as he sent me a quizzical look seemingly thinking about my words. "Wait did you just call me Luigi?" The boy suddenly spoke up seemingly jarred out of his train of thought. "Yes, you two remind me of Mario and Luigi, especially with your Italian name" I answered his question and motioned for him to answer my question. It seems my answer caused his brain to slightly glitch as he stayed silent for a while. "Your, just running around randomly when we attack trying to score every time you get the ball, like thatst shot you could have passed to Yunus who was in a better position." He Brutally started directing my ystyle showing no mercy for my feelings. It feels like swords were stabbing at me with every word. "When we''re defending you kept getting in the way at least you started staying forward which was slightly helpful, and once you have the ball you just head straight for the goal instead of trying to connect with your teammates." He continued to rant lecturing me on all the things I was doing wrong. He''s kind of like Lisa when she rants on and on about mistakes, I make when she is teaching me something in ss. "Alright stop rambling I''ll try and fix my mistakes in the second half," I told him As I walked back onto the pitch after taking a small sip of my Gatorade. [You know he wasn''t wrong; you are way too focused on reaching the goal that you block out everything else,] Eva spoke up to me as I took my position on the field jumping up and down to stay loose. ''I know I was just so excited about my first game and simply wanted to score goals, guess I got carried away'' I answered her frowning slightly as thinking of ways to improve in the second half. [You call running into your teammates twice, leaving your position three times to chase after a ball that was meant for your teammate and choosing to shoot a difficult shot from the edge of the box when your teammate was wide open in front of you.] She sarcastically listed all my mistakes throughout the first half. If it wasn''t for the fact that she had tried to advise me against my actions during the game, I would think she was taking pleasure in this. ''I know, I know, it looks like the second half is starting let''s do better'' I mentally told her as the whistle announce the second half. ____ Jonas kicked the ball back to Giovani who took control of the ball easily as he scans the area for the best passing options before being shut down by Pepi and Ferreira. "Luigi Pass here" Rakim shouted at the boy getting his attention as he got free from his marker ready to receive the ball. The boy hesitated slightly before he sent a powerful pass between the two attackers. Rakim didn''t hold onto the ball flicking it to Jonas with his left foot as he avoided the pressure from the defender behind him. Jonas was slightly surprised about getting the ball but still managed to take control of it. Not wanting to hold onto the ball for long he sent a pass to Yunus who had slipped beyond his marker. The winger pushed the ball forward and continued to charge in the direction of the opponent''s box. Reece who was beaten by the wing immediately chased after him trying to bring him down before he could enter the box. Just as he managed to ce a hand on the winger suddenly came to a stop causing the right-back to run past him. Yunus who created some space from his marker cut into the side of the box heading towards the goal him. Bruce the closest defender immediately charged at him attempting to disposes the ball, not wanting to risk losing the ball to the defender, Yunus sent a sharp pass across the six-yard line. Jonas who had followed up on the winger''s run into the box slid feet first into the trajectory of the pass attempting to push it into the. Unlucky for him he just barely missed the ball as it skipped past him. The goalkeeper was slightly rxed seeing that the attacker missed the ball. Feeling relieved, he subconsciously turned his head to see where the ball had ended up. That is when he heard a woosh sound as the behind him started to shake. Looking forward he saw the same boy who had scored the first goal running to the side celebrating widely. He suddenly felt a sense of Deja Vu watching the boy celebrating and the downcast looks of his teammates. ~~~ [A few moments ago] [MC Pov] Watching Giovanni receive the ball I immediately wanted to run forward and score a goal. But remembering his words I decided to y a bit smarter and run slightly ahead into an open position. "Luigi pass here" I shouted to get him to give me the ball and it worked as he sent a weighted pas to me. The slight hesitation in his pass allowed one of the opponent''s midfielders to close me down from the back. Knowing I might lose the ball if I take a touch to control it, I simply flicked it to my left where Jonas was. Turning around I was expecting to get the ball back, but it seems he sent it down the nk sending Yunus off to chase after it. Not knowing what to do I simply started to mirror Jonas''s running motion into the box making sure to stay further back. When Yunus made the pass across the box, I saw the opportunity I had been waiting on. With a burst of speed, I quickly got rid of my marker and swung at the ball with all my strength sending it into the. ~~~ The game took a minute before it resumed mostly due to one yer celebrating like no one''s business. With the sound of the whistle, the game resumed as both teams started to battle for dominance. The ck who had controlled most of the first half were now struggling to make headway into their opponent''s half. This scene can be contributed to the fact that Rakim seemed to be ying more as part of a team than a one-man show. Although he still made mistakes in his defensive positioning his however pure athleticism seemed to help him make up for it. He managed to poke free the ball from the opponent a couple of times adding to the pressure they felt when controlling the ball near him. The ck team did not lose hope and continued to press forward looking for a chance to create something. Their patience paid off as they managed to force an error from their opponents in the thirty-fifth minute. Jake yed a quick one-two with Ferreira easily getting past Ryan who hade up to far trying to win for the ball. He confidently charged towards Chris who was marking Pepi forcing him to make a choice whether to attack him or continue to mark Pepi. Chris who seemed rooted on the spot did not notice that Pepi had sneaked away from him. He only regained his wits when he saw Ryan sent a teasing pass into the box just out of his reach. Turning around to see where the ball went, he saw the striker he was supposed to be marking receive the ball with his left foot. Not hesitating for a second, he shot the ball to the far corner of the goal. The Goalkeeper stretched his body to the fullest in an attempt to block the shot. His reaction was too slow though as the ball hit the back of the. ~~~ "Well, that wasn''t my fault don''t even try ming me for that," Standing outside the centre circle Rakim smiled brightly as he told Giovanni of his achievement. The boy who heard this could not help his mouth from twitching slightly. "You know that they managed to equalise with us, right?" He retorted with an annoyed look on his face. However, his words did not seem to damper the happy mood of the boy as he continued to smile brightly. "We have a little less than a minute left, just let me send me the ball and I''ll score," The smaller boy said as he went to his position ready to restart the game. Giovanni who heard his words didn''t respond and only watched his back seemingly contemting what to do. [Mc Pov] Feeeew Hearing the whistle, I waited for Jonas to pass the ball back to Giovanni before bolting deep into the other team''s half. Looking to the side I saw Weah following me attempting to block off the passingne to me. I decided to hit an emergency stop before I turned around making eye contact with Giovanni who still had control of the ball. Noticing the separation, I created with Weah he sent me a weighted pass. Taking a step towards the approaching ball I flicked it over my body as I circumvented with who had managed to recover from my previous manoeuvre. Stretching out my left leg I quickly took control of the ball moving forward without losing my momentum. To my left, I spotted Jake lunging at me attempting to tackle the ball away from me. In that split moment, I decided to jab at the ball with my left foot moving to the middle of the field narrowly avoiding his tackle. dribbling towards the middle of the field I sent a short pass to Jonas who was at the edge of the box holding back his defender using his body. The boy Understood my intentions and sent it back to me when I ran past him. In the sixteen-yard box, I scanned the position of the Goalie. He was quickly approaching me from the right making his body big in an attempt to force me to the far left. Deciding toply with him I rolled the ball to the left with my right foot forcing him to react to my move. Once I was sure he wasmitted to going left I knocked the ball back with my left foot changing direction again. He seemed to want to do the same, but his lower body buckled at the sudden change of direction. Going by him I rolled the ball into the as I run to the side lines spreading my arms with a huge grin on my face. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 40 40 Dormmate ?[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [General Pov] Just as the second match had ended coach James could be seen on the side line with a slight smile on his face. This was an odd scene since he was known for his stoic nature hardly ever smiling. The blond coach seemed to notice this too as he stared at the man with his mouth a gape seemingly wanting to say something. "Don''t look at me like that we have some promising talents here" Coach James spoke up breaking the awkward silence. He could be seen smiling as he stared at a six-year-old boy celebrating wildly as if he had scored a goal in the World Cup final. "Your right that No. 22 was a surprise, but most of the noteworthy talents we have been watching like Pulisic, and Mckennie have defiantly improved." The blend coachmented as checked his clipboard which seemed to hold information about the yers. "Yeah, I wouldn''t be surprised if the two of them left the country to join one of the major teams in Europe," Coach James told the young man next to him as he started making his way towards the match that had now ended. The blond coach had a look of surprise as he listened to his mentor''s words but after thinking about it he also came to the same conclusion. ~~~ "Haha, now that is something you don''t see every day my young friend," Mike said to kai as he sat back down in his seat again. He doesn''t know when it happened but at some point, he and the rest of the scouts had stood up to get a better look at the happenings on the field ahead. This is a scene you would almost never see since most of the scouts here are quite proud people who make sure to keep up a certain image. Ignoring the happenings around him Mike started taking some notes on his notepad and focused on the young boy named Rakim. The notepad highlighted all the strengths of the boy from his preferred foot when dribbling with the ball to his ability to seemingly find a route to the goal by circumventing the yers in his way. The amount of detail in the information was quite surprising considering he had just watched a single match with the boy. After a whole five minutes of non-stop writing, he had filled in two pages worth of information on the boy. He even wrote three different paths that the boy could take in the future as he grew into a proper football yer. The only conclusion that Mike had formed from assessing the boy''s talent is that he is special. "The boy sure is a wildcard too bad he''s still too young to be scouted abroad." Kaimented as he sat down next to Mike. He was seemingly quite sad that such a talent would have to be wasted here in a country that is still lingering behind the level of football of the rest of the world. "Yeah, it''s a shame if he lived in Europe some exceptions could be made by joining a gship school from one of the teams, but since he''s not nine yet no academy can touch him," Mike said as he started packing up his things getting ready to leave. The older man had seemingly seen all there was to see so he saw no reason to continue staying here. "Wait for me, Let''s grab something to eat" Kai shouted after the retreating figure of mike as he chased after him. Looking around it seems that the two men were not the only scouts who decided to leave. Men and women who wore articles with different club logos from teams all over the world slowly stood up leaving the stands and making their way out of the stadium. ~~~ [Mc Pov] After the game finished things went by in a hectic manner, I felt like I was on cloud nine after scoring my hat-trick. My team celebrated our narrow win for a little while until coach James got annoyed, forcing us to stop so he could give us our next instruction. We were instructed to grab our things from the side as we were done for the day. Quickly making my way to my bag I immediately took out my headphones and put on a mixtape by Lil Wayne on my phone. Listening to the drop of the beat calmed me down, I don''t know what it is but the sound of music just helps me state focused on whatever I am trying to achieve at the moment. Hardly resisting the urge to break off in a dance I picked up my duffel bag and followed the group of kids out of the stadium. It only took us ten minutes to reach a building that seemed to be the student dorms. The building looked quite old, but the inside was quite neat and tidy showing the effects of progress which was a stark contrast to the history-filled campus. "Brats pay attention, on the wall are your room numbers go get settled and wash up before we get some dinner" Coach Mike spoke up getting everyone''s attention as he pointed to a whiteboard with a list of names on them. Going over to the wall I quickly found my name and next to it was the number two hundred twenty-three. Not wasting any more time I quickly walked up to the second floor to find my room which seemed to be where all the yer''s rooms were. After a moment of searching, I finally found my room door. Going in I was greeted with the sight of a decently sized room with four beds and a Tv hanging on the wall. It was about half as big as the one I have at home but sit had enough space to survive, I guess. Since I was the first one here, I quickly threw my bag on the bed closest to the window and furthest from the door. I had read in a spy novel that is the best spot to be in case someone breaks in you can either escape out the window or use the people closest to the door as decoys. "It''s you" I heard a voice say making me turn around. At the door stood a Caucasian boy around 4''3 he had short ck hair with clear brown eyes. Staring at the boy''s surprised look I Slowly realised who he was. How could I not realise who he was after all I ran past him three times to score my hat-trick. "No. 33 it''s you" I eximed after finally realising who it was. My voice seemed to have angered him though as a small frown developed on his face. Not knowing if he was about to jump me, I quickly took a step back and picked up the remote as it was the closest thing around me. I''ve heard some defenders would try and break talented attackers and I don''t want to end up like Mr Sh. "What did you call me? And what are you doing?" He asked as he took another step forward causing me to step back once more. He seemed to notice my actions as he stopped, and we entered another staring contest. "It''s the number on your strip, and I know how to fight," I said to him as I entered an improvised Bruce lee fighting stance in an attempt to intimidate him. Half the battle is mental so if I make him think that I know some type of fighting style he will be less likely to attack me. "I knew there was something wrong with your head," he said as he threw his bag on one of the beds. The atmosphere was quite awkward for a moment as I still remained in my fighting stance as he ignored me. "What Is going on here?" A surprised voice spoke up at the entrance of the room grabbing both of our attention. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 41 41 Same Dream [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] "What Is going on here?" A surprised voice spoke up at the entrance of the room grabbing both of our attention. Looking over at the entrance of the room I saw the two familiar faces of Giovanni and Yunus. Seeing that it was the two of them I felt relieved knowing I might have some backup if I got into a rumble. "Thank God you came, Mario and Luigi, he''s trying to fight me," I said to both of them pointing my remote at the only other boy in the room. After my words, there was a moment of silence where no one spoke and just stared at me. This is starting to be a habit whenever I speak, maybe it just takes normal people longer toprehend my words. "What did you call us" Yunus stormed into the room seemingly angrier than the boy with the number thirty-three. "You both are like Mario and Luigi, always hanging out together" I quickly said trying to appease his anger. "(Sigh) You really are an Idiot maybe it''s got something to do with being a genius," I heard Giovanni say as he made his way to a bed ignoring my plight. "Hi, my name is Dest don''t go calling me thirty-three like him" The boy now Identified as Dest shook hands with Giovanni. "Yeah, nice to meet you I''m Giovanni, not Luigi and that hot head is Yunus" He answered the boy in azy manner seemingly tired from all we did today. "Hey, I''m not a hothead" Yunus eximed turning around to bring his point across to the two of them. He didn''t realise how hypocritical he sounds as he just forgot all about me as soon as someone said something about him. "Oh, and my name is Rakim since we are introducing ourselves," I said as I joined their small circle in an attempt to gloss over what had just happened. from the corner of my eyes, I saw Giovanni''s face visibly twitch at my actions. "I''ll go for a shower don''t want to miss dinner," I told the group as I quickly took out my toiletry bag with a change of clothes heading out of the room to the bathrooms. My words and actions seemed to have set off a chain reaction with everyone in the room as they also quickly followed me. ~~~ Entering the canteen, I still had a towel on my head trying to dry my hair that had been growing over the past three months. I was incredibly happy about this since I felt like my power wasing back to me. I quickly made my way to the short line at the buffet table as it seemed like most kids were still getting ready. I was wearing a ck and orange Nike outfit that consisted of joggers and a hoodie. We were given the outfit after our shower; I think they were simply scared I would wear Adidas clothing. In case you wondered I wasn''t, I was nning on wearing my Sasuke PJs. After filling my tray with some mashed potato, steak, and gravy I quickly found a seat on an empty table. It didn''t take long for my roommates to join me with their own trays stacked with food. Yunus was eating double the amount I was, guess he must''ve been starving after all the running around we did all day. "Sup," he said to me after noticing my stare but not even waiting for my response he started devouring his food. By the look of bliss on his face he seemed to be enjoying every bite which made me want to try some of his food. However, looking at how he got the same thing I did, I didn''t bother trying to take his food. Who knows this might trigger him again, and this time he might punch me for real. "You eat a lot of food Mario, Where are you even storing it?" I told him curious to know where all the food was going. My sentence only made him twitch lightly but he didn''t react like earlier. He has seemingly calmed down from earlier or maybe the food in front of him is more important. "Yo u been here long?" Giovannie said in an attempt to get a conversation going after Yunus had ignored myment. "All good, I just got here myself" I answered him as I started digging into my food. The food was heavenly, especially the steak was cooked exactly right. This would have had me going crazy if it wasn''t for Lisa''s daily cooking. "So why do all of Yous y football?" Dest spoke up grabbing all of our attention. "Yo bro that''s kind of deep" Yunus chimed in looking up from his food. "If I had to say though I love the game and want to y on the world stage" He stayed getting serious as he talked about his dream and ambition as a footballer. "I want to y for one of the major teams in Europe and be a dominant force for them" Giovanni spoke up telling us his dream. Looking at his expression he seemed profoundly serious about his dream wanting to make it a reality. Listening to them talk about their aspiration Makes me forget that they are just six years old. "Dang you both have some high aspirations" Imented after listening to them exining their reason for ying the game. This made me think, what is my dream? What is driving me forward that made me try so hard for the past three months? If I just wanted to live a better, I could do that by going to school as Lisa wants me to. "I y football because I love the feeling I get when I step on the field and stop yers from scoring goals," Dest spoke up seemingly noticing how deep in thought I was. His dream seems to stem from the love of the game too and not because he feels like he''s being forced to y the game. "What about you why do you y," Dest asked me after telling us about his aspiration. Looking around the table I noticed all of them staring at me waiting for my answer. "I don''t know why I y, but I want to dance around yers like Ronaldinho and create goals that no one can evene close to replicating," I told them with a frown on my face still trying to find a deeper reason other than the system for why I choose to y football. "Oh, I guess you could say I''m chosen to y the game of football," I told them the same answer I gave my parents as it''s the only reason I could think of. It may not be some profound reason but it''s true and Is reason enough for me to y the game, I guess. Looking at their annoyed faces I realised I may have pissed them off again. Maybe they are used to my antics now and it doesn''t trigger them as much as it did before. After the slightly heavy conversation, we continued eating our dinner infortable silence. We talked about all sorts of things from our favourite teams to our hobbies. It turns out that Yunus is a fellow weeb, he''s currently watching Mobile Suit Gundam. He got into the genre when he watched Captain Tsubasa on TV. That''s when I realised that I''ve met a man of culture as we spent all of dinner discussing different Anime shows we have watched and some we are excited for. Just like that we all finished our dinner and went back to our room to get some rest so we can give it our all in tomorrow''s training. ~~~ "Hey, I know none of You was chosen to y football but let''s meet on the grand stage one day," I said to my three roommates as I turned over on my nket trying to get some sleep. To my surprise however I was bombarded by pillows from the other three, guess they don''t appreciate my encouragement. "Although you''re an Idiot, I will defiantly stop you next time we y" Dest spoke up as he got up to pick up his pillow. "Haha You''re going to need an army for that, or maybe be a defensive beast," I told himughing but this only earned me a WACK from his pillow. Guess I should have thought twice about antagonising someone so close to me. "Your right though let''s aim to reach the grand stage of football in one of the major leagues," Giovanni said sounding a little tired almost as if he would pass out any moment. "That was the n anyways just make sure you make it there because I won''t wait for any of You," Yunus said confidently as he also tucked himself in to sleep. The double standard made my mouth twitch slightly. If I had made ament like that, I would have been attacked by one of their pillows or something. (Sigh) let''s just get some sleep I''ll just be extra annoying at training tomorrow. No one could have known that this seemingly simple conversation between four hopeful kids about their future would one day shake the stormy seas of the football world. On that night, the four of them set in motion the gears that would shape their football dreams. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 42 42 Grind [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] Opening my eyes, I can see that the sun is barely over the horizon struggling to wake up. Checking my phone, it shows that it''s five in the morning, which is the regr time I wake up at. Over the past three months, I''ve pushed my biological clock to the point I just naturally wake up at this time no matter how tired I was the previous day. Looking around the room I can see that my roommates are all still sleeping probably enjoying their dreams. That is probably the only terrible thing about waking up early you miss out on dreams that happen when your body is fully rested. Getting up out of bed I went to my bags and took out a pair of training clothes and a fresh towel before heading to the showers. The showers were empty it looks like everyone is still sleeping. I knew everyone here are just a bunch of ckers. Getting under the shower I''m hit by a stream of ice-cold water that wakes up all the tiredness from my body. It looks like the hot water generators aren''t on yet, but I don''t mind I prefer cold showers they are so refreshing. ''Hey ava you''ve been silent for the past day, are you sleeping again?'' I asked her in my head as I was enjoying the shower. There is something about being in water that is so calming and refreshing. [No, I''m not sleeping, I was just letting you fully experience your first step into the world of football without too much interference, why else would I let you make a fool out of yourself during yesterday''s match,] She answered me with a tired voice seemingly having just woken up herself. This confused me can an AI even sleep or is she just trying out human emotion to figure out what is wrong with us? Let''s just hope she doesn''t go killer AI on me just because she is bored or something. ''That''s a bit harsh but your right although I have a lot of physical talents my game intelligence iscking, the only thing I was looking to do once I got the ball was score a goal, even though I managed to score a hat-trick I probably could have to help us score more goals if I had just moved better around the pitch'' I told her analysing my shorings as an aspiring footballer. Although I love Scoring goals, I don''t want to just chase personal stats if my team is going to lose in the end. [That''s good you didn''t get overconfident after scoring an easy three goals, with how good your personal stats are over your current peers you should have been able to help your team lead by three goals] Eva continued berating my mediocre performance having seemingly lost her sleepy mood. However, her voice contained a hint of pride when she talked about me not getting over confidant. ''So, what do you rmend for me to do so I can improve my game intelligence?'' I asked her curious to know what she woulde up with. [You could either hope you get a skill from the system or start by watching how yers in your position move throughout a game and start analysing why they do certain things and what you would do if you were in their position.] She answered my question without a moment of hesitation almost as if she had this information ready for when I would ask her. ''Alright I''ll watch some videos during my morning Yoga session'' I told her as I exited the showers. Quickly drying off my body and hair I went to the rack with my clothes on them. Using my lotions I put on a white Nike top with matching shorts, to finish the look I put on a pair of white forces. ~~~ Getting back into the room I saw that my threezy roommates are still asleep. Ignoring them for the moment I went to my bag to get my phone and headphones. Rummaging through my bag I finally found my headphones and yoga mat. "Where are you going" I heard a sleepy voice speak up from behind me. Turning around I saw the half-asleep face of Yunus who seemed to have been woke by the noise I made. "Going to start training I''m not aszy as all of you, plus I''m trying to be a super saying," I told him with a provocative smirk on my face. My words seemed to jolt him awake as all the sleepiness left his body. "Hey, if you are doing extra training, I''ming with" He eximed loudly as he jumped out of his bed and started getting dressed quickly. His loud exmation caused the other two to also jolt awake with Dest even falling out of his bed. "Why are you so loud it''s not even six yet" He grumbled as he got up from the floor sending a re in Yunus''s direction. "Yeah, what is your problem I was just to get a peak," Giovannie said groggily still half asleep, looking as if he didn''t want to be awake. "Get a peak of what? Anyways we are going to train you can continue sleeping if you are not serious about your dream" I told the two boys as I headed out of the room. My words seemed to fully wake them up as they also jolted from the bed. ~~~ It took them around five minutes to get ready. Not wasting any more time we quickly headed downstairs to the gym. The gym was quite spacious with a lot of equipment in them that looked quite high-tech when ites to working out. Not wanting to do any weights since we are still young, we headed to the open floor made for groundwork. "Alright since you are here because of me do you want to join my yoga session, to begin with?" I asked the group since they still looked a little sleepy and lost as to where to begin. "Why would we do yoga bro? we should just do something intense like push-ups or something" Yunus said sounding a little dissatisfied about doing yoga. Looking at him I could only give him pitiful look at his ignorance about how intense yoga can be. "You just try and follow along with my exercises, it''s like stretching anyways plus it will help you prevent injuries and be a better dribbler," I told him as I ced my mat on the floor and took off my shoes before stepping on the mat. Looking at them in the mirror in front of me I saw that they had decided to join me in my yoga session. "Let''s start off easy keep your legs together and touch your toes without bending your knees," I told them as I slowly bent down easily reaching my toes. Breathing in and out I held this position for ten seconds before standing back up. Repeating this stretch three times I felt morefortable each time I did it. Havingpleted the stance, I moved onto the Triangle pose starting with my left leg first. This was a rather light stance that helped open up my airways. We did a few more standing stances some of them were weird, but they all helped get us loose from the strain from yesterday''s workout. We did about an hour''s worth of yoga until we were finally done. After the hour''s session, we all were drenched in sweat. Yunus was even slightly gasping for breath as he was sprawled out on the ground. "(huh) That was harder (huh) than I thought it would be" Yunus spoke up from the ground gasping between breaths. "Yeah, that was lowkey hard, but it was also rxing" Destmented as he got up from the ground and started chugging on his water. "You do this every morning?" Giovanni asked as he started packing up his equipment. He looked like he genuinely enjoyed the session by the relieved smile he has on his face. "Yeah, my mom got me into it, she''s a PT and says this helps a lot with staying healthy for athletes and increases flexibility," I told him as I followed him out of the gym. We made quickly made it back to our room to drop off our gear before making a beeline to the canteen. Once we got to the canteen, we finally saw other kids up getting their food. They all looked to be half asleep though guess beingzy runs in the camp. I watched one kid trip over his own legs because he fell asleep while waiting in line. We didn''t have to wait long until we got our breakfast. I got a bowl of oats with some blueberries and banners just to get my vitamins for the day. Sitting down at an empty table we started eating our breakfast infortable silence enjoying it after our early Yoga session. ~~~ ''Hey Eva, can you pull up my quest logs I want to see how I''m doing'' I asked her as I''ve not received any notifications yet even after my match. [Right away, thought you would never ask] she answered me sounding like she had been expecting my question. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 43 43 Grind (2) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. With a daily upload schedule, you can read up to 12 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Right away, thought you would never ask] she answered me sounding like she had been expecting my question. [Ding Singrity Mission] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Grand Stage! >Task 1 Chosen one: Impress three scouts from one of the major five leagues. (7/3) - All eyes on me >Task 2 Killer instinct: Score more than ten goals (3/10) >Task 3 Not on my level: Score 3 goals after passing past five defenders (2/3) (Note: The Singrity cannot be ignored) ~~~ Rewards: > Unlock shop function > 10x energy-boosting drink > 1000 SP ~~~ ''Wow I''ve already impressed seven scouts after only ying one game,'' I mused to myself surprised that I managed toplete that task so fast. I personally thought that would be the hardest part. I don''t know why but I''ve always thought of scouts as people who can''t be easily impressed unless you fight tigers or score ten goals whiles also preparing them a five-star meal. [Of course, they would be impressed, your physical data on its own puts you in the top three in the camp, and that''s not even bringing up your skills with the ball,] Eva chipped in giving me an exnation as to why I so easily impressed the men in ck. That''s not me making a joke but all of them were wearing ck, whether it be tracksuits or suits it was all ck. They might have done that to put pressure on us, but I think they had a group chat before to n out the dress code. ''That''s good to know that I''m making headway on the mission, what about that other one that popped up suddenly'' I asked her wanting to know what happened to it. [Ding] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Don''t Forget About Me! #Task 1 I''m here: Impress 6 of your teammates (3/6) (Note: Your teammates see you as a burden prove them wrong) ~~~ Rewards: > 600 SP ~~~ "Why is it notpleted I''m pretty sure I yed well enough to impress my teammates?" I asked her slightly confused as to how that mission was not done yet. [You did indeed manage to leave asting impression on all your teammates but most of them just thought that you are a skilful yer, or you simply got lucky. The only yers on your team who were hugely impressed by you are Giovanni, Yunus, and Jonas] She slowly exined to me before I could have any thought of iming unfair treatment. ''Thosezy bums actually think I just got lucky; I''ll make sure to nutmeg them a couple of times for revenge'' I expressed my dissatisfaction to Eva as I started thinking of numerous ways to humiliate them on the pitch. [It may not have looked like it but some of the boys here are probably the most talented group of yers toe from this nation,] Eva spoke up again surprising me with herment. Looking to my right at the other three boys on the table I started staring at them trying to check if she was telling me the truth. "Why are you staring at us like that?" Dest spoke up seemingly annoyed at the fact I was looking at him for a minute. I must have looked at all of them as long as they all seemed to want to know the answer to the question asked by Dest. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Yunus slowly distancing himself from me. "Oh, sorry I just wanted to see if you three are talented," Ignoring the odd actions of Yunus I answered him keeping a straight face. Seemingly not expecting my answer I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he proceeded to ignore me. "No, I was just thinking about how this camp probably has the most talented group of kids to ever y football in this country, I was just wondering if you three are among the talented ones," I told them still keeping the quizzical expression on my face. I was really trying to think about whether I heard their names in my past life. No matter how hard I think about it, I can''t seem to recall them. Maybe they were not famous enough back then for me to have known them or I just forgot all about them. "Sometimes I think you''re just trying to trigger us, one of these days someone going to beat you up," Giovanni said as he shot me a re before refocusing on his breakfast. "But you know he is right there are some really talented yers here" Dest cut into the conversation before it got too awkward. "Pluss this is the first year they invited kids at the age of six which means they have great expectations for those kids" He continued his sentence before looking at me curiously. It seems like he thinks I was invited because of the talent and skill I disyed yesterday. "Haha don''t look at me like that I wasn''t Invited, my dad knows a guy who knows a guy you know how it goes right? well, maybe not since you were invited," I answered his unspoken question quickly trying to exin his misunderstanding. However, judging by their baffled faces maybe I shouldn''t have exined it. "You are somethi..." He started saying but was interrupted by the sudden quietness after the doors opened to reveal Coach James and his coaching crew. ~~~ "Listen up brats you have twenty minutes to finish your breakfast it''s time to do some training," he said in a loudmanding voice that left no room for objections. Not wanting to waste any more time we quickly finished thest of our breakfast before rushing to our rooms to get our training gear. After around twenty-five minutes everyone was standing on the stadium grass again. I was wearing my Adidas football boots with some shin pads and long socks. I don''t usually wear my shin-pads when I train but I don''t trust one of these kids to have enough self-control to not kick my legs. Why risk my livelihood as a football yer on some snorty brats who are just here toze around and enjoy the little sess they have achieved. Throughout therge American football field Loads of different sections were set up all over the field. The only distinguishing thing was a dividing line in the middle of the field that separated both sides. Looking around the stands I saw that only a handful of the scouts that were here yesterday have shown up. Looks like they arezy too or maybe they have seen all they wanted to see yesterday. "This Is coach Chris, all of you who think you''re a striker or defender go and follow him to the right left side of the field" Coach James instructed us as half of the forty children followed coach Chris to the left field. "All of you wanna be wingers and Midfielders follow me we will start in twenty minutes so go warm up," he said to us as he walked off to the right field to talk to his coaching team. This guy acts like he does not want to be here but still does his job seriously. After twenty minutes of warm-up, we got split into groups of five wearing different colour bibs. Lucky for me, I was put into a group with Giovannie and three random boys. Overall, my cup is half empty, but you cannot always get everything you want right. "Name of the game is hot potatoes, the team with the ball after three minutes wins the game, if you manage to y ten passes without losing the ball you win, sounds easy right?" He asked us with a smile that was baiting us to agree with his words. Like chickens to the ughter, I watched all the boys nod as if it were the easiest task to keep possession of a ball for three minutes straight. "Since it''s so easy and you kids are oh so talented you only get to touch the ball twice, if you touch it this time your team loses possession." He told us with a shit-eating grin that said he was waiting to see us fail. The kids who were nodding enthusiastically a minute ago suddenly began to pale a little at the increased difficulty of the drill. "Oh, and trust me you don''t want to lose, so give it your best," he said as he indicated the four teams to split off in the two boxes. ~~~ Standing in the five-by-ten-yard box Rakim''s team dawned yellow bibs over their training kit whilst the other team wore green bibs. Coach James did not bother giving a starting signal and directly threw the ball into the box. A Random boy on Rakim''s team whose name is Ben was closest to the ball and took control of it. Like hungry beats spotting a juicy piece of steak all most of the yers charged at him wanting to obtain the ball. The boy panicked seeing the crowd of yers rushing towards him and decided to hit the ball away to his next team member. Giovanni, who received the ball with his chest, was slightly surprised but easily took control of it. Not bothering to hold onto the ball he flicked it to Rakim who was standing by himself in one of the corners of the square. Two boys wearing green bibs immediately charged at him trying to win the ball from him. Seeing the two boys charging at him Rakim drew his right leg back and swung it powerfully at them causing them to turn around in fear. However, after noticing that none of them was hit they turned around only to notice that the ball had been passed to Giovanni. Giovanni masterfully controlled the ball with his first touch before passing it to the nearest open teammate. They continued this drill for the next three minutes, running around in circles, keeping the ball away from the team. The team that didn''t manage to win the ball within the next ten passes were forced to do suicide runs. After the first loss, they ran from the fifty-yard line to the forty line and so on until they reached the end zone. The training session focused on developing the yer''s possession awareness that we had to continue moving into open spaces as an option for our teammates to pass into. This forced the yers to stay on the move and think before they received the ball. This difficulty resulted in some yers making easy mistakes, such as taking three touches or identally hitting the ball away. Lucky for Rakim''s team, they never let their opponents keep the ball for ten consecutive passes. However, they did lose three times when their opponents managed to win possession just before the time run out. After returning from the thirty-yard line Rakim continued to stare at one of his teammates who had lost the ball for the second time. The boy felt so ufortable that he didn''t dare make a mistake until the drill finally ended. ~~~ [Mc Pov] "Your name is Ben, right?" I asked one of the random boys on my five-man team. The boy is quite tall for his age and has a strong physique that makes him look like a giant among us kids. He has a quiet yet friendly nature that gives him the vibe of a friendly giant, however, this also conceals the presence he should have for someone who is 5''1 tall at the age of seven. He had yed decently throughout the drill, so I felt it was only right that he levelled up to the status of a named character. I think I''m watching way too much anime, if they knew my thoughts, they would probably beat me to death. "Yes, why do you ask?" The tall boy asked me in confusion as he was panting on the ground. His fitness is fairly good but after basically carrying the other twozy teammates with me and Giovanni he is pretty much spent. "No reason you yed well, If I get into a fight, I hope you have my back big guy," I told him with a smile as I patted his shoulder. Hearing my words seemed to have shocked him as he immediately started shaking his head. "n''no I don''t want to get into a fight" He quickly spit out as if I would get into a fight the very next second and he needed to rify he was a natural party. "So, you will just let me get beaten up, don''t you see how small I am?" I asked him trying to look as pitiful as possible. His reaction was gold, he looked like he was stuck making a life-and-death decision that would decide whether I would get beaten up. "Leave him alone, he thinks you are being serious, don''t listen to him he tends to be annoying most of the time" Giovanni spoke up from the sideing to the rescue of the panicking Ben. "Hey, I was actually being serious though, with how amazing my dribbling skills are it''s only a matter of time till someone wants to beat me up for nutmegging them or snapping their ankles, a couple of times," I told the two of them with a worry-filled look. This is a grave issue that talented wingers face as defenders just start flying into tackles as they can''t beat them otherwise. This problem gued future stars such as the Brazilian prince Neymar and the Wales warrior bale. Neymar was forced to start diving to protect himself on the pitch as the refs wouldn''t call small fouls that were made on him since he was held to a higher standard, and this just gave regr yers a fighting chance. As for the warrior from the Ind nation, he wasn''t as good at adapting to the changes and suffered a lot of injuries that dyed his career and sullied his legacy. "Knowing your personality, you would probably annoy your opponent to the point you would deserve a beating," Giovanni said with a straight face showing no hint of remorse. "Your mean I''ll go back to training since I''m not aszy as you lot," I told them as I jogged back onto the field approaching coach James who had just finished setting up our next drill. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 44 44 Grind Dont Stop [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 12 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Voting is now officially open hope to see a lot of you voting and interacting with the novel as that will show me that you are enjoying it. For every fifty Reviews, I will upload an extra chapter so please send one after you are done reading.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] "Now that we havepleted that little warm up let''s get into the actual training" coach James spoke up to us as we gathered around him. Some of the boys groaned lightly when they heard that all the suicide runs we had done were only considered a warm-up. "You all came here to be better yers what did you expect to be doing?" coach James sarcastically reprimanded. Not wanting to continue with the conversation he began exining our next drill. "Your going to be ying a game so you should be happy but you only get three touches this time" He casually said as he pointed to the sevener-side pitches that were set up for us. The drill was pretty much a seven-on-seven game with each team having three substitutes from the two losing teams from thest drill. The two teams that would be ying each other are my yellow team and the red team that had beaten their opponents. Yunus was part of the red team with Pulisic and Mckennie so they ended up easily bullying their opponent. "Yunus my friend let''s have some fun," I told the boy with a smile as I went to my right-wing position. Looking at the boy standing next to me on the other side of the halfway line I felt excited. The boy has a lightplexion mostmon for American kids with dirty blond hair, and he is around 5''3 in height. He Is actually someone I recognise from my past life, he was hailed as the most talented yer to evere out of the states. The boy is the one and only Pulisc arguably one of the ideal modern wingers of the future. He managed o carve out a path for himself in arguably the mostpetitive league in the world the Premier league. His ystyle is akin to the modern speedy winger temte that became popr in the twentieth century. "Yo my name is Rakim the future Hokage of the right wing, believe it," I said to the boy holding out my fist for a fist bump. He seemed confused by my words, guess he is not a man of the culture. He must be bored all day long not being able to join the search for the one piece or watch Ichigo y hollows. "Hi I''m Christian, I don''t know what a Hokage is but I will defiantly be the best winger toe out of the states," He confidently stated as he bumped my fist shing me a bright smile. "(huh) You don''t know what a Hokage is? let me show you my will of fire with my skill because that is my ninja way" I confidently told him with my own version of the iconic naruto lines. This seemed to confuse him further as he took a step back probably thinking I''m crazy or something else. This Is starting to be a problem all these yers thatck culture can''t understand my catchphrases. ~~~ [Yellow Team] (GK) (CB) Toby, (CB) Ted (LM) Giovanni, (CDM) Ben, (RM) Rakim (ST) Ron [Red Team] (GK) (CB) Adams, (CB) John (LM) Pulisic, (CM)Yunus, (RM) Mckinnie (ST) Jake ~~~ [Genneral Pov] [Fweet] With the whistle of coach James the game began. Jake from the red team wasted no time passing the ball back to Yunus in the midfield. Thetter deftly controls the ball and using his second touch he evaded the charging Ron. Seeing the opponent''s wingers getting closer he immediately passed the ball back to Tyler Adams. The boy had just taken control of the ball when he saw the charging figure of Rakim in a red jersey. Managing to keep hisposure he controlled the ball with his right foot moving it towards the middle of the park forcing the winger to suddenly turn to adjust to his movements. Just as the winger dawned in red was able to close him down he fired a sharp pass forward sharply slicing the field. The ball seeded to have a will of its own as it urately bypassed various outstretched legs as if they were an obstacle course. On the receiving end of the ball was McKennie who had received the ball in his stride not losing any momentum. The light-skinned winger didn''t hold onto the ball long as he sent a weighted pass to jake at the edge of the penalty box. He continued his run into the box ovepping ted who was indecisive about whether to close down Jake or continue marking him. The defender''s indecisiveness served to bite him in the back when McKennie was leftpletely open inside the box. The young winger took a step to adjust the ball for his right foot before he let loose a powerful shot at the keeper who was still standing on his line. Before the keeper could even react the ball had pierced into the. Seeing his shot go in the winger ran back to his half celebrating widely. The red team yers quickly swarmed him embracing him into a group hug celebrating his goal. ~~~ The game resumed with the Yellow team finally gaining possession. However, with the constant pressure from the red team, they were unable to mount an attack. A coupled of times they had to quickly shift the ball to their nearest teammate in order not to lose possession. With the intensity of the pressure from the red team, Ben was forced to pass the ball back all the way back to his goalkeeper. This allowed the yellow team to gain a second to breathe and stabilise their rhythm so they could mount an attack. The yellow team''s goalkeeper had the ball at his feet as he calmly scanned the field. Seeing the approaching Jake charging at him he quickly passed the ball to his right where Ted was standing unmarked. The defender had a bit of trouble controlling the hard pass having to use two touches to gain control of it. Not wanting to hold onto the hot potato he passed it up the right wing to the approaching Rakim who was asking for the ball. The young winger let the ball pass through his legs as he quickly circumvented Pulisic who had been marking him. Maximising his agility and speed he instantly caught up with the ball just before Tyler Adams could snatch it. Before he even touched the ball he quickly scanned his surroundings and realised that Pulisc was hot on his trail. With Tyler at his front and Pulisic on his back, Rakim dipped his shoulder towards the right sidelines. Once he saw Tyler shift his body to follow his movements he suddenly chopped the ball with his right foot. With the quick change of direction, he managed to bypass the defender easily as he pushed the ball towards the box with his second touch of the ball. Not wanting to lose the ball Rakim sent a pass the ball to ben who had moved up the field and was lurking at the edge of the sixteen-yard box. The tall boy calmly controlled the ball before he sent a chipped-through ball into the box. John who had stepped forward to close him down was left stranded unable to jump high enough to interfere with the pass as it soared above his head. The ballnded next to Ron who didn''t bother taking a touch as he directly swung his leg sending it towards the goal. The keeper managed to react fast enough to deflect the ball making it hit the bar flying out for a corner kick. Throwing up his hands in frustration Ron turned around to apologise to his team for missing the opportunity to level the game. Giovanni didn''t mind his apologetic teammate as he went to the left corner g getting ready to take it. Quickly setting the ball down he took a couple of steps back to scan the box for the best crossing option. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 45 [Bonus ] 45 Fun Game ~~~ [Yellow Team] (GK) (CB) Toby, (CB) Ted (LM) Giovanni, (CDM) Ben, (RM) Rakim (ST) Ron [Red Team] (GK) (CB) Adams, (CB) John (LM) Pulisic, (CM)Yunus, (RM) Mckinnie (ST) Jake ~~~ Giovanni did not mind his apologetic teammate as he went to the left corner g getting ready to take it. Quickly setting the ball down he took a couple of steps back to scan the box for the best crossing option. In the box, all of his teammates were scrambling to get an advantageous position from their marker. The most prominent was Ben who stood at the penalty spot marked by two yers on both sides trying to prevent him from challenging the cross. Just as Giovanni raised his left hand to indicate that he was going to cross the ball he saw a yellow jersey rushing towards him. Seeing that it was Rakim who had managed to lose his marker he didn''t hesitate to pass him the ball. Rakim received the ball with his right foot turning with the momentum of the pass to face Tyler who had caught up to him. Staring at the boy for a second Rakim dropped his left shoulder as he swings his left foot trying to go towards the touchline. However just as his foot was about to hit the ball, he stepped over it before flicking it to the right. The ball went across the front of Tyler''s body as Rakim used the croqueta skill to pass it to Giovanni who had circumvented the two of them. Giovanni took a touch to control the ball before firing a powerful shot at the goal. The ball had spin and elevation as it homed in on the top left corner. The goalkeeper who was at the centre of his goal line was unable to react to it in time. Seeing his shot go in Giovanni pumped his fists in the air to celebrate his goal before getting swarmed by his teammates. They were just making their way back to their own half to restart the game when Rakim spoke up to Giovanni. "Hey, Luigi next time let me score," the boy who heard his words just smiled at him raising his hands for a high five. ~~~ In the sixteenth minute, the red team restarted the game. Both teams started to battle for possession for the next five minutes. Stuck in a deadlock John from the red team tried his luck by sending a long ball forward. Mckinnie who chased after the ball waste to reach it as Toby cleared it out for a throw-in. The winger quickly picked up the ball and threw it at Yunus. Thetter deftly controlled the ball before sending a pass to Jake. Just as Jake was about to stop the ball it was intercepted by ben with a slide tackle. Quickly getting up he passed the ball to Ted who was open. The defender was forced to clear the ball up the field to avoid the fast charge of Pulisic. The ball flew all the way up the field heading directly towards Tyler. The boy calmly headed the ball towards his goalkeeper in an attempt to calm the game down. The keeper calmly picked up the football as he scanned the field looking for an open teammate. After about three seconds he seemed to have located his target as heunched the ball up the left nk towards Mckinnie. Before the ball had even crossed the halfway line Coach James blew his whistle stopping the game. ~~~ [Mc Pov] "That wasn''t too bad some of you might have some hope of bing footballers, whilst others better start working hard," Coach James spoke to us as we took a knee in a half circle around him. I thought we were going to be ying a full forty-minute game like yesterday, but it turns out we only got one half. He spent the next few minutes analysing the game with us. He pointed out all the simple ws we did. He made sure to emphasise how we were wasting our limited touches by having to control and adjust the ball with two touches instead of doing it in one motion. The look on Ted''s face was priceless as he was getting an earful for panicking and sting the ball away in thest moments. I would haveughed if I wasn''t the next one to get an earful. Apparently, mycklustre defensive presence wasn''t appreciated by the grumpy coach. When I told him that I was saving my energy to score goals he seemed to get more upset. He went on to preach for what felt like hours about the importance of doing the work on both ends. I wanted to tell him that I''d never learned how to properly defend but I didn''t want another lecture, so I stayed quiet. He did however praise the creativity that I seem to exude in my y which was a boost in confidence for me. The other thing that made me happy is that Giovanni got an earful for being too cautious in his y style. However, listening to him analyse our game made me realise that I had forgotten to check out some gamey during yoga in the morning. I me the rest of the guys for this since I didn''t n on taking them along to my morning Yoga session. I will defiantly watch some gamey of Ronaldo and Messi tonight. I would rather watch a live match but with it being almost august there is no worthwhile match on Tv. (Sigh) Nothing ever works the way you want it. In case I can''t find anything on YouTube I''m sure one of the coaches would have matches recorded on a VCR tape or something. ~~~ "Alright since it looks like some of youck confidence in your ball control we will be working on that next," he said as he brought us to a row of stic walls that were set up throughout the field. Each wall had a single yellow cone in front of it and all the walls had about two meters of distance between one another. "Alright, the next drill I like to call copycat, Coach Brady over there will demonstrate a drill and you will simply have to copy it and increase your pace," he said as he pointed at a young white man who seemed to be just around his early twenties. The young coach seemed to be caught off guard not expecting that he would actually have to do something. "Coach Brady over here ys for the USA under twenty-one team so make sure to learn to form him" Coach James finished what he was saying before walking off to the side-line, he was seemingly unbothered that he dumped a bunch of kids to a teenager who wasn''t legally an adult yet. Coach Brady seemed flushed at the attention he was receiving from everyone here. All the kids were looking at him as if he was their Idol. In a sense, he is the Idol of all of us here as he is already living the dream we aspire to do. After all, it is every footballer''s dream to represent their country on the greatest stage in the world. He may only y for the under-twenty-one team but that basically made him a future team member of the national team. After all, countries only recruit talents they want to safeguard for the future into their under twenty-one team. "(Sigh) let''s just get this over with, alright kids you heard the grumpy man just copy what I do, and you might not get punished by him," he said in azy voice seemingly not wanting to be here. He approached one of the stations with a wall and started to demonstrate the next drill under our watchful eyes. Standing behind the ball he hit and yed it against the wall with his right foot before receiving it with his left foot which was closest to the cone. He then went on to roll the ball to the other side of the cone with his right before hitting it against the wall with his left foot. Then the reverse happened to create an infinite loop that only stopped after he did it ten consecutive times. "This should be easy enough, to begin with, we call this a foot roll exercise try and increase your speed and control while doing it." He said as he motioned for us to line up at the walls that were set up for us. We naturallyplied with his instructions, setting up at a station and immediately started the drill. Looking at the ball in front of me reminded me of that training session with Kaka. This was sort of simr except this drill seemed to focus more on passing. I''ve never really focused on passing really always just instinctively getting the ball from A to B. All the passes I''ve yed so far were when my teammates were wide open and there was practically zero chance of messing up. Well, the only way I could mess up would be by sting the ball at max power as if I was shooting a cannon. Oh well, let''s get on with this I''ve wasted enough time musing about this. . . [Mass Release Goals] [ A Magic Castle = One extra Chapter] [ Two Magic Castle = Two extra Chapter] . . To Be Continued... Chapter 46 46 Training wanting to start off slow and get a rhythm going I hit the ball against the wall with my right foot to start with. The ball travelled at a moderate speed, not too fast and not too slow, as it returned to me. However, that''s when I realised, I had messed up. I was so focused on starting off right that by the time the ball was here I had yet to adjust my body to receive it properly. This happened to me another two or three times until I realise that I was doing something wrong. I decided to restart the drill and this time I focused less on how the ball travelled and more on being prepared for it. This turned out to be the wrong choice too as the ball came back to me at a weird angle due to how I had hit it. sometimes the ball woulde back directly to my right foot and other times it would end up on the other side of the cone. Taking a step back from the drill and looking around at the other kids I started to analyse where I had gone wrong. However, looking at some of the kids who would just power through the drill even if they made a mistake dumbfounded me. Just as I was thinking that I was wasting my time watching them mess about I watched as they seemed to gradually get the hang of it. Looking at how some of the better ones moved made me realise that they all had a distinct rhythm they followed. It was almost like a slow drum beat that slowly but surely ingrained muscle memory of the drill into them. That''s when it hit me like a semi-truck, the puzzle I had been missing had appeared like a sh of inspiration illuminating the fog in front of me. Slowly all the gears in my head started to spring to life as a feeling of anticipation arose. "(sigh) I''m overthinking too much I should just try and get into a rhythm just like when I''m dribbling," I mumbled to myself as I restarted the drill for a third time. This time I decided to focus on my breathing and the ball making sure it was doing what I wanted it to do. Following what my instinct told me to do I hit the ball against the wall already positioned where I expected the ball toe back too. It worked as the ball came towards my left foot making it easy for me to stop with a few adjustments. Not wasting any time, I rolled the ball past the cone with my right foot setting it up for my left foot to hit. seeing that it was working I started to feel a little bit of the sensation I got when I was training with kaka. It wasn''t as intense as it was in the dream space, but it still had an addictive quality to it. It''s like when you are solving a moth problem and suddenly like a jigsaw puzzle, you discover the right sequence to solve it. I didn''t notice it, but I gradually started to speed up creating a rhythmic [bap bap pause bap bap] sound whenever I hit the wall and receive it with my other foot. The only slight pause was when I would roll the ball across to the other side of the cone and even that was gradually getting smaller. At one point I got so fast that I wasn''t even seeing the ball anymore and my body was just moving on instinct as my eyes couldn''t seem to keep up. I only ended up stopping when I tripped from one of the small holes, I had created with all my back-and-forth movement. Laying on the ground I felt a sense of calmness wash over me as my heart rhythmically drummed in my chest. Looking at the drifting clouds is quite a refreshing feeling. ~~~ ''Hey, Eva what was that feeling I felt? Was it because of the system?'' I asked her in my head trying to figure out what was going on. After all, that feeling made me feel invincible as if I could do anything. It was like a switch had flipped and my body just started reacting on its own as soon as I gotfortable in the drill. [To answer your first question, it is partly because of the system but also because of you, and that feeling could be called a pseudo zone, I guess," she answered me in a serious tone which surprised me since she''s been having mood swingstely. Maybe that time of the month has finally passed, and she is back to being professional. ''So, you''re saying I entered this zone thing and that''s why it felt like my body was just simply reacting to the ball and doing what I wanted to do before I could properly think about it?'' I asked her feeling slightly doubtful about the validity of this answer. I know I''m talented and I''ll be the first one to brag about it but entering something like the zone isn''t a part of my skill set yet. [don''t sound so doubtful, yes you entered a version of the zone but it''s actually quitemon for kids your age,] She answer me sounding displeased that I doubted her answer. Listening to her answer it felt like she was telling me that it''smon to see kids unlocking ultra instinct. ''let''s just say that you are right but how does it exin how I was so easily able to enter that state?'' I asked her entertaining the thought of me essing this mystical energy that makes you a superhuman. [(sigh) Sometimes I forget that you are stupid, anyways ever wondered how kids or teenagers are able to perform skills or shots that only someone on top of the game of football could, Well the answer is simple they subconsciously entered a state called the zone] she told me sounding like a profession in Cambridge teaching me the theory of rtivity. [It''s not the same zone that athletes like Messi enter on crucial but it still allows young yers to perform at their bodily limits, this phenomenon happens when these young yers fully concentrate, and their body cooperates with what they want to do. The reason you are able to enter it seemingly easily is that you had a taste of a strong version when you consumed the B-grade enlightenment potion.] She continued exining after giving me time to digest the first part of her speech. Her words do make sense because I''ve seen some clips of kids around thirteen performing wonders with the ball when they are normally just average. ''Alright so it''s not some magical energy but just me fully concentrating and my body being in sync with me, but why would a potion I took more than three months ago still have an effect on me?'' I asked as it seems weird that it is still helping me now. If I knew that it hadsting effects, I might have trained more with the ball over the three months instead of focusing on my body coordination. [It''s not that the potion has asting effect it''s just that it opened the door that allowed you to enter the pseud zone when you trained with Kaka, although the potion wore off the door cannot be fully shut anymore thus allowing you to tap into the zone easier, It also helped that you have been training your body allowing it to keep up with your ideas, And since you are at an age of rapid development it''s already easier for you to ess that pseud zone.] ''Sigh that was a long exnation but thanks it helped a lot'' I thanked her as I got up from the ground not wanting to continueying on the ground. If I stayed down there any longer I might have gone straight to sleep. There is something calming aboutying on the grass in the summer. ~~~ [Mike Pov] What did I just witness? This kid is a monster that is the only thing that can exin his growth. He is like a sponge that takes in all the things that he is taught ingraining them into his body. At the start of the control drill, he looked like he was struggling to get the hang of it. He reminded me of one of those musicians with perfect pitch who wouldn''t continue the piece he was ying as soon as he made the tiniest mistake. I''m d I decided toe early today it would have been a shame to miss this. The kid keeps surprising me on new levels. He went from being clumsy at best when it came to ying in a team to managing to help create two-goal opportunities. His Positional y is still nothing to brag about as he seems glued to his wing when he doesn''t have the ball. However, once the ball gets within twenty yards of him, he seems toe to life giving his all to get a touch on the ball. From what I have witnessed from him so far, I can''t think of which yer temte his talent follows. He seems to have a bit of everything in him when ites to a winger''s ability, he could be shaped into the Ideal winger a team wanted. However, if he''s anything like the great yers of today''s game and the past he will not be able to fit the mould of a single team. Ultimately, all the great yers make the team change for them and not the other way around. "Hi, Mike didn''t know you would stick around" the familiar voice of Kai rang from behind me. Turning around I saw him standing there holding a cup of coffee seemingly having just woken up not long ago. "Yeah, I got no other ce to be," I answered him before turning back to watch the happenings on the pitch. He seemed to realise that I was done with the conversation as he took the seat next to me. "How is the kid you were interested in yesterday doing?" he asked me in an attempt to get a conversation going. I hate it when people feel the need to start a conversation once they meet someone, even when the other party clearly has no interest. "He''s doing so so I guess but the PSG scout over there was talking to Mckennie''s Dad earlier so you might want to check on that," Izily answered him wanting him to focus on his job and stop bothering me. He is just too hyperactive sometimes, If I did not know his father, I wouldn''t even entertain him. (sigh) I cannot wait to end this life of constant travel, having to go to different countries just to chase the rumours of a talented kid is no fun. Especially when nine out of ten times those so-called talents are mediocre at best. "Thanks for letting me know I''ll have to check on that real quick," he said hurriedly as he jumped out of his seat rushing out of the stadium. Oh well, I will finally have some peace and quiet and it is not as if I lied to him though. The world of scouts is cut-throat with each one of us trying our best to deliver results to our respective club. So, unless the yer has officially signed a contract no yer was safe. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 47 47 Training (2) [Coach James Pov] What did I just witness? This kid is a monster, this must be how it feels to find a diamond among gold coins. He looks like a newbie to the game making a lot of simple mistakes. Not even the worst yer would make them if they had an inkling of football training as part of a team. I''m surprised he was even in this camp because no one has ever heard of him before yesterday it''s like he just appeared out of nowhere. When I checked how he got registered I realised that he got in through his father''s connections. I usually hate brats that get into my camps with connections but I don''t mind this one. Just the thought of missing such talent because he couldn''t get into the camp is worrying. It''s saddening knowing that so many talents are being wasted each year just because they don''t receive the right support. Even this camp doesn''t primarily focus on talent, I mean half of these kids are only here because their parents are somebody. It''s not that they are bad talents its just they arent the best of the best that this camp is supposed to nurture. Those who are average at best only got in because their parents knew someone. Anyways this boy named Rakim has been a breath of fresh air. He is seemingly at a rate of rapid improvement rapidly picking up everything. Let''s hope his improvement continues to progress this way then this camp would actually be worth it. ~~~ [MC Pov] "All right let''s try this again," I said to myself as I started the exercise again. I had to spend like three minutes trying to cover a bunch of holes I had created before I could start again. The feeling of the ball as it left my foot felt a lot morefortable and controlled. When I received it again I felt more in control of it than I usually feel when I dribble the ball. ''hey, Eva by any chance has my ball control improved?'' I asked her as I continued to pass the ball back and forth. [Yes Just a little since you achieved a sort of mental breakthrough you should check your stats] She answers me sounding a little bored at my question. ''Alright Eva let me see my stats then,'' I tell her as I stop my movements so I can focus on my status. The timing is just right since coach Brady is exining the next exercise thus having everyone''s attention. [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 1100 Position: RM, LM (Evaluation: A boy with a lot of potential for bing a professional ser yer, who possesses a lot of talent) USER MENU [ USER STATS] [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS] [ SYSTEM SHOP (locked)] [ SYSTEM LOTTERY (locked)] [ SNOOPING TOOL (locked)] ] ''Hmm, looks like my main menu hasn''t changed since thest time I checked it'' I muse to myself as I open up the stats menu. [ USER STATS] >Physical Fitness: C >Football Technique: B- >Game Intelligence: E+ ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors: ''Nice my technique has improved'' I exim in my head happy about having my first B rank stats. If I keep going like this I''m going to be a real menace once I make it to the professional stage. My happy mood soon deted after hearing Eva''s next words. [Just to let you know these stats are for those below the age of sixteen, this is because at that age is when your body reaches the requirement to join the professional stage.] She tells me in a neutral tone as if she was giving memon news you could find in the morning paper. ''So you are saying that these stats are basically for the youth-levelpetitions, so what will my stats look like after I turn sixteen.'' I ask her slightly confused about what this would mean for my future. [To put it simply these starts are a whole grade worse if you were to enter the professional stage. For example, your C-level physical fitness would only amount to E+ on the professional stage. So the host is encouraged to work hard as the youth stage is a cakewalkpared to the pro stage where the best of the best y] She tells me clearing up the confusion. Letting all the information sink into my mind I realise how far away from my goal I really am. These stats are justpared to those in mypetition group. After all the age divide is a massive challenge that all athletes must face. The reason why most rookies struggle in every sport is not only due to experience but also due to physical strength honed over time. This problem puts rookies at a higher risk of injuries at the start of their careers. That is why in theter year''s teams started protecting their talents by letting them y fewer games until they were physically ready for the game. After checking my stats I refocused on my training again as coach Brady had just started demonstrating the new drill. The next drill was simr to thest as it focussed on passing and control. The morning continued like this Coach Brady made us do a bunch of exercises that would improve our passing and control of the ball. I think the point of this is to show us that we can do these drills at home. So there is no excuse for us to continue to be bad at this in the future unless we arezy that is. ~~~ Sitting in the canteen with my four new friends we wasted no time devouring ourte lunch. We were eating at two in the afternoon since the morning training took a little longer since we wouldn''t have afternoon sessions. They said that it is to let our bodies rest and recover for the next day. "Hey, Rakim do you want to join us? we are going to the pool to rx a little," Yunus asked me interrupting my train of thought. "Yeah, why not but I''m going to rx for an hour or so to analyse some matches on my phone first," I told him as I picked up my tray of food that was now empty. The other three soon followed not wanting to waste any more time here. "Oh, I think ill join you then I could use some rest" Dest spoke up looking the most tired out of all of us here. Then again all the people who were a part of the defensive and attacking group looked like they had been through a lot. I even saw some of them struggling to make it to their chairs in the canteen. When we asked Dest what they have been through he said something about being tortured. Apparently, coach Chris was angry at their poor level of fitness and body coordination and made them do physical exercises all morning. "That''s fine Join me you can help me analyse some games while you recover your energy," I told him as I helped him get to our room. The boy could barely walk from all the running drills he has been doing all morning. It didn''t take us long to reach our room where I ended up dumping him on his bed. He was getting kind of heavy and I was happy to finally be rid of the extra weight. Yunus and Giovannie didn''t stay in the room long, leaving soon after grabbing their swimming trunks. Plopping down on my bed I wasted no time whipping out my phone to look for some game highlights. It took me a while to find one but eventually, I found one that seemed to be pirated by someone who put it on the site. I wasn''tining though as this would help me a lot. The game was a premier league game between Chelsea and Man UTD that took ce earlier in the year. Dest hopped onto my bed as we both started watching the game with interest fully focused on the happenings on the screen. Judging by his interested look it seems like he hasn''t seen the game yet which was good for both of us. "Why do you think about how they move the ball around the pitch," I asked Dest breaching the silence that was between us. Looking at how they moved the ball it looked a little slow and rudimentarypared to the twenty-first century. "They are all some of the best yers to ever y the game of football but it looks like some of them are restrained by their position." He said after a moment of contemtion as if he was answering an equation. It looked like he noticed this too some of the yers were simply ying their position and didn''t seem to want to do more. For example, this one right-back called Bosingwa has never gone past the halfway line throughout the game. Maybe it was due to his coach''s instruction but the way he yed seemed like hecked creativity. "Yeah, It''s like they are doing the one job they were assigned to do and not more," I told him after a while of thinking over his words. He seemed to agree as he simply nodded and refocused on the game. Unlike thecklustre defenders, the attackers seemed to enjoy full freedom to create attacks to score goals for the team. The most exciting yer on the pitch was Ronaldo who seemed to have no fear as he charged at his opponents. He looked to be having the best time of his life as he performed a plethora of skill moves. Looking at him dance it''s hard to imagine that Manchester let him go this summer. In my opinion, it''s like packing a legendary yer on FIFA and just simply selling them to your strongest opponent for the UEFA cup. Chapter 48 48 Fun Afternoon Ignoring my thoughts about the start of Manchester''s downfall I refocused on the game again. Although the match seemed a little slower than the asional ones, I witnessed in my past life it was still a remarkable sight. It felt like the attackers had a lot more presence in the team. For example, Nani who came on in the second half for Ronaldo is like a whirlwind once he gets the ball. At some point, it felt like he had a personal grudge against his defenders. He ended up nutmegging the same defender twice in one run towards the goal. He did end up missing the final shot, but his dribbling was a remarkable sight. He looked like he was on a mission to create goals with every possession of the ball. I did however notice that he dide back to defend when the opponents had possession. He was like a hungry beast staying close to the halfway line lurking for an opportunity to attack. I did notice that he came back to put pressure on the opponents by staying in the zone that made it difficult for them to turn back. Although I had yet to witness him going for a tackle, he did however get in between the passingnes making it hard for them to string passes together. "Hey Dest if your wingeres back as Nani does, would it be easier for you to win the ball from the opponent?" I spoke up wanting to confirm my conjecture first-hand by hearing the opinion from a wingback. The boy next to me seemed to really think about my question taking a while before he finally answered me. "I guess it would be easier, it would defiantly give me more confidence to go all in for the challenge if I know that my winger is there for backup," he told me sounding serious about his answer. "Alright good to know, what about that ovep thing that Evra kept doing in the first half of the game?" I asked him again wanting to find out what kind of wingback he was. During the game, I''ve seen a variety of them some that simply did their defensive jobs and others that actively attacked. "If I had to choose, I''d like the freedom to attack since I''m quite fast and have a decent dribble" He answered me almost instantly. his eyes visibly glowed as he started talking about his love for attacking football. He loves the idea of scoring as a defender and not just being there as a shield against attacks from the opposition. Listening to him ramble on and on about his preferred style of yer got me to start thinking about my preference. For one I liked attacking football for sure as I get to see more of the ball during the game. I noticed today that whenever we were under pressure and had to defend it took way too long till I got a touch of the ball. I almost got bored at some point until I remembered my horrible performance and had to force myself to focus. At the end of the game, I got to know that the type of style we were ying is called counter-attacking football. Which I hate now since it basically meant that my team wasn''t good enough to keep control of the ball for extended periods of time. In the end, I realised I''m what you would call a ball hogg. The longer I can keep the ball the happier I am so I will have to be good enough to keep possession under high pressure. ~~~ We spent the next hour or so analysing the game and talking about what we would do in that situation. It felt more like a ss session than us just watching a recording from a game, but it was quite engaging. What helped us is the fact that I was seeing the game from the perspective of an attacking yer, and he was seeing it from a defensive standpoint. "Alright let us go to the pools now I''ve studied enough for one day," I told him as I got up from the bed and went to my bag to grab a towel. Dest didn''t protest as he followed me out of the room after grabbing his things. It didn''t take us long to get to the pools. It wasn''t anything like the pool we had at home, this one was massive. It''s the swimming pool used by the university swim team which probably exins why it''s so massive. Right now, the giant pool was a field with loads of kids ying around in the pool. Quickly hopping into the changing rooms, we quickly got changed into our swim trunks. It didn''t take us long to locate our friends, as Yunus was easily one of the loudest kids here. The group was in the middle of a volleyball game in the water trying their best to keep the ball up. "Hey, we got the next game," I shouted at the group getting their attention as the both of us sat on the sideline dipping our legs into the water. My shout was effective in distracting Yunus as the ball ended up hitting his face. "You two finally decided to join us" Giovanni called out to us as he swam towards the two of us. "Yeah, needed my afternoon rest to recharge my energy," I told the boy as I hopped into the pool submerging under water. The water was nice and cold which felt quite refreshing with how warm it was during the day. "We are ying doubles find a partner and you can y next," Yunus said as he also arrived in front of us. His face was slightly red from the impact of the ball, but he seemed to have recovered from the impact. "We will partner up then," Dest said as he tried to throw an arm around my shoulder trying to indicate that we were a duo. "Nope brother but you are almost as short as me, Hey Ben we are partners let''s destroy everyone," I told my delusional roommate before swimming off in the direction of the friendly giant. Ben was just chilling at the side of the pool enjoying the atmosphere so when I reached him, he looked rather heartbroken that I ruined his peace. "Hey that was mean I''m still taller than you" Dest shouted at me just as I had reached Ben''s side seemingly having processed my word. However, I didn''t bother paying attention to him as I dragged Ben to the. "Don''t look at me like that it''s more fun than just sitting at the side?" I told him as we got to one side of the court. On the opposite side of the court, Yunus and Giovanni had lined up with the ball getting ready to start the game. "Yo bro you about to lose big time," Yunus said as he showed a thumbs gesture as if he was holding up a weapon. "Young padawan you''ve got a way to go before you can be a worthy match for me," I told him as I looked off into the distance trying to seem wise. That was a mistake though as the ball that was in his hand had somehow ended up hitting in the back of the head. The impact sent me flying into the water swallowing a bunch of it. "You are a dead man now," I shouted at him as I jumped up from the water. Not wasting any more time I threw the ball into the air before hitting it across the. Giovanni was fast to react as he hit the ball into the air. Yunus was close to it quickly getting underneath it and setting it up for his friend. Thetter quickly jumped up and smashed it over the. Ben used his long arms to stop the ball''s flight path knocking it into the air. Seeing the ball fly across the, I jumped up with all my strength before casually tipping it over the. My little trick seemed to have caught them off guard as they didn''t expect my actions. They could only watch the ball hit the water on their side of the. "That''s one down my friend" I called out to them as I high-fived Ben who had a rare smile on his face. "You just got lucky well defiantly score the next one," he said as he picked up the ball looking to restart the game. ~~~ "I told you that you''ve got a way to go before you can be a worthy match for me," I told Yunus as we sat on the side having just finished the game. The match was fun but with Ben''s basketballer-like build, we ended up dominating the game. To Yunus''s dismay, we ended up winning the game by eleven to four. "What are you so proud of Ben basically carried you throughout that match," He answered me sounding salty about his loss. It had been about ten minutes since his loss, but he was still moping about it. "Yes, Ben is like Shaq, and I was feeling like Kobe in the game so the perfect team-up," I told him sending him a bright smile. My happy mood seemed to annoy him as he shoved me into the pool. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 49 49 Curiosity And The Cat [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Please send me your power stones as it will motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Hey, don''t be such a sore loser let''s go look for the games room," I told him as I climbed out of the pool. Although I''ve only been in the pool for half an hour at most, but I have no interest in staying in here any longer. Something about the chlorine in the water makes my skin itch the longer I stay in the water. "Wait for me I''ll definitely beat u in a game of ping pong" He shouted as he followed after me. We quickly walked out of the pool area leaving behind our friends whom we had totally forgotten throughout the whole conversation. It didn''t take us long to get to the showers and start washing up. Walking out of the changing room I was dressed in a ck Nike tracksuit with a towel over my head to dry my hair. "So where is this games room?" I asked the group of boys as I was still drying my hair. Although I wanted to go to it, I don''t actually know where it is since I''ve not really been anywhere else except my room and the gym. "Just follow me I''ll lead the way," Yunus said as he walked off down the hallway. The funny thing though was that none of us followed him. The reason I didn''t follow him is that I didn''t trust his sense of direction. It seems that was the right call as I watched Giovanni walking in the opposite direction of him. "Hey, Yunus you are going the wrong way," I shouted at him as I followed after Giovanni. His face was a little flushed when he reached the group. You could tell he was embarrassed about his slight blunder by the fact he just run ahead of us. ~~~ Arriving at the game room we were greeted by a lounge with different games scattered throughout the hall. It seemed more like a lounge designed to help you rx, and ording to Giovanni, this area is for the jocks to hang about betweenpetitions. Athletes do really get special treatment in the states, The football team''s locker room is big enough to fit a ss with fifty kids in it. "Let''s y round the world at the ping-pong table," Yunus said as he walked over to the table tennis table. Following suit, we all grabbed a ping-pong racket from the box underneath the table. The game was pretty simple you hit the ball and you would run anti-clockwise to the other side of the table to join the line. The first person to miss the ball or is unable to hit the other side of the table on their turn is out until only two remain. In the first few rounds, Yunus ended up destroying us since he was familiar with the game. But once the rest of us managed to get a handle on the game It was a lot more fun. Surprising Dest was actually quite good at the game. Much to my dismay, he kept smashing the ball every time it was my turn to hit the ball back. I guess he was still salty I chose Ben over him as a Teammate. I did end up getting back at him by smashing some shots back at him. We spent the rest of the night ying games in the lounge simply rxing and just chilling. It was the first time I got to hang around with kids my age and if I was being honest, it''s the most fun, I''ve ever had. ~~~ [Next Morning] "Wake up we are leaving for some yoga" I shouted at the three still-sleeping boys in the room. It was around six in the morning and the sun was already up ready for another day. I had told them to get ready for some Yoga when I went for my shower twenty minutes ago. However, like thezy kids, they are they went back to sleep without batting an eye. "Be quiet I was just about to lift the world cup" Yunus shouted at me as he tried to get back to sleep seemingly wanting to re-enter the dream world. Not letting him get back to sleep I decisively pulled away his nket which caused him to fall out of his bed. "Never mind the world cup, get a team to sign you first," I told him as I started leaving the room. The other two seemed to be smarter than Yunus and immediately got up from their bed when they heard him fall out of his bed. Guess they didn''t want to experience my rude awakening, it''s their loss since I deliver satisfactory service. "I''m defiantly getting singed by a team, not just any team but one of the best" Yunus shouted as he jumped up from the floor having seemingly forgotten who caused his fall. "You won''t if I tell them yourzy and can''t even wake up for simple yoga in the morning," I told him increasing my steps as I walked down the hallway. "Don''t you dare? I''ll haunt you forever if you do," He shouted as he stormed out of the room as he was still dressing mid-run. The scene is honestly funny as he had his shoes on whilst only wearing his boxers and his bottoms were strung over his shoulder. "Ok, I won''t let''s just go," I told him as he arrived next to me, not bothering to point out that he wasn''t wearing his bottoms. The other two soon caught up to us looking still half asleep as they red at me. Not minding their res, I just lead them down the stairs until we bumped into coach James. Seeing the stern coach who stopped in his track once he spotted us was a remarkable sight. He looked to still be tired but that didn''t mean he wasn''t still as perceptive as ever. His eyes visibly twitched once he nced at Yunus almost dropping his coffee mug. "Where might the four of you be off to?" He asked us looking genuinely curious why we were up this early in the morning. Looking at how he ignored Yunus''s odd get up he seemed to havee to the conscience not to open pandora''s box. After all who knows what kind of life-changing information one might receive when asking a seemingly harmless question? Ignorance is bliss for a reason. "We are going to do some Yoga since we are not aszy as the rest of the kids here" I quickly told him holding up a thumbs up to get across my happy mood. Sometimes a bright morning smile is all you need to annoy someone to end the conversation quickly. "Ehm, well ok have fun" Is all he said as walked past us seemingly wanting to get as far away from us as possible. Not paying him any more mind we continued down the stairs and shortly arrived at the gym. We notice that Yunus was seemingly glued to his spot as stared at the massive mirror. His face went through a variety of different expressions from shock to fear and then embarrassment. "Please tell me that I''m still dreaming" We heard him mutter with a hit of fearcing his voice. You could tell by his stunned expression that he was seriously considering if he was actually still asleep. "You are not dreaming, now hurry up and put your joggers on," Giovanni said not even trying to sugar-coat his words in the slightest. He was seemingly taking out his frustration about waking up early on him. Thetter seemed to have been struck by lightning as he immediately stumbled all over the ce putting on his joggers. "So, you are saying that coach James saw me like that?" He asked after finally managing to get dressed. "Yes, now hurry up and grab a mat so we can get started," I told him as I got into the first positioning that would target the legs. I wanted to loosen my lower body more since it looks like we will be focusing on them throughout the camp. Some people might think that body condition at an early age isn''t as important as training skills, but they would be wrong. When you are young and are still growing it''s easier for you to gain control of your body. Thus, allowing you to do more with the skill that you learnter on as your imagination can be fully unleashed. This has been a proven fact as athletes who have greater control of their body and bnce tend to excel above the norm. Messi''s entire style of dribbling hinges on his superb body control that allows him to change directions and pace at a moment''s notice. Let''s not even mention Ranaldo who has taken body coordination and control to a whole new level. For example, if I were to simply focus on working on my ball skill, I would end up hitting a dead end if I hit a sudden growth spurt. This would result in me being out of sync with my body and would run the risk of getting injured easily. You could argue that I could just train my body control then but why should I push off something I can do today and run the risk of an injuryter? Now that I am already working on my flexibility and bnce at an early age my body will not ever feel like I cannot control it. "Why didn''t any of you tell me that I wasn''t wearing my bottoms" He sulkily asked still trying to seek justice for himself. His sentence brought me out of my musing on the benefits of body control training. "Are you still talking about that, it''s basically ancient history now?" I told him as I continued to stretch out my body in what I like to call the lion king stance. You are basically in a lunge position whilst holding your hands up in the sky as if you are presenting Simba to the animal kingdom. "But it was only like five minutes ago" I heard him mutter as he finally started getting into the stance having seemingly given up on seeking justice. Seeing him ept that he wouldn''t get an answer from us I caught Dest and Giovanni chuckling. Just like that, we continued doing different stances that focussed on stretching our legs and improving our bnce. The hour-long session was calming but at the same time, it was quite exhausting. Since we have been doing a lot of leg intensive exercises for the past two days it wasn''t surprising that they felt a little sluggish. However, the Yoga session helped session that feeling and made our legs feel just as energetic as usual. ~~~ "That was torture, how can you go through that every morning," Yunus asked me as he was promptly devouring his breakfast. We finished our session at seven o''clock sharply so that we could go wash up before breakfast. Since we had ended up sweating a lot during the session, I was forced to take another cold shower which I didn''t particrly mind since it was quite calming. "It''s all about dedication I''m going to be the Hokage after all, believe it!" I told him giving the signature Naruto smile with a thumbs up. "Stop quoting Naruto or I will unleash my blue eyes white dragon you" He bellowed at me as he put his hands in his pocket as if he was about to pull out a card. Staring at him in the eyes there was a moment of silence between us where none of us moved. After a long staring contest, we ended it by doing the unison sign as we went back to focusing on eating our food. "You two are just something else" Giovanni mumbled under his breath as he simply went on to eat his breakfast. Judging by the nonchnt look on Dest''s face it seems he just didn''t want to get involved with whatever was happening. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 50 50 Realising Hes A Side Character [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. Please send me your power stones as it will motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Gen Pov] Standing on the gator''s stadium grass a group of children older than ten could be seen gathered around a group of coaches. Most of the children could be seen panting for breath as they struggled to remain standing. The head coach didn''t seem to care though as he continued to give out instructions on their next drill. "Alright now that we are done with your morning warm-up go back to the same groups as yesterday," Coach James instructed the kids as he shooed them away as if they were flies. The expression on his face remained bored throughout his interaction with the kids seemingly wanting to provoke them. Not long after his voice fell the group was spilt up and they went string into their next drills. Rakim could be seen moving a ball around his legs as he listened to the coach exin the next drill. Shortly after the kids could be seen dribbling past poles and gates of cones at a rapid pace. ~~~ [Mc Pov] It feels like such a slow morning, especially with all the fitness drills we had to do. It was fun to do some of the dynamic stretches, I guess. However, being taught about the importance of proper breathing did surprise me. I''ve been doing it subconsciously when trying to create my dribbling style. Apparently, the trivial things that we brush aside are important enough to allow us to seed as athletes. We got told that we are getting a sort of ss tonight analysing a match so I''m looking forward to that. Coach James said something about the mental aspect of the game being just as important as physical talents. Slowly pushing the ball forward, I quickly turned left with my right instep of rounding the pole. Not losing my momentum I pushed the ball forward elerating through the cone gate. After passing the cones I hit a sudden stop before turning a sharp right around the next pole. This went on for the next thirty seconds as I went through the dribble maze elerating and decreasing my pace throughout. Afterpleting the maze, it was right back to the start to redo the maze. It was fun watching some of the boys stumble through the maze though. I watched one of the boys round the pole and he ended up kicking the pole instead of the ball. "Hey, Yunus wants topete with who can bring in the most skill moves without slowing down or messing up," I asked him just as we were about to reach the front of the line again. We had beenpeting with various things all morning as if we had something to prove. Judging by his pumped-up look it seems like he was up for the challenge, as if to prove it he immediately started drilling through the maze. "Hey, why did you only ask Yunus and not us?" I heard Giovannie ask from behind. Giving him a quick nce, I proceed to just focus on Yunus who had just rounded the first pole with a Ronaldo chop. "Oh, it''s because the fire of youth is burning bright within us," Is all I said to him as I continued to focus on Yunus. If I had looked back, I probably would''ve noticed the odd looks I was getting from the rest of the guys. Approaching the second pole he did two rapid steps over''s while dropping his shoulders starting with his right leg. Just as he reached the pole, he quickly swiped the ball around it going past it in one swift motion. After passing the pole the ball created a little separation which he used to speed up his run. Watching him run through the drill reminded me of a cheetah as he lunged past the obstacles whilst increasing his pace. It was an amazing thing to watch he looked like he was in his element. He performed a couple of other skill moves like the roulette and the croqueta. Honestly, he did better than I expected him to do, I''ve never seen him properly dribble so it was quite impressive to witness. ~~~ [Ding Mission triggered] ~Dribble Menace~ #Task 1) Perform six skill moves whilst navigating the maze. (0/6) ~~~ ~~~ [Ding: Posible Rewards] 1) 100 SP ~~~ ''Oh, I wasn''t expecting a quest for this Eva'' I told her as I watched the pop-up screen appear in front of me. [Yes, sometimes certain actions will trigger the systems quests,] she replied sounding rather bored at the whole situation. ''I better startpleting these missions, they are starting to pile up at this point,'' I told her as I refocused on my surroundings. Looking up I watched the boy in front of me finish his turn as I got set to start mine. Pushing the ball, I took arge stride forward quickly reaching the first pole. Performing a Ronaldo chop with my left foot I instantly changed direction. Not slowing down I dashed through the gate. Next, I performed a slowed-down version of the stico to snake past two more poles. Heading straight for another obstacle I stopped the ball with my right foot transitioning into the roulette. Now that my pace slowed a little, I used some stepovers to rapidly change directions through a set of cones. At the finishing line was a stic mannequin and in order to get by it I mped the ball between my legs as I threw it over my back. Getting past the mannequin the ball arrives over my head in a rainbow arc, stretching out my leg I deftly bring the ball back under my control. Running to the side of the course I face the guys in line and take a bow in their direction. ~~~ "I think I''m the clear winner bro," I told Yunus as I joined him at the end of the line. I was smiling brightly wanting to see his reaction to my masterful performance and as if not to disappoint he looked shocked and impressed. "Yo I didn''t know that you were like that fr," He spoke up as he put his arm over my shoulder. It was like a switch had flipped in him and he started rambling off about the skills he and I performed. It was like he had forgotten the wholepetition and was simply happy to talk about something he was passionate about. "That stico was crazy you went like shoo and you were past two poles, oh and then the transition int toe the roulette looked so natural, don''t even get me started on that Rainbow it was something else," He went on to ramble on for the next five minutes asking me questions about how I approached every skill move. It was weird at first but after a while, it feels like I gained a disciple. "You''re not so bad yourself, you looked like a cheetah when you went through the maze" I couldn''t help butpliment him back. All the praise he was giving me got too much at some point. I''m usually too bad at epting praise but he looked genuinely mesmerised as if he had seen a picture by Picasso or something. Not wanting to ruin the moment I didn''t try and crack a joke or trigger him. This was new for me and I think I like the feeling it felt good to just be in the moment. "I''m surprised you two got along after yourpetition, anyways what do you think about my dribble?" Giovanni asked as he somehow appeared behind us. He must have mastered instant transmission or something as none of us even noticed himing up. Processing his words, it took a while for both of us toe up with an answer. Judging by the confused look on Yunus''s face it seems like he was on the same track as me. "You already went?" We both simultaneously asked him, genuinely curious about this. Once we started our conversation, we forgot the world around us. Our response must have caught him off-guard as his foot tripped over the ball almost causing him to fall. "So, you didn''t even watch me dribble through the maze," he asked us again sounding a little hurt. Yunus had seemingly not noticed his friend''s mood as he ruthlessly answered him being brutally honest. "Naw bro we were too busy talking about moves from our turn," he answered him with a straight face without a hint of guilt. The look of betrayal on Giovanni''s face was something to behold. He looked like a puppy whose owner had abandon side of the store so he could get his shopping done. "I''m sorry to tell you this but we skipped watching the fillers," I told him with a pity-filled face as he had just realised, he wasn''t the main character at this moment. My words seemed to confuse him since he wasn''t a fellow weeb, however judging by the look on Yunus''s face he seemed to have realised the meaning of my words. He too ended up showing his friend a pity-filled look which only served to arrive him further. "I''m done with the two of you" We heard him say as he turned around to go and find anyone else to talk to. Yunus ended up following him in an attempt to appease him or something like that. I on the other hand didn''t bother with the two anymore as I decided to check out the system mission that had popped up after my dribble performance from earlier. ~~~ [Ding: Mission Complete] ~Dribble Menace~ #Task 1) Perform six skill moves whilst navigating the maze. (6/6) ~~~ [Host Has gained the following rewards] 1)100 SP (Note: Keep Working hard) ~~~ ''Finally, one of my missions isplete, feels like I just broke a bad habit there'' I mused in my head as I epted the rewards. The Singrity points are pretty much useless to me since the shop is locked, I didn''t bother with the system afterwards anymore. [Yeah, it was starting to be a bad habit there, you''re lucky the systems haven''t given you a strict time limit yet] Eva spoke up to me throwing in her two cents. I know she was right though I need to hurry up andplete the other two missions. ''I''ll work hard plus I''ve got two more days to impress my teammates and a few more scouts so I''ll be fine'' I told her feeling confident about my odds of seeding in both tests. [Are you sure about that, how''d you know that the scouts will stay here for the whole camp, you know they are busy people even though they might not look it.] Shemented in a teasing voice at myck of urgency. Listening to her words I subconical looked towards the stands and just like she said there were fewer scouts here than the previous two days. [Some of the scouts are only here to watch certain yers that would fit their future team''s ns, so once they confirm the talents, they want they have on reason to stick around to watch the pack. There are some who don''t mind looking for other outstanding talents but just like any other job some employees just do the bare minimum to get by.] Eva went on to exin why the scouts seemed so busy or uninterested in everybody here. Her words did make sense though as there would be no point for an attacking-oriented team to spare the time to scout a defensive-minded midfielder like Ben. Although he might be an outstanding talent to them it might not be worth the effort topete with teams that specialise in defensive-minded training. In a sense, it makes sense to prioritise the club''s assignment over anything else as they pay their bills. This doesn''t mean that they don''t note down outstanding tes, but they wouldn''t focus too much on them unless they could be a fit for their respective teams. Another factor that I failed to factor in is the fact that I''m not eligible to be scouted yet so they might just gloss over me no matter how talented I am. ''Your right I need to step up my game, show me my progress for thest two missions please,'' I asked her as the urgency of the matter started to sell in. If I had known that scouts are such fickle creatures, I would have tried even harder to impress them. This whole time I''ve just been trying to enjoy my time here not really letting the pressure sink in. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 51 51 Who Takes Breaks? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Ding Singrity Mission] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Grand Stage! #Task 1 Chosen one: Impress three scouts from one of the major five leagues. (7/3) - All eyes on me #Task 2 Killer instinct: Score more than ten goals (4/10) #Task 3 Not on my level: Score 3 goals after passing past five defenders (2/3) (Note: The Singrity cannot be ignored) ~~~ Rewards: > Unlock shop function > 10x energy-boosting drink > 1000 SP ~~~ ''Wait I''ve alreadypleted the scout mission, why did u let me panic about it, Eva?'' I asked her in my head wanting to find out why she didn''t just tell me I hadpleted the task. After all, she made me think I was running out of time. [You never asked and it''s not like it hurts getting the attention of more scouts. In fact, it would benefit you more as it gives you more freedom of choice in your career,] She said in an uninterested manner. (Sigh) she might really have bipr, one moment she is enthusiastically exining something and the next moment she seems so uninterested. ''I guess I need to start checking in with the system more,'' Is all I could say to her, she is right though I need to start paying more attention to my quests. ''While I''m at it let''s see my second quest as well'' I said as Eva pulled up the second system mission. [Ding] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Don''t Forget About Me! #Task 1 I''m here: Impress 6 of your teammates (4/6) (Note: Your teammates see you as a burden prove them wrong) ~~~ Rewards: ? > 600 SP ~~~ ''Oh, looks like I''ve made an improvement in this quest too" I said to her as I checked out the system quest. [Yes, you are doing ok in this one too, keep up the work] she answered sounding surprisingly encouraging for once. This is weird for me it''s like having someone who always argues with you be nice to you for once. ~~~ [Mc Pov] After a while of doing different agility drills, we finally moved on to something else. Well, If I was being honest, I wish we could have continued with the ball-handling drills. All the kids in the camp got made to line up in rows for fitness drills. First, we started off with a bunch of suicide runs from the end zone to the halfway line. After that, we didn''t get a big break we immediately went on to do burpees. It went on like that for like a full thirty minutes. Wepleted different full-body exercises that honestly took a lot out of me. At some point, it felt like we were at some army camp getting ready for a war. I wouldn''t be that far off by how strict some of the coaches were when we did the exercises wrong. They would guilt trip you whenever they thought you were going to quit halfway beforepleting the task. One of the kids even burst out crying but still didn''t stop the exercises until hepleted it to the satisfaction of the instructor. When we were finally done with having our bodies tortured, we could barely walk. The coaches had prepared tubs filled with ice and water that we all ended up taking a dip in once wepleted the final exercise. The water was freezing but with how warm our bodies felt from all the training I honestly didn''t mind it. once I was underwater, I felt so calm all the fatigue in my body felt non-existent. Not long after our cold dip, we all made our way into the showers. I could still hardly walk so it was a wonder that I made it to my bed. The four of us remained silent for a while not even bothering to get up for some dinner. This just makes me realise that we haven''t had proper lunch in the past three days we have been here. It''s mostly just been energy bars with shakes and small snacks. We spend most of the day training so it''s not like we could really keep down lunch. We do have early dinners though so it''s not like we ever starve whilst training. ~~~ "We need to go and eat something before the lecture," Dest spoke up getting everyone in the room''s attention. Turning my head to the side I watched him slowly roll out of bed, he looked like me whenever I have to wake up early whilst still feeling tired from thest day''s training. "Yeah, let''s go I''m starving, I think they got chicken today," Yunus said jumping off his bed almost as if he had forgotten the fatigue, he was feeling a second ago. Then again he''s like that every morning,ining about getting up but once he''s up he''s ready for anything. Not dying any longer we followed his example and dragged our bodies to the canteens. "Looks like we are not the only ones hungry," Imented as we got in line for our food. Promptly filling my tray up with some chicken, mashed potatoes, and some gravy sauce. It didn''t take us long to find a free table as most of the people choose to sit in the same seats all week. "The chicken looks nice might go for seconds," Yunus said as started digging into his food, the look of relish on his face was enviable. He didn''t lie though the chicken tastes amazing, it''s roasted exactly right but there is hardly any seasoning. Apparently, it''s healthier for athletes that way, it was a tough transition personally for me but food is still food, right? Even though this stuff tastes ndpared to the seasoned chicken I managed to eat in my past life. This must be what they mean when they say we all have to make sacrifices if we want to seed. "That fitness session was tough, I''ve never done something so intense," Giovanni said between bites, looking like he was loving every moment of his food. "Yeah, that was torture, but it also felt great," Yunus said as he stood up to get seconds. He wasn''t wrong I feel great after all those exercises, sure I''m sore but I know it was worth the trouble. "Yeah, even at home I''ve never had this much fun doing exercises with all that intensity," I told them as I finished my second drumstick. "Yeah, it was fun, it felt like we werepeting to see how long we couldst," Dest chipped into the conversation as he also just finished his food. "Yeah, at some point I felt like I couldn''t go anymore, but I just didn''t want to lose," Giovanni said sounding tired. "It was hard but at the same time, it was funpeting to see who wouldst till the end," I told them as I got up to clear my tray that was now almost squeaky clean. "Anyways, let''s go to the lounge for that ss," Giovanni said ignoring Yunus who was getting up for his third helping. It''s probably for the better as he might not be able to walk if he eats anymore. "Yep, let''s go, save some room for breakfast in the morning," I told him as I followed the rest of the boys out. ~~~ "What do you think this lesson is going to be like?" Yunus said as he slumped on the couch next to me. We were currently sitting on a massive sofa in front of a white screen that a projector is pointing at. The room has a lot of different chairs and couches for people to rx at. Looking around it was probably made for that purpose so that the students can unwind between lectures. "Honestly not sure I think we will be analysing a game or something like that" Dest answered his question absentmindedly seemingly busy on his phone. "Yo, what are you looking at?" I asked him as I leaned over his shoulder to get a peek at his phone. "Oh, I was just reading some transfer news, isn''t it crazy that they spent eighty million on Ranaldo," He answered me as he tilted his phone for me to see. On it was the news report from the guardian of Ronaldo''s signing to Real Madrid. I just remembered that at this time that kind of price tag for a yer is considered outrageous. Well, when you think about how much more valuable money is now it does seem kind of a waste to spend so much on a football yer. Anyways a lot more crazy price tags will be the norm once Neymar leaves Barcelona in the future. "Yeah, it''s crazy how they just sold their chances at a future title for just eighty million," I told him as I whipped out my own phone to text Emma whom I hadn''t talked to in the past few days. Looking at all the notifications that had piled up over the past few days It looks like I''m in trouble. There is one rule that every man should follow don''t let her go through your phone and don''t ignore a girl. I made thetter mistake and what a humongous mistake it was. After all, I promised to text her every day and you are supposed to keep promises right? Checking my messages I had a few texts from Lisa and Ben and about a dozen from Emma. Opening Ben''s first as that seems like the least dangerous one. He had sent me a short paragraph and luckily for me, it wasn''t angry. --- Ben: Hi kiddo I hope you''re having fun at the camp, make sure you stay healthy and try not to get hurt, Ben: Oh, and please text your mom she''s freaking out. Rakim: Will do, and I''m having loads of fun here. Rakim: I think I''ve made some of the Nike staff unhappy with my Adidas boots, but I did get a free new pair of boots so it''s all good. Rakim: See youter we have a lecture soon. --- After sending that row of text I moved on to Lisa, wanting to rip off the band-aid before I face Emma. Her texts seemed more dramatic, so it was probably a good thing I started with Ben. --- Lisa: Hope you''re having fun at the camp Lisa: How was your first night? Lisa: Hope you''ve had enough breakfast in the morning if you didn''t text me and I''ll cause trouble for them. Lisa: Ok, now I''m getting worried you''re ignoring me, Lisa: hurry up and answer me before Ie down there! ''Oh boy, I''m in trouble,'' Is all I could think after seeing the rows of messages. [yeah, you are, you better hurry up and text her back quickly] Eva chided me trying to get a rise out of me. ''I will, stop distracting me'' I answered her back. Rakim: I''m sorry I''ve been swamped with all the activities. Rakim: I promise I wasn''t ignoring you, Mom. Lisa: Took you long enough to answer, I''m already in the car too. ''Oh boy she answered back way too quickly, does that mean she was waiting for my text?'' I asked Eva wanting to get a second opinion but to my dismay she simply ignored me. Rakim: You don''t have toe over I promise I''m okay, how about you? Lisa: I''m fine too just finished some grocery shopping, how are you getting on anyway, Have you made any new friends? Rakim: Oh ok, I''ve made a few friends, and I think I''m doing better than the other ckers here. Lisa: Oh that''s good to hear and watch out for that I''ve heard it''s infectious, don''te back and start beingzy. Rakim: I won''t promise, I''lle back stronger than ever, I need to go we have a ssing up soon. --- ''That wasn''t as bad as I expected'' I told Eva in my head trying to get an outside opinion hoping she would respond this time. [Yeah, I was honestly waiting for her to berate you,] She answered me sounding suspiciously sad about that fact. ''Yeah, I was expecting a lecture as well'' I answered her back as I tapped on thest name that messaged me. [Maybe she is just saving it for when you get back] she said in a contemtive tone. She was seemingly debating the probability of getting to watch a drama when I get home. It isments like this, that make me wonder whose side she is actually on. ''(Sigh) let''s hope I survive this'' I absentmindedly mused to myself as I tapped on Emma''s name on my phone. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 52 52 Learn Something New [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ ''(Sigh) let''s hope I survive this'' I absentmindedly mused to myself as I tapped on Emma''s name on my phone. --- Emma: Hi how''s the cam going, mum said there are a lot of talented kids there. Emma: How was your first night there, just had another dance training session for thepetition next week, are you stilling? Emma: Why aren''t you answering me, I''m not talking to you anymore. Emma: So are you really not texting me back, fine don''t even bother any more. Emma: Please text me back mom is driving me crazy. Emma: Don''t even bother texting me back at this point, I won''t talk to you for at least a week or maybe just two days Emma: JUST TEXT ME BACK! ''Oh boy she defiantly mad'' [yeah, she''s angry at you for sure, you should hurry up and apologise] ''Yeah, I''ll go ahead and start off with an apology,'' Rakim: I''m sorry Ems I''ve been busy for most of the day. Emma: ... Rakim: I am really sorry I''ll make it up to you. Rakim: Talk to me or I''ll find a new sister. Emma: Wait don''t get a new sister or ill really not talk to you. Emma: I''m still angry at you though. Rakim: I''m really sorry I''ll make it up to you. Emma: You better make it up to me. Rakim: I promise I will, anyways how''s your training going? Emma: Training was fine I am totally going to win it all this year. Rakim: you know it''s a team sport right, but I''m sure you will outshine them all. Emma: Yeah, I''ve been training really hard, so I''ll defiantly outshine everyone. Rakim: Of course, you will you are my sister after all. Emma: yeah, I''m the best in the world, I''ll talk to youter I''m going to the movies with my friends. Rakim: Ok I''ll see youter have fun at the movies. --- ''That went better than I thought it would go'' I muttered to myself as I tucked my phone away. [yeah, I was expecting her to be a lot angrier at you, too bad I was expecting to watch a drama] Evamented sounding slightly sad that she wasn''t as entertained as she hoped it would be. ''Well, I''m not going toin about that, what do you think I should get her as a present?'' I asked her to change the conversation. [I don''t know get her a bracelet or something] She said seemingly uninterested in the conversation. "Be quiet brats we''ll be starting the lesson now." I heard coach James''s shout from the front garnering all our attention. Turning my attention towards the front I watched the projector spring to life as the lights in the room turned off. "We will first analyse the game you had on the first day here," He continued his words as the game from Monday started to y on the screen. I watched how in the first moments of the game I won the ball from Weah before the screen paused. "Who can tell me what number thirty-six did wrong" coach James asked the ss as the lights in the room turned back on. There was a moment of silence in the room where no one spoke and just contemted the right answer to the question. A secondter various hands went up in the air wanting to answer the man''s questions. Coach James scanned the room before pointing to anky kid sitting in the front row. "He had not lost his cool and rushed his next pass unnecessarily," The kid said in a matter-of-fact tone as if he was solving some hard math equation or something. You could tell he was one of those kids in ss that would probably annoy you because they would rub in every little question they got right. "I can see that but why did he have to rush his pass," Coach James asked again seemingly not impressed by the boy''s answer. All the hands that were up in the air instantly dropped after his words fell. Looking at everyone in the room I saw quite a few of the guys trying to avoid eye contact with the coach. "He didn''t have a n in mind when he received the ball," I heard Giovannie next to me speak up. He seemed so sure of himself almost as if he was expecting this question and was just waiting to read out the answer. "Correct he made a fatal mistake as a midfielder, he had no n for how he wanted to control the game and he made a rookie mistake by panicking," he said as he started exining all the mistakes that number thirty-six did. He went on to list all the ins and outs of what the yer and his teammates around him did wrong. "The reason why the ck team lost the ball in the next second is due to no one being in a position to ask for the ball from number thirty-six," He stated as he started drawing lines on the board exining where his teammates should have moved too. Just from the first pass of the game he already had eight different passingnes that could have been exploited by the ck team if they had reacted fast enough. ~~~ The lesson went on like that as coach James slowly helped us dissect the game. He went over every possible y teaching us what we could have done differently. It was honestly insightful to learn all the things I could have done better. What wasn''t fun though was when he called me out a few times for being out of position. It didn''t help when Yunus started chuckling every time, I got berated by coach James. What was fun though was watching him get into trouble for his mistakes, and for bursting outughing in the middle of an exnation. I felt like I was learning a lot from this and that my ystyle could evolve due to this. we spent about an hour going through the ins and outs of the game. "Alright, now that we are done, I''ll be exining the itinerary for thest two days," coach James said as a timetable for the next two days appeared on the screen. There were loads of different activities on the n with time stamps on them that structured the entire day. "Tomorrow morning you will be having a cooldown drill from today''s intensive exercises and work with the ball a little bit. In the afternoon you will be taking part in a photoshoot for the Nike event where you will get some free stuff I think," he said as he started exining all the ins and outs of the photoshoot. Apparently, Nike wants to use us to market some of their products to kids. He seemed quite disgruntled by the fact he has to babysit us through it though. "On thest day, you will have another game in the morning to finish off the camp where your parents will be in attendance, and after that, you will promptly get out of my hair but there might be a few scouts wanting to talk to Yous but that''s your problem then." He continued to exin thest day''s n whilst still sounding bored about the whole situation. I find this man''s attitude weird; he obviously cares whether we seed or not but just doesn''t want to be too emotionally invested with us. "The camps went by quite fast, feels like we just got here," I told the rest of the guys as we exited the hall. The lecture had just finished, and everyone was getting ready to go to bed in order to be well-rested for tomorrow''s game. After tonight''s lecture, no one wants to do any more mistakes in the game. "Yeah, times went by quite fast, but I''ve learned a lot from this camp so I''m d I came," Dest answered sounding a little down trout that it was ending so quickly. "Yeah, I''m going to miss you guys but defiantly won''t mind sleeping in, in the mornings," Giovanni said as he lightly jabbed my shoulder. Looking at his relieved face he actually seemed happy about the fact he gets to bezy again. "(sigh) It''s sad to see a student go down the wrong path, (sigh) I''ll just have to run rings around you if we ever meet in a game," I told him trying to sound as heartbroken as possible making sure to wipe my imaginary tears. "Your right our friend''s fire of youth is quite weak, don''t worry I''ll work hard enough for the two of us," he said to me in a serious voice as if he was a doctor diagnosing a patient''s disease. If I didn''t know he was joking I would have totally believed what he was saying to be the truth. "My friend your will of fire is quite strong I''m proud to call you arade," I told him as I patted his shoulder in to show him how proud I was. "I''m starting to like the two of you less and less ever since you started being nice to one another." Is all Giovanni said as he walked into our room seemingly in an attempt to get away from the two of us. We on the other hand burst outughing as soon as he mmed the door in our faces. "You two might want to see a doctor, maybe you can get a refund on your brains or something," Dest said as he followed him into the room. "You two are just jealous that we have the will of fire," I said as I made my way to my bed to start getting ready for bed. "Yeah, plus you miss us nagging you when you go back home" Yunus also said throwing his two cents in. "Whatever just go to bed we have a big day tomorrow," Giovanni said as he also started getting ready for bed. It didn''t take long till we all followed suit and finished in record time, in order to get as much sleep as possible. "Good night," I said to them as I tucked myself in bed wanting to get into dreand as fast as possible. [You know I could scan your brain for any abnormalities just in case you wanted to check if something is really wrong with you] I heard Eva say sounding quite amused over the prospect of proving my insanity. ''Just shut up and let me sleep, you can annoy me in the morning,'' I said as I proceed to count footballs in my head in an attempt to fall asleep faster. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 53 53 Camera Action Pose [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] Opening my eyes, I could feel the bright morning sun rays on my body. Pulling out my phone I checked the time to see its five-thirty in the morning. Quickly texting my family good morning, I rolled out of my bed. Grabbing a new set of training gear and a towel I made my way to ward Yunus''s bed. "Y¨­ dude wake up if you want to get a shower before morning yoga" I whispered to him as I nudged him awake. That didn''t seem to help much as he just simply turned to the other side ignoring me. (Sigh) Deciding he might need some drastic actions I yanked his nket off him which caused him to roll off the bed crashing to the floor. (thud) "Ouch, what was that for?" Yunus called out as he groggily sent me a re for interrupting his peaceful dreams. Ignoring his discontent stare, I started making my way out of the room. "Come if you want to shower, let the otherzy brats rest for a while," I told him as he got up from the floor. It didn''t take him long to get his stuff before we made it out of the room heading towards the showers. "Why do you always get up so early in the morning," Yunus said still sounding tired, stretching his arms trying to wake up. We quickly reached the bathroom entering one of the many stalls. As soon as the cold water hit my skin, I felt so refreshed, all the tiredness and fatigue in my body left me. "It''s something about the cold water that just refreshes me in the morning," I told him from across the stall. Looking at him he didn''t seem to agree as he was still squirming around the stall trying to doge the cold water. He did end up getting ustomed to it after a while when his water started heating up. "Let''s go wake the other two up, want to ssh them with cold water," Yunus said as he grabbed a small bucket and filled it up with cold water. Looking at his devious face it seems like he just wanted someone else to experience what he felt. Not arguing with him I also picked up a bucket and filled it up as well. After we were done with that, we promptly made it back to our room. Both of them were still fast asleep off in dreand and judging by how they were hugging their nkets they seemed to be enjoying it. Quickly making eye contact with Yunus we both got ready, and we dumped both our buckets on top of them. "Argh HEELP" both shouted simultaneously as they jumped up from their bed. Giovanni even ended up falling out of bed due to the shock of it all. It was quite funny to see both of them ring around their bed and looking around for an exnation. "What was that for?" I heard Giovanni shout as he sent me a quizzical but angry re. Ignoring him I simply went to my bag to get my workout bag wanting to do some Yoga as soon as possible. "It''s time to wake up, hurry up before we leave you," Yunus hollered at the two who now looked like drenched cats. It took them a moment to get over their discontent before they finallyplied with us and got changed into workout gear. ~~~ The morning went by quite fast after the two of them got over their anger over the rude awakening. The Yoga session was refreshing though, it helped clear our minds and let us focus on the day. By the end of the session, the two of them had more or less forgiven us for what we did to them. We had a short breakfast with all the guys before we headed to the stadium for our morning training. The coaching staff had us gathered around them as coach James exined what we will be doing. What he was basically saying is that coach Chris is a specialist in physical conditioning, and he will be working with us. "Hi kids we will be starting with some dynamic stretches that should help loosen you up," he told us as he started demonstrating the exercises for us to follow. Most of them were simple leg raises on the moves that were easy to follow. It did start to get progressively harder as the intensity of the exercises increased. It felt like we went from doing yoga on the move to a full-blown pre-match warm-up. What I thought was a recovery drill ended with most of us drenched in sweat and breathing raggedly. Heck even though I have pretty decent endurance I was also out of breath following his lesson. After the long warm-up, we finally moved on to something different. There is something calming about having a ball at my feet. These days I feel weird whenever I don''t have a ball at my feet. It makes me feel like something is missing from my body as if I was iplete without it. They had us do running drills with the ball going past cones and pinging passes to one another. It felt like a continuation of all the drills we have been doing this entire week as it brought a lot of variation with it. The fun thing was that we finally got to do some shooting drills outside and inside the box. I realised that my effective shooting range is just within the box as all shots outside of it were quite haywire. The most embarrassing one was when Ipletely missed the goal by almost hitting the corner g. I tried ying it off as a fluke ident, but it didn''t help that my next two shots outside the box also missed the target. My only redeeming quality was that ny percent of my shots in the box went in. My favourite one was when I scored a side volley sending the keeper in the wrong direction. p¨¤§ád¨¢-¨¾?¦Í¨º¦É.§ã¨®§® "That''s enough for today go get cleaned up for the event," coach James called out to us ending our training session. Complying with his order we all quickly made it back to the dorms to get ready for the shoot. Actually, I am very excited about this since it feels like we are some type of movie star. ~~~ "Kids go get changed into the outfits we prepared for you, we have also prepared our new line of boots for you," a guy that looked like he was going through a midlife crisis instructed us. He looked more like a hippy than anything, but his massive Nokia camera was a dead giveaway as to what his upation is. We were currently at a Nike facility that seemed to be close by. It seems to be a sort of fitness centre that they owned. When we were looking around, we were told that the state swim team are currently training here for a meet. ording to coach James, the reason they get to use the good equipment is due to them being a more valuable asset to thepany. In a sense, he''s right as they probably are more popr to the outside worldpared to us. Entering the changing rooms, we found USA kits with our numbers on them with various kinds of Nike boots under each kit. Looking around the kits set up throughout the area it looked like they wanted to show a variety of them in the shoot. Most of them were the Mercurials they released this year. "Yunus want to swap me for those matt ck ones for the red and white," I asked him since we got the same shoe size. "Yeah, why not I don''t mind what colour I get anyways," He answered me as we swapped them over. Dawning our kits, we lined up outside of the room where the hippy guy had set up a stage e for the photo shoot. "Let''s get this party on the road" he hollered out loud as he instructed the first of us to get in front of the camera. It was fun watching some of the kids tripping over themselves trying to pose like some superhero or something. It didn''t help when the hippy guy started telling them to just be free and let their spirits run wild. The highlight of it all was when the guy in front of me tried to do an around the world and ended up sting the ball towards the camera guy. Lucky for him the boy''s aim was still as bad as it was in the morning. "That''s enough kid maybe your spirit is a little too wild," he said as he sent the kid off the stage as regained hisposure from the shock. "Hey, let''s see whose spirit can impress him the most," I said to my friends as I stepped up on stage. picking up one of the footballs I immediately started juggling it with my feet. "That''s good just don''t hit me with the ball and will be best friends," he told me as he started shaping pictures of me. He was giving me instructions about just vibing or something like that, but I just drowned him out as tried to do some tricks I knew with the ball. I did hear him gasp when he saw the ball go up to chest height. I think he may have experienced his recent trauma again because I could have sworn, he almost ducked for safety again. When he watched the ball safely bounce on my right knee, he was visibly relieved as he went back to snapping pictures. "Alright, that''s not bad now show me something that will blow my mind, keep in mind figuratively don''t st that ball at me," I heard him instruct as he took a closer step towards me ready to capture every little detail. Not wanting to let him down I lifted the ball above my head before deftly trapping it on my left leg. I held itpletely still for like five seconds before flicking it in the air. Taking a step forward I managed to bnce it on my forehead before abruptly looking straight at the guy. The guy visibly flinched back as if he was experiencing a jump scare but his shocked look was reced by amazement soon after. The ball was perfectly still on top of my head as I spread my hands to my side to pose better. "Now that people is what I''m talking about, I asked for mind-blowing and that is exactly what was delivered to me on a silver tter," He started ranting again but he never stopped taking pictures. At some point, it was so bad that he was naming different dishes of food that he thought tasted better. "This is getting weird now, I''m out," Is all I said as I let the ballnd on my foot before running off the stage to get away from him. Heined something about losing his muse and how he wanted to take more pictures but that only made me run faster. At this point I didn''t even want to win that impromptu bet as my first experience of a photo shoot was now tainted. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 54 54 Interview [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Quickly making my way to the back of the crowd of boys where Ben stood, I was happy to get away from the hippy. The manic look in his eyes still gives me chills; do not even get me started about the weird stench thates off him. I could legit smell the entire forest from his long, Rasta-like hair, which was not just from the bits of suspicious green bits poking out from it. I don''t mind the forest; it''s rather rxing, but like Mr Miyagi said too much of something is bad and, in this case, it''s awfully bad. He is either a genius or Nike is going broke and had to hire this dude. I almost thought he got in through connections, but I realized that was my trick. Looking at Yunus, who was now making his way up the stairs, he seemed to be weirded out as well. Judging by the frown on his face, it appears that he was contemting whether to call child-protective services or simply take the risk of being traumatized. He shot me a nce begging for help, but all I could do for him was send a prayer his way, so I did. "Hey, loosen up kid, show me your spirit" I heard the hippy call out to Yunus. Thetter looks petrified, as he just stood there with the ball at his feet. I think he was scared that if he started doing some freestyle skills, he would end up exciting the guy. It was honestly fun to watch Yunus just stood there like a statue while the man kept trying to get him to do something. This scene reminded me of the guards at castles who would not flinch, no matter what you do. This continued for about five minutes until the guy finally gave up on Yunus. He looked rather happy to finally be free, as he dashed away as fast as possible. He had a relieved look on his face and his breathing was visibly more rxed. "You good bro," I asked him worriedly as I patted his shoulder. "Yeah, I just hope I never have to work with that guy again, he gives me Orochimaru vibes," He answered me as he visibly shivered. He hit the nail in the coffin with thatparison; no grown man should smile like that at kids no matter what his job is. "Me too I''ll think twice beforeing to another Nike camp," I told him as we watched Giovanni stumble onto the stage. Looks like everyone was creeped out by the dude, to the point of making silly mistakes. This scene continued for a while as all the boys that went on stage were too wary of the guy to focus on showing off their skills. ~~~ "Excuse me are you Rakim?" I heard a female voice speak up from behind me causing me to turn around to face it. In front of me stood a good-looking brte dressed in a ck suit Jacket and skirt that entuated her curves. Her shoulder-length bob-cut hairstyle and sses enhanced her looks even more making her look like a hot librarian. Well, if your librarian looked like she could easily be a model, now I wished I had gone to school in my past life, I can''t believe I missed this view. "Emm, yeah that''s me," I answered flustered a little at the sudden approach from her. I don''t have trouble talking to beautiful women after all my new mom and sisters are both beauties. I''m just not a fan of surprises and don''t have a game n yet. I may only be six doesn''t mean that I can''t shoot my shot anyways, I''m probably going to miss but it''s good practice. "Alrighte with me You''ve been picked for an interview," she told me with a smile as she led the way out of the room. Not wanting to embrace myself anymore I quickly followed the woman out of the room. After a five-minute walk, we got to a room with a bunch of Nike boots and gear set up behind a table and two chairs. Looking around the room I saw a camera operator on standby ready to start shooting. On the table, there were two bottles of water and some snacks probably meant for me. "Take a seat and we can get started," she told me with a smile on her face as she took one of the seats. Quickly sitting down, I scanned the women a little more intently not saying anything. She had auburn eyes that seemed to match her perfectly. ncing at the camera operator I sighed in relief noticing that he looked professional with none of the entricities of the other guys. "Since you know my name what might yours be?" I asked her trying to sound like one of those guys from Lisa''s romance shows from Ennd. She looked surprised by my sudden question, taking a second toe up with her answer. "My name is Jane" She managed to answer before the atmosphere could get more awkward. Hearing her name, I beamed her a smile trying to use my cuteness to send an attack. I felt like a Pok¨¦mon who was using his special move to strike at my enemy. "Now that we both know each other is this considered a date?" I asked her in a curious tone as I slightly tilted my head. I could tell she had a slight blush on her face, but it seemed to quickly disappear as she came back to reality. "No, it''s not a date after all you didn''t ask me out," She answered me in an attempt topose herself again. "But didn''t you ask me out though?" I asked her again causing a confused look to appear on her face. Seeing how her facial expressions kept changing made the whole situation more fun. "When did I ask you out? I just asked you for an interview?" She quickly answered me wanting to rify the situation as soon as possible. Her flustered look finally caused me to burst outughing, she is way too easy to tease. "Haha I''m sorry but your expressions are just too cute," I told her as I noticed her slightly ring at me. Myment caused her eyes to twitch slightly as she started pouting a little. "Hmph I''m sorry to tell you this but your too young for me," she told me with a smug smile on her face causing my heart to hurt slightly. It felt as if a cold bucket of water was poured on me bringing me back to reality, being young again has its disadvantages. "Don''t be like that I''ll be a catch in a few years," I told her not wanting to take the loss so easily. She didn''t seem to care about my hurt ego as she just shot me a deadpan stare. "Let''s just start the Interview, we''ve wasted enough time," she said to me ending the awkward silence that had set in. "We might as well," I answered her with a smile on my face. I was quite curious as to what type of questions she would ask me. Hearing my answer, she straightened up a little looking a lot more serious and professional. It felt a little weird for an adult to be this serious when talking to a six-year-old kid. I guess Nike must have too much money and just decided to throw some our way. "let''s start with an easy question, who''s your favourite yer?" She asked me as she got her notepad out which I''m guessing has her questions on them. "Hmm, good question other than myself I would say my favourite yer is Christiano Ronaldo," I told her honestly as the king from Portugal is probably my favourite yer of all time. His story is just so inspirational froming from poverty to sending goat status in the world of football. "Oh, that was unexpected, what exactly do you like about him?" She asked me ignoring the fact that I named myself my favourite yer. "I guess it would have to be his confidence on the field" I answer her honestly, seeing no reason to make something up. "Hmm, ok so what made you start ying football?" She asked again continuing her questioning. "I guess you could say I was chosen to y the game of football," I told her ending a bright smile her way. My words only served to confuse her as she sent me a quizzical look probably wanting me to borate on my answer. "What do you mean you were chosen to y the game?" She quickly asked me confirming my guess. "Oh, it''s true believe it," I told her holding up a peace sign. This seemed to only confuse her further judging by the look in her eyes. "Anyways let''s just move on to the next question," she said as she looked at me as if I had a screw loose or something. "How would you describe the camp; do you personally feel you have improved as a yer?" She asked in a professional tone in an attempt to get rid of this awkward situation. "Emm, the camp was fun I guess all the coaches defiantly helped, but there are a lot ofzy yers here what idiot picked the candidates," I answered her a little less excited for the conversation. "Howe the other participants arezy?" she asked me sounding more confused than she had been throughout this entire interview. This seems to be the theme of the entire thing. She gets too easily confused for someone who is supposed to be a reporter, maybe she should consider a career change. "Well, I guess they justck the same will of fire I have" I answered her only to receive another weird look from her. I honestly believe this isn''t the right job for this woman, she looks the part for sure butcksposure. By the look on her face, I could tell she was not a woman of culture. She got confused by one of the most iconic Naruto phrases, it''s a heart-breaking sight. It took a while for the interview to finally be over. She mostly asked me generic questions which were pretty boring to answer. I did get to pick two pairs of sneakers that were on the wall behind me, so it wasn''t aplete waste of time. The highlight of the whole thing was when she tried topare anime with cartoons. Let''s just say that wasn''t a fun conversation for her, we almost had to fight right there and then. Well, I did end up getting that second pair of shoes, so it was worth it. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 55 55 The Game (1) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "The photoshoot sure was unexpected, and something is seriously wrong with that dude" Yunus eximed as he slumped on his bed. We had returned from the photo shoot an hour ago but were all gassed out from the day''s happenings. So, we literally had a small snack and got ready for bed. "Yeah, the guy gave me chills I don''t think I''lle to another Nike event anytime soon," I told him as I tucked myself into the bed. My body instantly melted into the bed as all the fatigue from the day finally hit me. "He wasn''t as bad when it was our turn to take pictures," Dest said gathering our attention. when it was his turn to take pictures, I was already gone so I wouldn''t know what happened. "That''s because both of your spiritsck fire ording to his words," Yunusmented snickering at the res he received from the two. "Anyways how do you think you will do in tomorrow''s game?" Giovanni spoke up to change the topic. Since tomorrow is thest day of the camp the game is the highlight of the week. All our parents will be there to watch the game so we can show off what we learned. "I will dominate for sure, I''m going to be the Hokage after all," I proudly told the group only to be bombarded with pillows. Guess my will of fire burned a little too bright for them. "I should have known you would say that, your confidence never ceases to surprise me," Destmented as he started looking at me as if I was sick. "Rakim''s right though I will make tomorrow''s game count," Yunus chimed in looking excited at the chance to show off his skills. His excitement is warranted though as scouts will be able to talk to us with our parents present. This could basically catapult anyone''s football career as they might enter one of the European giant''s academies. Kids below the age of nine would have to get a caregiver to move with them but this still allowed them to receive the best training avable. "My family said that we would all move if I got an offer from one of the giants in Europe," Giovanni spoke up getting all our attention. The only thought that went through my head after hearing his words was how much pressure he must be under. After all his whole family would be willing to move across the globe for him. His pressure to seed must be immense, no wonder he is so serious. "My dad will probably move with me too if I get scouted by one of the giants," Dest also chimed in looking more excited than worried. Seems like he is not weighed down by the pressure, instead he relishes the opportunity more than anything. "Let''s get some sleep then otherwise we will waste our chance tomorrow," I told the group as I flicked off my table light. It didn''t take long for me to sink into dreand finally letting sleep take a hold of me. ~~~ [Next Day] Tightening theces on my Nike boots I started wiggling my toes to feel morefortable in the boots. I was wearing the Nike boots that dad had bought for me since I was explicitly told not to wear my Adidas boots today. Not wanting to get my parents in trouble as they were the ones that got me into the camp. I don''t mind wearing the Nike bots since I move a lot swifter when I''m wearing them. They are just a lot tighter than my Adidas boots, so I hardly wear them if I don''t want to risk blisters. Jumping to my feet I joined Yunus and the rest of the boys and started warming up. We were currently in the stadium getting ready to y today''s match. It was currently 10:30 in the morning and the game would start at 11 sharp so we were all currently just getting ready for it. The stands started to fill with people, most of them were our parents who hade to watch the game and take us home afterwards. I couldn''t see my family yet, but I knew they were on the way as Emma had called me first thing in the morning. She sounded more excited than me, talking about how awesome I''ll look running rings around my opponents. Apparently, she had woken up our parents early in the morning making sure that they wouldn''t bete. "Guys let''s do a rondo so we can get a feel for the ball," Giovanni called out to the team as we gathered around him. Due to his calming presence, he became the defacto captain of our team. Another plus that helped his nomination was the fact that his job was to delegate passes across the pitch. We were in the same teams we were in on the first day''s game. The coaches wanted to see how much we had grown over the past five days. "Yes, I love rondos, let''s make it only two touches though otherwise, it''s too easy," I eximed as we formed a circle. Yunus and I were in the middle first as we started chasing the ball trying to intercept one of the passes from those around us. With both of our speeds, we managed to win the ball back after their third pass. Once we won the ball the guy who made the mistake and the boy to his left had to go in with him. This made it a lot more fun as no one wanted to be the reason your teammate had to run around the circle like a dog. We continued this exercise for around ten minutes as our bodies started heating up. I did end up in the middle another two times due to the boy on my right messing up. "We have ten minutes left let''s go and take some shots at the goalkeeper," Giovanni told us as we lined up a couple of yards before the edge of the box. The exercise was rather simple and served to just let us practice our uracy. All you had to do was pass the ball to the person in front of you and he would set you up for a long shot. Once you took your shot you would set up the next person''s shots and so on. I took my first shot with my left foot pulling it across the keeper and hitting the top right. The shot didn''t carry much power since I only focused on cement rather than pure power. Since the shot wasn''t too fast the keeper managed to tip it away from his goal. My next shot was with my right foot this one carried a lot more power with it as I sent it to the same spot as thest one. This time the keeper didn''t even have the chance to react to my shot as the ball bounced off the bar and curled into the. "Yo that was cold bro," Yunus said to me as I reached the back of the line, seemingly more excited than me about my goal. Giving him a quick fist bump we started discussing how we were going to y in the game. Since we were both speedsters, we came to the consciousness that we would use sudden changes in speed to create opportunities. All the other party had to do is react to his movements so we could link up better. ~~~ [General Pov] In the arena below two teams could be seen lining up on the football team on their respective sides. They both wore distinct ck and white tops that helped distinguish them. The ck team adopted the ssic 442 formations whereas the white team adopted a more dynamic 433 formation. --- [WHITE TEAM (4 4 3)] 23 (RB) Tyler, 24 (CB) Chirs, 30 (CB) John, 21 (LB) Ben 25 (CM) Ryan, 26 (CAM) Giovanni, 27 (CM) Jon 22 (RW) Rakim, 28 (ST) Jonas, 29 (LW) Yunus [BLACK TEAM (4 4 2)] 31 (RB) Reece, 34 (CB) Finn, 40 (CB) Bruce, 33 (LB) Dest 35 (RM) ke, 36 (CM) Ron, 37 (CM) 32 Jake, (LM) Weah, 38 (ST) Ferreira, 39 (ST) Pepi --- The line-up for both teams was the same as it was on Monday but judging by the looks on the yer''s faces, they seemed a lot morefortable with their positions. They all had a deterrent expression ready to prove their talent. [Fweeet] With the whistle of the referee Jonas from the white team didn''t hesitate and hit the ball back to Giovanni. The midfielder calmly took control of the ball as he scanned his surroundings. Taking a stride forward he skipped past the approaching Pepi before sending a weighted ground pass into the hintend of the ck team. At the end of that pass, Yunus took control of the ball with his right foot as he rushed down the wing. Reece wasted no time closing him down pressuring him to words the touchline. Just as he was about to reach the touch line he stepped over the ball and abruptly changed direction pulling the ball back. Not holding onto the ball any longer he sent a short pass to Jon who was following behind him. Pushing the ball to his left in an attempt to dodge ke''s tackle, he didn''t notice Ron on his other side who took the opportunity to steal the ball from his feet. Not wanting to hold onto the ball in that dangerous position he sent a sharp pass forward. Ferreira was on the other end of the pass. He easily took control of the ball with his second touch whilst using his body to hold off the defender behind him. Using a quick nce around him he didn''t hesitate to flick the ball to his left into the stride of Pepi. The striker smelling the chance at a goal strode into the box looking for an opportunity to pull the trigger. Just as he was about to shoot, he felt a shoulder impacting his right side causing him to stumble to his left side. Although he was now off bnce, he didn''t waste the opportunity and shot the ball towards the goal. The ball left his foot in one swift motion cutting along the grass towards the far post. The Goalkeeper tried his best to dive after the ball stretching his body to the fullest, but his fingertips just missed the ball as it curled into the. As soon as the ball entered the Pepi ran to the corner g wildly celebrating his goal as the ck team chased after him. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 56 56 The Game (2) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] Watching the other team celebrate their goal is quite frustrating especially since I haven''t even got the chance to touch the ball yet. It is a frustrating feeling watching your teammates mess up the game without being able to do anything. Makes you wonder whether they were doing it on purpose just to annoy you. However, after I realised that there would be no point to a conspiracy in such a simple game, I simply went back to judging my teammates for their simple mistakes. ''Hey Eva please pull up the missions before the match restarts'' I asked her wanting to do something useful other than watch the other team celebrate. [Right away host] She quickly replied as the system screen flickered in front of me. [Ding Singrity Mission] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Grand Stage! #Task 1 Chosen one: Impress three scouts from one of the major five leagues. (7/3) - All eyes on me #Task 2 Killer instinct: Score more than ten goals (5/10) #Task 3 Not on my level: Score 3 goals after passing past five defenders (2/3) (Note: The Singrity cannot be ignored) ~~~ Rewards: > Unlock shop function > 10x energy-boosting drink > 1000 SP ~~~ ''Alright I''ll just have to score a lot of goals and the rest will happen on its own,'' I mused to myself getting pumped up at the thought of scoring a bunch of goals. If I managed to score five goals, I''ll surely finish the other mission as well, so I''ll be killing two birds with one stone. [Ding] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Don''t Forget About Me! #Task 1 I''m here: Impress 6 of your teammates (4/6) (Note: Your teammates see you as a burden prove them wrong) ~~~ Rewards: > 600 SP ~~~ My train of thought was reaffirmed after checking the low recruitment of the second mission. It''s safe to say that as long as Ipete on the first mission, I''ll defiantly impress my teammates, so I''ll just focus on scoring goals. With my immediate priorities set I waved the screen away as I got into position close to the centre line. "Hey, Giovanni send it my way this time before I fall asleep on this wing," I hollered at the boy as the rest of the team was getting set to restart the game. He simply nodded at my words and refocused on the game seemingly trying to enter the zone or something simr. To my eyes, he just looked angry at something and just wanted to st the ball at it. Ignoring my friend, I turned my attention to the other team and started scanning for spaces I could make use of in the next attack.please visit [Fweet] As soon as the whistle went off, I darted along the wing into the opponent''s half looking for space to run into. However, noticing that Weah was shadowing me I abruptly stopped before slotting myself in between the midfield duo of Ron and Jake. Giovanni who had managed to manoeuvre past the charge of the other team''s strikers sent me a weighted pass. Stretching my arms back for bnce I could feel that Weah was right behind me looking for an opportunity to steal the ball. Not wanting to risk a head-on confrontation with the boy behind me I bounced myself off him stepping towards the ball. Using my right foot, I flicked the ball in that direction managing to get past the front of Jake who waste to react. Using him as an obstacle I dribble past him knocking the ball towards the left touchline. In my peripheral view, I watched Weah running into his teammate not expecting him to be in his way. Ignoring them I caught up with the ball before it could leave the park, and immediately stormed down the wing making sure to stay close to the line. Dest was ten yards in front of me as he slowly approached me making sure to position his body in a way that would block off the middle of the field. Taking advantage of the little yardage that separated the two of us I increased my pace rushing at him at nearly full speed. When I reached in front of him, he simply led me down the wing as he sidestepped along my side waiting for me to make a mistake. Noticing that he wouldn''t dive in pre-emptively to steal the ball I dropped my right shoulder and stepped over the ball with my right foot. Seemingly not wanting to be left behind Dest instantly stepped forward making contact with my shoulder and blocking the route towards his box. Seeing that my initial attempt to get by him failed I used his force on my right shoulder to bounce off him. In one swift motion, I carried the ball with my right foot turning a full hundred and eighty degrees managing to get on the other side of Dest. Now that he was behind me, I had an openne towards the box I didn''t waste any more time as I confidently strode forward into the box. Noticing the Center back approaching on my right I moved the ball to my left foot which forced him toe across from me if he wanted any chance at stealing it. That proved to be his mistake as I dragged the ball around my back setting it up for my right foot. Stepping past the boy I instantly pulled the trigger at the near post as the keeper was still in the middle of his goal line. With no suspense, the ball sted into the before the Keeper could even react. Not bothering to celebrate the goal I ran into the and picked up the ball as I ran back to my own half. My teammates did catch up to me to high-five me, this is also when I realised that they were also there. I was so focused on scoring the goal that I totally forgot what I had learnt throughout the camp. "Yo Yunus and Jonas I''m going to score four more so if you want a goal get free, so I have to pass to you," I shouted at the due as we reached our own half again. Both boys simply waved me off as they got back into position. ~~~ Not long after the game resumed with the ck team kicking off the match for the first time today. The ck team seemed to want to slow down the tempo of the game as they started pinging the ball around their own half. The tactic worked for a little while until Bruce buckled under thebined pressure of Jonas and Yunus. In an attempt to get rid of the pressure, he sent a rushed pass forward trying to find one of his midfielders. Ron who suddenly found the ball heading in his direction was glued on his spot as he waited for the ball. However, the ball never managed to reach his feet as a figure dressed in white intercepted the ball pushing it forward towards the ck team''s goal. The figure who had managed to win the ball was Giovanni, he wasted no time before sending a sharp pas to Jonas. He didn''t stop there though as he continued moving forward as he received the ball back as Jonas tried to circumvent his defender behind him. As the central defender realised, he couldn''t catch up to Jonas anymore he lunged forward closing down the passingne. Seeing that he couldn''t get off a pass in time Giovanni opted to send the ball towards the corner g sending Yunus on a goose chase. The winger didn''t disappoint him as he caught up with the ball using his first touch to send a teasing cross into the box before the left-back could close him down. The ball sliced across the six-yard line at a high speed just out of reach from the goalkeeper. Running into the flight path of the cross Jonas was ready to meet it head-on. However just as he was about to swing his foot to meet the ball, he felt a push from his back. The push knocked him off bnce causing the ball to just skim off his leg as it continued its flight path at a slower speed. Following the ball''s flight path, two figures could be seen lunging towards its feet first trying to reach it. The two figures were Rakim and Dest who werepeting with each other to reach the ball first. Dest was the first to reach it as he tried his best to move the ball out of the reach of Rakim''s right foot. His touch was effective as the ball took a hop off his foot and flew over Rakim''s foot. Seeing Rakim''s foot miss the ball he heaved a sigh of relief atpleting his defensive manoeuvre. The very next second he doubted what he was seeing, the ball that had just flown past them was now rattling in the. Dest rapidly looked around himself in search of the culprit who had messed up his defensive heroics. The very next second he found his answer as she saw his roommate running to the corner g widely celebrating. Not knowing how his friend had managed to score the goal but somehow it was easier for him to believe that he could. After all, he had seen him create some incredible things with the ball. It''s to the point that he and his other friends were betting on the fact that Rakim had an invisible third leg. ~~~ [A Few Moments Ago] [Mc Pov] Watching Giovanni send Yunus down the right nk I started approaching the box making sure to stay a few yards behind Jonas who looked to be anticipating a cross. The very next second the cross dide, and deciding to try my luck I lunged at the ball''s flightpath in case Jonas missed it. Luck seemed to be on my side as Jonas decided to fumble and just barely touch the ball. This wasn''t bad though as the flight path of the ball was still within my reach. However just as I was about to make contact with it someone''s foot jabbed at the ball causing it to hobble over mine. Taking a nce to my side I saw that it was Dest who had interfered with my chance. This is also when I remembered he was still here, I was so focused on the ball that I forgot all about him. Not wanting to lose this opportunity though I swung my left leg at almost waist height at the ball. The fact that my right footnded on the ground just before my left leg swung forward helped me stay stable. Just like a whip, my foot hit the ball at the centre sending it towards the goal. The contact felt exactly right, it was like fireworks went off and before the sound of the shot had reached me the ball was rattling in the. Slightly stumbling from my actions, I took off for the corner g widely waving my arms in the air. Running up to the cameraman I started doing the Soulja boy dance. I was so happy I didn''t even mind my sweaty teammates that came and celebrated with me. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 57 57 The Game (3) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Lisa Pov] Watching my son run widely around the pitch I felt a sense of pride well up within me. He really does have a gift for the sport especially when gets within the vicinity of the box. It''s like the ball does exactly what he wants it to do. At the start of the game, I was a little worried since his team went a goal behind. But that little look of frustration on his face as he was digging his toes into the ground just told me he was getting ready to do something. He does that whenever he is frustrated at something and just wants to prove something at one of our training sessions. I remember when we first started training together and I told him that I did not think he was going to make it through my training regimen. And I was right as in order to discourage him I made a training regimen suitable for high school kids. What surprised me though is the fact that he never gave up. He developed a habit of lightly digging his foot into the ground whenever he is getting ready to explode with energy toplete a task he set out. Whenever he did that, he would usually surprise me with whatever he did next exceeding my expectations. My assumption was spot on as in the very next second he put on a show for all of us. I knew he was good but since I''ve never seen other kids his age y, I didn''t know how good he actually is. The way he just seamlessly went by other kids who were older than him was an exciting sight. Emma said that it was almost like he was dancing, and she was right it looked like he was dancing. If I was being honest, I had wanted to ask some of the people nearby if the other kids were just bad at the game. Luckily, I restrained my curiosity as I was simply content watching my son have fun out there, and it''s probably for the best as I might have made some parents near us angry. Not that I would mind them being angry but if I were being honest, it is more of a hassle than it is worth. "Hey mom that''s his second goal now, how many more do you think he will score?" Emma spoke up from my right side sounding way too excited. Then again, she has been looking forward to this for the entire week. It''s almost as if this is one of her dancepetitions by how early she woke us up in the morning. "Yeah, he''ll probably try to score as many as he can," I answered her as the game kicked off again. The ck team seemed a lot more eager to equalise the score as soon as possible so the game will probably be more exciting. ~~~ [Fweeet] With the sound of the whistle, Ferreira instantly sent a pass back to Ron. The boy quickly took control of the ball and immediately started charging forward. As if trying to prove his determination to score a goal he sent the ball forward. Pepi was on the other end of the pass as he made his way down the middle charging at the ck team''s defence. Before John could get the chance to close him down, he sent a through ball down the left nk for Weah to run into. The winger used his pace to catch up with the ball as he stared down Tyler looking for an opportunity to get the ball past him. Using a quick body feint, he managed to create some separation from the defender as he sent a teasing cross into the box. Both Ferreira and Chris rose up high in the air fighting for an opportunity to hit the ball. Luck seemed to be on Ferreira''s side as he was able to manoeuvre his body to head the ball towards the goal despite Chris''s interference. The goalkeeper was able to react fast enough stretching out his to push away the ball from his goal and back towards the edge of the box. Pepi the ck team''s striker was closest to where the ballnded. Taking a quick touch, the boy let off a powerful shot into the crowd of yers looking for a goal. The ball whooshed along the ground between the feet of a lot of yers only to bounce off the feet of Tyler who had made his way back into the box just in time to interfere with the shot. frustrated with the fact that his shot missed Pepi angrily kicked the ground before getting ready for the corner kick. The ck team quickly set up for the corner not wanting to waste any time. Dest was the one to take the corner kick sending a fast-paced cross into the box looking for one of his teammates. In the Box, both teams could be seen battling one another as they rose up in the air in hopes of clearing or converting the ball. Jake from the ck team managed to rise above his marker and use his head to stir the ball towards the goalpost. However, his shot wasn''t able to hit the and just barely missed the goal by inches. The goalkeeper could be seen sighing in relief at narrowly escaping the dangerous moment. ~~~ The game quickly resumed after the corner kick with the white team moving forward into the opponent''s half. Both side''s midfielders were battling with one another in an effort to gain control of the game''s flow. Both sides could be seen fighting desperately for every inch and every loose ball. In the fifteenth minute, Giovanni could be seen dribbling down the right nk looking for an opportunity to create a chance for his team. Managing to escape the marking of Ron he was looking for an opportunity to connect a pass with Rakim. However, he was being tightly marked by two defenders leaving him with no opportunity to send him a pass. Looking for the next best option he sent a weighted pass to the centre forward who was now loosely marked due to the attention Rakim attracted. Jonas who was on the receiving end of the pass could be seen waiting for the ball at the edge of the box. just before the ball arrived at his feet Finn his defensive marking stepped ahead of him to clear the threat before it could develop any further. The ball soared high in the air heading to the centre of the field. Both Jon and Jake fought the areal duel battling for possession of the ball. Jon managed to make contact with it but was unable to bring it under his control. The ball bounced off his head andnded close to Weah who promptly brought it under his control. Not giving his opponents the chance to pressure him he started racing down the wing quickly picking up momentum. Tyler quickly approached him as he aligned his body in a way to send him towards the corner g. Seeing the defender''s cautious actions, he assumed that he was trying to buy time for his teammates toe back helped him. Not wanting to be boxed in he performed a quick body feint to the wing before changing direction towards the centre of the box. His little skill did the trick as Tyler could be seen falling to the ground having lost his bnce. Charging for the box he sent a through ball close to the near post for Pepi to run into. The striker seemed to have read his mind as he quickly run after the ball forcing Chris to follow after him. Managing to catch up with the ball the striker kept hisposure as he stared down the keeper who was quickly charging at him. Not flustered by the small encirclement he quickly swung his foot at the ball only to step over it. His fake shot did the trick in forcing the keeper and defender tomit to trying to block his shot. Simply ignoring their efforts to block his shootingne he dragged back the ball a little before sending a pass back to Weah who was around the penalty spot. The winger who had somehow found himselfpletely unmarked in the opponent''s box facing an open goal didn''t bother taking a touch and directly sted the ball to the back of the. As if venting his frustration, the winger started celebrating widely as he made his way back to his side of the pitch. ~~~ [Mc Pov] Not long after the equaliser was scored the whistle for halftime sounded indicating it was time for the yers to recharge their energy. Not wasting any time, I went to the sidelines and picked up my bottle of Gatorade to quench my thirst. Since we didn''t have a coach every was just busy trying to rest with the asional few trying to push the me around. One of those yers was Chris who had beenining ever since he got here. "I''m not saying it''s your fault but you in the midfield need to start controlling the game better and not just let them run at us freely," he said in a proud voice as if his words werew and it was only natural for us to head it. Well, I guess Jon must have missed the memo as he stomped his way towards the kid. "That''s riching from someone who has been useless all game, I mean Pepi made you look stupid out there," The boy retorted seemingly amused at how the opponent''s striker had managed to goad him into sliding in only to manoeuvre around him. I understand how it could be considered funny as from where I was standing, I watch Pepi stare him down as he skidded past him. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion I knew it was bad, but I was also looking forward to seeing the following explosion. "What did you say to me? at least I''m involved in the game unlike some of you passengers," Chris retorted at the midfielder as he sent shots at some other yers in the team. Giovanni like the captain he is stepped in between them and started trying to calm them down. None of it seemed to work until he finally mentioned something both of the cared about. "Now is not the time for this petty BS, especially with all the scouts watching," he said as he pointed at the stands that seemed to be paying attention to our group specifically because of the littlemotion. Both boys had embarrassed expressions covering their faces as all the attention seemed to focus on them. "SORRY!" Both loudly eximed as they walked away from each other in an attempt to get rid of the spotlight that was on them now. Our whole group was silent for a few seconds until I couldn''t hold it any longer and burst outughing drawing everyone''s attention. "Haha, I don''t know why the both of you are so riled up, it''s not like any of you performed your job out there," I told the two of them as I got up from my spot and started walking towards the stands. "Instead of trying to push the me for your poor performance in the first half do better and stop dragging the rest of us down," I told them as I jogged to a specific spot in the audience stands. I was defiantly not running away in case a hoard of angry kids decided to jump me. No, it''s defiantly because I spotted my family in the stands and wanted to say hi. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 58 The Game (4) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Hello," I said to Emma and the rest of my family who was sitting in the front row of the bleachers. As soon as I finished my sentence I was pulled into a hug by Emma, I almost couldn''t breathe by how tightly she was hugging me. Looking at Ben for help he just gave me a smile that said I should just endure it. Lisa on the other hand looked a little jealous that she wasn''t the one hugging me right now. I was proven right as the moment Emma let go, she pulled me into another hug as well. "That''s enough Hunny he can barely breathe, plus he''s got another half to y," Ben finally spoke uping to my rescue. Although reluctant Lisa eventually let free from her grasp but not before squeezing me one more time. "So how was I in the first half?" I asked them as I took a small step back not wanting to risk getting pulled into another hug. Ben just chuckled at my actions as he gave me a fist bump instead of reaching in to suffocate me. He could easily pull me in for a hug if he wanted to just with his stature alone. "You were great, especially your first goal," Emma was the first to answer my question with a bright smile. She started listing all the things she liked not forgetting to add in some sound effects. "Yeah, you were great you are doing well," Lisa also chimed in not wanting to be left out by Emma. She thankfully didn''t add in any sound effects, but she did tell me to be more careful since she could tell I wasn''t at a hundred per cent. This is true for all of us as the week''s training session is affecting us more than we would like to admit. Thanks to the yoga sses and the coach''s stretching sessions I''m only feeling it lightly. "I will I''ll score three more before taking it easy," I told her flexing my bicep to which she only chuckled not believing my promation. "If you really score three more goals I''ll get a reward for you," Lisa said challenging me to back up my promation. Not backing down from the challenge I just smiled back at her as I held up a peace sign. We spent the next couple of minutes just talking about random things. Emma dominated most of the conversation seemingly missing the chats we had before the camp. Apparently, she has been busy training for her dancepetitions for the past week. She even went as far as forcing mom to help her train. Whilst we were talking, I did notice that some of the people in the bleachers were giving us odd looks. However, since I don''t know or care for them, I just ignored it for the time being. After all, it''s only a problem when it''s actually a problem so there is no need to worry about it for the time being. Lisa did end up telling me that she got a new client who is an NBA yer for the heats whom she will be working with over the summer. ording to her the guy is a big deal in the basketball world and wanted her to help him prepare for the next season. She said that working with him is a big opportunity for her career as a personal trainer. For whatever reason, she didn''t want to tell me yet and simply said I would meet him if I joined one of their sessions. "You should probably go they look like they''re almost ready to restart," Ben spoke up as he pointed at my team that was heading back to the pitch. That is when I realised that I''ve been here for quite some time. "Alright, I''ll see youter," I eximed as I quickly made my way back on the pitch to join my team. Jogging back on the field I approached Yunus since I wanted to talk to him before the game restarted. "Yo dude who were you talking to?" He asked me before I could speak up as I reached his side. Although judging by the look on his face he didn''t really care for my answer and just wanted to make conversation. "Oh, that''s my family, by the do you still want to switch sides at some point in the second half?" I asked him wanting to get straight to the point since we don''t have much time. Hearing my words, he immediately nodded as he put his arm around my shoulder wanting to whisper something. "Yeah, I want to show the scouts that I can y on both wings, and you said that you don''t mind which wing you are on," He whispered to me as if it was some great secret that he wanted to impress the scouts. After all, impressing the scouts is everyone''s main goal here so I don''t know why he''s I don''t know why he is acting as if he is hiding his precious. "Alright just let me go I don''t need you trying to hug me too," I answered as I got rid of his hand from my shoulder. I was still a little traumatised from the hugs earlier so I''m not taking any risks. ~~~ [Gen Pov] Five minutes into the second half the white team was dominating ball possession. Both teams had a few shots at goal but none of them was able to convert them into a goal. Right now, Giovanni could be seen charging through the middle of the pitch with the ball at his feet. The attacking midfielder had a determent expression as he weaved past the ck team''s midfielders. Just before he reached the edge of the box, he chipped the ball over one of the central defenders on the left side. The centre-back who had just stepped forward to close him down wasn''t able to interfere with the ball and could only watch it soar past him. Before the ball even touched the ground Rakim could be seen calmly bringing it down with the top of his left foot seemingly unbothered by the pressure of his marker. Dest who had now managed to close him down in the box was carefully blocking the path to the goal as he waited for an opportunity to steal the ball. The winger seemed unphased by the pressure from the defender as he performed a few stepovers whilst constantly moving the ball back and forth between both feet. Although the left-back remainedposed the same could not be said for his centre-back partner. The boy who had been chipped moments ago wasted no time turning around and closing down the winger as well. Not being able to stayposed he lunged out his foot in an attempt to steal the ball. That however proved to be a mistake as he ended up blocking Dest in the process, and when Rakim pulled the ball back and passed it away he ended upmitting a foul. As Rakim fell to the ground the referee hadn''t blown the whistle yet as to why he hesitated it was answered in the next second. Giovanni who had received the pass from the winger found himself unmarked around the penalty spot. He didn''t waste a single second as he sted the ball to the back of the. Seemingly sensing that the ball was scored Rakim who was screaming in agony a second ago could be seen jumping up from the ground and celebrating widely as he chased after Giovanni. This scene made the opposing defenders doubt what they were witnessing to the point where he asked his partners if he really tackled the boy. ~~~ The score was now 2:2, and the ck team could be seen attacking like a crazy pack of wolves looking for an opportunity to score a goal as soon as possible. At this moment Ryan the white team''s centre midfielder was disposed of the ball by Weah who had caught him off guard. The winger wasted no time charging down the wing with the ball but as he noticed that Rakim was chasing him down he quickly released the ball into the centre. Jake was the one who received it, but he didn''t hold onto the ball as he sent a through ball forward before Giovanni could tackle him. The pass although sloppy still managed to bypass Chriss rolling into the stride of Pepi who had timed his run perfectly. The striker only took a small touch before squaring the ball into the. The Goalkeeper tried his best to stretch out his foot, but it was for nought as the ball rolled to the back of the. The striker didn''t bother celebrating his goal as he picked up the ball and run back to his half and ced it in the centre spot. The score was back to being level now much to the displeasure of the white team but that is the nature of the game. The game quickly kicked off with the white team making their way up the field. Jon could be seen dribbling the ball down the field however he was quickly disposed of it by ke. The midfielder didn''t waste any moment in hitting the ball forward to his strikers. Ferreira received the ball with his chest as he used his body to hold back the defender. with a quick turn, he managed to circumvent the defender allowing him to step into the box. Not hesitating for a second he immediately pulled the trigger sending a powerful shot towards the goal. Luckily for the keeper, the shot ended up hitting the bar before bouncing out for a goal kick. ~~~ 5:3 is what the scoreboard disyed now; the white team was currently in the lead. The two goals were scored fairly quickly after Ferreira''s miss. When the game restarted something unexpected happened within the white team''s formation. When the goalkeeperunched the ball up the field both wingers switched nks. Yunus managed to win the rebound off the aerial duel between Jonas and Ron. He swiftly broke through past the line of defence charging towards the box. Dest was hot on his trails running shoulder to shoulder with him but before he could tackle him the winger squared the ball across the box. At the end of that pass, Rakim could be seen sliding in as he tapped the ball into the back of the. The next goal was also scored by Rakim who managed to win a penalty when he dribbled into the box. This brings us to the current situation where the ck team can be seen running franticly around the pitch fighting for every chance to create a chance at scoring a goal. Tyler had just received a pass back from Ryan but before he got the chance to control it, he was swiped to the ground by Weah. He put his hands up toin but the referee''s whistle remained silent as the opposing winger got up to im his prize. The winger had a couple of yards of space in front of him and he used them to their fullest confidently charging into the box. using a quick body feint and a step over he managed to send the centre back the wrong way. Now one on one with the goalkeeper he remainedposed sending the ball out of reach of the goalkeeper. ~~~ With five minutes to go in the game, both teams were fighting hard for every inch of the field. Possession of the ball changed a couple of times in the past minutes until Dest managed to win the ball from Yunus. The left-back dribbled up his nk quickly crossing the halfway line. Ryan charged at the left back sliding at the ball in an attempt to win the ball, but Dest performed an emergency stop dodging the tackle. He continued forward a couple of yards before he sent a long pass into the hintends of the white team. Weah was able to beat Tyler to the ball bringing it under his control Just before it could go out for a goal kick. He cut back a couple of steps creating a little separation from Tyler before sending a cross into the box. Both Pepi and Chris fought in the air with the strikering out on top guiding the ball towards the goal. Unlucky for him the ball soared directly into the keeper''s hands allowing him tofortably catch it. The Keeper looked a little shocked that the ball ended up in his hands, but he still strode forward andunched the ball up the left nk. Jake was able to get to the ball first chesting it downfortably. However, before he could bring it under control, he was tackled to the ground by Jon who quickly stole the ball from him. The midfielder didn''t wait for the referee to decide hemitted a foul as he sent a quick pass up to his winger. Rakim who the pass was intended for let it slip through his legs quickly rounding the defender that was behind him as he charged down the nk. With no one in front of him, the winger made a beeline for the goal increasing his speed at a rapid pace. The opposing keeper quickly charged out from his goal line in an attempt to steal the ball from the winger. With the keeper approaching him Rakim didn''t slow down a single bit only performing a couple of stepovers the closer they got to each other. Just as they were about to collide with one another Rakim circumvented the lunge of the keeper with a drop of the shoulder. He didn''t waste a second after passing the keeper as he calmly put the ball into the back of the. Not long after the goal was scored the referee blew his whistle ending the match. This only caused the white team''s celebrations to grow more rampant with all the boys running around like crazy. [Fweet, Fweet, Fweeeeeeet] . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 59 59 Shop [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] [Ding] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Don''t Forget About Me! (Complete) ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Grand Stage! (Complete) The Game had just ended, and the system''s robotic voice rang out in my head. I was in the middle of celebrating my fifth goal when all these random kids started swarming me as if they were the ones that had scored. I didn''t mind the happy atmosphere but some of these guys are just too sweaty. ''Hey, Eva please pull up the mission screen,'' I asked her once I finally managed to wrestle my way out of the huddle my teammates had created. Yunus was the worst out of all of them jumping on my back and not getting off no matter what I did. [Right away host] She answered me promptly pulling up the mission''s tabs. ~~~ [Ding] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Don''t Forget About Me! #Task 1 I''m here: Impress 6 of your teammates (7/6) (Small Celebrity) (Note: Your teammates see you as a burden prove them wrong) Evaluation Grade: B ~~~ Rewards: > 600 SP ~~~ [Ding Singrity Mission] ! SINGULARITY MISSION! Grand Stage! #Task 1 Chosen one: Impress three scouts from one of the major five leagues. (10/3) - All eyes on me #Task 2 Killer instinct: Score more than ten goals (10/10) - Cold-blooded #Task 3 Not on my level: Score 3 goals after passing past five defenders (3/3) - Assassin (Note: The Singrity cannot be ignored) ~~~ Rewards: > Unlock shop function > 10x energy-boosting drink > 1000 SP ~~~ I cut it a little close with the first mission but I''m d I was able toplete it in the end. I''m sure those Sp will be useful now that I have unlocked the shop function. Not t wasting a moment I quickly pulled up my status screen. [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 2700 Position: RM, LM (Evaluation: A boy with a lot of potential for bing a professional ser yer, who possesses a lot of talent) USER MENU [ USER STATS] [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS: 0] [ SYSTEM SHOP (unlocked)] [ SYSTEM LOTTERY (locked)] [ SNOOPING TOOL (locked)] Not wasting a single second, I immediately pulled up the shop tab so I could check out what was in them, but I wish I didn''t. Some of the Items on here were just outrageously priced and some other items I didn''t even understand what their use would be yet. The only thing I realised from unlocking the system shop is that I am poor right now. My measly 2700Sp is just a drop in ocean in the view of the system. I honestly think that this is a capitalist system designed to make work hard to earn its currency only to give it back to it. ~~~ [Shop] - Skills - Consumables ~~~ The shop has a pretty basicyout, so I decided to check out the skills sections, to begin with as they seemed to be the most useful to me eventually. All the skills were listed in the levels ranging from Bronze to Hall of fame and were priced ordingly. The system did say it was possible to upgrade the skills naturally, but it would take a lot of hard work. Another thing that I notice is that active skills are a lot cheaper than passive ones. Eva''s exnation to this was that a passive skill has a direct impact on my talent so it''s only a matter of fact that they would be more expensive. She did say that my talent improvement would depend on the level of Passive skill I buy. For example, a bronze-level passive skill might only influence my ystyle slightly thus making it barely noticeable. However, A hall of fame-level Passive skill will dramatically change the way I y thus boosting my talent on a major scale. Another way of seeing it is that a bronze-level skill is like travelling by bike and a hall-of-fame skill is like cruising in a Bugatti. Both are still an improvement to just walking but one is just a lot better than the other. The one thing that gave me a slight hope is the fact that the lottery function could also give me skills that were in the shop. As soon as I open that system function, I might be able to get a good skill without breaking my system bank. [Skills Shop] - Bronze Level Dead Ball Specialist: 500 Sp (Active Skill) - Silver Level Dead Ball Specialist: 1,000 Sp (Active Skill) -Gold Level Dead Ball Specialist: 3,000 Sp (Active Skill) - Hall Of Fame Level Dead Ball Specialist: 10,000 (Active Skill) - Bronze Level Goal Sense: 600 Sp (Active Skill) - Silver Level Goal Sense: 1,200 Sp (Active Skill) - Gold Level Goal Sense: 4,000 Sp (Active Skill) - Hall of fame Goal sense: 12,000 Sp (Active Skill) Bird''s eye view: 2,000 Sp (Passive) Falcon''s Eye Perspective: 5000 Sp Passive Eagle King View: 15,000 Sp (Passive) Emperor''s eye: 25,000 Sp (Passive) Bronze Sharpshooter: 1000 Sp Bronze Heavy artillery: 1000 Sp Bronze Ariel soldier: 1000 Sp Bronze Assassin: 2000 SP ... [yer-specific skills locked] ~~~ ''I think I understand the skills shopyout but what are yer-specific skills and why are they Locked?'' I asked Eva genuinely curious as to why there was another locked section in the shop after just unlocking it. I felt like I had opened a present only to find another box I have to open inside. Honestly, it''s just wasteful for the environment and that is the only reason I''mining. It is totally not because I''m toozy toplete whatever task is going to have to do in order to unlock this function. [The reason why the section is locked is due to the host, not meeting the requirements as simple as that,] She answered me sounding genuinely uninterested in the question and was only answering me since it''s her job. ''I figured that but what exactly are the requirements? Will I have toplete missions or something?'' I asked her again not satisfied with her earlier answer and wanting her to borate a little more. [(sigh) Why can''t you take a hint (ahem) this is a special singrity function that allows you to receive a training session with either a current yer or one of the pasts. The conditions for essing the said yer''s session are either by recreating one of the yer''s Iconic moments, by managing to impress them in person or by simply beating one of their records. Another thing to note is you are only able to ess attacking-minded yers due to the host''s chosen position and learning a skill from the said yer is not guaranteed.] she answered me in a long monologue exining every detail to me. ''Wait did you it''s not guaranteed that I will learn the yer''s skill?'' I asked her after realising what she said at the end of her speech. [Yes, that is exactly what I said,] she answered me sounding board at the fact we were still having this conversation. This sometimes makes me wonder what she did to get stuck with this job that she obviously isn''t too passionate about. ''Thanks, I guess?'' [You''re wee I''m going to sleep for a while, so you do you,] Is all she said half yawning seemingly drifting into sleep. Before I could get mad though someone put their arm on top of my head ruffling it. I was just about to go full Bruce lee on whoever dared to touch my prized hair only to notice that it was Emma who had somehow made it to the side of the field where I was. Honestly, she was lucky if it was any other person, I would have gone full eight gates on them. Who am I kidding I wouldn''t dare fight her she is scary when she gets pissed off. One time I made the ignorantment that dancing wasn''t a real sport and let''s just say I still get nightmares from that day. "Hi, when did you get here?" I asked her with a smile as I moved her hand away from my head to which she pouted a little. ording to her, my hair is just so too soft not to touch so she does it any chance she gets. I can only pray they start growing faster so I can put the in braids or something. "Just now plus everyone is on the field so why wouldn''t I be?" She answered me quickly pleading her innocence. True to her words a lot have people hade on the pitch as soon as the match had ended. Most of them were parents here to congratte their kids or console them for their efforts. "Oh ok, where are Mom and Dad then?" I asked her finding it weird that she came all alone when they were sitting together in the stands. "They''re over there, they got swarmed by some people in suits so I just left them behind," My eyes twitched a little after hearing her tell me she basically abandoned them. However, looking at the like eight people gathered around them I would have probably done the same. "Let''s go and back them up then before we be orphans," I ask her as I pick up my duffel bag with most of my training stuff in them. However, before we are able to leave the area Yunus appears in front of us smiling from ear to ear. "Yo what''s up Mario," I spoke up first before he could even say anything causing his smile to falter slightly. "Why are you calling me that again, here I thought we are eternal rivals," he said whilst whipping away fake tears. "You will have to prove yourself first before bing my rival," I told him with a serious look as I tried walking away from him whilst grabbing Emma''s hand. "Just wait and see I''ll prove myself worthy sooner orter as the fire of youth burns bright within me," He eximed loudly drawing a few looks from the surrounding people but that didn''t seem to bother him in the slightest. Giving him a nce, I noticed that he started following us seemingly not getting the hint. "Who is that with you anyways?" He asked as he reached my side again eyeing Emma from head to toe. She quickly got shy due to his stare and tried to hide behind me even though she was taller than me. "Oh, she is my little sister Emma," I answered him thinking that if I just gave in to his curiosity this whole ordeal would end sooner. "But she looks older than you are plus she is taller," He answered me seemingly not believing a word I said. "(sigh) She is taller because she is older than me" I answered him again as I mentallyined about this conversation. "That makes no sense due and here I thought you were smart," he said sounding genuinely confused at how I could be so stupid or something along those lines. "Shut up, she lost a bet so now she is my younger sister, anyways don''t you have to go find your parents?" I answered him now visibly annoyed at the whole situation and him in particr. "Oh, you should have just said so to begin with and I''m walking towards my parents my dad is right there," he said as he pointed to one of the men in suits that was in the hurdle with our parents. Stumbling slightly at the realisation that he wasn''t following us I just continued walking forward. ~~~ "Hi Mom, what you up to?" I called out to her as we arrived at the group. Judging by the look on her face she wasn''t toofortable with the people around her. "Oh hi, you were great out there, do you feel tired?" She spoke up as she started fussing over me making sure to check if I had any injuries. Her expression looked more normal as she was fussing over me which almost made me overlook her pissed-off mood from earlier. "I''m fine, not tired at all but I''m starving, I''ve barely eaten anything this morning," I told her as she finally let go of me. "There''s a cafe nearby we will go there in a bit once this whole thing is wrapped up," she said as she motioned to the group of people around Dad. Apparently, most of them are scouts and agents looking to make connections with future talents. ording to Mom, they were cornered by them as soon as the game ended because I spoke to them at half-time and they figured that we had some rtions. "Excuse me can I get everyone''s attention for a second before you all disperse," We heard a voice ring out throughout the areaing from various speakers in the ce. Looking for the source of the voice I spotted coach James standing on an elevated tform next to a guy in a business suit. "Alright, brats I hope you all learned something throughout the cam I wish all of you the best in your football journey." He said showing a warm smile on his face which was quite odd for the man who always had a frown on his face. If it wasn''t for the fact that his words matched the smile, we would all be scared of him right now. A few times during the camp he would make sarcasticments of praise just to add a punishment right after it. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 60 60 Club Sandwich & Plans [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "(ahem) Good afternoon, everyone my name is Jon Myers senior Nike executive," The guy in a suit introduced himself in a slightly awkward manner. His voice carried an air of confidence with him though, so it quickly overshadowed the awkwardness created by coach James''s departure. "I want to thank you all for supporting the Nike foundation by participating in this camp, I know you are all busy people so I''ll make this short we have booked empty offices in the schools for each team and would encourage you to hold your meeting with the yers there and not crowd them," He quickly spoke up saying what he wanted to say in order not to lose the attention of all these people. He went on to exin that each team''s scout could invite the yer and their family for a meeting. After talking about this he went on to hold a small sales pitch about how Nike was a family and whatnot. If I''m being honest, I stopped paying attention to the guy as soon as he started his sales pitch. "Please enjoy the rest of your day make sure to schedule a meeting with the yer within the hour with our designated staff at the back so we can notify them after the lunch break," He finished off his speech causing the audience to start pping wildly as if he had told them the earth is round or some other mind-blowing revtion. At the end of his speech, most of the people in suits that had swarmed around us, and other yer''s families quickly dispersed. They were probably heading over to the Nike staff to book meetings with yers they wanted to meet. This was honestly a relief as I don''t think I would have the patience to entertain those guys on an empty stomach. what can I say I''m just not me when I''m hungry. "Can we go and eat now before those guys change their minds ande back," I asked Mom wanting to get some food in me as soon as possible. Hearing my word, she just chuckled before looking over at Dad for his opinion. "Yeah, let''s go get some food now, we already have the rest of your stuff in the car so we can go right now," He answered me looking slightly amused at my pleading look that probably told him I was ready to eat anything right now. "Ibrahim, would you and your son like to join us for lunch?" Dad asked the man next to him who was talking to Yunus who is presumably his dad judging by the closeness. The man seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden invite but quickly agreed to join us. It seems like the two of them got familiar with one another throughout the match since I remember him sitting next to Dad in the stands. "Excuse me would you mind if we join you too, it seems our kids became friends over the past week." A man dressed in a sports tracksuit approached us with a warm smile on his face. Although he was lightly dressed among all the suit-wearing mobs here he had a certain charisma about him. Next to him was Giovanni who had a smile on his face as he talked with who I assume is his mom and sister judging by their resemnce. Dest was walking with his dad who looked like he had juste out of an office meeting to be here. "Sure, why not the more the merrier" Dad quickly replied shaking hands with the adults as we finally left the area to get some food. Once we left the stadium it didn''t take us long to find a cafe that could amodate ourrge group. we attracted a bit of attention from the three customers already in the cafe, but we didn''t mind as we took our seats at a table that could amodate us. I was sitting with Yunus on my left and Emma on my right as we had a small conversation among us kids. It didn''t take long for a waiter toe and take all of our orders and lucky for me Giovanni had a cereal bar which helped hold me over before our food arrived. We mostly talked about what we were going to do for the rest of the summer amongst other things. Our parents would asionally ask us questions about what we did in the camp. They were surprised to learn that we were teammates and that we would get up before breakfast to do some yoga to loosen up for the day. "So, what kind of teams are you going to consider offers from?" The blond woman whom I found out is Giovanni''s mom asked us. She looked genuinely curious as to what type of teams we were looking to y for in the future. "We are only looking for an agent for Gio that can connect him with a team in the top three leagues whilst he is still in the academy" Giovanni''s Dad was the first to speak up for his son letting us know what he had nned for him. ording to him he has connections from his ying days and got his son into New York city academy. Giovanni seemed surprised by his dad''s n for him, but he didn''t seem to mind it. "I''m taking Sergi?o to the Nethends their youth systems have been taking major strides, plus I have business partners there, so it works out well for us," Dest''s dad spoke up looking like he already had this answer ready to go a long time ago. All of us were surprised that Dest had a first name since we all just called him by hisst throughout the first week. The fact that he introduced himself by just hisst name didn''t help the matter. It seems I wasn''t the only one confused by his first name but unlike me who put two and two together, Yunus didn''t seem to do so. "Excuse me but who is Sergi?o?" he asked the man looking genuinely confused which only served to show that he wasn''t joking. The man looked taken aback by the question and looked to his son probably asking if his friend is mentally stable or something. "(cough) My first name is Sergi?o I just go by Dest since it''s easier to say" Dest quickly spoke up clearing the awkward atmosphere that was being generated. Yunus seemed to have a moment of realization as he nodded sagely which only served to cause Dest dads'' mouth to visibly twitch. "Is the youth system in the Nethends really promising maybe that is something we should look into," Mom asked Dest''s dad breaking through the awkward silence that had been created by my friends. By the curious look, I could tell she was genuinely interested in whether football programs were that good. Ever since she epted the fact that I was serious about bing a footballer she has been doing her research on what is the best path for me. "Yeah, as far as I know, teams over there are converting to training youngsters and getting them ready to join the European stage a big example of this is Ajax which is following the footsteps of the German giants Borussia Dortmund." He patiently exined gaining some nods of understanding from the parents around us. "Of course, that is not to say that joining a major teams youth system wouldn''t be better as they have better facilities to offer their yers and would mould their yers into what they desired." He continued to exin making sure to not offend anyone''s viewpoint on the type of youth system they would send their children to. After all the scariest type of parents are the ones that support their children in a sport, they can get a little intense if it''s for their children''s best interest. "Haha, we won''t send Rakim to join a team''s youth program yet, our daughter goes to a sports academy that has a good football program that is linked with some professional teams abroad, so we''ll have him go there until he enters Junior high," Dad spoke up bringing back the conversation to the original topic. Most of the parents seemed surprised by his choice for the future probably thinking that it might hinder my progress. Listing to his n for me I was a little surprised, but I didn''t hate the n as it was the best of both worlds. I''ll get to have a somewhat normal primary school life whilst still being able to pursue my football career. "We thought it through, and we don''t want him to enter a youth program where they will make football seem like work for our child at such a young age," Mom spoke up again answering the doubtful gazes of the parents around us. After hearing her words, they seemed to understand why my parents made this decision. Not long after our conversation, the waiter started bringing out our food. The chicken club sandwich that was ced in front of me has a mouth-watering scent. I could barely hold myself back from devouring my food at once and simply sipped on the strawberry smoothie I got and waited for everyone to get their food. The atmosphere became livelier once everyone got their food and without further dy, we started feasting. ~~~ ''Hey Eva, can I see the consumable section of the shop I wasn''t able to check them out earlier,'' I asked her in my head as I followed my parents and the rest back to the campus. We had finished our food not long ago and were just going to see if anyone wanted to meet us. [sure, why not] She answered mezily as she directly pulled up the consumable section of the shop without much dy. The consumable section was set up vastly different from the skills shop. There was no raking structure for the items. They all seemed to be there to help me train and maintain my health throughout my career. this would undoubtedly be a great boost to my training efficiency in the future. [Consumable] Blue Energy Drink: 100 Sp (Gives 50% more energy) Hunters Focus fruit: 200 Sp (Allows you to Focus on something fully without being distracted) 60 minutes duration concentration fruit: 200 Sp (Allows you to retain things you learn a lot easier) Green Slime Potion: 50 Sp (Massages the body after an intense training session reducing the risks of injury by 50%) Recovery Potion: 250 Sp (Allows the host to Recover from fatigue 50% faster) ~~~ ''It would probably be best to save up for some passive skills and only send Sp on the green slime potions to rx when I train,'' I inwardly mused to myself as I started making ns for the future. [That''s probably for the best you could use the green slime potion once a week to help your body rx and recover] Ever threw in her two cents as she went back to sleep from what I could tell from her yawning. "Let us split off here I wish you all the best in your meetings and for the future of your kids," Dad said as he shook hands with the other parents as we headed to the staff responsible for assigning our meetings to us. We took a group photo of the four of us tomemorate our week of brotherhood before parting ways. "Can I see the list please?" I asked Dad who had just re-joined the three of us after getting the list from one of the staff. It was only us three since the rest of the families had split up to take their respective sons to their assigned meetings. "Sure, why not?" He said as he handed me a notepad with a list of things written on it. Seven of them seemed to be representing teams and the other three might be agents or something simr. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 61 61 Meetings [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Emma and I started looking through the list looking for anything we could recognise. There were three major teams from Europe on the list with the rest being minor teams trying their luck. The most prominent team that I recognised is the German giant Borussia Dortmund which I wasn''t expecting if I''m being honest. After all, shouldn''t they be looking for some youngster to sell in the future? Wait now that I think about it aren''t I quite talented? Does that mean that I''m the sheep that they want to raise for the auction? Don''t get me wrong It would probably be quit the profitable move on their part after all I''m basically a golden goose in the making with the system on my side. However, I''ll have to carefully consider what they have to offer mepared to other teams. Even though I''m a Bayern fan I wouldn''t turn them down if going there would be the best move for me. "Let''s go our first meeting is with a team from France called Brest, they seemed to be a strong team in Ligue 2," Dad said as he quickly led us to the room where we would be meeting them. It didn''t take long for us to find the room since it had the team''s name on the door. Entering the room that resembled a small teacher''s office we saw a man sitting behind the desk with a small stack of papers before him. He had a name card on his suit with Hugo written on it which matched his overall looks. He looked to be in histe forties with wavy hair that trickled down to his shoulders. He wasn''t too handsome, but he had a ruggedness to him that made him stand out. "Wee take a seat, you must be Rakim''s family," he said in broken English that had a certain ent to it as he stood up to shake hands with my parents. Quickly taking a seat I waited in anticipation at what my first meeting with a scout would be like. If only I knew that I would be severely disappointed in the next moments. "let''s get right into it shall we, I would like to invite your son to join our academy in France once he is of age but in the meantime, he would join one of our associate schools to help him integrate with our culture," The man started pitching his offer to my parents without really paying attention to me which was kind of odd to me. After all, shouldn''t he be trying to convince me to y for them instead of bragging about the culture and scenery in Brest? "What would your development n for my son be?" Mom cut into his rant about the rivers and whatnot trying to get some answers from him. Just by listening to the guy''s description of France almost made me think he was some type of holiday trip salesman. I wouldn''t say this out loud but after his rant I really want to go to France but just for a sightseeing trip. The guy was caught off guard by her question looking a little angry at being interrupted but begrudgingly chose to answer the question. "We believe he could be the next Frank Ribery; we have a great atmosphere that will benefit him," He answered her question as he started listing the philosophical side of Ribery''s y that ispatible with me. Honestly, I felt like it was a big waste of time meeting this guy in the first ce. My thoughts would prove to be right as he just went on to tter my parents trying to entice them. It was so awkward because my parents were taking this seriously and he was acting as if he was some type of sales rep. Dad made us leave early when the man tried passing him a napkin with the number 7 and a bunch of zeros written on it. This only served to infuriate my dad as he quite literally dragged me out of the room before I could realise what was going on. ~~~ Two hourster we met with all kinds of scouts from different teams most of them were just trying to sell their team''s positive parts to my parents. I''ve still got two more meetings before I''m finally done, one with the Dortmund scout and the other with an agent. My excitement for these meetings has somewhat died down since most of them tend to say the same things. I did have a good meeting with the scout from Tottenham, unlike the other scouts who looked like they wanted to kidnap me he was calm andposed as he presented what his team had to offer. If I was being honest Spurs Academy is probably at the top of my list of teams, I would consider developing my skills at. As an organisation, they value young talent more than other big teams and unlike development teams, they strive topete for honours. They do tend to fall short of their goal and barely achieve anything but the idea of being able to y with prime Alli is something I wouldn''t pass up. After all, great wingers can only thrive once they have a good midfielder who can urately supply the ball. If I have the opportunity, I will join whatever team has a yer like Toni Kross or Kevin de Bruyne since I want to debut at 16 it''s the best choice since I won''t be a physical match for my opponents. Let''s just focus on this next guy, let''s hope it goes better than the rest. It didn''t take long for us to finally meet the guy as he barely had any meetings today. Entering the office room, we were met to the sight of a middle-aged man who was sipping a cup of team without a care in the world. Seeing us enter he simply nodded his head and motioned for us to take our seat at the table across from him. He was wearing a neat navy-blue suit that entuated his blue eyes and coupled with his dirty blond locs it made him look handsome. You could see the effects time had on the man through the slight wrinkle on his face that were caused due to stress. He did not have a lot of documents like the other scouts we met earlier he simply had a ck notebook with the BVB logo on the front. Looking at him he seemed a lot more organised than the other scouts. "Hello, my name is Mike James, would like some team," He spoke up first as he motioned at the tea set on a small table at the side. The aura he gave off is that of an experienced schr that had been through an tough journey. "No thank we just had lunch not long ago" Dad answered the man probably wanting to get right to the point of this meeting. After all, we have been through a lot of meetings in the past hours and going through pleasantries is annoying. "Shall we get right into it then, Rakim what kind of yer do you want to be?" He said as he looked me in the eyes seemingly trying to read my thoughts. His attention on me startled me a little as this is the first time one of the scouts has actually asked me a question. They would usually just praise my skill''s, or they would give me advice on what they would want me to improve on. Most of their advice would just piss Eva off causing her to rant about them trying to steal her job even though there are just frogs in a well. ording to her letting them put me in certain boxes would hinder my evolution as y and I should just focus on developing my own ystyles instead of trying to copy whoever they want me to. "I want to be the type of yer that other teams fear, I want them to have to adopt a specific y style just to deal with me alone," I honestly answered him wanting to see his reaction to my ambition as a yer. The look on both of my parent''s is priceless, I could practically see the pure disbelief written on their face. What surprised me though is the wide grin I received form Mike, by the smile alone you could assume that he seemed to appreciate my answer. "I''m sorry about my son he tends to just live his life like a movie character," Mom said after a moment of silence in an attempt to reassure him that I wasn''t crazy. Although I am not sure if her description is any better than just saying I''m delusional. Her answer was only met with heartyughter from the man. "That''s quite alright, I was surprised at the answer, but it helps to paint a clear picture of your son" he said after he calmed down from hisughter. "You see I''ve been observing the improvement of your son throughout the week, and I have to agree with his analysis he has the potential to be a yer that will scare his opponents." He continued exining his thought process thoroughly so my parents would not think he is also crazy. He went on to open his notebook going through several pages that seemed to have information of just me on them. He exined how he notice that I had a lot of physical talents butcked the experience to properly utilise them at the start of the camp but continued to improve throughout. His detailed exnation of my improvement journey not only amazed me but also surprised my mom as she started to have an Indepth conversation with him. She would ask him questions on what he thought my strength as a yer are and how to best improve them. It was as if she met a kindred spirit as they almost spoke a foreignnguage as they stared through around biology terms around. At some point they started talking about the importance of certain muscle groups that she needed to watch out for so I can develop stably. I cannot tell you how happy I was when dad finally interrupted the two of them. At some point this meeting turned into a biology ss instead of whatever it was supposed to be before. "(Ahem) so are you going to offer my son a spot BVB''s youth academy?" Dad asked cutting the lecture short and steering it back on track. "Oh, I''m sorry about that but developing young athletes has always been my dream so I tend to get carried away whenever I speak about it," he quickly apologised as heposed himself taking a quick sip of the team in front of him. "It''s alright its partly my fault for getting carried away as well," mom guiltily said not wanting to let him bare the me alone. "Yes, it was, so much to no studying for the week" I heard Emma meekly mutter form my side annoyed at the whole situation. Dad seemed to have heard her as well causing his eyes to twitch slightly "I''m not going to be offering Rakim a spot at BVB" he said with a serious tone which caused the atmosphere to turn awkward in an instant. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 62 62 Future [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its here''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "I''m not going to be offering Rakim a spot at BVB" he said with a serious tone which caused the atmosphere to turn awkward in an instant. Mom''s surprised look reflected my thoughts exactly to a tea. Here I though this meeting was going well, after all the guy was praising my talent and potential but now, he is saying that I am getting no offer. "Don''t get me wrong I believe in the potential talent of your son, but I was only here to follow up on a yer that the team has been in contact with" He spoke up before the atmosphere could be anymore awkward. "Your son has just turned six this year, so he still has three years before he bes eligible for recruitment so I would suggest he continue to hone his skills till then" he continued, exin his reasoning behind not offering me a spot. Although his words make a lot of sense, but I feel like he is enjoying our emotional rollercoaster a little too much. "So, if you are not going to offer him a spot at Dortmund''s academy why did you schedule the meeting in the first ce?" Dad asked him sounding a little annoyed, probably thinking about how much time we wasted here. Not going to lie I was feeling the same way, after all it huts to be told that a scout appreciates your talent but will not be offering you anything. "I just wanted to meet your son in person, he has given me quite the pleasant surprise this week." He calmly answered dad trying to calm his annoyance and it seemed to work as he waited for him to continue speaking. Here I thought I would be able to see one of those tv drama arguments be enacted In front of me. "I will be leaving the club at the end of the month to take a job as a youth director so I would not be able to give you a guarantee if I invited you to the club, but I would like to follow your son''s progress, as I intend to build a strong youth program at my next club," He continued his sentence finally clearing up the misunderstanding that had begun to form between us. The way he sounded sure that I would be interested in joining his program gave me a sense of anticipation. "I understand, may I ask why you are leaving the club?" Mom asked sounding curious as to why he would give up a job he was obviously talented at. They do say you should stick to what your good at and this, guy is obviously good at spotting talent if he is talking to me. (ahem) My ego is getting a little out of control let''s just hope I do not start proiming myself king in the future. "The reason I got into football was to shape the future of young talents and being a scout was always supposed to be a means to earn experience. I am ready to take it to the next step now as a youth director, but the team does not value my abilities, so I have been in contact with other teams," Mike calmly exined his reason for leaving a giant like Dortmund that would probably be a dream job for most scouts. I can understand his reasoning since from what I garnered sessful full-time scouts are hardly ever home. Since they are good at their jobs, they basically get sent to chase the slightest whisper of a talented yer all around the world. "I am sorry to hear that I wish you the best of luck in the future, but we won''t be able to give you amitment about our son future based on this," Dad said sounding firm in his decision as if he was guarding me form being led astray by the man. My lips twitch at his words but it gave me a sense offort knowing that he was looking out for me. It also made sense as he wasn''t willing to disclose which squad he will be joining, so amitment would only be stupid. "Haha, I wouldn''t expect you to but since Rakim won''t be eligible until he is 9 years old that will give me plenty of time to show you that my program will be a viable option for him," The old man simplyughed him off and calmly defused the situation as he handed us his business card so we could remain in touch. We continued to chat about other this rted to youth football trying to get as much information as possible. Dad was mainly asking questions on the business side of things, what to watch out for in terms of contracts and whether it was smart to let me sign brand deals when I join an academy in the future. Mom on the other hand grilled him on everything possible when ites to yers health and risk factors to watch out for. They started talking about food at some point causing me to shiver remembering something so I quickly defused the conversation before it could escte. With that out of the way the meeting quickly ended, and we could finally leave. We still had a meeting with an agent, but the guy had to leave early due to some emergency and got dads information to reschedule for another day. Not bothering with this matter any longer we promptly made our way to the car before we could get held up any longer. It did not take long for us to hit the road as we headed back home. ~~~ "So, are you interested in any of the teams we met today?" Mom asked me turning around from the front seat to look at me. I was quite surprised at the sudden question, but it did make me think about the teams I meet today. "I didn''t really like most of them especially that one guy one guy who kept on insisting that the club''s kitchen makes amazing meals," I answered her a little exasperated remembering the guy who bragged about how nutritious and tasty the food was. That would have been ok if he did not go into the ins and outs of how they hired a new chef to make sure the yers. Apparently, he likes the food that much he goes there just to eat whenever he is hungry. So yes, I wasted twenty minutes of my life listening to someone rant about all the food they enjoy. "Yeah, that guy was a little peculiar lets just say that," Mom responded trying her best not to bad moth the guy, but I could see her mouth twitch slightly when I mentioned him. "I quite liked Mike at the end he was calm and the only one who actually talked to me" I told her not wanting to continue talking about food guy. That seemed to work as her expression eased of a little returning back to normal. "Yeah, he did not seem like he had a chip on his shoulder like the other ones, they all tried too hard to impress us," Dad chimed into the conversation but did not turn around probably not wanting to risk a crash. "Will you have to move abroad if you join any of the teams?" Emma asked me grabbing my attention, she looked a little upset at that possibility. "Yeah, probably but that won''t be for a few years," I told her as I tried to pat her head only for her to swipe my hand away. Judging by the pout on her face, it seems like she isn''t too fond at the idea. "Anyways what do you think about joining Emma''s school, I''ve already checked they have a great sports program especially one for football where they take part in oversees tournaments," Dad asked me wanting to her my opinion about my future. Although it sounded like a sales pitch, but I could tell he just wanted to make sure I wasfortable with the Idea of it all. "I do not mind as long as the football program is good and does not end up hindering my growth as a yer," I reassured him looking forward to being able to go to a school like a normal child should. Don''t get me wrong I love being home schooled especially when I can go for a swim between sses but it''s a little suffocating when you hardly ever leave the house. The only time I really leave the house is for my jogs, heck I jump at the chance to go grocery shopping with mom just to get out of the house. "That''s good not like you would get away with not going to school though, tis just that there are other football options, so you do not have to necessarily join the school''s team," Mom was the one to chime in probably feeling a little guilty at the fact that she insisted on me getting a full education instead of going to a specialised institute. There is nothing wrong with those ces they just don''t necessarily prioritize their yers education as much as developing their talents. "It''s alright I like the Idea of going to school, don''t get me wrong I like that you are my teacher but it''s just weird that you''re my mother too," I told her as I beamed her a smile not wanting her to worry about this anymore. "Aww, you called me mom, that''s so cute" She abruptly eximed startling me a little as shepletely my other words. Looking at her bright smile I knew she would not let this so quickly go after all I hardly call her mom. Looking to Emma for help she totally ignored me probably still angry at me. "If you''re going to react like that I''ll stop," I said to her as I decided to meet her gaze wanting to bluff her. She looked shocked after hearing my words as if I just told her that the government installs cameras into pigeons or something. "No, you can''t do that I won''t help you train anymore" she quickly said as she pouted in an attempt to bring across her point. Looking at her pouting face that resembled a chipmunk I could not help myself from patting her head. "All right you win but you will have to tell me who this star yer is that you''re training this summer." I told her listing my demand not wanting to make it seem like I just lost this duel. Patting her head seemed to be the wrong move as she pinched my cheeks hard as if she were rubbing a precious''s gem. "I''ll only tell you that he is the King," she said as she finally let go of my poor cheek which now felt as if someone had pped. Rubbing it didn''t seem to help any better so I started think about who she could possibly be talking about. Ignoring the smile on her face, I started thinking about who it could be. Seeing that I was deeply contemting her words she just shrugged it off and started talking to everyone else. Dad started talking about how he would have to go for a business meeting in New York for a couple of days. Apparently, he is meeting with a new designer to create a line of workout clothes for his business. He seemed excited about the prospect of working with the guy saying that it could be a game changer for thepany. "Hey Princess, are you ready for yourpetition next week," I vaguely heard dad ask her in an attempt to bring her out of her mood. Which seemed to work as she actually answered him sound excited about it. "I have been practising really hard and we have a good chance of winning, most of the dancers are quite good so much better than myst squad." She said as she started exining how much better her new team was. She really admired her dance captain not sparing anypliments as she talked about how amazing her aerial moves are. "I''m so happy for you, just remember to have fun," Mom chimed into the conversation sounding happy for her daughter. The conversation continued form there only appearing in the background as my thoughts continued to race. That is when it finally hit me, a big-time basketball yer who is joining the heats and has the nick name king. "LEBRON!!!" I loudly eximed staring at my mom with glowing eyes just waiting for her to confirm my conjecture. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 63 63 LeBron [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "LEBRON!!!" I loudly eximed staring at my mom with glowing eyes just waiting for her to confirm my conjecture. Honestly, I felt crazy even considering that it could be King James himself, but he is the only one I could think of that is joining the Miami Heats around this year. I did not follow much of basketball in my past life but even I have heard about the scoring record holder. "Yes it''s Mr. James" she replied casually as if she were not saying that she would be training basketball royalty. Although I only know of some minor things about him from my past life, like how he is just so naturally gifted for the sport amongst other things. From the past three months of living in the US I have gotten to first hand see his skill on live TV. "You sure it''s Lebron James and not Jerome James because it''s not funny to y with my emotions like that," I asked again still not buying into her words just waiting for her to shout sike and say it is a joke. That would honestly be a twisted joke in my perspective as sports is the only thing I do not joke about. For all, I care we could be ying cricket and I would still be giving it a full 120 per cent of effort to win. "Of course, I''m sure I checked his information when we signed the contract" She answered me sounding slightly annoyed that I didn''t believe her. Well can you me me would you believe your mom if she told you that she going to be hanging out with Lebron? OfCourse not anyone that says yes clearlycksmon sense or they still believe in Santa, which in that case they have a whole different assortment of problems they should be dealing with. "Let me see the contract maybe you read it wrong?" I told her not believing her words as I leaned forward from my chair expecting her to spawn the documents at once from her handbag. She gave me an odd look after noticing my actions probably questioning where she went wrong in raising me in the short three months or so. Well, can you me me though Women''s handbags seem like dimensional storage devices to me with the number of things they store in there. I swear I once saw a women pull out a rabbit out of her handbag, then again, she was a magician, but you get my point. "You brat just sit back down you will know when you meet himter won''t you," she angrily said whilst knocking the top of my head prompting me to lean back into my chair. For the rest of the car ride, we continued to have a pleasant conversation with one another with me asionally trying to chat with Emma only to be ignored. She only forgave me when I promised she could go with me if I had to move. ~~~ "I missed you" I eximed with a satisfied smile as I slumped onto my bed. The feeling of my own bed felt exactly right. It was around 6 PM when we arrived home and I was tired which was odd since I would usually still be training around this time. "Are you going to sleep already?" I heard Emma ask from behind me, but I was too tired to bother turning around. "No, I''m just going to close my eyes for a moment," I muttered out as I slowly relished thefort of my soft metres. Before I could even realise it, I was fast asleep of into dreand ying football against a guy who could shoot fire shots. This made me realise that I might need a hobby if I am starting to have weird dreams about football. [3 Hourster] "mmh, ten more minutes... just one more goal and we will be world champions," I muttered lightly as I dribbled down the left nk deftly dodging a slide tackle of a guy who somehow managed to kick out what looked like ten kicks. Ignoring the obvious ninja, I quickly made my way across the edge of the box sending a powerful shot towards the top right. It was then that I noticed that my shot had sparks of lightning, but then again am just that good so it should be normal. However, before I could celebrate my Thor-imbued shot the goalkeeper''s hand glowed in a golden light as he held it out towards the ball. The next moment a giant golden see-through hand flew forward enveloping my shot and smothering all the power out of it. In the next moment, the ball appeared in the keeper''s hand without any fuss. "Nice try but you need to wake up if you want to score against me," The guy spoke out flexing his biceps as if he did not just use magic to stop my shot. The massive friendly grin he was giving me started to piss me off the longer I looked at it. "You were obviously cheating using that Magic hand face me fair and square," I pointed at the guy a little annoyed that he was looking down at me. Ignoring the hypocrisy of the fact that I have a system that helps me get better at football. Then again, it''s also a part of the chance I was given so I would be stupid not to use it to the fullest. "But you used that lightning shot," He pointed out trying to defend his actions as what looked like a sad raincloud appeared above his head. I could swear I saw rain slowly dripping down on the guy but somehow he did not get wet. "That is not the same bro, I''m just built different, a little lightning here and there ispletely normal," I told the guy as I quickly made my way back to my position not knowing that the guy almost fell over due to myment. "Wake up you need to eat something," I Suddenly heard as the world around me froze with giant cracks appearing on the field that was now empty. Before I could even make sense of this bizarre situation, I was hit by a ball causing me to fall into the abyss. Looking back on my way down I saw the smiling face of that keeper rubbing the back of his head as if he had just done something wrong. "I''ll get you for this," is all I could say before my vision went dark as afortable silence washed over me. "I TOLD YOU TO WAKE UP!" I heard a feminine voice scream in my ear jolting my eyes open as if an electric current went through my body. What came into my sight was my familiar mint green ceiling reminding me where I was. Turning to my left I was surprised to be met with the angry face of Emma who seemed to be irritated by something. "Hi Emm''s, what''s up?" I asked her slightly puzzled as to why she was there and giving me an annoyed look at that. "(sigh) Just hurry up you have to eat dinner is already 10 pm" Is all she said to me as she started walking towards the door. I was slightly confused but my body seemed to move on autopilot as I climbed out of my bed. I did not have to change since I was already in my PJ''s, so I just followed her leaving my room and heading down the stairs towards the dining room. "Where are Mom and Dad?" I asked her as I sat down on an empty seat. There was a stack of sandwiches with all kinds of toppings in them. The bread used is some kind of brown bread which is a lot healthier than regr white bread. "They went to theke for a stroll," Is all she said as she started stacking my te with all kinds of sandwiches. It was like a colourful hill of food, from a BMT sandwich, a chicken curry sandwich, chicken tomatoes, and a simple melted cheese sandwich. Lucky for me I also got a warm cup of chamomile tea that was being kept hot in a thermos. "You don''t expect me to finish all this right?" I asked her slightly speechless at her actions, but she only gave me a confidant nod that seemed to say she believed in my abilities. ~~~ "That was amazing, I didn''t even know I was that hungry," I lightly eximed whilst rubbing my slightly bulging stomach. After today I do not think I will be eating anymore sandwiches for a while, well maybe just for a day or two because those tasted great. "You know you didn''t have to finish all of that right?" Emma said from my side slightly ncing up from her phone to meet my eyes. "I know I just didn''t want perfectly good food to go to waste," I answered her as I stood up to put my te into the dishwasher. "You know you could have just kept the rest in the fridge and eaten them in the morning for breakfast," Shemented as she stood up from her seat and started helping me clear the table. "What do you want to do now?" I asked wanting to quickly change the subject as it does not look like I was going to be winning this one. After clearing thest bit of the dishes, I was ready to just rx, mom makes sure that we clean up after ourselves and if we don''t we will never hear the end of it. "Let''s go sit at the firepit, do you still remember how to light it?" She asked me as she started heading toward the back terrace. Not wasting time, I quickly followed after her to the firepit outside, which was located to the left of the swimming pool. Quickly putting a couple of logs into the firepit, I added a little bit of lighter fluid making sure not to overdo it. I made that mistake when dad first taught me how to start a fire, so when the mes started, we almost lost our hair. Good thing this time the mes remained calm and just lit up the logs slowly spreading a wave of heat. "I didn''t even get burned this time," I told Emma with a bright smile as I took a seat next to Emma as she handed me one of my hoodies. Which If you are wondering I do not know when or where she had gotten it from. "Yeah, your hair is just growing back so you might want to keep it away from fire," Shemented as she started running her hand through my hair. Ever since I''ve known her, she has been using my hair as a sort of stress ball saying that it''s just too soft. "Anyways what you got nned for the week?" I asked her wanting to get a conversation going, I lovefortable silence, but my thoughts tend to be wild the moment they get that freedom. "I have a bunch of dance practices lined up with thepetition this weekend, you shoulde and watch," She answered me sounding quite excited at the prospect of meing to one of her practices. I''ve seen her dance quite a few times, but I have never actually apanied her to one of her dance lessons. "Yeah, I''ll go with you on Monday, what are we doing for the weekend though?" I told her after realising that it was Friday and she should not have any training sessions during the weekend. "I don''t know but we can go explore the surroundingke, we haven''t really seen what it has or offer," She answered me sounding way too excited about exploring what is basically her backyard. "Yeah, why not if it''s warm we can go for a swim," I answered with equal excitement about exploring our surroundings. I just love being surrounded by nature, and this seems like a fun way to unwind after putting my body through so much stress in the past week. "You''d have to be careful of Gators though," I heard someone say behind me startling me slightly since I didn''t hear them approach me. Looking back, I see that it''s just our parents which I am quite grateful for because I wasn''t ready for a fight. Seeing my shocked surprised face must have amused Dad as he started chuckling. "Don''t sneak up on me, you could''ve given me a heart attack," I told them slightly ring in an attempt to get my point across. That seemed to only amuse the more with mom smiling and dad full-onughing. "It''s alright one of my sisters is a doctor so go ahead and have all the attacks you want," Mom said in aforting tone adding more salt to injury. "Hunny, isn''t she a therapist?" I heard dad ask her after he was doneughing causing mom to stop smiling and carefully think about it. "Now that I think about it, she did say that her job is to listen to people''s feelings, but I thought she was joking since I wasining about my dad to her," she said after a moment of silence as if she had a sudden enlightenment. Hearing their conversation caused my lips to visibly twitch, like how do you not know what kind of doctor your sister is? "Just ignore them or they won''t stop annoying you for a while," I heard Emma say as she pulled me into a small huddle so the two of them couldn''t overhear. Deciding to trust her I just nodded at her words, after all, I''d only known the two of them for three months and she''s had 9 years of experience. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 64 64 No Place Like Home [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Just ignore them or they won''t stop annoying you for a while," I heard Emma say as she pulled me into a small huddle so the two of them couldn''t overhear. Deciding to trust her I just nodded at her words, after all, I''d only known the two of them for three months and she''s had 9 years of experience. "So, what is your favourite dance for thepetition?" deciding to trust her judgment I promptly changed the subject. She seemed slightly taken aback by my questions but didn''t seem dot mind it as she started promptly talking about distinctive styles of dance. "I personally like contemporary as that''s what I''m best at, but we have been doing a lot of hip-hoptely which is fun, especially with all the flips." She replied as she started going into the ins and outs of her dancing preference. Looking at her excited face I couldn''t bring myself to say that I did not even know there were that many dance styles. "Are you doing a lot of contemporary in thepetition next weekend?" I asked her now genuinely curious since from what I had gathered she will only be dancing in the group performance. Every team has a group performance, a solo, and two duets. Since she is the youngest in her dance troupe, she must work hard to keep up with older kids, so she gets fewer chances to try-out for solos and duets. "Yeah, I''m only in the group performance dance but I''ve been doing extra practising with my captain, so it won''t be long before I''ll get my first solo," she answers me sounding excited about her improvements. "Hey, don''t ignore us" I heard mum exim as she quickly sat down on one of the chairs with a slight pout on her face. It''s moments like this that show me where Emma gets her overly childish moments from. "Then stop being weird," Is all Emma says not showing a hint of remorse at her mother''s attempt at looking hurt. "Anyways you said something about gators?" I interrupted mum before she can have the chance to drag on this argument that is developing between them. I don''t know why but Emma will take any chance to argue with mum. "Yeah, there a quite a few here in Florida, it might as well be their country at this point." dad chimed in probably wanting to avoid listening to another argument between the female half of the family. "Oh, really then maybe we''ll stay away from the water," Imented thinking about the fact that I would probably lose the fight with a gator in the water. That only earned a chuckle from mum as she is well aware of my aversion to messing with wildlife. It''s not like I''m scared of them but why would I mess with them if they don''t mess with me. I wouldn''t mind having a Tiger as a pet though, but mum was against the Idea saying something like it wouldn''t be fair to the other kids who only get to have regr cats. Her reasoning made sense to me so I settled for just getting a dog since I don''t like normal cats. "You don''t have to worry about that there shouldn''t be any gators in theke it''s a good spot to fish though." dad said looking as if he was talking from experience, which is probably true since he looks like someone who loves nature. "Just don''t go too deep into the forest because there are some wild animals in the forest," mum said as she pulled out a bag of marshmallows from the cupboard at the side. We spent the rest of the night as a family just enjoying each other''spany and talking about all sorts of things. We made smoors as we listened to Ben tell all sorts of stories about his adventures when he lived like he had nine lives. Apparently, he and his friends lived for the little thrills from snowboarding to parachuting, so he had a lot of amazing adventures to tell. Some were so absurd that mum had to stop him from telling us just in case we get the idea to try them. After a fun night, we ended up going to bed for the night since unlike me they did not have a nap earlier. ~~~ The next morning, my body felt quite refreshed after a good night of rest. Quickly going through my morning routine of stretching I made my way to the bathroom for a shower. It did not take long for the cold water to hit my body instantly washing any lingering tiredness. ''Hey Eva, you have been rather silent what you up too?" I asked since she hasn''t really said anything after I received the rewards for the missions. [oh, hello I was just taking a nap] She instantly replied without batting an eye as if she really had just woken up. ''You have been doing that a lot you know,'' [you have been doing the same thing for quite a while, so I''ve been getting bored,] She replied sounding like a little kid who wasining about watching a cartoon they''d already watched. ''it''s not really my fault I''ve been through a lot in the past few months, so training is all I''ve been able to do,'' I told her as I got out of the shower and started to dry myself off. [I Know it''s not your fault but you should hurry up and break your limits so you can step out of the skill realm of youth yers into the armature level.] she said slightly excited at the probability of me improving my skills as a yer. ''What are the requirements for me to step into the realm of an armature yer,'' I asked her since she has mentioned the different sses between yers before but never actually gave me the requirements I had to achieve. [It should be showing up any moment now,] Is all she said totally confusing me as to what she was referring to. [Ding]: conditions met for the Main Mission] [Singrity Main Mission Generating] [Ding] ! Wonderkid! #Task 1 New Kid: Join any type of football team (0/1) #Task 2 Real contender: reach the Knockout stage in apetition (0/1) #Task 3 Goal Machine: Win a Golden Boot (0/1) #Task 4 Shark in a pond: Have 3 of your physical stats reach the S Rank (0/3) #Task 5 7 Wonders: Create Unforgettable Goals in one season (0/7) ~~~ Rewards: 1) > 1000 SP 2) > 5,000 SP 3) > 20,000 Sp 4) > Lottery Draw, upgrade to armature level 5) > A Random yer Specific Skills ~~~ ''Dang those are some mouth-watering rewards, makes me want to hurry up andplete them,'' Imented after having a look through the system pop-up. It was just earlier today that I was thinking of a way to scam a bunch of Sp from the system and here it was presented to me on a silver tter. [Congrattion for triggering the system''s main quest more tasks will show up once you unlock certain conditions,] Eva chimed in sounding more excited about the fact that I unlocked the main quest of the system. ''Yeah, this gives me a goal to work towards for the foreseeable future, oh and is three S rack stats the requirement to meet the armature level?'' I asked Eva since this whole quest was triggered due to the conversation we were having. [Affirmative host you can reach the armature level by having 3 of your physical stats reach the S rank or by simply growing to the age of 16] she promptly answered sounding like a teacher who was proudly answering a student who was asking the right questions. ''So, I can either be good enough to reach the next level or simply wait to grow a couple of years older,'' I inwardlymented after realising that I could reach the next level by simply growing up but if I wanted to the reward, I better start training. ''Alright let''s go get some breakfast to start of the day right,'' Iment after I finished changing into a new change of clothes. I was dawning a navy tracksuit that matched my sliders as I promptly made my way down the stairs "Hi son you are up early," I heard dad say from behind the kitchen countertop where he was drinking his morning tea whilst reading the paper. "Yeah, I couldn''t really sleep since I slept during the day," I answered him as I made my way over to grab a bowl for my muesli. It didn''t take long for me to prepare a bowl with some strawberries and bananas cut into it. "Are You working today?" I asked him as I started to slowly enjoy my breakfast. Theirs just something about breakfast that makes me enjoy it even more. "Yeah, I''ve got a marketing meeting for our back-to-schoolunch in August," he said as he took a sip of his tea before refocusing on his paper again. "Oh alright, talking about school''s can you send me the information on the school''s football program, so I know what to look forward too," I asked him since the faster I join the team I''ll be able to tick off one of the missions and gain some much-needed Sp. "Of course, I will have mama send you them since she the one that done the research on the team," He promptly answered before refocusing on his paper it seems something interesting is going on in the news. "Talking about mom where is she?" I asked him as I took a look at the clock that was showing it was 10 am. Around this time she would usually be up and about either making breakfast for us or chasings Emma out of bed. "Oh, she went out to meet her uncle William''s," dad said as he finished drinking his tea It seems he was just about to leave for work any moment. We continued talking from time to time as we had our breakfast until mom came back home. Judging by the female business suit she was wearing she must have had an important meeting. She told us that she was looking at gym spaces she was going to book for her training sessions with Lebron. She seemed quite excited about it, saying that she was thinking of opening her own gym specialised for one-on-one clients so she wouldn''t have to go gym hunting every time she gets a client. ~~~ "Let''s get going we are alreadyte" Emma said as she dragged me out of the house in a hurry to get away from mom who was nagging her. She had slept in today and mom has been nagging her about getting a proper breakfast but for some reason she is in a rush. "Why are you rushing anyways it''s not like we have a time schedule," I asked her as I continued to follow after her not daring to risk her anger since she seems to be ready for a fight. "It''s because we are going to meet someone and we arete," Is all she said as she continued to drag me down the street ignoring mom who was shouting for us toe back. Not bothering to ask any more questions I just followed after her making sure not to run past her since I don''t know the way. We continued down the block for what felt like three minutes until we reached a yground where two people seemed to be waiting for us on the swings. Not knowing who they were I was slightly apprehensive about approaching them, but Emma was the opposite as she confidently strode towards them. The two of them seemed to be siblings with the older of the two being a girl with ck wavy hair. The brte has a whiteplexation that entuated her hazel eyes which were guarded by her red sses. The boy standing next to her had a lot of simrities with her which further confirmed my conjecture of them being rted. He was a head smaller than the girl with his hair cut into what looks like a mohawk with red thunderbolts going through his hair. I could already tell that this boy is used to getting into a lot of trouble just by the annoyed look he was giving the girl. He looked like he was forced toe here with her and was looking for the slightest opportunity to cause trouble for the girl. "Hi Jenna, sorry we arete," Emma said as we got closer to them as she went in for a hug leaving me and the boy to just awkwardly stand there. "It''s alright I know howzy you can be sometimes," the girl said with a bright smile as she patted Emma''s head like a mother hen who was sued to the troubles her chicks would cause. Her actions caused Emma''s cheeks to glow a slight red due to her feeling embarrassed. "It''s not my fault I was having an amazing dream about dancing at nationals," She could only sheepishly answer in an effort to defend her actions. "Who are you?" The mohawk boy suddenly eximed as he started ring at me as if doing that would get him the answers faster. My brows inadvertently wrinkled after hearing his words, not knowing why the brat decided to end my blissful role as a bystander. "Never mind that why are there worms in your hair?" . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 65 65 Friends I Think? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Never mind that why are there worms in your hair?" there was a moment of silence after my words fell. I could practically see the gears in the boy''s head short circuit as he tried to get his head around my words. "What did you say?" He loudly eximed as he took a step towards me ready for a confrontation. "Those red stripes in your hair," I pointed out his odd hairstyle whilst making sure to keep a straight face not fretting over the possibility of him getting violent. My unfazed demeanour while answering him seemed to surprise him as he took a small step backwards but stills kept staring me down. "Hey, don''t start fighting as soon as you meet someone new," I heard the girl named Jenna berate him as she pinched his sides causing him to visibly twitch. She had a bright smile on her face but something about it felt off as her eyes didn''t seem to smile. I gulped lightly happy about the fact that she wasn''t my sister as she seems quite scary. However just as I was feeling relieved, I felt a cold gaze to my right and after taking a quick nce I immediately turned away not risking eye contact. What I saw were Emma''s cold blue eyes staring at me with an annoyed look on her face as if I had just ruined her reunion with her friend. "I''m sorry my name is Liam," the mohawk boy said to me as she held his hand out for a handshake. I could tell that he was mainly doing this because of his sister, probably not wanting to risk her anger. "Yeah, I''m sorry too, oh and my name is Rakim," I answered him as I quickly shook his hands, just wanting Emma to stop ring at me. I don''t know what is wrong with me sometimes I just get triggered so easily. Even though I have the memories and wisdom of my older self I tend to act like any other six-year-old sometimes. Maybe I need therapy because this is not normal but then again, it''s not really a terrible thing since I''ll get an authentic childhood experience. Oh well, I guess I won''t be lying when I say I have an old soul. "So, you weren''t lying when you said you got a little brother," Jenna said pulling my attention back to the present. She was currently examining me from head to toe seemingly evaluating me with her curious eyes. "Of course, not I have the best brother," Emma said proudly as she ced a hand on my shoulder as if she was bragging about herself. My eye twitched at her actions but I didn''t dare to say anything since I just barely escaped her rath a moment ago. "Why is everything always apetition with you?" The girl helplessly said as she started walking away not wanting to engage in the conversation. "Where are you going?" Emma said as she quickly followed her leaving me and Liam behind. He and I stood there in silence for around five seconds as we watched them get further away from us. Turning towards him we made quick eye contact before dashing after the two of them. What surprised me was that the boy was able to keep up with my pace. In all fairness, I wasn''t running at full speed, but my sudden change of speed is pretty fast as well. Realising that Liam was quite athletic only made me want topete with him more. Before we even realised it, we ran past our sisters but that didn''t matter to us as we continued running on the sidewalk. I Had no Idea where we were going but I just continued to follow his side as he seemed to know the way. We turned right to a pathway that was epassed by the forest that led to theke. I could see the sparkling reflection of the sunlight that made theke look like a beautiful blue gemstone. "First to theke loser buys Ice cream," Liam eximed loudly as he sprung forward flipping another gear as he took off down the path. Not being left behind I instinctively followed after him doing my best to sprint as fast as I could with my Jordans. Although I love the shoes, but they are just not made for running sports forcing me to adjust slightly and probably damaging them more. The two of us sped down the long pathway as our shadows continued to sh past the trees on the side. We were running so fast that the surrounding scenery started to blur in our periphery vision as the wind swept past us. Halfway through the path, we spotted people who were walking around enjoying their day. However, in our eyes, they all just became obstacles for us to circumvent. The first people we approached were an elderly couple who were walking in the middle of the path seemingly on a date. Before I could react to avoid them, I felt Liam push me to the right with his arm sending me into the forest. Not having the time toin to him I had to quickly do an improvised spin move to avoid a tree. That move caused me to slow down slightly but seeing Liam rushing back to the path I gritted my teeth and followed after him. Taking quick strides, I easily managed to level with his pace as we approached a group of cyclists who were leisurely riding along the path on my side of the path. Seeing that I would be blocked off If didn''t do anything I stretched out my left-hand pushing Liam out of the path and taking hisne as I started increasing my speed to the fullest. I heard him exim loudly trying toin but I didn''t pay him any heed simply happy about getting my revenge. Thinking that I had lost him since he hadn''t caught up to me, yet I faintly heard heavy breathing behind me sounding a little like a lotive. We had reached thest fifty yards of the path when he finally managed to reach my side. The path was clear so we both continued to speed up as fast as our bodies let us. we were neck and neck in our race but just as we were ten yards from leaving the forested path a toddler who was being followed by their older sibling appeared in front of us. Not having time to think about it I did the first thing that came to mind slowing down slightly as I took three big strides. My sudden deceleration seemed to have inadvertently resulted in me dogging Liam''s arm which was probably supposed to push me aside. He was slightly off-bnced due to his actions, but he chose to perform a spin move to circumvent the family. As he was performing his spin move, I took to the sky jumping over the toddler who looked to be no older than 2 at most. The toddler and I made eye contact as I soared above him causing his jaw to open wide in amazement. It felt as if the world stopped for a second as I was in the air giving me a moment of rity before the world started spinning again as I made contact with the ground again using my momentum to increase my speed. After ten more long strides my feet made contact with the sand as I came to a sliding stop. A secondter Liam also reached the sand immediately plopping down on the sand as he tried to catch his breath. "That was crazy, I''ve never run that fast in my entire life," he said after a while, in which we spent the entire time trying to catch our breath. At this point, I had already plopped to the ground next to him in an attempt to stabilise my breathing. "Yeah, that was insane, I barely had time to think whilst running," I said as I looked out towards theke that was now before me in all its glory. The air here was extremely fresh here which helped us quickly regain our bearings from the run. "You''re not bad from now on your my friend, don''t worry I will protect you," Liam said in a proud voice as he thumped his chest to show his strength. Looking at his serious expression and the sheer self-belief that he could deliver on his promises made me admire him a little. "Haha sure we''ll be friends from now on but are you sure you want to? I''ll probably end up getting you into a lot of trouble," I told him as I held out my fist for a fist bump which he quickly met with his own fist. "Don''t worry I''m used to trouble so I can help us weasel out of it," he said in a tone that told me he was speaking from experience. Judging by the fact that his older sister seemed to be used to disciplining him it should be the case. "Haha now I feel like you''ll be getting us in most of our future troubles" I answered him with a wry smile on my face as I watched him slowly get up. "Naw I don''t go looking for trouble it just somehow ends up finding me, honestly it''s weird how that happens." He said with an aggrieved look on his face looking as if he had been through a lot. "(Sigh) I guess will be partners in crime from now on," I told him as I also got up from the ground and started dusting off the sand off my clothes. Myment seemed to make him happy as he started chuckling whilst walking off in a certain direction. "Where are you going?" I asked him as I followed after him taking slow breaths now that I had regained my breathing from the run. "I lost so I owe you ice cream, I''m a man of my word after all," he said as he continued to lead the way to an area with a few scattered shops on the side of theke. All the shops seemed to be specifically there to provide a service for those that came to enjoy their day at theke. I spotted what looked like a bar and next to eat was an Italian pizza restaurant. It didn''t take long for us to reach a cafe-style shop called Angels Delight where a couple of people could be seen sitting in chairs enjoying their ice cream. We didn''t sit down and went directly to the counter to order. I ended up getting two scoops of mango in a small tub whilst Liam got a vour called strawberry delight. After we got our Ice cream we went back to the end of the path and took a seat. Apparently, the girls would be heading here eventually so we just sat on a bench and waited for them. During our wait, we started talking to one another about all sorts of things. Liam''s family is originally from Ennd in a town called Birmingham. They moved here a couple of years ago and that''s when Emma and Jenna became friends. Heined for a while about how he was always dragged to go out and y with them and their friend group. ording to him their friend group consisted of four girls of Emma''s age and three boys who were the younger siblings of the girls. Liam didn''t seem to like the other boys much saying something about them being annoying. All of the boys were seven except Liam who was my age adding to his dislike of the other two. "So howe you are so fast?" I finally asked him as this has been on my mind for a while. I''m extremely proud of my speed so meeting someone who could keep up with me is quite surprising then again, I was running in Jordans. My words seemed to surprise him stopping his ranting about how sloppy a boy called Reece was. "Oh me?" he asked me in surprise as he pointed his finger at his nose as if wanting to confirm I was talking about him. "I was more worried about you since you beat me, but I just assumed that the wind held me back a little more," he said with a straight tone as he was seemingly thinking of reasons as to why he could have lost to me. My mouth twitched visibly as I started focusing on my breathing holding back the urge to punch him. Seemingly seeing sensing my gloomy expression he put up his hands in a cating manner. "The reason I''m this fast is that I was born this way," he said in a matter-of-fact tone nodding as if he had just reached enlightenment on the reason of his being. I could only sigh after watching him since I couldn''t me him for answering my question. Seeing his actions, I felt a kindred spirit that enjoys the art of triggering people. "Anyways that''s enough about me how did you get so fast? it''s not easy for normal people you know," He asked me curiously as he said thetter part of that sentence in a hushed voice. Already used to his antics I didn''t let it trigger me anymore and simply smiled at him. "Oh me? I was chosen to be extraordinary," I said to him with a smile on my face as I mimicked his earlier actions. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 66 66 Friends I Think 2 [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Oh me? I was chosen to be extraordinary," I said to him with a smile on my face as I mimicked his earlier actions. His ck-jawed expression to my words was priceless. I could figuratively see the gears in his head halt slightly as if he were hit by lightning. His mouth opened slightly in an attempt to answer me but even after 10 seconds, no words came out of his mouth. I continued watching him struggle to formte words but, in the end, he just sighed and sat back on the bench. Just as I was thinking that I might have broken him he started foolishly smiling making me question his sanity. "Alright just give me a day and I''ll be faster than you," he said after he was doneughing and presumably regaining his sanity. His sentence left me speechless but judging by the look in his eyes he was a hundred per cent serious about his promation. "You can try but you are going to need a lot of luck to catch up with me," I told him with a smile ready to meet his challenge. I was happy that my first friend in both lives seems to be as active as me. The guys at the camp are also my friends but they are more like rivals whom I''ll most likely have topete against. We continued topete with one another from doing handstands to press-ups, literally, anything you could think of we did. It turns out that Liam is part of a gymnastics and running club, so we found plenty of things topete in. It was in one of ourpetitions where we were trying to see how far we could walk on our hands that we bumped into a group of people. looking up from the ground I was met with an annoyed Emma who was looking at me as if I had left her somewhere. Wait didn''t I leave her earlier, then again, she was with her friend, so she won''t be that angry right? Just as I thought that she''d be reasonable I watched her lightly kick my side in protest but still made sure not to hurt me. "Ow that hurt," I eximed lightly as I looked up at her from the ground enjoying the feel of the grass. During ourpetition, we moved away from the path and onto awn just past the trees. "Well, you deserve it for leaving me," Is all she said as she held out her hand for me to stand up. She is weird like that sometimes even though she is mad at me she still ends up worrying about me. I guess she is taking her role as a big sister seriously. "Sorry about that I got a little carried away, Is that your other friend?" I quickly apologised to her as I motioned to the new girl that had joined the two of them. The girl has long wavy peach-blond hair which waspletely contrasting Emma''s light blond curls. The girl wore a green floral dress that matched her eyes making her look like some kind of fairy. looking at the three of them made me wonder if having good looks was a prerequisite to joining their friend group. Heck, even Liam with a Mohawk had a lively handsomeness to him that sporty kids seem to have. "Yeah, this is May she is justing back from New York today," She answered me as she affectionately put her arm over the girl. Just by a nce, I could tell that they were close especially since my sister tries her hardest to avoid physical contact with almost everyone. "Hi Emma, has told me a lot about you," she told me with a smile as she held her hand out for a handshake. "Yeah, nice to meet you too," I answered her with a smile as I shook her hand and started asking her misceneous questions in an attempt to be polite. We quickly bonded on ourmon pleasure of teasing Emma as she started telling me stories of how she got them into trouble. "Once she convinced our nanny that she could swim because she wanted to do the jumps, she had seen people do on Tv," She started exining how Emma almost got her nanny fired due to negligence. Apparently after watching the Olympic swimming events with Dad, she had gotten the idea that she could do the same. So, when she went to May''s house the next day, she convinced her nanny to let her swim in the pool iming to be as good as those in the Olympics. Although the nanny did not believe her but after ten minutes of pestering, she finally relented. The result of that was Emma doing a backflip into the water only to end up drinking water as she tried her best to stay afloat. "Hey, I wasn''t that bad, plus I apologised to Aunt Maria and exined it to your parents, and I learned to swim the next week," Emma quickly exined her actions as her cheeks quickly turned rosy in embarrassment. We continued to chat as a group as they led me to their spot around theke. We reached a small stone riff that was surrounded by palm trees and smooth rocks. The area looked quite literally like a paradise on earth, small river streams could be seen flowing through the rocks connecting with theke. There was a water swing that was hung on a tree that bend towards theke. "Dang this ce is nice," I was finally able to say after taking in the beautiful senary of the spot. We quickly found a spot to sit on arge t stone that had water quietly flowing around it. Since none of us brought any swim clothes we just dipped our feet in the water as we continued to talk with each other. "So, are you going to join our school in the fall?" May asked me as they were in the middle of discussing some kind of sports trip the cheerleading team does. I was slightly surprised by her question as I was in the middle of narrating my footballing exploits at the Nike camp to Liam. "Yeah, I''ll be joining, Mom says the football program there is quite good," I told her sounding quite unsure towards theter part of the sentence. Hearing my sentence, she seems quite happy at the prospect of me joining their school. "What position do you y? are you on the offensive team or the defensive one or maybe you are on special teams?" Jenna asked me as she started guessing which position I could be ying. Her genuine curiosity was something to behold which only made it more embarrassing for me to tell her that she was thinking of the wrong sport. "(ahem) I was talking about ser, and I y on the left wing," I told her with a slightly embarrassed smile on my face. hearing my words, it took her a second before she realised her mistake as she blushed lightly probably remembering her ramblings. Her younger brothersughing probably didn''t help her feel less embarrassed. "That was my first thought, but I''ve made that mistake before, so I just assumed you meant American football," She quickly exined herself which only served to make her friends giggle more. Her panicked expression is quite cute especially as she started pouting at her friends. "It''s alright I''m not really going to nit-pick about it anymore," I told her with a smile as I tried to cate her which seemed to work a little. Just like that, we spent the rest of the afternoon in that little piece of paradise just rxing. I found out that all the girls are part of the cheerleading team except Emma because it shed with dance practice. However, she is supposed to be joining the team this school year which made the rest of the girls quite excited. After a while, Liam and I got bored of just chatting and we decided to continue ourpetition. We tried racing in the sand in our bare feet but that turned out to be a bad idea as we quickly lost bnce when we tried to shove each other. Let''s just say that even the sand in paradise does not taste sweet. When we tried ying pranks on the girls, we only ended up in us getting a lecture from them which started a water fight. Calling it a fight would be an understatement it was more like a war that ended up with all of uspletely soaked. Although 3v2 was a little unfair we defied all odds and won the war in the end. ~~~ "Why are the two of you all wet?" I heard Mom say with a stern look on her face as she looked towards our feet where water was currently dripping. I didn''t quite mind her gaze as I just stood there with my Js in hand as I ended up walking back in my socks. "It''s all his fault," Emma said throwing me under the bus without the slightest hesitation. The corner of my lips twitched after hearing her words, but I couldn''t really deny her usation. "She dragged me out today so it''s kind of her fault, I was just an innocent passenger," I quickly spoke up as I advocated my innocence making sure to put on a wronged expression to get my point across. "(sigh) Just go up and shower and make sure you clean up after," Mom said as she promptly left, probably wanting to keep her sanity instead of dealing with us. "Oh well might as well before we get a cold," Imented lightly as I started making my way towards the bathroom. It didn''t take me long to reach the bathroom and hop into the shower. ''Hey Eva, what would you say is the most important quality of a footballer?'' . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 67 67 Dance [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ ''Hey Eva, what would you say is the most important quality of a footballer?'' I asked her genuinely curious to hear her opinion. [The most important quality a yer sessful yer has is longevity and consistency,] She immediately answered me sounding a hundred per cent sure, which quite surprised me if I''m being honest. ''I can understand consistency by why would longevity be important?'' I asked her wanting to get a deeper exnation. [As you''ve probably guessed a consistent yer can perform at the same level throughout the season thus making him a valuable asset to the coach. This is where longevityes in as it allows yers to remain at their peak for a long period of time.] She told as she entered her teaching mode exining the ins and outs of everything. [Finally, an example of a yer who has both of these traits is Lionel Messi who manages to stay at the top of his abilities whilst making sure he can maintain it over many years toe.] With that she finished her exnation, leaving me to ponder on how I would emte one of the greats. I spent the rest of the shower pondering how I would achieve my goals as a yer and how best to use this summer to continue to grow my skills. After finishing my shower and getting into a pair of PJs I went downstairs to get some dinner. It was just the three of us at the dinner table since Dad was still at work. I didn''t stay up long today since I wanted to get back into my routine the next morning. So after having dinner I hang out with Emma for a while before going to bed. ~~~ Monday Morning was quite a hectic day as Emma chose to wake up early with Lisa and me so she could join our workout. However, we could easily tell that the real reason she was up this early was because I would be joining her dance ss today. She only participated in the yoga exercises and didn''t even bother with the cardio choosing to ride her bike whilst we ran. I wasn''tining though any exercise is better than no exercise right? It was currently 10 am and the two of us were sitting in the range waiting for Mum to drive us. I wasn''t even allowed to eat breakfast since my morning training rante so after my shower Emma dragged me to get ready and straight into the car. "You know I won''t make it through the day if I don''t have breakfast right," I told her as I sent her a light re. "You can just ask Mum to get you something when we get there," She said leaving no room for an argument. I continued to re at her bat she just ignored my actions choosing to focus on her phone. I could only sigh at her actions as I chose to just wait for Mum to get in the car. It didn''t take long for her to get in the car as she handed the both of us a brown bag that left my stomach churning to consume it. "I figured you''d be hungry and knowing your sister she wouldn''t risk beingte," She said as she promptly drove out of the driveway. Inside the bag are rolls of bread with different toppings and a couple of fruits. Not wasting any more time Quikly started eating one of the rolls in an attempt to satiate my hunger. "Thanks, Mum at least one of you cares that I stay fed" I quickly thanked her making sure to send a jab at Emma whilst I''m at it. This only earned me a pinch from her as she also started eating her breakfast. "Didn''t Emma tell you that I usually pack our breakfast for the road when she has early practice?" Mum asked from the front sounding slightly confused by myment. Hearing her words I could only send a questioning look towards Emma which she proceeded to ignore. "Well sure she did, anyways how long is the drive?"I asked her wanting to divert the topic of conversation. "It''s just a thirty-minute drive if theirs is not too much traffic" She answered me as she put on the radio so she could hear traffic notifications. ~~~ "Finally here" Emma eximed as we pulled into a parking lot where quite a few cars were parked. In front of me was a medium-sized building that resembled some of the indoor sports facilities I saw on campusst week. At the front of the building are the words Serenity Dance written in bold. "Is this whole building just for dancing?" Asked Emma once we went past the receptionist as I''ve already spotted around three different dance halls already. "Yeah with got a lot of teams who practice here," She replied sounding proud of her dance team which she has all right to be proud of. We continued down the hall until we came to a massive dance hall where a group of girls could be seen stretching. Emma quickly run over to her friends and started talking to them as she joined in on their warm-up exercises. In total, there were around 12 girls in the hall dressed in sports gear. Most of them looked like the typical school cliques you would see in American movies. The blond girl with the high ponytail seems to be the dance captain and all the other girls subconsciously revolved around her. "Come with me there is a viewing area upstairs for family," Mum spoke up as she lead me towards some stairs. It didn''t take us long to climb the stairs where a small lounge area that overlooked the dance hall. There were a few mom''s here sitting with their coats on as they overlooked their children''s actions. "Looks like they are about to get started," Imented as I took a free seat next to Mum. She started exchanging polite conversation with the other moms as I watched a middle-aged women walk into the dance hall and address the girls. ~~~ [Emma PoV] Alright girls now that everyone is here let''s get started with the group practice," Miss Grace said as we all got into our position. The group performance is by far the hardest as we all have to be in sync with one another throughout the dance and if someone is sloppy you can bet Miss Grace will spot them. The dance was actually pretty easy as long as you stayed within the rhythm of the whole squad. It only gets hard when you have to perform a mini solo or duet since all the attention will be on you. Hearing the first note of the music I put my full focus on the dance not wanting to make a single mistake since my little brother came to watch me. I would say we are close but he is just way too focused on training sometimes. I understand he wants to get better and I support it but it just leaves little time to just hang out with each other. He and Mum click so well because training athletes is literally what she does for a living. The song was now halfway through and Miss Grace hasn''t stopped it yet which means we are doing alright. Just as the music slows down I know it''s my queue to take front and centre and I do just that as I''m joined by my two partners. It might not be a solo but this mini trio gives me a chance to shine and I will do just that. Our portion of the performance relies heavily on teamwork as we lean on each other quite a lot as we danced. Our trio performance is more like a slow stretch routine If I had to put it into words. Going through the routine I felt confident in myself as all of my movements felt smooth. All the almost non-stop training throughout the past weeks was finally paying off especially now that Rakims watching me perform for the first time. "That was great everyone, E you are still a little too slow on that half Pirouette, oh and Emma you are still holding back on that trio," Miss Grace started critiquing our performance as she started breaking down how we could improve upon it. Her words always make me think of ways I can improve even though I make more mistakes than I''d like. ~~~ "So what do you think?" I asked Rakim as we got back in the car to go back home. It''s already 8 pm and he spent most of the day watching me practice just like he promised I even caught a glimpse of him pping at some point. "You were great your team has great chemistry, if I''m being honest I was expecting more shouting," He told me with a smile on his face as he handed me his phone whith a couple of videos and photos of me from today''s practice. "Why did you take these?" I asked him slightly confused as I watched one of the videos on mute with a slight frown. "I know how you like to overanalyze your dances so I thought this might help," He told me as he snatched back his phone before I could even think of deleting them. "That doesn''t exin the photos though," Imented as I tried to snatch his phone from him only for him to nimbly doge. "The photos are because you kept making a chipmunk expression when you frowned," is all he said as he started sending me the entire gallery of pictures and videos. "(sigh) Well thank you foring I know you wanted to train some more," I told him as I pulled him into a hug. "Always but you will have toe to my football games," he told me with a smile as he put one of his songs on in the car. "Deal if youe to my actual shows," I told him with a smile as I put my focus on analyzing the videos of me dancing he just sent me. ~~~ [2 Month time skip] . . . . To be continued... Chapter 68 68 First Day [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Rakim wake up or you will bete for your first day," I heard a familiar voice call out to me, but my pillow was just way too soft to let go of. I was already awake and was just enjoying the rxing sensation of my bed which was still warm from my body heat. "If you arete for school, I won''t let you try out for the football team," I heard the same sweet voice threaten me without losing a beat as if she wasplimenting me. Her words instantly jolted me awake causing me to throw the pillow away that almost led me astray from my path to greatness. After getting rid of the pillow of temptation I red at the figure of my mother who only sent me an amused smile. "You know you are going to find a new threat after I join the team, right?" That is all I could say to her after remembering the countless times she used that same threat over the summer in order to get me to do something. One time Liam and I created such a big mess in the backyard with one of our pranks that she made us clean it up for three days. "I know, who do you think is going to sign all those consent forms for your tournaments?" that''s all she said as she walked off next door to torture Emma awake. Realising that she was right I quickly jumped out of bed and made my way into the bathroom to get ready. Taking a nce at my phone I saw that it was just 6:30 in the morning. School starts at 7:45 so I should have plenty of time to get ready. Not wasting any more time, I quickly took a shower and went through my morning routine. Looking at myself in the mirror brought a small smile to my face. Although I have braces now my hair has grown out into an afro adding to my already good looks You could say I became more handsome over the past few months. I managed to pack on a bit of muscle whilst gaining weight making my whole stature look a lot healthier. "Zeus, where are you?" I called out as I stepped out of the bathroom whilst still drying my hair. Not long after my shout a k9 puppy came trotting into my room curiously ncing at its surroundings with its blue eyes. Quickly grabbing one of his treats from my desk I held it out for him to which he immediately pounces on devouring the bone-shaped snack. We got Zeus a month and a half ago just like our parents promised us at my birthday party. He''s a German shepherd and is barely three months old so he is in the curious phase where he''s still deciding whether to chew on Mum''s slippers or not. Lucky for me he seems to like my sneakers and just stays away from them, but he absolutely hates crocks or open shoes in general for some reason. As soon as he finds a pair, he treats it like a new chew toy for its developing fangs. Ny per cent of his fur is entirely ck but with a shine to it that makes you want to run your hand through it when you see it. The other ten per cent is golden brown only covering his front paws and his hind legs. The reason we named him Zeus though is due to the only patch of brown on his cheek resembling a small thunderbolt. "C''mon Zeus let''s get some breakfast," I called out to him as I made my way downstairs but not before checking myself out in the mirror one more time. I spent all ofst week getting fitted into my school uniform and it was worth it as it now has afortable feel to it. The uniform has a ck and red coloured scheme, my trousers were fully ck with a white shirt and a ck tie with red stripes running through it. Oh, I also get a zer that Is dark red with ck outlines and the school''s logo of an eagle is embroidered on the left breast pocket, which is part of the only reason I like wearing it. "The Eagle''s colours suit you," Dad called out to me as I took a seat on the dining room table. "Yeah, hopefully, the team''s colours are just as good," I answered him as I pour myself some orange juice. "Here eat some pancakes I just made them," he said to me as he ced a stack of them in front of me. Not wasting another second, I put some sliced strawberries on the top one and started devouring them. ~~~ "Have fun at school kids, Rakim are you sure you don''t want me toe in with you on your first day?" Mum asked me from the front passenger seat as a worried expression washed over her face. "I''ll be fine don''t worry, I''m meeting the principal first anyways and he seems like an okay guy," I answered her with a smile as I quickly hopped out of the car before she could start crying. However, I felt bad for her the next second so I went to the boot of the car and picked up Zeus handing him to her so she could worry about him instead of me. "You need me to lead you towards the principal''s office?" Emma asked me as we walked through the majestic stone gates that led towards the school. The school building is a remodelled castle that stood here in the 17th century. In all honesty, the whole building just screams money and prestige from the architecture alone. "No, it''s alright I still remember the way from when I took my tests here," I told her as we approached the castle doors to which we quickly parted ways so she could go to her ss. Above the huge door was the name of the school, Which was highlighted by an impressive emblem of the school''s insignia. The name of the school is, Red Oak Preparatory and from what I''ve gathered it''s quite a young school onlying into existence in 1990. This used to be a boy''s institute, but the original owner run into money problems and decided to merge with another girl''s private school thus this school was born. This private school is the definition of luxury as they virtually offer the best opportunities for their students. Almost every club has their own facility from the swim club to the American football team. The bonus of this private school is that it was split into two separate schools. The smaller building is for elementary students who use the old building of the girl''s school. Whilst the high school and middle school kids use the main building. The only times both of the school''s students would interact with each other is during club activities. This was due to elementary school students having an earlier break from snack time and lunch. This was done so that the school grounds wouldn''t get too congested with kids from both schools. Surprisingly, the elementary school has almost 50% more students than the higher-grade school, but then again kids have to pass the school''s test in order to get into their middle school. No amount of money can get the school to budge on that rule on the other hand it may result in them cklisting you if you tried to offer them money. This would only make it harder to get your child into another private school, not because they wouldn''t ept your money but for the simple fact that nobody wants another person''s sloppy seconds. You might think it''s extreme for the school to do this but with the standard of education and resources, they offer it''s understandable why you would want your kids to go here. The school does offer special schrships for athletes allowing them to be less academically inclined. However, the academic standard they have to maintain would still allow them the freedom to pursue a career away from their chosen sport. Back to reality, I had arrived in front of an old wooden door that was the Dean''s office. I honestly wish I hadn''t turned down Emma''s offer to be my guide as I had gotten lost quite a few times. The massive door was decorated with a beautiful carving of an Ock tree that looked almost life-like by how beautifully it was carved. (Knock Knock) Coming out of my awe I quickly knocked on the door after realising that ss had already started. After a second a gruff aged voice called me in, to which Iplied without any more fuss. ~~~ [Gen Pov] In another part of the building within the ss, 3b thirty children below the age of 9 could be seen getting settled on their chairs. All of them are buzzing with excitement at the prospect of starting the new school year as they animatedly chatted with their friends retelling tales of their summer adventures. In the same ssroom, a boy who seemed younger than the rest of the kids was sitting on top of his desk as he conversed with a group of kids who had gathered around him. "Hey, Liam you said your friend was joining our ss, where is he?" The boy that asked the question could be seen smirking condescendingly as his blue eyes told everyone that he didn''t believe the younger boy''s words. He has a mop of blond hair that made his average facial features somewhat more appealing. "Yeah, ss is about to start, and he still hasn''t shown up, are you sure you didn''t just make him up?" Another boy chimed into the conversation clearly siding with the blond kid. This boy was quite a bit chubby but that didn''t stop him from being just as active as the rest of the kids here. "Shut up Reece he will arrive when he arrives, what''s it to you anyway? And Bet you go wag your tail somewhere else," the boy we now know as Liam eximed with a visible annoyance on his face as he shooed away the two boys. "Do you want a beating?" The blond boy eximed with rage palpable in his voice as he raised his right fist towards Liam. Thetter reacted immediately to the provocation as he jumped down from his desk ready to meet the challenge. However, before tension could escte further between the two the sound of the door opening and children scrambling to their seats brought them back to their senses. "Good morning students I hope you all had a good summer vacation," The voice of a middle-aged woman in herte forties reverberated throughout the room as all the children stood behind their seats. Seeing the children standing in an orderly fashion the woman smiled lightly as she started calling out each student''s name as she ticked off her list. After their names were called, they would sit down on their chair and wait for her to finish. "Liam Mckinnon?" "Present" . . . "Lee Nickles" "Present" "Sarah Queens" "Present" . . . "Rakim Rex" she was met with silence after calling out Rakim''s name. Noticing the awkward silence all the students started curiously looking around the room for the mystery figure that their teacher could possibly be looking for. "Rakim?" The teacher called out again but was met with no answer once more. The students started doubting themselves as they started scrutinising the few that remained standing as if looking for an imposter. The standing students started pleading their case with their friends using their facial expressions, that they were truly who they said there were. One boy even pointed out their moles as evidence but was only met with doubtful nces from his friends. "Sigh let''s move on John Tyson," She called out as the boy with the mole quickly responded taking his seat with a sigh of relief but his friend that was sitting next to him merely sent him another doubtful nce as he whispers something to his other neighbour. . . . . To be continued... Chapter 69 69 First Day (2) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] The Dean''s office has quite the vintage aesthetic to it reminding me of one of those old studies I saw in movies. In the room, an elderly man is sitting behind a huge mahogany desk ruffling through documents that looked important. The man gave off major grandfatherly vibes, and the streaks of white in his hair reaffirmed the idea. "Morning young man I''ve been expecting you," He spoke up adjusting his sses as he made eye contact with me. By the tired look on his face, I could tell that he must have been up for a while. "Yeah sorry, I got a little lost on the way," I answered him with a sheepish smile on my face as I took a seat in front of him. We proceeded to just go through pleasantries as he handed me my ss schedule among other things. "I don''t usually go out of my way to meet new students but you are a special case," he told me with a slight smirk on his face confusing me slightly as to me this was just a normal assurance. Then again meeting the head honcho of a ce as prestigious as this might not be that normal. Oh well, I get to go to school and maybe learn something so it doesn''t really matter. "Come for a walk your first ss happens to be in the direction am headed," Seemingly noticing my confusion about his earlier words he spoke up again as he got up from his chair and headed to the door. "Alright sir, sorry to bother you," I answered him as I quickly put the things he gave me into my bag and stumbled after him. I Almost ended up running into him but lucky for me I managed to quickly regained my bnce before I could embarrass myself. "This school has a lot of history from even before its establishment, so in whatever endeavour you pursue in the future know that you represent the school," He told me with an expression full of nostalgia as we started walking down the hall. Looking at his expression as he spoke about the school made a sense of pride rise within me. "Don''t worry sir I''ll make you proud," I answered him with a confident smile truly believing in my words. Upon hearing my words he just started chuckling lightly as he patted my shoulder. "I know you will after all it''s not every day that a student skips two grades," He said with a sly smile on his face reminding me of my entrance exam. They had me do their elementary test in order to make sure I could keep up with their teaching curriculum. However, when I took the test I managed to ace the tests for grades one and two so I was put into grade three. It was onlyter that I found out that Mum had been teaching me ahead of schedule due to how fast I was picking things up. "Looks like we are here I wish you all the best young man," He told me as we stopped before a door with a small sign for 3b. Nodding at his words I took a deep breath before promptly knocking on the door. ~~~ [Mrs.Parker Pov] "Kids since it''s still the first period of a new semester well just be going over what you can expect for the rest of the day," I told my students who were still brimming with excitement from their holiday. Looking at them I almost feel sorry for them since all that excitement will vanish once sses properly start. (Knock knock knock) Just as I was about to continue with my exnation I heard a knock on the door. Looking at who it was I was quite surprised that I didn''t seem to recognise the student but what surprised me was that the principal was with him. Others might think of him as just a regr old man but in reality, his family is one of the founders of this school. The Oak family has faced their fair share of difficulties but they have managed to bounce back to be leaders of ourmunity. Not only have their businesses thrived for the past years they have invested a lot into themunity as a whole one example is this school. So it''s quite surprising to see the head of the family who likes to y principal when he is bored walking with a student. "Hi Mrs.Parker this young man is a new student of yours," He said to me with a smile as he opened the door gesturing for the boy to walk in. At his gesture, the boy quickly walked in after thanking the principal for showing him the way. This confused me slightly since the Deans office is just around the corner from the corridor so how could he get lost? "It''s quite alright, I was wondering where he had run off to," I replied to him with a small smile gesturing for the boy to stand next to me so he could introduce himself. Understanding my intentions the boy stood next to me as he turned to face the ss with a warm smile. "Hi everyone, sorry for beingte but I got lost showing a student the way to his ss, Oh you can call me Rakim, I like ying ser and I''m quite average at it, so if anyone wants a game invite me I promise not to hold you back," the boy calmly introduced himself to the ss without breaking a sweat. His introduction was a little odd but it seemed to do the trick as some of the boys looked excited at his words. However, when he mentioned his ser skill level I couldn''t help but notice that the principal almost tripped as he was leaving. "Alright go and take one of the empty seats," I instructed him with a warm smile as he quickly scurried away making his way to the empty seat next to Liam. Watching them perform a small handshake I finally realised why the seat had been empty. Liam being one of the more rowdy kids in the ss usually has one of his friends sitting next to him ready to cause trouble. (Sigh) Looks like I''ve got another troublemaker in the ss. ~~~ [Mc Pov] Taking a seat next to my new best friend Idint realise that because of him I gained a bad reputation from the teacher. Looking around the ssroom I received curious nces from a few kids, some were friendly and some were questionable. Choosing not to engage with them I focused on Mrs.Parker as she continued exining what we could expect for the rest of the day. (Riiing) Just like the first period of homeroom ended a lot quicker than I had expected. Then again I did arrivete for ss so I can''t reallyin. As soon as the bell rang all the kids started packing up their stuff ready to go to their next ss. Some of the kids started crowding me as they started asking me questions in an attempt to get to know me but if you ask me they were evaluating whether I was good enough for an invite into their friend group. "Oy stop bothering him, I need to show him the way to the next ss," Liam spoke up saving me from the small encirclement. Quickly grabbing my bag I followed after him not wanting to risk another round of questioning. "Thanks for the save felt like they wanted to know all my deep dark secrets," I told him as we walked along the hall that was now filled with kids going to their next ss. "Oh trust me they defiantly wanted to know your secrets and not for the right reasons either," he told me with a slight frown on his face that told me that he was speaking from experience. It didn''t take long for us to reach our next ss which was maths and if I was being honest I''m looking forward to it. There is just something about numbers that is weirdly refreshing. My math teacher is an elderly man in histe fifties who is the definition of a bookworm. Although he was teaching math to elementary school kids it didn''t diminish his enthusiasm one bit it actually made him get more creative in the way he taught. Maybe it was due to this being a private school but he seemed to really take his job seriously and was nothing like those bad teachers I was expecting in movies. ~~~ "How is your first day treating you?" May asked me as we took a seat at a pic bench for our morning break. I had another ss after maths which went pretty well. I wouldn''t say that I learned much as the teacher just covered the introduction of their first course. Which wasn''t all that exciting but "It''s okay but I''m more excited about my school team tryout if I''m being honest," I answered hermenting over the fact that I have been looking forward to this almost all summer. "Oh yeah, Emma told us about that good luck," Jennamented as she chimed into the conversation. I''ve gotten to know her better over the summer since I hang out with Liam a lot. "Thank you," I answered her with a smile as I started digging into the snacks that Mum had packed for me. We continued to talk for a while until another girl joined our little circle. She seemed to be that mysterious fourth member of the group that I haven''t been able to meet all summer. "Hi my name is Olivia, you can just call me Liv nice to finally meet you," She said as she took a seat at the table. She is a petite brte with shoulder-length hair that has a lot of curls highlighting her light brownplexion. "Same here heard a lot of stories," I answered her as I stretched out my hand for a handshake. It was quite nice to meet someone that looks like me, it makes me feel like less of an outsider. "I hope they are all good things," She answered me with a smile as she gave Emma a side eye to which she guiltily looked away. "It''s mostly good don''t worry," I told her as I set Emma up for trouble to which I was met with a light kick to my shin. I was surprised at her action but the re on her face told me not to challenge her. "Who is the new guy?" I heard a boy''s voice speak up from behind me as a hand squeezed my shoulder bringing a frown to my face. I''m not a germaphobe but I do enjoy my personal space and especially don''t appreciate people I don''t know touching me. "Let Go" Is all I said to whoever it was that was touching me. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 70 70 Revolver Duel [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® "Let Go" Is all I said to whoever it was that was touching me. Turning my head, I was met with the smug face of a boy with a mop of blond hair. I don''t know who he is, but I was fairly sure I''d seen him in my morning sses today. He must be one of the background characters I haven''t gotten to talk to yet. I really need to stop thinking of my life as if it''s a movie before I identally say this stuff out loud. Just the thought of getting into a fight because of a simple slip of the lips makes me shudder. The atmosphere around the table got strangely silent as I stared down at the boy who still had his hand on my shoulder. "Wow calm down I was just saying hello," The boy defensively said as he put up his hands to cate me. The small smirk on his face told that he wasn''t at all serious about his apology. "Reece, why do you always have to start trouble wherever you go?" I heard May say from behind me bringing a frown to the boy in front of me. "You know this dude?" I asked her since she seemed to know who this guy is. "Yeah, he''s my little brother," she said with a slight frown on her face, it seems like they don''t have the best of rtionships with each other. "We''re only half-siblings don''t get it confused," Reece spoke up from behind me sounding like he just revealed life-changing information. "You know that still makes you siblings, right?" I told him as I debated whether this guy was stupid. It seems I wasn''t the only one who thought that he might be mentally challenged judging by the look on Emma''s face. "No, it doesn''t," He refuted me with a re on his face seemingly not liking me contradicting his words. Sometimes I forget that kids here are still young just by how mature they seem to act due to their upbringing. However, this guy right here perfectly acts ording to his age seemingly having no sense ofmon sense. "Ok, anyways why are you here dude?" Liam asked him looking more annoyed by his presence than anyone else on the table. "I came to say hello to my new friend," he said with a smile as he looked in my direction causing me to look behind me to check if he was talking about me. "Who me? I think you have me confused I''m friends with May, but I don''t know you," I told him a secondter not wanting to deal with this guy anymore. Honestly, this whole interaction has been confusing from start to finish. "Are you sure you can never have enough friends," he told me in a slightly threatening manner as he loomed over my sitting posture. "Yeah, I''m sure, what''s the point of being friends with someone who doesn''t value their own family," I told him not backing down from the re he was sending me. He seemed surprised by my words but couldn''t seem to find the words to refuse me. [Ding Dong Ding] "Saved by the bell but I''ll remember this," he told me before he quickly turned around leaving towards the school building followed by his friend on his side. "Sorry about my brother," May said as she got up from her seat to pack up her things. She looked rather embarrassed by the interaction we had with her little brother. "It''s okay honestly I feel sorry for you," I told her as I also got up not wanting to bete for my next ss. Although the end of the break took an awkward turn, I still followed Liam to our next ss, which is physical education. ~~~ "Alright kids today we will be ying dodgeball," the sports teacher called out to us as he split the ss into two teams. The are a bunch of softballs on the middle line and both teams were lined up on each end of the basketball court just waiting for the start signal. Liam and I were on different teams, so the game is bound to be exciting. He did have Reece on his team and judging by the re he is currently sending me he is still mad at me. Sending a quick smirk at him I refocused my attention on grabbing one of the balls in the middle once the game starts. [Fweet] With the start signal, I quickly darted to the centre of the hall managing to outpace 70% of the kids. Reaching the halfway line, I picked up two balls and kicked another one to my team''s side before promptly retreating using some of my teammates as human shields. "Hey, Rakim can I get one of the balls," a blond girl with a high ponytail and a headband asked me as she stretched out her hand already assuming id give her one of the balls. Just as I was about to hand her one of the balls, I noticed a flying projectile heading straight for her face out of my peripheral. Reacting quickly, I held up one of the balls in its path managing to block it just before it could hit her head. A shocked expression appeared on her face as she seemed to realise the near-death experience she just nearly survived. However, her shocked expression was instantly reced with anger as she quickly turned her head to locate who threw the ball. Following her gaze, I instantly managed to locate who it was that fired at her, and it seems she managed to do the same. On the other side of the court, Reece was standing still in his throwing motion simr to a pitcher with a pale expression on his face. "REEECE you''re going to pay," She shouted at the boy with anger practically oozing out of her. With every step she took, I watched Reece back up seemingly scared by her even though she had no ball. "Yo blond," I called out to her as I tossed one of the balls to her to which she instinctively caught it as if it was scripted. She took three big strides before she jumped up in the air andunched the ball at Reece who was still backing up. He tried his best to move out of the way, but the ball ended up hitting his thigh. "Thanks," she said to me with a smile on her face that sent slight chills down my spine. I just nodded at her deciding to ignore my gut feeling as I dodged a ball that wasing towards me by ducking under it. Not letting that stop me I quickly took a run up to the halfway line andunched the ball at Liam. He seemed to anticipate my throw jumping up in the air with a split dodging the ball. As soon as hended, he picked up the ball and charged right for me as I did my best to back up so I wouldn''t be that easy of a target. That seemed to help as I just barely managed to dodge his throw but the guy behind me wasn''t so lucky getting hit in the stomach. The unlucky kid ended up falling to the ground gasping for breath. Looking at him I felt sorry for him because that looked like it hurt a lot. ~~~ "And then there were two," Liam said to me as we both picked up two balls. All of our teammates were already out so it was basically a revolver duel between the two of us. We had been battling with one another for the past five minutes, but we kept dodging each other. "You should just give up there''s no winning against me," I told him as I tossed another ball at him only for him to sidestep it. We were both tired at this point, but we remained alert as the kids on the side also fired stray balls at us in an attempt to score the win. After dodging my shot, he had to react quickly by rolling on the ground to avoid getting hit by two balls from my teammate. Seeing that he was still on the ground I dashed forward tossing the ball in my hands at him. To my dismay, he managed to avoid it again by rolling onto his stomach. Now that I was out of ammo it gave him some breathing room. As he was getting up, I dodged a throw from my right letting it bounce before stopping it with my foot. Not wanting to risk bending down for it I flicked it up with my foot as I kept eye contact with Liam who now had two balls in his hands. However, the first enemy to fire at me wasn''t him as I watched a ball whiz by me missing me by half a meter. Looking at who had fired at me I was surprised that it was the little chubby dude that seems to hang out with Reece. It was either my look of bewilderment at hisck of aim or the fact that his own teammates were sending him ambiguous nces, but his face was turning red at an abnormal rate. I personally would like to believe that my effect on people is just that strong. Whilst I was too busy focusing on what just happened, I barely managed to notice a balling at me from the other side. Reacting as fast as I possibly could I used the ball in my hands as a shield but in the process, I lost hold of the ball. Before I could even think of picking it back up Liam sted his first ball at me aiming straight for my head. Deciding to duck I was met with two more throws from the side, having no other choice I there myself on my back in an attempt to escape. However, a second after Inded on the ground a ball bounced off my chest flying away before could get the chance to catch it. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 71 71Try-Out (1) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "(huff) That was a lot of fun," I subconsciously said as I ran a towel through my hair wanting to dry them from the shower I took. That''s a good thing about the school I guess there are shower stalls in the changing rooms, so we don''t have to go back to ss reeking of sweat. "Yeah, I''ve never tried that hard in PE," Liam next to me eximed as he also run a towel through his hair. It took us another five minutes to somewhat dry our hair and even then, it was still damp by the time we left for our next ss. Entering our music ss, we both took a seat in front of one of the keyboard''s that were set up around the ssroom. The teacher wasn''t in yet, so we just spent some time talking about random stuff. Just as Liam was telling me about his desire to join the boxing team, I felt someone sit to my left. Turning around I was met with a pair of blue eyes that looked at me with a hint of amusement. The blue eyes belong to a girl with dirty blond hair who looked vaguely familiar to me. However, no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn''t think of where I could''ve met her. After all, you would remember meeting a beautiful blonde with wavy hair. "You forgot me?" She asked me with a look of disbelief as she pointed her index finger towards herself. Seeing that she had seen through my thoughts I could only nod with an apologetic smile. "Sorry but I think I would remember meeting a cute girl like you," I told her deciding to distract her with apliment. That seemed to do the trick as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "I see you met Lexi" Liam said from behind me inserting himself into the conversation and breaking the silence that had built up between us. "Oh, nice to officially meet you the Lexi," I said to her as I stretched out my hand for a handshake to which she subconsciously grabbed it. Her hands are soft but surprisingly she has quite a strong grip. "Yeah, you too," she said in a daze as she looked into my eyes making no attempts to let go of my hand. Not wanting to lose in the contest I started inspecting her facial features a little closer. She has tiny freckles on both of her cheeks highlighting her long eyshes. That coupled with the fact that she has tiny specks of grey in her eyes made her look all the more beautiful. "Ahem, so when are you two getting married?" I heard Liam say from behind me bringing me out of my daze. I don''t know for how long I have been in a daze, but it must have been for quite a while. If those not-so-subtle nces, we were getting from the kids around us are any indication. Lexi seemed to also notice the nces around us as she quickly let go of my hand and turned away only to be met with the smiling gazes of a group of girls. From the vibe I got from them, I assumed they are her friends. Turning back to Liam I could already tell that he had plenty of questions he wanted to shower me with. Lucky for me though the music teacher walked into the ss and hit the drum to get our attention. ~~~ "Alright everyonee in and take a knee we''re about to begin this year''s training camp," Head Coach Baker called out to us as we quickly gathered around him in a semi-circle. Coach is a bald African American man in his early forties who gave a serious yet friendly vibe. He''s dressed in a ck tracksuit in the school''s colours with the team logo on his left breast pocket. Looking around me there are currently kids around the ages of 6 to 11. It seems like this is for the selection of the lowest level of the middle school team and those below it. Starting from middle school the school has three levels of teams for the club with only elementary having one and a development program. The program is mainly for the younger kids who are still developing and struggling to dribble the ball. There are only around 40 kids here who meet the age criteria which may seem like a lot but in actuality, it''s not considering the enormous number of elementary school kids in the school. It can''t be helped though the American football team''s season runs through most of our season and when its over baseball starts so there''s not much hope of this number increasing. "We will spend the entire week separating you ording to your skill level, by putting you all to the test, we have many levels of squads in our school but only those with talent and grit will be able to join them," he started off his speech as he swept his gaze past us making eye contact with me for a second. The slight eye contact confused me as I haven''t met the guy before today. "We will put you through the wringer in order to gauge what level you belong on so don''t hold back throughout the training camp, Eagles on there," he finished his speech causing a chain reaction from the kids around me as they jumped up to screen Eagles on the three counts. This set of actions caught me off guard as I''ve only seen American football teams do this so far. "Let''s start with something light, run 5ps to get your blood pumping," he instructed us motioning for us to start running. Although somewhat reluctant the group as a whole started jogging around the pitch. There were a few who started racing each other but I opted to follow the older kids'' example and just kept pace with them. It seems like that was the right idea because as soon as we were done with the fiveps, we were asked to do 3 more at seventy-five per cent speed. It wasn''t much harder for me as I''m used to running long distances due to my morning runs but those that were racing each other earlier were quickly left behind by the group. ~~~ "Alright, now that you are done with your warm-up routine, we can get started with you actually training. However, I want you all to go through that warm-up every day before training as soon as the clock strikes 18:00 o''clock," coach Baker said to us as we all slowly got up from the ground to go to the next exercise. The so-called warm-up he was talking about might be a full workout for some track and field teams. After the runs around the pitch, he had one of his assistant coaches take us through a dynamic stretch routine for 15 minutes. After making sure we were stretched out we went straight into agility drills using leaders, small hurdles, poles, and cones for another 15 minutes. His whole warm-up routine took around forty minutes with no breaks as you were allowed to take them in between wait times for your turn. Moving along we started doing some passing exercises that were more skill focused. We spent the rest of the training going through various drills that focussed on our touch and passing uracy. The intensity of the whole session was surprisingly quite high for a group of children. It wasn''t quite as high as in the Nike camp but there was a different kind of intense atmosphere that I couldn''t put my finger on. "Alright that''s enough for today, go and do your cool down bring your swimming clothes tomorrow," Head coach baker instructed us before walking away with his assistant coaches. Following through with his instructions I started going through some slow stretch movements to loosen up my tight muscles. Most of the kids around me did the same but the majority just left after seconds. I continued with my stretch routine until I spotted mums car pull into the parking lot. "Hey, son how was your first training session?" She asked me as I settled into the passenger seat. "It was fun I guess a lot more intense than I thought it would be, good thing we didn''t go too hard in our morning workout," I answered her as she started driving us home navigating evening traffic. The roads are quite packed at this time of day, especially the highway. "Where is Emma?" I asked her after a while of talking about random things we did during our day. Apparently, she spent her day managing her new fitness studio that she opened during the summer. The studio was practically her new baby set up in a way to fully amodate her clients. "She is going home with May and Jenna since they all tried out for the cheer team," She answered me reminding me that Emma did mention something about their try-out being on the same day. Apparently, the school holds simultaneous try-outs for each club whose season starts in the fall to make sure you aremitted to the club you try out for. "Oh, alright is dinner already ready?" I asked as I haven''t really eaten since lunch and after going through that intense training session, I''m quite famished. "Yeah, Ben is cooking right now so we can eat after you get a shower," she told me as we pulled into our estate passing by some familiar roads. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 72 72 Try-Out 2 [Ding] [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 2700 Position: Winger (Evaluation: A boy with a lot of potential for bing a professional ser yer, who possesses a lot of talent) USER MENU [ USER STATS] >Physical Fitness: C+ >Football Technique: B >Game Intelligence: D+ ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors: [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS: 1] [ SYSTEM SHOP (unlocked)] [ SYSTEM LOTTERY (locked)] [ SNOOPING TOOL (locked)] ''Sigh looks like my improvement during the summer is rather slow,'' I inwardly mumbled as I started getting dressed into my school uniform. I had just finished my morning Yoga session after a light workout which felt great after skipping it yesterday. [That''s because you haven''t even used the shop to boost your training yet,] Evamented sounding a little disappointed at myck of utilisation of the system. I understand where she ising from but there hasn''t really been a need for it as of yet. Mum has me on a strict schedule making sure I don''t damage my body with regr check-ups with a specialised sports orthopaedist. If that wasn''t enough, she forces me and Emma to go to a spar with massage sessions. Well, thest part was an ultimatum she set after she realised how determent I was about training to be a footballer. I don''t really mind all the extra hassle as it helps to reassure me that I''m on the right track and not just damaging my body for temporary sess. So, although my progress is much slower than I had hoped my foundation is a lot more stable than it was at the Nike camp and that without having to use the cheats of the system. ''Don''t worry I''ll be using it more now that I''m joining a club allowing me to fully utilise the items effects,'' I told her in an attempt to cate her anger. At this moment I felt like I was dealing with a shop owner that is angry at me for not buying things from their shop. [Just don''t overdo it you have been making rapid progress over the summer especially when ites to your feel for the ball." She said sounding genuinely proud of the progress I''ve made over the summer. Sometimes she reminds me of a mother hen who is proud of the progress her little chicks are making. ''I won''t promise, and it''s not like you or Mom would let me overdo it during a training session,'' I told her with a smile on my face remembering how they would both nag me whenever I overdid it during a training session. Mum would just directly drag me out of whatever training hall I was using to put a stop to me. Whilst Eva would just go on a non-stop rant on the dangers of whatever environmental issue she chose at that moment. Sometimes she would pick the most random topic like the biology of starfish or even the pattern changes in the clouds. Honestly, it makes me wonder what is going on in her brain sometimes. Quickly getting dressed I made my way downstairs to get some needed breakfast. Mum was already there having her morning tea, for some reason she hates drinking coffee and says it''s azy way to wake up your body. Something about a cold shower and a healthy sleep schedule during the trick. "Morning" I called out to her as I took a seat at the dining table ready for the most important meal of the day. "Good morning let me let me prepare your breakfast," she said as she started preparing me a te of what she happened to cook today. Five minutester I had two slices of avocado bred with a poached egg on top. Looking at the seasoning and bits of green letters on the te made me want to question why she didn''t be a chef. "So good," I mumbled after taking a bite, the explosion of taste in my mouth made me want to savour every moment of my meal. By the time I had finished both slices, I was left in a daze pondering over who could have stolen my food. Looking up to Mum who was looking at me with a smile I watched as she handed me an apple. "Don''t give me that look you agreed to the diet I set out for you," she told me smirking at my look of betrayal of not getting another slice of that heavenly dish. Realising that she was right I just settled for snacking on the apple as I started going through my phone. During the summer she has been taking care of mine and Emma''s diet throughout all the training we have been doing. At first it was pretty odd since she would make some of the weirdest dishes for us. "I''ll go and hurry Emma along she loves taking her time getting ready," Mum said after a little while making her way up the stairs. Emma isn''tzy but she just gets distracted way too easily when getting ready especially when she is on a call with her friends. The number of times I''ve caught them dancing in her room instead of getting ready or just gossiping over the phone is uncountable at this point. ~~~ "Hey Lexi," I said to the beautiful blond as I took a seat on the table to her right as Liam wasn''t in yet. After a little enlightenment from Liam, I finally remembered where we had met before, and it turns out she was the blonde with a ponytail at PE who threw aser beam of a shot at Reece. Finding out she was on the handball and gymnastics team made a lot more sense, serenely exining her athleticism and strong hand grip. "Oh, Hey Rakim," She answered with a slightly surprised look on her face probably not expecting me to start a conversation. Which would probably be normal after how awkwardly our conversation ended yesterday. I Personally wasn''t embarrassed by it but she on the other hand run out of ss as soon as the bell rang. "How''s your morning," I asked her with a slight smile on my face at her slightly blushing expression. "I, it''s alright, I''m tired fromst night''s practice though," she answered me causing me to notice the slight haggardness around her eyes. "Oh, that would exin the wrinkles around your eyes," I told her as I watched the tired expression on her face morph into a look of horror as she brought out a small mirror to check out her face. "Hey there''s nothing on my face," She eximed ring at me as if I had just touched upon her Achilles heel or something. Her expression reminded me of whenever Zeus would get mad at me for teasing him too much. "Had you panicking though," I told her as I flicked her nose causing her expression to go to shock. The rate at which her expression continues to change was quite amusing and I could get used to it. However, all good things muste to an end as I spotted Liam and some of the girls who are her friends walking into the ss. "Morning Bro," Liam called out to me as he took a seat to my right settling down his things for homeroom. Not long after they arrived the teacher came to ss to start the morning homeroom. ~~~ "Wee to another day soon to be Eagles, go ahead and warm up," Coach Baker called out to us at exactly six o''clock to start with the warm-up. Following his words, we all quicklymenced with the same warm-up from yesterday. Unlike yesterday none of the kids rushed through the warm-up and just kept a steady pace. "Yo, you are Rakim right?" a blonde-haired boy spoke to me whilst we were going through the stretch routine. He was a few years older than me one of the middle school kids in grade six. "Yeah, that''s me what''s up?" I asked since I didn''t really know why he was starting off a conversation. Most of the kids here are already friends and are just focused on the training since all the coaches are quite strict. "Oh, nothing just wanted to know what position you y?" he asked with a slight frown on his face probably wondering if we y the same position. "I y on the wing what about you?" I responded curious if he and I arepeting for the same position. However, after hearing my words a bright smile appeared on his face. "By the way, my name is Max and I''m a striker so make sure to send some assist my way," he said as he held his fist out for a fist bump all the while almost falling over himself. We continued to chat with each other as we went through the stretch routine talking about all sorts of things. Apparently, Max has been ying for a local team since the age of six. He''s now eleven so he has a few years of experience and now that he is in middle school, he''s trying to move up into the B team. ~~~ "Let''s start with possession drills today, for every ten passes your team scores a point," Coach Baker announced as we were split into boxes for four versus four matches. Looking at my teammates who were wearing white bibs I was quite excited about getting started. After all, I haven''t been able to touch a ball all day and I miss the sensation of the ball moving in sync with me. This must be how addicts feel whenever they start needing their next hit. Well, at least that''s what the guy on CSI said. [FWEEET] With the sound of the whistle, I quickly dashed towards the ball nimbly dodging two of the non-bib yers. creating a little separation from my opponent I sent a crisp pass to one of my teammates. The boy struggled to take control of the ball with his second touch but managed to do it before he could lose it to one of our opponents. Quickly moving into a free space, I call out for a pass only to be ignored as my teammate chooses to pass to someone else. The pass was too rushed and ended up ricocheting off a couple of legs before leaving the square. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 73 73 Try-Out [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The exercise quickly restarted with the non-bib group in possession of the ball. A dark-skinned boy with a sturdy build used his body to protect the ball as he sent it to one of his free teammates. Already bored from watching the other team y with the ball I quickly closed down the boy who had received the pass. Maybe through luck or entirely by ident the boy''s failure to gain control of the ball resulted in him knocking it past me to one of his teammates. Not being flustered by missing an opportunity to steal the ball I made a U-turn closing down the next guy. Before I could even get close to the boy one of my teammates managed to sweep the ball away from him. Reacting quickly, I moved to a free position and asked for the ball. Listening to my shout this time I received a slightly slow pass from him. Taking a step towards it I deftly took control of the ball as I manoeuvred past one of the non-bib yers. Getting past him was the easy part but as soon as I did another non-bib yer came lunging into the path of the ball. Seeing his actions, I stopped the ball with my left foot as his foot slid past me before I slid the ball through his now-open legs. Doing a quick three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn I took control of the ball again before passing it to one of my teammates. The drill continued for another ten minutes as both our teams continued to battle for possession. It felt great training with a team again especially since training with Liam isn''t that much help. Although he is quite athletic, however, football just wasn''t god''s gift to him. It''s like he has two left as soon as he touches the ball heck, I once saw him fly-kick a ball as if he was in of his taekwondo meets. ~~~ [Gen Pov] On one of the green pitches behind the school, a group of kids could be seen taking part in a crossing drill. At this moment, anky kid was speeding down the right nk past a gate of cones Before sending a cross into the box. In the box, a group of six boys could be seen battling for possession with three of them wearing yellow bibs signifying their role as defenders. As the ball soared towards them at a high speed one of the boys separated from the pack dashing towards the near post at the five-yard line. Seeing that the ball''s flight path was a round chest height he jumped to the sky and watched the ball sail past him just at waist height. Before the ball could get away from him, he twisted his body slightly using the momentum to swing his left foot hooking the ball and changing its flight path towards the top right corner. The poor goalkeeper could barely react fast enough to watch the ball price into the. "That''s how you do it, send another one just like that," The boy who is a head smaller than most of the other kids eximed with happiness particrly emanating off his body. He could be seen walking back to the line of yers with a pep in his step. "Yo Rakim that''s the fifth ball in a row let some of us score," One of the boy''s teammates eximed seemingly annoyed at his younger teammate. Rakim upon hearing the boy''s exmation stopped his celebration as he looked the boy up and down in silence seemingly pondering over something. "What''s the fun in that? if your good enough just win the ball out of the air like the rest of us," After an awkward moment in silence Rakim said to the boy in a t tone sounding as if he was disappointed in the boy. Upon hearing the younger boys scolding he could only re at him as he balled his fists. "Ryan calm down coach is watching," his friend whispered from his side just as he was about to take a step closer to Rakim. Seeing that his friend was speaking the truth he unclenched his fist and settled for ring at Rakim. ~~~ [Rakim Pov] ''That was weird right?'' I asked Eva opting to ignore the angry re I was getting from the guy whose ego couldn''t keep up with his skill level. I mean it''smon sense to win the ball from a cross right? I mean what kind of attacker would let the ball pass him just so his teammate could have a go at trying to score? I don''t know about other yers but the only person I trust to score the ball is me. I could be forty yards away from the goal and would still choose to go for the shot rather than set up someone I hardly know for a five-yard tap-in. [It''s moremon than you think especially in the sports world where everyone wants a chance to shine,] Evamented sounding happy about being able to witness such a dramatic cut scene. Ignoring her slightly weird tendency to see me end up in a confrontational situation I started considering her words. ''You know what maybe your right, I''ll let him take the next one,'' I told her as we reached the front of the line ready for our turn to fight for another cross. Getting ready at the top edge of the box I watched Ryan signal the yers at the crossing station with a raise of his hand not forgetting to send me onest re. [Wait what why would you do such a stupid thing, if he has any pride as a yer, he wouldn''t even ask you to give him a free shot,] Sheined as she shifted her anger towards Rayn calling him some choice words. I felt like she has just entered her mother duck mode when she thinks I''m doing the wrong thing. ''I know, I know but I just want to see what he can do, maybe he''s got some amazing talent that I''ve been holding back,'' I told her as I focused all my attention on what was going to happen next. Watching a short boy dribble past the obstacle and dash down then the nk with an impressive disy of speed and control. We slowly angled our run as we entered the box as the defenders tried to obstruct us. Just before the boy on the wing reached the touchline, he sent a teasing cross into the box. Seeing this I performed a quick feint creating separation from my marker before dashing towards the near post. Although I escaped, I could sense that someone was just a step behind me by the sound of footsteps following me. Not bothering with whoever it was I jumped up in the air towards the ball. Before I could make contact with the ball, I ducked my head letting it sail past me. The n was to fake out the defender behind me so that my teammates could have a chance. However, the very next second I was left confused by the fact I felt the ball hit my back. Turning around in an attempt to clear up my confusion I was met with the sight of Ryan who was clutching his face that had the faint imprint of a ball on it. Looking at his pained expression as what seemed like blood and snot trickled out of his nose, I was left with only one thought; ''maybe he''s just ordinary after all.'' Not wanting to bother with him any longer I just jogged away from him towards my bag to get a drink of my Gatorade. After all, who knows if whatever he has is contagious, they do say you are who you hang around. "Why didn''t you header the ball at thatst cross?" I heard someone from my right ask me as I was taking a swig of my drink. Taking a second to think about my answer as I enjoyed the refreshing taste of the riptide rush vour, I finally turned to face whoever was talking to me. To my surprise, I saw the inquisitive look of Coach Baker who was currently eagerly awaiting my answer. "Oh, that Ryanined about how he wasn''t getting a chance at scoring so I decided to leave the next one to him, who knew he would turn out to be such a dud in the end..." I started ranting about all the ways wasting that opportunity was a crime to any footballer and how he shouldn''t have asked for a chance if he couldn''t even handle such a sweat cross. Oh, the look on his face, as I started questioning why the dude was so close to me in the first ce, was priceless. By the time I finished ranting, he looked d but more confused than anything else. "I see," were the only words he said to me before he walked away rubbing his goatee seemingly contemting something. Leaving whatever that weird conversation was I rejoined the training just in time as the team''s medic walked Ryan off the field. ''Remind me to never let someone else try and score when I''m in a better position because that wasn''t fun whatsoever and frankly neither I nor the ball deserved whatever that was," I inwardly grumbled to Eva still not satisfied by my rant to Coach Baker. However, for some reason, I was only met with awkward silence from her as if I had said something wrong. ~~~ "How was training today?" Dad asked me as Mum, and I walked into the house. Looking in his direction I spotted him on the sofa watching an NBA game with Zeus chilling by his side. "It was okay I guess but there was this one guy who overestimated himself and got smacked right in the face with the ball," I told him with a slight frown on my face as this was now the third time, I was telling this story. First to coach then mum and now it''s Dad, this must be what they mean by word of mouth. Noticing his confused look I began telling him the full story. "So that is what happened, Mum says it''s my fault, but I think it''s his for overestimating himself after all I wasted such a great opportunity because of him." I finally told Dad with an expectant look in my eyes waiting for him to agree and take my side. However, he had been silent for a good minute not saying anything as his eyes darted between me and mum as if he was contemting a million-dor question. "Your mum is right what you did was wrong, Next time don''t show any pity and just score if the other kid was any good, he''d do the same." Dad finally said with a little scolding in his tone but the more I thought about his words they didn''t seem to match his tone. It seems Mum also agreed with this as she started giving him a disappointed re. "Your right from now on no matter how much anyone begs I''ll still choose to shoot instead of letting them waste the opportunity," I answered him with a smile on my face as I made my way up the stairs ready to go for a shower. Looking at the exasperated look on Mum''s face as I walked past her, I knew that she had lost all hope in making me feel remorse for my actions. "What will I do with you? And you why are you encouraging him?" shemented with a huff as I made my way up the stairs with Zeus closely behind me. Not bothering with her words, I made my way to my room heading straight for my drawers to get a clean change of clothes. Not long after I was in the shower, I felt the refreshing sensation of the chilly water hit my body as it trickled down from the ceiling. What left me surprised was the fact that Zeus jumped into the shower jumping up and down in an attempt to drink the water. "Hey, stop that you are going to make a mess," I reprimanded him with a slight frown on my face but was simply ignored by him as he seemed more interested in the water. "Woof, woof, woof," Looking at his excited expression I could only sigh as I started shampooing his fur which he seemed to enjoy. . . . . To be continued... Chapter 74 74 Try Out 4 [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Friday came in a sh, today we would be ying a game during training, and I would find out what team I made. I''m fairly sure that I made the middle school team with how well I''ve been performing. But that''s forter right now I''m going to focus on my new favourite hobby, teasing a certain blonde. "Psst is that a bug in your hair?" I whispered into Lexi''s ear as she was engrossed in the book that she was reading. My voice was like an electric current travelling through her whole body judging by the slight shiver. The next moment however her surprised look was reced with a re with annoyance written all over it. "Why do you always do that?" she finally whispered after a long moment of ring at me. Her puzzled expression reminds me of a baby cat that''s been wronged almost causing me to tease her more. However, remembering that we were still in ss I refrained from my impulse since I wasn''t sure if she could answer the teacher''s question if called out. "Do what? there really is a bug in your hair," I told her with a calm expression as I turned my gaze towards the ckboard just in time to hear the math teacher go through some type of form. Whilst I was channelling my inner schr, I felt a light gust of wind to my side and heard someone ruffling. Looking to the side I was met with the sight of Lexi franticallybing her hair using her fingers. It seems like my acting level is a little too strong and she actually believed my bluff. "Haha, sometimes you are just too gullible, ya know," I finally told her with a slight chuckle before she could get the attention of the teacher and get herself into trouble. Myment did the trick, but it was already toote for her hair which went from wavy to a little frizzy now. "I''m not talking to you anymore," she said in a huff before she swung her fist at me which I manage to just barely doge by moving my face away. However, she still managed to hit my chest causing me to lose bnce and fall off my chair. [Bang] Looking around the room from the ground I was met with puzzled gazes from the teacher and some of my ssmates. However, unlike the concerned look, I was getting from everyone my best friend was the first one to burst outughing. Sighing at his antics I quickly got up from the ground whilst scratching the back of my head embarrassed at the situation. "Mr Rex, what happened there?" The old math teacher asked me with a slight frown as he pointed his teaching stick in my direction. "Emm, I''m sorry Mr. Miller I was just too fascinated with the equation and was a little clumsy," I told him with a wry smile on my face as I attempted to get back to my chair. A quick nce at Lexi I could tell she felt bad for getting me into trouble just by the look of sorry she was sending my way. "Oh, is that soe and answer this question then," He spoke up as he pointed towards the question he was just about to exin. Nodding at his words I got up from the chair I had just sat back down on and made my way to the front of the ssroom. I felt like I was doing the walk of shame or something simr with the gloating looks I was getting from some boys. "Hmmm let''s see what we have here, oh that''s a lot of numbers," I started subconsciously saying as I picked up the chalk from the stand. The question wasn''t all too hard, and Mum had covered this with me when she tutored me during the summer. However, Dad did say that building suspense is the most important skill when performing in front of a crowd. "If you don''t know the answer just meet me for detention when school is over," I heard Mr. Miller angrily grumble seemingly impatient at the fact I was wasting his time. Not being flustered by his words I continued to rub my non-existent beard whilst ring at the question in front of me. "Don''t worry sir the answer just came to me, 4,824 divided by 12 is 402 I''m sure of it," I answered the question with an unsure smile whilst reassuringly nodding as if I was trying to convince myself instead of the teacher. At my action I watched his mouth twitch slightly but due to his surprise at my answer, he didn''t seem to be able to form the right words. "Sir don''t believe him he''s just guessing," I heard Reece say with a smug smile on his face as if he had just solved some major mystery. The way he was looking at the teacher waiting to be praised almost made me want to pity him. The longer the teacher didn''t answer him, his smug smile slowly morphed into an unsure frown. "Sigh the answer is correct boy, I''m quite impressed you can go and sit down do remain on the chair," he told me with a satisfied smile simr to that of when Ben realised, he could get me to join him on some of his riskier outdoor activities. Simr to the look of when that one Jedi master found the future Sith lord I was getting a simr look from Mr. Miller. "It''s quite troublesome to deal with injured kids," I heard him mumble just as I had taken a few steps causing me to almost trip over myself. Brushing off whatever was going through my head I quickly made my way back to my seat. Sitting down I was met with a fist bump from Liam and Lexi who struck out her tongue. ~~~ "Good afternoon, Gentlemen You have shed a lot of sweat throughout the week now it''s time to show us what you are made of, have fun eagles on three," Coach Baker held one of his now Iconic speeches just after we finished our regr warm-up. He has a certain charisma about him that always seems to have a way to fire us up even if we were just having a regr possession drill. Heck, he made a normal game of rondo seem like the Battle of Athens raising the intensity of the whole drill. "EAGLE''S!!!" With that shout, we all went towards our 7v7 pitches to get ready for the match that we would be ying. Tugging on my red bib I quickly got set in position in the midfield. Since we only have six outfield positions, we had to adjust and chose positions that best suit us. ### [Red team] GK: Mike CB: Jake, CB: James Lm: Rakim, CM: Ryan, RM: Ben ST: Max ### [Green Team] GK: Bruce CB: Henrik, CB: Jon CM: Reece, CM: Finn ST: Tom, ST: ke ### Looking at their makeshift formation I felt a sense of excitement well up within me. All the kids I''m ying with are in sixth grade so they should be much better than those a year or two older than me. Throughout the try-out, we were moved into groups based on our skill level until the final 28 remained. Apparently, Coach Baker wants to develop an A and a B team for the Niner side league. out of thest twenty-eight kids, two starting lineups would be formed, and each team would gain five subs. Just being better than someone else isn''t enough to get into the A team at least so I''ve heard. If someone is better than you at your position, you are likely to get sent to the B team unless you are just as good at another position. It''s quite ruthless but the intense atmosphere is oddly motivating since it reminds us to keep improving. Since the moment we ck off coach will have no problem finding someone ready to take our position. I don''t really have to worry about this though as my goal is far above just being a regr team school footballer. After all, if I can''t even maintain my position in the team once I get it, I might as well never leave for Europe. ~~~ [Fweet] With the sound of the whistle that signalled the start of the battle on the green field, the red team striker passed the ball back to his midfielder kicking off the game. Max the Red team''s striker dashed towards the opponent''s half without waiting to see what his teammate would do. Ryan who received the ball took a few steps forward before he sent a high through ball towards the opponent''s box. However, before the speedy max could even think of touching it, the ball was fished out of the air by one of the tall defenders of the green team who goes by the name of Henrik. Although his hair seems to cover his vision after heading the ball forward. It didn''t stop him for a single second from dashing to the ball''snding position and bringing it under his control. Just like the biking warriors he seems to resemble in looks, his following actions are decisive as he didn''t choose to hold onto the ball but instead sent it forward. Just like an arrow the ball whisked along the ground taking a slight hop but arrived with pinpoint precision at its destination. ke who suddenly found himself in possession of the ball took a moment before performing a one-eighty turn and stormed towards the red team''s box. Dribbling through the middle with a bit of gusto he headed straight towards Ryan, who seemed to be getting ready to snatch the ball off him. Keeping his cool as Ryan charged towards him, he performed a sudden stop as they were two yards away from each other and passed the ball to his left. The ball rolled a few yards before being picked up by Tom, causing Rayn to change course like a raging bull and run after him. Tom didn''t mind the chase as he simply elerated his dribble heading straight towards the box. Looking at Jakeing to close him down he performed a quick feint to the left before chopping the ball to his right and sessfully entering the opponent''s box. Not bothering with the defenders to his side he deftly created a bit of separation through a short burst of speed. Seeing his opportunity arrive before him he showed no hesitation before the goal unleashing a thunderous shot. . . . . To be Continued... Chapter 75 75 Battle Of Youth (1) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Not bothering with the defenders to his side he deftly created a bit of separation through a short burst of speed. Seeing his opportunity arrive before him he showed no hesitation before the goal, unleashing a thunderous shot. The ball took the most direct route to the flying to the top right corner. The goalkeeper''s efforts to make himself as big as possible before the striker was left for nought as the ball sneaked between his hands. Seeing his shot drill into the Tom instantly run off to celebrate with his teammates. After a brief moment where the green team wildly celebrated, the game kicked off once again. Having learnt his lesson from the kick-off not so long-ago Max sent a weighted ball straight to the defence directly bypassing Ryan in the midfield. Jake was the one to take control of the ball a few yards in front of his team''s penalty box. Just like a pack of hyenas who smelled the scent of blood the green team''s forwards charged forward ready to steal the ball. Jake who was feeling the pressure from the opponents didn''t panic in the slightest as he slowly dribbled the ball forward. Before Tom and his partner could have a chance to close him down, he sent a sharp pass to his right. On the nk was the small figure of Rakim who unlike his attacking counterpart chose to track back instead of charging forward after the kick-off. Turning with the ball''s momentum the winger wasted no time racing down the wing. The speed at which he travelled was quite the sight as he didn''t seem to be slowed down by the ball. It wasn''t until he crossed the halfway line when the opposing midfielder approached to close him down. Rakim after seeing that Finn came to close him down, had no intention of decreasing his pace in the slightest. Finn angled his body sideways in a way that tried to force Rakim down the nk. With a burst of speed as the two almost came into contact with each other Rakim sped down the wing. Not want ting to lose in a dual of speed Finn kept pace with the young winger trying to use his hand to slow him down. The two of them continued to race down the wing until they came to the edge of the box. As if having reached his goal the winger disyed an impressive amount of body control and technique as he dragged the ball behind him using his left foot. With his right foot as a pivot, he came to an abrupt stop as he waited for the ball to keep up with his movements. Using a light hop to adjust his bnce from his sudden stop he tapped the ball with his right foot bringing it back under his control. Finn who had been left running by himself came to a sliding stop trying his best not to fall down. Using the separation, he created from the midfielder Rakim took a big stride into the box. Finn seeing that the younger boy had embarrassed him kicked off the ground with a burst of speed nning to redeem himself. Using his longer strides he arrived at the side of the winger helping Jon in the defensive tasks. Not bothered by the extra pressure Rakim started performing stepovers whilst swaying his body slightly. Just as Finn was about to lose his patience, he saw his opportunity to strike as Rakim had the ball at his left foot. Seeing that the winger was focused on his teammate he decisively lunged in for a tackle using all his strength. However, just before his foot could make contact with the ball Rakim dragged the ball back slightly before pushing it through his outstretched legs. Like a switch had been flipped the young winger performed a quick three-sixty turn circumventing the downed midfielder. Taking control of the ball behind the fallen Finn, Rakim took two steps before firing off a powerful shot. His right foot swept across the ball sending it speeding across the keeper''s position hitting the at the far corner. ~~~ Reece who had just received the ball from his defender chose to quickly pass the ball back as he felt the pressure of Ben''s charge. Jon who had received the ball back was at a slight loss especially since Max came to close him down. Left with no option he sent a high ball up the field. The ball travelled quite a distance reaching just before the opposing eighteen-yard box. ke who managed to control the ball first was sent tumbling to the ground as Jake swept him off the ground with a sliding tackle. The referee did not blow the whistle indicating that the challenge was fair much to the displeasure of the attacker. Not wanting to risk holding onto the ball so close to his own penalty area he sent a high lob up the left nk. Rakim on the wing tracked after the ball in the air as he jumped in an effort to bring the ball under his control. However, before he was able to make contact with the ball, he felt a shoulder pushing him out of the way. Managing to brace his fall the winger could only watch as Reecefortably headed the ball to his teammate. Scenes like these continued to transpire on the field as both sides fought for dominance. It was truly a battle of youth as neither of the teams gave an inch to the other team. For every brilliant pass, there would be an equally clinical tackle to go with it. It almost looked like a tug of war by how for some time the ball did not enter either team''s penalty area. Except for the goalkeepers, all the other yers were sweating quite profusely as they continued to perform their roles. ~~~ In an effort to break the deadlock between the two teams, Rakim used a quick one-two passing manoeuvre to lose his marker. Leaving Finn to chase his shadow the young winger made his way towards the middle of the park. Spotting ke who had backtracked charging at him Rakim sent a pass to Rayan on his right. Quickly running past the striker, he slotted into the space ahead before calling for the ball again. Rayn who was facing a pincer attack from both ke and Reece did not hesitate to pass the ball forward to him. Just as Rakim was about to receive the pass he sensed a presence behind him and chose to directly pass the ball. Sending the ball down the right nk in one swift motion as he rounded Henric who hade up behind he started running forward. Ben who was liberated from his marker wasted no time chasing after the ball and pushing it down the wing. Jon who was left to mark Max was left with only the option of closing down the winger''s passing option as he waited for assistance. It worked as It forced Been to go further with the ball without being able to send a pass to the lurking max. Entering the box, he saw his chance as Max chose to stay at the edge of the box finally being open for a pass. No longer hesitating Ben sent a swift cut back to the edge of the box right to the striker''s feet. Maybe due to impatience or ack ofposure, the striker chose to only take one touch to control the ball before deciding to shoot from there. His movements although rushed allowed him to adjust properly as he brought his right foot down to smash the ball. With a loud bang, the ball left his feet only to bounce off something in front of it catapulting it into the air in the opposite direction of what the striker intended. Slightly at a loss as to what was going on Max looked down only to see the grass-covered figure of a blond-haired boy wearing a green bib. The slightly chubby boy was panting heavily as hey on the ground with his foot still outstretched watching the flight path of the ball. Although he was barely gasping for breath he could be seen with a bright smile on his face seemingly satisfied with his achievements. As he rested on the ground he finally sumbed to his bodily need for a bit of rest after the crazy sprint he had just performed. Ever since he was easily beaten on the wing, he had been sprinting back all in an effort to make up for his mistake. Whilst other yers gave up he circumvented them as he chased after the ball like a beast on a hunt. Just as he thought he was toote as the opposing striker had a clearne to the goal, he saw him stopping to adjust for a shot. Giving it onest push, he slides in from behind making sure to avoid physical contact with the opponent as he stretched his foot into the path of the ball. It all paid off in the end as he was to make a crucial stop for his team. ~~~ After a hard-fought aerial duel, Reece managed to beat Ryan to the falling ball. Taking a second to scan his surroundings he sent a quick pass back avoiding the charge of Ben. Henric calmly took control of the ball looking for an opportunity tounch an attack. However, he was left disappointed as both his midfielders were being covered by the opponent''s wingers. Frowning slightly at theck of a forward passing option he no longer hesitated and started charging forward. His long hair violently fluttered in the wind as he charged forward with determination. Max the Red team''s striker wanted to use this chance to seal the ball, so he utilised his speed instantly catching up with Henric. Henric who was dribbling towards the halfway line noticed the opposing striker but was unperturbed as he continued charging forward. Seeing that the striker was persistent Henric quickly used his shoulder to nudge the striker lightly sending him tumbling to the ground. As if nothing happened, he continued forward as Ryan came to close him down. Before the midfielder could have a chance to steal the ball the defender abruptly stopped the ball as he sent a sharp pass down the right nk. The ball drew arge bow over the pitch travelling over the heads of all the yers. Tom who was being closely marked by James reacted first as he circumvented his marker and started heading towards thending point of the ball. Although James was a step behind, he managed to close him down by the time Tom fished the ball out of the air. As Tom quickly brought the ball under his control, he stared down the defender in front of him looking for an opportunity to get by him. Performing a few stepovers and a couple of feints he tried his best to bait the defender. However, having seemingly learned from his defensive partner''s mistakes he kept hisposure as he waited for backup. His bet paid off as Ben raced back boxing Tom in and applying more pressure on the striker. Working together they managed to force Tom to back up all the way to the touchline. Maybe through a stroke of genius or inspiration, the striker performed a couple of quick stepovers forcing his markers to back up. Utilising the bit of space, he created pushed the ball forward towards James baiting him in enough to attempt a tackle. Seeing this he dragged the ball back slightly jamming it between his feet in one motion and flicking it over his head from behind him. James who had just lunged in for a tackle came up empty causing him to lose bnce ending up tumbling to the ground only to watch the ball soar above his head. Tom didn''t wait to see where the ball wouldnd as he instinctively circumvented James with two steps before watching thend a few yards to his left. Making his way over to the ball he quickly brought it under his control protecting it from Ben who had followed him. Both had an intense physical battle as they entered the box from the right. Tom seeing that the keeper was approaching to close him down decisively chose to cross the ball. The ball horizontally travelled along the five-yard line as the keeper scrambled back into position. Looking at the ball that cut across in front of the goal two figures could be seen sliding in trying to hit the ball first. The two were Jake and ke who seemed to have just reacted to the sudden cross. Through luck, ke managed to bring the tip of his boot to the ball first, sending it flying towards the gaol. Mike the goalkeeper had just managed to adjust his feet when he jumped into the air using both of his hands to push the ball away from the goal. The ball went flying to the side hitting the far post as it bounces back into y heading to the edge of the box. Ryan was the one to pick up the ball first immediately turning around for a counterattack. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 76 76 Battle Of Youth 2 [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The ball went flying to the side hitting the far post as it bounces back into y heading to the edge of the box. Ryan was the one to pick up the ball first immediately charging for a counterattack. The midfield charged ahead with the ball as he looked over his shoulder only to be met with the charge of Reeceing from his side. Seeing the urgency, he stepped into another gear increasing his speed forward as he held his hand out to keep the opposing midfielder at bay. That worked as neither of them seemed to be able to overpower the other, but it also resulted in his pace slowing down. Not wanting to risk losing the ball Reece hurriedly sent a pass forward. Max left his markinging deeper to collect the pass. Doing a quick scan of his surroundings he instantly charged to the opponent''s penalty box seemingly wanting to redeem his earlier mistake. Quickly making his way through the opponent''s half he quickly arrived before Henric the only blockade that kept him from entering the opponent''s penalty box. Not wanting to risk another physical confrontation with the defender he performed a quick step-over before passing the ball to his left. On the left wing, Rakim could be seen racing along the nk closely followed by Finn who hadn''t participated in the previous attack. The wing had a slight speed advantage as he arrived at the side of the penalty box. The winger who was still moving at a high speed suddenly drew his left foot back before sending a cross into the box. The ball just nearly dodged the sliding tackle from Finn travelling at a sharp angle into the box. The ball drew a shape arc as it flew into the fast stride of Max who had managed to get rid of the guard of Henric. The striker seeing his chance jumped into the ball''s flight path feet first resembling a fly kick. Although not making perfect contact with the ball he still managed to Vear its flight path slotting it into the bottom right corner. The poor goalkeeper could only watch the ball hitting the back of his for a second time in this game. Seeing that he finally scored his goal Max started celebrating wildly as he run to embrace Rakim who provided his assist. ~~~ Finn dribbled the ball down the middle of the pitch with confidence as he used his body to keep Ryan at bay. Reaching the halfway line with Ryan still at his side the midfielder abruptly performed an emergency stop. Using that manoeuvre he managed to create a bit of separation from his pressure as he swiped the ball to his side. Using the space Fin sent a short pass to his right finding the feet of Reece as he made his way forward. A secondter he received a return pass from his midfield duo continuing forward towards the opposing box. After a couple of yards, he sent a weighted pass to Tom who received it whilst using his body to hold back James. Taking A second to pivot his body the striker used his hands to manoeuvre around the defender stepping into the box. James found himself unable topete with the striker''s physical strength and ended up tripping over himself after being caught off bnce. The striker took two big strides ahead before firing a shot at the goalkeeper who had just made his way forward. With a loud bang, the ball soared to the top left corner of the goal before the keeper could even react. Seeing his shot go in the Striker started celebrating wildly as he run back to his own half. ~~~ [Mc Pov] [Fweet Fweet Fweet] The sound of the whistle signalling the end of the match came suddenly since we had just kicked off again after the green team equalised with us. Not bothering with it I just made my way to my bag to get a drink. Just as I picked up my drink, I felt someone tap my shoulder causing me to turn around. "Hi, I''m Tom you yed well in the game just now," A boy with a mop said to me with a confident grin on his face. He is tall for his age and has quite a sturdy build to go with it. Looking at his confidence that matched his physical gifts It made sense why none of my team''s defenders seemed to be able to handle him. "yo name''s Rakim and you weren''t so bad yourself," I told him with a smile as we did a quick fist bump. The both of us started talking with each other as we rested by the side of the field since the other game wasn''t done yet. I found out that Tom is a grade above me in the same one as Emma but not in the same ss as he''s not that academically gifted. That''s not to say he is dumb just that he is average since like most boys he is more focused on ying sports. He has a cousin who is also a part of the school team, but he won''t be in school till next week. Just as we were getting to know one another coach called us in to have a talk a while after the other team''s game ended. Looking at his stoic expression as he sized up our group brought a sense of seriousness. I could see that some of the kids around me were panicking slightly, probably not sure if their performance was enough to guarantee their spot in team A. "Alright I''ve seen enough for today from both games the coaching staff and I have picked the yers for each team" He calmly started his speech holding our attention as we waited with baited breaths to see which team we would be assigned to. It didn''t really matter to me which team I would be assigned to as I would stillplete the system quest of joining a team. However, if I have to join a team I might as well join the best one possible since thepetition will help me improve faster. "Alright I''m done talking let''s get to the point," Coach Baker finally said after five whole five minutes of chatter where he went over some information. Apparently, the teams won''t be final as depending on our performance we might get moved up and down. [Team A] GK(Goalkeeper): Mike Terrance (GK), Ben Walker (GK) DF(Defenders): Henric Eriksson (CB), Ole Wagner (CB), Jake Smith (CB), Logan Foster (RB), Ryan Garcia (Lb), MD(Midfielders): Finn Parker (CM), Ben Miller (CAM), Lucas Scott (CM), Damian Green (CDM), FD(Forwards): Tom Walker (ST), Max Taylor (RW), Rakim Rex (LW), ke Young (ST), Listening to the list of fifteen yers that were chosen for team A I was left surprised at some names whilst others made sense to me. One name that surprised me is Tom''s cousin was directly chosen for the team without having to try out. However, if what the striker said about him being some hotshot Goalkeeper is true it makes sense. Apparently, he is still at a Goalie development camp overseas in Germany after getting an invitationst season. Good to know that Tom wasn''t just bragging about his cousin and the boy had the skills to back it up. Another name that had me quite curious Is the boy named Ben Miller. He yed in the other game, so I didn''t get to see his ying style, but I reckon he is good since his position is the heart of the Offence. "That''s it for today you will be training with your teams starting next Monday, I wish you all the best and hopefully you will y for me on the high school team," Coach Baker told us as he walked away with the coaching staff of all the levels who seemed either satisfied or disappointed with their team. Seeing them leave I decided to also get out of here since there is no point staying any longer. ~~~ --- [Ding: Congrattions to the host forpleting the first main mission task] Mission: !Wonderkid! #Task 1 New Kid: Join any type of football team (1/1) [Rewards: 1,000 Sp] (Comment: Keep up the good work) --- Looking at the mission rewards that appeared when I was announced for Team A I couldn''t help but smile. It feels great knowing that I''m moving forward towards my goal of bing a footballer even though I''m still young. Feeling content with my achievement I pulled up my status screen whilst I made my way to where the cheerleaders trained. --- [Ding] [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade -B Singrity Points: 3700 Position: Winger (Evaluation: A boy with a lot of potential and talent to be an average professional ser/football yer with a lot of luck) --- ''I don''t know why I was expecting to see a change in the status, well thement section did be more inclusive, but I wasn''t that triggered, to begin with," I inwardly said after noticing that other than getting the extra thousand Sp there was no change. Heck, even the physical improvements I made over the summer didn''t affect my talent grade. [You will just have to work harder,pleting that first task from the main mission means you are finally on the right track ording to the system so you can be a little proud,] Evamented sounding almost more excited than I am about mepleting my first mission. Well, to be fair this is her purpose as the system''s assistant, so it makes sense that she is happy. ''I will don''t worry after all this is just the start of my football journey,'' I told her with confidence as I finally arrived at the American football team''s field. Emma''s Cheer team was training at the side since they would perform during the football team''s home games. Although it''s just the middle school teams game where they would perform but it would still give them enough practice for when they entered high school. Taking a seat on the bleachers I sent a quick message to Mum letting her know where I was so she wouldn''t go to the wrong field. Looking over the field I watched as the cheerleaders threw one of their teammates in the air before catching her again. Seeing that one of the girls was Emma and May I feel a slight shiver watching their actions. I couldn''t help but wince slightly after seeing how one of the three pyramids copsed on itself because one of the girls on the ground lost their footing. Never in my life have I been happy about the fact that football gets yed on the ground. I don''t mind jumping high for an atrial dual but being thrown more than 3 feet in the air is a little too much. Especially when your only guarantee of a safending is left to someone else. Ignoring the cheerleaders who were now huddled up around their fallen squad members my attention was captured by the happenings on the pitch. I saw a boy in full gear dodging and waving through the line of scrimmage as if he was dancing. He managed to bring the oval ball a whole forty yards before being taken down by a double team. Instead of being disappointed, he started dancing seemingly happy about his achievements. ''Hey, Eva do you think I could incorporate some of those movements into my dribbling style?'' I asked her in a curious tone still mesmerised at how the boy used body feints and sometimes dragged his legs to get by his opponents. Heck that coupled with his changed pace after passing the defenders basically made it almost impossible for those big boys toy a hand on him. The only reason he got caught in the end was due to him being boxed in from the side and front. [You can incorporate some of those movements in fact I would encourage you to do so. The best wingers developed their own dribbling style using the inspiration they gain over time,] She answered me sounding surprisingly open to the Idea I got through a spurt of inspiration. Honestly, I wasn''t expecting it since she always reprimands me for the dumb Ideas I get when I want to spice up my way of training. ''Okay I''ll make sure to study more types of yer''s dribble styles so I can develop my own unique version,'' I told her determined to improve my dribble style which had reached a certain bottleneck for the past weeks. Although I''m getting faster when I dribble however but it''s still too rigged since I''ve been trying to copy Messi''s style. It''s not that his dribble style isn''t good but it''s just not the best one for me since I tend to use my speed more and love using skill moves more than he does. Copying Ronaldo was also a dead end, but I quickly realised that his style just wasn''t suitable for me due to the difference in physical attributes. I mean the guy is tall and hasnky legs that support his style of y. With this new path in front of me, I will focus more on developing my own style instead of trying to emanate others. After all a copy will never be as good as the original one. Felling happy at my new revtion I thanked the boy in my heart as I walked over to Emma whose practice seemed to have just ended. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 77 77 I Believe You [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Hi sis d you didn''t fall," I told her with a smile as I handed her one of my sports drinks. She took it with a short thank you quickly taking a drink and quenched her thirst. Looking at the refreshed look on her face as she drank my sports drink almost made me question if we were drinking the same drink. Her look of utter bliss almost made me want to take the drink back to see what was so special about it. After all, she might have just gotten the best one from the batch, but my rationality still held me back. "It rarely ever happens it surprised us more than anyone," she said with a light pout seemingly remembering what happened. She''s probably just happy that it didn''t happen to her pyramid otherwise she wouldn''t be so calm right now. "Anyways are you ready to leave Mum will be here any moment?" I asked her since I just wanted to go home at this point. I was sweaty from today''s game and just wanted a shower. I hate the feeling when my sweat starts to dry on my body after I work out, especially on hot days like these. "You can''t leave without me, Guess who?" I heard a mischievous voice behind me say as a pair of slender hands covered my eyes. I was slightly startled at first but upon recognising the soft but yful voice I knew who it was. From all the girls I know there''s only one who likes to pull pranks on me. "Hmm, it must be someone who is almost as good-looking as me," I answered her with confidence whilst I took her hands off my eyes. Turning around I was met with the pouting face of May who obviously wasn''t happy with my answer. Looking at her green eyes that were giving me a teary look I almost apologised until I remembered how much she likes to tease me. Seeing the slight smile on her face I decided to just flick her forehead and be done with it. "Ouch, what was that for?" She eximed with a more genuine pout on her face as she rubbed her forehead. At her actions, I inadvertently chuckled which only served to anger her more. "I''m sorry my hand slipped, I promise it won''t happen again," I told her with an apologetic smile as I stretched my hand up to pat her head. The fact that I was smaller than her didn''t help my efforts, but I still manage to do so in the end. "Stop that, it won''t work on me anymore," She eximed again as she quickly swiped my hand away, but I still saw a hint of pink on her cheeks. Head pats are her weakness, I realised this when she got jealous of me giving them to Emma over the summer. So ever since then, I''ve been using them to cate her whenever she gets mad at me for whatever reason. "Don''t start fighting Mum is already here," Emma spoke up as she dragged me away by the arm. Letting her do as she wishes I watched her send a re in May''s direction who also followed behind us. Even though I would like to believe I''m mentally more mature than her with my past life memory and all but I''m no match for Emma''s emotional maturity. Mum described it as she is having a higher EQ than me, but I still stand by my belief of her being overprotective. Well, I can''t really me her she did find me bleeding out in her closet. That would be a shock to any kid especially if the kid you wound ends up bing your younger sibling. The fact that she packs a small first aid kit whenever we go out to y or when we train is slightly worrying though. I''m not saying that it''s not useful as she has stered me up for the slightest cut I got whilst ying. I can''tin though since she protects me whenever I annoy someone too much. She is the best shield I could ask for as no one seems to be able to stay mad On the way to the parking lot where Mum was parked, Jenna ended up joining us also dawning her cheerleader gear. The three of them joined the team whilst Liv would only be able to join once her tennis season ends. Even then she only trains as a stand-in and is the team''s assistant manager. Since she can''t make up for the missed practices and doesn''t want to risk getting injured between her tournaments it''s what''s best for her. ~~~ "So how was the game? Do you know what team you made yet?" Mum asked me after a little while of driving. I was sitting in the front passenger seat whilst the three girls were left to squeeze onto thefortable leather seats at the back. Honestly, I don''t think there is a reasonableint about where u sit in a luxury car. Plus, the car was big enough that you could still sitfortably at maximum capacity. "I did ok I guess, only managed to score one Goal and an assist, but I did make Team A though," I told her with pride virtually brimming off my body waiting to hear her words of praise. Whenever I make the slightest achievement Mum is always the one who is the happiest for me. I remember when she was teaching me, she would brag to Dad whenever I improved my test scores even if it was just by a single percentage. She is for sure my biggest fan, so I''m always looking forward to seeing her smile beam whenever I achieve something. The warmth she showers me with is something that I can''t associate with my memory of my past life but I''m definitely bing addicted to it. "Congrattions I never doubted you would make it," she said with a smile as she reached over to ruffle my hair. I could tell that she was genuinely proud and wasn''t just saying it to cate me. Since she would be one of the first people to tell me when I''m doing something wrong. "Well done I was rooting for you," Emma said from behind me as she stretched her hand forward to pat my head as soon as Mum finished. Sometimes it''sical howpetitive she can get over the most random things. However, I just let her be as she was even more nervous than me during the entire week of tryouts. Heck, throughout the week she gave me half of her cookies during the break, all in the name of encouraging me and she seldom shares her sweets. She must get that from Dad since he doesn''t share his snacks either, heck I once witnessed him buy an extra slice of pie instead of giving her a bite. The look of disbelief on her face was something else as she watched him finish his desert whilst making her wait for her own. Let''s just say that was one awkward ride home from the restaurant. "Oh, you made the team, I guess I''ll forgive you for earlier," I heard May chime in still pouting from what happened earlier. Looking back at her I watched as she averted eye contact with me by looking to the side. "Don''t listen to her she was also rooting for you, they both dragged me to check how your game was going during our break," Jenna ruthlessly exposed her showing no mercy whatsoever. May upon hearing her instantly panicked to cover her friend''s mouth before she could expose her further. "Don''t listen to her I was only helping Emma hurry Jenna along," She quickly defended herself but by the blush on her face I could tell that she was lying. Looking at her serious expression I couldn''t help myself fromughing at her actions. "I believe you I promise," I ended up telling her before turning back to the front to focus on the road. "I''m serious," I heard her say seemingly not convinced that I believed her excuse. She was right in her thinking, but I have no intention of telling her that. "I know I believe you," is all I said to her not bothering to turn back to face her but If I did, I would have been met with her flustered look. ~~~ "You want to go hang out on the terrace before dinner?" Emma asked me as soon as she barged into my room. She was dressed in casual wear consisting of one of my white hoodies and a pair of shorts to match. Although she has her own hoodies, somehow, she always ends up with some of mine. The funny thing is I''ve never caught her in the act of stealing them, they are there one day and just disappear the next. She does return whatever hoodie she gets bored of so it''s not so bad. "Yeah, I was getting bored anyways, by the way, have you seen Zeus?" I answered her as I got up from my bed making sure to hold onto the towel on my head. Now that my hair has grown quite a bit it takes so much longer to dry them once wet. "Oh, he''s following Mum around in the kitchen," she said as we quickly made our way down the stairs. Walking past the dining room on the way out I caught sight of Mum Scolding Zeus for stealing the bits of chicken she was going to prepare. This has be a routine for them ever since she made the mistake of feeding him a little ham whilst she was cooking. Ever since then, He follows her whenever she is cooking like clockwork. He tried that with Dad, but he didn''t budge in the slightest forcing him to settle with regr dog food. So, like every smart K-nine he learned his lesson and only pesters mum when she cooks. "C''mon Zeus let''s head outside," Emma called out to him, saving him from another round of scolding. Taking a seat at one of the chairs at the firepit I started running my towel through my hair as I gotfortable. "Sigh one of these days Mum will say no to you," I said to Zeus who hopped on the chair next to me still looking innocent. "We both know she will never say no to him," Emmamented from the side hinting at the fact she seems to let him get away with almost anything. "To think that she didn''t want a pet at the start," was my only answer remembering her reluctance when we went to the dog breeder. She literally tried her best to bribe us with new toys and sweets all the way there. It wasn''t until she held Zeus in her arms that she was convinced of the idea of us keeping him. As a matter of fact, she spends more time with him than us, as she takes him with her to her fitness studio. "Yeah, she''s a big softy even though she likes to act fears," is all she said as she started ying with Zeus''s fur. Looking out on theke that reflected the setting sun I felt at peace at this very moment. All the hard training is offset by the calming feeling I get whenever I see this scene. "This reminds me of the celebration we held when your dance troupe made it to regionals," I subconsciously said as I came out of my mesmerisation by the scenery before me. Looking at Emma a smile inadvertently formed on her face after recalling what I was talking about. ~~~ [A couple of weeks ago] "Ladies and gentlemen wee to the 2009 Junior regional semi-finals, we have four talented teams here but only two can move on so join me for a round of apuse as we wee them to the stage," The Asian MC who was dressed in a silver suit announced from the side of the stage making sure to capture everyone''s attention with his charisma. Adhering to his words the audience stood up from their chairs pping thunderously as the dance teams entered the stage. Dressed in their Unique team colours all the teams stood together in an orderly manner as they received the cheers of the audience. Each team had a minimum of eight members with only one team having the maximum allowed number of ten. "Now that''s what I call a warm wee, I''m your host Jason Lee let''s go ahead and introduce the teams," The Mc spoke up again as he made his way to the closest team to him seemingly wanting to let them introduce themselves. "Who among you is your captain?" He asked the group probably wanting to avoid a situation where all of them introduced themselves at once. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 78 78 Proud Father [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Hi, I''m Jane and we''re The Golden Girls," A blond girl who seemed to be the team captain stepped forward and answered the MC. The whole team was dressed in tracksuits with a gold and white colour scheme emphasising the gold on their name. As soon as her voice fell the crowd cheered up again warmly weing the team as the Mc moved on to the next team. "You heard it they are the golden girls let''s hope they can achieve their namesake," The MC quipped earning a loud cheer from the said team''s fans and family. He continued introducing the other teams whilst makingments to engage the crowd. "Let''s give it up for our final group," he said as he walked in front of thest group indicating for the leader to step forward. The team is made up of nine members dressed in white tracksuits with light blue engravings of butterflies. A skinny brte with long legs was the one to step forward for the team. "Hi, I''m Chloe and we are Serenity Dance wish us luck," The girl confidently spoke into the mic earning another round of cheers from the audience. "There you have it give it up for our four teams as they get ready to entertain us with their talents," Jason Spoke up as he gestured for the girls on the stage to get off stage so they could get ready. He started entertaining the audience with some crowd work as he introduced the rules of thepetition. Thepetition would start off with the solo section with each team being able to choose one dancer to represent the team. Most teams would just pick the best dancers, but the regionals have a special rule saying that each dancer can only perform in the solo section once throughout thepetition. This rule has served to create some suspense with each team having to carefully consider which dancer to choose. After solos, thepetition moves on to duets and trios before finally moving on to the group sections. Each section is worth thirty points and the two teams with the highest total score would move on to the finals. ~~~ [MC Pov] "Dad you are just in time, I think Emma''s trio performance is next," I told him as he shuffled through the row with a box of popcorn and two drinks. We had been watching thepetition the entire morning and honestly, it was more exciting than I thought it would be. Some of the moves that some of the dancers have performed are insane. The sheer amount of body control you would need to have for some of the moves made me happy that they weren''t a part of football. "Hasn''t Mume yet?" He asked me as he ced the popcorn box between us whilst handing me my drink. Eating a handful of the popcorn a sweet and salty taste entered my mouth. Giving Dad an odd look at his selection I fight the urge to ask him about it. After all, he has an answer for everything when ites to defending his snack choices. "Not yet I think she is still helping with Emma''s hair or makeup," I answered him with a shrug as that is what she usually does during herpetitions. Most of the Mums of the dancers would help with the girl''s hair and slight makeup adjustments they need for their performance. I followed her backstage at the first show but when I realised that some of the girls were getting changed behind a foldable wall, I quickly made a U-turn out of there. Although I was never in a rtionship in my past life, but it just felt wrong seeing girls get changed in the same room as me even if they were a few years older than me now. "Oh, wait I think I see hering," Dad spoke up again as he waved towards her to get her attention. With how tall he is and the fact there weren''t that many men here it wasn''t that hard for her to notice him. "Thanks for keeping a seat open for me," she said as she quickly sat next to Dad who removed his coat from the seat. It wasn''t easy to keep that seat free as were in quite a convenient location. Not too far back and not too close to the stage just in the right position to be able to see the happenings on the stage clearly. "How is she?" Dad asked her as soon as she settled down in her chair. Before she had a chance to answer him though the lights in the room dimmed again as three girls took their position on the stage. The sound of soft music rang came to our ears as the stage was lit up and the figures gradually moved to the beat. I don''t know the name of the song, but it''s got quite a sad undertone to it. Watching how Emma and her teammates moved in what seemed like contemporary moves had me slowly entranced. Their dancing reminds me of sparrows dancing around each other. The music started picking up as their dance moves became more fluid drawing all my focus into their performance. It wasn''t until the music reached the climax of the performance when I finally came back to my senses. It was just in time to see Emma and another girl perform an aerial pirouette making them look elegant as their costumes fluttered in the air. The girl in the centre performed what looks like an acrobatic move that looked just as difficult as the aerial moves of the other two. The two figures gracefullynded on the ground transitioning into a move on the ground as the music slowly winded down. As soon as the music ended, I was swept up in a wave of apuse for their performance. I don''t know who started it, but I wasn''t to be outdone as I pped as hard as I could. I wasn''t only doing it because it was my sister on stage but because I was genuinely fascinated by the performance. "That was quite the magical performance," The Mc quipped as he made his way to the stage grabbing our attention as the apuse winded down. However, hisment only seemed to serve as a cue for us to apud them again. "I get you were impressed, let''s see how our judges feel about it," he quickly said again seemingly worried that we would drag this on for another five minutes. His words work as the audience around me imed down with thest one to stop pping being Dad. "That was quite the impressive performance girls, I quite enjoyed it but I did see some technical mistakes so I will only be giving you eight points." The first judge who is a woman in her mid-forties was the first to speak up. Herment earned a mixed reaction from the crowd, but it was still a positive one. Remembering the reason for her answer had me perplexed as I didn''t notice anything that looked like a mistake in their performance. Then again, I don''t really know dancing that well, if it wasn''t for Emma''s obsession with it, I wouldn''t know a single thing about it. "It''ll be nine points from," The judge in the middle said not wasting a moment with pleasantries as he held up his board with the number nine on it. Even though his actions are quite brass it was more appreciated by us as he didn''t leave us in suspense. Cheering loudly for the high number of points I quickly focused my attention on thest judge. He is by far the stingiest with his points having only given one performance seven points today. From the chatter around me, I found out that the middle-aged man is some big-time dance teacher at an institute. So, from that alone, you can see that his standards are high. "Your harmony is quite good, and it showed in your performance, I will be giving you eight points." the man said after a moment of contemtion earning excited squeals from the girls on stage. Hearing his verdict, we cheered loudly for them all excited that Emma managed to get a good score for her performance. ~~~ "She was quite good," I told my parents next to me after the girls went off the stage. Looking at Dad''s face in particr he seemed the proudest as he has been smiling nonstop since she entered the stage. Due to his busy work schedule, he hardly gets to go to her training session, so he is making up for it by cheering the loudest for her. "Yeah, she was but knowing her she won''t be satisfied with her performance," Mum said in a slightly exasperated tone seemingly remembering Emma''s trait of being overly critical of herself. It''s honestly maddening how she can downy her achievements sometimes. Even though she is the youngest in her dance group for her it''s not enough if she is not the best in her team. I do love herpetitive qualities as it lights a fire in me to be just as eager in my training but I''m by far more flexible in my mentality. "Shel be fine let''s just get her some ice cream that should mellow her down a bit," Dad said in a heart manner seemingly not worried about his daughter''s slight obsession with being perfect. My expression couldn''t help twitching slightly after hearing him talk about bribing his daughter but remembering their love for snacks it''s not that hard to believe. "(sigh) I''ll just go and help her get ready for herst performance," Mum said as she quickly scurried away seemingly not wanting to engage with her husband''sments. Dad who was oblivious to this just nodded as he started bragging about teaching Emma everything, she knows to a family in front of us. His ability to make a stranger engage in a conversation with him will never seem to amaze me. Although I''m, not an introvert per se but even I pale at his ability to make friends. This must be one of the skills he has honed through years of business. "Dad thest round is about to start," I told him as he was still bragging about Emma''s performance to the poor family who seemed to be supporting a girl from an opposing team. However, at this point in the conversation, they were also praising her as if she was their rtive. "Oh, so it is, let us cheer hard remember her name is Emma," he said to me seemingly entranced with the conversation he was having but he did not forget to advertise Emma onest time. The thing that made me doubt the other party''s intelligence is the fact he nodded firmly and repeated her name as if he was trying to engrave it into memory. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 79 79 Sirens [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Half an hour after Emma''s trio performance all the groups performed their group performances. One of the groups performed a hip-hop-based dance that was quite exciting. The crowd was getting energised just by listening to the beat even nodding along as they enjoyed the show. When they started performing break dance moves that looked difficult for a human to perform it excited us even more. The killer was when two boys performed a backflip after using their teammates as a springboard. Whilst this was happening another boy was performing a head spin at centre stage. The crowd exploded in a whirlwind of apuse as the group performed their finishing poses as thest beat of the song fell. Even though I was biased towards Emma''s team I couldn''t help myself from apuding them for their performance. The judges seemed to love their performances as well which was reflected in the points they gave. They got a total of 25 points which was the highest anyone from their team had achieved during today''spetition. The next team''s group''s performance was a little genericpared to the first team''s which could be seen by the crowd''s reaction. It''s not that their performance was terrible but after experiencing such an overwhelming showing from the previous group they just seemed a littlecklustre. This was reflected in the judges scoring giving them, just barely 21 points. The third group was the Golden Girls, which was one of the stronger teams today. They didn''t let up in theirst showing fully disying their talent. Their dance seemed like a mixture of ballet and contemporary that resemble an ambience simr to a symphony. They looked like golden flowers that swayed in the wind bringing a sense of vibrance with them. If the first groups dancing was electrifying this group''s performance had a calming effect on the audience. They told the story of fairies that performed a dance of blessings igniting a sense of awe in those that saw it. The ringing of the piano served as a backdrop to their elegant movements amplifying there moves giving them an emotional undertone. By the time their performance had ended, we were up on our feet apuding them for their wonderful performance. Although I was reluctant to cheer for them, I couldn''t help myself from joining in the crowd''s apuse. Emma''s groups had their work set out for them if they wanted to stand a chance at winning this. I wasn''t the only one who was thinking this judging by Dads worried expression. He still managed to remain calm probably through theposure he honed through years of business. Little did I know is that he was using his armchair as a sort of stress ball. The audience wasn''t the only ones who loved the Golden Girls'' performance as the judges gave them a score of 27 points. This was the highest score that any of the teams received today, and the crowd seemed to agree by how loud they cheered. Listening to the judges giving out their reason for the scores they gave seemed to rub Dad the wrong way. I could swear I heard him mumble something about them being too generous for no reason. ~~~ The lights dimmed slightly as a slow song started reverberating throughout the room. On the stage, nine girls elegantly moved along the ground seemingly in sync with each other. They looked like sirens as they danced along the ground drawing our entire focus as the music continued to intensify. The girl at the centre of the performance managed to make it to her feet with the support of the rest of the group. The grope looked like the waves that helped support the siren as she charmed the sailors into the sea. Following her lead, the rest of the girls started swaying to the serene music using a variety of contemporary moves. As their performance reached a climax the audience was in a trance not daring to make a sound in case, they would break the current ambience. The dance resembled a mirage that only served to entrance the audience more. By the time the music started to increase its tempo the girl''s dance moves looked quite chaotic, but it had a subtle elegance to it. Silent tension had been building in the entire hall as the performance reached the final stages. The girl who seemed to be leading the dance seemed to sprout wings as she took to the air whilst performing an elegant spin move. When shended, she was caught by two girls on her sides as she elegantly transitioned to the ground. Shey on the ground as the final note of the song sounded. The ambience on the stage had returned to calmness as all the performers returned back to stillness. A minute after the performance had ended the hall remained silent as no one moved seemingly stuck in the moment. The girls still remained in the same position as when the performance ended not daring to move. However, the longer the silence dragged on the more nervous they became as they looked out towards the silent crowd. p, not sure who in the audience it was that started pping first but just like a snowball that rolled down a mountain it set off a chain reaction as an avnche of apuse rained down. The crowd got to their feet fully making their appreciation known to the performers on stage. Seeing the crowd''s energetic reception to their performance the girls sighed in relief as they finally got to their feet. Quickly bowing in thank you for the praise the girls are visibly brimming with excitement. This continued for quite a while as the crowd seemed to want to make up for theirck of reaction throughout the performance. It wasn''t until one of the judges raised his hands to gain their attention that they finally calmed down. Even then it took quite a while for the rowdy crowd to calm down. ~~~ "What an excitingpetition let''s give the teams another round of apuse," Jason Lee spoke into the mike as he warmly weed all the teams back on stage so that the final winners could be announced. The four teams stood huddled up in their teams waiting anxiously for the announcement of the winners. On the faces of some of the dancers you could see nervousness written all over their faces and others seemed to be brimming with confidence. However, some of them seemed to have calcted the result already as a sense of dejection was written all over their face. "Alright without further ado third ce in today''s semi-final with a total score of 96 is..." Jason started saying as he read a sh card that seemed to hold the results, making sure to build up the tension. "Dynamic Dance, thank you for gracing us with your talents and we hope to see u at nationals," he said with a consoling smile on his face as he also made sure to encourage them to work hard. Since they managed to get third ce, they still had a chance at making it through to nationals if they won the wildcard rounds. The crowd loudly apuded the dance team thanking them for today''s performance. Wishing them all the best for their future endeavours as they quickly regain theirposure waiting to see which two teams would make it to the finals. "Thank you again for entertaining us but the show must go on," Jason bellowed out in his mice capturing the attention of the crowd. he continued to hype up the audience further as he built a subtle tension between the three teams that have yet to have their fates decided. In reality, everyone knew it was only between the two teams who managed to move the crowd during the group performance, but no one would point it out. "First of all, I would like to thank everyone that participated today but the show muste to an end, Today''s Runner-up and first to qualify for the finals with just two points short of first-ce The Golden Girls," As soon as he finished speaking the crowd erupted with loud cheers as the said team began celebrating their qualification to the finals. The celebration is bittersweet but overall, the girls had happy smiles as they congratted each other on seeding. The organisers quickly handed out the runners-up medals to the team members whilst also handing the captain the team''s second-ce trophy. After another five minutes, the audience calmed down again as Jason took control of the situation again. "Finally, Your Regional Semi-final winner with a total score of 115 is Serenity Dance," He promptly announced not wanting to hold the audience on the edge of their seat any longer. The team burst into cheer hugging each other as they celebrated frantically whilst confetti sprinkled from the air. ~~~ [Mc Pov] ''Dang that was more frantic than I expected,'' I inwardly said as I got up from my chair following Dad backstage. After the final winners were announced they continued on to personal awards, surprisingly a girl from the bottom team won the award for best solo performance. Emma''s trio team managed to get the runners-up medal for their performance with her getting an honourable mention. Overall, it''s been quite a productive day for her and judging by the huge smile she had when epting her reward she is over the moon. [That goes to show you to not look down on any sport,] Eva chimed in her two cents, but she seemed rather disinterested. It didn''t take long for us to reach backstage to the massive dressing room where all the girls were still celebrating. I spotted a few of them having congrattions forced upon them by their parents. Whilst others managed to escape that fate and dragged their teammates to take pictures with the trophy. Looking around I quickly spotted Emma who was being smothered in a tight hug by our mother. She gave us a pleading look as soon as she spotted us, but Dad didn''t seem to get the memo because as soon as Mum let go, he enveloped her in a tight hug also. I struggled to hold back myughter when I saw the look of relief when he finally let her go. The look of betrayal on her face when I also pulled her in for a tight hug the next second was even more priceless. "Don''t give me that look I was just congratting you," I told her as she continued to scowl at me after we separated from the hug. My words didn''t seem to do the trick as her frown just depend. "I would rather you congratte me from a distant," she managed to say after moments of contemtion. her serious expression only made me want to tease her more, so I did. "Ok then I''ll just stick to giving head pats to May," I quietly said as I looked around the room to see what else is going on. However, the next second I felt someone pinch my hand with a bit of force. Turning around I was met with her pouting face as she sent me a slight re. "You can''t I won''t talk to you if You do," she said in a serious tone, but I could see slight nervousness in her eyes. Chuckling at her antics I just raised my left hand to pat her head whilst I took out a small package from my jacket pocket. "Here Dad and I got you this," I told her with a smile distracting her from whatever she was thinking about. Just like a cat who''s seen a shiny new toy all her attention was shifted to the box forgetting our conversation. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 80 80 Celebration [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "What''s in this?" She asked me, curiosity brimming in her eyes, as she started shaking the small box close to her ear as if she could discern its contents by sound alone. Giving her a bemused look, I couldn''t help but chuckle before yfully flicking her head. The flick snapped her out of her curious trance, and she shot me a yful re in return. "Just open it, dear," Dad interjected, diffusing any potential tension. His words worked like magic, redirecting her attention to the task at hand. With renewed focus, she eagerly proceeded to open the box. As she peered inside, her eyes widened in delight at the sight of a silver bracelet with intricate decorations, with a beautiful dolphin hanging from it as the centrepiece. "Aww I love it, thank you," She excitedly eximed as she immediately put it on. The tiny essories hanging from the bracelet really did suit her. She seemed to also like them as her smile beamed even more. "Aw, I love it! Thank you," she eximed, her voice brimming with excitement as she swiftly fastened the bracelet around her wrist. The delicate essories adorning the bracelet suited her perfectly, entuating her natural charm. Her smile beamed even brighter, as she raised her wrist to get a better look at it. "You''re wee," Dad replied, a satisfied smile gracing his face, before he turned his attention to helping Mom pack the remaining belongings. For some reason, they have a full suitcase worth of things to bring with them to everypetition. "You really did well today," I remarked, genuine warmthcing my voice as I looked at her with an appreciative smile. A surprised look instantly appeared on her face as she heard what I said seemingly not expecting it. "Thanks," she replied, her voice tinged with a hint of bashfulness, swiftly brushing off her flustered expression. "Come, I''ll introduce you to some of my team members," she offered, her enthusiasm returning as she beckoned me to follow her towards a group of girls proudly posing with their hard-earned trophy. I was quickly introduced to them and maybe it was due to my charm, but I managed to quickly integrate with them. I was however delighted to the camera guy for all the photos they wanted to take, so I''m not sure if I got the better end of this deal. By the time it was time to leave, I hated the sight of phones, because who knew that girls love taking pictures? Well, I found out the hard way by being made to take them for twenty minutes straight. I did get to be in quite a few of them but that is bedside''s the point after all I''m I do have the looks that a camera would love. The point is this whole photo shoot oddly reminded me of the Nike camp one. I would rather go through a ruling training session with Lebron than go through that trauma again. Wait then again maybe going through a system training session is safer for my young body. ~~~ "Let''s give it up for my little angel she is going to nationals," Dad said loudly after getting the attention of the restaurant. His words were met with enthusiasm from the guests who were dressed in casual clothes that just by looking at you could tell it was expensive. "Dad, we need to win regional before that," Emma meekly said to him a little flustered from all the attention she was receiving now. Hearing her words Dad wasn''t embarrassed a single bit as he continued tough. "You can do it I have no doubt," Is all he said as he contently took a sip of his wine as confidence just emanated off of him. Emma was left speechless hearing his words and could only focus on eating her food. Currently, we are at Ventura country club which is close to where we stay. Apparently, Mum''s uncle had been a member here ever since he moved to the States, so it was only natural for them to join. ording to Dad, it''s hard to get in if you don''t have an invite from a member but lucky for them, they didn''t have that problem. The restaurant is quite high-end as you can imagine but surprisingly the atmosphere is quite rxed. I was expecting a lot more judgment after having watched 90210 with Emma for the past few weeks. I can''tin though as the friendly atmosphere coupled with the scenery makes me want toe here often. The gentle breeze brushed against our faces as we sat at one of the tables outside, overlooking theke. Its tranquil waters shimmered, reflecting the warm hues of the setting sun. The serene atmosphere of the Ventura country club provided a wee respite from the hustle and bustle of the busy day. Simply being in this moment I savoured it with all my being not wanting to forget it. It''s one of those special feelings you get when you are genuinely happy to just be in the moment and just enjoy every second of it. Lost in the beauty of the moment, I found myself gazing out at theke once more. Its calm waters mirrored the peacefulness I felt deep within. This idyllic setting, coupled with the familial love among us, made me yearn for more moments like these. ~~~ [sh back end] ''It''s finally the day when it all begins,'' I couldn''t help myself from thinking as I eagerly awaited the final bell to ring. Today is September 19th for some it might be just another but for me, it''s the day when my legend is born. You might think that I''ve gone crazy, but I promise I have not. Well then again it would depend on if you consider a slightly unhealthy obsession with football unhealthy. But can you me me? At the very least I''m positively channelling my energy. Let''s get back on track though, for the better part of two weeks we have been going through a gruelling training just to get ready for today. Coach Garret who is the coach for team A has been working with us to quickly integrate us into a team. He is defiantly stricter than head coach Baker, Mom says it''s because he''s got more to prove which I think is right. Anyways today is the day We y against our cross-town rivals the Ondo Beavers, so we have to start the season off right. If we don''t, we will never hear the end of it from everyone at school. For some reason, this rivalry has been turned into a tradition of pride and mockery for those that win and lose. [You don''t have to worry so much You have been working hard and you have started utilising the system store, so you have taken some major strides,] Eva said in an attempt to calm me down. We have gotten a lot closer over the past two weeks of training since she actually seemed enthusiastic about my use of the system. ''I know but this is it, it''s what I''ve been working for since I regressed that fateful day,'' I told hermenting over how far I''vee and grown over the past few months. Old life''s me would see this as a fairytale, heck he would have just been happy being able to live life without having to worry about dying every day. [I know you have; I''ve been beside you every step of the way and I''m not going anywhere so stride with confidence and embrace your future,] She said in a warm tone that made my eyes watery but also gave me a sense of security that I have grown to rely on. Honestly, she being in my head is better than any life insurance as she can actually help if I face a problem. ''Thanks, Eva,'' Is all I said to her as I quickly whipped my teary eyes before anyone could notice I was after all still in ss. However, my actions where still toote judging by the worried look Lexi was giving me from across the table. "You okay," She whispered in a hushed tone making sure not to draw the attention of the teacher. "Yeah, I''m good, it''s just so sad that harry potter isn''t as good-looking as me, I bet that''s half the reason people constantly want to kill him," I told her with a straight face as I rubbed my chin as if I was seriously contemting this. Her baffled reaction is priceless especially when it looks like she is seriously considering if I''m right. It''s a good diversion since we are reading the first book during reading ss, so it is not that farfetched id be thinking about it. However, if I''m being honest, I just can''t rte to the story whatsoever but that might just be due to my personal preference. I prefer reading books like Hercules or Moby dick because they are either realistic or just fully mythical and are not just in between. Sigh kids these days are so gullible it''s no wonder she keeps falling for my easy pranks. "Hey, stop lying to Lexi we all know he got bullied because he drew a thunderbolt over his eye," Her friend who was seemingly listening in on our conversation chimed in full of confidence as if she was telling me the sky is blue. She didn''t seem to have our tact and didn''t bother to whisper as if she was trying to draw attention to herself. Looking at her for a second, I proceeded to ignore her as me and her aren''t exactly friends but that''s a story for another day. "June, would you like to say something to the entire ss," The teacher calmly asked her with an annoyed smile written all over his face. He was an old fe who resembles a typical bookworm or a library clerk. He is quite easy to get along with along as you don''t interrupt him in ss. "Emm, no sir sorry," is all she could say clearly embarrassed by the attention she had created for herself. She red at me for a second seemingly trying to pin her current shame on me, but I woke up this morning and chose violence so decided to tease her a little. "Weren''t you saying something about drawing lightning bolts," I whispered to her whilst making the same reassured smile she made moments ago. "Shut up," she quickly said to me sounding quite venomous as her re intensified but she seemed to have forgotten that the teacher was still focused on her. "What was that?" he asked from the front of the ss having seemingly not heard what she said. However, I could tell that he was slowly losing patience with the whole situation. "Sir she was just talking about vivid your narration of Harry''s battle with the basilisk is," I quickly said to him after raising my hand not wanting to get her into actual trouble since she might implicate me. Knowing my teacher, he is the type to just punish everyone just in case even if it might be false. "Hmm, ok make sure to pay attention in the future it sounds even better when you are listening," he said with a satisfied smile at the slight ego boost as he resumed reading from where he left off. However, before he could start the long-a-waited bell that signalled our freedom rung. Not even waiting for a second after the bell rang, we immediately started packing up our stuff to leave. However, before anyone could leave the room we watched as our teacher quickly dashed out with his bag as if he was escaping a mob. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 81 81 Eagles V Beavers (1) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Looking around the locker room, I couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement coursing through my veins. The atmosphere was electric as my teammates, and I prepared for the uing game. With each tug of theces on my boots, I could feel my focus intensifying, ready to give it my all on the field. Scanning the room, I noticed a few guys who wore worried expressions. Some engaged in light stretches, hoping to alleviate their nervousness. Their anxious whispers filled the air, contrasting with my own attempt to contain my bubbling enthusiasm. As I battled to keep myposure, I plugged in my earphones and yed "Forever" by Drake, hoping to channel my energy into a controlled state. The beat reverberated through my ears, momentarily settling my restless spirit. But just as I began to find my centre, Eminem''s rap verse burst through the speakers, catapulting my excitement to new heights. Unable to contain myself any longer, I anxiously nced at the door, waiting for Coach Garret to make his entrance. Finally, the moment arrived. Coach Garret strode into the locker room, immediately capturing the attention of everyone present. He was clutching his clipboard tightly as he strode to the centre of the room, probably concealing one of the secret tactics he had been raving about for the past two weeks. His authoritative presence and stern expressionmanded our respect, dispelling any lingering doubts or distractions. "Listen up, team!" Coach Garret''s voice echoed through the room, cutting through the buzz of anticipation. "Today''s judgment day, and I expect each and every one of you to leave it all on the field. Remember, we''ve trained for this moment. The countless hours of practice and hard work have led up to this moment of truth. It''s all up to you whether you will crumble under pressure or prove that you belong on that field." Coach Garret said in a calm tone as he lit a fire for victory within us as a look of determination reced the worried looks of my teammates. Coach proceeded to outline the game n, emphasizing the importance of teamwork, and discipline. Fun didn''t make that short list as ording to him winning is all the fun you need which I couldn''t fault him for. He did however tell us to enjoy every moment end make sure to celebrate all the little sesses as they will eventually stack up to something big. I could tell that he was nervous as well as this would be his first coaching gig. He did however manage to mask it well with his intense desire for the win. With each passing word of motivation and warning, our nerves transformed into a focused state, as a serene silence settled over us slowly brewing a storm. By the end of his speech, our individual goals of what we wanted to achieve in today''s game slowly merged into a collective mission of victory. ~~~ [Gen Pov] Red Oak Eagles VS Ondo Beavers ~~~ [Red Oak Eagles] Ben Walker (GK) Henric Eriksson (CB), Ole Wagner (CB), Jake Smith (CB), Damian Green (CDM) Rakim Rex (LM), Ben Miller (CAM), Max Taylor (RM) Tom Walker (ST), [Ondo Beavers] John Carter (GK) Jimmy Love (LB) Ron Carter (CB) Joey Silva (CB) Tim Crowley (RB) Ryan Shepherd (CM) Leo Stephens (CM) Steve Taylor (CM) Floyd Dous (ST) ~~~ Thete afternoon sun hung in the sky illuminating the green field below with its glow as the Red Oak Eagles and the Ondo Beavers stepped onto the field. The Eagles dawned red and ck kits that gave them a fierce aura. The bleachers were packed with students and parents from both teams holding up banners of support. Their eyes fixed on the green expanse before them anticipating the battle of rivals that was about to unfold. It was the first school game of the new season, and the excitement was palpable in the air. Rakim could barely contain his eagerness to showcase his dribbling skills as he could be seen hopping on his feet lightly as he walked to disposition. ncing across the field, he could see the Ondo Beavers, their cross-town rivals who dawned a blue kit, preparing for battle. The tension between the two teams was tangible, fuelled by years of intensepetition and a desire to assert dominance. Both squads had undergone changes this year, forming rtively new teams, adding uncertainty to the game. The referee''s whistle pierced through the buzzing anticipation, signalling the start of the match. The ball was set in motion, and the sh of boots echoed as the gamemenced. The Eagles found themselves struggling initially seemingly out of sync with each other. With the desire to showcase their individual talents, their chemistry suffered initially as passes went astray and timing faltered. It looked like most of the yers had their own n that just didn''t seem to match with other teammates'' Ideas. The Ondo Beavers, sensing an opportunity, pressed forward, their yers showing shes of coordination and skill. Leo Stephens managed to steal the ball from Max Taylor using a clinical tackle that sent thetter tumbling to the ground. Not hearing a whistle, the midfield charged forward with confidence linking some passes to his midfield partners as he quickly charged the eagle''s half. Jake after seeing Max easily beaten by the opponent left his defensive line and charged forward closing down the space. Leo Who was still charging forward with gusto was slightly startled by the force charge of Jake opting to send a hasty pass forward. Floyd who wasn''t expecting the pass was left scrambling into position to receive the ball. However just as he was about to receive the ball the figure of Damian came sliding in hooking the ball as he quickly got control of it. The Defensive Midfielder quickly sprung up from the ground as he sent a sharp pass up the left nk. Rakim darted down the left nk receiving the ball as he continued to increase his speed. His agile movements captivated the crowd as he nimbly dodged the tackle of Steve Taylor. Showcasing his dribbling prowess, he weaved past the right back with lightning speed. His teammates, sensing an opportunity, began charging forward looking for an opportunity to take the lead. Entering the box from the side the winger sent a sharp cross into the box. Tom rose into the air fighting for air space with Joey Silva trying his best to get to the ball. Managing to rise above his marker the striker sent the ball toward the top right corner. However, before the ball could impact theting of the goal a pair of gloves belonging to John Carter sent the ball to the crossbar. The crowd erupted in disbelief at the opposing team''s goalkeeper, who made a stunning save to deny Tom''s powerful shot. The stands fell into a momentary silence as the spectators tried to process the incredible athleticism and agility disyed by Carter. It was a breathtaking moment that left everyone in awe of Carter''s reflexes and shot-stopping abilities. However not long after his heroics a loud Ding was heard as the ball deflected off the bar flying back into the field. The ball soared highnding towards the edge of the box, where the figure of Jimmy Love out-muscled Max collecting the ball. Quickly bringing the ball up the field the Left-back set a quick pass to the midfield in an attempt tounch a counter. tension quickly rose within the Eagle''s stands as Leo smoothly brought the ball under his control. Using a quick one-two with one of his midfield partners he when managed to easily bypass Damian who was left grasping for the wind. The midfielder drew closer to the edge of the box ed when Ole stepped up to close him down. Choosing not to engage with the tall defender He slotted the ball forward in that gap that was created by his opponent. At the end of the pass was Floyd the beaver''s lone striker who deftly controlled the ball as he stepped into the penalty box. Ben Walker having seemed the approaching danger opted to abandon his line as he charged forward to close down the striker. Sensing the pressure, the striker came to a slight stop before he hurriedly unleashed a shot towards the goal. The shot was powerful and at a tricky angle as it soared to the left of the charging Ben. However, that didn''t seem to bother the keeper as he disyed a moment of brilliance by using his foot to deflect the shot. The happenings on the field happened so fast that by the time the crowd had enough time to process the impending danger it was already resolved. The Keepers'' actions served to reinvigorate the crowd more as they cheer hard to celebrate his heroics. At the end of the keeper''s block was Henric who calmly brought the ball under his control. Seemingly wanting to give his keeper time to recharge he strode forward slowly bringing down the pace of the game drastically. Looking at him from the stands you would almost think he is out for a stroll if it wasn''t for the ball at his feet. Steve Taylor didn''t seem content with the slowed-down pace of the game as he came charging in attempting to win the ball. Henric didn''t seem unfazed though as he calmly side-stepped his charge with a change of speed. Leaving the opponent trailing behind him he drew his leg back before unleashing a long pass. Like an arrow leaving its strings, the ball drew a high arc across the field into the right nk. Watching the Defender''s actions, the crowd perked up in anticipation as they watched Max racing his defender for a chance to win the ball. The two engaged in a battle of strength as the ball passed over their headsnding a meter in front of them. Through a stroke of luck and speed, Max managed to lose his defenders gaining control of the ball first. Not wasting a single second, the winger cut back dragging the ball back as he changed directions. His actions forced the defender toe to a sliding stop as he scrambled to catch back up with him. Just as he managed to do so the winger performed another change of direction as he headed for the touchline. The defender who was still desperately fighting to chase after him suddenly lost control of his legs due to his excessive change of direction. The crowd who watched him fall face-first to the ground eximed loudly in sympathy as they watched the winger send a sharp cross into the box. The ball drew a curved arc in the air as it soared above the heads of the central defenders and Tom alike. Just as the home crowd was about toment another missed opportunity a boy in a red jersey appeared a couple of yards from the back post. He didn''t bother Adjusting his stance as he raised his left foot to meet the ball sending it drilling to the bottom left corner. Jon Carter was left glued to his line as he could only watch as the ball rattled in the of his goal. The home crowd of parents and students instantly erupted in cheers after seeing this as the boy in red happily ran to the sidelines to celebrate. To understand what happened we would have to go back to a few moments ago when Max was still outmanoeuvring his opponent. Rakim who was on the opposite wing seemed to smell the scent of a goal-scoring opportunity as he abruptly started dashing into the box. His marker Tim was left stupefied at his actions as he instantly chose to follow after him. However just as the winger reached the edge of the D, he abruptly stopped giving Tim enough time to get back in position. Breathing a sigh of relief, the right-back ced a hand on the winger before looking at what the yer with the ball was doing. That would prove to be a mistake as Rakim used that opportunity to separate from him with a quick backspin as he run into the penalty box. In front of the winger, the entire area close to the back post was empty due to his sanctioning of dragging the left back to the edge of the box. "Tim get your man," Joey shouted after noticing the danger but it was already toote as the ball was already soaring into the box. Through a moment of carelessness by his marker and luck, Rakim suddenly found himself unmarked with a clear line to the goal as the ball descended perfectly for a left-foot volley. Rakim showed no signs of hesitation as he fired the shot with force and control scoring the first goal of the game and his career. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 82 82 Eagles V Beavers (2) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The game soon resumed with the Beaver''s kick-off as they madly charged forward in an attempt to level the game. The look of determination on their faces spoke volumes as they quickly brought the ball into the opponent''s half. using a quick one-two Lea managed to bypass Ben Miller quite easily. The midfielder continued to elerate his pace forward not minding the fact that Damian wasing to close him down. Just as the defensive midfielder had arrived in front of him Leo set a sharp pass to his right into the run of Ryan. The midfield didn''t bother holding on to it for long as he chipped it into the box. The ball soared high into the air sailing above the head of Jake only to drop around the penalty spot. Floyd the Beavers striker and Ole Wagner were the first to react their bodies shed with each other as they tried to control the dropping ball. Floyd managed to emerge victorious in the confrontation getting his foot to the ball first. Left hobbling the striker didn''t bother to find his footing as he let loose a shot towards the goal. The ball left Floyd''s foot with incredible power, swerving towards the top right corner of the goal. Ben Walker, the Red Oak Eagles'' goalkeeper, sprang into action, his reflexes kicking in as he leapt towards the iing shot. There was a moment of pin-drop silence as the crowd held their breath. Everyone''s eyes fixated on the intense battle between the striker and the goalkeeper waiting to see who would emerge victorious. With a desperate dive, Ben extended his right hand, fully stretching his body to its limits. Time seemed to slow down as the ball travelled through the air, drawing a sharp arc towards the goal. The spectators watched in awe as Ben''s fingertips made contact with the speeding ball, redirecting its trajectory. As if nothing had happened time resumed as an avnche of reactions rained down from the bleachers. Gasps of amazement and groans of disappointment echoed from the stands as the ball ricocheted off Ben''s fingertips, narrowly missing the top corner of the. The home crowd erupted in apuse, cheering loudly in acknowledgement of the goalkeeper''s Incredible save. Ben quickly regained hisposure and scrambled to his feet; his eyes still fixed on the ball ready to meet the next challenger. ~~~ Meanwhile, as the rebounded ball descended, Rakim was the first to react and anticipated its trajectory. With lightning-fast reflexes, he sprinted towards the loose ball, determined to seize the opportunity for a counterattack. His agile movements allowed him to get ahead of Leo Stephens, who was left t-footed waiting for the ball. Quickly bringing the ball under control the winger spun around and started charging forward. It only took him a few yards before he was closed down from both sides but his ability to change what foot the ball was on helped him keep possession. Performing an emergency stop he created a bit of space to assess his options. Spotting Tom, make a clever run into space, Rakim swiftly yed a precise through ball into the space he was running into. Tom, who had been waiting for the chance to break away from the opposing defenders, used a quick body feint before dashing into the space. Two steps into the box and the ball arrived at his feet with pinpoint precision allowing him tofortably control it. Realizing the danger, Ron Carter, the Beavers'' centre-back, rushed to close down Tom, attempting to dispossess the ball of the striker. Seeing that the striker was about to shoot he chose to risk a slide tackle from his side. However, Tom''s determination was unwavering, and he cleverly sidestepped Ron''s tackle, maintaining possession of the ball. His movements had a certain grace to them as he seemingly danced past the tackle whilst remainingposed. With a burst of speed, he created a bit of separation from the downed defender getting a better angle at the goal. The crowd held their breath once again as the tension mounted. Tom took a split-second topose himself and then unleashed a powerful strike towards the bottom left corner of the goal. The ball''s angle was quite tricky as it sliced along the ground. John Carter, the Beavers'' goalkeeper, reacted instinctively, diving to his left in a desperate attempt to make the save. The ball rocketed towards the goal, whistling as it pierced the air around it. It seemed destined for the back of the, especially with the tricky angle. However, John had other ideas as he fully stretched his arms in a moment of desperation, managing to make a fingertip save, pushing the ball away. The stadium erupted into a mixture of gasps, groans, and cheers. Both teams'' fans were on their feet, apuding the extraordinary disy of skill from both the goalkeeper and the striker. Whilst John dusted himself off the ground, he had a victorious grin on his face knowing he had managed to save his team. O the other hand Tom could be seen kicking the ground in frustration at missing such a good opportunity. The match had be a thrilling contest between the attackers and the goalkeepers, with each side pushing the boundaries of their abilities. As the ball rolled out of y, the referee blew his whistle, signalling a corner kick for the Red Oak Eagles. The momentum had shifted once again, and with the home crowd energized by the incredible saves, the Eagles sensed an opportunity to extend their lead. The Eagle''s yers swiftly made their way towards the box, their hearts pounding with excitement. Ben Miller, known for his pinpoint uracy with set pieces, stepped up to take the corner kick. The stadium buzzed with anticipation as fans leaned forward in their seats, eager to see what would unfold. Shouts of encouragement could be heard from the home fans near the corner g as they were seemingly giving advice to the midfielder. "Kid you got it in you just believe it," an old man holding a brown paper bag could be heard telling the midfielder as he picked up the ball. However, judging by his confused reaction one could easily tell that he had no idea who the guy was. Ben proceeded to just give the guy a thumbs up before returning his focus back to the game. Unbeknownst to him that short interaction helped him calm down his nerves that have been in overdrive due to the game. Ben carefully ced the ball on the spot, meticulously adjusting his steps for the perfect delivery. He nced up, scanning the box for his teammates'' positioning as he took his time to pick out who had the highest chance to convert the goal. Henric Eriksson, Ole Wagner, and Jake Smith, the towering defenders, made their way into the penalty area, ready to attack the iing ball. Ben frowned slightly after seeing that the only person at the back was Damian but the ongoings of the box captured his attention. Both teams'' yers could be seen fighting for an advantageous position in the box. The referee''s presence was the only reason that the yers remained somewhat calm. Having seen the situation of the box he quickly raised his arm signalling the oing kick. With a sudden burst of energy, Ben whipped in a wickedly curling cross towards the near post. The ball travelled with pace and precision, expertly avoiding the defenders'' reach. Simultaneously, the Eagles'' yers made their well-rehearsed runs, looking to outmanoeuvre their opponents. This caused quite a bit of chaos in the box as the ball rapidly approached. Henric, Ole, and Jakeunched themselves into the air, their eyes focused on the iing cross. They leapt above the Beavers'' defenders, their determination evident in every muscle of their bodies. It was a contest of strength, timing, and will. Their markers were left to just watch them soar in the air having missed the chance to challenge them for the aerial duel. Just as the ball reached its apex, Henric managed to get his head to it, redirecting it towards the far post. The crowd erupted in cheers as they witnessed the ball sailing towards the goal, seemingly unstoppable. But fate had a different n in mind as a figure blitzed across the goal line. John Carter, the Beavers'' goalkeeper, sprang into action, his reflexes sharp and his agility unmatched. He catapulted himself across the goal, stretching his body to its absolute limits. Time slowed down as everyone''s eyes fixated on the dramatic scene unfolding in front of them. Eagerly awaiting the oue of the confrontation. With a breathtaking disy of athleticism, John managed to extend his arm, his gloved fingertips making contact with the ball. In an instant, the trajectory of the ball altered, changing its course again denying the Eagles the satisfaction of a goal. The keeper visibly erupted with excitement screaming loudly to let out his frustration as he asserted his dominance over his goal. The stadium erupted once again, but this time with a mix of admiration for John''s incredible save and frustration from the Eagles'' fans who were desperately seeking a second goal. Most shocked by the keeper''s disy of skills were the Eagles yers in the box. A sense of gloom washed over them as the keeper seemed to resemble an unmovable giant guarding his goal at all costs. The Beavers'' defenders didn''t bother with them as they scrambled to clear the loose ball, and the match resumed with a quick counterattack. Leo Stephens, the Beavers'' midfielder, swiftly took control of the ball near the touchline and initiated a rapid counterattack. He skilfully manoeuvred past Max Taylor and Ben Miller, disying his agility and evasive ability. Quickly bringing the ball forward he officially signalled the attack to his teammates. He spotted his teammate, Floyd Dous, making a well-timed run down the left nk. With a weighted pass, he sent the ball into Floyd''s path allowing him to continue his run at full speed. The crowd held their breath once again as the speedy striker charged towards the Eagles'' goal ~~~ Meanwhile, the Eagles'' defenders snapped out of their daze and scrambled to track back, desperately attempting to close down the dangerous attack. Damian Green, the defensive midfielder, quickly recognized the threat and sprinted towards Floyd, aiming to halt his progress. As the distance between Damian and Floyd closed rapidly, Floyd made a split-second decision. Instead of going for an individual run, he skilfully yed a pass back to Leo, who had continued his run towards the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder who had raced up the field with all his strength received the pass with finesse, showing remarkable control under pressure. With a sudden burst of eleration, he drove towards the goal, leaving the Eagles'' defenders trailing in his wake to desperately chase after him. The crowd erupted in anticipation as Leo prepared to unleash a powerful shot. Ben took a couple of steps forward to put pressure on the midfielder, but Leo had no intentions of letting hime close. Having learned from His striker''s earlier missed opportunity he had no intention of letting the keeper get any closer. Quicklyunching a shot just as the keeper took a step forward the ball soared to the far-right corner. Ben who saw the iing shot was left with only the option to react to the shot to the best of his abilities. Although he reacted as fast as he could that wasn''t enough as the ball by passed his outstretched hands by inches. A secondter even before he couldnd, he heard the of his goal rattled. The away crowd seeing the ball go in erupted in euphoria cheering loudly as their team finally score a goal. Sounds of drums could be heard as their fans sang the school''s cheer to further encourage their team. The Beavers yers celebrated widely relishing in the fact they were back on level terms. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 83 83 Eagles V Beavers (3) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] "Well, that took a turn for the worse" I muttered to myself as I got settled in my position ready to restart the match. There are less than ten minutes left in the first half, so we still have a chance to pull ahead. However, looking at the gloomy expression of my teammates told me that it would be a hard road ahead for us. The game quickly restarted with our kick-off, but we remained calm, unlike the other times when we rushed forward. Damian our Defensive midfielder took control of the game''s flow passing the ball around our defence to slow down the game. Floyd tried to close down Henric using his speed, but thetter quickly passed it to Jake. Although it felt weird not going for the attack It wasn''t exactly new to us. Coach had instructed us during training to let Damian control the passes when the game starts getting too hectic. The reason for that is the fact that he manages to keep a cool head even with all the pressure. As Damian continued to manoeuvre the ball around our backcourt the whole Beavers team got dragged into our half. I don''t think even they noticed how dangerous this was especially with how speedy our offence is. Damian seemed to have the same idea after a one-two with me on the left nk he quickly raised his hand before sending a long ball forward down the opposite nk. Like a flip had switched I quickly turned around and started running down my nk. On the right nk, Max managed to lose his marker as he chased down the airborne ball. He managed to fish out the ball just before it could go out for a throw. Quicklyposing himself he didn''t panic as the left back managed to close down. The winger performed a quick step over trying his best to force a mistake from his matchup. That didn''t work as the right-back was determent not to let him by no matter what he did. Noticing that he wasn''t going to get by the defender he sent a sharp pass into the middle of the park to the feet of Ben who had just made it up the field. The Midfielder performed a quick turn circumventing past Leo in one movement before he sent a through ball into the box. Seeing his actions, I intently reacted as I slotted into the box racing to receive the pass. The right-back is hot on my tail and the centre-back wasing from my right as well. Not one to back down I lunged for the ball with my left dragging it behind my back in one movement. Both defenders slid along the grass slightly as they tried to regain their footing. I wanted to shoot but the defender was blocking my shootingne now, so I decided to go with the unconventional route. Passing the ball back to the open space in the middle of the box for Ben. I watched him take a touch to control my pass before quickly taking the shot. The shot contains quite a bit of power as it flew to the bottom right corner of the goal. The keeper tried his best to save the shot but, in the end, he wasn''t able to pull off another heroic showing. The moment the ball pierced the the crowd that had been silent during the build-up y erupted in an avnche of cheers. Quickly racing over to Ben, I started celebrating with him exhaling a sigh of relief at finally being ahead in the game. It wasn''t just me who was feeling relieved as the whole team came up to celebrate this goal. Not long after our celebration the game restarted with us leading 2:1. However, before the beavers couldunch an attack the referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the first half. Not bothering with all the fan fair going around along the stands we quickly made our way to the changing rooms as the cheerleaders took the field. ~~~ The halftime break granted us a moment of respite, allowing us to catch our breath and refocus our minds. Looking around the locker room there were mostly joyful faces on my teammates, but I did notice the key yers frowning slightly. They were probably thinking about how the first half could have easily gone the other way. ''Hey Eva, what are we doing wrong?" I asked her since she would probably know the crux of the problem. Because even though most of us are individually the better yers on the field the game was still at a deadlock. I don''t know If it''s something we are doing wrong or maybe the other team just has an effective game n. [I''m not going to spoon-feed you the answer, but I will tell you this, stop holding back and start treating the game like a mission to reach the goal. I have noticed on a few asions where you are ying it safe to match those around you instead of using every weapon in your arsenal,] she started scolding me as if she had just been waiting for this moment, almost causing me to spit out the energy drink I bought from the system. ''Thanks, I think,'' Is all I could say to her as I started going through all the ways I could have done more in the game. She was right I am tooid back when ites to being involved in the game. I''ve just been blindly trusting my teammates to bring the ball up the field instead of getting involved in making it happen. It wasn''t until Damian took control of our midfield in thest ten minutes that I started getting involved more. However, that was mostly due to him drawing the entire game towards him not really allowing me to wander off. "Hey, listen up everyone, we need to stay focused in the second half, your opponents aren''t going to give up on the game, so you need to be prepared yourselves." Coach Garret spoke up capturing our attention as he started detailing what he wanted us to do in the second half. The tactics weren''t all thatplicated as he had as practising them during training. It was just a case of implementing what we practised he did however point out certain yers for us to pay special attention to as they have been causing the most problems for us. Leo Stephens is number one on that list since ording to Coach most if not all their attacks stem from his influence. "Alright, it''s time to head back out there boys, for the first ten minutes I want you all to score a goal to stabilise our lead. Remember ying is only fun when you win, Win on three." With that, his halftime talk ended as we loudly cheer Win on the three-count hyped up to fight for another half. ~~~ As we returned to the field, determination burned in our eyes as we quickly lined up on the field. The game was far from over, and I was personally ready to seize the moment. The referee''s whistle pierced the air, and the second half began with a renewed sense of vigour. We surged forward into the opposing half as the Beavers kicked off the second half. It didn''t take long for the first physical confrontation of the game as Tom shed with Ryan Shepherd in an attempt to steal the ball from them. Tom fought hard, using his strength and agility to gain an advantage but Ryan was unrelenting as he used his body to protect the ball. After a bit of back and forth, he managed to win the ball, and with a quick flick, he passed it to Max on the right nk. The winger utilised his fast pace, and sprinted down the wing, leaving the left-back in his wake. Max looked up, scanning the field for options. Spotting Ben making a run towards the edge of the penalty area he sent a sharp pass to him. Ben calmly took control of the ball but before he could do anything with it, he was swept off his feet by a sliding tackle. Looking around for what happened he was met with the fierce look of one of the Beaver''s defenders as he passed the ball to one of his teammates. Ben''s interception had ignited a spark of tension between the two teams. The Beavers were determined not to let their opponents extend their lead and pressed forward with renewed aggression. The midfield trio of Ryan, Leo, and Steve orchestrated a quick counterattack, passing the ball swiftly among themselves to exploit the spaces left by the momentarily disorganized Red Oak Eagles. Leo Stephens, the focal point of the Beavers'' attacks, disyed his technical prowess as he efficiently raced up the field, leaving defenders in his wake. He cleverly evaded the tackle of Damian and threaded a precise through ball, into the eagle''s defensive weaknesses. Floyd inserted himself into the right side of the boxtching onto the through ball. Using his pace allowed him to gain a momentary advantage over the Eagles'' defence. With a burst of speed, he made a beeline towards the goal, his eyes fixated on the back of the. The Eagles'' defenders scrambled to catch up, desperately trying to block his path and prevent him from scoring. All the while Ben Walker stepped off his line and, braced himself for the imminent challenge. He watched intently as Floyd closed in, ready to make a split-second decision to anticipate the striker''s move. The tension in the air was palpable as the crowd held their breath, awaiting the oue of this critical moment. With lightning-fast reflexes, Ben lunged to his left, stretching his arm out to his fullest as Floyd unleashed a powerful shot towards the bottom corner of the goal. The ball seemed destined for the back of the, but Ben''s fingertips managed to graze it, diverting its trajectory at thest possible moment. Gasps and exmations erupted from the crowd, astonished by the goalkeeper''s incredible save. The ball ricocheted off the post and rolled out of bounds, earning the Eagles a crucial moment of reprieve. The tension remained high as the Beavers were awarded a corner kick, an opportunity to continue their assault on the Eagles'' defence. . . . . To be continued... Chapter 84 84 Eagles V Beavers (4) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The Beavers lined up for the corner kick, their eyes filled with determination to capitalize on this set-piece opportunity. The Eagles'' defenders took their positions, trying to create a solid wall of resistance to protect their goal. The crowd''s anticipation only further grew as Leo from the Beavers got set on the left corner ready tounch another attack. The yers didn''t have to wait long as he whipped in a curling cross towards the penalty area. In a chaotic scramble, bodies shed, and heads rose to meet the ball. The tension was thick, as both teams fought with unwavering determination. Both sides fought tooth and nail to clear the danger, throwing themselves into the fray. Ole, Jake, and Henric leapt into the air, battling against the Beavers'' defenders, desperate to prevent them from getting a clean header on goal. But amidst the chaos, it was Henric who made his presence felt managing to beat his match up in the physical confrontation. Rising above the crowd, his eyes fixed on the descending ball. With a powerful header, he directed it away from the danger zone, sending it soaring towards the halfway line. The tension momentarily subsided as the Eagles sessfully averted the Beavers'' threat, providing momentary relief for the team and their supporters. The game continued with the Eagles regaining theirposure, their determination to secure victory growing stronger with each passing minute. Rakim, who had been somewhat quiet in the first half, began to assert himself more, eager to make his mark on the game. On the left nk, Rakim showcased his agility and skill as he skilfully weaved through the Beavers'' defenders, leaving them bewildered in his wake. His electrifying speed and precise dribbling created opportunities for the Eagles'' attack, injecting a new level of energy and unpredictability into their gamey. Although his frequent possession of the ball help to unsettle the opposing defenders he wasn''t able to create a clear-cut chance in the first minute. That didn''t stop him though as he continued to make runs down the left nk making life quite hard for Steve and Tim Crowley. As the game progressed, tensions continued to mount between the two teams. The Eagles, now fuelled by their lead and Rakim''s increased involvement, pushed forward relentlessly, seeking to extend their advantage. The Beavers, on the other hand, refused to back down and fought tooth and nail to regain control of the game. Every tackle, every duel, and every pass were contested fiercely, creating a palpable sense of intensity on the field. The midfield battle continued to intensify as the referee had to stop the game quite a few times. It wasn''t until 20 minutes into the second half when the Eagles were able to create a threatening chance. Ben Miller the team''s creative spark received the ball just outside the box with a bit of space to create an opportunity. He took a nce around, assessing his options, and spotted Rakim making a run into the penalty area. With a deft touch, Ben threaded a perfectly weighted through ball, splitting the Beavers'' defence. Rakim burst forward, using his explosive speed to leave Tim Crowley in his wake. The crowd erupted in anticipation as he closed in on the goal, a chance to further solidify the Eagles'' lead. John Carter recognized the danger and rushed off his line, narrowing the angle as he spread his arms wide to make himself as big as possible. But Rakim remainedposed, his focus unwavering as he performed quick stepovers. Seeing his movement force the keeper to tilt to the near post he saw his opportunity. Without hesitation, he unleashed a powerful shot towards the far-right corner of the. The tension in the air was palpable as the ball soared through the air, hurtling towards its destination. Spectators held their breath, waiting for the oue that could shift the bnce of the game. John Carter adjusted quickly and dove desperately, stretching his body to its limits in an attempt to deny Rakim''s goal. Despite all his efforts, he was only able to graze the ball with his fingertips and could only hope for it to be enough. Luck wasn''t on his side though as despite managing to divert the trajectory of the ball slightly it still found its mark. Seeing the ball prate the screams of jubtion echoed from the home fans as Rakim widely run to celebrate in front of the stands. ~~~ The Beavers who were now two goals behind had dejected expressions on their faces as they continued to hold off the Eagles. Rakim''s goal further spurted his team''s charge as they continued to wildly press their opponents. Although the Beaver''s midfielders tried their best to limit their attacks, but Ben seemed to be able to freely manoeuvre around them to create attacks. Many times, Tom found himself in scoring positions close to the box only to be stopped byst-ditch efforts by the opposing defenders and keeper. This desperate situation continued for the rest of the match until Max suddenly went on a solo run up the right nk. Although he wasn''t as gifted when ites to dribbling ability as his partner on the other side, but he made up for it with his speed. Like a possessed beast, he performed a quick feint as he bypassed the defence of Ryan Shepherd. The crowd held its breath, witnessing the intensity of the moment. With each step, Max closed in on the penalty area, his eyes locked on the goal. Not stopping there, he continued charging forward as he increased his speed as Jimmy Love came forward to intercept him. The crowd held its breath, witnessing the intensity of the moment. With each step, Max closed in on the defender, but his eyes were locked on the goal. That didn''t faze him though as he performed another feint before knocking the ball down the nk. With a quick 360 turn, he bypassed Jimmy who had lunged after the ball. Not bothered by the downed defender he quickly took control of the ball as he continued charging forward. Jimmy Love tried his best to catch up to Max, but the winger''s speed was unmatched. Sensing the imminent danger, Jimmy lunged for a sliding tackle, hoping to disrupt Max''s run. However, Max anticipated the challenge and expertly evaded it, keeping his bnce and control of the ball. With a burst of speed, Max raced towards the edge of the penalty area, his focus on finding the perfect opportunity to strike. The Beavers'' defence scrambled to recover, desperately trying to block his path and prevent him from causing further damage. All this however seemed to just be background noise to the winger who only had the goal in his sight. He nced up as he approached the box, scanning for any open teammates who were in a better position. He spotted Tom making a run that made the central defender subconsciously follow him. He was inclined to pass it to him but just as his foot was about to hit the ball he stopped and used the outside of his foot to create separation from Joey Silva. Seeing an opportunity too good to pass up open up for him, he took matters into his own hands. With a quick shift of his body, he unleashed a powerful shot towards the near post. The air crackled with tension as the ball sailed through the air, its trajectory uncertain. John Carter, the Beavers'' goalkeeper, reacted instinctively, diving to his left in a desperate attempt to make the save. The crowd erupted in anticipation as they watched the ball hurtling towards the goal. Time seemed to slow down as everyone awaited the oue that could potentially seal the victory for the Red Oak Eagles. John tried his best and it paid off as his fingertips managed to divert the ball''s flight path. The crowd eximed in astonishment at his athletic ability only to quiet down in the next second. In a twist of fate, the ball struck the inside of the post, ricocheting into the. The stadium erupted in a mixture of cheers and gasps as Max''s shot found its mark. The winger seeing his shot go in wildly run to the home stands and started celebrating wildly. Rakim, who had been closely watching the y unfold at the edge of the box waiting for a chance to score off the rebound joined Max in his celebration. Their teammates quickly joined them in a collective disy of joy and relief. The Beavers, now facing arger deficit, were left with a mountain to climb if they wanted to salvage a result from the game. As the clock ticked down, the intensity of the match never waned. The Beavers fought valiantly to regain control,unching desperate attacks, and tightening their defence. The Eagles, on the other hand, remained resolute, determined to maintain their lead until the final whistle. Despite their best efforts, the Beavers were unable to find a breakthrough. The Eagle''s defence held strong, repelling every attack with determination andposure. The final whistle blew, signalling the end of the game, with the Red Oak Eagles emerging as the victors. The tension that had filled the air throughout the match slowly dissipated, reced by a sense of tion for the Eagles and disappointment for the Beavers. As the yers made their way off the field, they exchanged handshakes and congrattory words, showing mutual respect for their opponents'' efforts. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 85 85 Post Match Rewards [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Mc Pov] ''That was a fun game,'' I told Eva as I made my way to the locker room after shaking hands with thatst of the Beavers team. ''Congrats you really came to in the second half,'' she praised sounding genuinely proud of my achievements. Herments only further reassured me of my achievement during today''s game. ~~~ [Ding Post Match Review] >Goals scored: (2) = 200Sp >Assists: (1) = 50Sp >Cards: 0 = 10Sp >Final Match score: 4:1 Victory = 30Sp >Match Rating: A (Congrattions to the host for an excellent start to your footballing Journey) ~~~ ''Dang I wasn''t expecting that, but I won''tin I''m in need of singrity points,'' I inadvertently thought as I gazed at the notification that popped up. Eva had hinted that I would be able to earn Sp through matches, but I thought that I would have to wait for quests. [Don''t be so surprised these are the fruits of all your hard work keep up the good work,] shemented as I started taking off my boots so I could go for a shower. Most of the guys did the same with only a few of the guys dragging their feet due to the celebratory mood. I didn''t mind them though as I just headed into one of the shower stalls letting the cold-water rain down on me. My warm body quickly cooled down as the emotional high of the game that I''d been riding slowly came down. The feeling of calmness I feel whenever I take a shower after exercising is the best. ''Open Status,'' Imanded inwardly wanting something to do whilst I continued to shampoo my hair which is quite big now. I should really hurry up and get my dreads done soon but it''s not exactly easy to find someone to do them here. I''ll have to ask Liv as her mom takes her to get her hair to get braided before her tennis meets. ~~~ [Ding] [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 2,090 Position: Winger (Evaluation: A boy with a lot of potential for bing a professional ser yer, who possesses a lot of talent) [ USER STATS] >Physical Fitness: C >Football Technique: B- >Game Intelligence: D ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors: - ~USER MENU~ [USER STATS] [ SINGULARITY MISSIONS: 1] [ SYSTEM SHOP] [ SYSTEM LOTTERY (locked)] [ SNOOPING TOOL (locked)] ''Sigh I''m still poor but I finally have enough for that skill plus I still have a set of those energy drinks,'' I mused to myself after noticing that my Sp had gone back up to two thousand. Through the two weeks of training, I spent some points on a skill that is useful for me which showed its effect in today''s game. [ USER STATS] ->Physical Fitness: C ->Football Technique: B- ->Game Intelligence: D ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors: ->Singrity Skills: Bronze Level Goal Sense (Passive), Looking at my stats makes me quite happy although the improvement is not as fast as I would like it to be but it''s not slow either. If I was just a regr yer without the system, I would defiantly have a harder time improving myself. Not because of the cheats I can use but due to the simple fact they wouldn''t know what aspect of their game they have to improve. I am good example of this although I am far better than kids my own age proven by the fact; I''m ying with kids who are four to five years older than me. If I was a regr kid, I would feel proud of myself and wouldn''t work as hard to improve myself as only a few kids in my team have the ability to challenge me. Good Thing my mom is a coach and I have a system that lets me know what I''mcking so I can easily focus on it. Although Mom isn''t of much use when ites to football technique but when ites to healthily raising my body control, she''s a genius. It''s honestly baffling that she doesn''t have more clients all year round or isn''t tied down with a sports team. Then again, she doesn''t reallyck money with Dad around plus from what I heard her say she has her own inheritance invested for a rainy day. However, ording to Dad, it would have to be a storm before she would ever have to use It. So, she only does one-to-one sessions with clients during the school year. She does do some PT sessions during their off-season like with Lebron this summer but that''s a special case. She enjoys spending our school holiday with us so unless the other party is willing to pay double her rate she won''t ept. ording to Dad, it''s easier to convince her clients to follow her work schedule than to get her to agree to work during her holiday. ~~~ ''Eva, buy the bird''s eye view Skill,'' I told her as I started getting dressed and applying cream to my skin. Most of the boys were still in the shower just fooling around and only both the Bens were also getting dressed. Although Ben Miller is quite the tactician in midfield, he has an introverted personality like Tom. Thetter though seemingly draws people to him just by his presence, whilst Ben takes his time to warm up to people. When he does though he behaves just like anyone other boy our age and for some absurd reason he loves to pull pranks as well. I once watched him send Max to the girls'' volleyball team, telling him that their captain had told him she has a crush on him and wanted him to kiss her. That right there should have been a red g for the boy but decided to risk it he made his way to their gym before training only toe back twenty minutester with a handprint on his cheek. However, the most baffling thing was the fact that he was still smiling whilst he rubbed his cheek. It wasn''t until Lexi told me that he had kissed her on the lips in front of everyone that I understood why he was still happy. Lexi''s team was using the court next to the volleyball team separated by a wall for their handball practice, so she was able to see everything. To this day Max gets the stink eye from the girls on the volleyball team heck even the other girls in the sports team take a detour when they see him. ~~~ [Ding: skill Birds Eye View Purchased For 2000 SP] [Ding: Due to the nature of the passive skill It will integrate within the host the next time he enters a state of total Rest.] [Ding: Host has 24 hrs to meet the condition for integrating the skills before it is recycled back to the store for half the initial price.] ''Wow I wasn''t expecting that, I guess it''s making up for months of inactivity,'' Imented as I watched the screen sh with notifications. This hadn''t happened when I bought Goal Sense but then again, I fell asleep right after I purchased them so I might not have noticed it. [That skill was different than this one, Goal sense at the basic level is more like a gut feeling that allows you to find an area where you''re most likely to score during a game. Whereas the bird''s eye view skill has a direct impact on you which can be quite painful and makes you go blind for a few hours as your eyes undergo an evolution.] Evamented on my confusion clearing up my doubts but also scaring me slightly. I knew the system was all-powerful but having the ability to make me blind for a few hours just reminds me how supernatural it really is. ''Thanks for clearing that up,'' I told her as I put on my team hoodie which was Red with ck ents on it. It had a small eagle on my left chest and a big oak tree on the back with my name at the top which honestly is quite cool. All the team''s uniform uniforms and regr season expenses for a student are covered by the high tuition our parents pay so the school doesn''t spare money on quality. ~~~ ->Singrity Skills: Bronze Level Goal Sense (Passive) -A skill that gives the host a 20% probability to locate an area that gives him a high chance of scoring a goal. -The skill is limited to off-the-ball movement, meaning the host cannot be in possession of the ball for the skill to activate. Bird''s eye view (Passive! 24 hrs!) -A skill that widens the host''s field of vision, giving him a more urate view of the ongoings on the pitch. ~~~ ''That new skill will bring my game up a whole new level, especially when ites to passing and taking tricky shots,'' I couldn''t help and think after reading through its description. It will probably be easier to find holes in the opposing defence with this inbination with my goal sense. Sigh its barely game one of the new seasons and my entire game has taken a giant leap forward. "What''s got you smiling so much?" I heard a familiar voice ask me as soon as I stepped out of the changing room. looking to my left I was met with the curious gaze of Emma and May dressed in their own team''s hoodie covering their cheerleading uniform. They had performed during half time but we for obvious reasons didn''t get to see it. "Oh, I''m just happy at my first Man of the Match," I told him as I took out the game ball that I convinced the coach to let me keep. My answer seemed to shock them, but I wasn''t lying though as Ben were named as joint man of the match. I took the ball as a reminder of my first goals in my journey to be a football star. "Congrats but why did you only get a ball, we get trophies whenever someone performs exceptionally well inpetitions," Maymented as she took the ball eyeing it to see if there was anything special about it. At one point she even shook it close to her ear and I think if I hadn''t taken it back, she might have broken it open. "Thanks, did you like the game as well?" I asked Emma as I tossed her the ball that I saved from May''s clutches. She''s unusually silent ever since May started fooling around. "Yeah, you yed well, your goals were good," She answered me as she started filing with the ball. Unlike her friend, she wasn''t looking for some mysterious secret within the ball and was simply content just holding it. "Thanks, let''s go Mom and Dad are waiting for us," I told her as I patted her hair earning a nod in response from her. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 86 86 Family Time [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "You had a good game kiddo," Dad told me from the driver''s seat as he turned around to ruffle my hair. Throughout the game, I could hear him cheering loudly even though the student section was quite loud. "Thanks, I feel like I could have scored one more goal." As I got settled on the east behind him. Emma took the seat next to me with May on her other side since she would be staying with us tonight. "Don''t say that you had a great game," Mom interjected as she also expressed her heartfelt congrattions. The smile on her face is priceless, reminding me of whenever Emma has too much sugar. However, listening to her recounting the game from her perspective almost made me question whether it was her ying the game. "Thanks, I heard you cheering loudly from the bleachers," I told her after listening to her narrating the match for a while. Even though she''s not a particrly huge fan of football she''s been learning about it ever since she started helping me train. Just like that, we spent most of the ride home emerged in conversations about the game and the girl''s performance. Luckily for them, no one ended up falling and their performance went off without a hitch. The only dramatic scene that happened was when two high school kids from both schools got into to fight. However, ording to May, they weren''t fighting because of the match but due to a girl they both liked. Long story short the boy from the Beavers school got into a fight with his girlfriend and she ended up hooking up with the boy from my school. It''s not that important the only reason it became such a big deal was because both boys y for the Varsity American football team. So, the fact that they would be ying against each other for homing only served to hype up both schools. ~~~ "Rakim hurry up we''re going to have a game night," May shouted as she barged into my room from the connecting door to Emma''s room. Not bothering with her I continued to y with Zeus as he used one of my old hoodies as a chew toy. It''s been a recent hobby as his canines started to grow. At first, he had butchered one of Emma''s teddy bears earning her ire but somehow it resulted in him ending up with one of my hoodies. Ever since then, I''ve had to make sure he doesn''t walk into my closet looking for a new toy. "Hey, did you hear what I said?" she asked again sounding more annoyed after noticing that I ignored her. Before I knew it, I felt a pillow impact the back of my head forcing me to finally pay attention to her. The frown on her face told me that she wasn''t happy with my antics. "I''m too tired for game night let''s just watch a movie in the den," Is all I said to her as I got up from my bed. I was currently dressed in an orange Charizard Pyjamas that I somehow convinced Dad to get me from Japan. Although it didn''t have the Charizard''s tail it was stillfortable. "Fine but we get to pick what we are watching, By the auntie Lisa said toe down for dinner," she told me with a smile, surprising me by the fact she was so quick to agree to my change of her ns. Brushing away the fact that she called Mom by Auntie I started following her out of the room. "By the way where is Emma?" I couldn''t help and ask as we reached the dining room only to find Mom setting the table. Quickly helping her out the table was set in no time. "Oh, she somehow convinced your dad to take her to get Ice cream," Mom said with a slight pout on her face. That didn''t stop her from continuing to roast what looked like potatoes. It wasn''t all too surprising though I''ve witnessed Dad go on forty-minute car journeys for snacks. Half the time he''s the one that wants the snacks more than us, probably something to do with the fact he wasn''t allowed too much when he was young. "Haha, C''mon Auntie Lisa she promised to get you some caramel brownies," May was quick to speak up in defence of her friend. Mom was a little cated by her words as she seemed to be adding the finishing touches to the food. "Is she getting me anything though?" I asked them since Dad always gets the best snacks and I was going through my cooldown routine in the gym when they left. Dog yoga is something I''vee to enjoy, especially since Zeus likes to try to copy my movements or simply try and distract me. Mom gets decent snacks as well, but she makes sure they are healthy and doesn''t seem to have a map of all the best ces like Dad does. "Hmm, maybe you''ll have to wait and see," Mom teased as she started bringing food to the table. Looking at the smile on her face that told me she was happy to vent her frustration to someone else I could only sigh. ~~~ "Where home," Five minutes after the food was set on the table Emma''s voice was heard as she walked in holding a carrier bag. However, before she had the chance to show us what was in its mom took it from her hands taking it into the kitchen. "What don''t look at me like that you can have it back after dinner, hurry up and wash up, " Was all moms said as she put a couple of tubs of ice cream into the freezer. The rest of the snacks that couldn''t melt were just left on the kitchen counter as she joined us at the table. "The food looks great Hunny," Dad eximed with fervour as he carried a fewrger shopping bags. Helping him quickly store away the things in the bags we all gathered around the table ready to enjoy the food. The food was still warm as Mom kept them in special containers that continue to heat your food. Dad quickly said grace as we all started enjoying the feast. Tonight, Mom had made Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with a garlic sauce. The explosion of taste in my mouth instantly satiated my hunger. I haven''t eaten anything since lunch and only had an energy bar after the game, so this was defiantly weed. "Mom you should start selling your meals at your gym, maybe open a restaurant next door or something," I subconsciously said after devouring half of my meal in record time. I usually don''t like garlic that much but with the way all the taste of the meal blended it was heavenly. "Yeah, Auntie Lisa your cooking is so good, even my mom''s cooking isn''t as good," May was quick to encourage her as a blissful expression graced her face with every bite. Her fulfilled expression after each bite reminded me of a foodmercial about frozen pizzas. "Yeah, Mom your cooking is defiantly the best, even Dad can''te close," Emma also chimed in with a happy smile as she sent shots at Dad who was just quietly enjoying his food. He could only smile wryly probably pondering what he did wrong to deserve that. "Thanks, you''re so sweet," Mom said as she continued to eat her food with a content smile on her face. Dinner continued with the same energy as we continued to enjoy the food andpany. ~~~ "So, what are we watching?" I asked the girls as I joined them on the couch with Emma on my left. Quickly joining them under the huge nket I made myselffortable as I picked up my smoothie from the table. Zeus was quick to join me as he plopped next to me as he nudged my shoulder looking for some attention. "We are watching High School Musical," Emma said as she quickly pressed y as the opening credits started rolling. I could already tell that I was either going to like or hate this movie just by hearing the name of the movie. "Oh, alright did you get some ice cream for me too?" Is all I said not really wanting a two-on-one argument that I was bound to lose. Without saying a word Emma handed me a 250 grams tub of Mint Chocte Chip ice cream. "Thanks" Is all I said as I started enjoying the sweet vour whilst dodging Zues attempts from stealing it. Being a foodie must run in the family as everyone seems to love to eat tasty food. Heck, we''ve even fought battles for food, the asional silent protest over a slice of cake is amon urrence in this household. It took me a while to get into the movie, as I kept asking myself questions such as why they kept on singing. However, I put it up to them just being weird and just went with it. At some point, Mom and Dad joined us but I was already falling asleep from the constant luby they were singing. Before I noticed it, I was already in dreand running down the right nk as I tried to get past Marcelo. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 87 87 New View On Life [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [4 AM] ~~~ [Ding: The skill Birds Eye View has been fully integrated with the host''s body] [Ding: Host temporary blindness should resolve itself in thirty minutes.] (System services will not bear any responsibility if anything goes wrong) ~~~ [5:30 AM] The sun had just packed over the horizon of Florida ready to wee a new day. Birds could be seen dancing in the sky merely enjoying the serene atmosphere of the morning. In a small vi in one of the gatedmunities on the outskirts of Ondo, a six-year-old boy could be seenying peacefully on his bed. The morning sun rays sneaked their way past the thin curtains shining upon the boy''s peaceful body. Next to the boy, a young German shepherdy next to him in a protective manner seemingly guarding him. Although the dog''s eyes were seemingly shut light twitch of his ears every now and then suggest that he was already awake. The boy whose name is Rakim started getting a little restless as the rays of the sun intensified on his face. Seemingly fighting a battle to remain in dreand he tossed and turned a couple of times but that only served to annoy the dog. "Woof WOOF" The dog barked loudly as he quickly jumped up on his fours nearly dodging getting kicked off the bed. He seemed more confused than anything at the sudden movements of his owner as if not used to him being a restless human. Hearing the loud bark Rakim''s movements abruptly stopped as his eyes fluttered open trying to get a sense of his surroundings. Trying to shake off the remnants of his dreams a surprised looked graced his face as he tried to orient himself. Seemingly not expecting to wake up in his own room he lightly rubbed his eyes as his gaze shifted from his ceiling to the dog that was giving him an odd look. "What''s up Zeus, it''s not even time for our morning run yet," Rakim murmured, his voice still drowsy from sleep, to which Zeus proceeded to wag his tail in response, as he barked with excitement and anticipation. It was clear that the energetic pup was eager to start their day, oblivious to his owner''s need for a few more moments of rest. "Haha alright we can go early today but I''m racing you," Rakim chuckled lightly, after realizing that his furrypanion wouldn''t take no for an answer. With a groan, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched his arms upward, yawning to banish thest remnants of sleep from his body. "Wow was my vision always this good?" he muttered in a daze as he gazed out of the window seemingly transfixed by a sparrow perched up on a tree. He rubbed his eyes a couple of times seemingly not believing what he is seeing. Trying to get up on his feet he wobbled slightly only to fall back on the bed earning a curious look for Zeus. ~~~ ''Hey Eva, what''s going on with me,'' I asked her after feeling a little lightheaded as soon as I got up. Weirdly, my eyesight is by far better, almost as if I''ve got that twenty-twenty vision that was all the rage back then. [Just take a second your whole body''s visual feedback has just changed it''ll take you a second to get used to it,] She said sounding rather serious snapping me back to the skill I had boughtst night. That would make sense as to why my vision is better now and I can notice details from things further away. ''Alright I get that but what is with the liability warning from the system?'' I asked her surprised after reading the system notification from when I was asleep. Honestly, I wasn''t expecting that kind of warning from the system. [Don''t worry about it, it''s probably nothing, but you should be able to get up now] Is all she said as she conveniently diverted my attention. She was right my sense cleared up and all the fuzziness disappeared. ''Okay pull up my skills menu then,'' I told her wanting to check if there is something I should worry about. ~~~ ->Singrity Skills: Bronze Level Goal Sense (Passive) -A skill that gives the host a 20% probability to locate an area that gives him a high chance of scoring a goal. -The skill is limited to off-the-ball movement, meaning the host cannot be in possession of the ball for the skill to activate. Bird''s eye view (Passive) -A skill that widens the host''s field of vision, giving him a more urate view of the ongoings on the pitch. ~~~ Looks like I was worried for no reason everything seems alright plus my field of vision is so wide now. Heck, I can even see things that used to be in my blind spot in the past. Let''s just focus on the wins if there is really a problem down the road, I''ll just Nagg Eva about it until she fixes it. "All right, Zeus, let''s go," I called out to him as I quickly slipped on my running gear making sure to grab a pair of Nike running shoes to put on when I get downstairs. Going to my bathroom I went through my morning routine in no time eager to get started. Putting on a headband to hold back my hair I quickly made my way back to my room where Zeus was patiently waiting for me. He simply barked in acknowledgement as he jumped off the bed in excitement already making his way out of the room. Picking up my headphones I quickly followed him down the stair getting to the kitchen to the kitchen in no time. Quickly changing the water in his bowl and giving him something for breakfast I made my way to the fridge. Drinking half a litre worth of water in one go was all I could handle but it was enough. Grabbing an apple off the counter I was finally ready to go but just as I was about to open the back door, I felt someone staring at me. A secondter they appeared in my field of vision before I could even fully turn around. This increase in my visual senses will take some time to get used to for sure. "Hey Mom, how''s your morning so far?" I asked my mom who had an unimpressed look on her face as she looked down at me from the second-floor balcony. Surprisingly, she was also dressed in her running clothes wearing purple leggings that matches her sports T-shirt. To finish her look was a purple bobble that tied her wavy hair keeping it away from her face. "I could ask you the same thing, you know how I feel about you going out on your own," she said in a stern tone as she made her way down the stairs all the while her turquoise-golden eyes seemed to get more intense by the second. I could tell that she was angry by the fact that she didn''t even pay attention to Zeus. He couldn''t read the atmosphere in the room and tried getting her attention by running around her. "Sorry, I just couldn''t sleep and was going to go around theke with Zeus," I told her with a slight embarrassment on my face not being able to make eye contact with her. She''s not usually this strict but for some reason, she gets overprotective when ites to me leaving the house on my own. At first, I thought it was just her being a worrywart but after a couple of months of living here I understood where her fears stem from. For one I''m young and the other reason I''m ck in America. I never understood this in my past life as life was all about surviving the next day but now that I live here it''s like seeing a T-Rex in the city. I guess the fact that I could be gunned down for simply fitting a description hasn''t fully set in yet. After all this ce is basically paradise whenpared to the war-torn Congo but I guess even this ce has its monsters. Mom''s worries make sense since she probably never expected to have to worry about light skin son who will be subjected to this. "Sigh let''s just go together, I''ve just finished my Yoga session anyways," she said with an apologetic expression after hearing my words. Relief washed over me as she agreed to apany me on my morning run. Her overprotectiveness stemmed from genuine concern, and I understood that now more than ever. "Okay lets go, Zeus is already restless," was my answer as I quickly slid open the back door and made my way out to the backyard. Picking up one of my footballs I tossed it in the air before calmly trapping it on my right foot. "C''mon let''s go" I shouted at her as I quickly made my way to the gate that led directly to theke at the far end of the garden. Not needing a second prompt from me Zeus quickly raced ahead of me, more excited than me at being out in the fresh air. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 88 88 New View On Life (2) [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Quickly walking down, the path we promptly arrived at the area around theke. There was a paved pathway around theke before you reached the pedal stone area around theke. Dribbling my ball along the path I took in the serene atmosphere around me through my widened field of vision. Mom easily kept up with me as she was just jogging and wasn''t dribbling a ball whilst Zeus seemed to just be racing ahead before stopping to taunt us. The beautiful greenery of nature around theke is quite the remarkable sight to behold. An assortment of different aquatic flowers decorated this section of theke. Although they retained their beautiful lustre, I could easily tell they were in thest phase of this season''s bloom. Multi-tasking became much easier which I hadn''t noticed so far as I was too mesmerised by my surroundings. Even though I was paying attention to my surroundings I could still calmly control the ball without having to adjust much to dodge the stray pedal stone that managed to make their way on the path. Not only could I control the ball much easier but when I didn''t specifically focus on anything in particr, I could easily notice anything in a two-meter radius. Relishing in this new sensation I didn''t even notice that I subconsciously started speeding up my pace making sure to keep my contact with the ball close. After about five minutes of this, I started incorporating some skill moves such as simple stepovers or a couple of stop-and-goes with a change of speed. Although my movements did not improve significantly through the improvement of my field of vision, I could seamlessly adjust much faster. However, I could already tell that this wasn''t the full extent of my new eyes, and I would have to continue training to fully utilise it. ~~~ "Hey, you seem especially energetic this morning," Mom said as she finally caught up to me. Zeus and I had ended up racing ahead of her, both being lost in our own worlds me in my fascination of my new skills and him just not wanting to lose a race. It wasn''t until we reached the entrance of the pathway leading to the pier that I noticed that she was around two hundred meters behind us. That didn''t bother us though as Zeus used the opportunity to quench his thirst as I just started doing Keepie uppie''s managing to do fifty before she reached us. "Guess I''m still happy from yesterday''s game, I feel like I could y even better than I did yesterday," I told her with a wide grin making sure to continue my keepie uppies without losing control of the ball. "(Sigh) What will I do with you, anyways let''s pass by the bakery so we can get breakfast for everyone," she said in a slightly exasperated tone as she wiped away the bits of sweat on her forehead. However, with the rising sun, the nds of sweat only glistened further highlighting her beauty. Especially her light blond hair which made her seem more like an angel. "You should get a bodyguard," Is all I said to her as I turned around to start walking to the bakery. "Huh, why would I need a bodyguard when I have you and Ben," she said with a knowing smile seemingly understanding why I said that. I could only sigh at her antics as I remembered something Liam said; Women who are beautiful and are well aware of it are the scariest. I don''t know who he heard it from, but I''vee to realise just how true this phrase is. Especially as most of the girls and women here seemed to be fully aware of how their beauty affects those around them. Heck, the amount of time I''ve watched May and Liv cause Be and Liam to blush due to their pranks is countless. Not me though I''ve developed mental fortitude even sages would be proud of. "Let''s just go the girls should be up any minute now," I told her as I started jogging in the direction of the bakery finally dropping the ball. Zeus was done refuelling and promptly followed us as we left the trail around theke. ~~~ "We''re home," I eximed as soon as we walked in through the front door. Walking straight to the kitchen counter we dropped off the bags with the bread and pastry from the bakery. The house is quiet so maybe the girls aren''t up yet probably enjoying their Saturday to sleep in. "They are probably still in their room, go and take a shower before breakfast," Mom said as she immediately started preparing some porridge for us to eat. Heading her words, I quickly made my way upstairs with Zeus in tow. Soon as I got to my room, I could hear the girl''s sting music by Pitbull probably the reason why they did hear me earlier. "Good morning," I said to them as I open the door only to be met with a sight that left me dumbfounded. Somehow Two girls turned into four and for some absurd reason, they were all in their Pjs dancing all over the room. However, this ambience hit a standstill as soon as I opened the door. From the looks of it, Jenna and Liv joined the girls at some pointst night when I fell asleep, or they decided to show up in their PJs. Right now, the four of them all had a blushing expression as if I had just caught them red-handed doing something they shouldn''t be. Zeus as always, the oblivious one charged into the room and started excitedly jumping around to the music. "GET OUT!!" like a dam had broken all four of them shouted simultaneously as they somehow managed to summon pillows to their hands beforeunching them at me. Not wanting to risk getting hit I reflexively closed the door just in time as the pillows impacted the door. "Mom says to get down for breakfast," Is all I said as I quickly scurried away to my room. Grabbing a change of clothing I hopped into the shower in no time letting the cold-water rain down upon me. Taking a deep breath, I allowed the cool water to wash away any lingering thoughts of the chaotic scene I had just witnessed. As I stood under the invigorating spray, I reflected on the morning''s events. With my enhanced field of vision, the peaceful run by theke, and the awkward encounter with the girls I couldn''t help but feel happy for the calmness under the water. After a refreshing shower, I dried off and changed into clean clothes. Not wasting any time since I could already smell the enticing aroma of the porridge that filled the air, further stimting my appetite I made my way downstairs. The kitchen was now alive with activity, with Mom busy ting food for the four girls gathered around it. The girls seemingly feeling awkward about what happened earlier decided to change into regr clothes. Their faces still carried a hint of embarrassment as I joined them at the table. Most of them wouldn''t even make eye contact with me, only May opting to send a re my way. Not bothered though I took my seat next to Dad, who seemed to have finished his morning work since he''s usually still in his study by this time. "Hi, Dad you are already done with work for the day?" I asked him as I had no intention of engaging with the four of them. That seemed to be the right choice as the girls rxed their awkwardness and May even stopped ring at me. "Yeah, just had to look over some documents, I''m going to pop into the store down the street if you want to join, I think we might have those shoes in stalk today," he calmly answered me as he nced up from the newspaper by his side to make eye contact with me. It''s weird how he just reflexively makes eye contact with you when he speaks with you. Don''t get me wrong most folks do it but when he does it makes you feel like he''s taking you a hundred per cent seriously. Mom seemed to notice the weird atmosphere around me and the girls since we are usually close, but she didn''t bother asking as she just handed me a fresh bowl of porridge. It was just then that I noticed that she had already gotten cleaned up and made everyone breakfast by the time it took me to take a shower. It wouldn''t surprise me if I found out that she has superpowers honestly. "Yeah, I''lle, I will ask Liam if he wants to join us, is it still the same deal fromst time?" I quickly answered him excited about getting a chance to get a new pair of Jordans to add to the collection. The deal I''m talking about is one Dad came up with so Mom wouldn''t get on his case for just giving us stuff. All I have to do Is help around the store on the Saturday of every month they have a stock turnover. It''s pretty simple stuff really, all I do is fill the empty racks with the new jerseys of MLB, NBA, and NFL teams. All I do is scan barcodes for the old stock that''sing off the shelf and the same for the new things. As a reward for my help, I get to pick one thing from the shop as payment. Honestly, If Dad was being honest, it would probably be cheaper for him to just pay me, but I really wouldn''t have the need for the money. Plus, if I wanted to get the money, I can just do something on the chore list. Also, another Idea from Mom is if you want cash do a chore on the list. Each chore has a corresponding price to it and usually, Emma and I just split it since we really don''t have the use for the money currently other than to buy the snacks we want. You might ask why not save it or spend it in the school''s cafeteria. Well, that would be stupid since one Mom and Dad have set up a savings ount for us which we get once we are 18 and two once you try moms'' cooking, you''ll never want anything else. "He won''t be able to make it he''s got a taekwondo meet today," Jenna chimed into the conversation bringing me out of my inner monologue. But now that she said it, he did mention something about him having to fight somebody this weekend, but I thought he was joking. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that, howe you aren''t going to watch?" I asked her in curiosity since just like me and Emma both of them also have a good sibling rtionship. Well maybe not as good as the two of us since we hardly ever fight, we justplement each other''s strengths and weaknesses. "I was going to but it''s in another state and I dint want to sit through that car journey," She answered me with a bitter tone as she continued to enjoy her croissant which were still fresh from the baker''s. "I get you I''m not a fan of long car journeys either," I told her as I also focused on my breakfast since I had no ns of letting my food get cold. Just like that, we continued to eat our breakfast in afortable atmosphere. After a while, the girls even overcame their embarrassment and started engaging in conversations. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 89 89 Just Getting Started [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Monday Morning came in no time. I spent Saturday afternoon helping Dad at the store, which was fun since I got to have a first peak at all new goods. We did not spend the whole afternoon there, as Mum had us meet them for an early dinner with the girls. We went to an Italian restaurant where they made these huge stone-baked pizzas which attested heavenly. Sunday was uneventful as well, all we did was wake up early and head to church. My family is a Christian so we go to church every Sunday. If it was me in my past life I wouldn''t see the point in this but Im basically living proof that there is a higher being looking over me. We spent the day as a family going on a stroll around theke and barbecuing for dinner. Dad used that as a chance to show off his ability to cook, and surprisingly everything was tasty. Then again Mom was the one who prepped the food all Dad did was no to burn it. Anyways I had quite a calm weekend if you ask me the only thing I would change about it is ying more football. However, that will have to wait forter as I''m currently trying my best not tough out loud. I had just reached ss for morning homeroom and I was receiving more attention than I normally do. However, that is most likely due to the game being a big matter to the school. The reason I was trying my best not tough out loud was because my best friend Liam was sitting in front of me with a ck eye. That seemed to be the only thing that was wrong with him physically. Despite how worrying the bump on his face is the fact that he was proudly showing off his gold medal is what caused the current predicament. "Don''t give me that look I won," He indignantly said as he shoved the medal in front of me just to make sure I could see it. His actions made my lips twitch slightly almost bursting out inughter. "I can see that, What happened to your eye though?" I asked him as I brushed off the medal wanting to focus on the problem at hand. "Don''t worry about its nothing serious, I identally walked into a high kick," he answered me with a straight face as he scratched the back of his head as if it really was just a moment of clumsiness. I almost would''ve believed him too if it wasn''t for the fact that his bruise was staring right at me. "(sigh) So you got kicked in the face," I asked him with a deadpan look trying to cover the fact that I almost fell for his bad acting skills. "pretty much but I got my revenge by sending him flying," he answered me with a proud smile as he started demonstrating a roundhouse kick. I could only watch him with slight amazement as he performed kick after kick without losing bnce. This just goes to show you how much effort he put into his training. "Yo Liam, who messed you up?" We heard a smug voice from the front of the ssroom grabbing our attention. Looking at who it was we were met with the smug looks of Reece and Bet as they walked towards us. However much to their dismay, Liam had no intention of stopping his kicks causing them to jump narrowly dodging his foot. "Are you crazy, or are you just itching for another ckey," Reece angrily eximed as he took up an improvised fighting stance that even made me question just how many brain cells he has. He clearly didn''t know how to fight properly yet he was trying to pick a fight with someone who just won a gold medal in a taekwondo tournament. "What''s the deal do you want us to mess you up even more?" Bet eximed with indignation as h quickly backed up his friend. At this point, I don''t think I''ve ever seen him disagree with Reece. He''s a certified yes-man at this point. "It''s not my fault if you happened to walk into my foot, see I told you it''s normal to walk into a kick," Liam calmly said as he brought his foot down, with thest portion of the sentence being for me. That made me chuckle lightly as my friend just had one of those attitudes that only thought of the consequences once they needed to. "I see what you mean guess it really wasn''t your fault," I answered him with an understanding nod as I looked back and forth between him and Reece. My actions only served to enrage them more but they didn''t dare to take a step closer. "Just wait I will deal with the two of you sooner orter," Reece said anger virtually written all over his face. However, no matter how threatening his words were he still ended up walking away to his seat obediently. "(sigh) What is it with the two of you?" I asked him as they seem to sh with each other quite a lot. I''ve asked the girls about it but even they have no idea what happened between the boys to start the beef. ording to Jenna, they didn''t like each other from the day they met but because their families are close they were forced to see each other. "Honestly I don''t even remember anymore but a man doesn''t need a reason to stand back for his dignity," Is all he said as he sat down on his seat in front of me making sure to sound like a knowledgeable sage. Sighing for what feels like the hundredth time this morning I chose toy my head on the table to catch up on sleep before ss. ~~~ Coach Garret gathered us as soon as we finished our warmup. Taking a knee in front of him I was quite eager to see what he had to tell us. He seems like the type of person to be hand''s off and just wait to reap the rewards but I''ve personally seen how much effort he puts in our training. He''s quite meticulous in his training ns of us making sure to give us an all-round session when ites to developing our skills. When I first meet him I wasn''t sure If I would like him since he seemed like he would rather be anywhere else than be stuck with a bunch of kids. However, after seeing how much time and effort he puts into the team I had to reevaluate him. Plus ording to Eva, he''s the type of Coach to puts more effort into numbers and statistics rather than blindly hoping his yers will suddenly channel Messi and win him the match. Looking around at the yers present I could tell that most of them were still riding the high of Friday''s win. Even though coach had gathered us some of the boys were still whispering among themselves. I can understand their feeling though as literally what feels like everyone congratted me on the win during the day. "(Ahem) First of all I would like to apud you all on a fantastic job on Friday," Coach Garret eximed instantly capturing our attention, his voice filled with excitement as he scanned the crowd. A couple of the guys started getting rowdy after hearing his words brushing shoulders with each other. "You showed true grit and determination out there and I''m proud of you for it," He continued his speech with unusual enthusiasm for him as he continued to raise our spirits. By the end of his speech, a small smile had spread on my face as I got caught up in the atmosphere. "Let''s not let this get to our head, we''re just getting started let''s continue to work hard and build up a winning streak." Coach Garret''s words started picking up as he fully managed to grasp our emotions. Looking at him I could tell that he fully believed every word he said and was trying to convey that message to us. "Eagles on there" He eximed as we all jumped up to huddle up holding up our fists in the middle of the circle. "EAGLES!," we all loudly eximed as we broke off the huddle heading to our assigned training station. ~~~ I partnered up with Max for the first drill as we both have quite decent chemistry with each other. We shared a friendly rivalry since our y style carries some simrities and our desires to excel. We positioned ourselves a few yards apart, to where Coach Garret set up a series of cones, forming a passing grid. The objective was simple: maintain possession andplete urate passes within the grid. Max and I shared a quick nod as we focused on the maze thaty ahead of us trying our best to get into the zone. Max was the one to start the drill as he passed the ball a yard ahead of me. taking control of it I dribbled through the gate of conse before returning the ball to him. he deftly received it with a gentle touch, seamlessly transitioning into his own dribble. The rhythm between us continued to increase in speed as we gave full way to our pace as we raced through the maze. At some point, as we continued the drill, the intensity started to grow exponentially. We started to increase our speed in an attempt to make the other make a mistake to prove we were the better winger. The cones seemed to blur into a colourful blur as we navigated through them with precision and finesse. Each pass was crisp, each touch purposeful as we tried our best to make it through the maze. We pushed each other to the limits, challenging ourselves to maintain wless uracy. I could vaguely hear the voice of one of the coaches shouting instructions but at this point, non of his words were retained. Our focus paid off as we managed to make it through the maze with no mistakes in record time. Max was loudly eximing in joy at our achievement but I had something else on my mind. ''Hey Eva am I dreaming?'' I directly asked what has been going through my mind as soon as the whole passing drill started. Although I was confused at what was happening right now I couldn''t help a bright grin from forming on my lips. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 90 90 I Promise Ill Pass Less [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. A daily upload schedule allows you to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the Webnovel posts. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ ''Hey Eva am I dreaming?'' I directly asked what has been going through my mind as soon as the whole passing drill started. Although I was confused at what was happening right now I couldn''t help a bright grin from forming on my lips. [You are not dreaming but you should probably focus on training,] she answered me in a neutral voice sounding rather uninterested in my query. I couldn''t shake this feeling of excitement though as something seemed to happen to me during that drill. Once I actually started to fully focus on what I was doing it was like every distracting thought blurred. Even though I kept increasing my speed I could still see the maze clearly and knew exactly where Max was going to be for the next pass. Now I''m not the best when ites to passing and I would bet money that our chemistry isn''t that good so it has to be the new skill. I''ve waited a whole weekend to finally see the effects of the skill and I''m definitely satisfied. It is like having a sort ofpass-like vision that helps guide me as I get lost in my own world of dribbling. I was able to easily dodge the cone maze without having to adjust much so that''s another bonus. "Hey Max I want to go faster next round think you can keep up?" I asked the dark-haired boy as soon as we got to the backing line. Right now I feel amazing and I just want to unleash all this energy out on the field. "I was going to say the same thing to you, don''t slow me down Natalia is watching," he quickly answered me as his gaze was transfixed at a group of girls at the bleachers. I could only shake my head at his antics especially since the girl he wants to be noticed by is the same girl that wants to beat him up. "Y''know I heard that her brother ys for the middle school football team as a linebacker," I told him with a sorry expression as I started distancing myself from him not wanting to be associated with him. I know they say to never leave a man behind but they also said to not fight hopeless battles. His shocked expression as my words seemed to sink in was quite funny. He immediately stopped waving at the girls as he tried to act as if nothing had happened. However, it was already toote as everyone was looking at him wanting to see what was going on. "She came to watch me train so it''ll be fine," He confidently said puffing his chest as he took a step closer to me. Hearing his words I could only sigh at how lovesick my teammate is. He literally turns into a different person as soon as a pretty girl is within his vicinity. "I hate to break it to you but she is here to watch her boyfriend Kyle from the under-13 team," I told him showing no pity for his fragile heart as I watched what seemed like his heart breaking in slow-motion. "By the way you don''t think she''s here to get her boyfriend to beat you up for the kiss right?" I asked him again throwing salt into the wound as Natalia is the same girl Ben tricked him into kissing. However, since the kiss she has been out for vengeance against Max and those around him by instigating. He on the other hand sees all her antics as her way of showing her affectionpletely forgetting that she started dating someone a month ago. "He wouldn''t dare my big brother is part f the high school wrestling team," He righteously replied to me as if he was bragging about his own strength. I felt like I was losing brain cells the longer I talked with this guy and judging by the looks of the boys that were listening in I wasn''t the only one. "I''m switching partners my sister can''t fight her boyfriend and brother, bye," I quickly told him with a tired expression as I walked over to Tom and Ben who were second in line. Since Ben was the cause of all this drama he should be the one to deal with it. ~~~ Sprinting down the right nk I nimbly dodged the tackle of Ryan Garcia by performing a quick marseille turn. Utilising my speed I raced down the nk before abruptly stopping and sending a high cross without wasting time to look up. Tom who had pierced into the box in anticipation had to abruptly stop trying his best t lunge for the high ball. However, it just wasn''t meant to be as the ball passed over his head by mere inches. The defenders who heaved a sigh of relief at seeing the attacker miss the opportunity were fear stricken when they saw where the ballnded. ke who had made a casual run into the box looking to fight for scraps found himself in possession of the ball. Not wasting this opportunity he whipped his foot forward sending a powerful shot at goal. Ben Walker who wasn''t expecting the shot could only try his best to react as he instinctively jumped after the ball. All this was toote though as he was out of position after rushing up to block Tom''s attempted attack. He could only watch as the ball soared past his outstretched hands. Moments like these continued to happen as I continued to experiment with my long-range passing. At first, my teammates were caught off guard by my passes and ended up fumbling the ball. However the longer the game went on I was able to fine-tune my passes in a way that allows them to react to it seamlessly. The result of all my effort was thest goal as my goal sense activated abruptly allowing me to find ke who was left unguarded in the box. ~~~ "Hi Rakim your passing is quite good, how would you feel about ying as a centre midfielder," I heard the voice of coach Garret ask just as I was getting ready to leave since training had just ended. Processing his words a look of horror graced my face as I was not expecting to suddenly have my position changed. "NO! Coach I promise I''ll pass less just don''t change my position, ill y on whatever wing you want me to," I quickly eximed as I reassured him that today was a one-off thing not noticing his darkening expression. Today was odd for me though as I was too engrossed in my new skill ying more passes than I would usually. "(ahem) Never mind just keep up the good work," Is all he said as he walked away to the coaches lounge as he mumbled something about annoying kids. Looking at his back as he scurried away I was dazed for a second wondering what was up with him. Putting it under him having a midlife crisis I continued to pack up my things. [That was close, your whole career path almost went astray,] Eva chimed in sounding more relieved that I am about being able to stay on the wing. ''huh, what do you mean?'' I asked her confused at what she meant as I picked up my bag to walk to the car. [Oh that''s because your youth coaches determine your ying style and future career path just as much as you do,] She answered me enlightening me of just how close I really came to having my football path changed. ~~~ "What''s up? something happened at training?" Mom asked me as soon as we reached home. I spent most of the car ride thinking of ways to improve my ying style with my new widened vision. It feels like I''m moving at a faster rhythm than my opponents so I''ll need to find a way to utilise it. "huh nothing happened, coach did try to change my position so that was weird," I told her with a forced smile as I made my way upstairs so I could get a shower. It''s been quite the day and I can''t wait to cool off with a cold shower. With that said I made my way upstairs to get clean up so I could rest early as I wanted to get up early tomorrow so I can get a workout in before school. I''ve beenx about my extra practicetely and it''s about time that I get back into it. consistency is key after all at least that''s what Eva likes to say when she tortures me with one of her training sessions. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 91 91 Game Time Again ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Ding: Self-Created Mission ''Consistency'' Completed - Yoga Session, Duration 30 minutes. (4/4) - Interval training on the treadmill, Duration 15 minutes. (4/4) - 50 Sit-Ups (4/4) - 50 Press-Ups (4/4) - Two Types of nks (4/4) - Run 3 miles - Swim tenps (4/4) Rewards: Systems Congrattions, 1x Green slime portion, 1xRecovery Potion ~~~ ''Sigh was that really necessary?'' I asked Eva as I slumped down on the frontwn afterpleting my morning workout. My heart was still racing from my run as sweat slowly trickled from my body. The slightly cool breeze of the autumn wind is so refreshing, especially with how hot I feel from the workout. [Not really but I thought it would motivate you to see it in that format,] she answered me with an amused tone at my current predicament. She has been like this for the past four days that I have been doing this workout. Her teasing did help to motivate me further as I hade close to just going easy due to exhaustion. ''At least I get two free potions, so it''s worth the trouble,'' Imented as I slowly sat up from thewn only to be tackled by Zeus. He started to excitedly lick my face in a show of affection causing me tough as it tickled quite a bit. "You finally caught up, where Mom?" I exim to Emma and Dad who just pulled up on their bikes. Emma has been casually joining me for my morning workout since she tends to do yoga anyways to help with her dancing. Mom was happy about our change since she didn''t have to drag us out of bed, and we went to bed in a timely manner. Mom tends to be awake at 5:30 anyways doing whatever it is she does so it works out well. My morning run has sort of be a family event with the rest of them opting to ride their bikes. For some reason, they didn''t find the thought of running this early appealing. "It''s your fault for taking off in thest stretch and she is talking miss carter," Emma said with a pout as she stored away her bike in the garage. Listening to herments I felt slightly sorry for Mom as Miss Carter never stops talking as soon as she starts. "Go get washed up it''s already 6:30 unless you want to go to school smelling like that," Dad said with a small chuckle as he exaggeratedly pinched his nose. I could only sigh at his weird sense of humour, but I can''t argue with his logic. ~~~ "You excited for the game?" Lexi tapped my shoulder as she got my attention bringing me out of my daze. It''s thest period of the day and I can barely wait to hit the field. "He''s probably already dreaming about scoring goals," Liam chimed in from the other side. He wasn''t wrong though all I''ve been doing since ss started is thinking of what I would do once I got the ball at my feet. I''m fairly sure that my English teacher wouldn''t be too pleased if he knew I was using the time he was reading a book to us to daydream. "Yeah, after all I promised coach, I would pass less so It''s only logical to score more," I told them as I started doing light stretches to calm my nerves but somehow, I managed to get Mr millers attention. Luckily for me, he only gave me a light re before continuing to read his book out loud. "You''ll be fine Just don''t go scoring an own goal and you will be fine," Leximented with a teasing voice seemingly enjoying me being nervous for once. It''s weird how she went from being shy around me to trying to tease me every now and then. "Look at you suddenly so confidant, Rakim You corrupted her," Liam said in a mocking voice seemingly ming me for her sudden change. It seems that my mere presence has caused a lot of ripples to those around me. "Hey, I''ve always been confident, I just didn''t talk to you in the past," She quickly defended herself with a hint of indignation. However, looking at her pouting appearance as she red at him was quite aical sight. Pride was practically wafting off, of her as she tried her best to convey her confidence. "I''m sorry Lexi but you are probably the most awkward person I''ve met, heck even my sister isn''t as awkward as you," I told her with a light smile as I continued to send shots at her self-esteem that she had just built up. "Hey if you continue to bully me, I won''t talk to the two of you anymore," she said with a pout as she lightly punched my shoulder. I was simply happy that her friend June wasn''t here as she would have started a shouting match by now. She takes having a heroplex to a whole new level, heck she''ll fight for you even if aren''t in trouble. Honestly, it must be a gic thing for someone to be so oblivious to social cues and still be able to stir up trouble with no provocation. "Alright I''m sorry don''t give me that look, you stilling to watch my match?" I quickly apologised as she started giving me puppy eyes after seeing I wasn''t taking her word seriously. "Hmph I''ll think about it," She replied in a huff not ready to forgive me just yet. One thing no one can deny is that although Lexi is sweet and gullible, she also knows how to keep a grudge. It''s a good thing that she has never been angry enough to really keep a grudge against me. "I can''t bro coach wants to discuss something with us, I''ll be able to make the second half though," Liam answered me with an apologetic tone, probably feeling sorry about missingst week''s game as well. I didn''t mind it though since he''s also busy with his Taekwondo team. "All good I''ll make sure to save a goal for the second half just for you," I told him with a smile as I started to slowly pack up my things. The ss would end in a few minutes and then I would be off to my freedom. ~~~ [Red Oak Eagles] Ben Walker (GK) Henric Eriksson (CB), Ole Wagner (CB), Jake Smith (CB), Ben Miller (CM), Finn Parker (CM), Rakim Rex (LW), Tom Walker (ST), Max Taylor (RW) VS [Central Jaguars] Carlos Hernandez (GK) Diego Martinez (CB), Lucas Silva (CB), Pablo Rodriguez (CB), Antonio Sanchez (CM), Javier Gomez (CM), Eduardo Hernandez (CM) Luis Morales (ST), Andr¨¦s Ramirez (ST), ~~~ [Fweet] The crowd erupted loudly cheering on their team as soon as the sound of the whistle that signals the start of today''s match fell upon their ears. Today''s match between the Red Oak Eagles and the Central Jaguars was now officially underway. Both teams had managed to win their opening matchst week, so they were looking to build upon their lead. The yers were determined to give their all and secure a victory for their teams. Thus began the battle for possession in the midfield as both sides scrambled to retain control of the ball. In the 15th minute, Rakim Rex received a long pass from Finn Parker, who managed to win the ball near the left wing. Not disappointing his teammate, he swiftly controlled the ball as he nimbly dodged the tackle of Eduardo Hernandez. Seemingly electrified by the ball the winger leveraged his body in a way that used the momentum of the opposing midfielder''s shoulder tackle to push himself forward. Quickly increasing his speed with each stride, he caused ripples within the Jaguar''s defence. Pablo Rodriguez was the first to react as he came charging forward desperate to clear the oing danger. However, Rakim didn''t seem fazed in the slightest by his oing charge as he maintained his speed. Seeing that he couldn''t intimidate his opponent he opted for a shoulder tackle instead not want ting to risk a free kick so close to his box. To his dismay, his opponent seemed to have anticipated his challenge and used his arm to keep him at a distance. Rakim sensing his opportunity made his move, feinting to the right with a drop of the shoulder and quickly shifting his centre of gravity to the left. His abrupt action caused the defender who was looking to push back to only be met with air causing him to stumble to the ground. With a burst of speed, he left the defenders in his wake as he cut across the edge of the box. Not wasting any more time, he fired a powerful shot towards the goal just as Eduardo had entered his two-meter radius. The ball left his boots with a crisp bang as it cut a curved trajectory for the top right corner. The keeper tried his best as he watched the ball sail through the air, but in the end, it was just out of reach and found the back of the. The home crowd erupted in a crescendo of cheers, as the Red Oak Eagles celebrated their first goal of the match led by the winger who was dancing at the corner g. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 92 92 Red Oak Eagles VS Central Jaguars ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Ding: Game Mission (1/3)plete] - Score a goal to start a streak - Assist a teammate - Win the match ~~~ "Halfway there," I muttered to myself as I got back into position ready to restart the match. All of my movements feet so light whenever I have the ball at my feet which is quite surprising given the fact that my muscles were still tight from the morning''s workout. Maybe it''s just my adrenalin doing its thing, or my body simply adapted to my state and is making the best of it. The game soon restarted with Luis the Jaguars striker wearing the number nine jersey hitting the ball back to his midfielder. Not paying attention to both of their strikers heading into our half I charged forward to close down their midfielders. Javier in the number six role was the one to receive the ball but I went to cut off the passingne to Eduardo. Tom was the one to close him down swiftly appearing before him forcing him to turn around and use his body to shield the ball. That was the wrong choice though because even though Tom has a tall and sturdy built, he is also quite fast, enough to give me a run for my money. So, when Tom so the defender turning his back on him, he sidestepped before using a shoulder tackle to send the midfielder stumbling. Not bothering with his downed opponent, he took control of the ball and started charging forward. Following him on the wing I watched as he quickly reached the edge of the box. He tried losing his Lucas Silva the Jaguars centre back with a step over, but he didn''t buckle in the slightest. "Tom Over here," I called out to him before he decided to just go through his opponent forcefully. My shout seemed to havee just at the right time as he forcefully knocked the ball in my direction just as Lucas lunged in for the tackle. Close to the edge of the box, I took a quick stride forward receiving the ball with my left before Pablo could intercept. Not holding onto the ball, I brought my right foot down chipping the ball into the box over the head of Lucas who had just regained his bnce. He tried his best to lunge in the air to try to intercept the ball but due to being out of bnce, he wasn''t able to rise remarkably high. I wasn''t focused on him though as just as I had chipped the ball Tom performed a three-sixty turn entering the box. Tom kept hisposure as he calmly took control of my chipped-through ball bringing it down around the Penalty spot. Throughout his whole actions, he was staring down the keeper keeping him glued to his line. The next second, he swung his right foot with full force unleashing a powerful shot to the right side of the goal. Carlos in an effort to regain his honour as a goalkeeper tried his best to jump after the ball. His efforts were toote though as the ball curled into the after brushing against the post. Excited at watching him score such a beautiful goal I started roaring loudly as I charged after him as he started celebrating his goal before our spectators. Jumping on his back to celebrate his goal we both started screaming loudly to express our excitement. ~~~ ''Don''t tell me they will give up now,'' I muttered inwardly as we got set to restart the match again. We had just restarted the game two minutes ago when I scored my goal and here, we were again. Looking at some of their yers who were trembling as they got set an ufortable feeling started to sprout within me. I don''t know why but watching them averting eye contact with their strikers who were looking to kick off made me feel angry. Them losing was always part of the n but were not even twenty minutes into the first half and most of their yers have already given up on the match. I started feeling sorry for their coach who was trying his best to encourage his yers but to his dismay, his yers were trying their best to lower their presence. Heck, I could have sworn that I saw one of their yers act like he didn''t hear his coach calling out to him. [You can''t me them, after all, your team have just scored two goals in quick session putting a huge damp on their self-esteem.] Evamented in a mncholy voiceing into their defence with a reasonable exnation. To me, however, it just sounded like she was making excuses for their poor willpower. [Fweet] With the sound of the referee''s whistle, the match resumed again as we charged into the opposing half with the goal of expanding our lead. Following the same routine as a few minutes ago I cut off the passingne. Watching Tom charge at Javir again it was a littleical how he panicked at his mere presence. Seemingly not wanting a repeat of what happenedst time he chose tounch the ball forward sending it high in the air just before Tom could close him done. Turning around I started to jog back so I could support when needed. In a matter of moments, the ball had crossed quite a few yards dropping just before our defensive line. Luis Morales their number nine rose high in the air in an attempt to win the ball in the air. However, as soon as he was in the air a sturdy body impacted his back making him lose bnce. Whilst falling to the ground Luis tried his best to brace for thending but on his way down, he managed to get a glimpse at what or who had sent him flying. Still in the air, he saw the smiling face of a tall but sturdy boy whose shoulder-length blond hair fluttered in the air. The next second the same boy calmly received the ball with his chest taking control of it as he firmlynded on the ground. "Henric over here" a midfielder from the red oak eagles called out to the defender finally enlightening Luis as to who he was. Still smiling as if he was having the time of his life Henric sent a crisp pass to Ben who was unmarked a couple of yards ahead of him. Ben received the pass with ease and immediately shifted the ball to the right side of the field, finding Max Taylor on the wing. The winger quickly took control of the ball nimbly dodging the tackle of Antonio who had lunged forward in an attempt to steal the ball. Using the little separation, he created he immediately raced down the nk crossing the halfway line the next instant. Although he continued to increase his speed Antonio managed to catch up with him due to the ball slowing him down. The opposing midfielder was gasping for breath as he did his best to keep up with Max, desperately swinging his arm in an attempt to slow him down. In no time the two of them had arrived at the edge of the penalty box as Diego Martinez joined the fray hoping to win the ball and clear the danger from his box. Seeing that he was about to be boxed in by his two opponents Max brought the ball to a sudden stop with his back facing the sideline. His pursuers were surprised by his sudden actioning to a stumbling stop as Diego had to push Antonio away so he wouldn''t fall onto him. Seeing that Max was swinging his right foot back as if he is going to turn back both of them tried their best to lunge forward to intercept it. However, in the next second, they were left stupefied as the winger''s foot went over the ball before knocking it a few yards down the wing as he raced after it. Sensing the opportunity, now that he had managed to trick his pursuers enough to create sufficient breathing room the winger unleashed a curved low cross into the box. All the yers around the penalty box seemed to have simultaneously sensed the danger and opportunity as they sprang into action. Tom was the closest to but the physical dual with Lucas didn''t allow him to unleash his burst of speed. In ast-ditch effort, he dodged the shoulder of Lucas and lunged into a slide fully stretching his foot to try and meet the ball. Luck seemed to be on his side as his efforts paid off and he managed to bring his toe to the ball and send it towards Goal. His luck however seemed to have vanished the next second as the ball headed straight for the keeper''s feet. Due to the power of the shot through and the Keeper having to react quickly, he instinctively used his right foot to merely reflect the ball away from his goal. Just as the keeper was ready to celebrate his save, he was met with a horrifying sight as he looked at where the ball wasnding. For some reason he himself couldn''t understand the Red Ock Eagles left winger was unmarked at the edge of the box. Taking a quick nce at Pablo who was supposed to be marking him. He could only curse in his heart, especially when he saw his surprised look at finding his marking assignment had slipped away from him. At this moment he was seriously debating if his teammates were ying badly on purpose. However, he had no time to consider this as he quickly nted his feet again just as the opposing winger chested the ball taking away its momentum. Spreading his arms wide he got low ready to react at any moment but what happened next still surprised him. Rakim who had chested the ball didn''t n on waiting for it tond and merely adjusted his stance, before swinging his right foot for a volley as it reached waist eight. There was a dull bang as his foot impacted the ball but the next second it flew off to the top left corner as if possessed. The Keeper still had his arms spread wide in a low stance by the time the ball rattled the back of the. It was as if he had given up chasing after the shot, knowing he couldn''t get anywhere near It. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 93 93 Red Oak Eagles VS Central Jaguars (3) ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ There was a dull bang as his foot impacted the ball but the next second it flew off to the top left corner as if possessed. The Keeper still had his arms spread wide in a low stance by the time the ball rattled the back of the. It was as if he had given up chasing after the shot, knowing he couldn''t get anywhere near It. "Bro that shot was crazy," Tom shouted in my ear as he put an arm around my neck practically voicing my emotion. Being happy that he was so eager to celebrate my goal only made me more excited as we went back to our half to set back up again. "Surprised me as well just felt like I should shoot and so I did," I told him with a smile as I waved to Mom who was in the stands with Emma and Lexi. How Lexi had managed to join the two baffles me as I''ve never seen her interact with Emma in school. Emma not being on the sideline to cheer us on was a sad realisation that Max had to break to me with tears flowing from his eyes. Apparently, they would only cheer us on during yoffs or when we y our cross-town rival. This is due to the Football season being on around this time so they would perform during their games once they manage to make the JV roster. The only saving grace is that the kids our age ying PEE-WEE didn''t get cheerleader support either. The only person who really suffered under this rule is Max because he performed like a possessed being whenever girls are cheering him on. Honestly, it wouldn''t be a problem for him to run past the whole team to score a goal as long as a group of girls cheered his name. Some of my teammates who were still excited at us tallying another goal onto the score line rushed towards us to congratte me. I wasn''t mad that some of the defenders didn''t bother to rush up as it was a waste of their stamina. Plus, Henric who did rush to join in the celebration made ament about it being the most he run this entire game causing me to almost trip. "Hey Tom, is it just me or do they look more depressed, like they have fully given up," I asked the boy as he was older than me by a year or two and would have more experience. Hearing my words his smiling face halted slightly as he gazed at our opponents before a wry smile graced it. "Yeah, this game is practically over, oh well just send me a few more assists so I can keep up with you for the golden boot race," he told me with a smile as he quickly ran back to his position. Hearing his words, I decided to just shake it off and focus on ying out thest five minutes of this half. ~~~ "Alright, boy you have yed well in the first half I''ve seen some good transition y from my midfielders and attackers. Let''s keep this up in the second half and continue to score goals." Coach Garret''s voice echoed through our circle as we gathered around him in front of our bench. Since it wasn''t cold and there wasn''t as much fanfare asst week, we simply remained at our bench for the halftime talks. All of my teammates had happy smiles on their faces enjoying the atmosphere of being in the lead. I was happy that we were winning 3:0 but the game had be boring, especially for thest period of the first half. Not sure why but the more I saw our opponents drag their feet around the park the angrier I became. It just made all my effort on the pitch have a bitter aftertaste. "We''ll be making a couple of changes after the first twenty minutes of the second half so make sure to stabilise the situation," Coach Garret said in a solemn tone as he started giving out instructions on what we should watch out for. Already used to his strict coaching style I quickly focused on what he was saying eliminating all distracting thoughts. "My Defenders stay firm I want you to push up the midfielders more and try to keep the game in their half of the pitch." he finished his speech by encouraging the defenders and giving them suggestions on how to get more involved in the match. The focused look on Ole''s face told me that he needed this more than anyone as he was getting bored almost doing nothing in the first half. ording to Eva, he''s the type of defender who loves the ball at his feet, the more he gets in evolved in the game the more he expresses himself. Anyways the team talk quickly finished off and we spent thest couple of minutes just rxing and recovering our energy. ~~~ The second half soon kicked off with the Jaguars in possession of the ball. One of their strikers knocked the ball back into their half passing it to one of their midfielders. Seeing this as a sign I immediately charged forward into their half heading straight for Javier who received the pass. He looked a lot calmer than when the half had ended so maybe the break helped him regain his confidence. Seemingly panicked by our charge he quickly hit the ball back to his central defender before Tom and I could box him in. Not bothered by this we immediately locked onto the defender that the ball was heading to with a quick change of direction. With a burst of speed, we arrived in front of the defender in no time, but he didn''t bother holding onto the ball and opted to hit it up the field. Stopping my approach, I turned around and started walking to my wing. The ball didn''t fly that far barely crossing the halfway line. Rising up to meet the ball in the air was Jake and Andr¨¦s They were both around the same height, but Jake had the advantage of meeting the ball head-on. I showed as he managed to wrestle for an advantageous position in the air knocking the ball to Finn in front of him. The midfielder promptly brought the ball under his control dodging a tackle from Antonio. He didn''t advance the y further and hit it back to Ole who yed the role of sweeper. He swiftly took control of the ball shifting it to his right in one smooth motion. Seeing him scanning the field I promptly run into an open position between the midfielders. I was toote though as he sent a crisp pass along the ground to Max on the opposite wing. He was closely guarded by Diego, but he didn''t seem to mind it as he let the ball slip through his legs before making a quick turn around the defender. Seeing that his marking assignment had slipped past him the defender utilised his hands to pull him back just as Max caught up with the ball. The winger didn''t force his run and performed an emergency stop creating a little breathing room from him. Not risking losing the ball he knocked it back a couple of yards towards the centre of the field where Ben was lurking. Ben remained calm despite the pressure he was receiving from Javier performing a quick roulette to dodge his tackle. He passed the ball to the open Finn right afterwards. Finn who received the ball chooses to dribble forward for a bit getting dangerously close to the opposing box. Sensing the danger one of the Jaguar''s defenders stepped up to close him down. Not flustered by the yer in front of him, he made use of the open space created by the opposing charge to send a through ball into the box. I was on the end of that ball managing to catch it with my left before it could go out for a goal kick. Not bothering to adjust any further I squared the ball across the field trying to find one of my fellow strikers. The ball raced across the five-yard line as Tom fought both Lucas and Diego in a physical dual. He managed to outmuscle both of them getting a foot to the ball and sending it towards goal. The keeper was lucky enough to get his foot to the ball managing to deflect it. The ball however didn''t travel extremely far traveling towards the edge of the box. Max was the first to find himself at the end of the ball since his marker decided to chance after Tom. Just as he took control of the ball and was about to shoot, he was talked from the side by Antonio who tracked back. Not losing bnce though he remained in control of the ball using his body to protect it. Noticing that he won''t be able to get a shot of now, especially with Diego closing his down from the box he passed it to the top of the arc. Waiting at the top of the arc was Ben who found himself unguarded with a clear shootingne. He didn''t bother taking a touch and immediately let off a shot towards the goal before he could be closed down. The shoot resembled a rainbow as it took off from the ground hooping over the heads of Tom and Lucas who were in its shootingne. The keeper had reacted quite well to it jumping to the right side of his goal. He miscalcted through as whilst he was still in the air the ball abruptly descended heading for the bottom right corner. Trying his best to adjust and salvage the shot he stretched his bottom hand down, but it was toote. Just by a tiny fraction, the ball managed to slip past his fingertips nestling itself into the nest. This whole operation felt like it took an eternity but in reality, it was a matter of moments from the shot to the crowd''s eruption upon seeing the ball enter the goal. Having a sideway view of the whole operation I felt a buzz at seeing that shot and was the first to rush up to Ben to celebrate with him. Not knowing why, I felt so excited by the shot I just felt a sudden urge to try it. Looking at Ben''s amazed expression I could tell that he himself was amazed by the shot. Not bothered by this though I embraced him in a headlock to congratte him on his goal. ~~~ "How did you hit that shot?" Both Tom and I started to pester him as soon as the other guys gave him some breathing room. The celebration of this goal was more intense than any goal we scored today, and everyone could feel that it was special. Not just because the shot was amazing, but it felt more like a team performance that led to that goal. "Honestly I was aiming for the top right, but I slipped, and it ended up rolling on my foot as I shot," he told us still having a slightly dazed expression on his face as he recounted the mechanics of the shot. Not expecting the answer, I could only give him a wry smile as I chose to just head back to my position. The fact that he was still able to adjust his shot even though he slipped just goes to show you just how talented he is. He makes his long shots look easy at this point maybe I''ll ask for some pointers at some point. [you should your uracy is not as good as you might think,] Evos voice suddenly sounded in my head causing me to almost trip. she has been silent for most of the match that I had forgotten that she could hear my thoughts. Taking a second to realise her words I was just about to retort when I heard someone calling for me on the sidelines. "Rakime off," I looked over to see Coach Garret waving me off the field with Lucas Scott standing at his side. I was confused about what he meant so I c looked around myself before pointing my finger at myself just to make sure. "Yeah C''mon," he called out again just to reaffirm my suspicion as I started jogging towards him and started questioning life. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 94 94 Red Oak Eagles VS Central Jaguars (3) ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Feeling a little awkward I promptly made my way to the other side seeing as the referee was waiting on me so he can signal Lucas toe onto the park. I wasn''t stupid to not realise that I was being subbed off, but I was still trying to figure out why. "You yed well kid go and rest up," Coach told me as he ruffled through my afro ignoring my questioning look. Sighing at his actions I gave Lucas a high five to encourage him on his season debut. He is a decent yer, one of our few who is left-footed but he just tends to get nervous with the ball. No longer bothering with this though I took a seat next to Damian on the bench. I''m still not sure why the coach didn''t y him as he acts as a stabilising factor in midfield. "You yed well bro," he said to me as he patted my shoulder to express his congrattions. Nodding at his words I settled in my seat and started focusing on the on-going on the field. Our formation changed from a 3-2-3 to a 3-3-2 further stabilising our back line. Seeing how Ben Miller started to take control of the flow of the game I started to understand why the coach took me off. The ball was passed around between our midfielders as they continued to pressure Jaguars. In the forty-fifth minute of the game, Lucas found himself in a favourable position just outside the opponent''s box. In front of him was one of their centre-backs who was trying his best to prevent him from entering the box. He managed to keep his wits though and didn''t force a run forward choosing to pass the ball. Ben was the one to receive the ball at the top of the arc, nimbly manoeuvring in a way to dodge the tackle of Javier. The midfielder maintained hisposure even though he was being swarmed by defenders from all sides. Swinging his leg quickly he performed a fake shot causing the defender in front of him to jump back in fright. He used that as an opportunity to slot the ball into the penalty box int to the run of Max. The winger who had assumed the role of a shadow strikertched onto the pass with a deft touch. Having no one but the keeper in front of him, he didn''t hesitate in the slightest before slotting the ball into the bottom right corner. Poor Carlos could only watch the ball curl into the as stretched out his leg in a futile attempt to stop it. Seeing my friend score a goal I jumped up from the bench with the substitutes around me to celebrate the goal. The celebrations didn''t go on for long since we were now leading 5:0. ~~~ ''By the Eva where is my match evaluation?'' I asked her after a while of watching the ongoings'' on the field. The match after the fourth goal had turned from a match to a team attacking drill. I even started feeling a little pity for the Jaguars who were struggling to just maintain the current score. [(yawn) Oh I Almost forgot about that,] Shemented in a disinterested tone, her sleepy voice sounding as if she had just woken up. I should have figured that she would get bored with this kind of match. Sometimes I think that her attention span is even shorter than mine. ''You might need an update if you keep forgetting stuff,'' I told her with a slight frown as Max was just taken down outside the opposing box earning us a free kick. Luckily, he seems alright and got up from the ground in a matter of seconds, but his limp is quite concerning. I wasn''t the only one thinking this as the coach immediately took him off for ke Young, allowing the medic to have a proper look at the injury. ke didn''t seem nervous at all as he swaggered onto the pitch. Then again, we are winning 5:0 so there''s nothing really to be nervous about. Heck, he felt so confident that he tried to snatch the free kick from Ben. [I would get an update, but my host is useless, Anway''s you get your evaluations once the match ispleted,] She answered me quickly brushing past the fact that she just called me worthless. Deciding not engaging would be the best option I took out my system energy drink from my bag and started sipping on it. It was actually in my bag, but I could have it suddenly appear in my hands now, could I? Although its effects are that it grants me more energy it also helps in recovering it faster. Although it''s probably a waste to use it like this however my games are only sixty minutes and how tired can you really get? The taste of the drink is simr to blueberries but somehow this tastes more natural and refreshing. Feeling the cool current washing through my body with the drink I started to rx to the point that I took a nap letting the matches fatigue take over me. ~~~ "Rakim wake up the game is over," I heard the familiar voice of Damian say to me, but I didn''t want to leave thisfortable environment I was in. Choosing to ignore the voice I continued to relish in thefortable peace I was currently feeling. "Coach I don''t think he''s going to wake up, I''ve been trying for five minutes," I faintly heard Damian''s voice again, but it was so muffled that it didn''t fully register. It is probably not that important since I couldn''t hear it. "Sigh, who actually falls asleep whilst watching a match?" a voice that sounded like coach Garret sounded but again his voice was muffled and undiscernible. At this point, I was getting annoyed at all these different voices that were interrupting my rest. ~~~~ [Ding Post Match Review] >Goals scored: (2) = 200Sp >Assists: (1) = 50Sp >Cards: 0 = 10Sp >Final Match score: 6:0 Victory = 30Sp >Match Rating: A+ (Congrattions to the host for remaining consistent in two matches helping your team win convincingly.) ~~~ [Ding: Game Mission (3/3)plete] - Score a goal to start a streak (2) - Assist a teammate (1) - Win the match Rewards: 500Sp ~~~ "Huh, what was that?" I asked abruptly as my eyes shot open after hearing the familiar voice of the system. However, I was met with the dumbfounded looks of some of my teammates and coach. For some reason, they were all quietly staring at me as if they were waiting for something. "(Ahem) looks like the game is over, I think we should go and shake their hands otherwise we will get a bad rep," I told them after a moment of silence, quickly walking past the group joining the yers on the field who were shaking hands. "Isn''t it your fault if we get a bad rep," Maxined as he quickly hobbled to my side pushing my shoulder to express his dissatisfaction. I could onlyugh lightly at his actions as I quickly shook hands with the nearest yer to me. The Jaguars yers although dejected still congratted us on the match and wished us well for the rest of the season. some of them were even smiling as if the loss didn''t matter much to them. Then again, those yers who were still joking around were those that sat on the bench all day. "Hi, kid you yed really well, do you y for a youth team?" A middle-aged man wearing a ck suit asked me as he shook my hand. Not expecting the question, I was a little dumbfounded and finally realised that he didn''t match the other team''s colours. Realising that I was talking to a stranger that had just walked onto the park I quickly released his hand and took a step back. Giving him a wary look, I realised that he gave off a nice neighbourly vibe but that just made me more suspicious of him. "Who are you?" I asked him as I fully took in his appearance now that I was wary of him. He had a mop of ck hair and a pair of matching sses that entuated his looks, giving him a schrly look. "Oh, sorry where are my manners My name is Mike Pierce," He introduced himself with a gentle smile as he again held his hand out. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 95 95 Scout Or Creep ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Oh, sorry where are my manners My name is Mike Pierce," He introduced himself with a gentle smile as he again held his hand out. However, despite his attempt at re-introducing himself, I had no ns at shaking his hands again. Especially when I still don''t know what exactly he wants from me. "Emm Ok, I''m Rakim what do you want from me?" I asked him as I took another step back just to be sure he wasn''t a creep. Noticing my wariness of him he quickly lowered his hand and started rummaging through his suit pocket. After about two seconds he pulled out his wallet, serving to only further confuse me. "Don''t worry I''m not a bad person, I''m actually a scout," he told me as he pulled out a badge from his wallet to prove his identity. Looking at the ID card-like badge a logo of a familiar European team appeared in front of me. However, the more I looked at it the harder it was for me to believe that what this guy was saying is the truth. "My mother told me not to talk to strangers," I told him with a forced smile as I quickly turned around running to join my teammates who were already entering the dressing room. ''As If I would believe that a scout from the French giant Paris saint germain was here watching an under elevens game,'' I thought to myself as I quickly picked my bag up from the side of the bench before heading into the clubhouse. "Yo Rakim, who was that you were talking to?" Max asked me as soon as I entered the building. Looks like his injury slowed him down a bit and he was one of thest to enter. "Some guy pretending to be a scout for Saint-Germain," I told him with a slight frown just remembering the guy''s confident smile as he showed me his ID. Sigh just goes to show you that there are con artists everywhere and you just have to do your best to avoid them. "Wait like the team in France?" he asked me with a shocked look and a hint of disbelief seemingly trying to figure out if I was lying. It seems that even he was finding it hard to just believe in the validity of my words. "Yeah, is there even another team with the same name?" I asked him as I started seriously debating whether there was another team with the same name. In the end, it doesn''t really matter since there probably not as good as the French Giant. "What like the one with ude Mak¨¦l¨¦l¨¦?" Damian asked me as he seemingly overheard our conversation surprising me slightly. Contemting his question, I was left trying to remember who he was talking about. In the end, I gave up as I had no idea who he was as I only know the events of some of the more famous yers in the twentieth century. "Who is that?" I inevitably asked him as I had no idea who the yer, he was talking about was. he had a shocked look on his face upon hearing my words almost looking at me as if I didn''t know what one plus one is. "Never mind that Mak¨¦l¨¦l¨¦ guy, you know that guy was probably legit," Max spoke up from the side gaining our attention for two varied reasons. Damian was just mad that he disrespected the yer he was talking about. Whereas I was shocked at the notion that the guy could be legit. "Stop joking why would a PSG scout be watching our game?" I asked him more shocked than anything. Just thinking of the fact that I could have blown off a legit scout from PSG is giving me a migraine. "Yeah, they have an academy down in Miami so maybe he is one of their scouts," he told me with a look that told me it wasmon knowledge for him. At this point, I realised that I''d hardly explored past my own neighbourhood. ¡¤?¦Èm To think that I want to be a footballer and I don''t even know which big teams have an academy close by. I''ll have to do my research about this when I go home maybe I''ll just ask Mom to do it. This seems like something that is right up herne and shell probably be able to do it a lot easier. "So, you''re saying I just blew off a legit PSG scout?" I asked him again just to make sure that what he is said is true. The sad look he was giving me told me all I needed to know. To make the matter even worse he started patting my shoulder as if to silently encourage me. ~~~ The team talk in the changing rooms didn''t take long as coach just congratted us on the win. He did go over some minor details but overall, the atmosphere was quite amped up. The only damper on to days game was that Max would have to sit out for two weeks at least ording to the team''s doctor. He did however proim that he was going to be alright by Monday, but the coach was quick to tell him that he wouldn''t y him even if he was ok. Apparently, he is a big stickler when ites to following rules especially when ites to athlete''s health. Tom told me that an injury is the reason he opted to be a coach instead of chasing his career as a yer. Then again, I still don''t understand how he changed from ying American football to wanting to coach Football. Putting that aside I am quite happy over the fact that I managed to earn a total of 790SP. I''ve been quite frugal when ites to using my points for consumables since I had no source of ie for them. However now that I''ve been getting missions and match rewards, I can finally afford the cost of living. ''Sigh the system is so stingy with its points,'' Imented as I quickly made my way to the car park not wanting to risk another weird encounter. How am I supposed to spend your points to be a singrity when I can''t guarantee I''ll get more? [You know you could just do random things and hope to trigger missions or just hurry up and y in more games andpetitions.] Eva suddenly told me bringing me out of my mncholy mood of self-pity. She seems to enjoy just randomly shocking me with facts when I least expect it. ~~~ ''Hey, I know, I''m just venting don''t bring up real facts,'' I told her with a slight huff making my way to mom''s white range rover after finally recognising it. one of the problems of these schools almost everyone has an expensive car and it''s not surprising to see several simr cars. "Hi Mom, what''s up?" I asked her as soon as I got into the car. She seemed to be seriously thinking about something to the point that she didn''t even greet me when I got into the car. Hearing my voice seemingly snapped her out of her thinking as she gave me a surprised look. I could tell that she didn''t even notice that I had gotten into the car by the look on her face. "Oh, hi I didn''t even hear you enter the car," she quickly told me putting an end to the awkward atmosphere. However, the look of contemtion still remained within her eyes as she continued to mull over whatever gued her mind. "Oh ok, where is Emma anyway?" I asked her seeing that she was starting the car ready to head home. "she''s going to Jennas the girls are having a movie night over there," she replied to me as she swiftly pulled out of her parking spot. Subconsciously nodding to her words, I started to just rx and let the outside senary pass by me. The drive home was spent mostly infortable silence as I was too tired to engage in a conversation and mom seemed to be lost in her own thought. I didn''t mind it though as I actually quite enjoyed the quiet atmosphere. In actual fact, I relished the fact that my thoughts were the only information I had to pay attention to as I mentally reyed the match. It wasn''t until Mom pulled into the driveway ten minutester that I noticed that we hadn''t spoken to each other for a long time. She seemed to have needed it though as she seemed to have reached a conclusion about whatever it was that she was contemting. "So Rakim do you want to join the PSG academy down in Miami?" She asked me out of nowhere just as I was stepping out of the car. If it wasn''t for my good reflexes and the door being there to establish me, I would have hit the pavement. "Huh, that came out of nowhere, what gives?" I asked her as soon as I rposed myself. She just outright chuckled after seeing my antics probably not expecting my reaction to her question. "Sorry, I''ve just been thinking about this since earlier and decided to just ask for your opinion on the matter," She quickly exined before I could even reprimand her forughing at me. "Umm okay, I guess that scout guy talked to you as well?" I asked her wanting to understand where this whole conversation started. "Yeah, he told me that you run away before he could properly talk to you," She answered me sending an inquisitive look my way, but I opted to ignore it as I made my way into the house. "Yeah, I thought he was a fake scout, so I just left," I told her as I exined to her just how random that encounter was. At the end of my exnation even she started praising me for not engaging with strangers. Long story short after seeing my awkward encounter with the scout she went up to him to figure out what was going on. She found out that he is a scout for the PSG Miami academy and was trying to recruit me. Apparently, he was here to watch his nephew y and even though they got beat he chose to do his job. "Let''s talk it over with your dad when he gets home," she told me with a smile as we entered the house. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 96 [Bonus ] 96 Roller-Coaster Of Bliss And Pain ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] AN: I was having some doubts about this novel since thements haven''t been quite dry but after reading some reviews and advice I gained confidence in this story again. I know it may not be everyone''s cup and tea but your handsome author appreciates your continued support so here is a bonus chapter. Will be dropping another one tomorrow so look forward to it since things are heating up on the football front. ~~~ "Let''s talk it over with your dad when he gets home," she told me with a smile as we entered the house. Dad wasn''t home yet so I quickly excused myself from Mom and dragged my bag upstairs so I could take a shower. another reason why I was so eager to go up is because I was finally going to use the green slime potion. Since I''ve gone through an intense week of training and today''s game it''s probably best, I use it now. Other than the logical reasons I just want to try out the effects of the green magical liquid. After all, I''ve read a lot of novels where people use potions to achieve magical effects and I get to do it in real life. Noticing that someone was missing I looked around the room for Zeus, but he was nowhere to be found. Even after checking every room upstairs, I still couldn''t find him. Usually, he would be the first to rush to the door as soon as it opened, heck even before it opened, he was alert. "Mom, you know where Zeus is?" I asked her from the second floor leaning on the railing that overlooked the living room. Mom was on the phone with someone, so it took her a second before she answered me. "Your dad took him to work with him," She quickly told me before continuing to engage with whoever was on the other end of the phone. Hearing her answer, I heaved a sigh of relief knowing that Zeus was okay. ~~~ Standing under the shower I let the cold-water rain down upon me, closing my eyes so I could take in the tranquillity. After around three minutes of just focusing on my breathing, I promptly summoned the green slime potion out of the system space. A small ss bottle with a green liquid that resembled poison from video games appeared. Lightly shaking the bottle, I watched the mixture within the bottle swirl. There is just enough for a single gulp quite different from the 750ml bottle of blue energy drink. Deciding to just take the plunge I uncorked the lid ready to risk my health in taking this poison-like liquid. [Stop,] Just before I had fully opened the potion lid Eva''s voice sounded bringing my hand to an abrupt halt. Due to the shock, I almost dropped the bottle entirely luckily, I manage to firmly grasp it before the worst could happen. ''If you''re just messing with me this is not funny,'' I told her with a bit of anger as I had almost dropped the potion due to her abrupt shout. [You need toy down in the bath or anywhere really, what do you think will happen when your muscles start contracting due to the effects of the potion, and you remain standing?] Her gentle voice as she exined something I could only describe as horrific made me shudder. ''Thank you,'' is all I said as the possibility of crashing onto the bath due to my muscles bing soft from the massage started to don on me. I could only curse inwardly at how close I came to hurting myself severely. To think that the all-mighty system couldn''t even be bothered to write safety instructions for its goods. Turning off the shower I quickly filled up the bath with cold water and promptly submerged myself into the tub. Despite Shuddering lightly from the cold sensation, I still managed to regain myposure. Not wasting any more time, I promptly open the potion and poured it into my mouth in one gulp. To my surprise, the ss potion and lid vanished in the blink of an eye making me question if had really taken it. My queries were soon answered though as a warm sensation started travelling through my body. From my chest, the warm sensation spread to my arms and all the way to my feet. With the warm sensation within me, I couldn''t even feel the cold water anymore. Once my whole body was affected by the warm current a tingling sensation started to spread throughout. I could feel how my muscles which were tight from today''s game and the week''s training started to loosen. Not only was all my fatigue disappearing but the mental strain was also being cleansed. I could feel my thought process clearing up as my breathing became more stable. After a long moment of thisfortable sensation, I felt a sudden pain coursing throughout my body. The sensation of my muscles tightening abruptly, and loosening is like a rollercoaster of pleasure and pain. One moment the most excruciating pain I''ve felt in a while coursed through my body and the next a warm sensation mellowed out the pain. This rollercoaster-like emotional and physical stimtion continued for five minutes but to me, it felt like an eternity. Lying in the cold water it took me a little while before I was able to regain control of my body. Getting up from the bath I noticed that the water had turned a shade of grey which I can only assume is the dirt from today''s game. Then again, I did take a magic potion so I wouldn''t be surprised if some impurities got flushed out of my body. Quickly draining the water, I turned on the tap as I rinsed my body once again. I could already notice a significant difference within myself. I felt a lot lighter now and all of my tired muscles had loosened up significantly. This sensation was ten times as good as when Emma and I got a message at Mom''s spa. Getting out I tried doing a few stretches and I felt a lot more flexible. It''s as if all the muscles that I''ve been straining through my workouts have been liberated. That''s not to say that I''ve lost all the work I''ve done as I could still feel the strengths I''ve painstakingly built up. It''s more like all the unnecessary muscles that I picked up were smoothed out. The excess strength seemed to have been put into areas they were needed allowing me to stretch with more ease. ~~~ "So, what are we having tonight, Mom?" I asked her as I descended the stairs with a towel hung over my head. I''m currently wearing one of my blue hoodies with matching sports shorts. Since I enjoy how free andfortable, I feel in the clothes I''ve started wearing them as PJs. "I''ve made chicken sd with some garlic buggets," she told me with a smile as she pulled out a sd bowl from the fridge. Seeing the mouth-watering food in the bowl my stomach audibly grumbled advocating its need for food. "That looks tasty are we eating now or are we waiting for Dad?" I asked her as I started to set the table, wanting to hurry it along so I could eat sooner. Mom simply chuckled at my actions and started helping me out. "We can start eating, your dad should be home any minute now," she told me as she opened the govern and pulled out to buggets. The crust of the bread was a nice golden brown as steam however the inside of it remained tender. Steam slowly wafted off the cut slices on the bugget where the garlic spread was, slowly dripping as a tantalizing scent spread through the air. The scent had a slight hypnotizing effect on the senses inviting you in to take a bite and quench your hunger. Seeing my eager look as I almost drooled from just looking at the food Mom quickly made a te ready for me. Although hungry I retained my manners and waited for Mom and did not sumb to my bestial desire to devour the food in front of me. Lucky for me it didn''t take long for her to get her own te sorted and take a seat so we could finally eat. "Do you want to say grace?" she asked me holding her hand out for me so we could pray. Adhering to her request I grasped her hand and started praying, thanking God for letting me score today and blessing us with his grace. "Amen, let''s eat," I said finishing off my prayers as I promptly started digging into the food. I didn''t use to particrly like sds at least I think I didn''t but I''ve grown quite fond of the ones Mom does. There''s just something about how good her home cooking is. ording to her, the secret recipe is love which might likely be true after all more mystical things have happened to me. "So, you had a chance to think about the PSG academy?" She suddenly asked me bringing me out of my musing of her magical culinary skills. Now that she mentioned this again, I remembered that we had talked about this. I had forgotten all about it with the rollercoaster effects of the green slime potion. "Not really If I''m being honest," I honestly told her seeing no reason to lie to her about this. She didn''t seem all that surprised that I hadn''t thought about it judging by her expression. "(Sigh) I figured as much, you''re going to have to take this seriously if you really want to do it," she told me with a serious expression as she used this as a chance for a lecture on being responsible. Sometimes I think she switches into tough parent mode because Dad lets us get away with everything. No offence to Dad but unless it''s something that could endanger our health, he rarely says no. Heck, just the other day Emma and I were talking about what kind of car we wanted as our first car and somehow it ended up with the three of us at a Porsche dealership. I made the mistake of face-timing Mom to ask for her opinion on the colour of the Porsche Spyder we were currently looking at. Long story short the conversation didn''t go over well ending with nobody getting a car and dad getting scolded. We got some of the whish from that scolding through a lecture on responsibility. Dad tried to excuse it by saying he was just showing us what we could strive for and it being no fun arguing about cars just by looking at pictures. When he made hisst point even, I found it hard to support him, but we had already chosen our side and it was toote to switch. "I know but we should do our research first before making any decisions," I told her stopping her rant which I was hardly paying attention to. It''s not that I don''t listen to her it''s just when she starts listing facts and figures from her Facebook group, I start feeling like I''m in school again. All the mothers from our primary school are a part of it. They basically rant about all the things we do wrong, pulling up random Google facts to make sense of our behaviour. They use the facts in their lectures and quote them to us when it''s convenient for them. "Your right I''ve been over think for nothing we should make an informed decision about this," She finally told me as she continued to eat her food seemingly having let go of a burden she had been mulling over. Just as I was about to continue to express my opinion on joining an academy, I was interrupted by a voice behind me. "What are we deciding," dads questioning voice sounded in the room drawing our attention to the living room. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 97 97 Family Discussion ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "What are we deciding," dads questioning voice sounded in the room drawing our attention to the living room. Turning around I saw his smiling face as he took off his suit jacket cing it on the couch. "Oh, hi honey, go wash up and join us for dinner," Mom was the first to answer him shooing him to the bathroom downstairs, not bothering to answer his question. He didn''t argue with her as he promptly made his way to the bathroom to clean up. "The food smells great," Hemented as he took the seat next to Mom giving her a kiss on her cheek, to which she blushed slightly. Dad''s grin widened upon seeing her reaction as he started filling his own te with food. Mom proceeds to just stare at him which Dad met with his own gaze creating an ambiguous mood. "Y''know I''m still here," I told them from the side as they were seemingly lost in their own world. Hearing my words Mom''s flushed look intensified lightly whereas Dad didn''t seem to mind it one bit. His level of self-confidence is enviable, I don''t think I''ve ever seen him panic even if he doesn''t know how to do something. Heck, I''ve seen him waffle through a conversation with a contractor over a building project. Only when the guy asked what projects he worked on in the past did he realise that Dad had never worked in the industry. The guy wasn''t angry though as Dad was recruiting him for a project on a new store. What surprised him though was the fact that he had enough knowledge to vet him to make sure he is the right man for the job. Overall, Dad is the type of person who could hold a conversation with anyone regardless of the topic. "Anyways what are we deciding," Dad suddenly asked snapping me out of my thoughts focusing back to the present. He has a serious look on his facepletely washing away his yfulness from moments ago. "There was a PSG academy scout at my game today and I think he wants me to join their academy," I told him with a smile not minding the fact that he decided to change the subject. Mom went ahead and exined the conversation she had with Mike Pierce. She told us about the guy''s sales pitch of the facilities and training they offer to kids aspiring to be footballers. ording to Mike, the team is looking to heavily invest in their youth divisions in an effort to emte Barca. This change was caused due the main team''sck of sess on the international stage. Mike did mention that the club is currently undergoing talks of new ownership, and the upgrade of the youth division is one of the conditions set by the future owner. Listening to her talk about what the scout had told her left me bbergasted as to how the guy could go around sharing such sensitive information. When I asked Mom about it, she said that he used it to entice me to join their camp as they have state-of-the-art equipment for my training. Throughout her whole exnation Dads, serious scowl did not change a bit as he was seemingly lost in thought. I didn''t mind this though as I continued to enjoy my dinner relishing in the taste. "I''ve heard some of my friends at Nike talk about some of their teams having an academy here, but I just never bothered with it," Dad suddenly drew my attention as he implied that there was more than one team''s academy. Interested in what he was saying I started paying more attention. Including PSG there are a plethora of teams that have one of their branch''s academies set up in Miami. Including PSG there is Barcelona, Juventus, Lion, and Sevi FC. There are a few smaller clubs as well, but they aren''t as well known and probably wouldn''t be a desirable choice for training either. Honestly, I was quite surprised to know that some of Europe''s biggest clubs have set up bases here. After all, America isn''t particrly known for its strength when ites to producing football talents. Dad was quick to clear it up though saying that some teams can''t amodate the vast number of kids trying to join their academy, so they set up branches in the US. Don''t get me wrong they do tend to invite talented yers to their main academy once they turn the right age of course. "I don''t mind joining an academy as long as the training helps me, but we don''t know anything about them," I put my two cents into the conversation letting my parents know of my desire for a more challenging environment. I would like to continue to y with the school team, but the training might not be the best for me in the long run. "I''ll ask my friends for more details, and we can make a decision next week, we can even do some visits first if you want," Dad suggested sounding open to the Idea of not at all bothered by the extra work I put on his te. Mom seemed to be more at ease with Dad taking control of the situation, happy that he took the burden off her shoulders. "You are not leaving school for it though," Mommented out of nowhere startling me at how quickly her mood switched. I could tell by the re on her face that she meant every word. "I wasn''t nning on leaving school, I actually enjoy it especially when I get to sleep," I told her with a smile making sure to mumble theter part of that sentence, not wanting to risk a scolding. It''s not like I sleep a lot either just usually on Fridays before a game or sometimes during homeroom. "What was that?" she asked me as her re intensified daring me to repeat what I said. Ignoring the chill that I felt slowly creeping down my spine Iposed myself knowing my next words couldnd me in trouble. "Nothing, Dad where is Zeus anyways?" I Changed the subject to the only thing I could think of. That seemed to be the right decision as her re quickly disappeared as she sent a questioning look to Dad. "Oh, he''s sleeping on his bed in the gym, he''s been quite busy today," he told me with a knowing look helping me dodge the storm that is my mother. ~~~ "That felt great I defiantly needed that," I told Mom as I got up from my Yoga mat. We had just gone through our morning Yoga session after my run. It is weird doing it without Emma since she decided to stay at Jenna''s, but I defiantly needed this to loosen up my muscles from yesterday. Today is kind of a big day for me, well for my hair it is. I''m getting my dread locs twisted today, so I can finally say goodbye to this untameable Afro. Mom was quite unsure about it at first since she didn''t know anything about it but luckily Liv''s Mom reassured her. Heck, I wouldn''t know where to get my hair done if it wasn''t for her since you can''t just pull up to an African barber and ask them to give you dreadlocks. "I''m surprised you are even up for working out today," she told as she handed a bottle of mineral water. "Guess I''m just excited about getting my hair done," I answered her which is partly right the other being the green slime potion I took yesterday. I didn''t really notice it yesterday, but my body feels more rxed than I initially realised. Even though yesterday''s game was quite tiring obviously not because it was a hard game but scoring goals is hard too. Today was different though it felt like I had a clean sheet, and my body was just ready to get to work. I still decided not to push it too far during training and just kept it light. "Alright go and clean up, we have to leave early to get your hair done," shemented as she proceeded to ruffle through my hair. Honestly, sometimes I get the feeling that she likes my hair more than I do with how much she reminds me to take care of it every day. I think she just likes how soft it is and uses it as a stress ball. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 98 Chapter 98 {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "We''re here," Mom said as she parked the car at the side of the road. We are currently outside the magic mall in downtown Ondo, which is quite busy with it being a Saturday and all. Everywhere you looked groups of people could be seen entering and exiting the mall. I spotted groups of teenagers engaging in lively conversations with their friends. Some were even dancing to a song that was ying from a boom box moving their bodies rhythmically. "Let''s go I think the store is on the second floor," Mommented from my side after seeing I was mesmerised by the scenery in front of me. Although I''ve lived here for a few months now I barely leave upwards was quite weird at first as I almost lost my bnce. It felt like I was riding a wave, well at least that''s what I imagine what it my bubble. That is not to say that I''mzy, but my world is big enough for me at least for now. Nodding at her words we quickly exited the car and made our way towards the mall entrance. Looking at the rows of shops on both sides of the mall I couldn''t help but be lost in the marvel of it all. I instinctively started walking closer to Mom after noticing the hustle and bustle of the crowd. She didn''t seem bothered by the crowds and just grabbed my hand leading me to a flight of esctors to the second floor. Riding it upwards was quite weird at first as I almost lost my bnce. It felt like I was riding a wave, well at least that''s what I imagine what it would feel like to surf a wave. It took us a while to find where the shop was located, Mom even had to look through the mall map to ensure she didn''t get us lost. Arriving in front of a Jamaican hair saloon we didn''t hesitate to enter. However, upon entering the shop, we were meant with silence as everyone''s gaze gathered on the both of us. The shop was quite big which I wasn''t expecting from how it looked from the outside. There are a total of four styling chairs all ced in front of their respective mirrors. Right at this moment three of them are upied with women who are currently getting their hair done. The odd thing though was that right now everyone in the shop seemed to have hit the pause button as they stared at us. Usually, I wouldn''t get nervous due to social situation situations but right now I was. The group of ck women who were looking at us seemed to all be wordlessly asking why we were there. "Hi, does Brianna work here?" Mom took the lead in speaking up ending the awkward atmosphere that was beginning to build. "Yes, that''s me, are you Lias?" A woman who looks to be in herte forties spoke up in a Jamaican ent as she came forward to greet us. She is wearing a white traditional Dashiki dress with various patterns on it. The other people in the shop returned to their tasks after seeing that Brianna had been expecting us. Appreciating the fact that I wasn''t being stared at like an exotic animal at the zoo I took the chance topose myself. Looking around the shop some more I spotted a lot of pictures of people whom I assume are famous. I couldn''t recognise most of the people on the wall but one of them was Bob Marley who had a guitar strung around his neck. "Yeah, this is my son, Rakim," Mom answered her with a smile proceeding to run a hand through my hair as if wanting to highlight why we are here. "Hi Miss Brianna," I said to her whilst going forward to greet her with a handshake to which she just smiled and pulled me into a hug. Confused as to what was happening, I just froze and let her hug me hoping it would end quickly. "So, you want dreadlocks, yes?" She asked me as she led me to the free chair prompting me to sit down. Mom followed suit taking a seat on the sofa behind me that was meant for customers waiting their turn. I felt a little nervous now that I''m actually getting my hair done. In my past life, I always had short hair since it was more convenient to keep up. Since now I''m able to live life the way I want, I choose to have dreadlocks. Somewhere in a book, I read that they stand as a symbol of superhuman strength so I might fit the mould to tea in the future. ~~~ Four whole hourster my hair was finally taking shape. Miss Brianna and one of the other hairdressers were just finishing off thest strands of my hair. Sitting here for hours has been a different type of torture. Although we did take a few breaks so Miss Brianna could rest her hands and for me to stretch my legs, but it was still hard. Throughout my torture, Mom seemed to just be making friends with the other women in the shop. What Dad said about women being able to be best friends in a matter of moments turned out to be true. She went from discussing what type of cream is best used to upkeep my hair toining about me and Emma with the rest of the Moms in the shop. The thing that stupefied me was when the women started nning a night out together after only having met today. Back to the point, my dreads are quite thin trickling down my head and reaching to my ears. It was going to be a different kind of trouble taking care of my hair now, but I didn''t mind it since I feel like my level of charm went up a level. Looking at my hair I felt as if I was growing a lion''s mane. "Finally done, take good care of your hair nephew, it''s some of my best work Y''know," Miss Brianna told me as she finished running some Olive oil cream through my locks. Smiling in response I just admired my new look Ignoring the fact that I somehow gained four new aunties in this shop. "Thanks, I''ll make sure to take care of it," I told her getting up from the chair that was slowly getting an imprint of my body. Mom also seemed interested in my new look as she also came forward to get a closer look. "It suits you," she told me with a smile as she used her hand to check out one of my locks. Although she looked mesmerised by my new hair, I could tell that she was slightly disappointed that it wasn''t as soft as before. Not minding her conflicted emotional state though I used the mirror to take some pictures of my new hairstyle. With the fade that I already had my whole look had a sense ofpleteness to it. Quickly Sending a few pictures to Emma and the group chat of Liam and Lexi I came back to the present. At this point, Mom was done examining my hair and was settling the bill with Miss Brianna. The total came to $120 which blew my mind for a second but upon seeing the price listings I noticed that she gave us a discount. Guess her calling me her nephew wasn''t just for fun. We did however have to spend another $50 for the care cream that made sure the dreads stayed in shape and healthy. It turns out that it''s just the initial cost of getting my hair done that''s high but after that, it''s pretty cheap to just keep it up. Now that my hair is finally done, I''m looking forward to getting out of here. Plus, I''m hungry too since I only had a light breakfast in the morning. Saying our goodbyes to the women in the shop we made our way to the food court downstairs. Just like me, Mom was also hungry, so we went to one of the Deli and ordered a sandwich each. ording to her, this was one of the healthiest options here. I don''t know where she gets this need to always look for the healthiest food option, but I can''tin as it helps me on my journey as an athlete. "So, are you happy with your hair?" She asked me as we sat down at one of the free tables with our food. Not wasting any more time, I dug into my BMT relishing in the taste of the sandwich. "Yeah, thank you for taking me and spending so much money," I told her with a gratitude-filled smile which seemingly caught her off guard. It seems like she wasn''t expecting me to say all that. "You don''t have to thank me, you are my son after all," she told me as she reached over the table to flick my forehead, after realising that she couldn''t ruffle my hair at the moment. A warm sensation welled up within me upon hearing her words knowing that she meant every word. If it was anyone else saying this, I wouldn''t believe them that easily, but Mom is different, she is incapable of lying. It''s not that she can''t but her straightforward personality makes it so that she doesn''t see the point. That''s not to say that her EQ iscking just that she doesn''t have a lot of patients for things that annoy her. "Thanks, Mom," I said to her again as I focused on devouring my sandwich which was feeling neglected with all my emotions acting up. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 99 Monopoly Skirmish Chapter 99 Monopoly Skirmish {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "Woah your hair looks sick bro," Liam eximed as soon as Mom and I entered the house. From the looks of it, he was hanging out with Emma and the rest of our friend group. The odd thing however was the fact that May''s brother Reece and Bet were also here. "Cheers, I had to sit a long while for this," I told him shaking my head slightly to show off my hair a little more. Emma was the first to reach my side doing her best to resist the urge to touch my hair. She was giving me puppy eyes as she admired my dreadlocks from up close almost causing me to nod in approval. I don''t mind if she touches my hair, but it''s a slippery slope. If I let her touch my hair, I won''t have a good enough excuse to deny the other people in the room. Knowing May, she will Nagg me non-stop until I let her touch my hair as well and I don''t really want to deal with that. Thinking of the possible headache I just patted her head and made my way to the couch to join the rest. "You''re a little bit more good-looking," Maymented as soon as I sat down reaching a handout to try to touch one of my locks. Reacting quickly, I pped away her hand and gave her a deadpan stare. "You can''t touch it just yet," I told her with a slight re warning her not to do it again. My re was met with a pout before she proceeded to look away in protest. "Dude why did you let them put worms on your head," Bete suddenlymented from across the table. Taken aback for a second at hearing his voice I was reminded of his existence in my Livingroom. The boy wasughing at his own joke, but no one was really joining in not even his best friend. I could tell that Reece wanted to join in on the joke but upon noticing the deadpan looks from the rest of us he remained silent. Guess his not as thick skin as I thought he was, then again maybe it''s just a momentary case ofmon sense. Looking at his slightly reddening cheeks from the second-hand embarrassment I could only give him a sympathetic look. "what''s that look for?" Reece eximed as he was quick to notice the odd look, I was giving the pair of them. "Nothing, what are you guys up to anyways," I quickly said changing the subject having no intentions of giving Be any more attention. "Oh, we''re about to y Monopoly you came just in time to join in," Liam told me as he pulled out a box from the board game. Not questioning where he even kept the game this whole time, I quickly helped set up the game excited to join in the game. ~~~ We spent the rest of that Saturday afternoon ying a variety of board games after Monopoly escted into a small scuffle. Although the game is supposed to be for family and friends. However, it caused more harm than good if I''m being honest. Reece and Bet tried to form an alliance but that was easily seen through by everyone. Through deliberate targeting and a bit of bad luck, they had money problems. However, that''s when it started, may instead of taking her brother''sst amount of money she offered to pay off his debts with the bank for one of his properties. He managed to negotiate to not have to pay the next three times hended on her property. Seeing May''s action caused a chain reaction with everyone around the table. Liv was the first to react sealing an alliance with Emma, making it so they didn''t have to pay rent on each other''s properties. I could only sulk at the fact that my sister didn''t let me into their alliance, but little did anyone know that Liam and I were in a secret alliance. You might be wondering how we were able to fool them given the fact that we are best friends. Well, the answer to that is simple we actively tried to make it difficult for each other. I would buy missing properties he needed and so would he and somehow when we ended up using them to avoid paying rent or have the other party pay off our loans. Although we all thought we were smart and were in an advantageous situation none of us could hold a candle with Jenna. She somehow managed to form an open alliance with May and Bet. May was left eliminated after her crazy move that escted the dynamics of the game, so Jenna was her saving grace. Bet on the other hand was left stranded since his partner almost went bankrupt. So, when she offered to help him with a lone with some questionable terms he readily agreed. Let''s just say he went bankrupt in three rounds because he still had to pay the rest of us. However, the nail on the coffin was when Jenna got all his properties in exchange for paying his debt as part of their agreement. You see that should have startled me a little as she was moving a little too sly, but I had a secret alliance with her and didn''t think much of it. Well, if I had known that everyone at the table had a secret alliance with her, I would have panicked more. By the time I noticed something was fishy It was already toote and people around the table were dropping like flies. ~~~ "Hey, sis just let me have a freebie, just this once," Liam pleaded for mercy afternding on her most expensive property Broadwalk. She had a hotel built on it and just the price would make Liam go bankrupt after a round of bad rolls. It wasical to see him pleading for her to spare him only to be ignored and asked to pay up. It did help me as I was able to buy a set of his properties after he went bankrupt. He didn''t opt to let anyone get his properties after not being able to pay his sister and directly dered bankruptcy in the most dramatic way. Seeing Jenna ruthlessly shake her head upon hearing his request, He dramatically got up from his seat frustrated just emanating from him. For a moment I thought he was going to flip the board in anger but instead, he picked up his piece with a lost look. Dramatically dropping his silver dog back into the box, he slumped to the ground and started spilling hisints to Zues who had a lost look. I was feeling sorry for him, but I should have focused on myself since both May and Jenna teamed up and drove me to bankruptcy in the next two turns. It happened so fast that by the time I realised what happened I was begging Emma to avenge me. A slow tear filled with emotions spilt out of my left eye fully expressing my current the game. We had decided on this rule so that no one could interfere with those still ying. However now that I think about it emotion. The thing that made me even angrier was that once you are out of the game you are not allowed toment on anything to do with the game. We had decided on this rule so that no one could interfere with those still ying. However now that I think about it Jenna was pretty genius toe up with this rule. Now that I realised that Jenna had yed me from start to finish, I could only join Liam in spilling myints to Zeus. He looked more confused now that I joined the conversation he was having with Liam. Then again, he was probably thinking of how to get rid of us so he can go back to enjoying his nap. Emma the good sister she is came through for me and dove Jenna to bankruptcy, but she sold her properties to May in the round before. In the end, what should have been a fun game escted into an all-out battle of wits. The Final winner was May who had escted the ying board into turmoil. It was a bitter pill to swallow but finding out that she and Jenna were working together made more sense. They had us all fooled, when Jenna revealed that she was a little chess genius it made a lot more sense. I didn''t take the loss to heart thou as I had Zeus as my little therapist. ~~~ "Woah your hair is sick bro," Max eximed with huge fan fair as soon as I made my way onto the field for training. Today I''ve been dealing with all sorts ofments on my hair. Some love the look to the point where they try to touch it. Good thing that I have Liam as a sort of bodyguard and surprisingly Lexi helped too for an entirely different reason though. ording to her, she had reached an agreement with Emma. She wouldn''t tell me what the deal is but since she was helping, I couldn''tin. "Cheers bro," I answered him as I quickly dabbed him up with our own handshake. The good thing for me is that he didn''t shower me with questions like the rest of the kids today. Don''t get me wrong I love the attention but asking questions like can your hair get wet? Does your new hair make you more aerodynamic? Do you have to wake up early every morning to make your hair like that? Can you make my hair like that, I reckon I could pull it off. Those are just some of the moremon questions I had to deal with. One guy with bald hair even asked me if he could get that hairstyle totally forgetting hisck of hair. It was all bad though I finally understand why some of my ssmates love to shake their hade to adjust their hair. After a day of dealing with all kinds of weird people, I''m just d that I get to unwind by kicking the ball around for a bit. I still love my hair though don''t bet me wrong it just brings out a weird side in the people around me. It''s like an irresistible charm thates with the new hair, and they just can''t resist it. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 100 Coach Gone Crazy Chapter 100 Coach Gone Crazy {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ Training started off great the energy levels of the entire team are just on another level with the most recent wins. We seemed more united as a unit now that all our preseason efforts were showing tangible results through matches. Although the intensity of our training continued to increase, we were having fun with it. No one med anyone for missed touches and just continued to encourage each other to do better. During the shooting exercises everyone used this as a chance to show off their celebration when they managed to get past Ben or Mike. Generally, everyone was on cloud nine even those that haven''t gotten a chance to shine yet were soaking in the positive atmosphere. Those that haven''t gotten the chance to y in official matches yet were the ones trying the hardest to stand out during training. The intoxicating atmosphere encouraged me to give full freedom to my creativity trying new things that I normally wouldn''t. An example of that is that during the shooting drill, I tried numerous ways of scoring from the edge of the box. First, I took it easy calmlyunching a precise shot to the top right corner out of reach of Ben. The second time I tried to shoot with my outstep which ended with the ball flying for an easy save for Mike. I continued to experiment with the shot until I manage to slot the ball with a banana-like curve past Mike hitting the far corner of the goal. Happy at seeing my sess I tried a few more times but my aim was quite erratic. Moving on from that shot as I was getting quite a bit of grief from my teammates; I tried my hand at the Rabona a couple of times. I had more control of this shot since I''m quite flexible due to all the yoga I do. I even managed to outwit the keepers a couple of times due to them not expecting the shot. Even though I failed quite a few times my mood didn''t falter as I was enjoying the carefree atmosphere. This is probably the first time I''ve had so much fun just experimenting with the ball. Just like that the training session continued on with us fooling around whilst enjoying the atmosphere of the training. ~~~ "Did you all have fun today?" Coach Garret asked us after gathering us for a meeting at the end of training. Subconsciously nodding at his words, I waited with bated breaths to hear what he would say next. Some of the boys around me even went as far as to make smallments earning augh from their friends. "I must admit that you have been in great form for the first two games of the season, I myself am impressed by how fast you are improving each day," Coach continued praising us causing the rowdy atmosphere to pick up a notch. Even I was swept up by the atmosphere, especially after Max started shaking me. "However, I''m really disappointed in what I''ve seen today, you are too busy celebrating winning two meaningless matches instead of taking your training seriously." He said again, instantly quietening the jubnt mood in the atmosphere. It was at this moment that I realised that even throughout his praising he never once smiled. Even though his words were correct it still left a bitter taste in my mouth. Especially since we still gave our best throughout the training. Listening to him continue to berate us over having fun whilst training made a sour feeling rise within me. However, I wasn''t the first to voice my displeasure at coach Garret''s words as Max bet me to it. "Coach we were just having fun and still give the same amount of effort as usual," He loudly eximed from my right interrupting Coach before he could continue to berate us. His hooked expression at being interrupted was quiteical, almost as if the unsaid words had choked his throat. Although Max only said one sentence it seemed to convey all our emotions of indignation. Some of the boys even went as far as to nod in agreement with the brave ones even Voicing their rebellious nature with a meek "yes". "Good, Good, since you are brave enough to interrupt me then you can sit on the bench for a while." Coach Garret retorted with anger visibly on his now reddened face. His messy dark hair fluttered slightly with the warm evening breeze but even that was overshadowed by his bulging veins. Looking at the goalie coach and the fitness trainer at the side I could tell that they were just as baffled as the rest of us. Their shocked expression spoke volumes, probably not expecting their colleague to snap like that. It was good to know that I wasn''t the only one feeling baffled about why a twenty-something-old man was berating a bunch of kids. Max took a step back out of shock from the entire situation, probably not expecting him to react so extremely. Knowing how Max likes to y pranks and often gets into trouble but I''m fairly sure he''s never been berated like that. Heck, it''s not like he is a bad kid that doesn''t know his limit when causing mischief. He wasn''t the only one shocked though as even I am taken aback by how weird our coach was acting. Don''t get me wrong he''s always been strict, but this just felt different. It feels like one of those days in my past life when our boss would just take out his anger on us. Before I even knew what I was doing I stepped forward pulling my friend behind me and shielding him from the re he was receiving. "Hey, don''t you think that''s too far coach, after all, it''s not like we didn''tplete the training," I told him in a calm tone as he focused his attention on me, looking as if he didn''t expect yet another kid to challenge his authority. I didn''t care what was going through his mind though as I was too busy trying to find a reason as to why I stepped up in the first ce. Yes, me and Max are good friends, heck I would even go as far as to say that he''s one of the best people I''ve met through the sport. However, that shouldn''t be enough to make me go against my instincts though. Although I''ve noticed that I''ve been quite vocal in this new life, however, I still actively try to avoid confrontations. Especially when I''m faced with adults, I would like to me my just fooling around and trying fancy tricks," He eximed with even more rage in his tone if that was even possible. Taken aback by his young body, but authority figures just seem to have a hold over me. "I don''t know why you are talking, you spent most of the training just fooling around and trying fancy tricks," He eximed with even more rage in his tone if that was even possible. Taken aback by his words I started questioning myself wondering if I was really just fooling around the entire time. However, no matter how I think about it I didn''t do anything wrong that would warrant his anger. After all, isn''t the whole point of training to get better at skills you struggle with so that you can implement them in games? "I still tried my best and it''s not like I don''t perform during games," I retorted with a hint of indignation at his unreasonable behaviour. Since I had already stepped up to rebel against this injustice I might as well go all the way. My words seemed to only enrage him further as he started to visibly tremble. Looking at his bodynguage I was getting a bad feeling from him but right now I didn''t want to back down. To my side I felt Max tug at my shirt in an attempt to get me to stop, probably wanting to end this ordeal as soon as possible. Deciding to listen to my friend for whom I had stepped up for in the first ce I looked to my left and gave him a short nod. ~~~ [Doge idiot,] Eva''s voice sounded in my head causing me to subconsciously tilt my body, but it was toote as I felt something hit the right side of my face. It was a round ball with a bouncing puma on it. Looking at the ball in a daze a weird emotion started welling up within me. This is probably the first time that I''ve ever hated seeing a football in this life. Just this thought alone made the anger within me boil up to another level. Because I don''t know when it happened but my love for this sport had grown exponentially over the past months. Ignoring my emotion for a second, I looked up from the ball on the ground staring at the cause of my anger. Coach garrets arm was still in his throwing motion as a look of disbelief and horror appeared on his face. The look on his face told me that even he himself couldn''t believe what he had done. Still, in shock at what just happened, I watched as the other two coaches tackled him from both sides preventing him from acting up further. "RAKIM!" . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 101 101 Rejected ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "RAKIM!" The loud yet familiar voice of my big sister resounded throughout the training field capturing my attention. I don''t think I''ve ever seen her run so fast, she particrly teleported to my location as all the boys around me took a step back. Judging by the worried expression she was sending me she must have seen everything. Before I knew it, we were surrounded by a bunch of people as the whole situation escted. With the crowd gathering around us I lost sight of the coach but judging by the riled-up parents around he was not having a good time. He managed to wrestle himself free from the two coaches as he red at us like a man possessed. Oliver The goalie coach tried to calm him down, but he seemed like he wanted a fight and swung for the man. Caught off-guard the man was sent flying to the ground after receiving a shiner to the left cheek. Not satisfied with the havoc caused by his action he angrily kicked one of the balls on the ground in our direction hitting a few of my teammates. Realising that coach had lost the plot We quickly dispersed in all directions wanting to get as far away as possible from this guy. Not leaving any man behind I spotted both Ben the keeper and Damian pick up one of our teammates who had stumbled to the ground. I followed my friend''s action''s promptly grabbing Emma''s hand and getting as far away from this lunatic. "Are you Okay?" I asked her once we had distanced ourselves from the angry mob-like group that was gathering around Coach Garret. Oliver the goalie coach had sprung back up from the ground looking angry at being punched as he tackled the coach to the ground. He didn''t lose his mind though and proceeded to try and subdue him with the help of the fitness trainer. By the time we made it to the side of the pitch where my bag was, things had calmed down a little. Many of the dads who had converged once the situation escted helped the two coaches subdue Garret. From their furious expression, I could tell they were doing their best not to beat up the lunatic who attacked their kids. Not mind them though I focused on calming down my worried sister who didn''t believe that I was okay. A pat on the head reassured her a little but she still insisted on making sure I was not hurt from the hit of the ball. ~~~ [Earlier That Day Coach Garret Pov] "Hi coach, how is your morning," the familiar voice of Mike the school''s security guard greeted me as soon as I walked through the gates. The man somehow manages to always have a smile on his face. "Morning Mike," I greeted him with a warm greeting as I quickly headed to my cubical in the office. This school is pretty generous to give all the faculty their own area space to sort themselves out. Although everyone here is pretty great, I can''t wait to leave this ce. Even though I can''t y like I used to anymore my career as a coach has given me hope. I''ve learned so much working here and Coach Baker practically picked me up in the darkest moment of my life. Powering on myptop I eagerly checked my emails expecting to see answers from clubs I''ve applied to. Sure enough, there are a couple of replies from some team''s academies. I would rather join the main team''s coaching staff, but my young age andck of a coaching education make it hard. --- [Dear Garret J. Ledger, I hope this letter finds you well. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you put into your application for the coaching position at LA Gxy under 18''s. Your interest in joining our club and your passion for coaching were evident throughout the application process. After careful consideration and a thorough review of all applications, we regret to inform you that we have chosen to move forward with another candidate for the under 18''s assistant coach position at this time. Please know that this decision was not made lightly, and we understand the dedication andmitment required to pursue a career in coaching. Yourck of a coaching education was one of the deciding factors that led us to this decision. Your recent experience with youth-level coaching at Red Oak Preparatory is one of the reasons we considered you for the position. However, we have chosen another candidate due to ack of tangible results. We sincerely wish you all the best throughout your season and hope you continue to keep u your passion for the game. We will keep your application on file, and should an appropriate opportunity arise, we will not hesitate to reach out to you. Once again, we sincerely appreciate your interest in joining La Gxy. We wish you the absolute best in your coaching endeavours and hope you find the perfect match for your talents and ambitions. I appreciate your understanding. Sincerely, John F. Ronalds [Youth Director] [LA Gxy] --- Wolfsburg Academy: "It is with deep regret that we must inform you that we have chosen another candidate for the under-16 head coach position. Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.: "We appreciate your interest in our club, but we regret to inform you do not meet our organisation requirements," FC Schalke 04: "We are sorry Mr. Ledger, to inform you that we have found someone more suited for our organisation," AFC Ajax: "I''m sorry to inform you that we have chosen to promote an in-house talent for the open coaching position." . . . Celtic: "We don''t require your talents in our academy at the moment, however, we do wish you all the best in your future endeavours." "Fuck more rejections," I eximed after reading yet another rejection email from a team that''s not even in a prominent league. What more do they want from me I''m already going to night school. Why is it always like this? if I just hadn''t shattered my knee I wouldn''t even have to grovel for a job at these below-average teams. I could still be ying the game living an easy life ying for one of these teams. Just my luck that even my path to bing a coach is being impeded. They are probably just giving these jobs to people based on nepotism rather than actual skills. (driiiing drriiiing driing) "Hi, what''s up Molly?" I asked my girl with a little impatience at the poor timing of this call. I don''t even know why she is still with me since she loves toin about how much of a failure I am. "Don''t what''s up me, did you get the job?" She asked me with a hint of annoyance and expectation in her voice. Used to her straightforward nature by now I didn''t mind it, but it still annoyed me how little respect she shows me. "I haven''t gotten a positive answer yet, but I still have some I''m waiting on," I told her with a bit of shame lying with practised ease on thetter part of the sentence. It''s not that I want to lie but knowing her personality she wouldn''t let me hear the end of it for a good twenty minutes. Usually, I wouldn''t mind her nagging but right now I feel like I''ll snap at any moment. Why did her parents pamper her so much to the point that her dream job is to be a stay-at-home spouse? My friends think that I''m living the dream with a girl willing to take care of the house, make my meals and whatnot. However, it''s no dream I assure you especially when you not only have to pay all the bills but also support your girlfriend''s shopping addiction. Just because her father the redneck that he is owns one of the biggest farms in the state she spends money as it grows on trees. If it wasn''t for the fact that I genuinely love her since she stood by me throughout my injury, I would have left her a long time ago. Plus, the fact that I still owe her family money for covering my medical expenses makes it hard for me to break up with her. "(sigh) I guess Daddy dearest was right about you, you are going nowhere in life," was all she said to me sounding as if she was expecting it and was just waiting for me to confirm it. What did one of my yers call it again, having a pig teammate is worse than an enemy. Hearing her nonchnt voice made the gloomy mood around me drop another notch. All kinds of negative thoughts started flooding my mind as I wrestled with the idea that the person that who was closest to me doesn''t even believe in me. Then again what was I expecting she has always been spoiled even back in high school. I should''ve listened to my friends when they told me she was no good for me. "Garrett let''s end things, I''m not going to waste another day with someone who is going nowhere in life, especially when you insist on chasing a stupid job that embarrasses me in front of my family." She spoke up again dropping a bomb before I even had the chance to respond to her. "Why so out of the blue?" I asked her with anger clearly in my voice wanting to understand why she was doing this to me. I''ve been putting up with all her BS over the years and she is so easily giving up on me. "(Sigh I didn''t want to say it but since you want an answer so bad, I''ll tell you, I''m going to date Mark he just signed an extension with the Jaguars so he can at least take care of me." I heard her say with mockeryced throughout every word she said seemingly proud of this mark guy. The fact that she is in the mood to mock me whilst breaking up with me makes me want to punch something. Already angry from the earlier rejections, this finally pushed me over the top. The shame and embarrassment of all that happening just red at me. What enraged me, even more, was the fact that I know who this Mark guy is. He is one of her brother''s obnoxious friends whom they used to know when they lived back in Kentucky. The guy is pretty much a yboy/farm boy and the only good thing he''s got going for him is his ability to catch a football (American football). "You are breaking up with me for that guy? You bi**h deserve him hope he doesn''t get bored of you too quickly," I growled at her with all the anger erupting from within me. All the shame, embarrassment and above all anger needed a ce for me to vent it, so it''s only her fault for giving me an excuse. "He is still better than you who is useless, anyway I''m not going to argue with you anymore I''ve packed my things so you can stay in the t but I''m raising the rent by 30%," she told me in anger quickly hanging up the call leaving me dumbfounded and the rest of my anger left choking within me. "Who the f**k does she think she is, I''ll make her pay for this," I eximed in frustration to no one in particr. Throwing my phone away in a fit to vent my anger I watched it bang against the bin. Ignoring my phone that came apart I swept my hands across the desk clearing all the cluttered things on it. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 102 102 Enough Is Enough ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [Coach Garret Pov] "Wtf are these brats doing?" I said to myself as I watched yet another one of my yers attempt a rabona during the shooting drill. Shit just nothing is going right today first that B**ch dumped me after finding out that I didn''t get a job offer and now these brats are messing around. I know they are just kids but that''s no excuse to mess about during training. Do they not understand how lucky they are to be able to y this game? Yet these brats have been messing about since the start of training. "You good Garret?" Oliver asked me with a concerned look on his face after having seemingly overheard my words. Dammit, I hate it when people try to act nice when they don''t really want to hear your problems. "I''m good just annoyed," Is all I said to him quickly walking away from him before he could ask me another stupid question. (sigh) I need to calm down before I end up punching somebody. ''Just breathe Garret breath, You didn''t go through all those anger management sses for nothing,'' I mumble inwardly in an attempt to calm myself holding onto thest tether of my sanity. I don''t know how I managed to make it through the day but I''ve made it this far. "F**k," I cursed under my breath after watching arguably my best yer send the ball flying sky-high past the bar as he attempted a shout with his out-step. Watching someone with so much raw talent for the game mess about during training is making me even more angry. I know I was like that when I was young too but never messed about during training just because I won a measly two games. Damit If I had just stayed home instead of going out with that sl*t I wouldn''t have gotten injured in the first ce. I could have been living the dream but I let my lust convince me to go to that party. What a fool I am getting into a fight over that b**ch only to get injured and end my dreams. What was all that hard work for? Why did I even bother fighting for that woman if she is just going to dump me when it gets hard? (sigh) Let''s just get this session over with so I can go and get a drink. I''m still gonna give those brats a piece of my mind to vent some of my anger. ~~~ "what do you want?" I angrily asked the person on the other end of the phone. That b**ch dares to call me after the shit she pulled in the morning as if I''m going to just stand here and listen to her gloat. However, I received no answer to my question as the other end of the phone had some light static as if the phone was being moved quickly. Already annoyed at the fact that she called in the first ce I was ready to just hang up. That''s when I heard a familiar voice ring out through the phone. It wasn''t hers since I could clearly tell that it was male. "So did you finally break up with that useless boy toy of yours," I heard the male voice say sounding quite husky as if he was trying to seduce Whom I assume is Molly. "Yeah baby, I had to let him go just isn''t fun ying with a useless toy," Sure enough I heard Molly''s voice respond to the man''s sounding just as seductive as he is. The rage within my body practically spiked up at this moment as the pent-up frustration was threatening to burst any moment. Holding onto thest strands of sanity andposure I continued to listen wanting to find out just how much of a B**ch my ex is. Not knowing why I wanted to listen in the first ce but something within me was keeping the phone glued to my ear. The me right now would probably chalk it up to a fool''s curiosity. However, future me will probably me that same curiosity for breaking something precious within me, my ability to trust. "Is that so? Guess we won''t have to sneak around anymore," I heard the man say in a cheeky tone as he seemingly nted a kiss on Molly judging by the sounds. "(ohh) your right Mark, but those past four months sure have been exciting," Molly''s pleasure-filled voice rang again in my ear as she clearly admitted to cheering on me for the past few months. Subconsciously clenching my hand that was holding onto the phone my eyes were fully bloodshot now. Quite surprisingly the phone didn''t break but then again Nokia is known for its sturdy phones. Ignoring my emotion continued to listen to the happenings on the other side of the phone. Rugged breathing started to resound through the speakers as Molly''s moans sang like a melody. The melody was not sweet though, actually, it was rather cruel as it continued to stab daggers into my heart. Hearing someone who was mine just a few hours ago exim with ecstasy and lust for another man twisted up my already messy emotion. Just thinking about how she has beenying bare her lewd expressions for him to gaze upon throughout the past four months only made it worse. "(Smack) Tell me how does minepare to that trash," I heard him exim loudly as he pped what I assume is her ass. At this moment I was ready to hang up not wanting to listen to them humiliate me any further. "Your''s baby it''s so much bigger," However before I could bring myself to remove the phone from my ear, her lust-crazed voice reverberated. Shortly after a wet swoosh sound could be heard as a constant pping sound resounded. ~~~ Snapping out of my momentary daze I angrily threw my phone to the ground. Seeing that the grass absorbed the impact I started stomping my right foot on top of it. The spikes of my cleats promptly pierced into the machine but that didn''t satisfy me as I continued for a while. Still not satisfied by the time phone was in shambles I spotted the kids in the park finishing off training. Deciding to vent some of my frustration to them I called them to gather in front of me. Since everyone feels like they can just shit on me today Im gonna do the same to these brats. Better for them to learn early what this world is really like. "Did you guys have fun today?" I asked them with a slight smirk after they gathered around me. Most of the little runts even had the audacity to exim in agreement, making my desire to ruin their parade even further. Just keepughing it will be all the better once I wipe that smirk off your face. After all, am just doing a good coach''s job at keeping my yers humble so no one can really fault me. In the end, it doesn''t matter I''m the boss here and they will take a scolding if I want them to receive one. The power is with me and all they can do is obey my words whether they like it or not. I''m the one in control and no one is going to take that away from me no matter what! "I must admit that you have been in great form for the first two games of the season, I myself am impressed by how fast you are improving each day," I told them again as my malicious smirk continued to intensify as I praised the further. Setting them up on a pedal stool before kicking them off of it will be quite fun. Just looking at some of these kids who are puffing up their chests as if they actually have talent is amusing. "However, I''m really disappointed in what I''ve seen today, you are too busy celebrating winning two meaningless matches instead of taking your training seriously." I quickly told them in a condescending tone matching the one from Molly earlier as I watched their bliss-filled expression morph in a matter of instances. "Coach we were just having fun and still give the same amount of effort as usual," Just as I was about to continue to further bash their self-esteem, a little brat had the audacity to interrupt me. Not even bothering with what he said I made my mind up that I wasn''t going to y him for a good long while. After all, there has to be a price to be paid for interrupting otherwise where would all my authority go? The fact that some of the other little brats were agreeing with him only served to enrage me further. "Good, Good, since you are brave enough to interrupt me then you can sit on the bench for a while," I told him as I narrowed my eyes on the kid daring him to test me and say another word. Just like I expected he chickened out and took a step backwards in fright. Delighted at his reaction I relished in the stunned silence around me as the brats stared at me with disbelief and horror in their eyes. Finally feeling like I was receiving the respect I deserve I decided to continue with my efforts to educate them. However just As I was about to do that a boy I know all too well steppe in front of the kid I had just reprimanded and spoke up. Not sure what exactly he said to me but just seeing him and remembering that he was one of the front runners who were fooling around I snapped. Thinking about the fact that he actually has talent and was spending all of the training fooling around enraged me even further. Before I knew it I picked up one of the balls with my hand andunched it at his face. He was just turned to the boy from earlier making it a perfect hit to the cheek. hearing the crip impact of the ball on his face made joy paper within me but the very next second despair gripped me. ''What the hell did I just do? To a primary school kid no less,'' Multiple ways of how the school would punish me for this blunder started to sh in my mind. Just thinking about how I might lose my job, I felt thest sliver of my sanity slowly slip. Before I could even think of what to do I felt the other two coaches grappling me from my side finally pushing me over the edge. ~~~ [Mc Pov] "Son, are you okay? Your mom told me what happened," Dad asked as soon as he entered the house a worried look grazing his facial expression. I could only send him a wry smile as I had just gotten done calming down Mom''s anger. We had made it back to the house a while back after the whole coach fiasco escted. Mom had rushed to the pitch after she noticed the crowd gathering there. She was quite worried about the escting troubles but promptly became furious when Emma filled her in. The whole time when Emma was recounting the happenings I could only silently admonish her for pouring oil onto the mes. When she found out that the coachunched a ball against my face she was at first worried that I was hurt. However, after reassuring her she promptly channelled her anger to the coach joining the other angry parents. Coach Garret seemed to have lost itpletely though as he shouted back at the angry parents giving back just as much as he got. If not for the fact that he was being held back by the other two trainers he might have started brawling with them. It wasn''t until ten minutester that the school''s security team came and took him away giving us a bit of peace. The Dean himself came to the grounds upon hearing of the matter which only served to furtherplicate the matter. Although the happenings were pretty clear we were still interviewed by the old man as he apologised to us. Honestly, I felt quite sorry for the man as he was going to be the one to catch the heat for the coach going crazy. The sad thing is the fact that the man loves the game of football if am to believe what my uncle said. So it must be pretty hard to have to deal with someone in his very own school program. I bet the fact that there seemingly wasn''t a reasonable enough trigger, to begin with, must anger him even further. "Im fine dad, the whole thing was just so random," I answered him whilst I threw my phone to the other end of the couch. All my teammates were talking about the same thing in the group chat and I was getting fed up talking about it. Dad epted my response probably realising that Mom had made enough of a fuss for the both of them. I was honestly grateful since them trying to check on me feels more like I''m the one consoling them. It''s not that I don''t appreciate the love and care they show me god only knows how much I love this feeling. But watching them get all worked up for something that in hindsight wasn''t such a big deal makes me feel a little awkward. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 103 103 New Coach (1) ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ ''What''s with all the stares,'' I asked Eva inside of my head as I quickly made my way to my chair. Sitting down I heaved a long sigh, since arriving at school I''ve been getting a lot of weird nces. Heck, some girls even came up to me and embraced me in a hug saying that they are there for me. The word thing is that I''ve never spoken to those girls since they were from the high school building. [hmm maybe they feel sorry that you haven''t be a professional footballer yet, even though you have a system,] Shemented with an amused smile relishing the fact that I was feeling ufortable. How do I know that she was smiling you might wonder well sometimes you can just tell by someone''s tone of voice. ''Why do I even bother asking non-football rted questions,'' I say to her realising the fact that she tends to just joke around with me, instead of giving me a proper answer. [Neither do I honestly,] shemented with a chuckle serving only to further dampen my mood. "Are you okay?" I heard the familiar warm voice of Lexi causing me to look up from the table. "Please not you too," I subconsciouslymented as I gave a wary look not wanting to deal with another person showing me pity especially if that person is one of my best friends. "Huh, what are you talking about?" she asked me in surprise confusion clearly written all over his face. I could tell that she was genuinely confused as to what I was talking about. "It doesn''t matter, how is your morning anyways," I asked her expertly changing the subject wanting to hear about something new. Lexi didn''t mind me changing the subject, in fact, she was quite excited to tell me about her day. Maybe a little too excited but I didn''t mind it as she started telling me about what was going on in her family. Apparently, she is going to spend the Christmas holidays at her aunt''s ranch in Alberta. The ce is somewhere in Canada and ording to her, it''s pretty beautiful well from the pictures she''s seen. "What is with all the weird looks you are getting," Just as I was begging to forget about the weird looks, I''ve been getting Liam''s question brought me back to reality. He had just arrived in the ss and immediately noticed the peculiar atmosphere in the ss. "My coach went crazy yesterday," I said to him with a look that told him that I''m already tired of talking about this topic. He was quick to understand my look as he proceeded to talk about how hard his taekwondo training session was. "I went like (bang) to his chest, and he went (swoosh) to the ground," he said as he excitedly narrated the happening of his training match. At some point, he was reenacting some of his moves whilst adding some sound effects. I felt like I was right there just by watching his moves and listening to his life-like enactment of the match. Judging by the focused look on Lexi she seemed to be feeling the same sensation. His mystical-like battle ended with him talking about how he got scolded by his sensei for hitting the Soulja Boy You on his downed opponent. ~~~ "Alright boys let me start off by apologising to all of you for what happened yesterday," Head Coach Baker told us with an apologetic look stered on his face looking quite ashamed of what happened yesterday. ncing at my teammates I saw a few of them looking like they have heard something simr today. I would be right in my assumption as the teachers of the schools felt quite ashamed of the coach''s actions. In almost every ss I''ve been in teachers came up to me and apologised for their former colleague''s actions. Oh Yeah did I forget to mention that Coach Garret was officially fired today? Yeah, I was in the middle of biting into my chicken pasta when thems rang out and the school newspaper announced the breaking news. The girl that announced it sounded way too happy about the fact that she gets to talk about some real news. I''m sure if it wasn''t for the fact that the supervising teacher took the mic off her she would have continued with her rant. "I want you to know that I have no tolerance for violence within my ser program, you had a great start to the season, and I would like to encourage you to continue with it." Coach bakers voice reverberated again pulling me out of my thoughts and focus on him. The d man dressed in the school''s tracksuit was stroking his bald head as he continued to address us. Although he was just dressed in a tracksuit, he has an air of elegance to him which makes you feel important whenever he addresses you. "My dear friend Hanz Bauer here will be taking over as your coach, You might know him as just a goalie coach but he is quite the tactician and has experience as an assistant coach with a professional team so you might learn something good," He continued his speech dropping a bomb into all of our minds causing the silent locker room to gain a bit of life. Surprisingly, no one spoke up to voice their excitement but then again with what happened yesterday it''s understandable. Oh well, it looks like it''s going to take my teammates a while to get over the coach''s actions. After all, from what I''ve gathered a coach is someone you are supposed to be able to trust and even look up to. However, Garretpletely shattered that notion with his actions yesterday. While it might not seem like much to me since I never really built a bond with a coach it''s a different for these guys. After all, most of them have been ying football since joining the school and have been learning from the very same coaches. So, seeing their coach snap at them to the point he started trying to fight their parents must have been a big shock. "Alright, I''ll let you get on with your training, continue to work hard and bring honour to your school and above all else have fun," With those final words head coach Baker left the locker room with a little fan fair. However, his speech had achieved its goal as we were all excited to begin training and put yesterday''s incident behind us. ~~~ "Rakim over here," Tom eximed as sprinted into an open space giving me a passing option before the red team could disposes me of the ball. Heading his call, I slotted the ball in between the space of Damian and Max who were charging at me. Tom dint directly stop the ball but instead, guided it to the direction he wanted to go using his first touch. His next touch was to send a pass to someone in a green bib who was unmarked. Ryan was the one to receive the ball calmly stopping it as he scanned his surroundings. That proved to be his mistake though as the body of Finn came sliding along the ground sweeping the ball from his feet and sending it out of the square. "Green teams chasing," Coach Oliver the fitness coach eximed from the side as he threw a new ball to an open yer of the red team. Currently, we are ying a possession drill that our new head coach Bauer came up with. We were put into a squared field and the fifteen of us were also split into three teams of five wearing a corresponding bib colour of green, red, and non-bib. In the drill, one of the three teams has to try and win possession of the ball whilst the other two teams must keep the ball from them. whichever team loses the ball would have to be in the middle next and to up the difficulty you only get two touches on the ball. "Yes, Finn" I eagerly exim to the boy as he brought the ball from Oliver under his control. He was quick to react to my shout sending me a pass in the middle of the whole square. Receiving the ball with my left foot I turned with the momentum of the ball. Logan dawned in a green bib quickly approached me in an effort to close me down. Not giving him the chance, I chipped the ball with my right foot sending it floating over his head. Max was at thending point of the ball just like how I intended, and he rose to the challenge using his chest to skilfully bring the ball to the ground. Not bothering to hold onto the ball he sent a pass to ke who was unmarked in one of the corners of the box. This possession drill continued for quite some time as we battled for control of the ball. It was hard to ept the fact that I had to chance after the ball because of a teammate''s mistake but it''s all a part of the sport. The drill instilled a sense of teamwork within us as we actively tried to get open so that the people in our team wouldn''t lose the ball. At one point it felt like we were just instinctively trying to get into an open passingne just so we could get involved with the drill. The green team consisting of Ben M, Ryan, Logan, Henric, and Jake had the most turnovers as most of their yers were defenders and not used to having the ball and engaging as much. However, they were quick to win possession once it was their turn to chase. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 104 104 New Coach (2) ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply just support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed to be worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Guten Mittag kids I hope you are ready for some good old football," Coach Bauer said capturing my and my teammate''s attention. Re-tying myces I switched out my Nike boots for my Adidas ones. I don''t really have a preference for what boots I wear so I just pick and choose in the moment. "I know the week has started off hectic for you, but we got a game to y, I want you all focused on the game out there ignore all distractions and let''s have some fun out there," he continued his speech as he started hyping us up making sure everyone was focused. He started going over what tactics he wanted us to y, mainly what we have been covering during training. The focus of our offence is centred around Ben whose job is to facilitate our attacking chances. We worked on quite a few transition drills throughout the week mostly centred around speeding up our offence. As Coach Bauer continued reviewing the tactics, I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. Taking in all the excitement around me I started picturing what I wanted to do in the game. My thoughts didn''t have a chance to fester as coach had just finished his pre-match speech. "Alright Eagles of the three, one, two, three EAGLES," With our shouts reverberating through the changing room we stormed out onto the field. The stands were surprisingly packed with students from the school and some faculty. ~~~ [Red Oak Eagles] Ben Walker (GK) Logan Foster (RB), Henric Eriksson (CB), Ole Wagner (CB), Ryan Garcia (Lb) Max Taylor (RM), Ben Miller (CAM), Rakim Rex (LM), Tom Walker (ST), With the warm Florida sun descending the sky it illuminates the world below. At this moment, a game of football is being graced by the blessing of clear skies and hardly any wind movement. The red oak Eagles and Jacksonville Tiger are lining up on the field as both captains came to the centre of the field for a coin toss. The Eagles are donned in their ck and red home jerseys whilst the Tigers are in their sky-blue away jerseys. Tension continues to build up from both sides as the yers were just waiting for the starting whistle. Any moment from now this order that continues to persist will usher into absolute chaos as both teams fight for the ball. Both teams are excited about this matchup for several reasons. The Eagles look to continue their winning streak whilst the Tigers aim to go back to winning ways after losing their previous match. The Tigers seemed to be set up in a 3-4-1 formation choosing to focus on stabilising the midfield rather than the defence. The meeting between the captains and referee didn''t take long as Ole won the coin choosing to kick off the match. Tom their striker jumped up in excitement at the prospect of being able to attack from the get-go. Not Just him though as the two Eagles wingers took a wider stance seem close to the halfway line. Seeing that the opposing wingers are ready to tear up the nks their direct marker took a step back in preparation. [Fweeet] Hearing the sound of the whistle Tom sent a crips pass backward to the waiting feet of Ben. The midfielder calmly controlled the ball as he scanned the area around him. Seeing the tiger tall number nine quickly closing him down he manoeuvred the ball to his left to lure the striker in. His trick worked as the opposing number nine lunged in for a tackle. Ben reacted quickly though swinging his right leg to scope up the ball and performing a 360 turn. Completely avoiding contact with the opposing striker Ben charged forward with purpose forcing the opponent''s midfielders to approach him. Seeing that one of the opposing central midfield duos is looking to close him down he came to an abrupt stop before sending a teasing aerial ball up the left nk. with the ball sailing in the air Rakim can be seen running down that nk shoulder to shoulder with the opposing right mid. He seemed to just be able to keep up with the Eagle''s speedy winger by utilising his arm to slow him down. Frustrated at the extra weight Rakim swung his arm out in an effort to create separation managing to p the boy''s arm off his shoulder. Free from the defender''s hold Rakim elerated before jumping into the air to meet the aerial ball. In the air ready to meet the ball with his head the winger suddenly felt a huge presence at his back. Colliding with someone he lost his bnce crashing to the ground as one of the tiger''s centre-backs headed the ball to one of his teammates. Not sparing the smaller winger a second look he made his way back to his position ready to continue the game. ~~~ "Well, that has never happened," I mumbled to myself as I got up from the ground stretching my hand a little since mynding was a little rough. [Well, who gave you the Idea you canpete in aerial duels yet?] She responded with a hint of amusement. Thinking about it she is not wrong since most of the kids are two years older than me giving them the physical advantage. But it wasn''t until right now that I''ve ever been confronted with my physical limitation head-on. Pushing all the distracting thoughts out of my mind I quickly tracked back looking to provide cover. One of their Central midfielders is currently carrying the ball up the middle as their whole midfield is pushed up. Ben stepped up to meet the boy but before he could get close, he sent the ball to his right winger who was free. seeing that my man waspletely free and driving the ball down the nk I elerated my sprint back. Lucky for me Rayn''s defensive presence made him slow down a little as he performed a couple of stepovers. Ryan was holding his ground though trying his best to guide him to the corner g. the winger having seemingly enough with the entanglement came to a sudden stop before elerating down the wing. Already closing in on the duo I started thinking of the best way to support Ryan when something suddenly stood out from my improved vision. The tiger''s lone striker who had been in the box this whole time was making a cut to the edge of the box instead of waiting for the cross. sensing the danger from this subtle move the gears in my head started to connect the dots and in an instant, I knew where to go. Ole was covering the space at the near post so he wouldn''t be able to follow their striker and Henric had to pay attention to their midfielders running in. Trusting my gut, I sprinted to words the edge of our box ready to provide cover. My guess paid off as just as Ryan managed to catch up with their winger, he stopped again with a changing of direction leaving his marker yet another step behind. Ryan held his arm though using him to steady himself not allowing his marking to get away from him. Seeing that he couldn''t continue further he drilled a pass with his weaker foot to the edge of the box where his team''s striker had appeared. The boy''s left-footed pass had a slight deviation, but it was negligible as it would still reach its target. Seeing that their striker was ready and waiting for the ball I slid into the path of the pass using my hand to angle my turn on the ground. The ball hit my right foot but due to the momentum of my turn, it remained glued to me as I turned. Not wasting any time, I got up from the ground just in time to face their striker who came to win the ball back. Standing in front of him with the ball at my right foot we made eye contact for a split second before I dropped my right shoulder towards the box. He was quick to react taking a step in that direction to close me down, but I had no intention of endangering my own box. My left foot bypassed the ball as I used my right to chop the ball towards the by-line. Not a second was wasted as I kicked off my left foot that justnded to chase after the ball. The striker was let in the dust as I scooped up the ball a couple of inches from the line. Driving forward with gusto I started looking around how best to offload this ball. As m birds'' eye like view expanded to take in the possibilities a risky long ball came to mind as I spotted Max making a run on the other side. However, remembering what happened to me I quickly scratched that off. I still drew my left leg back since out of my prereferral view I spotted the opposing wingering up from behind me looking to win the ball back. Performing a quick fake pass as I came to a stop said winger came lunging in front of me. Behind me, the home crowd exaggeratedly eximed as if they were reacting to a clip-on YouTube. I could hear a few boys shout "Dang" with one person who was seemingly just behind me saying "Personally I wouldn''t let him do that to me." I slight smile graced my face at hearing some of the exmations, but I didn''t let the ego boost encourage me into taking further heroics. Since my gas was pretty much empty from the back-and-forth sprint, I had no intention of kindling our attack myself. Not wasting time watching him slide by anymore I manoeuvre the ball to my right foot going by him in one motion. Seeing a clear passingne, I sent a short pass to Ben in the middle of the field who found himself unguarded. He had stopped at seeing that I was looking to go long, and his two central markers were busy tracking back in hopes of stopping a quick counter. Slightly surprised at receiving the ball he still calmly brought it under his control dribbling forward in hopes of creating a goal-scoring opportunity. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 105 105 Eagles Vs Tigers ?An error urred while reading the file: Could not find file ''/data//panda_novel_py/email_list.txt''. [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Ben calmly crossed the halfway line rapidly, wanting the opposing central midfielders to take him on. They did just that as one of the two stepped forward looking to close him down. Not fussed by the opposition the midfielder came to a quick stop before abruptly elerating past his opponent. Not waiting for their second defender to close him down he released the ball to his left nk. At the end of the pass, Rakim was there to pick it up cutting towards the middle of the field with the opposing right-mid hot on his trail. Dodging the shoulder tackle from one of the central midfielders he performed a chop pass back to the left nk as his marking crashed into the midfielder. Bentched onto that ball as he cut across from behind racing down the left nk. Finding himself free on the nk the midfielder picked up speed quickly arriving at the edge of the box. One of the opposing defenders stepped up to close him down but before he could get close Ben slotted a through ball into the box. Anticipating the through ball Tom slipped past his marking as he dashed into the box to meet the ball. The Keeper seeing the precarious situation decided to leave his line trying his best to clear the ball. He was a second toote though as Tom managed to get to the ball first. Like a fish in the water, he skipped past the keeper''s outstretched arms nimbly manoeuvring the ball. Having passed the keeper Tom crisply slotted the ball into the running off to the sideline to celebrate. Happy at being able to add to his tally of goals scored this season he performed a cat wheel to express it. His enthusiasm at scoring the goal was reciprocated by the fans who jubntly cheered to express their joy. Their chants had a thunderous undertone as the sheer number of home supporters celebrated the first goal. The enthusiastic reaction from the crowd stupefied their opponents having some question if they were ying their arch-rivals. Eagle''s yers however relished in the apuse of their fans further boosting their morale after having just taken an early lead. ~~~ With the score 1:0 in the Eagle''s favour, the tigers started to panic a little. Unlike what you''d expect though they didn''t make more mistakes instead, they started fighting even more desperately. It was as if the first goal had flipped a switch for them waking them up from their dazed state. Managing to retain possession since the match resumed is the result of this and that is despite the Eagle''s fierce pressure. Having speedy forwards and wingers almost resulted in them losing the ball in their own box quite a few times. Luckily for them though they managed to continue three the ball in thest moment. In the 15th minute, their patience paid off after one of their defenders sent a pass to the left winger. He only narrowly avoided losing the ball to Tom who was only a hairbreadth away from the ball. The tiger''s left winger hurriedly took control of the ball after a sloppy pass from his defensive teammate. Nimbly evading a tackle from Max on the wing, as continued dribbling down the nk. Ben wanting to lend support came to close him down but the winger opted to pass the ball to the now-free central midfielder. Utilising their midfield numerical advantage they continued to retain possession of the ball always looking for the free man. Launching a threatening attack proved to be hard though as the eagle''s defensive line remained steadfast. By applying pressure when necessary they continued to force their opponents to hold onto the ball in midfield. However, at this moment one of their midfielders seemed to spot an opportunity to attack as he daringunched the ball in the direction of the box. The ball rapidly spun in the air heading straight toward''s the tiger''s lone striker''s running path. The boy with a tall stature and sturdy body managed to equally contest in strength with Henric. Both boys fought with each other for an advantageousnding point using their bodies to try and dominate the other. Henric is disadvantaged by having to make sure to cover the direction of the goal lost in this battle. Not giving up though he bravely jumped into the with the opposing striker doing his best to contest. Luck wasn''t on his side though as the striker utilised his better arial position to his advantage by using his body as a sort of springboard. He could only watch as he stopped rising any further in there and as the striker violently headed the ball in the direction of their goal. Before evennding on the ground he heard the sound of the ball nestling into the back. Having scored the equaliser the opposing striker violently pped his chest as he pumped himself up. However, he did not dare to go and celebrate near the touchline seemingly fearing the crowd''s reaction. Opting to celebrate with his teammates he quickly sprinted back to his half. 1:1 is what the scoreboard now read and Henric looked the most devastated at the turn of events. Knowing that his defensive error cost his team the lead only served to further dampen his mood. Sighing at his mistake he angrily punched the grass on the ground before deciding to get up from the turf. Before he could get up though a helping hand appear outstretched in front of his face. Looking up he was met with the calm gaze of their Captain Ole who didn''t seem to be bothered by the loss of the lead. Not leaving him hanging he epted the hand getting up from the ground ready to face his teammate''s criticism. "Don''t worry about the goal I know you''ll clear the next one," Ole said to him surprising the defender as he was not expecting his words. Before he could even respond Ole Joged into the goal to pick up the ball ready to restart the game. Running the ball all the way to the centre spot you could hear the captain enthusiastically encouraging his teammates. From pats on the back to words of encouragement he seemed to have just the right words. His whole presence which seemed to be calm throughout the match was now fully unleashed. A sense of confidence and dependable aura started to exhume out of him. ~~~ Spurred on by their captain''s unyielding spirit and belief in them the Eagles yers quickly shook off the sudden goal they conceded. Confidant in their ability to create goals they decided to focus on just that. Eagerly awaiting the referee''s whistle the yers lined up in their positions ready to score as soon as possible. They didn''t have to wait long as the match restarted with Tom calmly hitting the ball back to Ben. Who unlikest time didn''t wait to calmly receive the ball but instead met it with speed charging straight to the opposing half. Arriving in front of one of the opposing midfielders he didn''t slow down in the slightest instead he opted to thread the ball to his right between the gaps of the opposing yers. Max was there to receive it fighting hard to keep his man at bay through utilising his arm and body weight. Not wanting to slow down the tempo though he immediately sent a pass forward to Tom who was in front of the defensive line. The striker with his back to the goal used his body to push himself forward towards the ball. He didn''t hold onto it though as he curled his left foot around the ball chipping it past the head of the defender furthest to the left. Rakim was the one to run onto the ball managing to trap it in the air plucking it to the ground with his right foot. Along the left nk, the winger didn''t waste time scanning the box as he seemed to have already picked out a cross. Just like an arrow leaving the string, he let loose a curved cross into the box. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 106 106 Chaos In The Box ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The ball drew a sharp arc towards the centre of the box where both Max and Ben were fighting with their markers for a chance to score. The four of them rose into the air taking their battle to the sky using their arms and bodies to fight for aerial supremacy. The ball arrived in front of Ben first, but he was pushed off bnce by his marker and barely missed the ball as it grazed his hair. It was not over though as Max also took to the skies just a few yards behind him near the back post. The winger managed to jump higher than his opponent connecting his head with the ball and sending it towards the goal. With a dull bang, the ball sharply changed direction sailing toward the front post. However, the goal wasn''t meant to be as the keeper disyed his individual brilliance by raising his gloves just in time to tip the ball out for a corner. A loud collective sigh reverberated throughout the field from the fans in the stands. This however didn''t stop some football enthusiasts from pping in admiration for the keeper''s heroics. A couple of secondster the Eagles quickly got set for the corner kick looking to capitalise on the set piece. Rakim was the one to execute the corner from the left side choosing to set up for an in-swing. Raising his hand, the left winger took a curved run-up as he whipped his right foot to the ball. The ball drew a sharp arc towards the box sailing along the Six-yard line just inches above the figures that had jumped up in hopes to score or clear the ball. Close to the back post, the ball took a dip meeting the Two figures of Ole and Henric who were battling one of the defenders for aerial dominance. Ole emerged victorious in the duel of the three of them using his arms to ward both his teammate and opponent away. This provided him with enough space to swing his head to meet the ball. Connecting off his head the ball sharply flew towards the bottom right of the goal sneaking past the keeper. A secondter the atmosphere around the pitch erupted with the vigorous shouts of the home fans. Some rowdy boys even started jumping on the stands causing the entire section to shake as a thunderous sound rained down on the pitch. With the Eagle''s yers excitedly celebrating their captain''s goal the crowd further cheered them on in encouragement. ~~~ "Hmm so is that the kid you wanted me to, see?" A Caucasian man with shoulder-length blond hair that had streaks of grey in them asked his youngerpanion. Just by looking at him, you could only describe him as a gentleman. His grey suit gave off the aura of a schr which was only enhanced by his matching C-Crown hat and the pocket watch in his hand. Compared to all the students and parents around him in school colours he truly looked out of ce. Even his friend who was also smartly dressed in a navy suit couldn''t match his aura only serving to enhance his own. "You might just have found a special talent, Mike," he lightlymented with a subtle smile on his lips as he continued to observe the match. Those that know the man would be surprised by his words as he rarely gave outpliments. "Sure is, he has the technical skills, speed and vision to be a great winger," Mike said as he started analysing the yer to the man who seems to hold a prominent position. From their conversations, one could easily gather that he was trying to convince the older man of the yer''s potential. "That''s not all, from what I''ve gathered he is only six years old and if you coupled that with the potential he disyed, I believe you could mould him into an excellent yer." He continued his sentence just as Rakim whom he was talking about received a pass from Rayan Garcia the left back. Instead of stopping the ball, he let it slip through his legs catching the opposing yer who was tightly guarding him off guard. Circumventing him with a quick turn hetched onto the ball speeding off down the left nk. Quickly crossing the halfway line, the winger continued to pick up speed as he approached the penalty box. Seeing that the defenders continued to back off instead ofing to challenge him he sent a crisp pass forward to Tom. The striker struggled a little to take control of the ball as he was receiving pressure from a defender behind him. Managing to hold his ground, he brought the ball under his control scanning the area around him. Dropping a shoulder to the right he quickly turned to his left sneaking past the defender who had taken the bait of the fake move. Using his arm to further distance the defender from himself the striker sped into the box. Not giving the Keeper a chance to rush forward he let loose a powerful shot before reaching the penalty spot. Like a rocket, the ball zoned in on the right side of the goal skimming past the outstretched fingers of the keeper. A secondter the ball reverberated within the changing the score to 3:1. Tom did not care about this though as he run off celebrating with a knee sliding towards the corner close to the stands. The crowd reciprocated his enthusiasm chanting to celebrate the striker''s brace. "Hmm, that striker is not so bad either," The man in the grey suitmented to his friend as he flipped another page in his note boke to jot down the striker''s details. If one looked closely, one would notice just how detailed his description of the striker is. Detailed notes of the yer''s tendencies and characteristically traits started appearing on the page as his pen seemed to move with a mind of its own. Anyone else would be baffled at how quickly he was able to make a judgment of a yer he''s only seen for less than twenty minutes. However, Mike who was sitting next to him seemed to be used to it as he also wrote in his own notebook. The two men received odd nces from the fans around them, but they already seemed used to it. "Yeah, he has amazing instincts for a striker, and his ball control is above average not to mention the strength and body control he has disyed," Mike said with a slight frown on his face as he attempted to think of other facts he had observed. "Agreed but he seems to show a lot of restraint in this formation, and so does your wunderkind by the way," the man absentmindedlymented as he observed the Tigers team trying to mount another attack. ~~~ Crossing the halfway line, the tiger''s right winger was engaged in a heated duel with Rakim along the nk. Taking the outsidene, he had tried to use his speed to bypass his opponent only to end up entangled in a battle for possession. Rakim being able to easily keep up with him put a lot of pressure on him especially when he was forced into the path of Ryan Garcia. Coming to a stop he performed a couple of sloppy stepovers forcing his opponent backwards. However, whether he stepped back because of the move or due to the fact he didn''t want to get hit is another question. Seeing the effect of his special move the tiger winger violently swung his foot sending a crisp diagonal pass to the top of the box where his team''s striker was. The lone Tigers striker seeing the balling towards him spread his arms as he leaned back to hold off Henric behind him. However, the next moment the resistance he was expecting never appeared making him lose his bnce. Trying to steady himself he felt his left arm being violently pushed away as a figure stepped in front of him. Before he could even attempt to try and fight for the ball, he lost his footing as Henric calmly took control of the ball. Like a beast released from his restraint, the defender took off rushing forward with the ball at his feet. In a matter of seconds, he arrived at the halfway line before being intercepted by the opposing midfielder. However, he had no intention of slowing down as he poked the ball past his opponent before shoulder-budging him out of the way. Sending the poor midfielder to the ground he showed no remorse continuing forward towards the opponent''s box. The other opposing midfielder seemed to be struggling with whether to engage with him or continue marking Ben. This hesitation cost him as missed the best chance to intercept Henric as he reached the top of their penalty box. Tom had veered off to the right side bringing with him the central defender thus creating a whole for Henric to capitalise upon. It was only when they realised that Henric had no intentions of passing the ball that the nearest defenders scrambled to get in his way. At this point, it was already toote though as he had already let loose a shot as soon as he entered the box. It was just in time to miss the sliding feet of two of the opposing defenders heading straight for the goal. He wasn''t as lucky though as he felt himself lose bnce when the opposing yer made contact with his only foot on the ground. The next thing he knew he was eating grass as the ball seemed to impact something before hitting off the bar. From the crowd''s disappointed exmation, he knew that most likely the ball didn''t go in, but he still had to confirm it for himself. So, Ignoring the pain that was currently trying to get his attention he looked towards the goal wanting to know the oue of his shot. What met his sights was the opposing keeper sitting on the ground and the ball a couple of meters behind the goal. "Shit," he cursed lightly after realising that his shot had been saved, he angrily punched the ground. Whoever the next moment his anger was reced by pain that cursed from his left foot. It was then that he was reminded of the new sensation that had been trying to get his adrenalin-filled mind''s attention. Trying to cheek on his foot he realised that the defenders that had taken him out were still on top of him. This only served to further anger him as he used his strength to push them away from him. Ignoring the fact that they rolled back onto the grass just as they were about to get up, he started checking on his foot. Slowly rotating his left foot, he felt a stinging pain curse through it disparaging any further thoughts of moving it. Closing his eyes in an attempt to try andpose himself as the pain started to crowd his senses, he heard someone shout. "What is your problem dude," One of the opposing defenders that had been pushed away by Henric eximed in anger after getting up from the ground. Not getting a response from the kid who pushed him he strode towards the still-down yer forcefully pushing his head to get his attention. "Get away from him," The very next second, he was pushed to the ground again by Tom who was now angrily ring at him. Chaos ensued the very next moment as all the close-by yers came to defend their teammates. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 107 Chaos In The Box (2) Chapter 107 Chaos In The Box (2) {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} "Get away from him," The very next second, he was pushed to the ground again by Tom who was now angrily ring at him. Chaos ensued the very next moment as all the close-by yers came to defend their teammates. The opposing Keeper who was still on the ground a second ago appeared before the striker in a matter of moments pushing him back. His actions served to escte the situation as the yers around them started to get involved. Rakim stepped up to stand between his teammate and the keeper, ring at thetter. This was quiteical considering that the keeper was a head taller than him. Seeing this, other opposing defenders stepped up for their keeper wanting to defend him. Max who was close also joined in and unlike Rakim who was trying to stop their fellow teammate from escting things, he was actively stringing the pot. "You chickens have to y dirty because you''re getting beat," he shouted with enthusiasm pointing at the two defenders who had taken down their teammate. Tom who heard his words couldn''t help but agree with him as he involuntary nodded his head. Just as he was about to say something to back up his smaller friend, he noticed that the said person was using himself as a shield. Taking a step to the side in order to not take his limelight he was left baffled when said person followed, still staying behind him. "You''re lucky he''s holding me back," Max shouted again pulling up Tom''s hand in front of him to demonstrate what he was talking about. All this while he continued to send provocative res to the opponents in front of him. What he didn''t notice though was the odd looks he was getting from Both Tom and Rakim. His provocative actions of stringing the pot showed immediate effect as one of the more hot-headed defenders lost his cool. Raising his hand, he charged towards the group but was immediately stopped by the referee who came in between the two. Not expecting the referee''s appearance, his hand that was already swinging impacted the man''s stomach. The air seemed to still for a slight second as all the yers were stupefied at what just happened. However, the moment of silence ended with the referee''s stern re as he reached for his cards. Without mercy, he showed the defender the yellow card instantly taking control of the rowdy crowd. He wasn''t the only one to receive a yellow card as Tom and the other centre back that had tackled Henric also received one. Tom''s card is a bit excessive since all he did was to defend his friend but at this point, the referee left no room for bargaining. Having taken control of the match he blew his whistle and then pointed at the penalty spot giving the Eagles a penalty. The crowd seeing his decision started to cheer in appreciation even though they were just booing him a second ago when he booked their striker. However, before the game could resume trainer Oliver run onto the field carrying the med kit. He started checking on the still-downed Henric whilst simultaneously providing treatment with cold sprays. After a short while Henric was able to stand up with the help of the trainer but he seemed to have a sprained his foot. Unable to put weight on his left foot he could only hobble with the help of trainer Oliver as he made his way off the field. From the trainer''s expression, it''s not a severe injury but just to be sure he still took him off for today''s match. Coach Bauer at the side heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that his yer is ok and immediately substitute him. Finn came on for him to stabilise the Eagle''s midfield changing their formation to a 3-4-1. Shortly after Henric came off the referee instructed the Eagles to take their penalty wanting to resume the match as soon as possible. Both Tom and Rakim were discussing who should take the penalty passing the ball between them. Under Rakim''s insistence, Tom was forced to take the penalty since they couldn''t waste any more time. It''s not that the young winger didn''t want to take it, but he wanted to give his friend the chance at scoring his Hatrick. Forced to take the penalty the striker stood over the spot eyeing both the ball and the keeper''s positioning. Taking three steps back with his hands at his hips he continued to watch the keeper like a predator eying its prey. The keeper''s attempt at distracting him with his waving and jumping around didn''t seem to bother him in the slightest. [Fweet] Hearing the refs whistle he calmly strode towards the ball in a curved run with his eyes still staring down the keeper. Almost as if daring him to flinch first and he did take a slight step to his right. This didn''t escape the vision of the striker making the choice of where to hit the penalty easy as he fired it to the top left. Before the goalie could even react to the shot it pierced his ushering a crescendo of cheers from the stands. Watching the striker calmly celebrate his goal as if he never expected to miss in the first ce only served to infuriate the keeper. However, before ~~~ he could do anything about it the referee blew his whistle signalling the end of the first half with a score of 4:1. ~~~ [Rakim Pov] "First of all, congrattion on the first half, we were quick and decisive when attacking although we conceded a goal you managed to bounce back quickly," Coach Bauer stated with his ever-so-calm demeanour as he stroked his grey beard as he continued to address us. He went over some mistakes we made throughout the first half and how we should adjust. With his grandfatherly vibe, every word of his seemed to ring with rity within our minds. Contemting how I could y better I was brought back to reality when coach addressed me. "Rakim and Max I want to see more from the two of you in the second half, now that our central midfield is strengthened with Finn''s presence you will have more freedom so use it," He stated with an encouraging smile further heightening my desire for a goal even further. Although I''m quite satisfied with the way I''ve yed today it just doesn''t feel right not scoring a goal. Maybe I''m a little selfish in my thinking but I have no intention of bing a supporting wing yer. If you y anywhere that is not a defensive position, you should not only be able to create goals for your team but also produce your own goals. [who are you trying to kid you are just doing it for the SP,] Eva''s voice sounded with a possession of the ball. hint of amusementce in it. Her blunt words instantly deted any feeling of righteousness I had built up for myself. ''(Sigh) Sp is also useful but keeping my goal streak going is even more important,'' I told her trying to justify myself since she wasn''t wrong. I was met with no answer though as she seemingly lost interest in the conversation. "I know some of you are worried about Henric, but he is fine, he''s got a sprain, but nothing is severely wrong, but he is on his way to get ex-rays just in case." Trainer Oliver told us bringing a sombre mood to the locker room. Injuries are a yer''s bane but luckily, it''s not bad and since he is young, he should be able to make a full recovery. [Yeah, he should be fine, he didn''t break anything and the sudden twist from the tackle just caused too much strain hence the pain.] Evamented making me heave a sigh of relief that my friend would be ok. We may not be close friends, but he is one of the few people whose ying style is stable and distinct from everyone else. Everyone else in the team has a more technical ying style that isplimented by their physical prowess. Henric is different though he is a pure physical yer whose technical skills only serve as apliment. Even though he has quite a strong build he is still very agile making him quite the menace to get past if you want to keep possession of the ball. "Alright let''s get back out there, keep up the same momentum I want to see a faster transition from defence to attack," Coach Bauer said as he motioned for us to head out of the changing room. Adhering to his instruction I followed my teammates out ready for another half of football. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 108 Bens POV Chapter 108 Ben''s POV {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ [Ben Pov] Today is the first game of my son that I''m able to see in person and I''m quite proud of him. Although I''ve seen some of the recordings that my wife convinced the school to allow, saying it can be used to study their mistakes. Sometimes It still baffles me how much emphasis this country ces on sports. If it was back home in Munich, they wouldugh at me for even suggesting such a thing. Unless you are in a specific sports-centred school something like this is particrly impossible. However, I can''tin though as this allows me to bond with my son when he tries to break down the match during video analysis. This is another odd thing I''ve observed in him his ability to critically evaluate his own performance and always striving to better the next game. His constant almost obsessive need to try and improve himself worried me at first but I realised it''s better than him being up to something stupid like I was his age. However, seeing him y on a screen just doesn''t give the same feeling as watching him y live. He looks like he''s free whenever he touches the ball fully expressing his creativity. It''s like his usual curious and joking personality is fully unleashed on the ball and his opponents. I can also notice his self-confidence being expressed whenever he performs a skill move never in doubt when executing them. Although he has yet to score, he''s been outstanding today. Providing two assists and being integral in the team''s build-up y. Heck, he even made it a point to actively help in defensive efforts which I know he hates. After all, he spends an hourining about it every time we analyse his match videos. "Hunny looks like the second half is about to kick off," Lisa told me with a cheerful expression as she pointed at our son who was making his way to his position. (sigh) She only acts like this whenever ites to our children, even though she has seen them y their sports a lot of time she still gets excited every time. ~~~ "Excuse me are you Mr and Mrs Rex?" a smartly dressed elderly man in a grey suit told us, capturing my attention. I wasn''t expecting anyone so professionally dressed toe up to me and start a conversation suddenly. "Yes, that us and who might you be?" I answered the man with a hint of confusion regaining myposure. The man''s smile brightened after hearing my words as he eagerly took the empty seat next to me revealing another man behind him. "Oh, Mike is that you?" I heard my wife say from the side seemingly recognising the younger of the two men. His name does sound familiar to the one she and my son were talking about; plus, the fact he is here he must be the scout. "Yes, Mrs Lisa but I''m not here as a PSG Scout but one for the Ace Academy, this here is my dear friend Oscar Wright the head coach of the under 13''s," the man named Mike answered as he promptly introduced the elderly man in the grey suit. Quickly exchanging pleasantries with the two of them my attention was drawn to the pitch as the new Eagles midfielder just won possession with a wicked slide tackle. He slid for almost a meter and a half before scooping up the ball and sending the opposing yer stumbling. Although I''m in awe of my son''s ystyle which is almost like dancing, but personally I''m more inclined toward this kind of action-packed tackling. The boy was quick to get to his foot dodging the other opposing midfielder''s tackle as he passed the ball to Ben a couple of yards ahead of him. The midfielder quickly brought the ball under his control dribbling forward with gusto. Crossing the halfway line, he was stopped by one of the opposing defenders. With a quick change of direction, he created a little bit of space using it to send a sharp pass down the right nk. On the wing, Max was in a heated dual of speed with the tiger''s left mid who followed him back. They seem equally matched with each other but Max having a head starttched onto the ball first. Continuing to increase his speed he started approaching the box from the right side whilst using his hand to ward the defender off him. Spotting his teammates entering the box looking for an opportunity he swung his leg sending a sharp cross. The ball drew a sharp arc in front of the six-yard box around waist height as the yers battled with each other. Tom who has been in hot form today used his strength to outmuscle his defensive marker lunging forward to meet the ball with his left foot. Bouncing off his foot the ball changed direction heading for goal, but it was too close to the keeper allowing him to use his arm to deflect it. The Danger wasn''t over though as the ball was sent to the left side of the goal where Rakim and another defender were. The winger seeing the ball served up to him on a silver tter was about to step up to meet it when he felt a push on his right. Before he knew it the defender''s weight was loaded on top of him having likely also lost bnce. Still falling the winger was seemingly not contented with losing the chance as he twisted his body. Now with his back to the ground, he peaked past the defender that was falling on top of him and swung his right foot upward to meet the ball. With a soft bang, the ball collided with his foot flying into the as he and the defender crashed onto the ground. The fans eximed with unbridled excitement at what they had just seen jumping wildly in the stands. The shock of how the goal came to be contributed to their excitement. However, the most shocked was the defender who hadnded on top of Rakim. Lost in a daze he only came too when the said winger pushed him off himself to go and celebrate his goal. Watching him perform some type of goofy-looking dance he felt even more ashamed at his inability to stop him. However, thinking about how he had thrown his entire body when trying to stop his mood dropped to another level. After all what more is he supposed to do? Maybe it''s just the defence in strength or luck just isn''t on his side. ~~~ "Your son has amazing instincts," Mr Wrightmented from the side as we watched Rakim Celebrating with his teammates. Hearing his words, I finally remembered that they hade to join us. I was so caught up with what was happening on the field that I totally forgot them. Then again it doesn''t seem to bother them much since they are here to scout for yers. "He sure does, anyways what is this Ace Academy and why should I let my son join it?" I asked the two men in a serious tone finally giving him my full attention since this will be impacting the future of my child. They seemed to sense my change in demeanour as they involuntarily straighten up. "Straight to the point, I see," The elder of the men said with a slight smirk on his lips, probably used to having these types of conversations. "Ace Academy is a youth football development program, the program has many different levels of teams starting from the ages of five to eighteen," he said in an unhurried manner as he started painting a picture of what this Football academy is. is mind-boggling considering they are quite a new organisation. Their Miami base alone ounts for 300 hundred of those kids which is quite small considering its I was quite surprised by the fact they recruit kids worldwide through forms of schrships held in camps. They are not directly affiliated with a major team, but theypete with their youth teams. They are part of a Florida league with all the other local academies and youth teams, so kids get a lot of exposure. The fact that they have over 1,500 aspiring kids currently in their program worldwide is mind-boggling considering they are quite a new organisation. Their Miami base alone ounts for 300 hundred of those kids which is quite small considering its other only branch in America. Although the scale is quite small it does make sense since their main base of operation is in Europe where football thrives. Thinking about it in another way the smaller scale would allow them to be more attentive in their overall training level. "One thing we are proud of is that our kids get a stage to shine and develop without having to deal with the politics thate with being in youth teams," He continued highlighting the fact that their kids can sometimes find it easier to join the ranks of first-team footballers than those who developed in youth teams. I frowned after hearing this as it seemed far-fetched but once I realised that the kids in their academy are practically free agents it makes more sense. After all, when you are part of a team''s youth program and aren''t given a chance to break into the senior team you can only patiently wait. Some might choose to break off their contracts but from what I''ve heard my dad say about how unfairly high the liquidation fees are for these kids it''s unlikely to happen. They recruit them for their potential in underdeveloped countries or generally poor backgrounds and promise them a chance at glory. However, all this while they get them to sign a contract that makes it almost impossible for them to leave unless another team takes a liking to them. Unless you are from a famous academy like La Masia it''s highly unlikely for yers from smaller teams to have their contracts bought by another team. "Let''s say my son joins you What difference is your help going to make in his future development? and why should he join your academy rather than going the traditional route as I''m sure his talent and hard work would carry him through?" I finally asked him since I had no interest in further listening to his sales pitch anymore. Especially since it looked like the Eagles are about tounch another attack after regaining possession. . . . . To Be Continued ... Chapter 109 Chapter 109 {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "Let''s say my son joins you What difference is your help going to make in his future development? and why should he join your academy rather than going the traditional route as I''m sure his talent and hard work would carry him through?" I finally asked him since I was no longer interested in further listening to his sales pitch, especially since it looked like the Eagles were about tounch another attack after regaining possession. He was about to answer me but the ongoings on the pitch captured his attention. Also paying attention I watched as Ben Walker the keeper promptly passed out the ball to Logan Foster. The defender had drifted into his familiar Right back position opening up the field of y and giving his keeper an excellent passing option. Calmly receiving the ball, he scanned the area around him seemingly debating whether to go on a run or pass it to his teammates. However, upon noticing that the opposing left mid was sticking to Max and was noting to close him down, he decided to throw caution to the wind. Taking off the ball at his feet he narrowly avoided the tackle of the opposing striker who had raced over. Not minding the gust of wind, he felt behind him, he continued to speed down the wing. Since he hasn''t gotten a chance to attack throughout the game he might as well go all out. Max upon seeing him race towards his direction decided to get out of the way drifting towards the centre and opening up the right nk. Seeing his action Finn who was ying as the right central midfielder decided to drop back a little to cover his team''s attack. His movements caused a chain reaction as Ben his midfield partner decided to rush forward dragging his man with him. This whole set of actions left their markers scrambling to make a decision. Finn''s man decided to follow him whilst Max''s marker remained indecisive on whether to follow or close down Logan. In the end, he decided to close down Logan as he stepped forward trying his best to halt his run. Seeing that thene down the nk was blocked the right back wasn''t discouraged in the slightest. Opting to send a quick pass to the now-open Max in the middle, he circumvented the defender in front of him as he continued his run forward. Panicking the defender scrambled to try and win the ball from Max but thetter sent a through ball down the wing before he could even get close. Logan expecting to receive the ball backtched onto it speeding down the open nk. This set of simple actions caused an avnche of chain reactions as his teammates started timing their runs trying to reach an advantage position. With only the closest centre-back to beat on the right nk, he came to a sudden stop in front of him. Performing a quick fake shot that resulted in the defender turning away in fright he nimbly poked the ball past him. A secondter he had a clear view of the box from the right nk. Not hesitating in the slightest he sent a teasing cross into the middle of the box. Tom the Eagles striker seemed to smell the scent of another goal as he homed in on the ball close to the front post. Jumping up he managed to beat his man and use his head to send the ball in the direction of the goal. A momentter the ball impacted the with the keeper still rooted to his line. However, the crowd didn''t exim in joy but instead sighed with frustration as the ball flew an inch over the bar and hit off the outside of the. Tom shared the crowd''s sentiment as sent a resentful look to the ball that rolled behind the goal. Unlike Tom who was frustrated at missing a chance to expand his personal goal count the Tigers keeper heaved a sigh of relief. He had seemingly been ready to fish the ball out of his again. really makes a difference for his opponent. ~~~ Whilst his keeper was relieved at not concerning another goal the defender that was marking Tom started questioning if his presence really makes a difference for his opponent. ~~~ "Uhh that was a close one, I am surprised though that they used an ovep y for the build that led to the goal opportunity," Mikemented from the side sounding genuinely surprised. "Yeah, that is something, I don''t think they even realised what they were doing and just instinctively moved with the flow," Oscar alsomented as he once again took out his notepad from his quiet pocket. The two of them seemingly drifted into their own world in the next few seconds as they jotted down notes. asionally they would say words like ''tactical awareness, or ''positional awareness. This continued for quite a while as I and Lisa continued to watch the match letting them finish their work. "Mr Rex let me answer your question of what we can do for your son''s development," Oscar said in a calm tone as he promptly straightened his grey suit making eye contact with me. The shift in demeanour made me subconsciously focus more on his next words. "At Ace Academy, we offer the best football training possible from technical skills development to physical and mental training. Your son would get a tailor-made training n that focuses on developing his strengths and fixing his weaknesses." He told me in a serious tone as he handed me a brochure that seemed to contain more details on it. "Not only will we aim to continuously help him to surpass his limit by setting goals for him, but we will also give him a more challenging environment to hone his craft. That''s not all once he is of age and manages to impress the head coaches, he can enter one of our teams and take part in tournaments all around the globe." He finished his speech with that as he gave me a second to take in his words. Listening to him exin the entire Ace Academy it seems like something good for my son, but we will have to see it in person to make sure. I''m still more inclined to let him join one of the major team''s youth echelons. However, I also know that this will give him more choices down the road once he makes a team for himself. "I see, how about this we wille for a visit tomorrow and see your training base for ourselves so we can get a better idea of your academy," I finally said not wanting to make a definite decision right now. He seemed to expect my answer as he readily agreed to my suggestion. "Sounds like a n I will have Bob ready to meet you around 11 am, the under fifteen have a match scheduled around 13:00 pm so you can also spectate," He answered me with a happy smile that told me he had aplished his goal in this conversation. With the serious conversation out of the way, the atmosphere between us became amiable. He was actually an alright guy to talk to and seems to love the sport of football by how he felt the need to point out the strength of certain yers. Normally I would be annoyed with someone talking while I''m watching football, but his words were urate to a T. Hearing him talk about a yer''s characteristics as he received the ball and then seeing it unfold is eye-opening, to say the least. This made me subconsciously trust in his abilities as a coach a little bit more. "Wait if you are a PSG scout why are you helping him," I suddenly remembered the presence of the other man who had introduced Oscar. From what my wife told me he is a scout for PSG but ever since introducing his friend he has remained silent. He didn''t even bother to interject when his friend is trying to poach my son to his academy. "Actually, today I''m an Ace Academy scout," He replied with a sheepish smile that made me want to punch him for some reason. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 110 Run Run Run Chapter 110 Run Run Run {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "Actually, today I''m an Ace Academy scout," He replied with a sheepish smile that made me want to punch him for some reason. "I''m what you''d call a frence scout, I connect yers with teams that are most suitable for them," He answered me with a confident smile as he pried his eyes away from the field. Ever sinceing here, he''s been focused on the field hardly paying attention to our conversation. "Oh, is that any better than a fixed position at a club?" Lisa asked in curiosity intrigued about the ins and outs of the scout''s job. "It''s great since I get to travel a lot and build connections with a lot of clubs allowing my yers to get into teams that allow them to grow," he exined in a calm tone highlighting the benefits of his job. He did however mention that he would like to have a permanent job at a major club but has yet to receive a good enough offer. "Hmm, alright so from all the clubs you work with, which one would you rmend for our son?" She continued probing seemingly more interested in the man''s job than she was before. "It depends a lot on the career path yer wants to take and if their natural talent can keep up with them. For example, your son has disyed tremendous talent at a young age and is ying rings around kids three years older than him." He started off by describing the different paths some of the kids could take in the youth system. He was surprisingly descriptive of the intricacies young athletes face when growing up in academies. "With your son''s talent, he has a lot of options if he can remain healthy and continue to develop his skills into weapons out on the field," he continued with an even more detailedyout of what Rakim needs to work on in the next six years. This is under the premise that his physical growth continues toplement his ying style. "For your son from a business point of view, I would rmend he join a non-affiliated academy like Ace." He finally said in a calm tone immediately promoting me to want to rebuttal as it looks like he just wanted to help his friend. However, before I could even voice my disagreement, he continued speaking borating on his rmendation. "This would not only allow him to receive the training he needs but also give him the freedom of choice on which team he wants to jointer on. In the end, when he reaches a stage in his skills where he feels like he is ready to debut we can connect him with a club that would allow him to do that," He finished off his exnation causing me to ponder over his words a little more. I can definitely see the pros in going this route, especially for Rakim who is just a well of untapped potential at the moment. However, the cons are also quite obvious being the fact that there is no security in ce for him. For example, teams that nurture a genuine for a long time paying him to remain with them would be less inclined to give up on him once he is underperforming. Whereas ace Academy seemingly offers him freedom but also puts more pressure on him to continuously shine. Since his performance directly impacts how much resources they invest in him, and a decline would open up space for another kid to take his ce. Looking at Lisa''s furred brows she seemed to havee to the same conclusion. Her curiosity dulled instantly as she intently stared at our son on the field looking for a sign that would provide the answer. ~~~ [Rakim Pov] ''Hey, Eva what''s up with the look mum is giving me?'' I asked her out of curiosity as I had caught a glimpse of her after picking up the ball for a throw-in. There are five minutes left in this game, but it feels like it''s been an eternity but maybe it''s just me. Scanning the people in front of me I spotted Tom down the nk, but he was being escorted by his man and another defender behind them was also eying him. Since I couldn''t go forward, I went backwards throwing the ball to Ryan who was unmarked. The left-back didn''t bother stepping back to receive the ball with his feet but lightly raised his leg letting fall onto his thighs. My marker took off to the races aiming to steal the ball before Ryan could bring the ball under control. That was his mistake though as Rayn had no ns to bring the ball down as he swung his leg deftly lobbing over the boy''s head. Seeing the balling towards me I took a step forward spreading my arms to protect thending point. To my luck, Ben''s marker was caught by my arm forcing him to try his best to push past me. It was toote though as the ball arrived in front of me forcing me to use my chest to bring it under control. Seeing the ball bounce off my chest the opposing yer behind me sense his chance as he charged past my arm. Aiming to steal the ball he lunged a foot forward to where that ball wouldnd. Not flustered by this I also raise my right foot but unlike him, I''m swung upward not too hard though. Lightly making contact with the ball I flicked it behind me as I sued my own momentum to circumvent the opposing midfielder. By the time I had turned around the ball wasing down in front of me. Gently stretching out my left foot I brought it under my control fighting the urge to just go off on a run. Normally I wouldn''t hesitate but at the edge of my peripheral vision that was locked onto the goal I saw a speeding red and ck strip. Recognising the number Two at his back I realised that no one was paying attention to him. Since I had drawn most of the attention to my left wing and Tom had two guys staring at him coupled with the fact that Max drifted to the centre created this situation. No longer hesitating I flicked the ball to my left before swinging my left foot catapulting the ball forward and across the field to the opposite nk. With a muffled bang, the ball left my foot taking a sharp curve over the opposing defender''s head. Max who was running forward looking to win the ball realised that it was still too high for him. However, before he could send me a questioning re, he spotted Logan running onto the pass as it fell into his run. Stretching out his foot the right back changed the ball''s momentum sending it forward without reducing his speed in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, he entered the opposing eighteen-yard box before the defenders could even react. Logan who was one on one with the keeper still didn''t decrease his speed even though he had the time to do so. He simply fired the ball across the keeper''s stance aiming for the bottom left corner. The goalie who was covering the near post was left to scramble across his line, but he was toote. Although he stretched out his body to the fullest his hands missed the ball by a hairbreadth. Seeing the ball enter the Logan who hadn''t slowed down in the slightest continued running to the sideline to celebrate his goal. Even then he didn''t stop running as he kept swinging his arms like windmills to hype up the crowd. He only stopped running when he was brought down by his teammates who were tired from chasing him. The bright smile on his face didn''t diminish in the slightest though as he relished in the moment. "Thanks for the pass, bro, I knew you would find me if I just kept running," He finally said to me after standing up from the crow of our teammates. Looking at him who was gasping for breath and ming me for his running left me speechless for a second. "I''m never passing to you again if that''s how you celebrate," I told him with a slight pout as I was one of the kids who were chasing after him. The fact that he is fast never dawned on me until I realised that I was only slowly gaining on him. "Don''t be like that, I just got too excited I''ll think of a better celebration next time," he told me with a guilty expression on his face as he pleaded for another chance. Deciding to believe him I give him an affirmative nod not knowing I would regret it in the future. with a score of 6:1, the game restarted as the tigers listlessly kicked off again, but they were quickly pulled out of their misery as the ref blew his whistle to end the match. Probably wanting to give them a break he opted not to y the extra time much to Max''s displeasure which he let him know. Luckily, the ref didn''t take offence and onlyughed his word off in amusement. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 111 111 Small Improvements [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Son you were amazing out there," Mom told me with a bright smile as soon as I arrived in front of her. She was embracing me into a tight hug before I could even answer her. I was a little confused since I don''t think that this was the best I''ve yed yet since it was more of a team effort today. For example, in the first game, I went on crazy solo runs but in the game, I was pretty calm. Then again, we were winning quitefortably throughout the match so there was no need for solo heroics. I actually quite enjoyed it as I got to see what it''s like when you are ying a supporting role. If I''m being honest sending crazy assistance that no one expects was fun but scoring that one goal felt better than all 3 of my assists. "Mom let me breathe," I called out to her in a pleading tone after getting a little lightheaded after getting lost in thought. Hearing my voice, she eased her grasp on me as her enthusiasm slightly decreased but she was still smiling brightly. Still confused about why she was so happy I was rescued by Emma who physically pushed her out of the way. I was just about to thank her only for my words to be caught in my throat as she also enveloped me in a tight hug. Luckily for me, she didn''t have the strength that our mother had. Not forck of trying though as I could feel her trying her best to squeeze me as tightly as she possibly could. When she let go the first thing, I did was to distance myself from them taking a step back topose myself. Giving them wiry looks I was slightly guarded especially seeing that Dad also wanted to congratte me. I was not taking the risk of giving him the chance to squeeze me since I''ve seen his muscles I reached out for a handshake. I wasn''t heartless though as he and I performed a special handshake simr to an NBA yer. "So why are you all more excited than me about the match?" I asked them as soon as we got into the car. I don''t mind their happiness since it subconsciously raised my mood about the match, but I would like to know why. Mom was the first to respond to me turning around from the passenger seat. "We are just happy for you son, You yed really well," is what she said still sounding as enthusiastic as she did when she first hugged me. "You sure? because I scored one less goal than the first two games," I told her with a hint of confusionced in my voice. Hearing my sentence, she seemed to have just realised the fact I didn''t score as many goals. "No, you were amazing, and you looked like you were having fun out there," Dad chimed in making brief eye contact with me through the rearview mirror. Hearing his words brought out a smile from me content with hispliment. Not sure why but hispliment is a lot more convincing than Mom''s. Maybe it''s the fact that I spend more time with her since she is training me. The fact that she mainly uses positive encouragement doesn''t help her case. When you hear enoughpliments, they stop having the same effect. "Don''t get up early tomorrow we are going to visit Ace Football Academy for a tour," Mom told me bringing me out of my musing sending her a questioning look wondering why she had cancelled my morning training. Even though we take it easy on Saturdays we still do some sort of training even if it''s just going for a run. "Hmm okay, what is this Ace academy and what happened to PSG?" After deciding to trust her, I asked her since she had never led me astray. Plus, it has been a while since I slept in maybe it''s something good. ~~~ It is not a good thing after all, I don''t know why people brag about how they love to sleep in. It is currently 7 am and I have been up since five in the morning trying my best to enjoy the extra time in bed. However, no matter how hard I try I can''t seem to fall back into dreand no matter how hard I try. [Ding Post Match Review] >Goals scored: (1) = 100Sp >Assists: (3) = 150Sp >Cards: 0 = 10Sp >Final Match score: 6:1 Victory = 30Sp >Match Rating: A ''Oh, I totally forgot about the post-match rewardsst night,'' I subconsciously thought to myself opening my eyes to look at the system screen. I had asked for it to mute itself as I was too absorbed in talking with my family. [I was starting to think you forgot about me,] Evained sounding a little grumpy about the fact it took me this long to check on my rewards. ''Sorry about that, let me see my stats please,'' I quickly told her wanting to change the conversation before she could start finding fault within me. She has a knack for finding ways to me me for things whenever she wants to. [I heard that, plus you can still do a stretching session even if you are not doing a full-on training,] Shemented with a slight huff as she immediately pulled up the start menu. Deciding just to let her win this one I focussed on the screen in front of me. [Ding] [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 490 Position: Winger (Evaluation: A boy with a lot of potential for bing a professional ser yer, who possesses a lot of talent) [ USER STATS] >Physical Fitness: C >Football Technique: B- >Game Intelligence: D+ ->Mental Ability: S ->X-Factors: - ''Nice to see that my Game intelligence is making some progress, Maybe passing is the way to go,'' I thought to myself as I got up from the bed deciding to follow Eva''s advice of going through my stretch routine. [Your game intelligence improved due to your movement throughout the game. The way you integrated yourself during the matching back to defend lending support and yes sending key passes and assists. That goal you scored also made a difference since your positioning was spot on and the fact you scored was icing on the cake.] Eva quickly exined breaking down the ins and outs of what led to my improvement. ''Good to know that I can still improve it whilst still scoring goals,'' I told her as a smile slowly crept on my face. Changing into workout clothes I made my way to the gym downstairs. [Ding: Recovery potion purchased remaining bnce is: 240] Gulping down the red magical concoction in one go Iid out a mat in the yoga area slowly stretching. The effects of the potion weren''t as strong as I expected since unlike the green slime potion this one is quite mellow. The effect is actually quite subtle quickly spreading around my body as my fatigue disappeared. Going through my Yoga routine my whole body melted into every move I did. The feeling of rxation that spread over me was surreal. Usually, it would take me quite a few stretch routines and cold showers to lose the fatigue from yesterday''s game. Maybe I should use these potions more often but with how expensive it is I may have to rob the system bank just to afford it. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 112 112 Family Time ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "I knew you couldn''t sleep in," Emma''s voice sounded from the entrance of the gym capturing my attention. Slumping down on the floor from the handstand that I had been doing for the past minute I made eye contact with her. "Yeah, I tried my best I really did sis," I told her with an apologetic smile before being tackled by Zeus. He didn''t seem to mind the fact that we were having a conversation and started to lick my face with enthusiasm. "Are you done? I was thinking we could make breakfast for Mom and Dad," she asked me, but I could tell that I really had no choice but to help her. I don''t mind it though since I''m already done with my morning yoga routine. "Yeah, I will just get a quick shower and you can start preparing in the meantime," I told her as made my way over to her side. Happy at hearing my affirmative answer she quickly shooed me to my room so I could get a shower whilst also dragging Zeus to the kitchen. Then again, I don''t think he minded much as soon as Emma mentioned his favourite treats. Not minding the two of them I made my way up the stairs only to be met with Mom''s sleepy face exciting her room. She must have just woken up judging by the fact she''s still wearing her blue PJs. That''s not even to mention the fact that her bed hair was acting up a little bit. "Morning sweetie couldn''t sleep huh?" She asked me in a slightly tired voice doing her best to stay awake. Looks like she hasn''t been getting much sleep throughout the week. Which is probably true by how much effort she puts into taking care of us and taking care of her clients at the gym. "Yeah, but I only did my stretch routine don''t worry," I answered her before she couldin about me not listening to her instructions. "I should have expected it don''t know why I didn''t," she said sounding slightly annoyed at herself. Usually, she would have been up long ago but coupled with all the extra stress this week must have caught up to her. "You should go back to sleep Emma, and I will make breakfast, so you are not allowed to go downstairs until we are done." I quickly told her stepping in front of her before she could walk past me. She didn''t seem to put much trust in my words as we heard what sounded like pots falling to the ground. "Maybe I should just check to see she is okay," She tried to interject but I had none of it as I manoeuvred her back into her room. I received a confused look from Dad who was sitting up on the bed looking through hisptop. He had a couple of important-looking documents scattered on the bed with a bunch of coloured tags. "She needs to rx don''t let her leave the bed until Emma and Ie back," I told him with a serious expression on my face and immediately exited the room. Not giving him a chance to question my actions I scrambled to mine and Emma''s bathroom hopping into the shower. ~~~ "You''re finally here," Emma called out to me once I made my way into the kitchen only to be met with quite the peculiar sight. Looking at what looks like a battlefield instead of a kitchen I knew we were in trouble. Bits of flower could be seen everywhere with eggshells strung all over, and one full egg was sttered on the floor. Zeus was snaking on what I believe to be cold chicken slices that were supposed to go in our sd. Emma was mixing what looks like pancake mix but I''m not so sure. She was also covered with bits of flour and some pancake mix was stuck in her hair. "Sis I was only gone for 10 minutes what happened?" I asked her in exasperation as I dusted off some flour on her forehead. She probably hadn''t realised how much of a mess she created in Mom''s beloved kitchen. "Huh I''m just mixing up some waffle mix," She answered me in an innocent tone letting me know that she couldn''t see the mess around her. Only being able to smile at her innocent response I decided to bring her back to reality. "I don''t know how to tell you this, but we are in big trouble if we don''t clean this up," Seemingly realising the implication of my words she started scanning the area around her. In quite theical manner her eyes widened as she seemed to realise just how much of a mess she had caused. "Oh no Mom is going to be so mad if she sees this," She eximed as she frantically started to clean up her surrounding area. Deciding to help her I started wiping the countertop using some of the spray. In no time the kitchen was back to looking okay, not as clean as it usually does but not bad enough for mom to get mad at us. We didn''t stop there though as Emma quickly set up the waffle maker plugging it into the socket. Using her distraction, I tasted the waffle mix she had prepared and surprisingly it tasted nice. Maybe it''s one of those things I''ve seen in that TV series where although the kitchen is a mess the final product tastes amazing. Spreading a little bit of butter on the waffle maker so the mix wouldn''t stick we finally poured in two portions of the mix. Seeing that Emma had a handle on things here I decided to make a smoothie by cutting up bananas and some fresh strawberries that were bought yesterday. Dropping the fruits into the mixer I added some honey and poured in some vani milk. I felt Emma''s burning stare at me throughout my set of actions making me quite nervous. Although I''m not the best in the kitchen, I''ve watched Mom prepare smoothies for us and helped a little so I should be fine. "Do we need to make anything else besides waffles?" I asked myself out loud trying to think of what else we could make. Hearing my words Emma snapped out of her trance but did not answer me right away as she put the finished waffles on a te. Without hesitation, she put two more servings in the waffle maker before finally turning to answer me. "How about I make tea and you can make a fruit tter," She instructed me sounding slightly unsure. She was probably thinking of making bacon and sausages, but Mom had explicitly banned us from touching the stove. If it wasn''t for the fact that the waffle machine was basically a one-stop process of adding the mixture and waiting, we wouldn''t be allowed to use it either. Since we couldn''t do much, I followed her instruction cutting up fruits as if I was ying fruit ninja. Well, not precisely like the game since I have to keep things neat and tidy not wanting to be the seconding of Emma. ~~~ [Lisas Pov] "You think I should go check on them?" I asked my husband who doesn''t seem to share my anxiety about the kids messing about in the kitchen. My beautiful kitchen, I just hope you remain in one piece or at least salvageable. "I think I should go check on them," I spoke up again before Ben could answer me, jumping off the bed and onto my feet. It has been around forty minutes since I was banished to my room by my one kid, and I have run out of patience. Funny to think about how I''m the adult and yet I was still sent to my room by my kids. Here I thought that would be my role once I have children of my own, guess some things just don''t change. Ben doesn''t seem to mind this entire situation in the slightest in fact he seems to be enjoying it. "Hon I''m sure they are doing just fine and even if anything is broken, we can just rece it," Ben''sforting voice drifted into my ear bringing my movements to a halt. Although I know he is right, it is still annoying how nonchnt he is about this whole situation. (Knock, Knock, Knock) "Mom, Dad you cane out now," Just as I was about to chastise him about his nonchnt behaviour to let loose some steam the voice of Emma sounded. Quickly forgetting about my husband, I slipped on my rabbit slippers and made my way to the door. Ben also followed me seemingly not as rxed as he has been letting on. Opening the door, I was not greeted by my daughter as I had expected. Instead, the hallway was empty, and a tantalizing fragrance wafted towards me. Quickly walking towards the railing overlooking the living room I was met with a beautiful sight. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 113 113 Family Time (2)

Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Family Time (2)

[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ What me my sight was not the chaos I had expected but something truly heartwarming. The table was decked out with a variety of foods exining the tantalising scent. A tall stack of waffles reminiscent of a tower was the first thing that caught my eye. They had even pulled out the ss turntable that I''m sure I hid so they wouldn''t break it. It stood in the middle of the table with little tes of cut-up fruits on them. From strawberries, bananas and even avocados. The next thing to catch my attention was a poster with the words "Happy Family Day". It''s probably the sweetest thing I''ve seen in a while. The pink and white roses scattered all over the ce only served to enhance the ambience. Wait roses, who bought the roses? Plus, those look quite fresh and somewhat familiar like I''ve seen them somewhere. "Those look like grumpy Maggie''s roses, hon You don''t think they." Ben suddenly spoke up bringing me out of my musing and voicing what was on my mind. However, looking at my kid''s happy faces that we''re looking for me to praise them I couldn''t voice my answer. "Wow kids this is so cute," I eximed in joy bringing bright smiles to the two of them who were seemingly waiting for me to say something. The both of them cheered in happiness charging at me and embracing me in a hug. "Kiddo''s this looks great, but where did you get the roses from," Ben spoke up from the side bringing me out of my moment of bliss. "Emm, our neighbour Rosebush is growing over into our garden, so we just took a few," Emma replied instantly all her innocence shining through seemingly not seeing anything wrong in her actions. Looking at Rakim''s worried expression it seems like he has a hint that what they did was wrong. (sigh) He just can''t say no to her, whenever she wants to do something no matter how silly he just goes along with her whims. Let''s just enjoy this the rose bush probably didn''t suffer that much. "Let''s eat, Emma put a lot of effort into making the waffles," Rakim enthusiastically proimed dragging me to my seat before I could have a chance to chastise her. Before I could regain my train of thought I was served a bowl of Greek strained yoghurt. The yoghurt alone is actually tasteless even having a sour aftertaste but added with the fruits it creates a divine taste. Looks like the two of them really tried their best with this breakfast. ~~~ [Mc Pov] "Kids, are you ready to leave?" Dad''s voice rang out throughout the house calling out for me and Emma. After enjoying the family breakfast, we had created with all our effort we went to our room to rx. Even Zeus joined us with a content smile after enjoying his breakfast as well. With our stomachs full of the heavenly breakfast, we spent about an hourzing around in Emma''s room. She animatedly told me about this book called Breth of Fire that she and the girls were reading. Apparently, it is a book about a girl who lives in a civilisation where they take bat in a survival battle royal game. Listening to her exin what happened in the first book it reminded me of the Hunger Games in my past life. Which I found odd at first since it was the first inconsistency I found in this timeline. It is to be expected I guess, and this is probably not the first one to appear in front of me. [It is not, the timeline is 80% simr to your past one,] Eva''s confirmation was all I needed to know. I don''t particrly mind the change since my past life can hardly be called a life worth living. The fact that it changed actually puts my mind at ease since I''m really living a new life. "We should go, You know how Dad hates to bete," Emma called out to me bringing me back to reality. Nodding at her words I sprung up from the carpet where I ended up at some point. Sitting in the back of the range we were ready to go and were just waiting for Mum so we could leave. I am not sure what she is doing but maybe she was still cleaning the kitchen. After our breakfast, she started cleaning it anew muttering something I couldn''t understand but she seemed to be mourning something. "Alright let''s go," Mom eximed happily as she jumped into the passenger seat passing us a pic bag. It seems like she was preparing snacks for the road maybe we are going somewhere after the ace academy. "Honey is that Maggie''s rose bush," Dad asked Mum with confusionced through his words almost as if he was trying to convince himself. Looking in the direction where Dad was pointing, I suddenly remembered what we had done. What met our sight was a bush looking as if a group of rabbits had ransacked it. The numerous flowers that had been there before were now gone with only a few petals on the ground pointing to the crime that urred. The bush that had been lush was now a shell of itself. "Dad We should go, or we will bete," I called out to him snapping him out of his stupor. That seemed to be the trigger he was waiting for as he pulled away from the driveway like an F1 driver leaving the pitstop. Having left the crime scene, the car was drowned in silence as no one seemed to know how to start the conversation. The only one who was seemingly unbothered by this is Emma. Looking over to her she was busily testing on her iPod whilst her head bopped to the musing from her earphone. [Hmm, this must be what you earthlings call a smooth criminal,] Evamented with an impressed tone after seeing herposure. To think she is the same shy girl I met on the boat that day. Although usually sweet she sure knows how to hold a grudge an example is what happened in the morning. When all the food was ready, she said that itcked decoration for it to be special. I didn''t really see the need but decided to just trust her and started thinking of ways to decorate our creation. However, before I knew it, we were outside plucking roses from our neighbour''s rose bush. When I asked her why we were specifically defiling Maggie''s flowers her response was that we were helping karma do its work. ~~~ "This is our state-of-the-art 4G indoor pitches, they are specifically for the younger kids such as yourself." Mr. Bob Cooper said to the group and me specifically as he introduced the facilities in front of us. Looking through the ss windows I observed kids of different ages train on two massive eleven''s pitches. They were split into four sections at exactly the middle through walls that came down from the ceiling. This ce is probably a football paradise for a kid trying to pursue the road to bing a professional. "Moving on we have our strength and conditioning section which we like to call Base Alpha," He spoke up again after we walked down the corridor arriving at the next set of viewing tforms. Looking below us, we were met with a gym area but with a mixture of track and field. "Our trainers follow a philosophy of dynamic physical development, which means that the strength exercises will beposed of different drills targeted at building muscles as you grow whilst also ensuring we enhance your flexibility," Bob Exined as he pointed at a group of older kids going through a training session. Some of the boys could be seen going through a calisthenic-based workout that kept them moving. There was also a running track that was being used to work on their speed and stamina by runningps. The odd thing though is that the track is also made up of the same grass as in the 4g park. All the athletes here have a focused air about them as they go through certain drills. The atmosphere isn''t a stifling one though judging by the eager looks on everyone''s faces as they strive to get better. The coaches, trainers, doctors and even athletes seemed to be moving forward with this singr goal in mind. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 114 114 Ace Academy ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Can I see what your strength and condition menu looks like," Mom suddenly asked making Bob who had mainly been focusing on me stop to answer her. At first, It felt a little weird that he was mainly talking to me but I quickly got used to it. If I''m being honest I prefer this a lot more than those scouts who were only talking to my parents when trying to recruit me. Maybe it''s a little vain but it feels good to be taken seriously when someone is trying to convince you to make a major decision for your future. Then again Bob is an oddball if you ask me. Although being the sporting director of the whole Academy he gives off a vibe of someone who is very enthusiastic about their work. He''s got an ent simr to those actors in western movies but unlike almost everyone in the country, he loves the game of ser. You can tell how much effort he puts into the academy by how enthusiastically he talks about it. He almost reminds me of Mom when she is bragging about one of our little achievements. When I say little I mean extremely little like me learning not to drown in the pool or Emma making the cheer team. You see whilst both our achievements are significant in our lives they don''t carry the same weight. When Mom recalls the story to someone I question whether it''s really me in the story. Because the person in her story is going through all sorts of tribtions before eventually oveing the odds. "Yes of course, From what Oscar has told me you handle his conditioning," Bob said with an amiable smile on his face as he led us down a flight of stairs leading to the gym. Arriving at the alpha base he exchanged a couple of sentences with a trainer before he was handed a booklet. "Hmm, interesting Is there a specific reason why you change the training menu every two months," Mom asked him grabbing my attention that had been captured by a boy whooshing through a cone drill. Emma next to me also seemed to be enamoured by the majesty of the facility now that we were seeing it up close. "Yes, actually all the kids are put into groups based on their skills and physical abilities. This not only makes it easier to help them in developing their skills but also allows us to monitor them better." Bob stated calmly as he started going through the ins and outs of how the academy works. He exined that each age group only has two teams and only those that proved to be the best are able to join them. When tournaments were scheduled for the team''s age group selection trials would be held. Only the best yers would be selected to travel with the teams to the tournaments. Although it seems cruel that you don''t automatically get a spot on a team, but this also encourages the yers to work hard. The Academy only guarantees the best training and getting a spot on the teams has to be earned. Listening to him exin howpetitive this environment lit a fire within me. This might be just what I needed to further push me into bing a truly monstrous yer. "An example of this is our periodic 2-month medical check-ups with our in-house sports physician. The team checks their physical progress and also for hidden injuries that arise before making rmendations to their trainers so they can tailor a new program for them," Bob exined with a hint of pride at their medical facilities and the training set-up. Mom seemed to be more at ease after hearing his answer and was seemingly won over by the harm of the Academy. If it wasn''t for the fact that the tour wasn''t over and Dad still had a serious expression I bet she would have already signed me up. ~~~ "Hey Sis, do you think I''ll do alright here?" I asked her after seeing how intense the environment is from up close. If it felt like a movie from the view tform a few moments ago it got real, real quick. Seeing kids around my age fully focusing on every word of their instructors without the hint of goofing around makes me a little nervous. This has a whole different vibe from the Nike camp which is strange if you think about it. The camp was moreid back even throughout the hard training we could still joke a little here and there. The kids here seemed to want to utilise every little moment out of the time they get to train. When one person is asking for advice on something they are struggling with everyone in the group is paying attention to it. This is entirely different from regr training sessions with the school team where we try to have fun throughout training. "I''m not sure if you will just be alright but from probably having seen you y the most I know you''ll do great things once the ball is at your feet." She told me with a sweet smile on her face as she patted my head making sure not to damage the dreads. Taken aback by her words and actions a warm sensation rose up within me washing away all the doubts that had sneaked in. Brushing away the moment of self-doubt I started to see the people and area around me in a new light. My fighting spirit and desire topete with them rekindled a new ambition within me. "You are definitely my favourite sister," I eximed excitedly as I jumped to her side throwing an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a side hug. A little started by my show of affection she lost grip of her iPod a good thing I reacted quickly enough to catch it. "Get off me you are heavy," Sheined with a pout as a slight redness appeared on her cheeks. Good to know that she still gets shy easily in social situations. I was worried that she had turned into a mastermind after her calm reaction this morning. [Ding: One of two Requirements for the Passive skill Calm Heart has been met] The system''s cold voice rang out in my head surprising me a little. It has been a good minute since Ist got a random notification from the system. [Before you ask no I will not tell you what you did to fulfil the first requirement, This is a unique way of unlocking rewards from the system so good luck in unlocking it,] Evamented with a hint of finality having already expected for me to ask her a question. Although slightly disheartened by her unwillingness to answer my question I decided to just leave it up to fate. ~~~ "Alright before I let you leave for lunch let''s discuss the costs and what we are prepared to offer," Bob Cooper said in a slightly serious tone causing the amiable atmosphere to turn a little stale. Although I sensed the change in the atmosphere it didn''t really bother me since Dad was here. From what I''ve gotten to know about him he''s quite a good businessman meaning that his negotiating skills aren''t too bad. In fact, judging by the fact that he can easily finance our lifestyle I''d say he''s doing alright for himself. After all, it is not every day that your local businessman can afford a yacht whilst also sending his kids to a private school. Anyways until I get my own agent or manager, I''ll let him represent me. "Our usual monthly rate for kids from the ages 5 to 12 is $1,500 dors, this package includes the training fees, medical fees, and food rations," Bob stated with a straight face almost making me choke on my thoughts. Giving the guy an apprehensive look, I had the sudden thought of running away from this ce. $1,500 dors a month is $18,000 dors a year, that is more than the annual minimum wage here. I''d rather not join if they want my parents to pay that After all just because they are rich doesn''t mean I am. Plus it wouldn''t sit well with my conscious if they had to pay that much just for me to receive training. "Considering your son''s talent and our belief in his potential we would like to offer him a one-year schrship with an option to extend it upon revaluation," He continued speaking before anyone could say anything to interject. The mention of free stuff instantly brightened up my mood which was on the verge of dampening. Dad and Mom who had been calm all throughout the talk seemed to have expected him to offer a schrship. Then again from the way Momins about Dad''s spending habits those numbers might not faze him at all. "How much will your schrship cover," Dad finally asked interrupting the man who was about to talk about the benefits of the offer they were giving us. Taken aback by Dad''s direct question the man remainedposed as he pulled out an information sheet. "We have three levels of schrships called Cub, Pride, and Ace. Your son will be offered the Pride membership covering 75% of the tuition fees not including tournament and travel fees." He calmly told us exining the ins and outs of the deal they are offering us. I''m quite happy with the offer but something tells me that they don''t fully trust me as they have led me to believe. One thing that sticks out is the short-term of the schrships they set themselves. From what Eva told me the length of a contract a team offers shows how much they believe in you and your talent. Although he said it is to reevaluate me in a year''s time but just seems like they want to make sure that their investment is worth it. They will probably decide to drop the offer a level if I don''t meet their expected standards. (sigh) Looks like I''ve already entered the lion''s den of the football world. Ready to chew me up and spit me out the moment I can''t handle the pressure. [Ding] . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 115 115 Ace Academy (2) Chapter115 115 Ace Academy (2) {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ [Ding: Singrity Side Mission ''Prove Your worth triggered] [Prove to those watching you and assessing your talent that you are the real deal. A Singrity strength should not be put into question make a mark and let your potential illuminate your path to the footballing world.] Restriction: #Time limit: 364 d 23 hrs ~~~ Rewards: 1) > Improvement in your talent. (Note: Host''s results will impact the reward received.) ~~~ ''Well, this is new,'' Is the only thought that popped into my mind after seeing the surprise mission from the system. Although a little caught off guard by the mission the prospect of improving my talent made me happy. {Yeah, that is definitely new,} Evamented with a hint of mockery in her voice seemingly not in a joking mood. Not really sure what I did to make her mad this time I decided to brush past it opting to get some answers. ''Hey, Eva what are the effects of an improvement in my talent? I think I have an idea but never hurts to be sure.'' I asked her hoping she would clear up my confusion on how the system calctes my talent. After all, talent isn''t something anyone on earth has ever been able to calcte before. Sure, if someone is extremely good at something without having to try too hard you can exin it by calling it talent. However how do you calcte two individuals'' talents when they have simr skills? (Sigh) Looks like I''ve gone off track trying to exin just how much my mind is spinning when trying to understand talent. It doesn''t really matter in the end as long as it makes me a better yer, I''ll take whatever. [Alright I''ll answer you stop spiralling your surface thoughts are being automatically transmitted to me.] Shemented before I coulde up with another way of looking at what talent is. However, unlike her annoyed mood from earlier, she sounded a lot happier and less irritated. [I''m not going to exin to you what talent is, I''ll just go over what it means to you rting to football. Since you had an innate talent of -B I''m sure you''ve noticed the fact you have an easier time picking up skills. Your ability to continuously reinvent your gamey and adapt to different situations during a game is also a result of your talent.] She calmly told me reminding me of my English teacher when she was trying to fill our minds with information. [Now an improvement in your talent by just a single grade will significantly improve your feel for the ball and also boost yourprehension ability. This means that you will have an easier time improving when improving football-rted skills. An example of that would be that you will have an easier time controlling the ball when you are in full sprint.] She continued finishing her exnation of what the rewards entail. Taking in her exnation of the talent stat''s direct effect on me, made me more eager to get my hands on it. Improving my talent doesn''t seem like something the system will often offer me, so I''ll do my best to make the most of it. ~~~ "Thanks for the offer Mr. Cooper but we would like some time to think about your offer and get back to you," Dad said in a firm tone causing the expectant smile on the man to drop slightly seemingly not expecting us to not agree on the spot. "That''s understandable take all the time you need, but not too long as this is an important period in your son''s growth." He stated cordially maintaining his professionalism even after not getting the answer he was expecting. He proceeded to hand us the contract with the schrship offer and some information pamphlets with some Ace Academy propaganda on them. The talk seemed to have taken an awkward turn after Dad didn''t redly agree for me to join the Academy. However, Dad didn''t seem to mind it as he continued to ask the man a plethora of things. It felt a little like he was interviewing Bob with all the questions on the inner workings of the academy. From questions on how they decided on the eventual transfer amount when a club wants to sign one of their yers. To Questions about media rights for yers of their academy. At some point, I wondered if I was joining a football academy or a modelling agency. By the way, I would thrive in the modelling world with all the good looks god decided to bless me with. Wait then again, I might meet another suspicious photographer so I''m better off sticking with kicking a ball. The man tried his best to answer Dad''s questions but judging by the droplets of sweat on his face he wasn''t having an easy time. I''m sure if it wasn''t for the fact Mom decided to stop him so we could have lunch before the match he would have continued questioning the man. ~~~ "So, son what do you think of the Academy?" Dad asked me as soon as we got settled on the pic nket. After the meeting ended, we went to a nearby park so we could eat some of the food Mom had packed. By the time we were leaving Director Bob seemed happy that he wouldn''t have to deal with any more of Dad''s questions. So, he happily sent us off only for his lips to slightly twitch when Dad mentioned continuing their talkter. Not sure if Dad did it on purpose but it was funny to see him make the man a little ufortable with his direct questions. "I like it there, the training looks a lot harder than what we do at school, but I think it would be good for me," I answered him trying my best to answer him in aposed manner letting him know I was serious about this. If I''m being honest, I don''t really care if it''s Ace Academy as long as I get to training in that kind of environment. Since I already have a cheat system the least, I can do is not to fall behind in effort from the potential prospects. Since my parents have the means to let me develop in such an environment, I''d be a fool to give it up. There is only so much I can do by myself and even though EVA can help me with the theory it''s different from receiving professional hands-on coaching. "We can still go and visit the other local academy so we can make a more informed decision." He answered with a thoughtful expression seemingly not in a hurry to make a decision. Although I have a mission hanging over my head, I know it wouldn''t do me any good to rush into such a major decision. "Should we let Uncle Williams handle the contract? I''m sure he knows a thing or two about sports contracts," Mom chimed in dropping her two cents into the conversation. Dad simply nodded in agreement deciding to trust Uncle Williams with my first contract. "Let''s eat, we can talk about thister," She spoke up again as she handed out packed lunch boxes with pasta in them. Not having to wait for her to say that again I eagerly opened my box and started satiating my hunger. ~~~ "Wow this stadium is not bad, at least it is better than that of the school''s football team," Emma eximed as we walked up the stands to find the seats that were reserved for us. The stadium only had the one west stand which is big enough to seat around 1,500 people. Finding our seats around close to the halfway line we had a panoramic view of the entire field. Even though there were still twenty minutes until the game started 75% "Hello Oscar, didn''t think we''d get to see you today," Dad spoke up from the other end of our group indicating that the two knew each of the seats were already filled. This honestly surprised me at first since this is just an under 16''s match but it for sure makes the atmosphere that much more enjoyable. On the field, The Ace Academy wearing light blue and white kits were just finishing off their warm-ups on the right half of the park. Their opponents today are Dare Academy who were also finishing their warmups dawning red kits. "Hi, Mind if I sit here," an older gentleman asked me from my side pulling my attention away from the field. Giving him a once over I subconsciously nodded since he was dressed in an Ace Academy tracksuit with coach written on it. "Hello Oscar, didn''t think we''d get to see you today," Dad spoke up from the other end of our group indicating that the two knew each other. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 116 116 Coach Oscar Chapter116 116 Coach Oscar {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "Hello Oscar, didn''t think we''d get to see you today," Dad spoke up from the other end of our group indicating that the two knew each other. The man has a warm aura around him making him seem knowledgeable. "I just got back from a morning game with my team which worked out well for me to meet you here," He replied with a smile shaking hands with both Dad and Mom exchanging pleasantries with them. Listening to their conversation I realised that he was at any game and was a big part of the reason we were considering Ace Academy. Apparently, he is friends with the creepy scout who tried to talk to me a week ago. So, when his friend told him that he found a unique talent he jumped at the chance to see me y. That is how he ended up at my game, but he didn''t decide to go talk to my parents until he was sure he wanted to coach me. He seems like quite the likeable guy with a knowable vibe. They spent most of the before the game talking about trivial stuff with Mom and Dad asking him some more questions. "So, Kid what do you think of the Academy," He Asked me after settling on his seat next to me as the yers took their position on the field. Surprisingly, he pulled out a notepad looking as if he was ready to study something. "I like it here, it seems like a lot of fun," I honestly told him after getting over the sudden surprise of him starting a conversation. He seemed to expect my answer chuckling lightly as he focused back on the field. "See that boy with the number 8," hemented as he pointed to a blond boy stretching lightly outside the centre circle. He seemed to be more nervous than most boys on his team which is a little surprising given the fact that he is ying the number ten role. "Yeah, he seems really nervous," I answered him whilst trying to figure out why he pointed him out for me. [You know that boy is actually quite good] Evamented causing my confusion to further increase. Maybe I am missing something everyone else seems to see that I''m just not able toprehend. ''Huh, how do you know?'' I asked her hoping she would clear up my confusion on the boy. [Unlock the snoop tool and you will understand,] Is all she said before proceeding to ignore me. Looks like she was just baiting me this whole time to advertise the system skills. "That''s Cole Jones he will be turning 14 in January but is already good enough to y with the under-sixteen in fact today is his first day in the starting lineup," Coach Oscar calmly stated finally clearing up my confusion on what was so special about the boy. After all, to be able to beat what is probably hundreds of older kids for a spot on the team already speaks volumes. Then again this is not a tournament so maybe there are more than just two teams for regr season games. The game kicked off soon after and the boy who was nervous a second ago seemed to have undergone a transformation. Taking control of the ball from the pass back of his striker he calmly scanned his surroundings whilst charging forward. He seemed to be debating whether to initiate a quick attack or slowly build up momentum by keeping possession. Only hesitating for a second, he nimbly dodged the tackle of the opposing striker and charged forward. "He''s quick," I subconsciouslymented with astonishment after witnessing him perform a sudden 360 turn dodging another opponent. Just as I thought he would continue his run forward he swung his leg sending a weighted pass down the right nk. The ball sprung to life as soon as it left theces of his boot narrowly slicing past yers to find its intended target. On the nk, the right winger did not lose a step as the ball arrived perfectly into his run. Managing to leave the opposing left back by a step he arrived at the edge of the box sending a cross into the box. The set of actions where so quick that by the time I turned my attention to the box bodies already leaped into the air. The ace academy number nine fought head-on with two defenders managing to barely beat them for the header. However, the ball did not sail far as the keeper was there to punch it out of the box giving his team a second of relief. The danger was not over though as Cole could be seen fighting with an opposing midfielder at the edge of the box. With the boy being a head taller than him the youngster didn''t bother fighting the aerial dual but instead fought for thending position. As expected, the taller midfielder managed to win the ball with his chest but with Cole''s intelligent movements, he quickly lost control of it. Using his body to block the opposing midfielder he trapped the falling ball pushing it half a step-in front of him. The very next second he let loose a powerful shot that reminded me of the one Ben tookst week. Resembling a rainbow, the ball drew an arc sailing above the heads of the yers in the box falling to the bottom left corner. Instinctively reacting the keeper lunged after the shot stretching out his body to the max. His efforts were not enough though just missing the ball by more inches as it reverberated the inside of the. ~~~ "Did you teach him that shot," I asked the coach to my right with burning eyes after seeing the same shot again. Ever since seeing Ben score a goal like that, I''ve been trying to replicate it but to no avail. Although I am fairly good when ites to controlling the ball, dribbling, and just generally pulling off skill moves in the heat of the moment my shooting has a lot to be desired for. That''s not to say that my shooting is terrible since I''ve already scored five goals in three games. It''s when I actively try to think about my shooting and try to break down every step that it gets hard for me. One might argue that as long as you score in the moment it doesn''t really matter, but I believe being able to pull off a shot consistently is more impressive. For example, if I''m able to constantly create threatening shots from my right nk as Robben does, I''ll have more freedom when attacking. "Yes and no, although we do our best to guide our yers with various skills Cole is special by how fast he picks things up," The old man answered me proceeding to brag about the blond boy with a curly mop of hair. He proceeded to talk about how they like to break things down to the basics when working on specific skills. "I need to improve my uracy when shooting from outside the box," I eventually blurted out after hearing about how they host some camps specialising in shooting techniques. Although my shooting is not a huge worry right now but it''s better to fix future problems earlier rather thanter. "Hahaha, you have a great smell for goals so I''m sure you will pick things up quickly with some formal training." He answered sounding rather enthusiastic about the prospect of me developing my firepower. For some reason, he seemed to be more excited at seeing my growth after a period of development than I am. It makes sense though as he seems like he really loves his job as a coach. Just by looking at how he wholeheartedly analysed the game for me, you can tell how much he loves the sport. Watching the game with him felt more like a study session rather than casually spectating a match. My way of viewing the gamey below started to be subtly affected by him. Things I would usually just do when I get the ball I started to analyse more after seeing some of the wingers below. The fact they are faster and stronger also helped as it made me realise that If I were to y against them now, I would be overwhelmed. It was not just due to the physical disadvantages of our age difference, but their overall game intelligence yed a massive factor. They seemed to be trying their best to execute their coach''s tactics whilst also adapting to the flow of the game. "He Coach if I join your academy will I be assigned to you?" I involuntarily asked him after realising the many areas that I''m stillcking in. Since he gives off a knowledgeable vibe and clearly knows a lot about football, he''s the perfect candidate to be my coach. . . . . To Be Continued...654 Chapter 117 117 Away Game Chapter 117 117 Away Game {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "Alright, kids settle down," Mrs Parker loudly eximed grabbing our attention towards the front of the ssroom. We had juste back from our morning break and her English ss was next on the agenda. She is actually one of my favourite teachers at the school and not just because she is a massive football fan. No in fact she tries her best to make her lessons as enjoyable as possible. She goes above and beyond to keep our attention for the forty-five minutes we get with her daily. "With today being Friday, we will be discussing this week''s reading," she said with a smile pulling out her copy of the book. Reading the book is not mandatory but when she asks you questions about it, and you can''t answer you will get extra homework. Basically, instead of giving us loads of homework throughout the week she picks out a book and gives us a set number of pages we have to read. Easy enough right yes but she also requires us to take notes in our notebook on what we found interesting and what we maybe struggled to understand. Although this is still a form of homework but it''s a lot more fun than just writing easy every week. Well, we do have to write a two-hundred-word essay on what the book was about and what we have learned from it after finishing reading the book. It''s not as bad as it sounds since you can justbine the rest of your notes toplete your essay and just have to add your own thoughts to it. The book we are reading at the moment is called Case of Mistaken Identity. ording to Eva, it''s about seventy per cent simr to a book called ''The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity'' in my past life. Although the naming sense may need a lot of innovation the book is quite enjoyable to read. The funny thing is that even in this world the author remains the same Mr. Mac Bat. Which just goes to show you that if it''s meant to be it will find a way to make it happen. "Rakim what happened in this week''s reading," Mrs Parker suddenly called out to me bringing me out of my daze. Realising that she probably called out to me because I''d been spacing off, I quickly stood up to answer her. "I feel like Stephan is quite the troublemaker, reminds me a little bit of my friend Liam," I started off calmly talking some nonsense as I tried thinking of the best way to word my answer. My sentence earned me some snickers from the kids in the ss and even Mrs. Parker chuckled slightly. Liam was the only one unhappy with my wordsining about how Stephan couldn''t hold a candle to him when it came to causing trouble. Ignoring him I decided to continue answering the teacher after deciding on what I wanted to say. "Especially when he uses his wits to outwit the police, but somehow still manages to attract trouble," I answered her with expectant eyes wanting to hear what she thought of my answer. "Haha good to know you paid attention to your reading please extend that to my lessons as well," She answered me with a sly smile letting me know that she was well aware that I wasn''t fully paying attention. Looks like what Dad says about women having supernatural perceptions is true. "Yes, Mrs I''m sorry," Is all I said to her quickly sitting down on my seat not wanting to gain more of her ire. She didn''t let her displeasure of me not paying attention stop her from praising my answer and expanding on it. ~~~ "Are you leaving after lunch?" Emma shot a question in my direction as soon as I took my seat at our lunch table. "Yeah, we get to skip thest two periods since the journey to Pasco Middle School, is like 90 minutes plus traffic," I told her whilst also digging into my lunch which was surprisingly from the canteen. Usually, Mom makes our lunch, but she has been busy throughout the week after getting a celebrity client''s. Something about them being way too demanding of her attention and the fact they had a weird workout schedule. Apparently, the group read something on the inte and now are forcing mom to help them in their training. Forcing is a strong word since they are paying her but I''m fairly sure she would rather be in bed at four in the morning. "It''s your first away game, isn''t it?" May asked from my right where she had at some point teleported without my notice. Then again, the chicken curry with rice in front of me deserves all the attention right now. Unlike what the movies have led me to believe our school canteen food is surprisingly good. Then again it is a private school, and they make the food fresh each day and the selection is also quiterge. Honestly, I wouldn''t be surprised if they were hiring a group of chefs just for lunchtime. "Are you going to be alright?" Emma asked me again sounding worried about the fact that it was going to be the first time I travel without anyone from my family. Touched by her concerns I stopped eating for a second to face her so I could reassure her worries. "Don''t worry I will be okay and If I do get scared, I''ll phone you or Mom to the rescue," I told her trying my best to ease her worries which worked as her mood visibly brightened up. You might be wondering why I didn''t say that I would call Dad for help. Well, the answer to that is simple calling him would be overkill. His calm demeanour is what you need when you''re in a real crisis not when you feel homesick. Mom''s over-protectiveness and bite-first ask-questionster mentality are what you really need in that situation. Why Emma you ask? The answer is quite simple Every good rescue mission needs a cute mascot. "You will be fine bro, just don''t score an own goal that would be embarrassing," Liam chimed in from my other side as he tried to encourage me in his own way I think. Not minding his words, I refocused on my food before another person could have the chance to interrupt me. "What are we wearing for the Halloween dance?" Liv asked the girls turning the attention away from me. Listening to them discuss what they are going to dress up reminded me that I probably need a costume as well. Although I''m not a huge fan of cosying it might be fun to dress up as an anime character. I just have to pick carefully otherwise I will be getting some weird looks from the kids at school afterwards. "Do you all want to pick costumes as a group, like something for the six of us?" Jenna asked the girls bringing me out of my thoughts since I might end up wearing something goofy depending on the girl''s choice. "Yeah, we could dress up like the Power Rangers or the Winx club," May spoke up sounding way too happy about the idea as she started listening of different group''s characters. Some of them were all-girls groups as well so I was starting to sweat thinking about that prospect. "Rakim, I think Lexi is calling us," Liam suddenly eximed jumping up from his seat and directly dragging me away from the table before I could even react. Looking at him scared that he looked like he just escaped a cmity I just followed him. ~~~ "Alright boys I know that it''s our first time on the road this season and you''re all excited but do keep it calm and don''t get too rowdy." Coach Bauer instructed from the front of the bus just as we pulled away from the parking lot. The bus was pretty spacious since no other team was travelling with us to the school. We each have a row to ourselves to enjoy our personal space except for the few who can''t go a minute without sitting next to their friend. I chose to sit by myself on the thirdst row right in front of Max. I wanted to sit further upfront but ording to Max and Tom, all the action is back here. Which turned out to be true as most of my teammates seemed to want to squeeze into thest two rows. Ryan tried to sit next to me, but I was quick to send him over to Finn as I got ready to sleep. Oh, how wrong I was this trip had no n of letting me sleep in peace. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 118 118 ON The Bench Again ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Finally, we''re here," I eximed as I jumped up from my seat not wanting to spend a second longer on this bus. Don''t get me wrong I don''t mind the bus itself just the fact my teammates were behaving as if we were on a field trip. Surprisingly I wasn''t the only one rushing to get off the bus as Ben the goalkeeper also followed suit. By the annoyed look on his face, he must have been tricked by his friend to sit at the back of the bus as well. I don''t even know how one of the boys managed to sneak in a speaker. I wish they didn''t bring it though as their music taste is honestly questionable. "Quickly get your bags from thepartment, The other team is already warming up, so we don''t have any time to waste." Trainer Oliver loudly eximed ushering my teammates out of the bus. Although he sounded urgent the look on his face was pretty rxed plus he''s wearing shades as if he is ready for a holiday. "Have you yed themst year?" I asked Ben as we waited for the rest of our teammates to exit the bus. Luckily it didn''t take long for them to shuffle out of the bus as they were also pretty excited for the game. "Yeah, we yed one of their two sevens teams, but I think they merged them for nines," he answered me as we started making our way to the changing room after grabbing our bags from the lowerpartment. ording to Ben one of their Sevens teams was actually quite good and they had a boy who got scouted by Juventus Academy. Apparently, that boy was one of the few well-known yers in their age group. Too bad I wouldn''t get to y against him as he attends the Juventus academy full-time now. Although this means that we will have an easier time in this game I just hope it won''t be too boring. Coach Bauer did say that they are a pretty solid team so it shouldn''t be that easy for us Plus they have the home advantage. It might not seem like much but having the home advantage can really boost a team''s performance. One of the benefits is that you are already used to the park that you''re going to be ying on. The fact that your home fans can easily get there to support you is also another psychological boost. For example, in ourst game, we had the stands fully packed with our ssmates which must have been scary for our opponents. Just the thought of over a hundred people just being there to cheer against you waiting for you to fail is pretty exciting. ''Wait that was wrong, it''s scary right,'' I quickly corrected my train of thought not wanting to jinx my team in today''s game. It would really be a sorry sight to see Max easily losing the ball due to the pressure of the away fans. Then again knowing him all he needs is to see a good-looking senior girl in high school and hell turn into Messi. "I''m not ying today, so score a goal for me," Ben suddenly said bringing me out of my thoughts just as we entered the changing rooms. Looking at him to see if he was joking, I was met with a serious look. Then again when is he never serious, I don''t think his facial expression has ever changed outside the times when he saved a hard shot. "Alright since you can''t y, I Will score the second goal just for you, I already promised the first one to myself," I answered him with a confident smile quickly sitting down on one of the benches in the locker room. An amused smile crept up on my face after seeing Ben''s mouth twitch slightly after hearing my words. ~~~ "Looks like you are also not ying," Ben''s amused voice resounded from my right as I was struggling to keep up with reality. The game just started five minutes ago and I''m still sitting on the bench. Yeah, the plot doesn''t make sense to me either, but the coach was adamant about his starting lineup. "I just need five minutes and I''ll score two," I answered him with indignation trying to think on the positive side instead of sulking here. Ben didn''t seem to buy my words as he adjusted his hat and focused on the field. [Your coach is probably trying to rotate the team and giving you a chance to rest, look most of your main yers for the past three games are on the bench,] Eva suddenlymented and surprisingly she wasforting me which was weird. Usually, she would just tell me to get over it and just do the most out of the chances that I get. ''Yeah, I realised that as well, but I''ve just been looking forward to my first away game,'' I responded helplessly knowing I couldn''t change the decision that was made plus coach was probably doing the right thing in rotating the squad. [Just use this chance to work on your game analysis and maybe you can improve your game intelligence,] She spoke up again encouraging me to continue working on improving myself. That''s when I realised why she was so supportive, turns out she just wanted me to work hard to improve my skills. Not like I can be mad at her for that since I wouldn''t pass up a chance to improve my skills in any way. ''I know just feel sorry for Mom who came all the way here and doesn''t get to see me y,'' I responded to her with a wry smile on my face after spotting her in the stands cheering happily with some of the parents that had made the trip. Focusing back on the field I watched as my teammates continued to fight the positional battle with the Pasco Middle School. For some reason, they didn''t have an animal as their team names like us and those we yed this season. That doesn''t mean that they are not a good team quite the opposite Actually they have won two games and drawn one making them also undefeated like us. Our lineup is the familiar 431 but unlike usual we are more defensive today. GK: Mike Terrance Ryan Garcia (Lb), Ole Wagner (CB), Jake Smith (CB), Logan Foster (RB), Finn Parker (CM), Damian Green (CDM), Lucas Scott (CM), ke Young (ST), ~~~ In the 10th minute, Ryan could be seen sprinting down the left nk shoulder to shoulder with the opposing right winger who controlled the ball. He was quite a tricky winger who expertly utilised his speed to keep the left back on his toes. Coming to a quick stop at the edge of the box he created a little separation from his marker. Rayan wasn''t to be outdone though taking a step back and closing off any breakthrough options. Watching the winger perform a few stepovers in front of him he kept his calm as he bent his knees slightly lowering his centre of gravity. In their face-off to see who would flinch first, Ryan won this round as the winger let his eagerness get the best of him. He knocked the ball further down the wing in hopes of getting away from his opponent but that was a mistake since Ryan was waiting for such an opportunity. Seeing his chance, he took a big step to his right and immediately followed through with a slide tackle. The opposing winger not expecting this tumbled to the ground after feeling the strong resistance of the ball at his feet. Quickly getting up from the ground Rayn scooped up the ball with his right foot before it could go out for a throw-in. Not wanting to go on a run after having expended a lot of energy defending his nk, he sent a crisp pass forward. The pass wasn''t perfect as it bounced off the ground, but it reached its destination the waiting feet of Jake. The striker seemingly had no ns of stopping the ball to wait for backup as he clumsily received it with his right. He didn''t stop there though as he turned with the momentum of the ball to his left side looking to break through in one go. That was wishful thinking though as the next moment, he found himself crashing to the ground as the opposing defender dispossessed him of the ball. While he was questioning what went wrong on the ground the Pasco Central defender charged forward a few steps before releasing a shot towards goal. From almost the halfway line the ball took off to the Eagle''s goal like a cannonball. The whole ground seemed to be at a standstill as everyone craned their necks to see where the shoot would end up. . . . . To Be Continued...1495 Chapter 119 119 Pasco Middle School Vs Red Oak Eagles ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Watching the ball race towards our goal the atmosphere in the pitch was at a standstill. That didn''tst long as the ball quickly descended upon our eighteen-yard box. Mike today''s starting Keeper quickly backtracked on after seeing the ball headed his way. Reaching just before his line he leaped into the air stretching out his hand just in time to tip the ball over the bar. An audible gasp reverberated around the entire field as everyone tried toe to grips with what they had witnessed. Perhaps the only person who didn''t seem shocked was the defender who took the shot. From the slightly disappointed look on his face, I could tell that he took the shot with full confidence. "Let that be a wake-up call for you, stay focussed and take control of this game, especially in the midfield were making it too easy for them." Coach Bauer''s anxious voice resounded from in front of the bench jolting awake my teammates on the pitch. Hearing the coach''s voice from the side, Ole the ever-reliable captain, immediately started instructing our teammates. Under hismand, they quickly set up for the corner kick with everyoneing back to defend except Jake who was ready for a counterattack. The opposing defender wearing the number five who just took the shot decided to stay back to keep an eye on Jake. He even signalled his two defensive partners to go up and attack the set piece indicating that he could easily handle his opponent. Jake Obviously enraged by his opponent''s attitude towards his strength as a striker sent him a re that seemed to be saying I''ll make you pay. However, the defender wearing the number five didn''t seem to take him seriously at all. Whilst their emotional battle was happening the Pasco team got set for their corner kick. The kick taker methodically raised his arm as if he had rehearsed it or maybe it was something he saw on TV. Where he got it from didn''t matter as soon as the ball wasunched into the box in a curved arc. Both team''s yers rose to the sky fighting for a chance to hit the ball with their heads. The two toe out on top of the pack were Jake Smith and the opposing number six. Jake managed to use his weight as leverage to squeeze him away and clear the ball out of the box. Lucas was first to get to the ball that dropped at the edge of the box wasting no time to clear the ball up the field. Around the halfway line both ke and his defensive marker raced towards the left wing where the ball was headed. ke being the faster of the two managed to reach the ball''snding point first receiving it with his chest. Taking control of the ball as soon as itnded on the ground, he turned around ready to head for the goal. The tall number four who had been marking him this whole time immediately closed down his running route towards the middle forcing him towards the wing. Having no other choice ke immediately knocked the ball down the nk and chased after it. The number four who didn''t have to dribble a ball managed to easily keep up with him using his arm to make the striker''s life hard. They both duelled for strength and speed all the way to the edge of the box. ke suddenly came to a stop creating a little separation from the defence. Using this chance, he knocked the ball across the defender in an attempt to pierce into the box with a burst of speed. He didn''t get far though as the moment he knocked the ball away from him for more than a meter the defender squeezed in front of him. Using his strong body, he came to a quick stop forcing the striker to collide with him. Not stopping there, the defender scooped up the ball with his left foot and headed out of the box. Unlike what you would expect he didn''t rush tounch an attack up the field but instead calmly strode forward waiting for his teammates to regroup. ke seeing this attempted to steal the ball from behind but to no avail as the defender nimbly circumvented him with a three-sixty turn. By this time, his teammates were back so he calmly passed the ball down the left nk. ~~~ "Is it just me or are we struggling out there?" Max suddenly asked from the other side of the bench grabbing our attention. "Yeah, feels like we haven''t evenunched a proper attack yet," Ben the midfieldermented with a wry smile as we watched ke lose the ball yet again. At this point, it feels like he is purposefully losing the ball every time he gets it. "I don''t know what that number four said to him, but he needs to get his head in the game," Tom said looking dissatisfied at the fact that the person ying his position was messing up so badly. I can understand how he is feeling since our attacking momentum seems to break down as soon as the ball reaches ke. The aggravating thing is the fact that most of the time he loses the ball is because of simple mistakes. He makes no attempt to link up with his midfielders and chooses to try and fight it out himself. That wouldn''t be a problem if had sufficient personal strength which he clearly forgot to bring with him today. "Why doesn''t he just avoid that number five, he''s clearly outmatched," Henric asked looking the most unsatisfied from the group subconsciously tapping his cast. Although his injury isn''t bad, he still has to wear a cast for two months for precautionary reasons. "If that was me, I''d take him on for pace or simply dribble past him, Physical confrontation with that guy is just suicide," I told them ending the moment of silence after Henric''s question. That seemed to change the mood from bashing on ke to discussing ways we would deal with the opponent. Everyone came up with creative ways they would help the team if they were ying. Tom cemented on the fact he wouldn''t get bullied like his counterpart out there and he prefers to go for goals in numbers rather than alone. Max simply stated that he would be in his element after seeing a row of beautiful girls cheering for the opposing team. It''s nice to know he doesn''t discriminate between our team and the opponent''s team''s girls. Ben the midfielder was probably the most logical answer out of all of us. He made it clear that he would opt to slow the game down and take control of the midfield, especially with Damian and Finn out there. Perhaps the only one who could think of a better way to impact the game Is Ben the keeper. The reason for this is that Mike is currently having a man-of-the-match performance. If not for his heroics today, we would already be down by three goals and counting. Surprisingly even the reliable Ole is having a tough time bringing the flow of the match under our control. ~~~ Twentieth minute we managed tounch our first effective attack after Mike performed yet anotherst-minute save. Jumping up from the ground with the ball in his hands he sprinted to the edge of the box. Immediatelyunching a quick overhand throw down the right nk. Lucas who had beenzy toe back on defence was seemingly activated after seeing the ballet head in his direction. Nimbly adjusting his posture, he knocked the ball into his running path using his upper thigh. Before the opposing left mid and centre mid could react, he dashed in between them catching up with the ball. Bringing the ball under his control he picked up his pace dashing towards the opposing. The right centre-back was the closest to him and decided to step up to close down his path to the goal. Lucas didn''t even try to take him, and he didn''t decide to pass ke who was being marked by the central defender either. Instead, he yed a sharp pass to his right where Finn had sneaked up to the middle of the field. The sed midfielder calmly took control of the ball egging on one of the defenders to close him down. Two of the defenders who didn''t have anyone to mark hesitated on whether to close him down. That moment of hesitation is all Lucas needed to slip past the Right centre back from the nk. Flustered the defender instantly turned towards Lucaspletely ignoring Finn who had the ball. Seeing this Finn slotted a through ball into the penalty box directly into the run of Lucas. managing to leave his bewildered marker behind him he stored forward to face the keeper one-on-one. Not giving the keeper the chance to close him down any further he let loose a powerful shot towards the far corner. The goalie stood no chance to save the shot for that close a distance and could only watch the ball price into his. . . . . To be continued...1619 Chapter 120 120 Decent Into Chaos ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ With the Eagles taking the lead the score now stands at 0:1 for the visiting team that seemed to almost be non-existent for the majority of the game. The Pasco yers on the other hand were left bewildered after being the first to concede a goal. Their shocked expression slowly morphed into one of anger and determination as they watched their opponents celebrate with glee. This directly tranted into their gamey as soon as the match resumed with themunching a fierce attack. With more vigour than before they rushed forwardunching several attacks at the eagle''s goal. From trying to muscle their way into the box to bombarding the goal from long range. They tried it all, but the Eagles valiantly defended their eighteen-yard box with even ke the lone strike being forced toe back. It was during one of the Pasco yer''s attacks when their number four managed to spot a chance at goal. At the top of the Eagle''s penalty box, he sidestepped the tackle of Damian and immediately shot at the goal. With a sound rubber impacting the ball it shot off in a straight line towards the goal. The ball resembled a guided missile as it managed to just barely bypass all the Eagles yers who threw themselves in its way. With a little bit of luck, it sneaked between the outstretched leg of Jake, skimming off the back of his heels. This minor impact abruptly changes the trajectory of the ball going in the opposite direction of the keeper''s dive. Mike could only try to stretch out his legs, but it was to no use as the ball firmly struck the back of the. With the ball in the, an avnche of emotion erupted around the park as the home team spectators cheered. Their cheers were nothingpared to the yers themselves who madly chased after their number eximing wildly to express their frustration. Mike who fished out the ball from his goal couldn''t help but re at his teammates. "What are you all doing? I feel like I''m ying by myself," He eximed with anger after seeing that none of his teammates dared to meet his re. What further infuriated him was the fact that his teammate still hung their head in dejection instead of trying to fight back. "Stop letting them stroll all the way to my eighteen-yard box, if you are tired or just forgot how to y go sit on the bench," He shouted again angrilyunching the ball at ke who seemed to just be acting as a bystander. Not expecting the keeper''s sudden action, he shirked to the side, but the ball still struck his stomach. "What was that for?" the striker angrily shouted after brushing away the shock of being hit with the ball. He strode towards the keeper obviously enraged but what he didn''t expect was for Mike to do the same and raise his hands seemingly wanting to punch him. "Stop wasting every chance the team creates by trying to challenge that number four when you are obviously outmatched," Mike shouted without the slightest intention of showing mercy to his teammate. His words were harsh but none of the other yers stepped up to defend ke making his face flush in in embarrassment. "Alright that''s enough from both of you, pack it up it''s not like we are losing," Ole finally eximed before the situation could escte any further. His words managed to cool down the situation but judging by the re of the two involved things were far from over. ~~~ [Fweet] The small verbal scuffle of the eagles didn''t kick up waves under their captain''s intervention. Plus, their coach''s stern warning at the side of the field served to quickly cool off any thoughts of them descending into chaos. This however didn''t help them improve their performance in any way. As a matter of fact, their performance actually continued to decrease further in thest three minutes plus extra time. The Pasco yers did not let that disused them fromunching fierce attacks at them. Coupled with the Eaglesck of cohesion after the argument they managed to easily steal the ball by the time the added minutes started to flow. The opposing left midfielder managed to intercept a pass from Logan that was headed for Lucas. Caught t-footed the midfielder couldn''t react fast enough as the ball was stolen. The opposing winger speedily priced into the Eagle''s box using the gap between Logan and Jake. Jake managed to react fast enough to keep up running parallel to him blocking off a clear passing route into the middle of the box. That didn''t stop the winger from running all the way goal line before cutting back to send a pass to the edge of the box. Jake looked over to see if one of his teammates would intercept the ball but what met his eyes scared him. Running onto the ball was the opposing number sixpletely unmarked as Ole seemed to have been dragged to the far post by his defensive assignment. The opposing midfielder wearing the number six jersey didn''t hesitate in the slightest firing a shot towards goal. The Ball did not take flight but instead glided along the ground like a fish in the water as bits of grass were kicked off the ground. Mike who had closed down the front post after the opposing winger entered his box couldn''t react fast enough. He could only watch the ball entering his goal without being able to do anything. ~~~ "(sigh) When it rains it pours," Max dejectedly eximed after witnessing the events that led up to the goal. If I had to describe how my team has been ying today in one word, it would be chaotic. "At least it''s over for now at least," I said out loud to no one in particr just voicing my thoughts. The referee should be ending the first half any minute now after all they spent most of the extra time celebrating their goal. This is good since my team are ying like headless chickens out almost as if they were totally different yers from the ones we trained with for the past weeks. For example, ke is just trying way too hard to prove something. To whom I don''t know but he''s basically highlighting his major wspared to Tom. ''Maybe that''s why he''s trying so hard to stand out,'' I thought to myself after thinking of the fact that his ying time hasn''t been much. After all, Tom has quite an impressive physicalpared to kids in his age group. That coupled with his talent when ites to controlling the ball at his feet it''s no wonder our coaches favour him. That''s not to mention his attitude when ites to football, or anything rted to it. He''s probably the most football-obsessed kid I''ve met in my life other than me but then again, it''s not a fairparison. The boy is a little socially awkward when ites to normal interaction. However, whenever ites to football, he''s like a different person able to talk for hours about football. Gone is his awkwardness and reced by it is a passionate boy who loves the game of football. His cousin Ben even told me that he watches game tapes on YouTube during math ss. If that wasn''t weird enough the fact that he watches, it at a slowed-down pace defintely is. The scary fact about him is the fact he fills up notebooks with different ideas hees up with rted to his gamey and the videos he watches. That might sound like just a simple unhealthy obsession, but the scary part is he maintains a B+ grade average in Maths. [He''s got the potential to be a great dynamic striker or a mobile Target man if his body can keep up with his passion,] Evamented for the first time since the game started and surprisingly it''s not about the match. Then again, she wanted me to learn throughout the match so she wouldn''t give me tips. ''You think he could go pro?'' I asked her curious about my friend''s potential of bing a professional footballer. [You don''t necessarily need high talent to be a professional yer, all you need is enough training that will hopefully result in constant development of your skills as you grow older. That added with a little bit of luck to step into the professional stage is what impacts a yer''s ability to take that next step.] She answered me in a calm manner causing me to have a greater understanding of what it takes to take the step up to the professional stage. ''He must have above-average talent at least because I don''t think I''ve seen him seen him struggle using his weaker foot. In fact, he uses it more than his stronger foot sometimes,'' I told her hoping she would confirm my conjecture of my friend''s talent, but I knew that it was unlikely she would. Just like I was expecting she neither confirmed nor denied my words. [It seems like it, unlock the snooping tool and you will know for sure,] she answered in a teasing tone once again advertising the system skills. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 121 121 Disappointed Coach And Different Team ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The first half had just ended with a score of 2:1 and we were currently gathered in front of our bench for our halftime talk. This school doesn''t have their changing room attached to the park, so we have to make do. That is beside the point as this is probably the most awkward halftime talk, we''ve ever had. The guys who yed in the first half all had a gloomy mood seemingly expecting the nature of the team talk. Then again maybe they have already given up since nothing they tried so far has worked. Judging by the stern look on coach''s face as he whispered something to trainer Oliver, he''s not happy either. "I don''t even know what to say to you all," Coach Bauer stated with disappointment written all over his aged face. He seemed to be trying to think whether to reprimand or encourage us to do better. "First, let me tell you all that your performance has been a great disappointment, I can hardly recognise the team that yed in the first half. Because whoever that was it''s not the team, we have been training for the past two months." He continued his speech raising his voice slightly to emphasise his point further. One by one he made eye contact with us throughout his speech seemingly asking us for an exnation. His questioning eyes were only met with embarrassed nces and the asional innocent eyes of those who didn''t y. However, even those of us innocent of his lecture didn''t dare to breathe funny and tried our best to minimise our presence. "Guess that''s tomorrow''s problem, here is what we are going to do in the second half, Ben M. You will be going in for Finn.," Coach said in a serious tone after seemingly deciding to deal with the team''s chemistry problems on ater date. There was no outward reaction from Ben after being told that he was going to y, and he just nodded in response. However, that may be due to him and Finn being good friends and he didn''t want to make him feel bad. That didn''t seem to help the midfielder as he hung his head in defeat. "I''m not taking you off because you yed badly but we need some creativity going forward. You have been solid throughout the first half, but we need to do some work on your attacking methods kid." Coach quickly consoled him surprising me since coach Garret never did that before. Then again, they both have an entirely distinctive style of coaching especially when ites tomunicating with us. Coach Bauer has a grandfatherly vibe and is quite approachable during training and even when you see him in school. Whereas Garret gave off the vibes of a teacher or principal well someone who is high and mighty a knows it all. "Tom, you will also be going in for ke, son I want you to act as a focal point and help us create some chances at goal," Coach continued announcing the change of our striker whilst also letting him know what he wanted him to do. ke seemed to want to protest his decision to take him off, but Coach gave him no chance to do so. A simple stare reminded him just how solemn our current conversation was. The fact of the matter is that coach wasn''t happy with their performance so he wouldn''t tolerate any objections right now. "That''s all for now, go out and show me something different I want to see you fighting for every chance you get." He finished off the team talk with that sentence encouraging those who would be ying to do better. ~~~ Start of the second half the Eagles were apletely different team from how they ended before the intermission. Maybe it was due to their coach''s team talk or perhaps they have something to prove to themselves. Whatever it was it resulted in them showing a lot more grit in their game y. No longer letting the Pasco midfielders easily control possession they actively challenged them for every loose ball. Like a flock of birds spotting prey the eagles yers swarmed their opponents whenever they yed a sloppy pass. Ben who had just came on had an instant impact in the game as the team suddenly had a threating aura about them. Although they have haven''tunched an attack, yet the young ymaker easily controlled the flow by stringing together passes with his defence and midfielders. The team went from barley defending their own box to forcing the Pasco team out of their own half. All this was the effect of Ben who actively got involved in every aspect of the field. In the fortieth minuet of the game Ben actively demanded the ball from Damin who had just gotten control of the ball from an aerial dual. Spinning around using the balls momentum he charged forward crossing the halfway line. Seeing his actions as a signal for an attack everyone sprang into action charging forward leaving only the two central defenders to guard for a counter. Using a quick one two pass with Lucas he easily circumvented a charging midfielder. Deftly dodging to the right to bypass another midfielder he sent a short pass to the edge of the box. Tom was there to receive it whilst using his body to hold of the central defender. Seeing Ben trying to enter the box on his right he made a quick turn in that direction waiting for the perfect chance to pass. However, the pass never came since as soon as he felt the defender behind him step in that direction, he swiftly turned in the other direction. He moved forward into the box whilst using his hand to hold off the defender he had just fooled. Without hesitation he shot with his weaker left foot sending the ball towards goal. Although it''s his weaker foot the shot was still deadly as it headed to the right side of the goal. Through a stroke of luck and skill the ball sneaked underneath the keepers outstretched leg. (swish) Is all that was heard as the ball spun inside the evoking cheers from the few away fans. Tom didn''t mind it though as he run back to his half wildly celebrating his goal. ~~~ "Rakim go get ready you too Max," Coach Bauer called out to us causing a smile to simultaneously appear on both our faces. Not wasting another moment, we started running along the side of the pitch to warm up a little. "You excited?" Max asked me as we reached the corner g going through a dynamic stretch routine. His excited expression is all the indication I needed to know his state of mind. "Yeah, just doesn''t feel right sitting on the bench," I answered with a smile trying my best to raise my body heat as quickly as possible. A few jumps and a couple of on-the-spot sprints did the trick as my muscles warmed up. "I get what you mean watching the game from the side line is so boring." He said with an eager smile mimicking my warmup. It didn''t take long for us to finish off our warmup since all we had to do is raise our body heat again so we could immediately affect the game when we went on. "Alright boys you ready?" Coach called out to us to which we nodded and quickly jogged over to him ready to join the match. It''s the 45th minute so we won''t have long to impact the game but it''s enough to stir up trouble and maybe clinch the win. we didn''t have to wait long for the ball to exit the field as Lucas performed a slide tackle at the other end of the field. His tackle was clean knocking the ball out of ce and the opposing yer into the air. His reaction afterpleting the tackle threw me off though as he started doing a celebration in front of the yer leaving everyone stupefied. Coach not wanting to give the referee a chance to book him for his provocative actions signalled for a yer change. It did the trick as the ref blew the whistle indicating a yer change. Max went on for Ryan Garcia taking on the role of a right winger whereas I''m going on for Damian Green. high fiving my teammates that went off I made my way towards my familiar left wing ready to get started. Max did the same exining the change in formation to our teammates who looked a little confused. From a 431 our formation changed to a more aggressive 323 allowing us to open up our nks. "You had a good game," . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 122 122 Killer Instinct ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "You had a good game," I told the right back who hadtched onto my side as soon as he realised that I''m his direct opponent. His confused expression is priceless as he sent a confused look to his friend hoping to understand what I meant. "What are you talking about dude?" He asked after a moment of silence finally deciding to voice his confusion. However, the answer he was expecting from me never came as I gave him a small nudge before dashing back a couple steps. "Ben over here," I called out to him after he won possession of the ball from the Pasco throw in. His pass came instantly without hesitation beaming a pass across the field right to my feet. Guiding the ball through my legs with my right foot I instantly turning around to charge forward. Latching onto the ball just in time before the Right back I had just left behind could steal it. Noting to a stop and give up the speed advantage that I have I dragged the ball back with my left foot. Seeing him lunge forward I used my right to knock the ball through his legs. Feeling the adrenaline rush at seeding in my skill move I felt more hyped up and decided to burst out with the pent-up energy that I''ve been building up on the bench. Circumventing the stupefied yer, I knocked the ball further forward rushing down the left nk. In no time I left both the right back and the centre line in my rear-view. Pretty much unimpeded on my way down he nks since their central defender was trying to decide whether to attack me or continue marking Tom. Deciding to make the most of it I charged forward with more confidant forcing the defender to make a choice. As if we were telepathically linked Tom and I decided to make the most of this chance by using his hesitation to our advantage. Whilst I Speed up down the nk looking to enter the box from the side, he came to a stop at the edge of the box forcing the defender to make a decision. Depending on his decision would decide how we would proceed in our attack towards their goal. He made the decision to follow me but at this point it was toote as I had already entered the box and headed for the keeper. The goalie didn''t dare toe of his line probably wary that I would cut a pass back to Tom. Which was exactly what I had nned if he chose to take a step off his line. In the end he chose to just block the near post, but he might have as well just let me walk the ball into the. Since he didn''t put much pressure on me It felt like I had all the time in the world to pick where I wanted to ce my shot. Making use of this I squared ball across his goal aiming for the top right corner. Watching the ball curl around his outstretched arms and into the top corner I took off to my teammates to celebrate. Pointing a finger to Mom''s direction in the stands a bright smile appeared on my face happy that she could see me score a goal. I''vepleted my promise to her so now I could focus on having fun and maybe score one for Ben if feel like it. Not continuing to think about it I jumped onto Tom''s back cheering happily. However Instantly regret may action''s as he started running and jumping when we met our teammates on the way. ~~~ 50th minute of the game the score stood at 3:2 with the Eagles leading the score sheet for the first time today. They didn''t relent in their aggressive style of y wanting to further expand on their lead. Seeing this the Pasco coach decided to make a substitution to stabilize his team situation on the pitch. They removed one of their four midfielders and brought on another defender changing their formation to a 431. Although they still held the numerical advantage in the midfield, they still struggled to maintain possession of the ball. This was due to the fact that both the eagles wingers dropped back to the midfield helping them to supress their opponents. This resulted in the Pasco Defenders being forced tounched long balls to their lone striker as their midfield was quickly overwhelmed. This was not only due to the disparity in skills but also the result of the fresh legs of Rakim and Max. Many time''s both substitute would rush back to surround the opposing midfielder forcing simple mistakes. The fact that they had all this extra energy showed in the 50th minute when the Pasco number four sent a long ball down the right nk. Their striker managed to beat the shorter Logan in an aerial duel and retain control of the ball. However, before he could get the chance to attack, he was surrounded. Max on the nk, Logan blocking the path to the box, and Lucas covering the path to the middle of the park. He could only try his best to protect the ball but that didn''tst long as when he turned to protect the ball from Max, Logan used this chance to poke the ball lose. This surprised Max slightly, but he managed to react instantly after seeing the ball rolling towards him. Scooping up the ball with his foot the young winger rotated on his axis and charged forward down the right nk. Giving full freedom to his speed he picked up pace dribbling the ball at his feet. In a matter of moments, he crossed the halfway line before an opposing midfielder charged at him from the side. Seeing the boy slide in for a tackle he came to an emergency stop sliding on the grass slightly due to the abruptness of his move. Taking another step back with the ball just to be sure he suddenly made eye contact with a group of girls on the side of the field. Involuntary a smile crept on his face as a hint of mischief twinkled in his eyes. Before he knew it a crazy Idea popped into his mind that he instantly decided to implement. In the next second he swung his foot chipping the ball over the sliding defender and hurdled over him. Catching a glimpse of the stupefied midfielder and the shocked girls his confidence spiked further. Cheekily waving at the girls he continued his run forward tearing up the grass further picking up pace again. Keeping up with his momentum he teased the left back with a couple of step overs. Waiting for the exact moment the left back took the bait without reducing his speed too much. He Quickly dropped a shoulder; and then sneaked past him with ease dashing forward. Just as he was about to enter the box, he noticed that the left back managed to regain his footing to chase after him. He didn''t panic though as another mischievous Idea popped into his mind. Not risking a head on confrontation, he chopped the ball back with his right using the momentum to sidestep in that direction. His abrupt change of direction and motion caught the defender of guard causing him to run past him. Not wasting another second, he charged forward into the box not bothering to nce at the defender. Entering into the box the closest central defender appeared in his way blocking his shootingne. That didn''t bother him though as he spotted Ben at the edge of the box a couple steps ahead of his marker. With both Tom and Rakim garnering the attention of the other defender his choice was clear. Sending a sharp pass to the midfielder''s feet the ball practically glided along the grass. Ben who received the ball did not take a shot right away though as the ball arrived at his weaker foot. Not wanting to take his chances with his weaker foot and waste this chance he chose to bring the ball under his control first. However, the shootingne that had been clear was gone by the time he adjusted, and he could practically feel his marker breathing down his neck. Adding to the fact that Tom''s marker also rushed towards him meant that he had to make a quick decision. It''s a good thing that he lives for these types of moments where he gets to make crucial game changing decisions under pressure. Just like usual when he felt under pressure a calmness descended over him and everything started to be a lot clearer for him. His dad calls this state he is in his killer instinct caused by adrenaline. However, Ben himself likes to think of this as his superpower and ys sports just for a chance to feel this state. Just like he expected once this sensation kicked in, he spotted the best area to send the ball that would most likely result in a goal. Trusting his instincts, he sent a slightly curved pass towards the left side of the box. Although he has not yet mastered the technique to curve his ground passes it''s enough for now. Barely slipping past the outstretched foot of Tom''s marker the ball curved slightly into his run. The deadly striker that he is he immediately swung his foot towards the goal, but the expected shot never came. Instead, the strikers foot bypassed the ball enterally letting it slip past him. His action resulted in the ball also slipping through the legs of the right back that had lunged in to block the shot. Before anyone in the box had the chance to turn their head to see where the ball ended up it impacted the back of the. Rakim who ended up unmarked due to both Max and Ben''s ingenious actions to draw away the defenders scored what is probably the easiest goal in his young career. Simply tapping the ball into the back of the empty of the dispositioned keeper and the score sheet was once again rewritten. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 123 123 New Skill ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ In the dying minutes of the match, a peculiar scene yed out on the field as all the yers crowded the eagle''s box. Even the Pasco goalkeeper can be seen moving about the box. All the yers in the penalty box were eagerly waiting for one of the Pasco yers to take the corner kick. All the yers in the area could be seen moving about rowdily looking to get an advantage over their opponent. The Pasco yers tried their best to find the best spot with some even trying to crowd the goalkeeper in his five-yard box. This however was swatted by the eagle''s two central defenders who guarded him like knights. That didn''t settle the situation in the box though to the point the referee had to blow his whistle a couple of times to settle the situation. The situation only ended when the number three at the corner g raised his hand and whipped in a high cross. A chain reaction ensued that caused all figures to rise into the air as bodies jumped into the air ready to meet the ball head-on. Those at the front post were unlucky as the ball was just too high for them to reach. As for those in the middle of the pack, they were forced to battle it out for aerial supremacy. Jake fought shoulder to shoulder with the Pasco striker not giving him an inch of breathing room. Their duel didn''t amount to much though as they both dragged each other down missing the ball by mere inches. That left the Pasco number four at the back post who battled in the air with Ole. Both boys swung their heads towards the ball aiming to strike it first to help their team. With both heading the ball at the same time it seemingly stopped in mid-air for a second. This moment didn''tst long as both boys lost their bnce leaving the ball to bounce into the air slightly. Mike who was on his line a moment ago reacted instantly jumping into the air and firmly grasping the ball in his hands. Tightly protecting the ball in his arms, he fell to the ground waiting for the danger to disperse from his surroundings. Some of the opposing yersined about the fact he was wasting time, but he didn''t let them rush him. Only when most of the yers left his box did he finally get up. Wasting a couple minutes instructing his teammates to move up the field he finallyunched a long ball up the field after reaching the edge of his box. The referee didn''t even wait for the ball tond when he blew his whistle three times to signal the end of the match. That signalled the end of the match with a score of 2:4 for the visiting Eagles team. ~~~ [Ding Post Match Review] >Goals scored: (2) = 200Sp >Assists: (0) = 0Sp >Cards: 0 = 10Sp >Final Match score: 4:2 Victory = 30Sp >Match Rating: C+ [Ding: Secrete Mission Super Sub Completed.] >Reward: Bronze Level Comeback Kid (Active skill) ''Dang looks like the system is pretty generous today'' I thought to myself after seeing the rows of notifications. Not like I''mining though after all this is the first active skill that I have received from the system. For some reason, I''ve only gotten passive skills so far, but I guess they give a better overall boost so it''s not so bad. [You should be happy since that is quite a good skill to have,] Eva chimed in genuinely happy at the fact I got another skill from the system. ~~~ ->Singrity Skills: Bronze Level Comeback Kid (Passive) -A skill that gives the host a 10% boost in stats whenever your team is losing by more than 2 goals -Skill''s Duration 15 minute -Cooldown 1 Day ~~~ ''This is a little overpowered don''t you think especially if I managed to improve my base stats to an extreme.'' I couldn''t help but think to myself after reading through the description of the skill. This could be a major game changer whenever I need that extra boost in a crucial moment. For example, if we ever y a team that manages to lock me down and dominate my team as well this could give me a chance to breathe life back into the game. [You should try and upgrade it as it can prove to be useful in the future especially when you have to fight for a starting spot on your future team.] Eva advised highlighting the clear pros of this skill especially When I first make my debut. From the games I''ve watched so far, I''ve noticed a trend of young footballers being introduced during games where the team is losing or against weak teams. Whatever the case I want to make my debut to highlight the potential that I have so I''ll make it count. Since a Lion uses all its strength to kill a weak gazelle, I will do the same by utilising all of my skills. "Yo Rakim hurry up the Bus is about to leave," Ben W. called out to me bringing me out of my thoughts. Nodding at his words I slipped on my Nike sliders and put on my team hoodie. I was thest one in the changing room since I somehow ended up taking my showerst. "Let''s go, bro you gone share your snack bar with me since I scored a goal for you?" I responded with a happy smile as I got up from the bench with my duffel bag ready to leave this ce. Hearing my question, he seemed to be contemting it really hard as if I had asked him to give me money or something. "Hmm Okay but you will have to share one of your breakfast cookies with me tomorrow," He answered with a smile handing me a strawberry snack bar which he fished out of his duffel bag. "Alright but only one they taste too good to share," was my response to his proposition as I quickly snatched the bar from his hand. Not like I''m lying though since Mom''s homemade cookies are the best. Not long after that, we boarded the bus which was already rowdy with the boys singing and chanting songs. Max was perched up on his seat and animatedly stride up the crowd with one of his stories. From the front, I could hear him recounting his run that led to my second goal. The only problem with his story was the fact that it just didn''t seem real and sounded more like a work of fiction. Heck, the show captain Tsubasa seems more real than his version of his run. Deciding that I didn''t want to deal with all the noise I took a seat somewhere in the middle of the bus. Ben seemingly had the same Idea as me taking the sea across from mine. Before any of my friends even had the chance to try and persuade me to change seats the bus started driving. Using the extra space, I sprawled my legs along the seat and closed my eyes so I could take a nap. ~~~ The ride back to school wasn''t that long, then again, I slept through most of it. The bus wasn''t all that rxing, but it still allowed me to get some shut-eye. Mom picked me up from the school''s parking lot showering me with a proud smile. We spent the ride home in a present atmosphere as we discussed all types of things. Turns out that her new clients are quite the handful but she''s managing to deal with them. Apparently, she is also learning new things from them and that is motivating her to keep going. By the time we got home, we had discussed a myriad of different things. Once home I had a light meal with Dad since the both of us haven''t had anything to eat yet. Mom didn''t join us for dinner saying that she had already eaten before my game. Emma was at May''s house and would be hometer or might end up just staying over. At this point that ce is her second home just by the amount of time she spends there. "You excited about your first official day at the academy tomorrow?" Dad suddenly asked me to cause me to look up from my te. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 124 First Day At Ace Academy 124 Chapter 124 First Day At Ace Academy {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 5 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "You excited about your first official day at the academy tomorrow?" Dad suddenly asked me to cause me to look up from my te. "Yeah, I can''t wait especially with all the different academies we visited throughout the week," I answered him with a smile of excitement as I started thinking about how much fun I would have. With the School team only training twice a week the extra days of training are appreciated. Although it will cut into my free time but since I am six years old what can I really do with my free time. Other than doing training on my own or getting into trouble around the house which I can me on Zeus. There''s not really much I do; Liam has his taekwondo practice on most of the days I''m free so I can''t really hang out with him. Now that I have joined The Ace Academy my week has gotten a lot busier. Mondays and Fridays I''m with the school team and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays the Academy. Thursdays is a school team training session day but after talking with the coach he agreed for me to train at the academy. ording to him the systematic training at the academy will do me a lot of good so He doesn''t mind if I miss Thursdays as long as I give it my all on Mondays. All that aside Dad, Emma and I spent the entire week visiting different academies looking for the best fit for me. It got to the point that Emma might have developed a phobia to some of the academies or maybe just a slight dislike. Mom could only make it to a few since she had to deal with her new clients. The Barcelona academy was Dad''s personal favourite at first due to the reputation and the philosophy they preach. However, upon our visit, we quickly realised that I would probably just be another number in their program. After going through a training session with them they were happy to have me join their program but didn''t seem too enthusiastic about me. Guess they are used to having a lot of talents wanting to join them and even though I''m good for my age it''s not enough for them to miss my absence. Dad the avid believer in my talent that he is didn''t give up there, even after seeing the neutral reaction of the coach and manager they stuck us with. However, theirck of optimism about my future when offering us a contract was thest straw. We didn''t expect an offer that would sweep us off our feet but a fair enough one would have been nice. Their offer was for me to join them on a six-month probation and upon evaluation I could get a year-long extension. While that might seem normal for a giant like Barcelona the fact that they wanted to add a two-year exclusivity use is not. Basically, the contract read that I can train with them for six months and if they like me, I get to join but if they don''t, I''m not allowed to join another academy for two years. I know what you''re thinking I''ve got the system, and it should be easy for me to impress them. Well, that excuse wouldn''t fly with Dad, then again I didn''t tell him about the system. However, I don''t think it would matter even if I told him about it as he had no ns of letting me join them after that chat. His exact words were ''In life, there is no need to force something, especially If you have enough self-belief to achieve your goals another way''. If that wasn''t crazy enough for you, did I mention they wanted me to leave the school team and just focus on training with them? Yeah, I love my team too much to give up on them just as we are getting started. Plus, I don''t want to make ying football feel like a job just yet. Preferably I would like to always y with as much passion and fun as the first time I got toce up at the Nike Camp. I know that is unlikely to happen with how hard the next few levels are going to be but I''m going to try my hardest to aplish it. Dad must have thought I was sad by the setback and needed a pep talk which for the records I did not. After all, Eva did plenty to keep my spirits up plus, she had a few choice words for the evaluators. However, I do appreciate his care for me and his unwillingness to let other''s opinions affect his belief in my talent. Although I was not sad about theirck of trust in my future prospects the fact that they tried to basically ban me for two years rubbed me the wrong way. Don''t get me wrong I do not mind it if they don''t think I am good enough to join them. However, the fact that they tried to hinder my path to bing a better footballer is something I can''t ept. After all, there''s no guarantee that just by being good, I''m guaranteed to join their academy. From my past experience and hearsay from passing news the world runs on benefit. Especially for famous football teams like Barcelona where kids would give anything to join them. For example, if someone pulls strings to get in and I end up not making it I''ll have nowhere to cry about my misfortune. ~~~ The next day came in no time but unlike my usual quiet Saturday, I had ces to be and people to see. Yeah, I''ve been waiting for a while to be able to say that and actually mean it for once. Anyway, the morning went by quickly as I had to get up pretty early since training starts at 8 a.m. Dad will be dropping me off since Mom has to take Emma to her Dance practice. So, after a quick shower, a change of clothing and a banana strawberry smoothieter we hit the road. Oh, did I mention the fact that Dad drives a small Porsche Panarea whilst Mom drives a massive white Range Rover? Well, at least one of the two ispensated for something or maybe it''s just personal preference. The roads weren''t too busy so it didn''t take us long to get there which I was happy about. With a quick goodbye, I entered a new chapter in my life trying to navigate this massive sportsplex. Dad offered to go with me but I thought I had it and sent him off to socialise with people his age. For the record, I did not have it and got lost like a total of three times, and at some point, I found myself at the entrance again. Lucky for me a good Samaritan also known as groundsman Joe led me to the changing rooms. Lucky for me I was twenty minutes early, so I had plenty of time to get lost, but my luck ran out there. Aftercing up my boots and taking a second to calm my emotions I realised that I waspletely alone in the room. Making my way outside there was still no one in sight so I decided to just keep turning left along the way. I figured that since I kept turning right when I got here the opposite would lead to a different result. After all Albert did say continuing to attempt the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. ~~~ [You know you don''t necessarily need to join an academy, there is plenty of example of yers who made it by just ying for their local club or school,] Eva reminded me again for what is probably the tenth time. It seems the experience at the academy rubbed her the wrong way and she has developed a little animosity against them. ''I know that''s what I thought after all the less-than-desired meetings with other academies but other than you Coach Oscar is probably the most enthusiastic about my future prospects in football,'' I inwardly responded with a smile just thinking about how he pestered my parents all week. Although my family loves watching me y their enthusiasm would probably be the same if I yed cheese. However, Coach Oscar is different his enthusiasmes from a ce of love for the game itself. Hearing him analyse my gamey and the little mistakes that I make without even realising it is eye-opening, to say the least. Seeing him genuinely care about my future as a yer even though I might not join the academy is what finally moved me. I knew that I would be in good hands if I learned from this man, especially with how much he cared. After all, I heard someone say, ''a coach that loves the way you y is better than a one that appreciates your strength.'' "Your first day?" a girl with lush ck hair in a ponytail that cascaded down her back to around her midsection asked me from my side causing me to focus on her. Dressed in the same ck and blue training strip that I was wearing indicated that she was also a yer there. That is not all that surprising considering I have seen quite a few girls train here during my visit. What surprised me though is the fact that she seemed to be of Asian descent as she has the signature facial characteristics. She does however have a slight tan from the Florida weather indicating that she''s a local. Not that I care about that though since I''ve seen a few Asian people in school it''s just my first time talking to one. Don''t get me wrong It''s not that I actively avoid them or anything we just haven''t crossed paths. That may be due to howfortable I am in my friend group and never really had to go out and make new friends. This must be one of the advantages of having an elder sister or brother. Back on topic for me, it''s kind of like meeting a celebrity although I am a little prejudiced in my thinking that she would also like anime. You can''t fault me though since none of my friends are really that into anime like I am. Liam didn''t show much interest until we stumbled on Hajime no Ippo and he started wanting to be him in real life. Emma and her friends have shown little interest in it only entertaining it because of me. Heck, they only like Sailor Moon and that is only due to the fact they love the pretty dresses. So, you can''t fault me for wanting the stereotype that all Asian people like anime to be true. Although the voice in my head kept telling me that I knew better and shouldn''t hitch my hopes on it. Yes, the voice I am talking about is Eva who by the way for some reason also loves Sailor Moon. "Yeah, I''m a little nervous but even more excited," I told her after a while of just curiously staring at her, which I hope didn''t weird her out too much. Lucky for me she didn''t seem to mind or maybe just didn''t care in the first ce. . . . Chapter 125 Little Mis Prodigy 125 Chapter 125 Little Mis Prodigy {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 5 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~~~ "I understand how you feel, I was like that when I joinedst year." She replied with a bright smile on her face before proceeding to give me a pep talk. Not sure what about me gives off the impression that I need encouragement but I''ll have to fix that. "Emm, do you know where I can find the Pride 3 group," I quickly interrupted her wanting to find out something useful instead of listening to her talk about how she tripped over her own foot on her first day. She has quite an extroverted personality and seems to be able to easily start a conversation. However, she also seems like the type to lose track of what she actually wants to talk about once she remembers something interesting. This was evidenced by the fact she would talk about her friends in between recounting her first-day story. "Oh, you''re part of Pride 3 congrats, I can show you the way by the way my name is Akari Jones," she told me with a smile before turning around to lead the way to the pitch I''m supposed to be at. Hearing the studs of her pink Nike boots nk on the ground brought me out of my musing as I quickly caught up with her. "By the way my name is Rakim Rex," I told her once I caught up to her left side not wanting her to walk me to my pitch without knowing my name. Plus, I would feel a little awkward if I didn''t tell her my name. "Nice Name bad taste in boots though," she told me with a sly smile as she pointed to my ssic Adidas boots. Taken aback by herment it took me a while before I could react. "Your one to talk your boots are too bright for no reason," I retorted with indignation not wanting to take this one lying down. Her expression to my retort was quite amusing as her thought processgged for a second. "Hmph what do you know, Pink is the best colour when making a statement in midfield," She responded with a pout sending a re my way daring me to say otherwise. Too bad for her I wasn''t intimidated, since I''m already used to dealing with girls and their mood swings by now. After all Emma, May and my own Mother are quite the personalities to deal with when they get into a mood. "I don''t need gimmicks my presence on the wing is scary enough, but maybe I should get green boots just for insurance," I responded with a confident smile as I seriously thought about thetter part of my sentence. [You should seriously consider it as outside factors like looks and in this case, boots can y a psychological role on your opponents. It may not seem like much, but some yers can develop a fear for a yer just by seeing their boots,] Evamented making me think deeper on how to y psychological games on the pitch. Mental warfare is just as important as physical battles are and sometimes it can be even more important. ~~~ "This is pitch three and over there is the Pride 3 group," Akari said as she pointed at a group of boys and girls sitting by the side of the pitch. Some of the kids were just chatting with their friends whilst others were doing light stretches. We spent five minutes getting here due to just how massive the institute is. Then again, I might have picked the wrong person to guide me as at some point she had the bright idea to let me lead. I only realised this when I noticed the fact that she was not giving me instructions and just letting me lead. Her excuse for her action was that she forgot that she was the one leading as she got too engrossed in the conversation. I could only sigh andment the fact that God just felt like ying a trick on me on this particr morning. After that, we spent most of the time arguing with each other over the smallest things. We even started a little rivalry at some point as it turns out that the both of us are quitepetitive and a little too petty. With the need topete with one another, we startedparing all sorts of things. From arguing about music taste to which of our dogs is the cutest, honestly, anything we couldpete about we did. However, it turns out that Akari is pretty talented as she is a part of one of the Ace teams. So, we decided to let our achievements on the pitch decide our battle. She managed to get there in the span of 7 months from one of the Pride groups like I am in. That''s what brought out my inner rivalry as I promised to beat her record. Let''s just say she did not appreciate that especially after I told her that Pok¨¦mon is not really an Anime. Turns out she actually likes to watch anime so that''s a plus but for some reason, she is a big Pok¨¦mon fan. Heck, she even wears a Pikachu bracelet saying something about it making her more electric on the pitch. Yeah, I gave her a strange look after hearing that too but it''s all good she also likes real Anime. "Alright thanks, Guess I''ll see youter little mis prodigy," I thanked her with a teasing smile on my face waiting to see her embarrassed expression. Like clockwork, she blushed slightly upon hearing my words. for some reason even though she likes to boast about her prowess she isn''t too good with taking apliment. "Just go before you get lost again," She retorted before instantly scurrying away not giving me a chance to respond. Looks like she realised that she isn''t going to easily win an argument with me when ites to talking nonsense. [At least you know that you talk a lot of nonsense,] Eva chided throwing an unnecessary jab at me. ''Sometimes I wonder whose side you''re on,'' Imented as I went over to the group of kids who were going to be mypetition andrades. ~~~ "Good morning kids hope you''re up for a fun day of training, my name is Coach Carlos for those that are new and those that have forgotten," A young dark-skinned coach in his early twenties said to a group of kids in front of him. He has the ssic facial features of a Brazilian and if his bracelet is any indication that seems to be his Origen of birth. The group of twenty-seven kids seemed to be eagerly awaiting his instructions raring to get started with their day of training. The atmosphere was pretty tranquil as the boys and girls tried their best to shake off the remnants of their sleep. The coach had an understanding smile on his face knowing that the early start is probably not easy for the kids. Deciding to do something about it he continued his speech wanting to retain their attention. "We have a new boy joining our group hope you make him feel wee but do that on your own time since time waits for no one," he said with a smile pulling out a small remote pressing the red button on it. Following his action music started ying from a boombox at the side of the pitch. "Let''s get you all to wake up, the first thing I want you to do is to copy me," Coach Carlos instructed as he signalled for them to spread out so they would have enough space to move. He started by waving around his hands before proceeding to shake his entire body to loosen up his muscles. All the kids tried their best to keep up with his movements with some of them bursting out inughter. He moved on to different fun exercises aimed at loosening up the body and waking up the kids. The exercises went from being fun and easy to progressively increasing in difficulty with the kids building up a little sweat. This entire process took a whole twenty minutes fully preparing the yers for the day of training. Seeing that the kids were fully awake now he took them through a light dynamic warm-up session aimed at raising their heart rate and preventing injuries. [20 minutester] "Congrats onpleting today''s warm-up, go get a drink so we can start our actual training, Today''s theme is making the ball my best friend," The young coach said with a bright smile on his face as he emptied a bag of footballs letting the spill to the ground. The kids who were already sweating slightly didn''t rush towards the balls but instantly headed to the side of the pitch. At the side, there was a small fridge filled with different fruit-voured water bottles. Everyone quickly picked out their vour and quickly satiated their thirst. ~~~ "All you have to do is dribble the ball within the box, don''t let it get further than a meter from your body easy right?" Coach Carlos said with a slight smile on his face as he put us in two square boxes with a ball each. The drill itself seems pretty easy and shouldn''t be too hard but the only thing that worries me is that he didn''t set a duration for the drill. [I see you caught that tad bit, this will both test your physical skill and mental ability to manage your energy levels,] Evamented from inside of my head making me realise that my train of thought was along the right track. "Since that is too easy for you, I will be giving you instruction throughout the drill, When I say sprint, you have to do just that whilst keeping control of the ball, losing control of it will result in ap around the pitch. When I say pass you have to swap balls with another yer.stly, when I shout turn, I want you to change the direction you are headed too." Coach instructed us with a smile on his face that seemed rather devious now that I took a closer look at it. . . . . Chapter 126 126 Weird Coach & Sam ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Sprint" Coach Carlos eximed, and I instantly started picking up the pace in my dribble making sure to keep control of the ball. Dodging one of the yers in the box I nimbly manoeuvred forward trying my best to maintain control of the ball in the chaos. "Enough, John, Sarah, Mike and Ben start running, Thest one back runs anotherp oh don''t forget to take your ball with you, by the way, stay outside the pitch throughout," Coach said in a rxed manner announcing the end of our crazy sprint and sentencing those that made a mistake to their punishment. Surprisingly, no oneined and obediently went off to do their punishment as the rest of us continued to dribble the ball around the box. From time to time, he would give us different instructions trying his best to catch us off guard. A couple of times I lost control of the ball due to not anticipating the sudden movements of the people around me. Although annoyed at this I still obediently did my punishment promising to do better next time. Coach made this drill a lot more fun though as he started talking about the weather and something called samba. He kept trying different methods to test our reaction speed after receiving sudden information. "Hahaha, I feel like this is too easy for all of you, maybe we should all just go and run," Coach Carlos suddenly said causing me to almost trip over myself whilst inwardly hoping he was just joking. I already realised that the coach has a weird hobby of trying to get a rise out of us doing his best to annoy us in random ways. "haha don''t look at me like I''m just joking go get a five-minute rest," He eximed in a heartyughter after seeing our pleading looks. You can''t really me us as he has been cranking up the intensity throughout the drill. The only time we got to rest a little was when he called out people for punishments. I can''t even remember the number of times I had toplete punishment due to either messing up or bumping into someone. This should be easy for me, right? Well wrong as the man is quite fond of telling random stories and suddenly calling out amand. The kids around me seemed like they were already used to this and that is why they didn''t botherining. I appreciate the difference in intensity though which honestly is a weed surprise. The weird thing is that the atmosphere still remains quite friendly whilst the intensity continues to increase. Coach seemingly doesn''t see the need to angrily yell at us to bring across his point. Instead, he has a rxed approach to his coaching philosophy often cracking jokes when we mess up. ~~~ "Yo new boy I''m Jake the Great, that big feller there is big Sam, andstly there is Jen the swift," A dark-haired kid around a year or two older than me said to me from my side causing me to focus on them. Not quite sure how to react to this book-like introduction I was left speechless for a few seconds trying to think of how to respond. Sam was easily the tallest boy here and he has this teddy bear-like vibe about him. With blond hair and blue eyes, he has the typical temte for an all-American. The girl Jen on the other hand has brown hair done up in pigtails with an okay face with little bits of baby fat. "Ehm, I''m just Rakim I guess," I replied not knowing what exactly I was supposed to say about myself introduction. However, based on the odd looks that they were giving me my self intro wasn''t that impressive. "Well work on your nameter, what position do you y?" He answered me with a nod not scared to let me know that he wasn''t impressed with my name. Guess I need a Power Ranger-like name to fit in with these guys. "I like my name though and I y left wing," I answered him with a slight frown still trying to decide if I like these guys. After all, they basically told me that they didn''t like my name in their second sentence. Not sure about anyone else but I happen to like my first name just the way it is. "You haven''t tried a new name yet, so you don''t know any better and being a winger is okay I''m a striker like Philips from AC Mn" he told me with a cheery smile putting an arm around my neck. Normally I would have pushed him like he was COVID-19 since I don''t really appreciate body contact with sweaty people. However, his words threw me a curveball as I''ve never heard of the yer he mentioned. Normally I would think that he is not a famous yer but judging by the bright smile on his face he seems to be well known. ''Eva, can you fill in the gaps for me please,'' I asked her in a pleading tone hating the feeling that I was missing some crucial context in the conversation. It''s like everyone seems to know something obvious to everyone, but you are the only one who is not in the know. [You could just ask him you don''t need to know everything and it''s not like every football fan knows every yer. However, for your information he was like a mix of Samuel Eto''o and future Lewandowski] She patiently told me despite her previousints about me asking her. I know that she was right in her words, and I should stop trying to think that I know everything and just discover it anew. Plus, it doesn''t help that I was a passing fan at best in my past life. So, I should treat this as a chance to of a dover and try to study the history of the sport in this world. "Sorry I''ve not seen him y but I like Ronaldo," I truthfully answered the boy who had been waiting for a response from me. His face took a shocked expression upon hearing my words but quickly went back to normal. "Quaresma is better he won the Champions League with AC Min two years ago and almost won the Ballon d''or, but Kaka was just a monster." He responded with a serious expression on his face as he started talking about the greatness that is AC Min. The Quaresma of his world I do know about since I happened upon his game tape from a few years back when studying wingers. ording to Eva, he is doing slightly better than his counterpart from my original world. He somehow managed to draw a golden lottery that ended him on a loan spell at AC Min when they won the Champions League in the 2006-07 season. Apparently, he got into a huge argument with his coaching staff and management of the Porto team which resulted in the move. He had thestugh as he managed to help his new team lift the most coveted trophy in club football. However, the crazy thing is that at the end ofst season, he just joined their archrival inter due to contract problems. "Didn''t he join your rival team Inter?" I asked him after remembering how much fun I had reading this controversy of the crazy Primidone. At least that is what the Italian Media called him for his prideful behaviours on and off the field. "That doesn''t matter he is still better than your guy," He answered me with a proud expression brushing away my words. Not sure how to react to this guy I decided to not engage in an argument with this guy as he seems crazy. "Oh, look coach Is calling us," I told the guy instantly turning around and running back onto the field having no intention of continuing this conversation. "What I didn''t hear him call," He curiously asked me after catching up to my right side. The fact he looked genuinely curious almost made me want to stop and confess to my lie, but I was already too far gone. So, I measuredly ced my hand on his shoulder before he could ask another question and said; "He did trust me," but that only seemed to confuse him further as the gears in his head started to turn. Almostically he regained a sense ofmon sense and shook off my hand before confidently saying "Trust you? I don''t know you." His words left me speechless not knowing whether this guy was smart or simply crazy. . . . . To Be Continued...345 Chapter 127 127 ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Huff I think I need a break," I subconsciously said to no one in particr as I sprawled my body on the ground. For the past three hours, Coach Carlos has been torturing us with his so-called training. All of his training was focused on improving our feel for the ball following the motto of making the ball your friend. However, as the training continued, I could tell that some of the kids started to hate the ball at their feet. I mean I almost got mad as well after I started making silly mistakes due to fatigue. After the reaction drill, we moved on to various obstacle courses where we had to dribble through. The course had a random feel to it as we had to dribble through gates of cones. After that came a row of poles that we had to weave in and out of as fast as we could. Wepleted a lot more drills like that targeted at strengthening our feel for the ball. The coach and the trainers would sometimes pull us to the side to give us instructions on how to improve. However, that is not the reason why I am so out of breach right now. The reason for this is due to something coach likes to call final challenge. He felt like we needed to finish off our session off with a bang, so he set up a rugged zig zag cone course. The premise of the drill was to dribble the ball along the zig-zag course as fast as possible without losing control of the ball. To make it more interesting we were split into two teams and made to race against one another. Some yers thought that they could get by taking big touches and roughly getting through the course. Well, they were wrong since as soon as they lost control of the ball or missed a cone they were made to do a punishment. What makes it worse is the fact that everyone had to go through the course thrice. So, unless those who are doing the punishmente back fast enough your team can''t finish. That is how I ended up in this situation where I had to run twops because Sam tried to show off. Whilst everyone else was trying to get through the challenge drill as fast as possible he felt the need to try out skill moves. It wouldn''t be bad if he knew what he was doing but the boy tripped over a cone falling over and losing control of the ball. ~~~ "Looks like you''re having fun," a familiar voice said from behind me causing me to open my eyes. My sight was met with the smiling face of Akari holding a water bottle out for me. The water seems like it''s fresh out of the fridge as I can see small droplets trickle down from it with onending on my face. Slightly surprised at her action It took me a second to gather my thoughts. "Thanks, and yeah I had fun more or less," I responded with a smile getting to my feet and taking the bottle off her hand. Not wasting a second, I gulped half the contents of the bottle down not bothering to even taste it. "You''re on break, right?" she half questioned but didn''t really want me to answer her as she grabbed my arm and pulled me along. "Let''s go the food here is delicious." That is all she said as she yanked my arm along with her barely allowing me to grab my small bag with my iPod in it. "I can walk you know," I half yelled out to her hoping she would stop dragging me along with her. Don''t get me wrong I could easily break free from her grasp it''s just I don''t want her to question her strength. [You know, you don''t have to lie to me I won''t judge you,] Eva suddenly said striking a blow to my ego almost causing me to trip over myself. Sometimes I think she relishes whenever she gets the opportunity to tease me. ''I''m not lying, I''m just being considerate of her feelings,'' I quickly defended myself feeling the need to rify myself. However, I don''t think she cared much for my response as she burst outughing. "So, what do you think of Coach Carlos, isn''t he fun?" Akira asked letting go of my arm not bothering to apologise. This girl is definitely an acquired character and I''ll need some time to adjust to her. "He''s fun but definitely tough in a weird, rxed way," I answered as I walked along the corridor with her. I''m not lying though as his coaching style oddly made me try harder without the added pressure of someone yelling. I can''t say that I feel the effects of the training yet, but I do know I''ve never gotten tired as fast as I did today. I''m sure after a couple of months of training my stats will see an explosive improvement. "Yeah, I also had him on my first day and ended up just like you," Akira exined with a reminiscent look in her eyes seemingly remembering a tough day. ~~~ We continued our journey to the canteen in this atmosphere discussing football and our aspirations. I found out that Akira''s Dad is a businessman and is actually the reason she started ying football. ording to her Dad loves the game but couldn''t pursue his dreams as he had to help his family business. Her Dad''s family business was in the movie-making industry back in thete 1980 owning apany called Silver Screen Production. However, they faced money problems when a string of their movies failed, and her grandfather died thus thepany losing direction. Her Dad took over thepany at the age of 18 In 1982 and immediately sold a third of the shares in the productionpany. His move was seen as a risky one since Hollywood just started to boom and the industry was at a stage of rapid development. You see her Dad didn''t trust in the stability of the box office so he shifted hispany to the emerging TV industry. Renaming thepany to Silver Screen Studios he went on to invest in three TV stations and distribution channels for the movies they do make. The man changed thepany''s direction from creating artsy films to making children''s cartoons. His bet paid off as thepetition in that field wasn''t as congested as with movies. Basically, what I''m trying to say the man may not like the industry but he sure is a business genius. Akira started ying football due to her Dad''s love for the game with him even having shares in Arsenal. Realising that I was walking with a rich youngdy also left me bbergasted. However, for some reason, she doesn''t like the club her Dad''spany invested in. ~~~ ~Hi Emma, how''s your practice going,~ I said to her as soon as the phone call connected. She sounded a little out of breath having seemingly just finished one of her practices. This makes me wonder why she texted me saying to call her and didn''t just rest or at least catch her breath. ~ it''s good we just finished our morning session~ Sure enough I was right in my assumption of her just finishing her training. ~Oh, how are you getting on with that, I remember you beefing with a girl called Jenna?~ I asked genuinely curious since she had beenining about this girl. For some reason the girl started hating on her and with Emma being younger than most girls she wasn''t as close with them. So, without May there because of her holiday, she had to endure it since she tends to avoid unnecessary confrontations. ~(sigh) She''s being a pain but with May she''s staying away from me~ she stated in an exasperated tone but seemingly didn''t want to continue to talk about it. ~Haha I knew I wasn''t the only one scared of her when she gets mad,~ Not forcing her to continue the topic I started recalling the few times I''ve seen May get mad. She surprisingly has great self-control despite having quite an impulsive character. ~haha Don''t let her hear you say that, or she might take your snacks~ She chided with a light chuckle reminding me of the times she tricked me into giving her my snacks. The funny thing is the fact that Mom makes a portion just for her, but she still had it out for mine. ~Never If she does, I''ll get my big sister to act as a shield~ I responded confidently knowing that Emma is one of the few people who can deal with an angry May. Well, that is as long as she isn''t the one who caused her to get mad in the first ce. ~Hey! Howe I''m only your big sister when you''re in trouble~ She indignantly eximed referring to the bet that she lost to me. However, I do not mind being shameless as this is exactly what elder siblings are for. ~haha Not sure you signed the contract; guess you should have read the fine print~ I told her as a bright smile appeared on my face as I can already imagine the pout on her face. "Is that your sister?" . . . . To Be Continued...1583 Chapter 128 128 First Match At Ace ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Is that your sister?" Akira asked from my side having seemingly just noticed that I''ve been on a call. To be fair she had been busy talking with the rest of her friends ever since we took our seats in the canteen. "Yeah, this is my Big sister Emma say hi," I simply answered her handing her my iPod not wanting to y middleman. After all, knowing how nosy Emma can be sometimes it''s better to let her ask the questions she wants to know herself. ~Hi who is this? ~ Emma''s questioning voice resounded through the speakers allowing me to listen in. Looking over at Akira it was probably the first time today that I''ve seen this girl being flustered. "Emm, h-hi my name Akira is, no I mean MY NAME IS AKIRA," She answered with a flustered expression stammering over her words. Trying my best not to burst outughing I started wondering where that confidant girl from earlier went. ~Oh, that is a nice name my name is Emma, how''s my brother doing is he causing any trouble? ~ she responded breaking the awkwardness between the two as they engaged in a conversation. Slightly surprised at how easily they started off a conversation I chose to focus on my food. Food is more important than anything else even if both of them are bad-mouthing me. (Sigh) Guess what they say about girls easily making friends seems to be true. Anyway, my chicken sd is more important and the one they make here is actually pretty tasty. The two of them spent ten minutes talking about random things which baffled me since they had yet met each other in person. Despite that, they were making ns to have a movie night and a pyjama night. Leaving the two of them to talk about whatever I engaged in light conversation with some of the kids around the table. Most of them were okay people having aspirations of ying in the Champions League or World Cup. One of the kids even promised to sign his boots for me when he joins Man United in the future. When I asked where his confidence came from, he simply stated that he is left foot just like Romney. Before I even had the chance to bring the boy back from his delusions another girl stated Maradona is her distant uncle once removed so she is bound to be one of the greats. Her statement set off apetition with the kids around the table making up even more ridiculous backstories for themselves. It was at this moment that I realised that these kids might just have a few screws loose but somehow, I ended up joining in. What can you fault me it felt like everyone here was picking superpowers and I wanted some of that good stuff. This somehow resulted in me arguing with Maradona''s distant nice once removed after saying that he is my grandfather. ~~~ The atmosphere inside the Ace Academy indoor training centre was charged with excitement as yers prepared for their 11 vs 11 football match. This match had a special meaning for Rakim with it being his first training match at Ace Academy. He wasn''t the only one excited as most of the yers were happy at the chance to shine in front of the academy''s coaches. The match wasn''t a simple match though as the coach had stipted specific limitations aimed at encouraging teamwork and off-the-ball movement. with the yers only allowed a maximum of three touches on the ball they had to be careful when receiving the ball or their team could automatically lose possession of the ball. With the determination to shine spurring them on to do their best both the non-bib and the red bib team eagerly lined up. With the loud piercing noise of coach Carlos''s whistle, the match began. With the non-bib team kicking off the match Rakim and his red team swarmed forward to close down their opponents. Rakim feeling the adrenaline course through his body sprinted along his nk putting pressure on the right back who received a pass from his midfielders. With his incredible speed, he forced the right back to make a hasty pass in order not to lose the ball. His pass was just in time before Rakim had the chance to attempt a tackle on him. The ballnded at the non-bib''s central defender''s feet forcing him to react quickly in order to control the ball. Using two touches he managed to barely manoeuvre past Jake who hade charging at him. With the danger still prevalent he sent a sharp pass diagonally up the other nk to his left winger. The non-bib winger received the ball with his right foot whilst using his body to hold off the opposing winger. Not holding onto the ball, he yed a sharp pass backwards linking up with his left back. The left-back calmly received the ball and immediately passed it to one of his midfielders. The central midfielder didn''t bother taking control of the ball seeing it down the left nk for his winger to run onto. The winger who had turned around after dropping off the ball to his left back easily arrived in front of the ball but didn''t take his first touch right away. Using a couple step-overs he swayed his body challenging the red team''s right back. Just as the red team''s right back gathered up his courage and lunged towards the ball to go in for the tackle, the left winger flicked the ball with the outstep of his right foot. The right-back could onlyment his hasty action as he watched the ball and the winger glided past him. The wingertched onto the ball again hitting it forward down the wing. With his speed, he quickly reached the ball at the rib of the box sending a curved cross into the box. Like a rocket, the ball zoomed into the box not giving the yers a chance to fully prepare and having to instinctively react to it. The non-bib striker rose high into the air looking to put his head to the ball and steer it towards the goal. However, he was beaten in the aerial duel by Sam who towered above him easily clearing the ball out of his box. With the clearance, the red team breathed a sigh of relief at escaping a dangerous situation. Danger was not over though as one of the non-bib midfielders chested down the ball. The midfielder powerfully swung his legunching the ball towards the goal. With a muffled bang, the ball left his foot flying towards the goal sailing above the heads of the yer in the box. The yers could only crane their necks to see where the ball was going. Luckily for the red team, the ball missed the goal by a hairbreadth sailing past the bar. ~~~ The red team''s yers clearly rattled by the attack took a second to calm their nerves. However, knowing the importance of showing their best in this training match they brushed this aside opting to focus on the match. Deciding to slow the match down they started pining precise passes in their own half. All the yers having seeminglye to an understanding decided to take control of the match slowly. This created a weird scene where the red team continued to move back around passing the ball around using two touch passes. Clearly irritated by their opponent''sck of attacking effort the non-bib yers started attacking more aggressively. However, this created the breakthrough opportunity that the red team had been looking for. Such an opportunity arrived when Rakim dropped back on his nk calling for the ball from his Left back. Not hesitating he sent a weighted pass to the winger drilling it along the nk. Rakim taking a step forward was closely followed by the opposing right back who clung tightly to his back. Letting the ball pass through his legs without receiving it he quickly manoeuvred around the defender behind him using a spin move. Taking a big first touch he raced down the wing in a sh utilising his speed to the fullest. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 129 129 First Match At Ace ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Rakim taking a step forward was closely followed by the opposing right back who clung tightly to his back. Letting the ball pass through his legs without receiving it he quickly manoeuvred around the defender behind him using a spin move. Taking a big first touch he raced down the wing in a sh utilising his speed to the fullest. Catching up with the ball he brought it under his control with his second touch side-stepping one of the non-bib midfielders. He didn''t continue moving forward though choosing to send a crisp pass to his team''s attacking midfielder. The midfielder calmly received the ball but did not hold onto it sending a through ball towards the edge of the box. Rakim who had continued running forward pierced into the box bringing the ball under his control with his first touch. Performing a fake shot with his left foot he dragged the ball across his body. His abrupt change of direction caused the central defender who had lunged to block his shot to be disced. The winger didn''t care though as he powerfully swung his right foot sending a shot towards the far-right side of the goal. The ball drew a sharp arc along the air curling around the outstretched gloves of the goalkeeper. Hitting the inside of the post itfortably curled into the bringing the winger''s action to a crescendo. ~~~ Conceding the first goal of the match did not dampen the mood of the non-bib yers as they became a lot more assertive. Their passing became more direct doing their best to head forward with each yer''s possession of the ball. However, the red team yers didn''t shrink from the challenge miniating a high-pressing line. Many times, possession of the ball changed between both teams as they battled for dominance in the midfield. A boy named Tony nimbly stole the ball from one of the non-bib central midfielders by utilising his quick feet. Turning on his axis in an attempt tounch a counterattack didn''t bear fruit as the next moment he was knocked to the ground by a slide tackle. Before Tony even had the chance toin to the coach for a free kick his midfield teammate stole the loose ball. He attempted to send a long pass to the right nk, but it was quickly intercepted by a non-bib yer. This stalemate continued to gue the game for a while until the non-bib striker managed to intercept the ball at the edge of the box. The boy with a red mohawk quickly turned to face the gaol with his second touch looking for an opportunity to shoot. Knowing that he wouldn''t get a lot of time to decide where to ce the shot he quickly swung his right foot. However, before his foot could connect with the ball, he was brought down by an abrupt tackle by one of the red team yers. Not knowing what happened the striker fell to the ground rolling a few times along the ground to absorb the impact. The defender knowing that his tackle wasn''t clean quickly put up his hands in apology walking up to the striker to apologise. Sure enough, coach Carlos blew his whistle indicating that he didn''t appreciate the poor tackle giving the non-bib yers a freekick. Luckily, the striker wasn''t injured and got up in a matter of moments indicating he was okay. He didn''t seem to care much about the red team yer''s apology as he immediately made his way to the set-piece location. Not long after that, the red team built a four-man wall in an attempt to abstract the kick taker. As expected, the boy with the mohawk would be the one to take this set piece confidently standing over the ball. One of his teammates seemed to be trying to convince him against this but he remained headstrong. His teammate could only shake his head lightly walking away whilst muttering something under his breath. [Wheet] The piercing sound of coach Carlos''s whistle signalled the green light for the striker to proceed with the dead ball situation. As the mohawked striker prepared to take the free kick, a sense of anticipation swept through the training ground. The yer took a deep breath taking three steps back before, his eyes locked on the target. He seemed to be seriously thinking of where he wanted to ce this shot as he studied the goalkeeper''s position. He didn''t contemte for long though seemingly spotting something he liked as he raised his hand to signal that he was ready. With a sudden burst of energy, he sprang into action taking quick but measured strides to the location of the ball. The striker''s foot connected perfectly with the ball following through on his swing to guide it as the leather on his boots rubbed against it. Sailing through the air, the ball drew a perfect curve that seemed to defy gravity as it cleared the human wall. Before anyone even had the chance to react the ball seemed to remember the effects of gravity as it quickly descended heading to the bottom right corner of the goal. The goalkeeper on the red-bib team also sprang into action as he leapt across his goal line, stretching his body to its limits in a desperate attempt to make the save. The ball, however, seemed to have a mind of its own, gangling just out of the goalkeeper''s reach. Time seemed to slow down as the ball slipped past the keeper''s glove. But before the striker had the chance to celebrate his goal fate intervened as a metallic sound resounded throughout the ground. The ball had collided with the post as a deafening thud echoed. The ball bounced back into y, bouncing over the downed keeper and back into the chaotic box. The striker, with his hands on his head, couldn''t believe his poor luck after witnessing his shot miss by just a single inch. The few spectators at the side of the pitch also shared his sense of disbelief as they took in a deep breath of disbelief. Whilst those at the side werementing the missed opportunity the chaos in the box escted. yers from both teams scrambled for the ball, their movements a blur of red and blue jerseys. The defenders, spurred by the narrow escape, fought tooth and nail to clear the ball. Bodies collided, and shouts of determination mixed with the heavy breathing of exhausted yers. Among the fighting yers, anky blond boy dressed in a red bib was the first to reach the ball. Not bothering to take a touch he immediately sent the ball flying to the side clearing the dangerous situation. It was only at this moment that the red team yers could finally feel relieved. ~~~ ''Haha that was a fun session,'' I subconsciously said after slumping down in the changing room. To be honest, today has been quite a fun experience since I got to y football to my heart''s content. I haven''t felt like this since the Nike camp and even then, things weren''t as rxed as they were here. Don''t get me wrong the intensity is probably on the same level if not higher. However, the pressure to improve in a short period isn''t there and the coaches take their time to exin everything. [The training here should show its effect soon enough since it''s surprisingly quite advanced.] Evamented causing my happy mood to rise even further since I knew how hard it is to raise one of my stats. She continued to exin that the targeted training here coupled with the match experience from my school team games would go a long way in facilitating that. Happy at the prospect of improving my abilities even faster I quickly dried myself with my towel and changed into clean clothes. Since I take quite long showers most of the other boys had already left with only two others still being in the changing room. Not minding them though I quickly picked up my duffel bag with my things in it and made my way out of the room. However, I quickly found myself rooted on the spot unable to decide whether to turn right or left. Not wanting to risk getting lost in thisplex again I attempted to ask Eva for directions, but she quickly let me know that she isn''t Google Maps. Luckily for me though I didn''t have to wait long as fate seemed to want to help me out of my predicament. "You good bro?" a juvenile voice spoke up from behind me causing me to turn around in surprise. The boy in front of me is someone quite familiar to me since he is a part of my training group. "Yeah, just trying to decide how to get out of this maze," I answered him with a slightly embarrassed smile on my face. He is a head taller than me with long curly locs of hair trickling down his head which entuate his blue eyes. If I didn''t possess a system, I would think of him as the true main character since everything seems to seemingly gravitate towards him. Not in a reality-bending way but in a weird social way where everyone seems to gravitate to his presence. That may be due to his actual skill, but it is also due to his looks and charisma. "haha I got lost for like my first week too,e we can walk out together." He told me with a light chuckle as he turned left to lead the way. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 130 130 Its You Not Me But Defiantly You ? [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "So, you''re also a winger too, ''huh''?" I asked the blond boy in an attempt to start a conversation after a while of walking down the corridor. A surprised look appeared on the boy''s face probably not expecting me to start a conversation. "yes" Is all he said to me with a neutral face showing no indication of continuing his sentence. Not sure how to respond to this I just continued to walk beside him waiting to see if he would say something else. "So how long have you been ying?" I asked again in an attempt to re-engage the conversation but to my disappointment, it seems like he is quite slow. The awkwardness of this whole situation just continued to weigh on me. "3 years," his answer came after a while and as expected he didn''t spare me a lot of sybles which for some reason seemed to be sacred to him. "So that was a good game," I spoke up again looking at him hoping for more of an enthusiastic reaction. What met me though was his ever-so-stoic expression as he continued walking. At this point, I realised that if I got another unenthusiastic answer I would just stop trying. "Yes," Hearing another one-word answer almost made me want to hit him but my better judgment won over me. Deciding to cut my losses with this guy I just continued walking with him in silence before I did something I''ll regret. He is probably one of those antisocial kids who is just bad at social interactions. [Or maybe he just doesn''t like you,] Evamented in an amused tone being pessimistic as always, but her words did sort of make sense. However, if that was really the case, he wouldn''t have taken the initiative to lead the way for me. Luckily this awkward atmosphere didn''t linger any longer as we arrived at the main lounge that led to freedom. Not exactly that but it set me free from the situation of walking around with someone in silence. As soon as I spotted Mom and Emma sitting at one of the sofas in the lounge, I said thank you and made a run for it. ~~~ "So how was your first day, did you enjoy it?" Dad asked after taking a seat next to me on the couch. Turning my attention away from the live broadcast of the premier league match between Man City and Arsenal. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun," I responded with a smile whilst recounting some of the memorable activities of the day. He listened to my story with his undivided attentionughing at some parts of the story and asking questions at other parts. From his invested expression I could tell that he wasn''t just humouring me but was genuinely curious. This is not something adults like to do as they don''t tend to give kids their undivided attention. Most of them just humour kids my age or simply tell us to go y somewhere else. However, in Dad''s case, it''s probably due to him being a kid at heart. "I still can''t believe you got lost twice," Emmamented from the side of the sofa after hearing my story for the second time. She had heard about how I got lost from Akira and she had to help me out so I could find the field. If that wasn''t enough when she found out how I struggled to make my way out of the facility she burst outughing even harder than before. "It''s a massive building," I mumbled in my defence not daring to voice my indignation any louder in case I never hear the end of this. However much to my horror, she seemed to have heard my words. "What did you say?" She asked in a teasing tone eying me in a way that told me I was in big trouble depending on my answer. Thest time I saw that look on her face Jenna didn''t talk to her for a week due to a prank she pulled. Looks like she is bored and is looking to start some mischief. "Nothing," I quickly replied turning my attention back to the TV only to see Fabregas confidently send a pass forward to Van Persie. The striker wasn''t given enough space to calmly control the pass and had to take it on the volley. Like a cannon, the ball left his right foot heading towards the blind side of the keeper. However, the city was in luck as the ball ended up missing the far-left post by mere inches. "Hmm ok I''ll tell the girls about it then," Emma spoke up from the side instantly causing my expression to pale. Knowing that I would have to deal with their teasing tomorrow at church or even in school. I sighed in defeat, knowing that there was no way I could escape their teasing. "Fine, go ahead and tell them," I muttered, resigning myself to my fate. Emma grinned mischievously at me, clearly enjoying having the upper hand. "Bud don''t worry," Dad chimed in, sensing my difort. "I''m sure they''ll forget all about it soon enough." I nodded, grateful for his reassurance. Just then, Mom entered the room, carrying a tray of snacks. "Who wants some popcorn?" she asked, cing the tray on the coffee table. We all eagerly reached for the popcorn, munching on it as we watched the match. Despite my earlier embarrassment, I felt content in thepany of my family. It was nice to have a moment of peace and rxation after a hectic day at the academy. As the match reached its climax, tension filled the room. Both teams were tied 1-1, and it was anyone''s game. My heart raced as I watched the yers on the screen dribble and pass, each move bringing them closer to victory. Suddenly, Arsenal''s Aaron Ramsey in a show of individual brilliance broke away from the defenders and charged towards the goal. Entering a state of inspiration, the young midfielder ran rings around his opposition until he reached a favourable position at the edge of the City Box. Not hesitating in the slightest he took the shoat as soon as spotting an openne to the goal. Like an arrow, the ball sailed towards the top right corner of the showing no signs of deviation. Shay Given City''s goalkeeper wasn''t to be outdone though as he leapt across his goal line to perform a miraculous save. We all let out a collective sigh, disappointed but still impressed by the keeper''s skill. As thest few minutes of the match ticked away, it became clear that neither team would be able to score again. "Well, it looks like it''s going to be a draw," Dad said, breaking the silence. None of us had been able to speak for the past ten minutes as the game started picking up in intensity. I subconsciously nodded at his words, feeling both relieved and a little disappointed. I had been hoping for Arsenal to take away the win, but at least it was an exciting match. Both teams gave it their all throughout the match fighting for every chance at goal. The match eventually came to an end with both teams only being able to take away a single point from their encounter. I wasn''t too disappointed though as my favourite team in the premier league Chelsea is doing quite well this season. I do however have a lot of respect for Arsenal though, well to be exact their coach Arsene Wenger. He is quite the wise coach when ites to bringing out the talent of young footballers. Even with ack of financial support, he ended up getting from the owners he managed to keep the teampetitive within the top six. If I get the chance in the future, I would like to either y for him or Klopp. "I think it''s time to turn in," Mommented from behind the sofa after hearing Emma Yawn. Since the game is over and all that''s going on right now is the post-match analysis, we didn''t argue with her as we got up from the sofa. Already feeling tired from the hectic day, I quickly followed Emma upstairs heading straight for the bathroom. For some reason, my body started to instantly shut down as soon as I thought about going to sleep. Nevertheless, we quickly finished our healthcare routine and headed for my room. I didn''t really have a choice since Emma decided that she would be sleeping over in my room today. Not that I mind it since we have sleepovers quite a lot mostly due to her being unwilling to sleep alone. Mom even joked that she might have to hire someone to have sleepovers with when she gets older. Surprisingly Emma didn''t object to that Idea stating that Zeus would protect her just in case. Oh, it was also at that moment that she told me that I was going to lose custody of Zeus when I moved out. Mom and Dad came upstairs to tuck us in and continue reading from our weekly novel, but I promptly snoozed off before I knew it. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 131 131 State youth cup round one Chapter 131 131 State youth cup round one [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Gutten Mittagds were back again for another game of football." Coach Hanz Bauer stated in a solemn tone gaining the attention of the yers in the changing room. Most of them were dressed in their red and ck home kits as they tried their best to calm their nerves for the uing match. The importance of the match can be seen in everyone''s faces with some even whipping away a light trickle of sweat of their faces. They had just finished their warm-ups and are now eagerly awaiting their coach to list today''s starting line-up. Perhaps the only two boys in the room who don''t seem to be nervous in the slightest are Tom and Rakim. The blond striker perhaps wasn''t nervous due the confidence in his own skill and simply wanted to unleash his pent-up energy. Whereas the young winger seemed rather bored opting to y with one of his dreadlocks. He seems to be more preupied with choosing what boots he will wear rather than worrying about his opponent. Coach Bauer tried his best to not scold the two of them after noticing that his two most efficient scorers didn''t seem to care about the pressure. If he was being honest, he is quite relieved that they aren''t intimidated by today''s challenge since he will need them to perform. "Today is our first game in state youth cup, if we lose it''s the end of the line for us, so I want you to go out and give it your all." He stated in a calm tone ncing into the eyes of all his yers making sure they knew what was at stake. From their serious and slightly childish nods, he could tell that they were fully focused on today''s match objective which was to Win. "We didn''t go farst year but this year we are a lot stronger," he spoke up again with a confident smile raising the atmosphere in the room. The boys seemingly hanging onto his words nodded eagerly believing his words a hundred per cent. "In between the sticks we will start off with Ben in the first half and Mike in the second," He calmly stated continuing to list the rest of the squad before either keeper could voice their disagreement. ~~~ [Red Oak Eagles vs. East River Crocodiles] The Eagles surprisingly are ying in an unfamiliar formation with coach Bauer choosing to pair up Rakim and Tom upfront. This is actually not such a surprising change as the two of them are quickly bing a deadly duo since the start of the season. Tom is quite excited to have a partner upfront since this will dissuade the opposing defenders from entirely focusing on him. GK: Ben Walker Logan Foster 2 (RB), Ole Wagner 5 (CB), Ryan Garcia 3 (Lb), Max Taylor 7 (CM), Ben Miller 10 (CAM), Finn Parker 8 (CM), Tom Walker 11 (ST), Rakim Rex 22 (ST), Perhaps the only yer not happy about this formation change is Rakim who could be seen mumbling something to himself outside the centre circle. Not particrly psyched at not being able to y his favourite position the youngster could only stare daggers at his opponents. He knew that arguing with his coach about his position was useless and might even lead to him being benched, so he decided to take out his frustration on his opponent. His series of actions left Mark the opposing striker across from him speechless. He inwardly questioned himself trying to determine if the two of them had any animosity. However, no matter how long he thought about it he couldn''t think of any bad blood they could have with each other. In fact, he even realised that he had no idea who the smaller boy was, which further confused him. All his musing came to an end though upon noticing the young striker kick up dirt out of frustration. This scene caused him to inadvertently take a step back not wanting to be anywhere near this crazy kid. Lucky for him none of his teammates noticed his timid actions so his pride could be maintained. Deciding to calm his nerves he gave the small striker a once over wanting to rify that he is not some monster. What met his sight though were the green eyes of the boy that had a subtle glow to them due light of the setting sun. But all of that didn''t matter to Mark as the glow in his eyes reaffirmed his idea of the boy being a monster. Averting his eyes, he noticed that the boy was wearing a mismatched pair of ck Nike boots further confirming the Idea of the boy being crazy. ~~~ [FWEET] The referee''s whistle signalled the start of the match prompting Rakim to pass the ball to Tom. In a show of tacit understanding, the two youngsters did not pass the ball back and instead chose to charge forward. Quickly the opposing striker wearing the blue kit closed down Tom with a powerful charge. The blond striker didn''t seem to mind the pressure though utilising a simple stop-and-go manoeuvre to bypass the opposition. Continuing to charge forward he sent a sharp pass to his left finding Rakim''s waiting feet. The youngster scooped up the pass with his right foot turning in one motion narrowly avoiding the tackle of the opposing midfielder. Utilising his arms to push off the midfielder behind him he charged head-on at the Crocodiles defender. His speed was picked up by another notch swaying his body from side to side as he performed stepovers. His action achieved their goals as the two central defenders subconsciously inched closer to him. Just as they reached the edge of the box one of the defenders couldn''t wait any longer and decided to lunge forward in an attempt to steal the ball. However, that seemed to be the signal the striker was waiting for as he dragged back the ball with his right and immediately swung his left foot. He did not shoot though as the ball followed a rainbow-like arc floating just above the defender''s head who had lunged towards him. Not expecting this he could only helplessly turn his head to see a red figure with a white number eleven fish the ball out of the air. One touch to bring the ball under control was all that Tom needed before swinging his other foot. Although his left foot is the weaker of his two feet It was barely noticeable as the shoot flew to the top right corner. With how much the young ace practices using his weaker foot it is to be expected. This strength in his weaker foot served to torment the crocodile''s keeper who could only try his best to lunge after the ball. All his effort was for naught though as no matter how much he stretched in the air he just couldn''t reach the ball. With a soft thud, the ball nestled itself into goal signalling the first goal of today''s cup match. Tom seeing his shot go in eximed with excitement turning around to celebrate with his partner only to be met with a figure jumping into his arms. The two Eagles strikers excitedly ran to the side where their parents were seated to share their excitement of scoring a goal. But their happiness was met with dumbfounded expressions as most of the spectators had barely taken a seat and the pair of them had scored a goal. However, the same could not be said for the rest of the eagle''s yers who sprinted forward with enthusiasm enveloping the two in a huddle to celebrate. As the celebration died down, Tom couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief and satisfaction. After all, he had been working tirelessly to perfect his left foot and it paid off in one swift movement. Not only that he was thankful for the fact that Rakim decided to send him the pass in the end. He didn''t doubt the fact that Rakim would have rather scored the ball himself since he is also like that. Both of them love scoring goals and would do anything in their power for their own goals. On the other hand, the two of them love winning even more so they act unselfishly when ites to helping the team win. But Little did he know that the person whom he praises as selfless has an internal mission of creating assists in this game. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 132 132 Eagles vs Crocodiles Chapter 132 132 Eagles vs Crocodiles [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The game soon restarted after the Eagles changed the score sheet in a matter of seconds. The Crocodiles yers although slightly shaken, didn''t take long for them to enter their own rhythm. With their 341 formation, they utilised their numerical advantage in midfield and started bing more aggressive. Their tackles were hard and sharp letting their opponent know that they meant business in this game. The referee didn''t see the need to control the rising tensions of the game as all tackles remained fair. The Eagles were not to be outdone though as the midfield trio kept apact formation forcing the opponents to use the nks. It was during one of their failed attempts to break through the middle, that the Number 7 of the east river crocodiles decided to go on a run along the left wing. Grabbing the loose ball after Ben blocked a through ball from his team''s captain he immediately headed wide towards the nk. In the first five minutes of the game, he had noticed that the opposing team''s number seven''s defensive coverage was pretty small so he elerated down that nk. True to his expectation a quick stop-and-go was all that he needed to get past him. Dribbling down the nk he met the defensive charge of Logan side-stepping in an attempt to guide him down the nk. However, at this point, he had already built up enough speed that the defender might as well be a moving cone. Just as Logan reached within a meter of him and stretched his hand out to make contact with him he dragged the ball back with his left foot. His movement came to a sudden stop, and he feint going across the defender with a dip of the shoulder forcing him to readjust his stance. However, that was only a bait to create an opening for him and it did the trick as he elerated down the wing after knocking the ball that way with his right foot. Logan could only watch the number seven-run past him as he tried his best to regain his bnce. None of this mattered to the winger though as he quickly reached the edge of the box ready to mount an attack. Looking in the box he spotted his team''s striker tightly marked by one of the opposing team''s defenders. Knowing that it would be tricky for his cross to connect with his teammate he chose to go all the way as he entered the box. However, he quickly changed his mind after noticing how close the eagle''s central defender had gotten to him. Knowing that he couldn''t utilise his speed to elerate past him since there wasn''t enough space he chose to bet on his teammate. He faked a shot in an attempt to throw off the defender, then yed a quick pass to his teammate, who had darted towards the penalty spot. The striker took one touch to control the ball and another to shoot whilst doing his best to hold off Ryan. But his attempt didn''t reach its intended goal and was blocked by the keeper''s outstretched leg. The ball ricocheted high into the air back towards the edge of the box. The winger, who had continued his run was presently surprised to find himself in a favourable position. Knowing he had to act fast as two defenders closed in on him, he took a chance and attempted a scissor kick. The Ball sliced through the air as the winger executed a sloppy scissor kick. However, the adrenaline he was feeling allowed him to connect his right foot with the ball. But the shot he was expecting never appeared as he swung his foot with too much power sending the ball out of the pitch. The crowd groaned as the ball flew out of bounds, but the winger couldn''t help but giggle at his own blunder. He turned around to face his teammates with a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders. His teammate gave him an encouraging thumbs up, though he could see the disappointment in their eyes. They hade so close to scoring, and he wasted it by trying something he wasn''t ready for. ~~~ Following the dangerous chance that the opposition had created the Eagle''s yer started to pay more attention to the defensive end. This resulted in the midfield bing more congested with Rakim often dropping back from the front to link up with his midfield. Often times possession of the ball would change as soon as it crossed the halfway line. It was during one of these moments of chaos that Finn took control of the ball. After performing a borderline risky slide tackle, he managed to steal the ball from the crocodile''s left midfielder. Springing up from the ground he charged forward looking to create a chance for his team. Skilfully sprinting past an oing midfielder midfield, he let his adrenalin-fuelled instincts guide him. Both Tom and Rakim sensing a potential opportunity for their team to score another goal quickly sprang into action. While Finn''s eyes were fixated on heading towards the goal, Tom decided to stay central and look for a chance to get involved in the y. Whereas Rakim chose to peel off towards the left wing dragging a defender with him as he waited for an opportunity to pierce into the box. As Finn reached the edge of the box, he spotted his Tom, making a run towards the penalty spot. With a swift pass before one of the opposing midfielders could interfere, he delivered the ball to his feet. Tom, with his quick reflexes, managed to control the ball adeptly despite the pressure from the crocodile''s defender. Knowing he didn''t have much time in this situation he turned his head to quickly gauging the situation. In an instant, he decided to go for the goal, especially after noticing that none of his teammates were in an advantageous position. Plus, with the goalkeeper rushing towards him and narrowing the angle he knew he had to act fast. Without a moment''s hesitation, he half-turned and unleashed a powerful shot towards goal. The ball left his feet flying towards the top corner of the, at a tricky trajectory that seemed destined for a goal. However, the goalie dressed in yellow had other ns showcasing unnatural levels of agility as he lunged after the ball. In a stunning disy of athleticism resembling a cat, he leapt into the air stretching his arms to the fullest, enough for his fingertips to just grazing the ball. This little touch was enough to offset the ball''s flightpath as it ricocheted off the crossbar and then bounced harmlessly outside the goal line. Seeing the ball not go in the east river yers heaved a sigh of relief knowing they escaped falling further behind in this game. ~~~ ''Hey Eva, where do you think I should ce this cross,'' I asked her after cing the ball on the corner spot. It''s more or less the tenth minute so it''s not like this is a crucial set piece but since the system wants me to assist three goals I might as well make the most of it. [Y''know I''m not going to tell you that so why do you bother to ask?] She responded unimpressed at my attempt to get her to help me. Then again, it''s not like I really need her advice as my goal sense coupled with a bird''s eye view is acting up at this moment. In the box, Ole and Tom drew the most attention with how tall they were and if it was anyone else, they would probably send the ball in their paths. However, in the corner of my view, I spotted Max close to the edge of the box, ready to make a run-in. Knowing his habits to run towards the back post when ites to corners it linked perfectly to where my goal sense is luring me to. Taking three steps back I raised my hand to signal that I was ready but the yers in the box didn''t care as the chaos in the box only intensified. Ignoring them I took a deep breath before quickly closing up on the ball. In one motion I swung my left foot simr to the snapping of a whip towards the ball. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 133 133 Mind Game Chapter 133 133 Mind Game [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ The ball took an outward curvepletely missing out the crowd around the five-yard line who rose into the air. The eagle''s yers were disappointed after noticing that they couldn''t reach the ball. Whereas the East River yers secretly breathed a sigh of relief knowing they escaped a threatening encounter. However, that sense of relief was quickly shattered when the ball took a quick dip falling close to the back post. Before it could evennd Max came sliding in slotting the ball into the. A sense of confusion spread within the East River yers as they questioned who was supposed to be marking him. All their questioning thoughts didn''t matter to Max though as he widely celebrated his goal. The rest of the eagle''s yers soon joined in on the celebration happy about the fact they were now 2:0 up in this match. The home spectators were also quick to celebrate their yers cheering happily. ~~~ With the Eagles now up by two goals the game settled into an eerie calmness as the East River''s yers seemed to be indecisive on whether to attack or strengthen their defence. This confusion resulted in them being unable to retain possession of the ball as everyone had different ideas on what they wanted to do. This resulted in a peculiar scene in the twentieth minute when one of the Rivers midfielders yed a quick pass to his defenders after stealing it from Ben. The midfielder who was expecting his defensive teammate to hold onto the ball was left enraged when the central defenderunched the ball up the field. He seemingly didn''t want anything to do with the ball as he warily eyed Tom who stopped a few feet away from him. The ball was sent flying up the right nk for their striker to chase but this didn''t matter to the East River midfielder who angrily approached the defender. "What''s your deal Jake stop giving the ball away." he loudly eximed walking up to the boy named Jake who was taken aback by the sudden outburst. However, his shock quickly turned into rage after seeing some of his teammates looking over. "What about you in midfielder? is it so hard to hold onto the ball for more than two seconds?" He retorted with anger as his face took a shade of red disying just how angry he was. "I''m doing my job of winning back the ball, but you guys keep letting the two of them just skate past you," The midfielder retorted equally enraged as he stabbed his finger at Jake''s chest causing him to take a step back. Just as he was about to respond with his fist his swinging motion stopped after hearing loud exmations from the spectators. Turning their attention towards the other side of the field they spotted their team''s strikerying on the ground in the eagle''s penalty box. Seemingly for getting the little conflict that was about to escte they quickly ran forward to ask their friends for information. But their queries were quickly answered as they watched the referee point to the penalty spot whilst bing the number three over to him. [moment''s ago] The ball rapidly sailed through the air dropping close to the edge of the right nk where the east rivers number 9 picked it up. With a decent touch, the striker guided the falling ball down the wing for him to chase after. Turning on the jets he quickly sped down the nk appearing in front of Ryan Garcia a momentter. The left-back who is ying as part of a t three today eagerly stepped forward trying to stop him. His approach was for naught though as the striker knocked the ball past him before circumventing the defender. Not willing to give up so easily Ryan turned on his axis disying his superb agility chasing after the striker. Seeing that the striker was ready to take the shot and he wouldn''t be able to get to him on time he decided to take a risk. Lunging forward in a sliding motion he swiped his foot towards the ball whilst trying his best to stop the striker''s shot. What he didn''t expect though was for the striker''s standing foot to make contact with his foot first causing him to tumble to the ground as he cleared the ball. Ryan on the ground felt quite conflicted at this moment not sure whether to celebrate his defensive stop or dread what was toe. Although he tried his best not to injure the striker, he knew that he made slight contact and judging by the boy''s Oscar-like performance he''s in trouble. Just like he expected the referee blew his whistle indicating a penalty and called him over. ~~~ "Are you okay? you''ve already got your penalty you know," Ben the Eagles keeper said to the opposing striker who had managed to roll all the way to his goal line when trying to emphasise the fact he was hurt to the referee. As if a light bulb lit up in the striker''s head as he immediately jumped up from the ground hoping on his supposed injured foot. "Thanks, bro" the striker said to the keeper only to be met with a re that caused him to jump back slightly. "Jeez, why so angry?" the striker absentmindedly mumbled to himself while he walked to his teammates who gathered at the edge of the box. "Yo Ben, you gonna save this one?" The striker heard a boy with dreadlocks he''s all too familiar with asking the keeper as he walked past him. The reason he remembered the boy is not due to the fact he yed well in today''s game but due to something else. He still remembered the weird interaction the two of them had at the start of the game and still didn''t want anything to do with him. Ignoring the boy, he quickly met up with his friends celebrating the fact he won a penalty kick. "Of course, I''ll save it, you might as well wait at the halfway line for the counter," Ben responded with a confident smile on his face fist bumping Rakim who came back to check on him. "I might just do that but if coach gets mad I''ll me, it on you," Rakim responded with a cheeky smile trying to get a reaction out of the keeper. The two went on to talk about random things whilst waiting for the referee to finish dealing with Ryan who ended up getting a yellow card. Seeing the referee motioning him to leave the box Rakim patted Ben''s shoulder before quickly jogging out of the box. Reaching the penalty spot he crossed paths with the striker trying to calm his nerves for the set piece. "Shoot right," he told the striker who had a baffled expression on his face not knowing how to take the advice. Ben who was in goals getting ready for the set-piece felt a sudden urge to kick his friend after hearing him give advice to the opponent. However, before he could evenin Rakim sent him a teasing smirk as he scurried up the field close to the halfway line. He could only sigh and focus on the striker in front of him who seemed lost in thought. "You should shoot right," he told the boy with a sly smirk jumping up and down his line trying to make himself as big as possible. Knowing his words had an effect as the frown on the boy deepened, he waited for the referee to signal the start. He didn''t have to wait long as the loud shrill of the whistle resounded throughout the field. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 134 134 Penalty Chapter 134 134 Penalty [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ [BEEEP] With the referee''s whistle signalling the green light for the Striker to take his shot a short silence hovered over the field. Only the East Rivers number 9 and Ben were the only yers in the box with almost everyone else eagerly waiting at the edge of the box. Palpebral tension could be felt as Ben continued to jump up and down his line as the opposing number 9 took three steps back. The yer quickly approached the ball whilst Ben continued to point to the right side of the. Shaking his head slightly the striker closed in on the ball and swung his right foot with full force. Instinctively or maybe intentionally the strike sent his shot to the left side of the goal. However, to his utter horror, Ben had sprung to that sidefortably catching the ball within his arm. Before he knew it Ben crashed onto the ground firmly holding the ball in his grasp, but he didn''t stay down for long. He jumped up from the ground lightly tossing the ball into the air and powerfully swung his right foot. "You should have shot right," he told the striker who still had a dazed look in front of the penalty spot. Not minding the striker, he watched his pass head straight towards the halfway line where his cousin Tom was. The Striker didn''t have the luxury offortably receiving the ball since a defender was closely marking him. Left with no other choice he rose into the air to meet the ball swinging his head to the right. Crisply connecting with the ball, he sent it flying over the nearby defender who was marking Rakim. The younger boy reacted to his pass surprisingly fast getting in behind the defender, bringing the ball down with a deft touch. Springing into action he took off towards the opposing penalty box leaving his marker behind him. The only person in his way was a defender who had decided to hang back just in case Tom and Rakim beat his teammates. It seems like his thinking was along the right track, but he didn''t anticipate just how fast his opponent would be. Remembering his training he slowly closed the distance with the smaller striker angling his body in a way to force him to the right nk. Rakim seeing the defender''s action did not slow down his pace and instead chose to increase his speed. Swaying his body slightly he used his left foot to push the ball in that direction heading across the defender''s stance. Seeing this the defender quickly struck out his foot to poke at the ball. What he didn''t expect though was for his opponent to suddenly drag the ball back and poke it through his legs. Before he could even react to what happened he felt the wind and what seemed like hair brush past his right cheek. Looking back, he watched the striker chase after the ball entering the box at a high speed. Rakim who had just gotten past thest defender had just managed totch onto the ball when the keeper came sliding towards him. Sensing the danger and seeing that there is no way of bypassing him from the sides he had to act quick. Quickly swinging his left foot that had justtched onto the ball he gently chipped forward into the air. Doing his best to avoid the keeper''s slide he watched sail past his gloves and head for the goal. Only when the ball fell into the did he notice that he had been tripped by the keeper''s boots. His apparent fall didn''t bother him though as he sprung up from the ground animatedly celebrating his goal. It didn''t take long for him to be enveloped by his happy teammates who celebrated his goal. The East River yers could only watch them in despair wondering how their penalty resulted in them another goal. ~~~ ''(sigh) they went crazy thosest five minutes,'' I subconsciously thought to myself as I made my way to the changing room. The first half ended with a score of 3:0 but with how fiercely they attacked us in those dying minutes gave off the impression they were the ones winning. [You guys got really lucky that Ben decided to pull through for you,] Eva said pointing out the fact that our defence wascklustre at best in thest five minutes. It''s not all the defender''s fault since our midfield was just overrun by the opponents who started ying with a lot of desperation. I guess we weren''t expecting them to dig deep and try their hardest to score a goal since most teams we have yed would have given up by now. It also didn''t help Max isn''t that strong when ites to his defence. ''I know with the way he was ying I wouldn''t take him off if I was coach,'' I answered her after remembering how he denied them a goal from close range. The East Rivers striker in an effort to redeem himself cleverly broke past the marking of Logan and slipped into the box. Ole couldn''t get to him on time due to the speed of their transition allowing him to be in a one-on-one with the keeper. Ben the alert keeper he is had already crossed half of his box by the time the striker entered the box. Slightly startled at Ben''s speed and the pressure he brought with him the striker knew he had to act quick. But remembering the fact he didn''t convert the penalty, he gritted his teeth and decided to go for power. Swinging his right foot, he sted the ball with all his power determined to get it past him. From such a close-range Ben didn''t have time to adjust his footing or even think and had to act on instinct. Raising his arm, he managed to connect his elbow with the ball sending it towards Ryan. The defender flustered at suddenly getting the ball decided to just clear it with a powerful kick. However, his kick didn''t go far rebounding off the unsuspecting Finn''s chest causing him to fall on his back. This mistake by the Eagles allowed one of the East Rivers midfielders to snatch the loose ball and send a shot towards the mostly empty. Already celebrating his goal, the midfielder was left stupefied when Ben the Eagles keeper leapt towards the goal like a dolphin. In a show of heroics, he stretched out his right hand to the ball bringing his fingertips to it. Barley managing to tip the ball against the bar before iling into his own goal. The danger wasn''t over though as the ball fell into the path of the East River striker giving him a chance at redemption. Deciding to y it safe he passed the ball towards the towards the bottom left corner. However, to his utter horror, the keeper who fell into his lunged headfirst towards the ball and used his hand to swat it away. Luckily for him, the ball rolled towards Ole who immediately cleared it up the right nk sending it out for a throw-in. It wasn''t all Ben''s heroics that resulted in them not being able to score as Ole performed quite a few defensive stops. He seemed to have gotten serious after seeing Ben save three consecutive shots in a row. With him bing more active in his movements made it a lot harder for the opponents to easily get into the box. Quite a few times he could be seen throwing his body in the line of long shots or sliding in to stop or intercept the opponent. He also got a lot more vocal instructing Logan and Ryan on what to watch out for. With both Ole and Ben showing up in those dangerous moments it allowed us to get through the first half with a clean sheet. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 135 135 We Are Not The Same Chapter 135 135 We Are Not The Same [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ ---- [Ding: Match Quest] -Provide 3 Assists (2/3) -Win the match ---- ''I feel like the system is trying to tell me something by giving me this quest,'' I muttered inwardly as I made my way back to the field. The intermission has ended, and it is time for another half of football which I personally am looking forward to. Our halftime talk wasn''t as intense as the one fromst week, with the coach praising us for our decisiveness. Stating that he wants to see more of that, especially in front of the opposing goal. He did however emphasize for us to remain grounded stating that we haven''t won the match yet and there is still plenty of time for them to catch up with us. He didn''t make a change to our line-up yet other than switching the keepers as he promised at the start of the match. No one minded this since we are doing well so far but we knew that we can''t count our winnings just yet. Plus, coach indicated that he would make some changes after the first five minutes. Most likely he would strengthen our defence so there is a high chance I woulde off leaving me with little time toplete the mission. All I can do now is to try my best and everything else is just an added bonus. What is the worst that could happen? If I fail it just means I have to work harder. [It''s probably trying to test you by giving you the corresponding tasks to the position you selected at the start.] Eva spoke up bringing me out of my musing making me realise that her words were probably true. After all the main job of a traditional winger is to create attacking situations along the nk and assist the strikers. It doesn''t really matter though, If I get the chance, I''ll provide an assist but if I''m through on goal I won''t hesitate to shoot. ~~~ (Fweet) With the sound of the whistle signalling the start of the second half the East River striker quickly knocked back the ball to his midfielder. Like a pack of hungry Crocodiles, they swarmed the Eagles half eager to put a goal on the score sheet. The midfielder instantly sent a weighted pass to his right winger narrowly dodging the tackle of Tom and Rakim. The right mid calmly received the ball taking off down his nk trying to shake the guard off Finn. He cleverly utilised his arm to hold off his opponent whilst maintaining his speed. It was only when they reached the side of the box that the winger came to a stop ready to face Finn head-on. Performing a quick body feint the right winger yed a quick pass towards the edge of the box. One of the East River central midfielders was there to receive it nimbly dodging the tackle of Ben. The midfielder didn''t bother moving any further with the ball choosing to fire a shot at goal from there. with a muffled bag, the ball left the embrace of his boot charging toward the light side of the goal. The sudden shot didn''t leave enough time for Mike between the sticks to react forcing him to move on instinct. However maybe due to still not having limated to the match atmosphere or maybe his motor was still heating up he was unable to get to the ball in time. He could only helplessly watch it pierce into his as he was a second too slow in his reaction. His feelings or excuses for conceding a goal so early in the second half didn''t matter to the East River yers who wildly celebrated the goal. They had finally left their mark in this game, and they were letting all their pent-up frustration out. From the beginning of the match, they had struggled to really find their footing in this match and at times it even seemed hopeless. After all, falling to a deficit of 3 goals is devastating for a team''s morale and would usually lead to friction chemistry. Not for the East River crocodiles though as they let their frustration fuel their game y which reworded them their long-awaited goal. Although it would not do much to affect the score line, it is definitely a start for now, It''s a glimmer of hope for the Crocodiles. ~~~ As the cheers from the opposing team echoed through the ground, I felt a pang of disappointment. I know that it''s not entirely my teammate''s fault that we lost that goal since some credit needs to be given to the opposing yers. But a part of me can''t help but rage with anger at them for underestimating them. Even though we are winning it doesn''t mean it''s a foregone conclusion, especially with how shaky our defence is. "Heads up boy let''s not let that happen again," Logan loudly Hord in an attempt to get our morale going but you could easily tell that it was profunctor. There was hardly any passion in his words with him evenughing at a Joke Finn made. Looking around I Easily noticed that apart from Ben Miller and Tom no one else seems really bothered by the goal. Well, Mike is also angered by the goal but his frustration stems from the fact he conceded, and Ben did not. For some reason, he developed argely one-sided revelry with Ben, trying topete with him at every chance he gets. Ben however is just on a different level from him, it''s not due to physical skill since they have quite the simr stature with him only being a little shorter. Their difference if I had to pinpoint it is their spiritual presence. Before you ask, No I''m not talking about some anime superpower mumble jumbo. This is real, but then again so is my system, so who am I to stop you from believing you could be Him. In all seriousness what sets Ben apart is the fact he is special, not in the huge exmation mark above his head way. But in a sense where you could easily trust him to get a job done without verifying his actual skill. You can just tell that if he continues to improve at the rate, he is going he is going ces. That is the type of vibe he gives off at age 9 which is quite impressive if you ask me. The scary part is he approaches his goalkeeping like his life depends on it. He rarely makes mistakes and if he does, he will train to never easily make the same mistake. That is probably why he doesn''t really take Mike seriously since thetter does not put all his attention on football dabbling as a part-time basketball yer. However, disregarding those few everyone else is seemingly unbothered by the warning shots our opponents have been sending us. Heck even after they tasted blood by scoring against us there is not a hint of worry in their faces. This is probably the first time I realise that me and them are not the same. Whilst I''m trying to use every chance to improve my skills on the road to reaching a higher stage. They are simply happy to take one game at a time and enjoy the happiness that the sport offers. It''s not like I can fault them though since football primarily is all about having fun, especially at this age. I couldn''t help but think about how this goal might impact my mission. Would coach be more inclined to make changes to a more defensive formation? I shook off my doubts, reminding myself that I still had time to take the matter into my own hands. ~~~ Coach''s voice boomed across the field, urging us to stay focused and not lose our momentum. He reminded us that we were still in the lead and that we needed to continue ying our game. The referee''s whistle blew, signalling the restart of the match as we kicked off from the middle spot for the second time in this match. We regained possession of the ball, and I could feel the determination burning within me. As the Crocodiles pushed forward, I found myself in a perfect position to receive a pass from Ben after dropping off the ball. With a burst of speed, I sprinted down the right nk, leaving the opposing defenders trailing behind realising the danger of letting me roam free. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 136 136 Free Kick Chapter 136 136 Free Kick [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Spotting me making a run in-between two of the crocodile''s midfielders Ben sent a precise thru ball in my way. Letting it go through my legs I quickly knocked it to the right the moment it appeared in front of me. Just in time to avoid the tackle of the closest East River midfielder. Not at all flustered at being on the right wing due to my ambidexters ball feel I charged down the wing. Feeling the wind wish past me as my dreadlocks fluttered, I continued to charge down the wing. For some reason, I felt freer as soon as I entered the wing, but I couldn''t relish in this feeling as two dark blue jerseys surrounded me caging me in. With their left back in front of me and one of their midfielders to my left, they started to apply pressure on me forcing me to slow down slightly. Knowing that I couldn''t let them get any closer I lowered my centre of gravity a little making a swift change of direction towards the boy on my left. My sudden movement caught the boy off guard resulting in him subconsciously stepping back slightly. I did not advance further though having no intention to brute force my way past him. Dragging the ball back towards the touchline with my left I changed direction yet again. This resulted in both defenders bumping shoulders slightly as the left back followed up to help his teammate. Seeing the gap down the wing a slight smile appeared within my vision as I lightly knocked the ball forward with my right. However, before fullymitting to elerating down the touchline I noticed the Midfielder pushing the left back into my run. Sensing the danger as my adrenaline boiled, I came to a sudden stop scooping up the ball with my left foot and turning in one motion. Performing a hundred and eighty-degree turn I vaguely saw the left back fall behind me as I knocked the ball past the midfielder quickly slipping past him. Taking another step to reach the edge of the box from the right nk I swung my left foot with gusto before their centre back could get closer. However, just as my foot was approaching the ball a hand from behind yanked my left shoulder. The sudden shift in my bnce caught me off guard but I tried my best to adjust wrapping my foot further around the ball. The shot that should have headed to the goal in a straight line now followed a curved arc simr to the shape of a banana. My pink Nike boot sent the ball curling in the air with a lot of backspin as it headed towards the far corner of the goal. Slicing through the air it quickly arrived close to the goal as the keeper sailed through the air in the flight path of the ball. However, all this was not within my sight as my back roughly impacted the ground causing a slight pain to course through my body. Before I could even let the impact register a blue figurended on top of me with his elbow jabbing into my stomach. This caused the air within my body to uncontrobly escape through my mouth as I gasped for breath. Just as I started to get a clear understanding of what led to my current satiation, I heard the shrill ding of the ball hitting the woodwork. My hope of it bouncing into the goal was also quickly diminished by the audible sighs from the spectators. Knowing that my shot attempt was unsessful I decided to push the boy who was still on top of me in order to steady my breathing. ~~~ It took me a second to steady my breathing as the boy''snding on me was quite heavy. Luckily, I don''t feel particrly hurt other than the pain caused due to my roughnding there shouldn''t be anything to worry about. Well, I might have a massive bruise but that''s a problem forter. My musing came to a sudden stop just as I sat up from the ground and I felt someone yanked me up pulling my dreads. "Get up and stop faking," a boy''s voice said from behind me trying to force me up by my hair. Not bothering to look back I swung my hand pping his grip off his grip my hair stooping the pain cursing on top of my head. Turning around to face the boy I was just about to let my displeasure known but he was sent tumbling to the ground by Ole. "What do you think you''re doing?" He bellowed at the boy with venom clearlyced in his tone as he protectively stood in front of me. He wasn''t the only one to rush up as most of my teammates came running over with Tom and Max being at the forefront. A chaotic crowd from both teams quickly developed prompting the referee to quickly take control of the match. With us still being young and innocent no one was quick to choose violence with pushing being the most that happened. Added with the referee quickly taking control of the situation any potential violence was nipped in the bud. He quickly booked the boy who took me down which by the way is the same boy who pulled my hair. The boy was given a yellow card, but the referee asked the East Rivers coach to take him off. Given the fact that the league is a youth development tform, the coach was quick to agree and took him off. He was probably thankful that the referee chose not to give him a straight red causing his team to suffer. However, this seemed like an unspoken rule within the league as the referees gave coaches a bit of leeway in order to allow them to take troublesome yers off before they were forcefully sent off. Whilst the ref was dealing with the chaos, I got up to on my feet lightly stretching my back to reduce the strain. ~~~ (Fweet) The referee blew his whistle indicating a freekick for the Eagle''s yers due to the illegal challenge of the East River''s midfielder. Although disgruntled by the official''s decisions they could only obediently set up for the defence of this set piece. They quickly set up a four-man wall ten yards away from the ball following their keeper''s instruction. Both Rakim and Ben could be seen standing over the ball discussing what they would do with this opportunity. By the time the referee blew his whistle to give them the go-ahead to take the shot, they were ready. Rakim stood a couple steps to the right of the ball looking to hit the ball with his left. Whistle Ben faces the ball head-on ready to send a powerful shot to the goal. The two didn''t waste another second after receiving the go-ahead from the referee with Ben racing towards the goal. Rakim followed suit beginning his approach towards the ball a secondter confusing the defenders. It looked like Ben would take the shot head-on as he swung his foot towards the ball. However, the midfielder''s foot never met the ball as his foot missed the ball entirely as he ran past it heading in the direction of the corner g. His action received the desired effect of confusing the defensive wall as some turned in his direction. Theirps of focus was exactly what Rakim wanted as his left foot curled around the ball sending it towards the box. The ball took on an outside curve from the edge of the box heading towards the crowd of yers in the box. Both team''s yers rose into the air fighting with all their strength to win in the aerial duel. A couple steps behind the penalty spot Ole could be seen rising high above the crowd swinging his head to meet the ball. With a powerful header the trajectory of the ball abruptly changed veering downward towards the goal. With the power of his header, the ball pierced into the unimpeded as the keeper was left rooted to the spot unable to react. Ole who steadilynded on the ground eximed in happiness upon seeing that he scored a goal. He wasn''t the only one happy though as the rest of his teammates swarmed him celebrating his goal. They were happy at being able to regain the initiative in this game. Ole more than anyone knew how important this goal was as he could feel howx his team was bing. As the captain he could easily tell how dangerous the situation was having experienced losing matches he should have wonst season. lights¦­¦Ïvel . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 137 137 Chaos Chapter 137 137 Chaos [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ ---- [Ding: Match Quest] -Provide 3 Assists (3/3) -Win the match ---- ''Looks like I''m a step closer topleting the mission,'' I thought to myself after seeing the mission pop up. I don''t quite like these types of mission especially when it doesn''t tell me the rewards beforehand. I can''t reallyin though as the system gives me a lot of boosts, so if it wants to set random quests, I''ll just have to suck it up. [Mystery missions like that are the ones with the most value so make sure toplete them.] Evamented making me look forward to the mysterious reward that I''m destined to receive since this match is pretty much won. Unless by a stroke of luck, they decide to score 3 goals in a row to equalise the score. The game was quick to restart but coach utilised the moment of pause to make a few substitutions. Max was substituted for Jake Smith strengthening our defensive line to a t four. Ben was also substituted for Damian to further strengthen our defence as I dropped down to midfield making it a t three. With us ying a 431 formation our midfield and defence took a qualitative leap with us managing to gain more control of the match. The East River yers who were now trailing by three goals started tounch reckless attacks at our half. They didn''t seem to have a n and just wanted to somehow reach our goal through solo heroic''s or the asional teamwork. Their consistent pressure beard fruit in the 45th minute when their left winger managed to slip past Finn. Charging forward he speed down the nk leaving Finn in his rear-view mirror. He was quickly met with Logan Foster''s aggressive charge quickly closing down on him. Seeing this the winger slightly hesitated debating whether to take the defender on or look for a passing option. Knowing he didn''t have time to deliberate he looked towards the edge of the box where his team''s striker lurked. Spotting a clear passingne, he swung his left foot ready to send the ball over. The expected pass never came though as his foot kicked the ground poking the ball forward upon seeing Logan lunge towards the direction he was going to pass to. Slotting the ball through his legs he speeds past him quickly entering the box before Jake could fully close him down. Forced toe to a stop as the imposing body of Jake hovered over him blocking his path at goal. Performing a quick step over with his right foot in an attempt to bate the defender he quickly knocked it to his stronger left. Jake remained steadfast not moving in the slightest but that only emboldened the winger. With a cheeky smile, he rolled the ball forward towards Jake''s open legs causing the defender to panic. In an attempt to stop the ball, he quickly closed his legs by bringing his feet together. But the expected ball never came as his opponent dragged the ball back performing a roulette turn and elerating past him. Just as the winger was about to shoot the ball that was a step in front of him a pair of boots knocked the ball away. He could only watch with frustration as Ole got up from the sliding interception with the ball at his feet. The defender seemed unbothered by his actions promptly sending the ball out of the box with a weighted pass. ~~~ In the 50th minute, the Crocodiles received a free-kick when Damian brought down their striker at the edge of the box. The striker managed to slip past the midfield line after a failed eagle''s counter looking to charge through the gap in the defensive line to charge into the box. Just as he was about to enter the box, he was sent tumbling to the ground by Jake who came in with a sweeping slide tackle. Before the striker could evennd on the ground from the tackle the referee blew the whistle. He came running towards the two of them signalling a freekick not liking the tackle. Luckily none of the two yers were injured by the collision quickly getting up from the turf reedy to resume the match. Jake couldn''t get away with just a waning though as the referee reached into his pocket pulling out a yellow card. he had not been in the game for a long time and now needs to be very careful not to end up in the official''s books a second time. The striker on the other hand although frustrated by the tackle didn''t cause a fuss much more preupied with taking the set piece. He didn''t have to wait long as the referee quickly brought the situation under control as the Eagles mounted a four-man wall in front of the ball. This was aplete contrast to the chaos that broke out within the box. yers could be seen pushing each other as they tried topete for the best position. The referee had to intervene with quite a few rowdy yers who were getting too rowdy for his liking. His warning bore fruit in calming the atmosphere within the box allowing the ref to signal the start of the set-piece. A short silence spread throughout the ground as all eyes gathered on the striker waiting to see what he would do with this opportunity. They didn''t have to wait long as the striker quickly closed in on the ball the moment, he received the go-ahead sending it towards the goal. His shot focused on power narrowly avoiding the four-man wall heading towards the goal. Mike on his goal line barely had enough time to take two steps before leaping into the air. He barely managed to bring his fingertips to the ball slightly deviating its course. His fingertips weren''t enough though as the ball still managed to enter the after ricocheting off the post. With the ball in the, the listless away fans were spurred back to life loudly cheering on their yers. The striker who scored didn''t bother celebrating opting to fish the ball out of the in order to resume the match as soon as possible. All the East River yers felt a sense of excitement spread within them as they returned to their own half. All of their efforts proved effective, and this goal was just the icing on the cake. Perhaps the only ones not feeling the excitement were the eagles who seemed to sense the dangerous turn the match was taking. They had already started thinking about their next opponents and stopped taking this match seriously. It was only at this moment that they realised that their opponents were ready to fight till thest minute and they could still lose their lead. ~~~ With a score of 4:2, the match took a drastic turn in thest five minutes of the match. Both teams started to actively battle for possession of the ball not willing to give up by an inch. The Eagles having received a wake-up call by their opponent''sst goal were unwilling to concede another. Whilst the Crocodiles whose morale is at an all-time high bravely charged forward with a do-or-die mentality. This created a deadlock within the middle of the pitch with no team being able to mount much of an attack. Let alone attack they were unable to hold onto the ball for too long due to how congested the middle of the park became. It was only in thest minute of the math when the East River right winger managed to break free and took off on a run down the nk. Rakim was hot on his trails using his speed to quickly reach his side and started harassing the winger. The two speed-stars raced shoulder to shoulder down the wing as the Crocodiles winger tried his best to protect the ball. It looked like Rakim was getting ready to slide in, but he wasn''t too confident and thus opted to continue to harass his opponent. By positioning himself in a way that made it impossible for his opponent to run across him he forced the winger all the way to the corner g. The winger''s attempt to quickly change his direction was met with Rakim steeping in front of his path. However, that proved to be a mistake as the winger was simply trying to bait him and it worked. Seeing Rakim take the bait he charged past him along the baseline entering the box in a single breath. The winger continued into the box zing past the Eagles left back ready to shoot at any second. Mike decided to scramble off his line trying to pounce on the winger before he could shoot. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 138 138 Oles Determination Chapter 138 138 Ole''s Determination [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ Seeing Rakim take the bait he charged past him along the baseline entering the box in a single breath. The winger continued into the box zing past the Eagles left back ready to shoot at any second. Mike decided to scramble off his line trying to pounce on the winger before he could shoot. The winger had no thoughts of letting Mike get any closer though as he quickly whipped his foot back letting loose a powerful shot. The ball swished along the ground taking a sharp curve past the outstretched legs of the keeper. With a soft thud, the ball slipped into the followed by a sliding boot that narrowly missed the ball. Ole who slid into the goal could only lemony the fact that he was just a second toote in his actions. Their opponents whom they had been easily beating have narrowed their lead to just one goal now. For him who prides himself on his definitive ability, this is quite shameful. After all his attacking teammatespleted their job by scoring goals making sure they stayed ahead. Whilst on the defensive end they let the opponents score 3 times. That is three too many times for his liking especially when he feels like he is one of the best defensive yers in the league. However, he knows that it''s not entirely his fault since he can''t do everything by himself. But the feeling of always being a step toote is quite ufortable which is why he is so frustrated. If he could just get to the attackers first the chances of them getting by him would be zero. Maybe he''s a little overconfident in his abilities but facts have proven that he is just that good. It''s too bad that his high defensive awareness is the reason that coach wants him to y the role of a libero. Having the responsibility as thest man in the defensive line is a little useless when most of the attacks are from the nks. He can''t really me the coach though since his role as the libero has allowed him to lock down the opposing striker. If he was being truthful he loved the feeling when he shattered an attackse hope at goal after getting past everyone. The responsibility of being thest man doesn''t really bother him in fact he relishes the trust ced in him. It is a direct affirmation of his skills as a defender and something he works hard to improve. Deciding to work harder in training he quietly got up from the ground swearing to not let them score another goal. He didn''t even have to fish the ball out of the goal as the crocodiles were more eager than him to get the ball. ncing across his teammates who all have slight panic written all over their faces he could only sigh and hope the game ends quick. ~~~ The official decided to add an extra 2 minutes to the game giving the Crocodiles enough time to score another goal. However, the Eagles had no ns of letting that happen especially with victory so close at hand. More than that they didn''t want their fate to be decided by the luck of a penalty shoot-out. The junior state cup is quite peculiar in the fact that it goes straight to penalties instead of ying extra minutes. Tom quickly kicked off passing the ball back to Rakim outside the centre circle. The winger calmly received the ball heading wide having no ns to pass the ball back to his defence. He probably didn''t want to take the risk of them making a mistake with how shaky their performance has been in this half. But more likely he just wanted to keep the ball at his feet trusting his skills more than anyone else. He didn''t get far as the opposing striker came racing towards him ready to pounce on the ball at any moment. Seeing the striker in front of the winger remained calm turning away from the striker to go back to where his left back was. The striker who hadn''t slowed down yet decided to run around him looking to intercept him. However, the situation of him facing the winger never happened as Rakim seemingly changed his mind mid turn choosing to turn back. Easily avoiding the striker''s initial charge, he calmly dribbled the ball forward at a steady pace. The winger seemingly had no ns of going full speed as he made his way across the halfway line. He wasn''t given much freedom though as two opposing midfielders charged his way looking for a pincer attack. Sensing the danger, he knocked the ball forward a little further than usual into the direction of the midfieldering from his front. The opponent seemed to think he made a mistake as he sped up his run lunging towards the ball looking to block it. The expected contact with the ball never came though since he had closed his eyes expecting an impact, he didn''t see what happened. All he felt was a chilly breeze passing through his crotch as he lost bnce due to not hitting anything. Although he did not see what happened doesn''t mean that his teammates also missed it. His midfield teammates who had approached to help him saw everything clearly. The winger had abruptly increased his speed pocking the ball through his teammate''s legs as he slipped by him. Having seen this clearly, he quickly adjusted changing his forward motion to the side in an effort to catch up with the winger. A secondter he was side by side with the winger ready to disrupt his run and win the ball for his team. He knew that they didn''t have much time before the referee ended the match, so he had to be quick. Just as he was picking up his pace, he stretched out his hand to leverage his strength on his opponent. However, before he could grasp onto the winger''s shoulder he abruptly stopped in his tracks as he kept running. Rakim who came to a stop looked up scanning his surroundings for the first time since he started his run. Having seemingly found a teammate run that was to his liking he pointed a finger gesturing for them to continue their run. The next second he swung his right foot towards the ball, but the expected long pass never came as he scooped up the ball instead. In one motion he guided the ball back down the nk narrowly avoiding the slide tackle of the boy who had just run past him. Going past the yer for a couple steps he swung his left foot sending a high through ball towards the box. The ball''s flight path took on a curved arcpletely bypassing the right back that was charging at him heading for the penalty spot. In the box, Tom along with another centre back were the first to switch onto the ball as they raced toward itsnding point. Tom who had a slightly superior reaction speed managed to get a slight advantage but not by much as the defender clung to his side. The keeper was too slow in his reaction hesitating too long on whether to charge out or stand his ground. This indecisiveness is what allowed Tom the freedom to choose where he to send the ball. The prerequisite to this is that he managed to get to the ball first. Not wanting to let the ballnd he lunged forward stretching his leg out to the descending ball. His defensive carryon had the same Idea raising his foot in an attempt to interfere with the striker. He was toote though as the striker managed to connect with the ball first redirecting the ball''s flightpath towards the goal. The ball picked up speed heading towards the right side of the goal as the keeper leapt after it. He wasn''t able to react quick enough to bring his gloves to the ball, but luck was on his side as the ball deflected off the post heading out for a goal kick. Seeing his shot miss Tom could only defectively sigh as hemented his bad luck. He wasn''t the only one sad about his miss as the crowd of parents, teachers and ssmates groaned at just how close he was. His frustration didn''t have a chance to fester though as the referee promptly blew his whistle signalling the end of the match. Realising his team had one he shook off the negative thought as he got up to celebrate with his friends. They were moving on to the next round keeping their hopes for a cup trophy alive. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 139 139 Parking lot Commotion Chapter 139 139 Parking lot Commotion [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ ---- [Ding congrattions onpleting the: Match Quest] -Provide 3 Assists (3/3) -Win the match ---- Rewards: 1 Singrity stat potion (upgrade one of the host''s stats by a single level) ---- ''Hey Eva, is what I''m seeing right?'' I asked her wanting to make sure that I was not dreaming. After all the reward seems a little overpowered for justpleting three assists. Upgrading just one of my higher stats by a single level could transform my whole game to a brand-new stage. So, getting something so preciouses forpleting a simple mission seems a little out of ce if you ask me. I''m notining though since it only serves to benefit me in the end. [yes, it is real the system doesn''t make a mistake after all, plus the high reward has more to do with the fact it''s your first special match quest. Quest like that without a set reward give out more rewards so I rmend youplete them.] She answered me in a neutral tone emphasising the benefits of these random match missions that the system will offer me in the future. ---- [Ding Post Match Review] >Goals scored: (1) = 200Sp >Assists: (3) = 150Sp >Cards: 0 = 10Sp >Final Match score: 4:3 Victory = 30Sp >Match Rating: 8.9 ---- Before I could continue to ponder on the unexpected reward the post-match review appeared in my vision. The extra 390Sp is a much-needed currency for me right now so I can''tin. I am happy about the fact that the system chose to change my rating to a numerical value rather than the grade format. It''s much easier to understand my overall match performance with numerical feedback. Then again judging by how the coach was throwing critiques around the locker room like grenades I easily understood where I made mistakes. My positional awareness is just dragging me down, I''m still finding it hard to seamlessly adjust to positional changes. Especially when we are on the defence, and I have to track back to offer support to my back line. Myte positional transition makes it harder to coordinate with my left back when trying to win the ball. Don''t get me wrong when it''s just a one-on-one duel I find it much easier for me to win the ball back. I guess in my mind I expect my teammates to do the same but that''s not an excuse for my faults. Looks like I''ll just have to continue working hard to make up for my faults and hope my teammates will continue to mess up. After all the more they make simple mistakes the less obvious mine seem when taking into consideration my attacking strength. ---- [FOOTBALL SINGULARITY SYSTEM] USER: Rakim Rex AGE: 6yrs TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade- B Singrity Points: 880 Position: Winger (Evaluation: A boy with a wealth of untapped talent and great potential for bing a professional ser yer,) [ USER STATS] >Physical Fitness: C >Football Technique: B- >Game Intelligence: D+ >Mental Ability: S >X-Factors: - >Singrity Skills *Bronze Level Goal Sense (Passive) *Bird''s eye view (Passive) *Bronze Level Comeback Kid (Active) ---- ''Hmm looks like I still have a long way ahead of me,'' I mused to myself as I looked over my status screen. I''ve got no ns of using that stat upgrade potion for the time being choosing to wait and see. Who knows I might reach a bottleneck somewhere and this potion wille in handy. It shouldn''t be hard to see some improvements in my stats now that I''ve started training with ACE. Deciding to leave those thoughts forter I promptly made my way to the parking lot to meet up with my family. I wasn''t the only one looking to get away quick since coach wasn''t too happy with our second-half performance. Never thought silence could be so unbearable even though we won the match in the end you could feel the disappointment. Coach stood in the room for a good five minutes in silence without saying a word. You could particrly feel him contemting on what to say to us as he scanned the room until he eventually just sighed. In the end, all he said was "good fight out there, well talk on Monday," nothing more before leaving. "What were you doing out there? You yed like shit!" A loud voice drew my attention as soon as I left the building. Looking over in that direction I spotted Mike being chewed out by a man with a striking resemnce to himself. Figuring that it must be his Dad I was slightly surprised by the dynamics of the two''s rtionship. The fact his father was lecturing him wasn''t what surprised me but the fact that the man was nothing like what Mike described. ording to him, his dad used to y football back in the eighty''s all across the world. He came up as a keeper in the AC Min academy when they were still in Seria B in 1980 but never managed to make it to the first team. He went on to make his debut for Portsmouth, after being loaned away by Liverpool who went on to win the league that season. Don''t get it confused he wasn''t good enough to sign with the Reds, but the AC Min bored wanted to get rid of his wage, so they sent him as a package deal. The man is what you would call a football wanderer as he yed for many teams since the beginning of his career never staying with a team beyond two years. Then again you could also see it in a positive light as he managed to have a colourful football journey by travelling the world. But the man seems to put all his hopes on Mike now to win the glory he never managed to achieve in his career. This is probably the main reason why Mike became a keeper in the first ce. "How many times do you want to let score against you, have some pride and save the DAM ball," Mr Terrance boomed over again bringing me out of my thoughts. He really seems hellbent on letting his son know just what he thought of his performance in today''s match. Mike can''t really be med though since the team''s performance visibly dropped in the second half but his Dad didn''t seem to care about that fact in the slightest. "I don''t care how shit your teammates y, that just makes it easier for you to shine so get the finger out and grow a backbone on your goal line." Mr Terrance voiced after Mike tried to shrug a portion of the me away from himself but that backfired quickly. "What did you say about my Kid?" a pot-bellied man in what looks like farmer''s clothes jumped out of his truck and strode towards Mr. Terrance. Not expecting the sudden interruption to his tirade, he subconsciously stepped back defensively raising his hands. "I don''t care about you kid, my boy actually has talent," Mr. Terrance retorted after managing to gather hisposure. Things were escting fast, and people started to gather around the two men wanting to stop the two of them before they could get physical. "You trying to say my boy''s got no talent?" The pot-bellied man retorted once again getting in Mr. Terrance''s face with his face visibly turning red. Just as he grabbed the man''s cor the men in the surrounding quickly broke the two off. The both of them were quickly contained by the crowd who tried their best to de-escte the situation. In the end, no fists were thrown but the two of them did not mince their words in the slightest. Not bothering to pay any more attention to the two grown children I made my way to the car where Emma and Mum were waiting for me. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 140 140 Weird System Dream Chapter 140 140 Weird System Dream [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "What''s going on over there?" Emma asked me as soon as I stepped into the car. Surprisingly, she didn''t have any of her friends with her, which is weird since they are practically glued to the hip. "Don''t worry about it, just some grown kids arguing about who yed worse," I answered her whilst settling into my seat ready to go home and hop into my ice bath. Mum didn''t seem to care about themotion and simply started driving us home. "You yed well today," Mum praised from the front making brief eye contact with me through the rear-view mirror. She genuinely seemed happy about my performance even though I felt like I could have done better. "Cheers" I answered her letting the calmness of the car ride settle in as my thoughts started to drift. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep letting my fatigue guide me into dreand. ~~~~ "Huh, where am I?" I asked no one in particr as I gazed across the grass of a dpidated stadium. The stands were deserted as a sense of destion loomed over the aged seats. You could easily tell that no spectators have been here to watch another match in a long while. Looking around I spotted quite a few cracks and holes in the walls of the stadium. That''s not even mentioning the huge hole on one side of the roof which I don''t know how I missed. Despite how run down the whole stadium seems the grass surface I''m currently standing on is surprisingly smooth. The grass is cut at just the perfect length not too long and not too short. I almost feel like I ammitting a crime just standing here with my boots as my studs pierce into the ground. "Hello, is anyone there," I eximed again after calming my nerves about the odd situation I find myself in. My exmation was met with nothing but silence yet again with no one responding. Realising that I''m probably stuck on my own here I started walking around the pitch. ''Sigh at least give me a ball,'' I subconsciously thought to myself only to almost trip over my feet as a glowing blue ball appeared in front of me. Not sure what was going on I decided to just go with the flow quickly bringing the ball under my control. With a quick flick up I started juggling the ball between my feet trying my best to keep its height low and maintain control of it. At some point, I got so locked in my activity that I forgot my surroundings. When I reached around the 70th juggle I had the sudden thought of having a defender pressure me as I was getting bored. Before I knew it a boy in an afro wearing a white top came out of nowhere poking the ball loose from my right side. At this moment, I realised that whatever this strange stadium is, it is controlled by my thoughts. Chasing after the unknown y whom I made appear out of thin air I eagerly started closing him down. The boy in the afro didn''t avoid me in the slightest in fact he faced me head-on trying to take the ball past me. He performed a quick step over dropping a shoulder to my left before sting past me on that very side. In my mind, I was expecting his dip of the shoulder to be a feint, but I was so wrong. I turned around to face him again just as he was in the midst of turning as one of his shoulders faced me. Deciding not to make the same mistake again I charged in directly not wanting to give him another chance. However, his next move left me baffled and contemting life. Have you ever felt like the script was totally wrong when something bizarre happens that you know is wrong? Well, that was happening to me right now as the boy slotted the ball through my open legs. Before I could even understand what was happening and report him to the Intergctic Referee Association for cheating, he was already past me. I felt like he was stealing my moves as his actions continued to rey in my mind like a bad-cut scene in a YouTube video. When I was approaching him, he lifted his leg closest to me towards the ball tricking me into thinking that he would turn away to escape the confrontation. Only to be surprised at thest moment as the same foot came back knocking the ball through my legs with the outside of his foot. [Hhaha have you not realised it yet?] Eva''s voice suddenly sounded in my ear bringing me out of my daze. Turning to see where her voice came from, I was left disappointed as only the boy in the afro could be seen sending a smug smirk my way. ''Realized what? I thought I was just having a weirdly lucid dream?" I responded to her wanting to get a clear understanding of my situation. After all, one moment I was listening in on the conversation between Mum and Emma as I drifted off to sleep. And in the next moment, I''m in this warehouse-like stadium with impable groundskeepers. That is the only exnation I can think of after witnessing the stark contrast between the pitch and the stands. [We are in your subconscious mind whilst you are asleep in your mum''s car. This state is induced by the System allowing you to train a little extra in your sleep.] She responded to me in a joyful one exining that she gained some admin privileges due to my advancements and reaching some system millstones. "That''s cool I can basically improve at double the speed since I can train an extra 7 hours." I joyfully eximed upon realising just how useful this new function of the system is. Having an extra hour of training is a game changer not to mention an extra 7 of it whilst my body gets the adequate rest it needs. [Not to burst your bubble but you should keep in mind that any gains here will not trante to your physical aspect or build muscle memory. This space will only let you work on your mental aspect as of now. Yo will only be able to get experience in this space but that on its own is a huge gain as long as you''re not stupid,] Eva quickly interjected before my thoughts could continue to draw up my invincible journey to the top. Her words although disappointing weren''t all that disheartening as gaining experience is exactly what I need most. After all my body is still young and I do enough training throughout the week. So being able to do training solely based on gaining experience and working on my mental aspect is something I wee. After clearing up my doubts I started fully engaging with the opponent in front of me. It quickly became apparent to me that the boy seemed to have my raw skills for dribbling by how he danced rings around me. Only now have I realised just how much my defensive senses suck. That didn''t stop me though, as I gave it my all trying my best to steal the ball away from the boy. In the end, I only managed to win the ball four times but whenever I had it, I fought hard to keep hold of it. You might think it''s easy for me to keep hold of the ball since my opponent seems to have the same skills as me. However, that line of thinking would be wrong as this Afro dude seems to have all my attacking skills and Ole''s defensive skills. ~~~~ "You need to keep moving boy, and make sure to keep your head on a swivel on the defensive end," Coach Carlos told Rakim with a huge grin on his face as he animatedly gestured with his hands. Seemingly wanting to ingrain his instruction into the young boy he patted his head before sending him back into the exercise. After sending the winger on his way he proceeded to pull out the next kid giving them advice and instruction on what to do. The yers were currently involved in a possession drill aimed at retaining control of the ball whilst facing the pressure of the opposing team. The ball whizzed across the box as the yers tried their best to limit unnecessary touches of the ball. With the coaches drilling the importance of two-touch football they tried their best but the asional few decided to take the risk of beating one or two yers. Jon was one of those yers, deciding to flic the ball past one of the red-bib yers before promptly sending a weighted pass to his teammate. A tall sturdy boy was there to receive who struggled to control it needing an extra touch to bring it under his control. He eventually managed to bring it under his control needing to use his body to block an oing opponent. Leveraging his strength, he held off the opposing yer creating enough space for him to knock the ball to one of his teammates. Hiss pass never reached its intended destination though as a pair of boots came sliding into its path. With a superb interception from the non-bib yer possession of the ball changed promptly. Just like that it was the red team''s turn to chase after the ball looking to win back the ball before their opponents could ping ten passes. The motivation for not wanting to do one of the coach''s punishments served in maintaining a high intensity throughout the drill. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 141 141 Test Day Chapter 141 141 Test Day [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~~~ "Alright kids it''s time for this month''s physicals," Coach Carlos eximed as he led the kids into the testing gymnasium. The building has quite a speciose feeling to it with many stations set up simr to a draftbine. All the different Ace Academy yers could be seen going through various stations. The most prominent stations were the cone drills set up to test the yer''s agility and speed. Another section of the gym was entirely focused on gathering data on the yer''s flexibility. Coach Carlos guided his group towards the flexibility station first allowing them to ease into the tests. The first part of the flexibility test was the sit and reach challenge. This test entailed the yers sitting on the ground with their bare feet outstretched against a box with a ruler on it. The first to step up to the test was a boy named Marco who got a score of 20 inches which is considered good for a 9-year-old boy. hearing his score Marco heaved a sigh of relief knowing that flexibility is not one of his strong points. A girl named Jenna was up next who managed to get an absurd score of 39 inches which is considered an excellent score even for girls who are naturally more flexible. The test continued and many more yers took their turn at the sit and reach test with no one scoring less than 18 inches which is considered the passing mark for their age group. To no one''s surprise, the goalkeepers who constantly work on their flexibility consistently scored higher on average than the other yers. Jack was the keeper who scored the highest with a score of 36 inches. His score not only amazed the yers around him but also earned him approving nods from the coaches. After he was done it was Finally Rakim''s turn to take his test. He had never actively tested his flexibility, but he believed it to be great, after all the Yoga he does on a daily basis. So, when it was his turn, he wasn''t too surprised when the coach read out a score of 38 inches. Although just a level below Jenna when considering the 3-year age gap he was actually better off. Coach Carlos raised an eyebrow up hearing his colleague call out his score but still calmly noted it down. Rakim''s score caused some of the yers to exim in excitement, but it died down a secondter when Logan Adams matched his score. The yers reacted with more enthusiasm upon seeing his score as he seemed more popr with his teammates. Thenky blond boy simply smiled brightly at his friends and joined them but not before sending a re at Rakim. They were both wingers with simr ying styles which caused a lot of friction between them. ~~~ "Don''t mind him Rakim the dream, he''s just jealous that you are younger than him and just as good," Jake told me with aforting smile having seemingly caught the re Logan sent me. I wasn''t that bothered but still appreciated his attempt atforting me. "Yeah, if he makes trouble just tell him I got a higher score than him," Jenna also known as Jen told me from my side trying to eitherfort me or remind me that she got the highest score. Big Sam didn''t say anything and simply nodded in support as he focused on the coach. "Thanks, Guy''s but his actions don''t bother me that much," I honestly told them but judging by their sympathetic looks they didn''t seem to believe me. What else did I expect from the three of them who seemed to let reality blend with fiction? On my first day, I wasn''t sure what to think about them since their introduction was quite odd. However, on my second day, they were the only ones who made an effort to get to know me. Eva was right in her assumption of Logan not liking me as he made that pretty clear on my second day here. I assume that he felt threatened by my skill or maybe it was my handsomeness, either way, he doesn''t like me. If it was only his feelings I wouldn''t have minded, but the fact that hisrge friend group makes up almost 40% of our Pride 3 group. So, when it came to group exercises, they would actively try not to pass to me which started to get annoying. At some point, I even actively Intercepted their passes just to get involved in the exercises. They tried toin about it but the fact that I didn''t lose possession of the ball left them little room. In fact, Coach Carlos reprimanded them for being childish and told them to stop fooling around during his training sessions. Although the atmosphere during training improved, that didn''t stop them from doing their best to exclude me during other situations. That''s how I ended up getting to know these 3 betters. They didn''t seem to care about the other kid''s opinions and just looked to be having the most fun. Like I guessed they were fans of the show Power Rangers but they also like a variety of different shows. What really made us bond was when I found out they liked anime, especially Yu-Gi-Oh which we bonded over. I appreciated the OG Duel Monsters show but my favourite is the 5D''s spin-off. Making these unlikely friends their group of 3 became four as we bonded over our love for football and the fictional world. ~~~ "Next we have the box dribble test," Coach told us with a huge grin as he led us to two squares of cones. The exercise was pretty self-exnatory as all you had to do was dribble the ball from the bottom right cone anti-clockwise around the box. The same goes for the box on our right where you would start from the left cone and dribble the ball clockwise around the box. "Now I know what you''re thinking how hard could it be to dribble a ball around the box, I mean my grandma can do it in her sleep and she is in a wheelchair," Coach Carols chipped in just as we started to rx our vignce for this test. His words did earn him a fewughs from some of the kids whose confidence grew another notch. "So, to make things more interesting you will be timed, try to get the lowest possible time whilst also maintaining control of the ball. If it slips away from you your attempt is over and you only get 3 so be careful," he said again instantly dampening the confidant smiles from those around me. Mine Included as I furrowed my brows thinking of my possible time if I go all out. I wasn''t too worried though since my ambidexters feet would prove to be a massive advantage during both sides of the tests. Eager to get started I lined up on the left square wanting to turn left first. My reasoning behind this decision was the fact that during games I naturally turn right from the left wing so I should give this my full attention first. I was not first in line however as Jenna seemed more eager than me to try her hand at this challenge. With her also being a winger and her nickname being the Swift I was expecting to see her disy her speed in this test. And I wasn''t disappointed as she sped off along the straight of the 4 by 4 square leaving her opponent in the other box in the dust. Throwing homage to her namesake she turned the corner with a swift Ronaldo chop not losing control of the ball. Before I had time to take in her action, she reached the second corner. Unlike before she didn''t perform a fancy skill but instead knocked the ball ahead of her and past the cone. But before it could trickle away from her control, she used her right foot to drag the ball back under her control just as he turned the corner. The next moment she sped down the straight with all her speed fighting for every millisecond she could reduce. She had beaten the boy in the other course by far and her score of 3.3 seconds reflected it setting the bar high for the rest of us. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 142 142 Glimpse of Ego Chapter 142 142 Glimpse of Ego [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~ ~~~ "Wow I didn''t know Jen was that fast," I heard a slightly chubby boy exim from behind me. Although not as surprised as he is at her speed, I would be lying to say that I''m not surprised by it. Even though I know that she is a speedy winger I''ve never seen her disy her agility this close. She manages to maintain her speed with the ball despite performing hard and quick forty-five-degree turns. Pumped up at her disy of speed I was eager to get my turn at the challenge. Not long after I got my shot as just after she handed me the ball coach called me up for my turn. However, before I could start a slightmotion on the right square caught my attention. From the looks of it, Logan had squeezed himself to the front wanting to directly confront me. At his antics, I frowned slightly not because I was scared topete with him but by the fact I didn''t care much for this rivalry. Don''t get me wrong he is a talented yer in his own right, but I just don''t feel the pressure topete with him like I do with Tom at the school. Maybe it''s because he has autism or the fact, he only seems to care about football, but his gamey is almost instinctual. I subconsciously find myself wanting topete with him excuse we are simr types of yers. However, with Logan, I don''t get that same urge, even though he is quite talented in his own right it is just not the same. That does not mean I will simply let his provocation go since I still remember the sheer amount of ego tan had when I first got the system. With just his willpower he developed an ego of not losing to anyone and I want to be just like that. If I had to pick a yer''s philosophy that I want to emte It would be his without a doubt. Because no matter what team or league I will y in in the future I will conquer it with my strength. "Alright now that your done fooling around, get ready set go!" Coach Carols eximed signalling us to start as the two trainers at the side pressed their stopwatches. Without hesitation the moment I heard go I took off running as my surroundings blurred with every step. Clearing my thoughts, I arrived at the cone by the time I let go of the breath I had been holding. Not wanting to slow down I pushed the ball slightly forward with my right foot nudging it half a foot past the cone. My left foot didn''t continue forward though pulling my momentum back and allowing me to scope up the ball with my right foot as I rounded the corner. Not holding onto the ball with my right foot I knocked it forward to my left for me allowing me to elerate further. Taking too long strides as my speed picked up, I was at the second cone before I knew it. Deciding to take a page out of Jen''s skill book I performed a quick Ronaldo chop as I turned the corner. Knocking the ball forward with a heavy touch I elerated with all my strength crossing the finish line in the next breath. I only came to a stop a yard after the finish line not wanting toe to a sudden stop without channelling the energy somewhere. ording to Mum, it''s easier for speedy wingers to get injured because of how much stress they put their bodies under. All the momentum they build up with their burst of speed must go somewhere and usually, it is channelled at the ball through crosses. That''s why she stresses the importance of taking care of my legs with Yoga exercises and cold baths. I agree with her Ideals since I n on having a sessful career and that means I have to take great care when ites to injury avoidance. Especially since I will probably receive a lot of harsh tackles by defenders who can''t stop me with their own strength. "Rakim 3.9 and Logan 4.1" Coach loudly eximed as he signalled the next two to step up. Happy at my score I quickly joined Jake and the other two or as I like to call them the three musketeers. "Dang that was quick bro," Jake eximed as he swung an arm around my neck shaking me in excitement. He seemed genuinely happy for me as he started proudly taunting Logan and his friends as if it was him who had beaten him. "Well done, Bro," Is all big Sam said as he turned to re at Logan and his friends who were locked in a verbal spat with Jake. The big guy is not of the chatty type preferring to let his actions speak for himself. From what I''ve observed he is the definition of a big and friendly giant. "Well done, even though you beat me with a little luck," Jen also told me making sure to emphasise that she will beat my time in her next go. Guess she is reallypetitive when ites to her speed. "What are you ring at? It''s your fault you lost so take it like a man," She eximed at Logan who was ncing in our direction before I could answer her earlier statement. Surprisingly after hearing her words everyone stopped not nning on continuing this stare-down. They could seemingly sense her mood and didn''t want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. This isrgely due to her always taking things too far when arguing with someone. She is that one kid who threatens to kick you and actually kicks you. In her case though she will not only kick you but also get all her girlfriends to ostracize you by spreading gossip. ~~~ "Kid these are your results for the physicals, you have done pretty good for your first time. Continue working hard and aim to improve for the next time." Doctor Bill told me with a smile as he handed me my result sheet. He had just taken me through my physical check-up taking my measurements to make sure I didn''t pick up a hidden injury. "Cheers Mr Dor Bill," I answered him with a cheeky smile knowing full well he didn''t like the nickname. Just as expected his grandfatherly smile immediately vanished quickly reced by an annoyed expression. "Brats get out of here before I decide to fail you," He angrily eximed as he pushed me out of the room. Not bothering with him anymore I quickly grabbed my score sheet and exited his office not wanting to hear his ranting. Akira was the one who let me know his nickname when we passed him in the hallwayst week. At first, I didn''t get the joke until I realised how genuinely annoyed the old man got when he heard that name. Adding to the fact all the kids would ask him for a dor whenever they saw him didn''t help the matter. I think he secretly appreciates the joke judging by the fact he doesn''t hold grudges and makes sure to take diligent care of us when we have to see him. "Oh, hello my Dor Bill," Sam loudly eximed as he strode into the office brushing past me causing me to snicker slightly. Sure, enough Dr Bill''s angry shouts could be heard from inside the room as he started scolding Sam. Something about not respecting your seniors and being a lousy brat. At some point, he was even scolding him for his hairstyle and his poor looks at such an early age. ''Sigh let''s see how I''ve done,'' I muttered to myself as I took a seat on an empty bench finally focusing my attention on the sheet of paper in my hands. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 143 143 Test Results Chapter 143 143 Test Results [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~ ~~~ yer: Rakim Rex ACE Academy: Pride 3 Age: 6 Height: 3Ft11 Average for his age weight: 20kg ~ Bellow average for his age, Dietary changes might need to be made. Feet Size: 18.2cm (Heel to Toe) ~ Higher than average for his age. Sit and reach test: 38in 50-yard dash: 5.6s 50-yard dash with ball: 5.4s Lane Agility Drill: 13.5s Shuttle run: 6.2s Shuttle run with ball: 6.0s Standing Vertical Leap: 14.2in Moving Vertical Leap: 17.2in Box Dribble Test Left: 3.9s Box Dribble Test Right: 3.8s Beep Test: 5 (Average) ~~~ ''Not really sure what do with all these numbers, so I''ll just let Mum deal with it,'' I mumbled to myself as I Stopped reading the sheet. It continued to go on listing my results for all sorts of tests they made me do. Heck at some point they had me doing a nk and called it an endurance test. In all honesty, I don''t really see how that trantes to my game on the field as it seems more suitable to a soldier. But I decided to just stick with it since everyone around me is doing their best to help me achieve my dream. I''m kind of lucky if you think about it having the system and Ace Academy to help me grow as a yer. The systems skills and missions serve not only to directly boost my skills and give me goals to work towards. Whereas Ace Academy''s methodical training helps me to hone these raw skills and turn them into weapons for my use. A perfect example is my ambidexters feet I gained from the system. Although it gives me a major boost It still took me a while to get used to it before it started to be instinctual. [You shouldn''t care too much about these facts and figures, they are mainly for those sports scientists to better monitor your growth over time,] Eva told me bringing me out of my musings of how I can use these results to better myself. Her words struck home making me realise that I should just continue to focus on getting better each day. [Plus, the systems evaluation of your skills is by far more urate so that sheet might as well be garbage," Shemented with a hint of amusement discrediting all the work I''d done throughout the day for the test. In reality, I think that she is just getting bored and is trying to pick a fight. Knowing better than to fall for her provocation I acted like I didn''t hear her words and made my way to the changing rooms so I could get out of here. I was done for the day and urgently needed to go home for much-needed rxation. Test days are half days meaning we end early and get to rx after weplete the test and can even go home. Coach Carlos did say we could watch the under-16s y their match that is set to kick off at one in the afternoon, but I''ve got ns. I have to go gift shopping with Dad for Mum''s birthday which ising up next month. ording to Dad, she is really good a sniffing out gifts, so we are using him picking me up as a cover story. Even though her birthday is on the 23rd of December she still manages to figure out which gifts are for her birthday and for Christmas much to Dad''s displeasure. What he doesn''t know is that Emma is bad at keeping these types of secrets and has been spilling the beans, especially after Mum''s generous bribes. ~~~ "Sir this piece is called Le ideur, the suitor," The sharply dressed salesperson said in a proud tone as he presented an elegant ne in front of us. The first thing thates to mind uponying my eyes on this piece of jewellery is beautiful. "The Suitor is made for lovers and you friend look like quite the romantic to me, I promise that this piece of Jewel made by our finest craftsman will definitely capture your lover''s heart," The man eloquently spoke as he opened the ss casing where the ne rested. In the next moment, he took it out of its casing by lifting the ck cushion it rested on. "Em, I''m not..." Dad began to say but stopped abruptly upon seeing the piece of Emerald up close that served as its centrepiece. He wasn''t the only one stunned by its beauty as I was also stunned after seeing it sparkle. I thought those cartoons that showed a diamond''s glow were just for effect but here was this ne sparkling in front of me. The light of the sun shone into the jewellers hitting the 0.18 Carat diamonds that were iid all around the neck piece. What was uniquely beautiful though was the oval emerald that served as the centrepiece which now shone with a brilliant light. Even though I have never really bothered much with Jewellery this one mesmerises me for some reason. However, that might be due to this guy''s brainwashing that he has been doing since pulling it out of the case. Guess what Eva said about him having a silver tongue is true. "Good sir this is one of Monsieur Olivier Bernard Laurent''s best work, He made this as part of a collection in honour of his beloved wife." The man whose name is Pierre said as he subtly adjusted his navy suit finally allowing us a moment to think. However, looking at Dad''s gaze on the ne I could tell that he had been hooked by the man. This man is delivering a man-of-the-match performance when ites to being a salesperson. From his professional attire that gives him a noble temperament and his ability to subtly control a conversation. Everything about him screams professional and trustworthy which is probably why he is the manager of this jewellery store. More than anything else he sure knows how to pick out the customers he chooses to serve personally. After all, he managed to pick out Dad out of the other four customers here and somehow knows he has money. Don''t get me wrong he is rich to the point where I''m not sure how much money he actually has but he doesn''t dressvishly at all. Especially today he wore a set of workout clothes straight out of the gym and the only thing really expensive he''s got on would be his watch. Anyways If it''s one thing that he loves spending money on his family especially Mum when she lets him. For some reason, she doesn''t seem to trust him to responsibly spend money and not overdo it. Thinking about it I''m starting to understand her worries as this ne the man has been trying to sell us costs $125,000. And if I go by Dad''s look of contemtion, he is genuinely considering buying it outright. "Dad, I think you might get into trouble with Mum if you buy her that," I told him after a moment of contemtion. Although this piece of jewellery looks amazing there is a 50% chance of Mum reacting in a less than favourable way after finding out the price tag. "It''s alright I just won''t tell her how much it costs," He responded with a confident smile looking as if he had just solved the answer to world hunger. Not wanting to put him down I tried my best to believe him, but my doubtful expression must have given me away. "You don''t believe me? I''ll let you know that back in my day I wrestled with tigers and lions just to get to school, whilst starting my business on the side." He told me in an indignant tone reminding me a little of Master Roshi. "OK buy it then but let me pick out my present separately please," I responded not wanting to continue this conversation. I could tell that no matter what I said he woulde up with some absurd story to show off his fatherly prestige. However, what I didn''t expect was for his confidant expression to immediately drop upon hearing my words. After a second of thinking about it, I realised that he was probably nning on shifting some of the me on me when Mum eventually found out how much it cost. "You can''t let me suffer alone ¡­ ahem I mean we came together so we will buy a present together," he told me with a resolute expression cutting off any retreat paths for me to avoid this cmity. . . . . To Be continued... Chapter 144 144 Fever Chapter 144 144 Fever [This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~ ~~~ "You can''t let me suffer alone ¡­ ahem I mean we came together so we will buy a present together," he told me with a resolute expression cutting off any retreat paths for me to avoid this cmity. "I think she would appreciate a watch more since it is practical and all," I told him trying to pick a safer option that she couldn''t outright dismiss as wasteful spending. Especially since from what I understand from some of their conversations they need to be careful with their spending because of the financial crises a few years ago. Luckily, they didn''t have money invested in mortgages thus avoiding the brunt of the crises. However, their primary business took a slight hit as people began to panic and spend less. Not sure what happened in the end, but they ended up investing money to help them grow their business. However, that event left a dark shadow for them, and Mum started to be more careful with their spending. "Maybe you are right" Dad answered me wavering in his stance of wanting to get the ne after having considered the consequence of angering Mum. The old manager''s expression visibly darkened upon seeing him waver. I can''t me him though he was so close to making a big sale. "Sir we also have watches, Good watches, Beautiful watches," he stated with a wide smile as he eagerly led us to a disy case with different watches in them. Not wasting a second, he expertly picked out 3 elegant-looking watches. They were all much more slender than those made for men and had softer colours meant to blend in and not unt. The first one was a light gold Rolex with silver metals built in to make it more elegant. The second watch was a rose gold Bulgari watch which arguably looks more beautiful, and I could actually see Mum wearing it. The third one surprised me the most as it was made of pure silver with only the watch face being a light shade of blue. The blue colour didn''t scream at u but instead gave the watch a more elegant style. The silver dials looked more mesmerising on the blue background. The brand of the watch seemed to be some French or Italian jeweller that I couldn''t pronounce. Giving Dad my rmendation of which one I liked the most I stepped away from the two deciding to look around the casing a little more. Dad didn''t mind as the two of them started talking about which watch we were going to buy. Looking around there I spotted a few more pieces of jewellery that I found nice looking, but I got bored pretty fast. Plus, there were also bizarre chains resembling one''s rapper''s wear which is probably the case. I even spotted a thirty-centimetre-long gold letter R with little diamonds in them. It was at this point I realised that this ce might be crazy or whoever ordered that definitely is. Dad ended up making up his mind choosing to buy the watch and when I wasn''t looking, he got the ne as well. I only noticed when he handed me the packages in the car. Not bothering to protest I just kept my mouth shut and hoped for the best. If Mum was really angry Dad could only me himself when I Eventually shifted all the me towards him. ~~~ Three weekster on the 19th of December, we had ourst match-up of the year against St Arthur''s Prep. Going unbeaten for the past three games we remained undefeated within the league with a record of seven wins and zero losses. St Arthur''s Prep is hovering around third in the league with six wins and one draw. So, the pressure was definitely on us to perform if we wanted to end the year on a good note. It''s like what coach likes to say good teams don''t win leagues it''s those that consistently perform that end up being crowned champions. We for sure had to perform today and I for one was nning on it. However, my body seems to be acting up today as I seem to have caught a cold. Luckily for me, the fever wasn''t too severe, and Mum didn''t notice it in the morning otherwise there would be no chance I''d get to y today. Although my fever isn''t bad my breathing is a littleboured. Nothing I can''t get past though, but my reaction speed is a little slower. ''I still can''t believe that I can get sick even though I have the system,'' I muttered to myself as I followed my teammates through the warmup routine. My illness isn''t all that serious, but the sluggish feeling just feels so weird. [You should have listened to your mum when she told you to wear a coat,] is all Eva said reminding me of the fact that she insisted that I wear warmer clothes. I feel dumb for not listening but who could have predicted that it would get this cold in Florida. ''(sigh) It should be impossible for it to snow here,'' I responded as I watched the warm air that left my body evaporate into the atmosphere. In fact, there''s not a lot of snow and if it wasn''t for the cold temperature and the ice, I would have thought that these little white spots on the grass to be confetti. I''d be lying if I didn''t admit that I hoped the game would be called off with this weather but apparently, the school groundskeepers know a thing or two. So, I have no choice but to power through this match. The team we are ying seem to be quite good based on their track record and judging by their serious warm up they are eager to prove it. "Rakim Come here for a second," Coach called me to his side pulling me out of the little possession drill we were doing. He had a serious look on his face as he looked over his clipboard. To this day I still don''t understand the point of that board as the coach only uses it to show us the lineup and forgets about it once, he starts exining tactics. I Like the fact that he doesn''t use the board when exining tactics as it forces me to really think about his instructions. But looking at his expression he doesn''t seem too happy about something. "How are you feeling Kid?" He asked me making direct eye contact with me causing me to instantly panic. Even though I haven''t done anything wrong his presence when he asked me that question makes me feel guilty. "Emm, just a little cold nothing to worry about," I told him quickly averting our eye contact as that sense of guilt intensified. His expected outrage never came though as he just sighed and was just silent seemingly lost in thought. Peaking at him he just smiled lightly as he started writing something on his clipboard. Judging by his expression he just took me off the starting line-up and although I wanted to plead my case his calm demeanour through me off a little. A secondter he brought the back of his hand to my forehead to check my temperature. His serious expression depended on a little if that was even possible as he seemed to confirm his worries. "I thought as much," he said in a warm voice breaking the silence that had been created between the both of us. "Kid you''re not starting anymore. Go and let Oliver check u out" he said once again before I could inquire as to what he was thinking but his wordspletely shocked me. Even though I was expecting this oue the moment I realised he knew I was not at 100%. epting it is a lot harder than I thought it would be, especially since I feel like I could easily soldier through it. However, the coach didn''t deem to entertain that Idea in the slightest hence his decision to bench me. "Ok coach," I answered him knowing that arguing further with him wouldn''t lead anywhere. Sighing I tightened the strings on my hoodie and quickly made my way over to Trainer Oliver. He was currently busy helping Henric with some stretches aimed at getting him back to full fitness. His recovery has gone rather well, and he has even participated in some training sessions to ease him back. However, for some reason coach hasn''t let him y yet and by the looks of it, he might not this year. At this very moment, he was doing sumo squats under the guidance of trainer Oliver. "Yo, what''s up Oliver coach sent me for a check-up not really sure why though," I told the man who was sending me a confused ce the moment I appeared at his side. Upon hearing my words, he frowned slightly cing his hand on my forehead to measure my temperature. "Looks like you have a slight fever I''m going to give you some aspirin and you should be fine," he told me with aforting smile leading me to his med kit and taking out the meds I needed. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 145 145 Vs St Arthur’s Prep

Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Vs St Arthur''s Prep

[This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is /TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.] ~ ~~~ (Lisa Pov) "I told you we were going to bete," Emma spoke up from behind me as we made our way through the stands. With this being thest game of the year, the boys will have quite a lot of people showing up to support. "I know but work ran a little long today, plus you had that cheer meeting," I answered her as we took our seats next to Emma''s girlfriends. Surprisingly, May''s brother Reece and his friend are here which is new since they don''t seem to get along with Liam and Rakim. I''m not quite sure what went on with the boys, but they seemed to have split into two groups. Maybe it''s due to the slight two-year age gap between the younger pair and them. The fact that Liam and Rakim are smart enough to be in the same grade as them doesn''t help the ordeal. Oh well, it doesn''t really matter as long as they don''t start fighting. "Hi, Rakim''s Mom," Lexi who was sitting a row in front of us with her friends greeted me bringing me out of my musing. This girl is someone I didn''t expect my son to make friends with as she seems like the definition of a girly girl. It''s not a terrible thing if u ask me, especially with how rigid he was when he started school. If not for the fact that I told him he could join the school team I''m sure he would have protested against attending with all his might. It was only when Ben joked about having to y for the school so bigger teams could notice that he finally relented. What we didn''t expect was that not even five games into the season a scout had actually noticed his talent. Talk about a coincidence but Rakim already integrated into the school and didn''t want to stop going. Which is good since there is no chance, I would have let him stop going to school. However, I know that a lot of that has to do with this girl here and Liam making him feel wee from day one. After all, he went from only talking about football to telling me about some kind of prank he and Liam pulled. Although I would rather, he focuses on ss rather than goofing off he aces his sses so I can''t reallyin. "Hi," I responded to her but before we could continue to talk the whistle signalling the start of the match rang throughout the field. It was only now that I noticed Rakim sitting on the bench and not ying which is odd. ~~~ [Wheet Wheet Wheeeeet] With the ringing of the referee''s whistle signalling the start of the match, the Eagles kicked off the game. The Eagles were in a 4-3-1 formation In between the sticks was Mike who was getting his second start of this season. The back line was made up of Logan Foster 2 (RB), Ole Wagner 5 (CB), Jake Smith 4(CB), and Ryan Garcia 3 (Lb). Jake especially was looking to cement his starting role ever since Henric suffered an injury. The midfield 3 isposed of Max Taylor 7 (CM), Finn Parker 8 (CM), and Ben Miller 10 (CM). Tom donning the number 11 Jersey once again assumed the role of the lone striker calmly facing the St Arthurs yers in their sky-blue jerseys. Retaining hisposure, he expectedly knocked the ball back to Ben who was lurking outside the centre circle. The Eagles ymaker received the ball with ease as he scanned the sea of blue that was charging at him. In a split-moment decision, the midfielder hooked the ball with his right foot making a quick U-turn. His sudden move forced the opposing striker who had been charging towards him to stop abruptly or risk fouling him. Ben didn''t mind him though as he sent a weighted pass to Ole in the backcourt and immediately repositioned himself. The defender didn''t have trouble stopping the ball showcasing his on-the-ball skills as he sent it to Logan on the right nk. The right-back only had a few seconds before one of St Arthur''s yers came charging at him to steal the ball. He didn''t panic though passing the ball to Max who had dropped back to create a passing option. Max didn''t bother turning with the ball after spotting an opposing midfielder who had followed after him. With one touch he sent the ball back to Ole who had dropped all the way to the edge of their box. Knowing the Danger, he was in especially with two opposing strikers looking to pincer him he quickly swung his foot. With a soft thud, he chipped the ball over Max and his marker to the open Finn who was standing close to the centre circle. The midfielder spread his arms out holding off one of the St Arthurs midfielders as he chested the ball down. Not wanting to take any unnecessary risk he calmly squared a weighted pass to Ryan on the left nk. Just like that the Eagles continued to ping the ball around in their own half maintaining possession of the ball. This continued for the first five minutes of the game as the Eagles made sure every yer gotfortable on the ball. 6th minute of the game the Eagles initiated their first attack when Jake sent a quick grounded pass to Finn from the edge of his box. The midfielder remained cool-headed as he brought the ball under his control. Using his left hand to hold off the opposing midfielder he raised his foot ready to send a pass back. However, in thest moment out of the corner of his eye, he spotted one of the opposing wingers jumping the gun and rushing to his intended target. In that split second, he changed his mind using his raised foot to snatch the ball back performing an improvised Cruyff turn. His sudden change of direction left his marker t-footed allowing Finn to create some separation between them. Quickly dribbling past the halfway line Finn sent a sharp through ball towards the speedy Ben who managed to lose his marker. Bringing the ball under his control with his first touch he inserted himself towards the middle of the field. Using a quick one-two pass with Tom he managed to lose the pursuit of a defender thattched onto to him. Now at the edge of with only one defender in his way, he took his chance. With a swing of his leg, he sent the ball soaring past the oing defender heading towards the goal. By the time the defender had the chance to turn around to see the oue of the shot he watched his keeper soaring across his line. In the next moment, the goalie stretched out his gloves firmly palming the ball away from his goal. Escaping the shot at their goal through the keeper''s intervention St Arthurs''s Prep left back swiftly took control of the ball. Finally gaining possession of the ball the St Arthurs Prep yers had no intention of easily giving it up. With that in mind, the left back calmly dribbled the ball forward forcing Max to step up to pressure him. The left-back had no ns on dribbling past Max as he came to a quick stop sending a swift pass to one of his midfielders. With it being his first touch of the ball since the game started, he needed to take an extra touch to bring the ball under his control. It didn''t take him more than a second to make a swift turn charging towards the Eagle''s half. His movements set off a chain reaction as his teammates switched from their defensive mindset to full-on attack. By the time he crossed the halfway line Ben who had sprinted back caught up to him looking to steal the ball. Just as he was shoulder to shoulder with him the St Arthur''s midfielder gave him a quick nudge of the shoulder. The sudden contact was enough to send Ben stumbling to the ground, but the midfielder didn''t mind that. He continued dribbling forward a couple of steps before sending a defence-splitting through ball down his left nk. His team''s number nine was there totch onto the ball after slipping past Ole who dropped back to cover his defenders. Taking control of the ball at the edge of the box he swiftly slipped in looking to take a shot at goal. Logan who was caught t-footed by his sudden insertion immediately gave chase to the striker. . . . . To Be Continued... Chapter 146 Vs St Arthurs Prep (2) 146 Chapter 146 Vs St Arthur''s Prep (2) {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently there are 6 advanced chapter for you to read, hope you enjoy. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~ ~~~ The number nine promptly angled his run from the left side of the box not bothering to wait for Logan to catch up. Ole was there to meet him ready to close him down blocking off his path to the middle of the box. The St Arthur''s number nine didn''t mind the extra pressure as he promptly swung his foot sending a powerful shot at the near post. The ball drew a sharp angle just narrowly missing the outstretched feet of Ole who came sliding in, in the hopes of stopping his shot. The ball flew at an awkward angle heading straight for the top left corner of the goal. However, Mike who was already guarding his near post easily managed to bring his gloves to the ball deflecting it out for a corner kick. A Burst of relief could be heard by the home team yers and supporters after having survived that dangerous situation. The danger wasn''t fully gone though as the Saints quickly got set for their corner kick. Almost all of their yers flooded the Eagles penalty box leaving only two defenders at the halfway line to watch out for a counter. It didn''t take them long to get set for the corner kick and chaos started to brew within the Eagle''s box as both team''s yers fought for favourable positions. The one to execute the set piece was the opposing team''s left back who promptly raised his hand upon getting the officials go ahead. The next moment he sent a curved cross into the box along the six-yard line right into the mass of bodies in the box. Jake Smith who was close to the front post was the first yer to rise into the air to meet the oing ball. Outmuscling his marking assignment, he stretched out his neck as far as he could trying his best to connect with the ball. However, he came up just a few inches short missing the ball by a hair breath. The ball took a sharp descent after passing over the head of Jake entering the pack of yers as chaos ensued. Bodies of yers wrestled with each other trying their best to be the first to reach the ball. With a stroke of luck, the Saint''s number six close to the back post was the first to get to the ball after it bounced off a few guys in the middle. It was like a pie had fallen from the sky as the ball appeared in his path for his taking and all he had to do was shoot. Not wanting to take a touch since he could practically feel everyone''s eyes focus on him, he promptly swung his foot at the oing ball. However just as his foot made contact with the ball, he felt something jerk his shoulder causing him to lose his bnce and fall to the ground. Only when hended on the ground and watched his shot go wide did he make eye contact with the culprit of his slip-up? Looking down on him was Ryan who was raising his hands to indicate his innocence. His superb acting almost convinced the saint''s number six that maybe he imagined the tug on his shoulder. However, his mood quickly turned sour upon remembering the sitter he had just missed. Jumping up from the ground he angrily pushed Ryan back forcing him to take a few steps back. One could clearly see just how angry he was, and Ryan''s pleading didn''t help matters only serving to enrage him further. Before the situation could escte any further the referee blew his whistle warning the yers to calm down unless they wanted to risk punishment. ~~~ "Ref that due is crazy, I swear I didn''t do anything, and he just went ballistic, I think he might have mental problems," Ryan eximed with clear distress on his face as he quickly approached the stern-looking official. The number six and the officials who were involved in this incident hadpletely different reactions to his words. The ref was stupefied by his words not expecting the child in front of him to start rambling after he called them over. In his years of experience of officiating youth matches, never had a child so convincingly spout nonsense in front of him. However, the more he listened to his words he subconsciously started to question the validity of the boy''s words. Whilst the official was having an inner battle the saint''s number six was livid, after all, Ryan was tantly insulting him. Already angry at missing the open goal because of this guy and now he was listening to him insult him. It took all his self-control to not outright punch him in the face. Better judgment won over him as he bowled his fist with all his strength using the slight pain to keep him from escting the situation. "Maybe it''s not safe with such a yer here he might lose it and start a brawl." Ryan continued speaking not noticing the weird atmosphere he was creating. However, he instinctively took a step away from the number six to further disy his worries. He wasn''t done speaking though as his worry-filled expression intensified to panic as he quickly escted his warnings. "I better call the police just in case, do you think they would let me pre-book a room in the hospital since I don''t know how to fight." Upon hearing his words, the saint''s number six finally lost it jumping to wards Ryan ready to give him a piece of his mind. Luckily for Ryan, the ref was quick to react separating them before it could get physical. "See what I mean?" Ryanmented after being spoked by the number six seemingly not expecting him to suddenly attack him. Seeing Ryan''s innocent look as if he had seemingly unveiled a secret the ref fought back the urge to p himself to check if he was dreaming. "Kid stop talking, you are getting a yellow be more careful in your actions," The official told Ryan with an exasperated expression. He didn''t want to talk with this troublesome kid any longer as he could feel a migraineing about. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Quickly taking out his card he gave Ryan a yellow card and the number six got a warning from him. Not nning on dying the match any longer he quickly shooed away the yers who had gathered and signalled for a saint''s penalty. The Eagles yers tried to argue with the ref with Ryan being the most vocal, but he was having none of it. A few momentster the saint''s number nine stood over the ball in front of the penalty spots intently focusing on Mike in-between the sticks. The keeper himself was franticly jumping around and waving his hands attempting to put him off. Taking a deep breath, the striker confidently took a couple of strides back. [Wheeeet] With the sound of the whistle, the number nine speedily closed in on the resting ball looking to fire it into the back of the. That was exactly his n as he forcefully swung his right foot sending the ball towards the right side of the goal. The ball left his foot in a straight line like an arrow that left its string. Before Mike even had the chance to react the ball recreated against the inside of the right post and curled into the back of the. With a goal scored the Saint''s yers immediately took off celebrating the fact they had taken the lead in the first ten minutes of y. The supporters of the away team also let their support be known as they cheered for their yers. Whilst this was happening the eagles could only hang their heads in disappointment. . . . . Chapter 147 Vs St Arthurs Prep (3) 147 Chapter 147 Vs St Arthur''s Prep (3) {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently, there are 10 advanced chapters for you to read, I hope you enjoy them. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~ ~~~ In the 12th minute, the Eagles restarted the game with a quick kick-off as Tom calmly sent the ball back to his midfielders. Max was the one to receive it and he seemed to be debating whether to initiate a quick attack or to y it safe with a pass back. His indecision turned into determination upon spotting someone on the sidelines. The someone he spotted was a beautiful redhead girl sitting at the side of the field in the front row with an older woman with simr looks. That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed as he scooped up the ball with his foot and charged forward. He nimbly manoeuvred past the approaching striker who had charged at him officially announcing the start of his attack. Tom seeing Max charging forward followed suit looking to provide a passing option for the winger. Max didn''t seem to be looking for a passing option though as he dribbled the ball diagonally towards his familiar right nk. Before he could pick up speed through one of the Saints midfielders came sliding into his path with both legs outstretched. Luckily for Max, he seemed to be able to anticipate the boy''s action and reached just in time to stop the ball and move out of the midfielder''s path. Disying some quick thinking he moved the ball to his left foot and manoeuvred around the midfielder. Continuing on the speedily dribbled the ball forward looking as if he wanted to go all the way. However just as he was about to reach the edge of the box, he was forced to change direction. The saints left back who had been slowly backing off chose to stand him up thus forcing him to perform quick evasive manoeuvres. Using a quick step over and a change of direction he turned toward the top of the key. Spotting Tom there with his back to the goal he yed a quick pass as he continued running looking for the pass back. The pass back arrived as he had anticipated allowing him to continue his run if he so chooses to. But unlike what most were expecting he didn''t continue his run and instead opted to take a shot. Not bothering to take a touch to adjust he let loose a powerful shot sending the ball flying towards goal. With him already being at the edge of the box it didn''t leave much time for the keeper to react. This showed as he was let glued to his spot as the ball rifled to his top left corner. Luckily for the saint''s keeper and his teammates, the ball veered a little off its intended trajectory as it ricocheted off the bar and headed out for a goal kick. A Burst of exmations and sighs could be heard all around as those who were spectating had already seen the winger score the moment, he let loose a shot. Their frustration was nothingpared to Max who was staring at the goalpost in disbelief and seemingly questioning reality. In the end he could only sigh in disappointment and head back to his position and look for another chance. ~~~ 15th minute the Saints maintained possession for the past two minutes opting to retain it in their own half. This was madergely possible due to the Eagles choosing to let them y in their own half rather than wildly chasing after them. This created quite a peculiar scene whereby the team that was leading was finding it hard to cross the halfway line with the ball. With the eagles holding apact formation they would surround the saint''s ball carrier like bloodhounds the moment he crosses into their half. The only eagle yer that provided a modicum of pressure on the Saints backcourt is Tom who actively closed down passingnes. This pressure brought on by the Eagles strictly following their manager''s tactics subconsciously made the Saints yers panic whenever they got too close. This came to a boiling point when their number 8 a boy with a striking red mohawk suddenly went ballistic. Seemingly having enough with the slow pace, the game had taken he requested the ball from his left back the moment he reached the halfway line. His teammate didn''t keep him waiting and sent him a weighted pass to his left foot. Normal yers would have trouble receiving the ball with their left foot and that was made thrice as hard by Finn who put pressure on him. Just the light contact of their body was enough to let the Saints midfielder know the danger he was in if he lost the ball. But he wasn''t a normal yer as he didn''t panic in the slightest andfortably received the ball with his left foot. You see unlike most yers the number 8 is left-footed and is what most people in the football world would call an early bloomer. This was showcased in the next moment as he shimmied his shoulder to the left teasing a turn to his left. However, in the next moment, he scooped up the ball with his left foot and turned in the opposite direction. His actions left Finn a second toote to react allowing him to widen the gap between them as he took off running. Like a spear, he pierced into the eagles from the centre quickly picking up speed. As if a switch had flipped the nearest Eagles yers immediately converged on his location. The first to reach him was Jake, who promptly reacted to the midfielder''s sudden actions. He wasn''t the only one though as Ben and Max pincered him from his side, but the number 8 remainedposed. Performing a couple of step-overs he made the fast-approaching Jake takes a more cautious stance. Using his hesitation to his advantage he quickly turned to the right looking to break free through the gap between Ben and Jake. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Ben who had just arrived was quick to react as he nimbly jumped into the path of the midfielder. However, the expected confrontation never arrived as the Saints midfielder managed to perform yet another sudden turn. Like a nimble snake, he slithered in between the three of them and eventually got past their defensive efforts. His outstanding ball control and ability to slip through traffic left the spectators astonished. His disy of personal skills didn''t end there as he continued forward leaving the three Eagles yers in his wreck. Now the only person in his path with any hopes of stopping him was Ole. The defender remainedposed not jumping forward and calmly waited for the midfielder to get closer. Smartly angling his body to the left in hopes of forcing the midfielder to use his weaker foot. Taking a quick step forward when the distance reached less than two meters, he abruptly narrowed their distance. Seeing Ole''s movements, the saint''s number 8 was quick to react performing a quick step over. Simultaneously he dipped his shoulder to the right seeming ready to follow the path Ole had set. However, his movements were just a feint as the moment Ole shifted his weight, he turned in the other direction. He didn''t have the chance to blow by Ole though as the defender smartly shifted his body weight forward. Feeling Ole''s weight on him just as he was about to escape his defensive pressure all his momentum came to a sudden halt. Not nning on giving up aftering this far he nimbly moved the ball to his left away from Ole''s grasp. Without hesitation, he powerfully swung his foot connecting with the ball''s sweet spot. . Chapter 148 Vs St Arthurs Prep (4) Chapter 148 Vs St Arthur''s Prep (4) {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently, there are 10 advanced chapters for you to read, I hope you enjoy them. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~ ~~~ With a resounding thud, the ball left his leather boots heading on a collision course with the Eagle''s goal. Mike who had taken a couple of steps forward just in case the saint''s number 8 managed to slip past his captain, was left with no choice but to rely on his instincts. With no time to properly adjust his positioning, he pushed off from the ground leaping across his box towards the oing ball. Stretching out to the max he wished he could instantly grow a few more inches as his eyes trailed after the ball that seemed so close. In the end, through his sheer determination and fighting spirit he managed to get his fingertips to the ball. His contact didn''t stop the ball but only served to slightly deviate its flight path. After making contact with the keeper''s glove the ball continued heading to the right side of the goal. The result of the midfielder''s effort and the keeper''s determination showed in the next moment when the ball made contact with the post. It wasn''t over though to the sheer horror of Mike, who heard the cheerful exmations of the Saints fans. His hope of the posting to his rescue was shattered leaving him to concede yet another goal. Whilst he was feeling frustration well up within him the Saints yers led by the number 8 burst into celebration. They were celebrating the fact they so convincingly took the lead from the front runners of the league. Adding to the fact they didn''t start the game at their best the 0:2 cushion is defiantly weed. ~~~ n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Get it together guys," Coach Bauer shouted from the sideline after we once again lost ourposure giving away control of the ball. Ever since conceding the second goal our team seemed to seemingly lose any semnce of tactical organisation. We went from strictly following coaches'' tactics to simply trying to mount an attack as fast as possible. If it was only that I wouldn''t reallyin since the sooner, we score the better it is for us. However due to the urgency of wanting to score a goal we went from attacking as a team to trying to solely charging through our opponents. One example is what happened moments ago when Max suddenly turned on his axis after receiving a pass from Ole. At the moment of his turn, he seemed to flip a switch and immediately sped forward. In a matter of moments, he circumvented a saint''s midfielder by leveraging his speed. Nimbly speeding past the boy''s outstretched leg he continued forward only to be met by two opposing yers. He spotted Ben making a run on his left but for some reason, he hesitated to send a pass to him. In the next moment, the passingne was gone forcing him to have to look for a way to get past the two yers in front of him. Quickly performing a couple of stepovers in an attempt to create some more space he suddenly tripped to the ground. This happened the moment he tried to jab the ball towards the nk right afterpleting the second stepover. But to his utter dismay, the left-footed number 8 cleverly anticipated his move snatching the ball at the right time. Upon snatching the ball, the saint''s midfielder calmly sent a pass back to one of his defenders. It seems he had no ns ofunching a hasty attack like my team and was content with slowing down the pace of the game. The Saints retained control of the ball by pinging passes back and forth along their backline. My team who previously just let them keep the ball in their own half now eagerly charged forward. Our back line was inching ever closer to the halfway line with Ole acting as a libero the only one being a couple yards back. This was an extremely dangerous situation that could end badly if the saint managed to y a sudden long ball over the top. However, that was made increasingly difficult with the pressure we were putting on the ball carrier. To whomever the ball was passed to, they would find at least one of the Eagle''s yers pouncing towards them. Many times, they came remarkably close to winning the ball back in a dangerous position, butdy luck seemed to favour the Saints. That didn''t dampen the mood of the eagles as they continued charging a head determined to make their presence known in this match. This continued for another five minutes where the saints barely managed to retain possession of the ball. However, in the 24th minute after Finn and Ben, cleverly pincered a Saints midfielder forcing him to hastily pass the ball back. This sudden pass set off a chain reaction as both Tom and one of their centre backs charged towards the ball. Both yers actively shed their shoulders with each other looking to win the duel of strength. Both seemed to be equally matched, but Tom had a slight edge when it came to speed. Managing to reach the ball he flicked the ball behind him as he turned with momentum. But the defender that had followed him didn''t give up that easy as he lunged toward the ball managing to poke it in the direction of his keeper. Tom seeing this immediately stepped on the gas pedal as he sprang into action in order to chase after the ball. He didn''t get far though as he felt a powerful hold on his foot causing him to lose bnce and tumble to the ground. Before he even had the chance to voice hisints to the referee said official blew his whistle signalling for a freekick at the edge of the box. Although angry at the defender''s action of grabbing his leg with his hands he was quickly cated by his teammates. Most of them didn''t want to risk their striker getting a card for his rash actions. But Ole as the captain let his dissatisfaction known to the official stressing just how dangerous such actions are. After all, If Tom hadnded wrong he could have twisted his foot badly and suffered a major injury. Tom seeing this immediately stepped on the gas pedal as he sprang into action in order to chase after the ball. He didn''t get far though as he felt a powerful hold on his foot causing him to lose bnce and tumble to the ground. Before he even had the chance to voice hisints to the referee said official blew his whistle signalling for a freekick at the edge of the box. Although angry at the defender''s action of grabbing his leg with his hands he was quickly cated by his teammates. Most of them didn''t want to risk their striker getting a card for his rash actions. But Ole as the captain let his dissatisfaction known to the official stressing just how dangerous such actions are. After all, If Tom hadnded wrong he could have twisted his foot badly and suffered a major injury. The ref seemed to agree with Ole''s words or maybe he decided to rush his decision after spotting a certain Left back strutting towards him. Before Ryan even had the chance to raise his voice the official booked the Saints centre back. He also sternly warned him that he would send him off at the next misstep. The saint''s defender could only calmly take the scolding of the ref with a sheepish smile as he didn''t understand the danger of his actions. After all, in his wrestling meets he has used this move a lot and has never hurt anyone badly. In the end, he could only chalk it up to the striker being too soft and not manly enough. Nodding at the ref he quickly turned to get back into position only to halter in his steps as he met the angry stare of Tom. Startled by the striker''s re he quickened his steps heading into the box to mark someone. He had no intention of joining the three-man wall that his teammates were mounting. This was due to seeing Tom angrily picking up the ball looking as if he was going to kill someone. With how angry the boy is after his actions he had no ns of presenting himself as a target in the wall. After all, if he was in Tom''s shoes and someone tried to pull an ankle lock on him, he would definitely st the ball towards the yer to get his revenge. After all, he is not a coward and won''t let anyone bully him even if it''s just a game he will stand on Business. . . Chapter 149 Vs St Arthurs Prep (5) Chapter 149 Vs St Arthur''s Prep (5) {This Story will be ready to read on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. If you wish to interact with the story more or simply support me the link is p-a-t-r-e-o-n/TrikoRex. Be sure to remove the dashes. I hope to see plenty of you there enjoying this novel. Currently, there are 10 advanced chapters for you to read, I hope you enjoy them. I demand your power stones as I was deemed worthy by the singrity to present you with its hero''s tale, so motivate me to write more and upload chapters faster.} ~ ~~~ It didn''t take long for the referee to give the go-ahead for the Eagles set piece at the edge of the saint''s box. The first half clock had pretty much trickled down leaving only the added time to be yed. Both teams stood at the ready just waiting for Tom to take his shot. The striker confidently stared down the saint''s three-man wall looking for the slightest gap he could exploit. His usual cheery demeanour was reced by an angry scowl sending slight shivers at the yers standing in front of him. None of the young boys have any desire to get hit which could be seen by the fact some turned their bodies to the side. The set piece is located towards the left side of the D facing the restricted area giving him an opportune route at goal. With him being right-footed he could easily send a curled shot around the wall allowing him to let loose a dangerous shot. Tom didn''t care about any of this though as he calmly took five steps backwards before immediately closing in on the ball. There wasn''t too much fineness in his shot as he''s not one for trying too many tricks. A sharp muffled bang reverberated through the ground as the ball left the rubber of his boot. In the next moment, the ball rifled off the ground flying in a straight line towards the goal. The far-right yer seemed frightened by the bang of the ball causing him to subconsciously shriek to the side. With a soft whooshing sound, the ball passed between the heads of the two Saints yers using the hole that was created as a gateway. Before the yers in the wall had the chance to turn around to check where the ball had ended up, they heard the sound of the ball reverberating in the. The next moment the jubnt exmation of the eagle''s yers could be heard around the park. Eagles supporters chimed in with them celebrating at finally seeing their team get on the scoreboard. The happiest among the yers was Tom who sent a resentful look at the number four that had taken him down. He seemed to be conveying that this was all the defender''s fault as he went off to celebrate his goal. Said defender was left to grumble on his own not daring to try and shift the me. Not long after the Eagles scored their first goal of the match the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the first half. With a score of 1:2, the Eagles definitely have their work cut out for them if they want toe out vectorise in this match. However, with the momentum having shifted in the dying minutes of added time coach Bauer sure wished they could have just yed on. He could only sigh at this as his team seemed to have just woken up from their daze looking a lot sharper. Although not following today''s match tactics they were actively utilising what they have learned since the start of the season. It was working too as they started to look a lot more dangerous on the ball whenever they gained possession. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om It was quite a brilliant sight to watch for the seasoned coach as his yers seemed to synchronise in their movements. From the chaotic tension that had been created due to the two-goal deficit to a more united charge. This was evident by the fact that they let loose three shots at goal in the four added minutes. It was only throughdy luck and sheer grit that the saints managed to prevail over the impending danger. ~~~ "Lads I''m not sure what to say," Coach Bauer stated with a slight frown as he scanned across his yers. locking eyes with each of them to gauge their reaction, he noticed the sense of unease that spread throughout the room. None of the boys who yed in the first half dared to make eye contact with him for too long. Even some of the bench yers who had nothing to do with the game averted their eyes. Perhaps the only one actively making contact with him was Mike the keeper. However, he is intense gaze can be attributed to the fact that he doesn''t want to be taken off the field. "I was nning on scolding you, but you showed me an entirely different team in the dying minutes of the half. So, let''s just keep up the momentum, I want you guys to go on an all-out attack for the first ten minutes of the second half." He stated finally ending the ufortable silence before it could fully settle. Having seemingly forgotten his frustration at their breakdown halfway through the first half he started exining tactics. He emphasized that teams are most vulnerable at the start of the second half, and they should take full advantage of it. Heid out where his team was struggling in the first half making sure they understood where they went wrong. He decided to make a slight change in their formation by pulling Ole forward into the CDM role. The reason for this change was his desire to bolster his midfield without hurting his team''s defensive ability. Ole became the natural choice with him being the most cool-headed yer on the team, which is an excellent quality for a captain to have. His on-the-ball ability was the deciding factor of why he chose to move his position forward. The team''s formation changed from a 431 to a 341 bolstering the Eagle''s midfield strength as they took on a diamond form. Hopefully, this change in formation would help to boost their gamey and note back to bite them. We didn''t have to wait long to see whether coach Bauer''s changes would prove to be fruitful as the second half kicked off. Both teams swapped sides with the Saints kicking off the second half as their number nine calmly passed the ball back. They seemed content with the status co of the match not looking tounch a desperate attack. Just because the Saints weren''t desperate didn''t mean the same for the Eagles who rushed forward. Like a pack of hungry wolves, they flooded forward into the saint''s half looking to pick up where they had left off in the first half. Tom was at the forefront using his legs to propel himself forward. In the next moment, his imposing presence appeared in front of the saint''s midfield who had justzily received the ball. Panicking at the sudden appearance of the striker in front of him he quickly turned away sending the ball back to one of his defenders. Tom seeing the ball being passed away before he could snatch it didn''t stop and continued to chase after it. He wasn''t the only one as the rest of his teammates followed suit closing down passingnes. . . . . To Be Continued... The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!