Chapter 3
Escape to Change, Fight to Change - Same Change, Yet Different
The Anti Meta 555 Football Club sits in Anti Meta City, a border town in the state of Neo-Texas, Neo-America. Despite having scenic mountains and grasslands as selling points, there's always the risk of accidentally crossing dangerous borders, which makes this place less popular with tourists.
Yeah, that's actually the name of our local football club - sounds like something straight out of an online game chat, doesn't it?
The naming logic in G.O.A.T TRICKS focuses on this kind of chaotic humor. You'd better get used to it now, trust me - there are way stranger names than this coming up.
To be honest, I'd never visited a football club before, but I'm absolutely certain none would look as intensely themed as what I'm seeing right now.
G.O.A.T TRICKS is set in a future world, sure, but it's a cyberpunk kind of future - slightly dystopian. Advanced technology, but low quality of life.
The cities and football clubs in this game have distinctly different themes: Cowboys, Samurai, Ninjas, Pirates, Wizards and Witches, Ancient Tribes, Martial Artists with inner power, Medieval European kingdoms, Superheroes, and countless others - as many as the developers could imagine.
And Anti Meta City, where I am now, is one of the cowboy-themed cities.
But that doesn't mean people here ride horses everywhere. Everyone uses cars and public transport just like in the normal world. The guns hanging from everyone's waists are probably just props, not for actual shooting when trouble starts.
(I hope that's the case, anyway.)
The living conditions, technology, and lifestyle here are more advanced than my previous life because it's set in the future. But it's still a game designed by people from the 2000s of my former world, so what I'll experience probably won't be much different from the sci-fi space movies I used to watch.
I'm not amazed by how the world has changed or how advanced this future era is. I just find it weird how this vision of the future looks like the past - the cowboy era.
It's basically like cosplay, isn't it?
Huh, thinking about it that way makes it less strange. I guess they did this to create a unique city identity to attract tourist money.
The club's image has to match the cowboy theme too. The exterior is deliberately decorated in retro cowboy-town style - horse carriages, fence walls, wanted posters with bounties (which are actually like stats showing how skilled each player in the club is - the higher the bounty, the more skilled they are). There's even my face on one, with a 777 dailiez bounty - the highest on the team.
There are tumbleweeds rolling around, and even the club's entrance sign is riddled with bullet holes.
This extreme theming extends to uniforms and clothing too. We still wear jackets or jerseys that look normal, but with cowboy-style patterns and decorations. If it ended there, it would be fine, but this game insists on adding extra accessories: cowboy hats, long pants, and various outer wear options - vests with and without buttons, loose coats, and even large cape-like wraps.
All of this is to maintain the cowboy city image. Regular townspeople wear the same stuff. I'm the weird one for thinking it's strange.
But here's what I want to complain about - ordinary citizens don't have to wear this stuff to play football!
Just thinking about wearing a loose coat and long pants while running around the field makes me feel like it would be incredibly hot and cumbersome.
I remember my past life, but that doesn't mean the eighteen years of memories from this body disappear. It's like two sets of memories merged together, making everything blurry and unclear.
But at least right now it lets me walk to the changing room and practice field without being completely lost.
The changing room is empty, but I can hear people outside. Everyone's probably already at the practice field.
I open my locker and let out a heavy sigh.
Fine! When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
After putting on the club's blue and white football uniform, I grab a black cowboy hat and choose a vest without buttons - probably the most comfortable option. For pants, there are even ripped jeans available...
I'll take these. I know they're pretty tight and not ideal for football, but they match my style.
After trying some movements, I actually say "Wow" out loud. Not because of how cool I look in the mirror, but because of how flexible and comfortable the clothes are.
Of course - this is a future world, and a fictional game world at that. Something as minor as clothing problems is trivial. Just imagine some fabric technology and the problem's solved.
Simply put, I can play football in this outfit without any physical restrictions.
I'm getting excited! I get to play football in such a cool cowboy outfit! Alright, let's head to practice.
However, after just twenty minutes of training, that excitement completely died... I ran into problems almost immediately...
Just light warm-up exercises. Just one lap around the field and I'm already gasping for breath.
"Are you feeling unwell, Assarun? Your movement looks strange today."
Coach Yeager approached me right after I continuously messed up shooting practice, passing, receiving, tackling, positioning...
Actually, I messed up everything.
Can't help it - in my previous life, my motto was: if working hard now means being comfortable later, then I'd rather be lazy now and stay comfortable from the start.
That's why I lived such a laid-back life. When school ended, I'd go home to play games, read comics, and sleep. I never went out to play sports or football with friends. Forget football - I wouldn't even play badminton with my mom in the backyard.
"What's wrong with you, big brother? Being so clumsy like that - that's not like you at all."
A handsome young man with silver hair who had just easily dribbled past me turned to speak to me as I got tangled up and fell to the ground after being completely fooled.
"..."
I couldn't say anything. Disappointed and suspicious looks from everyone on the field pierced through me, making me feel utterly pathetic.
Even though I'd never played football before, I shouldn't be this terrible. What's going on? My shots fly off to Mars, my ball control is clumsy, my passes are off-target, my movement isn't smooth like others, I have zero sense for defensive positioning. Even simple things that just require charging in to tackle for the ball end up with me getting knocked back and falling flat on my face.
Football is harder than I thought. I really have no athletic talent...
Hey, don't give up yet. Try to grit your teeth and fight a little. Even if this is a game world, it's still just high school football. How hard can it be?
I run. I put everything I have into every training drill.
But effort alone isn't enough. I keep making mistakes. Nothing clicks.
The more I run, the more tired I get. Even jogging makes me endlessly tired. My heart pounds like it's about to explode. If exhaustion could kill, I'd be close to death.
Finally, I collapse and lie gasping on the grass.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
"Sigh, what's wrong with Assarun today? Playing like someone who's never touched a ball. And don't you usually wear a coat? Why the vest today? You probably need a finishing move to snap you back to reality. Kleber, handle this."
Coach Yeager spoke up, his voice much harsher than before.
Huh... what did he just say?
I'm so exhausted I can barely hear sounds around me. Something about dying? Can you repeat that?
My head has no complex thoughts, just wanting to get up and keep trying. I grit my teeth and force myself to stand up amidst complete exhaustion, feeling the grass beneath my feet trembling.
I look up.
That silver-haired young man - the one who kept fooling me with his dribbling - stands in front of me seriously with a football at his feet, as if he's about to kick that ball right at me.
...Probably not, right? Assarun is the team captain, isn't he? How could someone who looks as gentle as a girl dare to kick a ball at me? No way.
"Sorry, big brother, but take this hit and hurry back to being your old self."
The young man lifts one leg, staring seriously at me. His body begins glowing with supernatural power, emanating a clear white aura.
I remember now - this is called NEX, the energy that explodes when characters in G.O.A.T TRICKS use their finishing moves...
...Hey! Hey!! Hey!!! No way!!!!
This is exactly what I wanted to avoid most - being a punching bag getting hit by finishing move shots. Am I going to get hit on my very first day?!
"Sargnagilus!!"
"What does that even mean... AHHHHH!!"
Both my feet lift up pointing to the sky as a white beam slams into my stomach. My body spins and flies about four meters from where I was standing.
This is insane! And... it really freaking hurts!!!!!
Damage ReceivedHP decreased = 80/130
What the hell?! Just one shot from a background character and I lose almost half my health?!
I should have dodged instead of standing there wondering what the finishing move meant. But the speed of that shot wasn't normal either - like a laser gun. No matter how hard I tried, I probably couldn't have dodged it.
My vision starts getting blurry. I'm about to lose consciousness. It's exactly as I thought - this game's superhuman finishing moves are no joke.
"Wow, just that and you're already out cold? The tournament starts in two weeks too. Assarun in this condition definitely can't play."
Coach Yeager sighs.
"From now on, I'm demoting you to number three. Go sit on the bench as a substitute. If you want to be number one again, hurry up and get your form back."
Before asking me to get my form back, could you please carry me to the hospital...