I stood in line at the cafeteria, tray in hand, thinking how little had really changed since that fateful day Tsebo asked to join my team. Had he just been joking? Or maybe he had reconsidered? Either way… nothing really felt different.
I slid into a corner at an empty table, alone. No friends. No noise. Just me and my tray.
Then, suddenly, Tsebo appeared, practically bouncing with excitement—or maybe it was frustration.
"Our teammates are trash," he blurted out. "We have to rely on duo plays if we want any chance against six giants, let alone the Shadow Kings. I've been working on a new tactics chart—memorize these!"
He whipped out a folded piece of paper. I blinked. A chart? Tsebo, the quiet, nerdy guy, had a tactics chart?
Tactics Chart Glossary
1. 9 Back Jane Corner Kick (9 BJK)
2. Offside Trap (OT)
3. Flying Dutchman Corner Kick (FDK)
4. Tiki Taka (TT)
5. Pendula Pass (PP)
"You must memorize all these tactics and their shortcuts," he said, eyes gleaming behind his glasses.
I swallowed. "Uh… okay…" Not that hard, right? I thought to myself.
He snapped open the paper, and I nearly fell off my chair. It was covered—front and back—with lines, arrows, diagrams, and names of moves I'd never heard of.
"You start now," Tsebo commanded.
I made a mental note: So this is what being teammates with a Shadow King is like…
I excused myself to the sink to wash my hands, mentally bracing for an afternoon of tactical memorization.
Then… something jumped at me.
"Bapala Modiri!"
I yelped and stumbled back. There, grinning like a goblin, was a first-year. His laptop hovered in front of him.
"Stats," he announced dramatically:
Strengths: Dribbling
Weaknesses: Ball Control
Looks: Slightly Above Average
Grades: Average
Football: C-Rank
Background: Unknown
"Nice to meet you! Name's Mercy. School reporter… and football enthusiast."
I blinked. "Nice to meet you, Mercy. Names—"
"Oh, no, you don't have to tell me your life story," Mercy interrupted, wagging a finger. "Every first should know the name Bapala Modiri. I mean… you completely annihilated Ofenste! Never seen anyone disrespect a Shadow King like that!"
I laughed sheepishly.
Mercy suddenly started bombarding me with questions as we walked back to Tsebo's table. "Where do you come from? How old are you? Are you part of a kids' team?"
Then he spotted Tsebo. Mercy froze, ducking behind a wall.
"Scared of him?" I asked.
"He's a Shadow King… dangerous," Mercy whispered.
Tsebo's eyes met mine across the table. "Come. Memorize. Now."
I tried to pull Mercy away—but he tripped, landing right at Tsebo's feet.
"Oh forgive me! Oh shadowsome one, I never meant to disturb your awesomeness!" he squealed, polishing Tsebo's shoes like a frantic monk.
Tsebo blinked. "It's… it's not a big deal. You don't have to kneel and…" His voice dropped softly, almost embarrassed. "…besides, I'm no longer a Shadow King."
Mercy let out a huge sigh and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tsebo flailed, trying to escape.
Mercy glanced left and right, whispering conspiratorially. "But promise… don't tell King Treasure, okay?"
Tsebo finally kicked him gently away. "Too close."
Suddenly, a voice shouted from across the room.
"Bapala!"
I turned. Didn't recognize him. "Uh… who are you?"
"NPC No. 1," he replied with a dramatic bow. "No need to remember my name. Only here for one scene." He raised a thumb at the invisible audience.
Tsebo squinted. "Who is he looking at?"
Mercy suddenly hugged both of us from the side. "From now on… we're the Platinum Crew!"
Tsebo shoved him off with enoguh force to send him flying hitting the wall.
Just then I felt a weird feeling I just help it—I laughed.
And just like that, lunch was chaos. But somehow… it was fun