Prologue.
Crystal Palace FC U16 vs Aston Villa FC U16
Time: 88:50
Score: 2-5
The team was losing, but he could only look from the bench.
"Is this it...?"
"Five years of hard work gone... just like that.."
Looking down towards his cleats.
The game ended quickly.
Coach and his teammates left him alone mercilessly.
A middle-aged man with a pot-belly was looking at his nephew in distraught.
"Arashi..."
"Uncle, any results...?"
He shook his head.
"They won't take the risk."
"Is it because of the compensation fee..."
"yes."
Arashi squeezed the water bottle in his hands.
"Uncle, is there no way out of this situation...?"
Hiroshi looked at his nephew.
"Arashi...there is a way, but it is not here in Europe."
Arashi enraged, threw the bottle in his hands on the ground.
"Uncle, are you telling me to run away from here?"
"At this point, it's no longer about running away... If you want to continue playing football."
Hiroshi paused for a second.
"You must leave here and start over again."
"This is the downside of youth football in Europe. It's good to get in, but the way out is brutal."
"Crystal Palace is a Category One academy. Any club that signs you has to pay training compensation. Three years worth."
"That's roughly Two Hundred and Seventy Thousand pounds."
"This alone is enough to make most clubs walk away. If you were a local player, clubs might take a chance, as there is a possibility of recovering that money, but in your case, arashi that's not possible."
Arashi sighed and stood up, taking a last look at the ground he played for so many games. He was the star of the team, climbing up the ladder from the age of 10. Just one unfortunate moment and everything came crashing down.
"Uncle, even if i go back, it's not like any J-league club is going to pay that amount."
"Normally, yes, but there is round about ways to make them pay."
"Round about...?"
"In one and a half years, Japan will be hosting the U17 World Cup. Your only chance is to get into the U17 team in a year, play the world cup leave results and get some of those J-League clubs to pay the fee."
"Uncle, you make it sound easy to get into a U17 team...JFA probably does not even know of my existence."
Hiroshi with a smirk on his face.
"This is where you need to think outside the box. Join a high school team and lead them to victory in Inter High or Kokuritsu and you have a one-way ticket to U17."
"How about it...?"
"What is this...a manga, anime...you make it seem like that's easy."
"Who said it would be easy?" This is a more interesting and challenging way to go than rotting here. You have already waited six months..."
Kojiro looked at the sky and gave a sly grin.
"Alright Uncle, Let's bet on this crazy plan of yours...Let's create a storm in Japanese football."