After they completed another series of drills, the bald, short instructor blew his whistle, signaling the end of the day's training.
He swept his gaze across the exhausted youth players in the attacking dome. Most of them were breathing heavily and struggling to catch their breath. However, his eyes soon landed on a few players who showed little sign of exhaustion compared to the others.
He nodded to himself before turning and walking out of the dome. Winston walked toward an assistant who was handing out water. He took two bottles and carried them over to Oswin, handing one to him.
"Seems like you've gotten the hang of the ankle weights."
"Yeah. Thanks to you, Dumi, and Boris," Oswin said, stretching out his legs.
"Wait, how did we help?" Winston asked, furrowing his brow.
Oswin mustered a little strength and raised one of his legs.
"The design and the way these ankle weights work. I mean, wearing them forces you to focus on your balance and speed."
He gently lowered his leg back to the ground. "I also think this is where you got your speed. I mean, the last time you ran at such an incredible speed, you fell asleep for two days."
"I thought it was one day."
"Nope. Remember? You went to sleep around noon and woke up around noon."
"I don't think that's how you count hours."
Oswin shrugged. "Well, it seemed like you slept for two days. Me and the coaches struggled to wake you up back then."
He took a sip of water before continuing. "Anyway, the incredible speed you showed back then and the speed you used yesterday were completely different. Yesterday, you didn't get exhausted or fall asleep afterward. And that happened after you took off the ankle weights."
"Huh? That's a great observation." Winston grinned. "And you're right. I have to be careful. I'm afraid that if I slack off, you'll end up with greater speed than me." Winston said it jokingly.
What Oswin said was partially true. The ankle weights had helped Winston develop his balance and speed, but the explosive speed he had displayed yesterday—and the speed he had shown back in the junior league—had been the result of his Awakening.
"By the way, do you wear them when you sleep?"
"No. I only wear them when I train. Should I wear them all the time?" Oswin asked, already itching to take the ankle weights off.
"You should. If you only wear them every now and then, getting used to them won't become second nature. At least, that's what Dumi and Boris told me."
Winston lay back on the football field, basking in the afternoon sun.
"You're right. I was wondering about that when I first put them on. They made my movements feel rigid at first."
Oswin turned toward Winston. "Wait. Did you take them off when you showered?"
"Hmm, No. Boris said they were waterproof. He said something about them being made from rare or high-grade metals or something. To be honest, I wasn't really paying attention since it was my first time putting them on."
"Oh, all right. I guess the boys in Building A are going to be even more annoyed with me."
Oswin paused, "Bongani also wanted to try them on. I'm planning on giving them to him. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind. I'll take them back once he's done."
Winston stretched his arms and legs.
A sharp electronic chime suddenly echoed throughout the attacking dome.
A calm male voice followed, broadcasting throughout the academy.
>One-on-one challenge initiated. Danilo, Group B, has challenged Hickman, Group A. Hickman is to report to his instructor within ten minutes. I repeat, Hickman is to report to his instructor within ten minutes.<
Winston immediately sat upright, "I guess Danilo really wants that number-one defender spot in Group A."
"I'm ready for him. Your match really inspired me," Oswin said.
He looked at Winston, "Wis, are you sure you're ready? I mean, you played yesterday, and Hickman was waiting for you to fully recover before challenging Danilo."
Winston stood up and stretched, "I was hoping to play a match today. I feel great, and after the conversation I had with Elijah and Bongani, I want to finish this week's one-on-one challenge so I can start planning which player I'll challenge next."
"All right. Let's head to Hickman. I'm sure he's waiting for us at the football field in Building C."
Oswin struggled to get back on his feet before throwing his training bag over his shoulder.
Together, the two walked out of the attacking dome.
On the football field, Winston and Oswin found Bongani, Elijah, and several other players sitting in a circle.
"Oh, Hickman seems to have gathered everyone. He really did have everything planned," Oswin said.
Everyone turned toward the person who had just spoken.
"Oh, hey. You made it," Elijah said, stretching his legs. "Yeah, Hickman came with these players a few minutes ago."
"That's good. It defeats the purpose of recruiting players if we don't get to know each other," Winston said as he shook hands with the new players.
Oswin followed behind him, greeting them in the same manner. "Do we know anything about Danilo?"
"Yeah. He's a defender who has wanted to challenge Hickman for a long time. From what I heard, they're just competitive with each other. They grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same school and played for the same football club in high school," one of the youth player said, The player was tall and dark-skinned, with short hair and a strong jaw.
"Is that so? Do they have some kind of beef?" Winston asked.
"I don't think so. Both of them seem pretty buddy-buddy. I was with them when Elijah and I were assigned to the same defensive dome," Bongani said.
Oswin furrowed his brow and looked at Elijah.
"Wait, you play as a central midfielder-defender? That's weird. I thought you played as an attacking midfielder."
"I can interchange my role on the field," Elijah replied, looking back at Oswin with a furrowed brow. "I only decided to focus on defensive midfield to strengthen my defensive prowess. Besides, I always play as a defensive midfielder."
Winston looked at Oswin with concern. "You've been off today. Are you okay?"
Oswin rubbed his itching eyes with his palm. "I think so. Yeah, maybe."
"Have you been getting enough sleep? And have you been eating regularly?" Bongani asked. "You know, my mother once went a whole day without sleeping, and she was acting just like you."
"Well, I've been practicing skipping dinner and breakfast. I've mostly been eating Hallbrook energy lunch bars," Oswin said, taking another energy lunch bar from his bag.
Winston immediately snatched it from Oswin's hands and examined the ingredients.
"Oswin, the warning says you shouldn't consume more than two of these a day. And the sugar content is way too high."
Bongani walked over to Winston, peeked at the ingredients, then handed the energy lunch bar to Elijah.
"How many of these energy lunch bars have you eaten?" Bongani asked, looking at Oswin with concern.
Oswin shrugged, "I don't know, but all I know is that I feel good, right now."
"That's because of all the sugar. You're probably running on a sugar high right now," Winston said, facepalming. "Let's just hope you don't crash on the field while we're playing."
Oswin walked toward the ball and began dribbling it between his feet. "You guys are worried about nothing. I'll finish the match without crashing."
Hickman jogged onto the football field, "Glad the entire gang is here. I was planning to search for you guys."
"Oh, Hickman, you're here. I wouldn't miss this rivalry match," Oswin said, dribbling the ball before passing it to Bongani, who joined him.
"Oh, you know?" Hickman said with a wry smile. "I'm sorry that this match won't be as intense as the ones you've been playing. Danilo and I have been friends for a while, and every now and then, we challenge each other to test our defensive prowess."
"That's actually good. We don't want to play a match that could injure either of us. And I wouldn't mind playing alongside two top defenders," Winston said.
"I'm glad to hear that. I already have a game plan in mind," Hickman said.
His words immediately caught everyone's attention.
The players moved closer and began huddling together around him.