Just as Oswin finished speaking, he caught Lucas glaring at him from the corner of his eye. Winston noticed the tension in his friend's expression and followed his gaze. When he saw Lucas staring at them, he rolled his eyes. "Don't pay attention to him. He's just trying to get you riled up."
"I know, I know, but somehow I feel like he's planning something. I have this weird feeling," Oswin said before turning his attention back to the training drill.
Winston continued glaring at Lucas, "Do you think he's planning to do something to you?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if he does. Lucas is good at using people."
As Oswin finished speaking, the bald, short instructor blew his whistle. Lucas walked toward the starting line and waited. Winston and Oswin watched him closely, expecting him to copy the same approach Oswin had used during his attempt.
Peeep!
The whistle sounded.
Lucas immediately dashed toward the scattered mannequins, weaving through them with clean, controlled movements. Once he cleared the final mannequin, he received the ball and sprinted straight toward Mikel.
Lucas mixed body feints with quick dribbling techniques before performing a one-legged stepover. He suddenly pushed the ball to Mikel's right and accelerated past him. With Mikel now beside him, Lucas attempted a nutmeg.
But Mikel reacted instantly.
The defender twisted his body, using his other foot to kick the ball away. The ball flew toward the area where the mannequins were scattered.
Peeep!
The bald, short instructor blew his whistle. Lucas clicked his tongue before walking back toward the others.
"Next."
Diago jogged toward the starting line. He glanced at Winston for a moment before stretching his legs. Ever since his match against Winston, Diago had been spending more time training on the outer football fields. Winston's explosive speed had seriously irritated him.
That speed...
Inside the academy, there were only two players Diago considered clearly superior to him—Sebastian, And Lucas. He knew the history between Lucas and Oswin, and after seeing Lucas's abilities firsthand, Diago had already reached his own conclusion. Lucas is much better than Oswin.
As the bald, short instructor raised his whistle, Diago lowered his stance.
Peeep!
He dashed toward the scattered mannequins and weaved through them cleanly. When he reached Mikel, his expression became serious. Diago had been studying the defender during the previous attempts.
His defense is like a wall that moves. Then his eyes shifted toward Gaillanger, and that goalkeeper is like a mountain blocking a beautiful view.
Diago pushed his heel up and nudged the ball forward with the outside of his foot. Mikel's eyes followed the ball before shifting toward Diago.
"Oh, an overthinker."
Mikel calmly extended his foot and took the ball away. He immediately turned and sprinted toward the other side of the field.
Peeep!
The instructor blew his whistle, Diago stopped and clenched his fists before walking back. The bald, short instructor shook his head and walked toward the youth players. "Okay, that was good. But the problem I see with all of you is that you're too indecisive and impatient."
He gestured for the ball from one of his assistants. Once the ball reached his feet, he continued speaking. "Listen. Being a striker isn't only about scoring goals. It's also about remaining calm when faced with a defender. You need to utilize your speed and versatility to create space."
He demonstrated with the ball at his feet, showing several simple movements. "Take what Sebastian did. He read his opponent and used his speed and versatility to exploit Mikel's blind spot."
"Yeah, by copying Wis," Oswin muttered discreetly. Winston shifted his gaze toward Sebastian.
Sebastian stood there proudly, his hands clasped behind his back. Then he noticed Winston looking at him. Sebastian smirked, Winston simply stared back.
"Mikel and Gaillanger might have more experience than all of you," the instructor continued. "However, there's one thing they don't know—your individual skills."
He bounced the ball lightly against his foot, "So we're going to try again. This time, I want all of you to stop being afraid of going one-on-one with Mikel or Gaillanger." The instructor swept his gaze across the youth players. "And if they make you afraid, maybe you shouldn't be a footballer."
His words struck the players hard, One by one, their expressions changed. Determination replaced hesitation—hthe instructor smiled slightly.
Then he blew his whistle.
Peeep!
The players went again—this time, they attacked with far more confidence. They were no longer afraid to challenge Mikel directly, and they began experimenting with different ways to use their speed, positioning, and individual skills to get past both professionals. The training continued until noon.
Finally, the bald, short instructor blew his whistle.
Peeep!
"That's enough for today." The youth players stopped and began gathering their things. After dismissing them for the day, the instructor motioned for Mikel and Gaillanger to follow him. The two senior players followed him back toward his office.
Winston sat on the lush football field, panting heavily. The strange heaviness in his heart still hadn't gone away. Oswin nudged the spaced-out Winston with a bottle of water before sitting beside him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Winston snapped back to reality. He took the bottle, twisted off the cap, and took a long gulp before answering. "Thanks. I've been thinking about home. I really miss my family."
"Same here. I miss my two rugrats, but thank God we're getting closer to the end of this training." Oswin took another gulp from his bottle. "I can't wait to eat some pastries again. They don't allow food like that in this academy."
"Yeah, me too. I can't wait to visit the bakery shop again."
Oswin chuckled, "Oh, really? More like you want to drool over my cousin again. You should've talked to her when you had the chance."
Winston stretched out his legs, "I did. When I was at the convention with my sister, I met Busisiwe and her two baby brothers. We exchanged numbers, and we've been chatting ever since—until I came here."
"So you didn't write her number down on some paper or something? Since our phones were confiscated back at the main building?" Oswin asked, taking another gulp of water.
"Everything happened too fast for me to do that. Those two Football Federation guys in black suits didn't even give me enough time to properly process everything."
"Wait, you were escorted by Football Federation personnel?" Oswin raised an eyebrow. "Someone really sees you as valuable."
Winston lay back on the grass. Yeah, 'valuable.' I wouldn't go that far. If you knew what I know, you'd be shocked. He swept his gaze around the dome before speaking. "I'm surprised Sebastian and his crew left so early."
Oswin massaged his leg muscles., "Good riddance. They've been eyeing us for a while."
"By the way, I hope you don't mind me going after your cousin."
Oswin looked at Winston with a furrowed brow, "Why would I mind? You know she's our age. She can make her own decisions. Just don't hurt her. Otherwise, I'll give the guys whose girls I've been stealing back in Westminster your address."
Winston burst out laughing. "That would be pretty petty of you."
"Well, don't hurt my cousin." Oswin paused before grinning. "By the way, what are you going to do about Annalise? Are you planning on dating both of them? Let me guess…" Oswin suddenly started acting out a scene. "Busisiwe, this is Annalise. Annalise, this is Busisiwe. Both of you are going to be my girlfriends." He finished his little performance and burst out laughing.
Winston chuckled, "This is a serious matter. I like them both, but I don't know what I'm going to do." He shifted his arm and rested his head on it.
"Don't worry. I'll help you out when the time comes. I mean, I'm an expert at having multiple wo—"
A sharp electronic chime suddenly echoed throughout the academy.
A calm male voice followed.
>One-on-one challenge initiated. Arjun, Group B, has challenged Oswin, Group A. Oswin is to report to his instructor within ten minutes. I repeat, Oswin is to report to his instructor within ten minutes.<
Winston and Oswin looked at each other in confusion.
"Well, it looks like someone really is looking to climb into Group A," Winston said, "Man, another wrong timing. I'm sorry I won't be available." Winston said it sincerely. Honestly, he was praying this wouldn't happen again.
"Don't worry about it. I figured someone from Group B would want to challenge me sooner or later." Oswin pushed himself to his feet and stretched his aching body.
"I already have players ready to replace any of you guys whenever this happens. Come on. Walk with me to Building A instructor's office."
Winston nodded, The two walked out of the dome together.