Winston entered the football field in Building D, where Elijah, Bongani, and Hickman were already waiting for them.
"Where's Oswin?" Elijah asked.
"He's registering players back in Building A," Winston replied. He glanced at the three of them before continuing. "Does any of you know Arjun? I checked my wristwatch, and it says he plays as a fullback in the defensive position."
The three exchanged glances.
"Arjun, Arjun, Arjun…" Elijah tapped his chin, trying to remember. "Since we were paired with the defenders a day ago, I think I remember him. Ah, yes! I heard that name when we were being paired up. He's a skinny, dark-skinned player with short, curly hair. From what I saw, he's pretty good defensively."
Bongani raised an eyebrow. "How do you even remember him? There were so many players in that dome, from midfielders to defenders. I couldn't even keep track of all the players who wanted to recruit me."
Elijah shrugged. "Meh, I'm good with faces and names." He paused before asking, "Anyway, does Arjun have a beef with Oswin?"
"Not really. Apparently, he's in Building B, and we figured he wants to climb into Group A," Winston replied as he waited for Bongani to pass him the ball.
"When I heard his name, I checked the academy groups. His rating is getting close to eighty percent, so my guess is that he wants to move up to Group A." Hickman tapped his wristwatch. "Elijah is at seventy-five percent in Group B, Winston is at sixty-six percent, and Bo is at sixty percent."
"Yeah, I stopped checking my ratings because they were depressing me," Bongani admitted as he trapped the ball Winston had passed to him. "But considering how low I started, I'd say I've improved quite a bit."
"Wait, doesn't dome training count toward our ratings?" Winston asked, clicking on his wristwatch.
"It does. When I asked my dome instructor, he said our ratings count, but we can't see those particular scores. Apparently, they're meant for the big-club scouts." Hickman tapped his wristwatch again.
"No way!" Bongani exclaimed, panic spreading across his face. "If I'd known that, I would've put more effort into my dome training!" He began biting his nails.
Winston and Hickman exchanged glances before turning back to him. Elijah walked over and gave Bongani a light pat on the back. "Well, Bo here has been struggling with his role as a defensive midfielder. Ever since Wis put him in the winger position, he's been questioning which position suits him best. The dome coach has also been giving him flak over it."
"I'm sorry, Bo. I didn't know it would cause you problems," Winston said sincerely. "When you told me you could play both attacking and defensive roles, I assumed switching positions would be easier for you."
"Don't be. Honestly, it's not your fault. You're the one who helped me in the first place." Bongani sighed. "I had one foot in one position and the other in a different one. But after the match against Hickman, I started enjoying both roles. I just didn't know dome training counted toward our ratings. I thought it was just normal training."
"I don't think it'll affect your prospects too much," Hickman assured him. "Your attributes have improved, and you're climbing toward Group C. Still, I'd advise you to take dome training seriously from now on."
"Come to think of it, my dome instructor said something similar," Winston said, glancing toward the entrance to the football field. "Well, something along those lines. It was when I woke up from my three-day sleep. He told me I shouldn't miss dome training."
Even as he spoke, Winston continued glancing at the gate. Hickman noticed his uneasiness but had barely opened his mouth when Elijah interrupted.
"Wait, how do you check your attributes?" Elijah tapped his wristwatch and moved closer to Hickman to show him his screen. Hickman leaned over to take a look, while Bongani crowded in beside them, peering over Hickman's shoulder.
Winston watched them for a moment before walking away and sitting down on the grass. Once Hickman had finished showing them how to check their attributes, he noticed Winston sitting alone. He walked over and sat beside him. "Are you okay?"
Hickman glanced back at Elijah and Bongani, who were still comparing their attributes and teasing each other over their results.
"I don't know, man." Winston lowered his gaze. "I've been feeling this heaviness in my heart, like something bad is going to happen. It's been bothering me since early this morning. I thought it would've gone away by now." He looked up at the overcast sky.
"Have you eaten or slept properly?" Hickman asked. "Maybe it's one of those things. Or perhaps it's anxiety mixed with excitement. I mean, look at us. We're so close to becoming professional footballers."
When the academy's announcement had chimed earlier, Winston's heart had started pounding. Then, as he walked toward the football field in Building C, it had beaten so hard that his surroundings had blurred. A moment later, the pounding had stopped, only to return again. The strange sensation had confused him enough that he'd decided to sit down.
"Maybe it's because I skipped breakfast," Winston said, trying to convince himself.
"Oh, right. I wanted to ask you something. How's your family?"
"They're fine. Mum was asleep, Dad was at work, and my sister was the one who answered the phone."
Before Hickman could respond, Oswin strolled into the football field, looking completely unbothered.
"Oh, I'm glad the whole gang is here!"
The moment Oswin finished speaking, rain began pouring from the sky.
"Ah, come on!" The group hurried toward the nearest building that offered shelter, escaping the sudden downpour.
Bongani looked out at the rain with a grimace. "Man, this means we'll have to play in the rain!"
"What? Are you scared of a little rain?" Oswin asked, stretching his arms before letting out a yawn. "Oh, man, you guys should've warned me that registering players was so taxing on the back. I was there so long I nearly fell asleep!"
"Damn, that means I'll have to sit there registering players too," Elijah muttered, leaning against the wall. He let out a yawn of his own as he watched the rain pour outside.
"So, who are the other players you've recruited?" Hickman asked Oswin.
"Some players from the attacking dome, along with a few you might know from the defensive dome," Oswin replied. "Since Wis won't be available for this one-on-one challenge, we need to make sure we have enough players to cover for him."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," Bongani said.
"My apologies," Winston said, looking at Oswin. "If I'd known Arjun was planning to challenge you, I would've rejected Ethan's recruitment."
Oswin shook his head. "You're overthinking it. These one-on-one challenges are unpredictable. One minute, we're all working together, and the next, someone gets challenged and has to leave. Look at it as part of the academy experience. We can't rely entirely on one another." He gave Winston a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He could tell the situation was weighing on his friend, and he wanted him to understand that none of this was his fault.
Winston looked around at his friends—they were all smiling at him, trying to put him at ease. He nodded and returned their smiles—with a sigh of relief, his heart finally began to settle. The pounding subsided, but the heaviness remained.
"Not you cheering me up again," Winston said, shaking his head.
Oswin flashed him a wide grin, "Like I said, call me Oswin the Therapist. I'm good at this, man!"
"And you ruined it," Winston replied, chuckling as he shook his head.
Bongani and Elijah exchanged glances before nodding to each other. Then, as if they had silently agreed on a plan, they approached Oswin from either side and draped their arms around his neck.
Winston and Hickman stared at them, their brows furrowing in confusion.
"What are you two doing?" Oswin asked, looking from one to the other.
"Bro, we have a few questions," Bongani said.
"Yeah, a few very important questions," Elijah added.
Before Oswin could ask what they meant, the two began bombarding him with questions about women and relationships. What Oswin didn't know was that the guy he used to pick up girls with was currently in the defensive midfield dome, pillow-talking about their romantic escapades. Apparently, their stories about courting women had become a popular topic among the players there.
And since Bongani and Elijah were both virgins, they were eager to learn a few tricks from someone they considered an expert.
Winston and Hickman quickly figured out what was happening. Both rolled their eyes before leaning against the wall of the shelter, deciding not to get involved.
Hickman stood beside Winston and glanced at him, "Oh, I get it now. You were worried about this match." He gave Winston a confident smile. "Don't worry. With me in defense, nobody's scoring."
Winston smiled. "Thanks, Hickman. I'll be rooting for all of you."
The others turned toward him.
"You'd better be!" Oswin called out, finally managing to free himself from Bongani and Elijah. He stretched out his clenched fist toward Winston. "I want you to watch me beat your speed!" Winston bumped his fist against Oswin's. Once the rain subsided, the group headed back toward their football field, where they found the players Oswin had recruited waiting for them.
"What formation and game plan are we using today?" Winston asked.
"About that, I want Bongani to help me with his shifting formation," Oswin replied. "I'm thinking of starting with a 4-3-3 that transitions into a 3-2-5 when we have possession."
As his friends and recruited players gathered around him, Oswin used his hands to illustrate the formation and explain how he wanted the team to move.
He then turned toward Bongani. "What do you think, Bo? Will it work?"
Bongani studied the formation for a moment before nodding, "I don't see why it wouldn't. We're combining quick counterattacks with possession play. When we have the ball, our wing-backs can push forward and move into the middle, helping us overload the opponent's half. That gives us more passing options in attack while keeping enough players behind the ball to protect us if we lose possession."
He continued breaking down the formation, explaining how the players would shift their positions depending on where the ball was and how the opposition defended. Oswin sighed with relief, having Bongani confirm his ideas gave him more confidence in the plan.
Once the tactical discussion was over, Oswin went around pointing out each player's position and explaining their responsibilities. The players listened carefully, making sure they understood what was expected of them. Just as Oswin finished, an instructor from Building A approached the group.
"Oswin, it's time. Your one-on-one challenge is about to begin."
Oswin straightened up and looked at his teammates, "Alright, everyone. Let's do this."
Winston watched them head toward the stadium before making his way to the seating stands.
The sight that greeted him caught him by surprise—the stadium was packed with players. Youths from different groups had gathered to watch the challenge, filling nearly every available seat. Winston hadn't expected so many people to show up for a single match.
He searched for an empty spot, finally found one, and sat down. A few moments later, the players began emerging from the tunnel—he first team he spotted was Oswin's.
Oswin walked out with his shoulders lowered and his eyes narrowed, his usual carefree expression replaced by a focused stare. He looked like someone who had already made up his mind about how the match would end.
Winston wondered what changed, then his gaze shifted toward the tunnel. His eyes widened—Lucas, Diago, and Diego were walking out behind the other players. For a moment, Winston simply stared at them, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
What are they doing here?
A curtain of rain suddenly swept across the stadium, driven sideways by a strong gust of wind. Winston barely noticed it, his heart skipped a beat. The familiar heaviness that had been bothering him all morning suddenly seemed to grow stronger, pressing against his chest.
He gripped the edge of his seat, his gaze fixed on the three players.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?