23 - Shinto Ishikuno

When Lucas Tanaka learned that his next match would be against Itou High School, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He immediately remembered that in his past life, Itou High School had become famous throughout Japan after revealing a prodigy player named Shinto Ishikuno.

In general, Japanese players were known for their intelligence and passing skills. As a result, throughout the history of Japanese soccer, the national team has never had a player who could be called a magician or a wizard. These nicknames were usually given to players with surprising and unusual creative abilities with the ball, such as Neymar, Robinho, and Ronaldinho Gaúcho.

However, Shinto Ishikuno was a different kind of Japanese player, someone who didn't take kindly to the teachings of Japanese soccer schools to always play the ball. Ishikuno was a born dribbler, a one-on-one monster.

If he was Wushia High School's next opponent, Lucas Tanaka knew he was in trouble. Even with the champion's system, he wasn't capable of simply picking up the ball on his own, passing through five players, and scoring, but Ishikuno might be.

"I need to come up with a contingency plan for this guy..." Lucas thought as he boarded the bus to return to the hotel.

Players with quick improvisation skills like Ishikuno were unpredictable. But even an unprecedented tactic to stop them was no guarantee.

The bus rocked gently, soothing Lucas' thoughts. He looked at his fellow passengers. Some were dozing, others talking softly. They were tired. No one wanted to talk about the next game, at least not yet.

It was a moment of calm before the storm, but Lucas didn't want to sit still.

So Lucas looked at Nishida, who was known for his inflated ego and his insatiable hunger for goals. If there was anyone who could be pushed beyond his own limits to get the better of someone like Ishikuno, it was definitely Nishida.

Lucas slowly rose from his seat and walked down the aisle until he stopped next to Nishida.

Nishida's eyes were closed, but Lucas knew he wasn't asleep. He leaned over and whispered:

"Nishida, I need to talk to you."

Nishida opened one eye and looked at Lucas with a raised eyebrow. "What's the matter, Tanaka? Aren't you tired enough from playing?"

"I'm thinking about something. It's about the next game." Lucas said and sat down on the empty seat next to Nishida. "Itou High School has a player you must meet. Shinto Ishikuno. He's a wizard with the ball."

Nishida straightened up in his seat, now fully awake. "So what? What does that have to do with me?"

Lucas smiled slightly. "It has everything to do with you. Ishikuno is the kind of player who can single-handedly decide a game. He scored six goals alone in their first league game."

"Yes, I've heard that story."

"You know that if he shines, he'll overshadow you, right? But if you can score a lot of goals, show that you're the real star on the field, we can destabilize their team. You don't want to be overshadowed, do you?"

Nishida frowned. "No one shines brighter on the field than I do. I'm going to show that Ishikuno that dribbling means nothing to soccer when it's finishing that scores goals."

"That's what I wanted to hear. We need you at your best. You can't keep missing goals like you did in the first game."

A vein popped into Nishida's forehead and he clucked his tongue. "Tsk! That's because you made me practice only passes for days. Next time I'll score six goals."

With Nishida motivated, Lucas returned to his seat. He knew he had planted the right seed in his colleague's heart. Now he had to think of a way to stop or hinder Ishikuno.

He wasn't very good at defending himself, and he hadn't yet acquired a skill that could help him with that. Besides, Wushia High School itself wasn't very good at defending. If Lucas could name one quality of his team, it would be their organized midfield and their speed in connecting attacks, but defense was definitely a problem.

Their best hope was Hidefumi, the reserve defender. He had a solid defense, capable of stopping some of Ishikuno's advances. However, there was the problem that Hidefumi was extremely lazy, so he started most of the games as a substitute and sometimes didn't even play.

His motivation wasn't very high either, and his mental state was weak. When Hidefumi came across a good striker, he quickly became discouraged.

'I have to find a way to motivate Hidefumi.' Lucas concluded.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows of the hotel cafeteria where the Wushia High School players were staying.

Nishida entered the cafeteria with his usual serious expression. He saw Lucas working at the buffet and frowned. He approached Kuwabara who was filling his plate with scrambled eggs, sausages, bread and whatever else he had.

"What's going on over there?", Nishida asked, pointing with his chin at Lucas, who was carefully assembling a plate of breakfast.

Kuwabara shrugged. "I don't know. Looks like Lucas is up to something."

Nishida grumbled with a skeptical expression. "Of course he is. He's always thinking too much."

Hidefumi yawned and sat down. Then a tray full of healthy food was placed in front of him by Lucas.

"Tanaka, why are you doing this?"

"I want to make sure that you have enough energy for the game. We need you to be at your best today because you're going to be a starter, right?"

Lucas carefully selected items that would provide energy without burdening his stomach: rice, grilled fish, some natto, and fresh vegetables. He also set out a bowl of miso soup and a serving of fresh fruit. It was a lot of food, but nutritious food.

Hidefumi sighed and took the chopsticks, not refusing the food that Lucas had prepared without Hidefumi asking. "Holder? I didn't hear anything about it when I talked to Mr. Yamamoto yesterday."

"No need. I already sent him a message, and he agreed with me. You'll be an appetizer today."

Hidefumi started to eat and asked with his mouth full: "You're doing this today because you're afraid we'll lose the next game, right? Why do you care so much about soccer?"

"Because without soccer, I'll be just another office worker and bachelor in my thirties. I don't want that."

"Huh? You're more pessimistic than I thought."