Capítulo 6 - What's My Weapon?

After the celebration in the locker room, Ego contacted us via the screen.

Applauding, he begins his monologue. "Congratulations, raw gems, you had the best result of the fifth block. 14 to 2, ahead of Team V, which made an 8 to 0."

"8 to 0? Those guys are really strong." Kuon seems somewhat worried.

"Or the other team was just a big pile of crap," Raichi retorts.

"With that, the scoreboard looks like this."

1st Place | Team Z | 3 Points | 12 Goals

2nd Place | Team V | 3 Points | 8 Goals

3rd Place | Team W | 0 Points | 0 Goals

4th Place | Team Y | 0 Points | -8 Goals

5th Place | Team X | 0 Points | -12 Goals

Apparently, there's someone good on Team V as well...

"It seems like someone became the backbone of your team, that's what Japanese football needs. But for those who are not that backbone, you can still become one; your pillar may fall, but the game goes on."

Ego takes a deep breath.

"Forwards are made to destroy enemy tactics! Revolutionize the field! Leave them desperate! You need to use your weapons to destroy the opponent." He pauses before finishing. "Only with your weapons can you continue to win."

The thought lingers in the room: what's my weapon?

Finally, we went to the dorm to rest. I took care of myself during the game; my knee seems to be almost 100%, but I haven't risked sprinting at my maximum yet, nor have I scored a goal with my left foot.

"Guys! Something from Ego's speech stuck in my head... What's your weapon? Mine is definitely my jump." Kuon starts the conversation with everyone.

"My biggest weapon... My dribble." Bachira says confidently, but sleepy.

"My weapon is my technical shot; I call it sexy football." Raichi.

"My plays in the final minutes?" Gagamaru.

"Skillmoves and technical runs!" Imamura.

"I..." Igarashi opts for silence.

"I do a bit of everything, I guess." Iemon.

"My strong left-footed shot." Kunigami.

"My weapon? Let me think..." Isagi takes his time.

"Time is ticking." Kuon presses, tapping his pen on the notepad.

"Wait, I'm thinking."

"Stop wasting our time, NEXT!" Raichi.

"So... Chigiri?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Come on, just say it."

"No."

"Alright, the last one, Arthur."

Everyone seems to pay more attention at this moment.

"Uh... I don't know either."

Everyone sighs disappointedly.

"What a letdown."

I shrug at them. They mostly go to sleep. But what can I do? How can they easily choose just one characteristic to highlight? They're the ones who are wrong! I'm very, very fast, but my dribble is also top-notch, and I haven't even started talking about my shot... Passing... What's my best characteristic? I don't know! What I do know is that I'm hungry; I'll eat that horrible dinner and go to sleep.

Arriving there, I see Isagi eating alone; he seemed disturbed.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

"Oh! Arthur, didn't see you coming."

"Well, now you did. What's with the long face?"

"Well... I don't know what my weapon is."

I sit down next to him.

"Yeah, I don't know either."

He chuckles.

"It's different; you don't know how to choose which of your weapons is your main one. I don't know if I have one, or if I do, what it is."

I hadn't thought of that.

"Well, I'll be honest with you, I think you're one of the ones with the most potential of those I've seen so far."

He looks shocked and stares at me wide-eyed.

"What?! Seriously?"

"Yeah, but as a midfielder."

The gleam in his eyes seems to dim a bit.

"Midfielder... But why?"

"You know, during the game, I think a lot, but most of the time, about scoring goals and winning the match that way, you... were always where I wanted someone to be, in an open space, making good passes... I can't draw hasty conclusions yet, but I'd say you have an exceptional game vision."

He seems to be lost in thought.

"Midfielder... I'm not sure about that idea."

"Why do you want to be a forward?"

"To win games, to win the World Cup."

"And what does being a forward have to do with that? You want to be a great player, but from my point of view, you have a better chance of success in midfield."

"Why do you want to be a forward then?" Isagi counters.

"I want to be the greatest goal scorer of all time, surpass Pelé. I want to be the greatest winner of all time and surpass Messi. I want to be the greatest offensive revolutionary and surpass Cruyff. I want to be the best in history, and for all that to happen, I'll be a forward."

Somehow, the gleam in Isagi's eyes starts to return after that.

"You really aim for a grandiose goal."

"I'm going to need help to be victorious in the national team; you would be a great addition in midfield."

Suddenly, I smell something divine.

"WHERE IS THAT SMELL OF MEAT COMING FROM?"

I look to the side and see Kunigami with a plate of the most wonderful meat I've ever seen in my life.

"KUNIGAMI. WHERE?"

With his mouth full, he points to a sign.

1 Goal = 1 Point.

1 Point = 300g of Filet Mignon.

2 Points = Massage.

3 Points = Cellphone Return.

5 Points = Luxury Bed.

10 Points = A day out there.

"A day out there... That's definitely the best deal." Isagi comments to Kunigami.

"I agree. I'll definitely save the rest, but I needed the protein for my diet." Kunigami replies.

"The good thing is that you'll probably be able to go out in the next game, right Arthur."

There was no sign of Arthur.

"Wait, where's Arthur? He was just beside me a second ago."

"Here he comes."

Arthur carried a plate that covered his face with so much meat.

"THIS PLACE IS PARADISE!"

"My god, Arthur?! How many points did you spend?!"

"All of them! But it got me 2.4kg of Filet Mignon. I'm in paradise!"

"Are you going to eat all that?" Kunigami seemed shocked.

"Mind your own business, big guy. I'd eat three times as much if I had the points."

Isagi sits at the table.

"You know, what you said about weapons, I think Ego didn't mean that you have to choose only one weapon and use it to the max."

"What do you mean?" I say with my mouth full; I'm not sure if he understood it right.

"Well, for example, Zico, one of his main characteristics was his vision of the game and exceptional passes, but you can't ignore a player who has 530 goals for his finishing ability."

"Messi also fits into this example." Kunigami gets up from the table. "You're really on a next level Artthur; it's not just one weapon anymore; you have more resources. But if you remain stagnant, we'll surpass you without you even noticing."

It makes sense what they said, so I shouldn't occupy my mind with this kind of thing.

"Now, make sure you don't ruin your conditioning by eating that much meat; the next game is against Team Y, if they lose, they're out, they'll give everything on the pitch."

"Kunigami, now that I know every goal earns me a plate of meat, there's no one on that game who will be giving more than me. We will humiliate the next game."

END OF CHAPTER.