I must train hard, to prove my doubters wrong

Touch some grass? Kai bent down on his knees as he stroked the green pastures with his fingertips. He inhaled deeply as he enjoyed his surroundings. At this moment, he was one with nature, and nature was part of himself.

Stamping his authority, Kai used his brain cells to the fullest as he trained his dribbling. The memories of the incident that nearly caused a calamity was still fresh in his mind.

His ball control was so poor that he couldn't even dribble for a few meters before tripping over. Kai's head turned into a bright tomato from the embarrassment.

How did they do it again? Dribbling?

Kai's forehead visibly contracted as he plucked his brain, searching his memories on how the professional did it. He tried to reimagine how the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar dribbled on TV.

If there was one word to describe these players, it was that the ball was glued to their feet. There were invisible magnets in their boots and sucked the ball in their control. It was like an extension of their own body, they can control the ball as they desired.

Kai wished he had ball control like theirs. If his ball control was on that level, wouldn't his journey to become a football legend so much easier?

Kai even had hints of regret in his decision. Prehaps he shouldn't have chosen Kevin De Bruyne as the player to learn from. Prehaps he should have chosen Messi, Maradona, or even Riyad Mahrez for their exceptionally refined technique and ball mastery.

Kai shook his head.

No, its too late to regret things now. He was lucky to even have a second chance in life. He shouldn't ponder on the past, but instead focus on the future.

Kai dribbled again. He tried his best to replicate Mahrez's elegant close ball control. He kept the ball close to him, and used the outside of his right foot to guide the ball in its path. He dribbled with pace, carefully controlling his stride and measuring how much force he put on the ball.

There were time and time again that Kai lost his footing, or tripped over a small bump, or just bump into something he didn't notice… like a tree. However, each failure only empowered Kai motivating him to retry again and again.

Kai's self made training routine had put a toll on his body. The youth didn't keep track of the time, but one thing he was sure of was his undeniable sweat that was falling down his forehead. Kai was sweating like mad.

But Kai didn't think this was a result of his intense drill. The only reason he was sweating so much was his poor physical condition. His stamina was poor and his strength was comparable to a 6th grader. Weak, fragile and low stamina.

~~~

On the other side of the park were a few teenagers. They were all near Kai's age. The youngest of the bunch was 17 and the oldest was 20.

The teenagers came in a small group, their charismatic and outgoing demeanor apparent to everyone around them. There is one thing in common in them though, anyone that is close to them can notice they were a particular type of shoe: football boots.

"Tsk, what a douche. I had everything planned out and he just bailed out at the last second!" One of the boy annoyingly stated to no one in particular.

"Détendre, Christopher, Détendre. It's just a casual day out with the boys. We have one less friend here, but we will still have a great time." Another boy stated in a lighthearted manner.

"No Dan. Did you forget already?" Christopher hit back. "I had a bet with Lucas and his gang! I brought the three of you for a reason!"

The jovial yet physically dominant Dan had a slight moment in his head. Anyone can tell Dan is searching through his memories for the so-called 'bet'.

"Uhh. Look. They are here already. Damn it. There goes my week of salary." Christopher gritted his teeth as he stared at the other side of the park where Lucas and his two other friends were approaching.

Yet in his moment, Dan was the calmest of the two, his analytical behavior was the saving grace for this situation. "There's plenty of people here, Christopher. We'll find someone to do the job."

Saying this, Dan eyed a particular scrawny youth that he had his sight on for a while. He shook his head at the horrendous dribbling that he can only describe as 'gorilla-ish', but he still had an open heart.

With a smile, Dan approached him.

~~~

Kai rested on his buttock. He lied on the green pasture under the shade of the giant oaken tree. He had one arm on his forehead as he rested his breath.

He enjoyed the cool breeze. But a shadow soon covered his vision, a darkness that engulfed his sight.

'Hmm?'

The Asian youth noticed the change. Curiously, he opened his eyes as he observed the person that was mere inches away from himself.

Muscles…

That was the first thing Kai thought of as he eyed the kid beside him.

'…man, this guy could knock me out in one punch!'

Kai was just about to open his mouth, but his dry throat stopped his words completely. The youth regretted not bringing a drink bottle before going out.

"Hey," Dan said in a lighthearted demeaour. "Me and my friends are about to play some football. Want to join us?"

Kai was taken aback. No one in his life had directly asked him to join their activity. He was a loner in his past life, his introverted personality didn't help either. It was this that caused Kai to freeze momentarily.

"The more the merrier!" Dan added as he offered his hand.

Kai was moved.

He accepted the gesture as Dan pulled Kai to his feet.

"I'll introduce you to the rest. Wait… you're?"

"Kai."

The muscular teen nodded. A heartful smile that warms one's soul "I'm Dan."

~~~

Kai followed the jovial Dan as he guided him to a particular area in the park. Specifically, the outdoor tarmac football pitch in the local park.

There were already a few people there. Kai counted 4 other people in his head. Each of the players were warming up and performing stretches on the field.

"Who's this you found?" A teenger with a slim build stated as he eyed Kai up and down.

"He's Kai. I disturbed his beauty sleep to drag him here." Dan said half-jokingly as he patted Kai's back.

There was a suspicious look on the Frenchman as he exchanged glances with Dan. Then he sighed and shook his head slightly. "Christopher..."

"Now. Now boys. Stop the cold treatment and get along." Dan eyed Christopher. "When are we playing?"

But Christopher completely ignored his teammate as he eyed the Asian youth. "Where do you play normally? Forward? Midfield? Defense?"

"Midfield" Kai obediently replied.

"okay… okay." Christopher nodded his head a few times whilst scratching his chin, deep in contemplation. "We will play in a triangle formation. You and me at the front and Dan will cover us from behind. Got it?"

Kai nodded his head. Dan already explained most of what they were doing. Something about Christopher making a huge bet against an enemy and that they are about to play a 3vs3 futsal match.

The players on the other team were already in their position. The snubby bloke that was on the field, which Kai assumed to be Lucas, was already waiting impatiently.

"We mustn't lose. My dignity is on the line!" Christopher begrudgingly stated in almost a whisper.

The snubby teenager dressed in all Nike gear arrogantly stood on the center circle as he observed the so-called "team" Christopher had assembled. In his eyes, he sees a muscle head without any IQ, a striker that doesn't know when to call it quits, and a random stranger that they found on the street.

Lucas had a snicker as he greedily thought about what he would do after bet.

"Come on! Time is of the essence. You're taking a million years to get ready." Lucas shouted across the field as he provocatively gestured at Christopher to enter the futsal court.

"You're going down. Lucas!" Christopher bitterly hit back as he stood in the center circle. "We will do the kickoff. You chose the location afterall."

"Fine by me. The underdogs always look for any advantage they can get." Lucas cheekily laughed whilst getting into position.