Chapter 11: Opportunity?
The match ended with Tenzin securing the victory in a 3-0 defeat, Tenzin had left after the match was over leaving the Marion side to think about their position. Paul looked at his team from the sidelines as they sat down on the pitch sulking, they knew they were at a disadvantage against a team like Tenzin but they still didn't want to lose. At least not like this.
Benjamin walked away heading to the bathroom, Jeremiah pulled his gloves off and headed toward the dorm, Nagisa as well as the other defenders started heading back as well. "Sulking after a defeat?"
Everyone stopped as Paul spoke, all the players walking away stopped to listen to their coach.
"Why do you think you lost today?" Paul asked his squad. "You are all well-talented players, I know that. I hand-picked every single one of you myself so what I'm trying to say is..."
"Keep your head up." Cory helped Paul.
"A loss is always devastating regardless of the match type. However, this is your beginning." Paul walked unto the field and the players on the bench followed him. "Each one of you has a skill, some have honed that skill and some haven't. The reason we lost today is because we didn't have enough."
"Skills." Arthur said.
"Your speed, your dribbling, your passing, your volleying, your jumping. These are all skills that each one of you possess." Paul walked toward Benjamin. "I was going to have a word with you but it seems our opponent beat me to it."
"I understand my error," Benjamin responded before walking away again. "Won't happen again."
"As long as you understand." Paul went back to the pitch, where the players sat. "If you have time to sulk, use it to train."
Byron's eyes lit up when he heard what Paul said, the words he just said were the same words his father told him after every loss he encountered. "If you have time to sulk, use it to get better." These words were the reason he trained after every loss, no matter how sad he felt. He'd use that time to train. That was the only way to make sure he wouldn't feel that way again.
"Along with the special training given to you by Cory, hone your talents. Make them sharper, make them stronger. You are your own blacksmith."
The entire team looked at Paul, team spirit was low and it wasn't like his speech alone would stop the way they feel but that wasn't what Paul was trying to do. He wasn't trying to stop them from feeling bad, he was telling them that there was no time for it.
"The Spring tournament starts March, we're participating in it alongside some other good teams. Tenzin not participating does not mean that it'll be any easier. School starts next week, prepare for that as well as keep up with your training."
"Yes, coach!" The entire team said in unison."
"Take this feeling, harness it, do not forget it. This feeling of loss and anguish, use it as motivation to push you to greater heights. Make sure you never feel like this again." Paul walked away from the squad and Cory followed him.
Tenzin dominated the match from start to end, if he was on the pitch could he have made a difference? somehow he doubted that but a piece of him at least wished he was played in the match. Byron remembered every one of Tony's goals as well as what Tony told him after the match was over.
"I really wished I could have played you today," Tony said while drinking water.
"Yeah, next time." Byron responded. "You really are amazing."
"It's nothing that amazing, just doing everything I can for my team." Tony looked at the Tenzin squad. "Sadly we won't be playing in the Spring tournament but I look forward to seeing you in the Summer tournament."
"Me too," Byron responded.
"Make sure you've made the first eleven by then." Tony walked to his teammates.
"..." Byron stood there thinking about how he could get better and how he could evolve his style of play. "I have to score goals."
Marion had an outback-style shed behind the back of the school and that was where Benjamin walked off to, it had two gender-separated bathrooms, a faucet on the side of the building and a towel rack.
Benjamin was no stranger to defeat, he's suffered this countless times but none as damaging as this. Even though he has lost with ridiculously painted score lines he had never once felt useless on the pitch. He abhorred what he felt right now.
"Not going to join the others?" Annabel asked him.
"This is the boy's bathroom, plus. Mind your own business." Benjamin poured water on his face.
"That Arthur guy seems to care about you a lot."
"Why are you here? to laugh at me... or are you here to apologize on your brother's behalf. Trust me, I would love neither."
"No, I was just here to see how you'd take the loss." Annabel walked toward the exit.
"Three goals," Benjamin said before turning off the faucet.
"What?" Annabel asked.
"After that display of brilliance from our brother it's only fair that I owe him three goals." Benjamin grabbed a towel and cleaned his face.
"Wow, you're not angry at all." Annabel said as she saw the look on Benjamin's face.
"I'm excited. Tony Maximus, another name added to the list of players that I owe hat tricks." Benjamin walked out of the stall. "He'll be an important stepping stone on my way to Horace."
Annabel watched him leave the stall before realizing he had only slightly altered his goal. "It's always about this Horace guy. The coach said you should focus on other things!" She said running after him.
A few weeks had passed and the players juggled training as well as school, there were about 2 weeks or less before the spring tournament started so they used the time they had to elevate their skills as well as their minds.
Marion's educational system had 5 classes for every 20 students in one grade but there were 4 separate classes for the grade Byron and the other first years were in. He got assigned to class C which was the third class and it had barely anybody that he could recognize, that was until he saw Xavier and Max.
They learned a mix of science and art as well as did occasional P.E. and took trips to various locations, class ended by three at noon and after that students were allowed to do anything they wanted with their free time.
"Any of you guys talk to any girls yet?" Xavier asked the two players that lay down beside him.
"Nope," Byron replied.
"Nada." Max also replied.
"We're hopeless." Xavier sighed and drank his juice.
The three players were in the same class so they decided to hang out a few times and during that few times, they noticed neither of them found the other. Repulsive. So they decided to hang out a little bit more.
"I heard that Mariah asked Silvestre out." Xavier crumbled up his juice box and threw it into a nearby trash can. "Swish."
"Wow." Both Byron and Max clapped after he made the shot,
"Didn't she go for Benjamin originally?" Byron asked.
"Yeah, apparently he rejected her and went to practice so she went for Silvestre."
"That's tough."
"They really are brothers, Horace declined schools and Benjamin declined girls." Max tossed his own juice box into the garbage but his didn't enter.
"Boo." Both Byron and Xavier boo'ed till Max went over and picked it up.
It was the calm days like this that they really enjoyed, they went to school every day and went for training every other one. So whenever they had free time like this, they would be crazy not to cherish it. The sun was out and it burned steadily, making the large oak tree the boys lay down underneath feel like their hero.
"Hey," Joseph asked the boys who lay in the shade.
"Oh," Byron sat up and saw someone beside Joseph he hadn't seen before.
"I'll make it short and sweet 'cause there's no time but this is Andrew, central midfielder of the A team and he and two other players are currently available."
"Okay?" Xavier looked at the player that was behind Joseph.
"We need training dummies basically. Three to be exact and you just so happen to fit the description." Andrew spoke and it was just now the boys understood what Joseph was trying to say.
"So a 3-on-3 match with the A team." Xavier laughed. "Hell no."
"We get to play the A team, this might one in a lifetime opportunity." Byron said trying to convince Xavier.
"We'll enter the A team in 2 years."
"Yes but that's two years, this is now!" Byron pressed the issue more.
"Nope, it's sunny out and I just had a load of numbers and letters pushed into my head." Xavier turned away from Byron.
"Okay, let's do it like this. Who wants to play the A ranks." Byron raised his hand.
"Haha, jokes on you. I know Max, he wouldn't wanna play them either. Right, Max?" Xavier looked at Max and his hand was up as well. "Why do I always end up on the losing team."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone