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#More than 10 chapters ahead on my : /TrikoRex
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[Time 20:19 | BayArena | Bayer Leverkusen 3 – 3 Borussia Dortmund]
Time seemed to dilate as Amiri's delivery curved viciously toward the front stick. Volland craned his neck as he jumped forward at the edge of the 6-yard box, meeting the ball with the hardest part of his brow. (Thump!) It skimmed off his forehead as he redirected it downwards and towards the goal. Bürki, who was standing closer to the back post given the opponents' set-up, scrambled across his line before diving towards the front post.
For an eye-wateringly long heartbeat, the stadium froze as the keeper seemed to get closer to the falling ball. Volland's header hit the line a second before the keeper's fingers could reach it, and in the next moment, the net bulged for a fourth time. The BayArena erupted like a volcanic explosion. Twenty-two thousand voices merged into one primal roar that seemed to lift the very roof off the stadium.
Volland raced off to the corner flag in wild celebration as adrenaline took over his joy. "GOOOOOOOOOAL! KEVIN VOLLAND HAS DONE IT!" Rae's voice cracked with emotion as he bellowed into his microphone. "Four-three to Bayer Leverkusen! What a header! What a moment! The BayArena has gone absolutely mental!"
Behind the goal, the Leverkusen ultras unleashed a pyrotechnic display that painted the night sky in brilliant reds and blacks. Smoke billowed across the terraces as scarves whirled overhead like helicopter blades. The drum section hammered out a thunderous rhythm that seemed to make the very foundations of the stadium pulse with life.
Volland was swamped by his teammates in seconds as they joined in on his celebration. "You talk about it during film sessions, you practice it in training, and they translate that into the game. A well-deserved goal for the home side," Robson commented as the replay appeared on the screen once again. The sheer amount of space and time the striker had was now glaringly visible to the viewers.
Was order restored after the bedlam of the restart? Not a chance. Borussia Dortmund kicked off as if jolted by a live wire. Hummels barked orders, practically herding his side into a daring 3-2-5 shape, Witsel dropping between Zagadou and Akanji while Hazard and Sancho pinned the touchlines. Haaland, snorting like a racehorse, hovered on Tah's shoulder.
Leverkusen responded in random moving into a 5-4-1 shape, with Rakim playing as right back for the first time in his entire life. His metal was quickly tested as Dortmund's impromptu front five surged like a tidal wave. Sancho, hugging the right chalk, fizzed a low cross after skipping past Skingraven. Haaland flung himself at it, studs skimming the slick grass, but the Norwegian couldn't wrap his foot enough to trouble the keeper.
A free kick from inside the final third, but too far to go for goal, was executed by Can. The midfielder took it quickly, delivering an out-swinging cross into the box, aiming for Haaland. The striker lost the aerial duel to Tah, though, who headed it out of his box with authority. Leon picked up the second ball, launching it up the field without a second thought.
Favre, seeing the referee glance at his watch, gestured for one last lump into the mixer. Bürki sprinted the length of the pitch, rain flicking from his gloves, to make it eleven yellow shirts in the box. Can's throw arced high—an ungainly, desperate parabola. Time seemed to wobble as bodies collided beneath it. Haaland rose, Tah clattered, and the ball ballooned straight up like a weather balloon into the night sky.
Hrádecký called, fists clenched and punched through the crowd. The clearance spun toward halfway, where Rakim chased it down with pace, beating Guerreiro to it. Bürki—caught in no-man's land—hurried back, but Rakim simply dribbled toward the empty half, glanced at the referee, and dribbled some more. With half the BayArena screaming "Shoot!"
He obliged, drawing his leg back at the halfway line, but that's when the whistle shrieked just as he smacked the ball. (Wheet, Wheet Wheeeet) The referee's whistle resounded as the ball travelled across the empty half. "Oh," the fans exclaimed as it hit the right post before bouncing back into the box and coming to a stop.
"Well, folks, that is the final act! Referee Dr. Marco Fritz blows for full-time, and the BayArena finally exhales." Rae called out, his voice barely audible above the home fans' cheers.
[FT — Bayer Leverkusen 4 – 3 Borussia Dortmund]
[Ding: Post-match review available]
>Goals scored: (1) = 10Sp
>Final Match score: 4:3 Win: 30Sp
[Ding: It is detected that the last of your physical skills has reached the A grade. (Strength: B+ -> A)]
"Well, it's about time, given how hard I've been working since Poland, especially this month and a half," Rakim muttered to himself as he stepped under the shower after having just finished a session in the cryotherapy chamber.
{Indeed, but I reckon it was just a matter of time, given your bodily potential and the hard work you have been putting in. I would recommend hiring a coach to provide targeted training for you if you want to step into that realm.} Eva commented in a chipper tone, quickly outlining the benefits of having a personal team rather than having to rely on his mother over the phone.
"Sigh, I guess I can't put it off anymore, then again, this house is far too quiet for just me," he commented as he let the slightly warmer water hit his bonnet and shoulders. "Just help me make a list of the people I would need, and I'll try and hire them for the next season."
{Sure, but if you're feeling lonely, you could just give her a call.} She commented, causing Rakim to scowl slightly.
"We've talked about this, Eva. We both need space to focus on ourselves outside of being together. Heck, we have seen each other almost every day since I was six, but more importantly, I don't have the bandwidth to focus on anything other than football." He responded, sounding rather firm despite his clearly conflicted emotions, which Eva could sense. "I didn't exactly plan on finding my sperm donor in this life; a little warning would have been nice."
{I figured it was for the best to do nothing and let fate play out. Plus, it wouldn't really have changed anything if I had told you beforehand,} she commented in a matter-of-fact tone, but the warmth in her tone was clearly discernible.
"Sigh, let's just stop having this conversation, it won't change the outcome, and you know my boy Einstein thinks about signs of insanity," he commented as he stepped out of the shower, quickly wrapping a towel around his waist. "I just hate how it affects my family, they don't show it, but they are clearly on eggshells, seemingly waiting for me to Kamikaze."
{Well, can you blame them after your blow-up at the New Year's Eve party?} Eva questioned in a slightly amused tone, much to the displeasure of her host. {Though I guess it's a totally natural reaction, you definitely lost millions of Aura points.}
"What did he expect after telling me that he is my biological father and the Marquesses of Alderwick?" He annoyedly retorted as he entered his closet, quickly picking out a Kimono-style PJ set in Akatsuki theme. "Before meeting him, I just figured my father was dead, which seemed like the logical assumption. I had considered that he simply didn't know or couldn't find me after my relative sold me off, but..."
{But you think that Benedict, with all his power could have easily found you and rescued you, but simply didn't...,} Eva stopped mid-sentence as she spotted the stream of tears leaving his eyes as she laid bare what he hadn't been willing to voice since his world had been shattered.
"(sniff) Are you happy now, you made my eyes sweat," He complained as he used the sleeves of his black Kimono to wipe his tears. "It dragged everything back up. You know, living with Dad made me forget the nights when I first arrived at the camp. As you can guess, an emaciated 4-year-old wouldn't exactly have an easy time at a human trafficker's orphanage."
He took a deep breath, his hands clenched into a tight fist, causing the veins along his arms to lightly pop. "The first few days, I would go to bed hungry, praying that my very own father would come to rescue me. After all, everyone gets at least one no matter how bad they are, but he never came, and I had to figure shit out. So no, I don't feel like thinking of things from his perspective or trying to understand the circumstances."