My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 71: Spam Calls
Manager Farke wore his usual poker face, hiding the delight from the 2-1 victory over Hull, but he leaned to the side and said some words to Rob, the head of performance.
"Go grab the shot-velocity sensors and set them up on the training goal."
"Yes, Boss."
Unaware of what was going on near the touchline, Rio squared up his shoulders and looked down at the ball placed on the edge of the D. Illan Meslier, the towering French goalkeeper, was waiting patiently, his sharp eyes staring down from the center of the goal.
’That last free-kick was off. Just curl it into my hands, Rio...’ Archie Gray once again stood near the wall, wanting to feed Rio balls so the winger could get into a rhythm.
The next shot came flying off Rio’s laces, this time curling too wide instead of dipping. Thanks to Meslier’s long reach, he didn’t even have to dive; he just watched it sail harmlessly wide.
"Wide."
Farke’s eyes moved to Rob who he talked to earlier, only to see he was still in the process of calibrating the radar equipment behind the net. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on Rio who was adjusting his socks.
’He still seems composed, almost as if he was expecting this result...’
The manager couldn’t help but let his mind run wild. Just what was with this kid? Yesterday he scored from 80 yards, and today his posture looked completely different. He looked denser. Heavier.
’I think the GPS said his top speed against Hull was 36.5 km/h. As long as he can improve his consistency, we might have the best player in the league. With his new strength, he is a weapon on both ends.’
The next shot came, this time aimed at the bottom corner. Meslier didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, diving to his right and making a connection with the ball.
THWACK.
However, it seemed Rio mistimed it slightly, sending the ball at a comfortable height for the keeper.
"Ah, damn."
Piroe, who was watching from the sidelines, quickly ran to fetch the loose ball.
THUD.
Meslier easily caught the ball which spun into his gloves and threw it back to the edge of the box. His face was still somber, the ’Iceman’ persona in full effect.
"Saved."
"Hmph. He got lucky against Hull." Gnonto huffed from the bench, clearly having a bone to pick with the new fan favorite.
’Just a few more...’
Rio felt as if his muscles were finally calibrating after the Titan’s Core upgrade. It was as if there was a wall that he needed to break through in order to map his Image Training power to his physical output on the grass.
Archie, on the other hand, was currently sweating profusely, shagging balls.
’Argh, I never know how hard he’s going to hit it. This is scary.’
Rob, who was in possession of the velocity tablet, finally sent a thumbs up to Farke, letting him know that he was ready to record.
[Chat Room Active]
The_King: You are stroking the ball like a kitten. Is this how a Captain shoots?
Rio_Lance: I’m warming up, Eric.
The_King: Warm up? A lion does not warm up. A lion kills. Hit it down the middle. Break his hands.
Rio blinked. Break his hands?
The next ball was rolled to him. He turned his attention to Meslier.
’Illan...’
Suddenly, Rio’s entire demeanor changed. His once relaxed recovery-day atmosphere seemed to heat up an entire realm, showing his will and determination to have a frontal battle.
Illan Meslier was a boy of immense height and had a spider-like frame. That was until one saw his reflexes which held Olympic-level speed underneath.
He was one of those keepers who grew up in the intense French academies, facing elite strikers from a young age. This gave him undeniable reach and positioning which translated to him being a demon in the six-yard box.
If someone were to ask Rio who the hardest player to beat in training was, he would without a doubt say it was Meslier, at least that was the case until the S-Grade Shooting unlocked.
With Rio on the set-piece and Meslier’s amazing shot-stopping, they were usually evenly matched.
Rio couldn’t help but feel excited facing off against his good friend. Of course, Meslier had no knowledge of the System upgrade, only seeing that Rio’s aura had changed drastically.
"Oho, he’s getting fired up now," Ayling commented from the sidelines.
"It’s a battle between heavyweights, HAHA!" Cooper interjected.
Even Farke could see the changes in Rio. The way he stood over the ball... his collar was turned up slightly?
"It seems that he instinctively knows that Illan is our best barrier. Geniuses are scary..."
Archie could see the changes in Rio, but he was unsure of how to assist him. Especially since all of the shots had not found the net yet.
He let out a small sigh before deciding to roll the ball to the left side of the D, however, surprisingly, Rio shook his head.
’Huh? Where does he want it then?’
Archie kept moving the ball until ending up right in the middle of the D, dead center, only to receive a nod.
’WHAT!? Right down the middle??’ Archie almost jumped in fright from the shock he just experienced. ’Meslier will eat that up!’
Rio, on the other hand, wore a frightening smile, filled with the will to fight. He would not curve it around Meslier; he respected him too much to act cowardly. The King had demanded power.
Seeing the expression on Rio’s face, Archie could only do as he said. However, he needed to keep an eye on the rebound in case it smashed someone’s face.
Rio performed his run-up. He didn’t use the finesse technique. He planted his Titan’s Core, throwing all of his new S-Grade mass into the standing leg.
He whipped his leg through.
BOOM.
Before anyone could register what had happened, the ball disappeared.
SMACK.
The sound of the ball hitting the back of the net rang out before Meslier could even raise his hands.
"W-What was that?" Archie turned to the goal, blinking a few times as if not believing that the ball was already in the net.
"G-Goal."
The assistant coach called out the decision after a few moments, only after getting over his shock.
Even Farke was stumped. It was almost as if the ball teleported past the keeper in a fraction of a second. It didn’t curve. It didn’t dip. It was a knuckleball that traveled in a straight line of pure violence.
"What’s the speed!?" He suddenly remembered that he sent Rob over with the sensor and quickly looked over towards him.
Rob was too busy staring at the tablet with his mouth open and did not even look his way.
"Damn it." In a huff, the manager ran around the cones and pushed the man out of the way to see the screen.
[142 km/h]
"Oh my god..."
Farke stared at the number. 142 km/h. That was Roberto Carlos territory. That was Adriano territory.
"Rio!" Farke shouted, turning back to the pitch.
Rio was standing there, adjusting his collar. He looked at Meslier, who was inspecting his gloves as if checking for holes.
"Sorry, Illan," Rio called out. "I slipped."
"Slipped?" Meslier laughed nervously, picking the ball out of the net. "If you didn’t slip, I would be dead."
[Chat Room Active]
The_King: Better. But the collar needs to be higher. And next time, stare at the keeper until he looks away.
Zizou_5: 142? Not bad. But can you do it with a Panenka?
Total_Football_14: Power is nothing without placement. But... that was quite placed.
Rio grinned. The King was impressed.
"Okay, session over!" Farke clapped his hands, though his voice shook slightly. "Rio, inside. Now. We need to talk about your diet."
Rio grabbed his water bottle. Archie ran up to him.
"You’re a freak," Archie whispered. "A literal freak. Did you see Rob’s face?"
"I saw it," Rio laughed. "Come on. I’m hungry."
They walked towards the tunnel.
But as they walked, Rio felt a vibration in his pocket. It wasn’t the System. It was his phone.
He pulled it out.
Unknown Number: Impressive goal against Hull. And impressive data from training just now. Yes, I have spies everywhere. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Rio stopped.
Unknown Number: My client is very interested. Not for January. For the summer. We are building a new Galacticos.
Rio stared at the screen. Galacticos?
Unknown Number: This is Florentino Perez. Real Madrid.
"Fuck," Rio whispered, almost dropping the phone.
"What is it?" Archie asked.
Rio shoved the phone deep into his pocket.
"Nothing," Rio said, his voice trembling slightly. "Just... spam calls."
