The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 111: The Newcomers’ Ability

After the introduction session was over, the training session began, and they had entered the adaptation stage for the newcomers. In the next few weeks, the training’s intensity was lowered for a moment, letting them get used to the high school sport.

Much to their credit, the twin brothers, Denki and Denji, didn’t need any time to adapt. They swept all the training sessions easily, not even breaking a sweat. They also had the most stamina, lasting longer than anyone else in the endurance battle.

As for their technical ability, they were definitely more than solid. Their style was different, with Denji, the left winger, liking to cut back and take a shot from the edge of the penalty box, while Denki, the right wing, was more traditional, strolling around the sideline to take a cross from that spot to the center.

Nevertheless, they both were good. Not a type of fancy player, but they could do a lot of damage on the opponent’s side so easily. This alone was enough to tell them all that those two were pros here.

Then came Makabe Kenji, the playboy who, much to everyone’s ire, liked to flirt with Kumiko a lot. The team didn’t really engage in bullying activity, but the boy’s behavior somehow managed to rub their skin the wrong way. So, when they knew that Kenji was not that good at physical training, they couldn’t help but tease the boy here.

"Come on, Handsome! One more time!"

"Hey, if you have weak knees, the girls will run away, you know?!"

"One more, handsome! The most handsome man has to run the longest!"

It wasn’t that excessive, just a teasing banter between each one of them. After all, the policy against bullying in their school was quite harsh, and no one wanted to test the bottom of it right now. However, it was still enough to make the boy flustered, somehow feeling that his fragile masculinity was bruised by the teasing here.

However, much to everyone’s annoyance, despite his weak stamina, the boy had a beautiful playing style. He was not a pure striker here, more like an attacking midfielder, operating in the line between the opponent’s midfielders and defenders.

The boy didn’t run much, but always had a good position to receive the ball, and when his feet had it, his mind started to work like a magician.

A through pass in between the two center backs? Done.

A chip ball to the flank when everyone expected him to shoot? Easy.

A sophisticated dribble that could even fool Makino? Hah! He even had the audacity to laugh at the captain, venting out all the grievances from getting teased over and over again.

Nevertheless, the boy delivered in all the simulation sections crazily, proving himself to be a wonderful attacking maestro. Somehow, he also managed to ignite the fire in Hiroshi’s heart here. After all, the boy’s role was exactly the same as his, so they would have to compete a lot for one spot in the final roster in the future.

Unfortunately, for all of his amazing talent, Kenji had a glaring weakness in his game. He was too lazy to even make a long run, preferring to stay in his comfort zone and fix his hair rather than chasing the ball like the others.

This drove all of his teammates crazy during the simulation training, since he would never be willing to go back to defense whenever the ball was snatched from his feet.

"Fuck, handsome, run back! At least, try to look like you make an effort here!"

"So, you mean I can just pretend?"

"Fuck you, Bastard!"

That kind of scene happened a lot in the last couple of trainings, at least enough to liven up the atmosphere on the pitch.

Then, lastly, came Keita Sano, the scary-looking boy who turned out to be a socially awkward one, always stuttering whenever someone chatted with him. It was funny because the boy chose the delinquent style so that it could help encourage him to socialize with the others, just to find out that it worked the opposite way.

So, after getting to know him better and realizing that Sano was far from a delinquent, everyone warmed up to him. Somehow, he became a more popular guy than Kenji, what with how respectfully he treated all the senior members of the team.

Unfortunately, he turned out to be the weakest guy among the newcomers. The boy didn’t really have any experience in sports, so the team had to build his basic skills before he could be used in a real game.

Sano was dejected when he heard that he was not up to the standard, even having a thought of resigning from the team. However, Kumiko, an angel she was, rejected the resignation letter firmly here.

"I don’t care if you are just a rookie who only knows how to kick the ball straight. As long as you want, I can help you build a good basis for this sport. I want you to be here, being a part of the team."

That alone banished all of the boy’s idea of getting out of the team, and now, he even had a thought of devoting his life forever here.

After three weeks of training, it could be said that the four new players were integrated into the team quite seamlessly. Even if there were some awkward moments and clashes between each one of them, at least they could still laugh at the end of the day.

Kumiko was satisfied with the progress of the team. However, she knew that training alone was not enough. They also needed to hone their skills and gain more experience, and what was the best way to do that other than playing in a real game?

So, with that in her mind, the girl gathered all of her players in one morning after the training session was over, asking them to wait as she was about to make an announcement.

"You know about it, Chibi?" Makino asked curiously.

"Nah, she is not someone with a loose lip. Kumiko-chan knows how to keep a secret." Higo shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh? Does that mean you both will never know if she accepts my confession letter in the future?" Kenji suddenly popped out of nowhere, grinning mischievously at his two seniors.

"Tch! Go away, Brat! Don’t get involved in this adult matter!" Makino clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Before the playboy could retort, Kumiko finally coughed, attracting everyone’s attention. As she saw the curious gazes from her players, the girl’s smile widened further it even hurt her facial muscles, and the girl finally announced, "Three weeks from now, we’re all going to Niigata!"