Chapitre 18: Chasing Ambition
'This feeling... is a little bit addictive!' Dennis is on fire as he drives the ball deeper into Team Y's defense. He brandished his sharp white teeth, scaring a defender with his grin. His team was already leading by a large margin, but he was not showing his enemies any mercy at all.
He dribbles past the defenders with ease, his skills, and precision on full display. 'There's just something I love about coming out on top.' Dennis considered this as he approached the goal and looked into the goalkeeper's already uneasy eyes. He'd like to ask a question to that goalkeeper at that moment, but the answer would be obvious.
'Nobody likes losing; it's the worst feeling in the world. But nobody realizes that it is a sacrifice everyone has to make in their life to win later.' He wasn't the one to talk about it, but Dennis had already sacrificed a lot in his life to become what he is today. Having no personal life at all and no interest in anything other than football.
Blood, sweat, and tears he poured into this to achieve the greatness that others haven't on the football scene. He wasn't wrong with his choice. Right now, as he takes his shot with a sense of satisfaction, the ball flies past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. 'Oh, yes. The moments like this make me ponder if I'm really not addicted.'
Whistle!
The match ended with Dennis scoring a last-minute goal, a completely disrespectful act. Team Z won the match with five goals, each one scored by the German. His team came up to him, but instead of dropping to the ground to rest.
Kunigami placed his hands on his shoulders and asked, "Did they insult you or something else? You were playing with special intent against them." Obviously, he would ask that first; five goals were no joke.
"Graaaah!!!!" A certain hothead sprinted from behind Dennis and performed a rear naked choke; the German seriously couldn't breathe, and Raichi wasn't letting him off. "How can you score five goals in one game, damn it?!" He kept on holding his choke.
Dennis tapped on the dude's hand as he was already blue from not receiving enough oxygen to his lungs, "Dude, let him go!" However, Riachi wasn't doing so; instead, he kept doing it until the sleeping lion had enough of it.
Whoosh!
Making use of their difference in height, Dennis bent forward and lifted the guy from the ground, and then he and Raichi flipped themselves over. The next thing Riachi knows is how the entire body of the German fell on his chest, and oh god, he was heavy for a teenager. "Gwah!" He let go of Dennis.
"Dude, you are crazy. Were you trying to kill me?" He was then stared at by everyone else, and Dennis was the most disappointed of all. "Just learn to control yourself, dude; otherwise, this won't do you any good."
Raichi wanted to keep acting the same way he had been, not apologizing but assuring him that he wasn't planning to kill him, of course. But now that he thinks about it, why would others think of him killing someone else? 'Shit, am I really too rough?'
"Buddy, I forgive you this one but don't do it next time. Besides, we have some other stuff to think about besides our internal problems." Dennis then looked at the side of the field where Team Y was crying. "Unlike them."
They were on their knees or on their backs as they lay, with no hope of passing this selection as a team anymore. Now, all of them realized they wouldn't be able to give the selection, and it was a heartbreaking moment. Only two teams would be able to pass the selection, and they were no longer one of them.
Team Z didn't know how to feel about this, except for Dennis, who still had his mindset in place. 'I've seen this too many times already; it's far worse in Europe.' He had previously ruined someone else's dream with no hesitation at all.
He had devoured their little dreams for his greater ones, and he did it again here, easily. The percentage of those that become professionals on the European football stage is lower than your chances of becoming number one in Blue Lock.
Dennis glanced at others, wondering what their reactions were to this realization. After all, you don't permanently ruin someone else's career. Their current reactions were not so serious; however, it's clear in his eyes that the team was thrilled. 'They had never felt this before, had they? Using others as a stepping stone for yourself.'
"So this team can't pass the selection anymore, huh?"
"Seems like it; to be honest, I expected to see this sooner or later."
"Must hurt."
Such were the comments made by Team Z's players. Naturally, they were also prepared to experience this themselves, but thankfully they were still in and could pass the selection. A little trust in each other finally evolved into something else. Isagi, for example, felt more like a team player here than at the previous school he played for.
It felt different to play with the guys that strive for professionalism and improve at such rates; he had a hard time keeping up, and this was an even bigger motivation. Playing and training with workaholics is better than playing with some amateur volunteers; most of those high schoolers don't even believe in their own dreams.
Dennis had a similar thought; he felt like he was at Dortmund's Youth Academy. 'They all have talents; it's crazy to think that; all of those Japanese high schoolers just weren't raised properly, and they wasted their chances…' Of course, he meant previous generations and the football scene only, not personal life or discipline.
Japanese football lacked arrogance; that's why the project is so indulging for Dennis; he can see with his own eyes how one person is changing a single country's football scene, or maybe the scene of an entire world.
Dennis looked up, glanced to the far corner of the field, and glared directly into the camera, 'Mr. Ego, I feel like, we share some similarities.'
… … …
After the match time, it's always a rest time, so today they had free time for an entire day. And where would a tired teenager go after the match? Obviously, to the cafeteria after taking a good shower.
The food was nice, and everyone else decided to share. Dennis went so far as to buy two steaks instead of one, and he also gave them away. 'Totally not me wasting my points, I still have enough to get my phone back.'
"Man," Immamura shouted as he put a piece of juicy steak in his mouth, "This is so good! Dennis, thank you!"
"Yeah, man. I'm not sure if we would have gone so far without you. For example, there was a good chance we'd lose to Barou." Igarashi also chimed in, "You and he are so alike, beasts!"
Dennis shrugged; no, they weren't alike at all in reality. It might have looked so during the game, but only he, Kuon, and Barou know how different they are. Those other two will remember their 10 to 0 one-on-one performance for the rest of their lives. "Well, Barou was playing pretty good. We still won, though, and that's what matters."
Suddenly, Isagi's eyes sparkled with excitement as he locked gazes with Dennis. "Dennis, we couldn't figure out your weapon, could we?" he exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to the puzzled German. Kuon, caught off guard, fumbled for his notepad and frantically armed himself with a pencil, ready for any revelations that may unfold.
"Oh yeah! Dennis was all over the field; we couldn't even get the hang of his powerful sides. He was good at everything!" Bachira jumped from his seat, his emotions all over the place. His excitement for this was a little bit too much, but nobody could understand Bachira, so they just got along with his weird attitude.
"Ah yes, I'm very good at everything," the German smirked. "I would love to say that to everyone else, but to stay true to myself, nope, I'm not that good."
"Well, your performance today was phenomenal, and we had never seen someone else play like that before, so we might as well admit that you are indeed the best." said Kunigami. His calm demeanor was masking his inner excitement.
At the same time, excitement filled them, and anticipation was building up in them, they were going to play against him once, and they had only one objective: to win!
Raichi's eyes shot up, "The best?!" He pointed at himself while looking angrily at his orange-haired teammate; everyone knew where this was going. "Quite bold words for you when you're in the same room with a sexy footballer!"
"Haha." Dennis laughed while watching the scene play out in front of him; the team was actually having fun at that time. "Guys, others are staring at us so weirdly; I guess they still can't bear the fact that they lost to us, the weirdo team!"
Everyone erupted in laughter at Dennis' remark, and the conversation shifted to a new topic. Dennis thought Isagi's previous question was a thing of the past, and he was occupied with retrieving his phone.
The device slipped down several spots as a notification popped up for him to pick it up. He was relieved to find that his brand-new iPhone was in pristine condition. It was amusing to see his new phone survive for so long; iPhone battery capacities were terrible.
The phone was still not fully charged, so Dennis would have to wait a bit longer before using it. He decided to make use of the downtime and head to the monitoring room to charge his phone. With his charger in hand, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to relax in a quiet, empty room for most of the day.
As Dennis walked down the hallways, he was unaware that someone was trailing him. The monitoring was chilly, as there were no conditioners here, but warm air was still flowing here from other parts of the facility. The screens were turned on, and the replay of their match was playing; perhaps someone had already analyzed their match.
He had an idea who it was, but who knows? That idea might be far from the truth. Nonetheless, Dennis attached the charger and put down his phone. So he started waiting, and he spent that time watching his own match. 'I still didn't devour Barou, did I? Those shots are easy to replicate if I'm being honest, but the amount of time I had better opportunities to make a shot from a different position was enormous.'
"Hmm, Barou's skill is good, but for me, it's a hustle at the moment. I create better chances at different places…his weapon is still a force to be reckoned with; I won't switch from my objective."
As he said that, he heard the steps over the concrete floor. When he turned around, Dennis saw his most unexpected teammate enter the room. The red-headed Chigiri was someone who rarely interacted with anyone and was known for his passive behavior on the field. 'Chigiri… what is he doing here?'
"What brings you here, Chigiri? Analyzing our match too?" Dennis asked, surprised. Chigiri merely nodded and took a seat next to him. To be honest, he looked more like a girl than a boy. How was that possible?
Despite Chigiri's feminine appearance, Dennis was curious about the impact he would have if he were to go pro. "Dennis, you never said what your weapon was," Chigiri interjected. "I came here out of curiosity."
The German's eyebrow twitched for a moment while looking at the feminine expression of Chigiri; for some reason, this guy was the one not to let go of the subject… 'You never said either, my guy.'
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