บท 14: Chapter 14: Pain and Trust

"Hahahaa! The look on his angry fat face. It was just adorable!"

"Then he was about to charge like a mad fat bull. What an idiot! Typical street gangster."

"Stupid people want to try this sport? They can't even properly receive a simple horse kick serve."

Rino's team was still laughing hard at Yang and his team. They never expected Gantes to react with a punch against a sepak takraw ball. Not to mention, the latter even wanted to pick a fight!

"Alright, here they come. Get to your position and don't let them make a single score again!" Rino snapped his team back to their game mind and prepared for Yang's incoming serve.

Pang!~

Yang sent over the ball with another spike serve, which is also known as a horse-kick serve. The only problem was that Yang was still inexperienced despite his vast sepak takraw knowledge. As a result, he lacks full directional control of his serve and it went straight to Rino who was waiting in the middle with a huge smirk.

"Damn it." seeing the ball went to the opposing team's captain, Yang gritted his teeth in regret.

"Easy..." Rino managed to perfectly receive Yang's serve, and like a rehearsed dance, John followed up with an upward toss using an inside kick towards Kurt who's main job is the striker or spiker.

"Destroy them!" Rino beckoned to Kurt and the latter immediately lounged to performed a beautiful bicycle kick.

With the ball just meters away over his head, Kurt first jumped as high as he can with his back facing the net. Then his right leg stretched over and struck the ball just right above his right shoulder.

It was like a human catapult and the ball went to the opposing court in a blink of an eye. The ball went past Yang's defense who failed to react on time.

"Eat that!" Kurt proudly said as he was confident that no one can stop his strike. He was smiling triumphantly as he turned around, but to his surprise, he saw Chiko instead trying his best to juggle the ball with awkward inside kicks, keeping their team alive - for a moment.

"My bad," Chiko said after failing to keep the ball control and missed the third inside kick.

"It was fine. It was also my fault for not responding properly." Yang admitted.

Meanwhile, Gantes went over to Kurt's side and asked with sparkling eyes.

"Hey! That was a cool kick. What do you guys call it?"

Taken aback by the eager look from the big baldy before him, Kurt quickly calmed himself down and replied,

"It was called a bicycle kick. Impressed?" Kurt then gave Gantes a scrutinizing look before adding,

"Unfortunately, it is a skill that should probably take a couple of months before you can execute. Just to let you know only a well-trained player with a flexible body can do that. But considering your body at the moment, I doubt you could."

"You sound so proud and sure of yourself huh." Gantes smiled arguably.

"Then why don't you do it too?"

"You just wait."

Gantes turned around and went back to his position.

While they were talking, Rino had been observing their movements. Just now, he witnessed something incredible from Chiko.

He figured that Kurt's execution of bicycle kick was flawless. It has an estimated initial speed of around 60km/hour. And with such a close position, no one from those newb team should be able to react to that spike.

But unexpectedly, Chiko managed to actually catch the ball although ending up to a fault in the end.

"The interesting part was how did he catch the ball? Was it perhaps an anticipated move? But that balut kid is a newbie!" Rino thought to himself and decided to keep a close watch of Chiko's move next time.

The score is now 2 against 5 in favor of Rino's team. Chiko was about to throw the ball high when he realized that Yang wanted the ball to be tossed lower this time.

"You are not going for another flashy kick serve?" Chiko asked. Yang responded with a shake of his hand, his gritting teeth show that he is suffering from something.

"Are you okay? You don't look good." Chiko asked, worried about Yang.

"I am fine. J-just toss it lower this time." Yang replied while trying to hide the pain.

Chiko looked at Gantes to get his comment but the latter was busy trying to shadow replicate the bicycle move inside his own quarter circle. His big fluffy belly jiggled with every kick and his eyes show how determined he was.

"What are you waiting for? Start now!" Rino beckoned impatiently to Chiko on the other side.

"Yes!" Chiko replied and quickly calmed his troubled heart. His team is out of shape and focus. This could mean an absolute loss for them and those at stake will be in trouble. Chiko realized that he must do his best to assist his team.

Chiko tossed the ball at the specified height based on Yang's hand level signal. And as expected, Yang performed the service with a simple inside kick.

Skkkrt~

Unfortunately, the ball did not make it to the other side and was stopped midway by the net. Chiko on the other side hurried over to the struggling Yang. Chiko observed Yang's pained expression and finally realized the reason for his sudden drop in performance.

Rino and his team on the other side seem to have understood the actual situation and just smiled mockingly.

"M-my thigh hurts!" Yang could not take it anymore and admitted he was in pain. As it turns out, Yang's thigh muscles were strained after a couple of spike serves. Unfortunately, his body was not properly trained and flexible enough to execute those flexibility-demanding moves.

His lower thigh muscles especially, the hamstring part was surging with great pain. In short, Yang was suffering from a hamstring strain injury and would not be able to play for a while.

Chiko understood how painful it was based on his previous experience and hurriedly helped Yang stand up. With Gante's help, they both carried Yang to the nearby bench.

"I am sorry guys. I think I overstretched my hamstring and I can't seem to move properly. I felt like I tore a piece of muscle in my hamstring and it hurts like hell." Yang explained while trying his best not to cry as long as possible. There were already tears starting to swell in his eyes.

"Dang, that must have hurt. I too am starting to feel some pain in my leg muscles after trying to do the bicycle kick. It seems this sport is not that easy at all!"

Yang looked down at his shaking legs and his hand formed a tight fist.

Yang knew the risk of their agreement. He has practiced for more than three years so he was confident that he could give a good fight.

But as it turns out, he will be the main reason his team will lose today.

Yang felt extremely shameful and his heartfelt sorrow and regret for showing off the early game.

"It's okay, it's okay. Just rest and leave it us." Chiko tried to comfort Yang when Rino's loud mocking voice suddenly came.

"What's this? After all those confident declarations, you will all lose like that? Shame. What a shame."

Hearing Rino's word, Yang felt unimaginable guilt and shame. And upon seeing his friend suffering both emotionally and physically, Chiko and Gantes stood up and faced Rino's team.

"Who said we already lose? Are you afraid to face just the two of us?" Gantes beckoned back with a determined look. Yang looked at the latter with a confused gaze.

"I am sorry but we are not surrendering just yet," Chiko added.

Yang looked at the two with a complicated look. They might be newbies in this sport but their amazing fighting spirit was a sight to behold. Both Chiko and Gantes gave him an unexplainable sense of brotherhood, comfort, and hope.

"You still think you can win against us despite losing your only decent member? What a joke."

"Just give up already, clowns!"

Kurt and John replied mockingly but Rino seems to have a different idea.

"Alright, let's continue the game. two against three? You asked for it." Kurt and John were just about to object when they noticed the scary gaze of Rino.

"But don't blame us for being merciless," Rino added as he kicked the ball toward's Chiko, urging him to perform their last service for their turn.

Chiko picked up, the ball and said, "We will let the score decide today. But first, allow us to carry our friend first to the nurse's office and get help to tend to his injury."

"You guys...why do you care so much to a person like me..." Yang mumbled weakly.

As a feared aswang, Yang was always alone. Hopelessly living in the dark, with no friends and no family. He lived and worked just for himself to survive. He played sepak takraw by himself, ate by himself, and slept by himself. All to avoid the risk of revealing his dark secret.

But these two boys whom he just met made him feel like a real brother and a part of a family. Their concern and presence for him were like a dream come true to a cursed person like him.

To someone who always lived in the dark, to meet real friends who will accept you for who you are was just priceless.

There was an unexplainable warmness in his heart. Tears started to fall down on Yang's cheeks as he smiled at the two confident backs of his newfound friends.

The light from the gym's roof shone brightly in between their tall shadows as if showing him the way and hope.

And with renewed spirit, Yang calmly said,

"You don't need to bring me to the nurse's office. My injury is not that fatal. It will just heal itself in no time with just a couple of days of rest and anyway.."

Yang decided to gamble his future with Chiko and Gantes.

"You have my full trust. Please continue and win," Yang smiled gently while Chiko and Gantes nodded with determined faces.

It was a plead full of blind trust, topped with a mountain of hope.