*** Chapter 4 - The First Attempt ***
As practice was longer on Saturdays, more time was spent on game situations. This gave me a chance to see the players in action. Tsubasa and Misaki were truly a wonderful combination. They created the plays that brought opportunities to shoot on goal. However, despite the weaker defense players, neither Tsubasa nor Misaski could reliably convert opportunities into actual goals. And no one else on the team posed a challenge to the goal-keeper. The fact was, Wakabayashi was that good. No one ever got a goal shooting from outside the penalty area.
I started to think of plays that would get the ball closer to the net. What if Misaki could penetrate deeper? What if Tsubasa could try from more extreme angles? What if they could block the view of the ball before it was shot in front of the net? Could Wakabayashi react quickly enough?
During a break, Misaki came up to greet me, "Hi Rai-chan. It's nice of you to come down and join us."
"It's a nice day, and this seemed like a nice way to spend the afternoon. You guys are a good team. I can see why you have a chance at the Nationals," I complimented.
A thought came into my mind. "Your Captain is a great goal-keeper. He seems to predict where the ball is going to go. He knows what you're aiming for. I wonder if he could react quickly enough if you blocked his view of the ball as it goes up toward the net?" I asked.
" You mean, set up a play so that we shoot from somewhere he can't see?" asked Misaki, not missing a beat.
I shrugged, "Just wondering."
At the next opportunity, I saw Misaki huddle with Tsubasa. In the next few plays, they tried to shoot around defense players, using them to block Wakabayashi's view of the ball. However, the timing was always off, owing to the defense player moving at the last moment, or some other situation outside of the duo's control. Finally, Misaki tried running in front of Tsubasa, who had the ball, and at the last moment, closer to the net, moved out of the way to let Tsubasa shoot. With the reduced time to react, Wakabayashi couldn't catch the ball, but just barely deflected it to one side. It wasn't even a good deflection, as the ball landed back in the field. The situation was resolved when one of the defense players finally kicked it out of play, past the sideline. Wakabayashi was left laying on the grass in front of his net, clearly still going over what had just happened in his mind. Finally, he got up, adjusted his cap, and said, "That was really close you guys. It was hard to defend. You almost got me. Good play."
At the end of practice, the players broke off into groups of 3 or 4 and chatted and laughed. Training now over, they were friends once again. Their transformation made me smile to myself, as I remembered how comfortable I had felt with my own team, in what now seemed like ages ago.
"I'm told that you almost cost me a goal," a voice behind me said.
I was stunned by the suddenness of the voice, and I froze momentarily again. He's really direct, isn't he? He hopped over the bleacher to face me. I took another breath and looked up. This time, his eyes challenged me. Fair enough, I guess I just invited a battle.
I smiled innocently and said, "Don't mind me. I like to watch soccer. Maybe I've been watching too much. Dreaming up plays and all. I'm sure they're unrealistic and overly dramatic."
He didn't look convinced. "Their play would have worked. A little closer, and there would be no way for me to defend Tsubasa's ball."
I didn't look at him this time, but I could feel his eyes looking at me, questioning my motives.
"Well, Tsubasa's a gifted player. I'm sure he can get a ball or two past you without it meaning that you're any less of a goal-keeper," I responded flatly.
I started to pack my things. I didn't know what to do if he kept pursuing the subject. He reached out and held my arm gently, stopping me from walking away. I turned to face him, expecting some sort of threat, but his face had changed. The look of uncertainty I saw earlier that afternoon had returned. This time, he held my gaze, and said, "You know, it's good to be challenged. It helps one to improve, and I'm not one to shrink from it. Instead, I want to be able to embrace it. Come out to more of our practices, will you?"
We stared at each other for an instant, and he let go of my arm. I didn't know what to say.
"Wakabayashi-kun!" came a voice from across the field.
It was Tsubasa looking for his captain. I took the opportunity to walk away.
***Author's Note: (2016-03-30) I'm still working on upcoming chapters. I should be able to upload the next couple over the next few days. I'd love to hear from you to find out if anyone is willing to read on...