Revons Plus Grand:
Chapter 30:
There's Only One Team In Paris
There she was, standing there, her anger starting to precipitate. There was sweat all over her body and she was heaving, trying in vain to contain her rage, only to fail so hard aat doing it, she needed to expel it so that it no longer took its toll on her body, heart, mind and soul. She had one life to live. She had a lot of love to give. But none of that mattered. She. Was. Mad. And she had the fury of a billion suns in her right fist ready to fire...now.
"Grrr!" A loud thud.
Naoe Kanno punched the wall, leaving a slight dent in the weight room of the Brave Witches at the Petersburg base, to go with some fallen shards of granite that crumbled helplessly to the dust-littered floor. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all to hell! Hyaaaargh!" A few more punches until her knuckles bled slightly, forcing her to put on some tape and take a seat on one of the benches, huffing and puffing in her training vest and shorts. "If only Jose was here to fix me up...fuck my life..."
"Uh, I'm still here," Yoshika Miyafuji said, coming in and treating Nao's wounds. "What's wrong? You've been taking out your frustrations on something?"
"Yeah, but if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. You sure want me to tell you?"
"Go ahead, I won't judge you."
"I hate this place. Let's take a walk." She put on her shirt and the two of them took a walk outside, leaving the base and walking onto the busy thoroughfares of the town. "Ever heard of Red Star FC?"
"No, I haven't."
"Well, they are this footbsll club from Paris that very few people over there heard of or even care over there. As it stands, the second division in Gallia, or rather, France, is down to the final match day and it will take place on Friday, which is a few days from now." It was Wednesday.
"Okay, and?"
"Look at this." She produced a visual. "This is where they stand. 19th. Even if they win, they could still be relegated if Orleans also win. There are two other teams baased in Paris: Paris FC and US Creteil. Both will be remain in the third division, the Championnat National, next year."
"So this means?"
"Red Star are going to probably be relegated to the third division and my vision of this club being an option to the petrodollar-rich Qatar Saint-Germain will be ruined forever! This is not acceptable!"
"But don't you think heading down there is not only a violation of the plan set by the Commander Rall, but really not worth it to begin with? She doesn't want you to head there now because the operation isn't until the 27th."
"I don't care! I want Red Star's players to know that they aren't fit to play the game anymore and they should find actual work instead so that they don't head out on to the streets. This team can't be saved if they can't save themselves!"
Yoshika placed her hands on Nao. "Kanno."
"!"
"Please, calm down, it's okay."
"...!" Nao took off, running in a blaze of fury, wanting to run away from herself, in shock at how her team had chosen to play so poorly that it would be all but certain that only one team would matter in the city, and that was Paris Saint-Germain. The well-endowed club supported by the well-endowed girls of the Brave Witches who were over in Paris right now. It was too much to bear that she ran all the way to the base before tripping and falling on top of Nikka Edvardine Katajainen.
"Owwww, Nao, what are you doing?" asked Nikka.
"What's it to you Nipa? It's just..." A sniffle. "I was only exercising, that's all."
"No, I see tears coming out." They both got up. "What's wrong?"
"Red Star...Red Star, my club, are about to be relegated. I hate this so much, I need to let them know that this they are trash and should go find actual work because they are fucking failures!"
"That's not going to help matters, Nao. It's not like they aren't trying to actually PLAY football, you know..."
"So what? I don't give a fuck about that shit! Look, I don't want to support the petrodollar pedo cheats from Qatar Saint-Germain! I want to support actual, honest clubs from the capital! Red Star are supposed to have an attitude that will help them be succesful as an organization and their fans are very vocal as well."
"But don't you think you're going to make the situation bad by choosing to go after the players?"
"I would imagine the fans are turning on their own players, too, but if they want to mess with me I say bring it on!"
"Ugh...Nao, you gotta think this over. You may be blowing our cover by choosing to dive in like a hooligan, I think that's what it's called. Something like that, you know? You really shouldn't do that or you never know; we may never see you again."
Nao chose to take a deep breath and finally allow herself to calm down as the two of them took a seat at the dinner table in the hall to talk this over. The projection screen showed different tables of different leagues all over Europe, as well as ongoing betting odds of different matches on order. "I am torn. I don't want to disobey the Commander and do seiza again, but I want to take my anger out on Red Star's shitty failure players so I will have nothing to do with their shittyness anymore..."
"Doing something foolish could put your life in danger and it's going to expose us," said Gundula Rall, walking in.
"! C-C-C-C...Commander Rall!" exclaimed Nao. "Please forgive my choice for considering heading out on my free will! It was out of the blue!"
"At ease, Kanno, you won't do seiza. However, I strongly advise you to let the situation regarding your club go as there really isn't anything you can do right now to help them, if any."
"Commander?"
"Nao. There are other teams you can follow, like Lens or even Amiens, which Nipa likes," said Aleksandra Pokryshkin, walking in.
"Awww, you didn't have to let her know," giggled an embarrassed Nikka. "They are in a race for the Ligue 2 title, though, with a few other teams..."
"But the fact that you really care about Red Star being competitive is good and with the other Paris-based club expected to remain in the third division, there will be some exciting derbies," Gundula told Naoe. "The turnouts won't be high, but at least it shows that derby football in the main city is not necessarily dead yet."
Naoe hung her head in consignment. Her stomach growled. "Um..."
"Here, have a plate of this." Steak au poivre with pommes frites and a tall glass of grape juice. Courtesy of Yoshika and Sanya V. Litvyak.
"Thanks, Sanya," said Naoe. "Wait, Sanya, you were in the kitchen!?"
"Yeah, I was helping Yoshika with cooking lunch." In the distance, Yoshika was in the kitchen, waving.
"She moves quickly," Naoe thought.
"It's all right, it's all right, all right, she moves in mysterious ways," said Waltrud Krupinski, singing.
"What are you singing?" she deadpanned.
"A Hibernian love song from the other side. It's got a nice refreshing backbeat to it."
"Love song, huh? What, you are trying to make a pass at Juutilainen again, you Fake Countess?"
"Hmmmmm, you seen to be very prescient. I try to make a pass at Eila but she is very resilient because she is bonded to Sanya. Ah, such is my luck and such is my life."
"You are such a pain in the ass, you know that?" Gundula and Sasha laid glaring looks at Naoe. "S...Sorry..."
"Such smart with your smart words, I like that from you." She extended a closed fist. Nao nodded, and two exchanged a fist bump. "Behold, a handshake style from the other side, a fist bump, popular among youngsters, sports athletics, sports fans, a casual salute of acknowledgement dripping with the power of team spirit, peace and respect!"
"Wow..." said the others, appplauding as Nao went back to enjoying her steak.
"Mmmm, this is really good," said Naoe. "The sauce is very rich, the steak is crispy on the outside but moist and tender on the inside, and the pommes frites are light and crispy. Just the way I like it!" A sip. "And the juice...so refreshing!"
"Freshly squeezed and pasteurized," said Sanya. "Good quality, you think?"
"It's good! I love it. Nice work."
"Enjoy. I will go ahead and serve the others. Be right back."
"Anyway," said Waltrud, taking a seat, "Bayern has the league title wrapped up, while I got Dortmund winning the Pokal."
"Taking Dortmund as well," Edytha Rossman said, walking in.
"Ah, Edytha! Have a seat, Sanya and Yoshika are serving lunch." Plates of steak au poire, pommes frites, salad, bread rolls, butter and carafes of grape juice with tall tumblers were wheeled in by Sanya and Yoshika.
"So what are you guys talking about in between drill and strategy sessions and such?"
"We have been talking Kanno out of abandoning our plan to arrive in the timeline of the others until the 27th and so far she seems to be receptive of the idea but her appetite of being satiated takes higher priority."
"I am a big eater you know, it's just that it chose to show up while my team is about to be relegated! The fuck you want me to do, huh!?" Nao complained, sauce on her cheek, forcing Nikka to wipe her face with her napkin. "Oh, thank you." A nod.
"Who's her team?" Edytha asked Gundula.
"Red Star FC of Paris."
"Not the one in Belgrade?"
"That's Crvena Zvezda, and yes, not that team. The talent on that side is much better, I would imagine," said Sasha. "That Red Star is a Serbian side."
"But what's up with this Red Star?" asked Edytha.
"They are on the verge of being relegated," said the Commander, "and it has affected Kanno's state of mind since she envisioned them to be a competitive alternative to Paris Saint-Germain. Well, allegedly and apparently, she got that all horribly wrong."
"And we reminded her that going out there for a selfish desire to put an uncompetitive team's players in their place is against the rules established in regards to the operation," Sasha added. "And there could be harsh penalties in place as a result."
"Duly noted, danke," Edytha replied.
"Speaking of the operation," said the Countess, "Check this out." A visual on the projection. "See this? This is just a regular church in the ISIS stronghold of Saint-Denis. But look at that massive rock that appears and reappears. Watch." A regular man in a sweather, jeans and boots with a mask did an strange pose with his arms and the rock reappeared. On it was a door that the man used to get in. Then the rock disappeared.
"Oh?"
"That rock appears and reappears when a man alignd with the Islamic State does a pose with his arms. They call this pose the 'dab.' Watch again." Another man walked to the site, did the dab, and the massive boulder appeared with the door in front. He went in, and it disappeared. "It's a hilarious pose made popular by a black Liberion man named Cameron Newton. Let me show you." Waltrud did the dab, and the rock appeared. "Just like that, the rock appears. Wait a minute, did that just...THE ROCK APPEARED!?"
The X-11 and Gab opened the door and got inside before it disappeared. In the background, an extended version of "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac played inside the chamber. "We just got inside the stronghold of the Islamic State sympathizers," said Commander Rall. "Flying Officer Krupinski, you've done it. Well done."
She bowed. "Danke and cheers."
As the soaring brass blared, the camera on Gab saw a long stairway leading to a large, expansive basement, the bassline presenting a base full of Neurois being designed by males dressed in contemporary gear, some dressed in the gear of the Islamic State, the banner of the organnization hung from the rafters.
A projection screen behind the Neuroi blared propaganda, the scenes of executions of innocent prisoners in orange jumpsuits, their blood splattering all over the floor in cinematic, if amateur fashion, the aura of death to the West pervading as the base continued its plans for that day in May. They were juxtaposed by scenes of convoys of ISIS-owned vehicles rolling through Iraqi villages, the militants flashing victory symbols. Gab and the X-11 were invisible, so no one in the base could see them spying.
"Goodness me..." Edytha gasped.
Naoe finished eating and drinking. "What's going on?" She looked at the scenes before pounding the table in frustration. "God damnit..."
"Just as advertised," Gundula said with a sigh. "Our enemy is a strong one." The cat tracker and the X-11 took notes of the different shapes of Neuroi that were being designed, the people that were designingn them, and some people choosing to read from the Qur'an when they had nothing else to do. "A very strong one. Now I know the heavy burden the West has to face in their battle against terror."
"A new report has just come in," Waltrud said. "Apparently, there is a son of Osama bin Laden that is trying to spark a comeback of al-Qaeda, who were put on the back burner due to the rise of the Islamic State, by issuing a fatwa." The scenes of construction and testing were placed side by side with a video of Osama's song issuing a fatwa declaring the usual damnation message to the west and America. "Goodness me, he is very young!"
"He is making a very risky decision to do this, even idiotic at that, and with Donald Trump as the president of Liberion, I am not sure this is a good idea to come out in the open to begin with because with the Islamic State all the rage, I don't think most people will take him seriously," said Gundula.
"But he is a son of Osama bin Laden, so there's that to consider," replied Edytha before taking a sip of the grape juice.
"In any case," said the Commander as the speech concluded and the scenes went back to the camera panning across the floor of the workers designing the Neuroi, "this battle might have a twist to it...always be watchful as we prepare for matters on our end."
"To think that a gesture made popular in sports could be appropriate to a taste of the Axis of Evil and the Neuroi," said Sasha, eating her steak while having a forkful of button mushrooms. "What a world we live in."
"Nyaaaaaow!" Gab returned from her trip to the Islamic State base in one piece, arriving at the apartment in Boulogne-Billancourt.
"Hey, Gab, over here kitty!" Georgette Lemare said, waving to the cat tracker, who leapt into her arms. She giggled as she picked her up, ticking her chin. "How are you, you sweet thing?"
"Nyaow...Master, I have returrned from the scouting mission."
"What you've been scouting on eh?" Sadako Shimohara asked as she opened the door to allow the two of them to get inside and change into lighter, more comefortble clothes.
"Nyao, allow me to show you nyaoow." Gab showed a video of Islamic State sympathizers do the dab, causing the door to the secret passageway to the base to enter, followed by actual footage of the inner workings of the undergroond compound.
"Dear me, what is this!?" exclaimed Georgette, dressed in just a camisole and white tanga with no bra.
"We have just seen a taste of the Islamic State's usual operations without the video cutting off or anything getting caught or our sweet Gabinha morenita getting killed dead set!" said Sadako, hands on her blushing cheeks.
"This is surreal stuff that...it makes me understand just why we are here. Now the truth is out in front of is. They must be stopped."
"What's going on?" asked Hikari Karibuchi, walking into their room with her big sister Takami.
"Take a look at this." said Sadako.
"What is it?" asked Takami. The Karibuchi sisters saw stock footage of the inner working of the underground compound, located underneath an unassuming church, the cruelest of iromnies. "No way..."
"Onee-chan, it's the enemy's hideout!" exclaimed Hikari. "And it's a very big one at that!"
"If they want to attack, they have to be clever but it seems they are not clever enough," Takami said. Part of the footage reveale how the Neuroi will attack the Stade de Frnce. "They will be attacking the end that has PSG's fans with the intention of wiping them out in one piece. They will do this from six angles, spread 50 meters apart, since they happen to have six of these things. After that, they will combine to for one large mass that will float across the arrodissements and leave total destruction in its wake before going after the residence of the President, Mr. Macron."
"Wow..." Georgette exclaimed. "Grrr...!" Her fists were clenched as her anger rose.
"If this threat does not get stopped before it starts, it could clone itself and attack the different major cities: Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Montpellier, and even Monaco, even though they are their own country. This is according to the visual and the stages of attack."
"And the current military can't stop this?"
"This is going to require the others to come in and we need to be in our units to get going."
"So all of us get to be together!" Sadako exclaimed. "I'm excited for this."
"But you still have to take care of your work obligations to the club, too," Hikari reminded them.
"Oh, yeah. The season finale against Jose's home team, Caen."
"I am indifferent to Caen staying since they haven't proven to be very good," Georgette noted. "If they end up relegated after Paris do the work, I won't shed a team for them. It's what they get for not being good enough."
"Ah, so I decided, I will get dinner set up for you guys since you all are here," said Sadako, dressed in a sweater over sports top and flannel pants.
"Give us something substantial, all we have are some chocolate from our place," said Hikari as the four of them set up the table. Sadako went to the refrigerator and produced a prepared cheese board, some crackers, other various amuse-bouches, and a platter of prepared sliced wraps of chicken, greens and alive oil. "Oh yes, this is it!"
"That should hold you guys while I get the entree set up."
"Let me help you, since I will not let you do it alone," Georgette said. The two of them prepared, for the first time, a foie gras terrine juxtaposed with poached salmon meuniere. Finally, for Gab, Jose prepared the usual bluefin, dormouse and sweet cream bowls.
"The usuals for our tracker, eh?"
"She has a taste for these things now, Sada," Georgette whispered, one eye closed and a finger to her lips, before singing her club's anthem. "PSG, tenons nous unis, PSG, ici c'est Paris..."
"I don't think Jose ever wants to leave this timeline," Hikari told Sadako. "She wishes she could be in this one instead."
Georgette continued to sing, "Allez Paris Saint-Germain, gagner Paris Saint-Germain, allez Paris Saint-Germain, gagner Paris Saint-Germain..."
"I like that smile from Jose," Takami said to her younger sister. "She likes working for her team. Even though when we all head home, Stade Saint-Germainois will be her club."
"Not even a comeback from Barcelona could stop her love for this club," Sadako declared. "I share her feelings. Paris, Sadako, Georgette...parfait! #AllezPSG!"
"There you go," Hikari said. "And I think with Red Star FC probably going down when all is said and done, I can conclude that there really is only team in Paris. At least, one playing in the top flight, that is."
"One team in Paris, there's only one team in Paris," sang Takami. "One team in Paris, there's only one team in Paris..." The others had a laugh. "What? I am not wrong, you know?"
"To an extent, onee-chan, to an extent." Takami had to pout.
"Touche..."
Minutes later... "Dinner is ready," said Georgette as they presented the dishes and plates. "Enough to go around so help yourselves!"
"Jose, Sadako, thanks for the meal," said Hikari, digging right in. "Mmmm!" Sadako and Georgette bowed in unison before putting their aprons away to have some of their creations themselves. Gab quietly feasted on more dormice.
"The salmon melts in my mouth," Takami. "Delightful when I add a dash of lemon. And the foie gras is heavenly. First time I actually had something like this."
"I like it too, even though I don't really eat goose liver that often if ever due to welfare issues, but this one is humanely raised so it's absolutely fine by me," said Georgette, having a forkful of the foie gras while tucking into a baguette with sweet cream butter, triggering a giggle of contentment.
"France, or rather, Gallia, is the center of the gastronomic universe," Sadako said. "Then and now, the best food in the world will always taste like heave because Gallians believe in fine taste, fine culture, good sex and security!"
Georgette's giggle was now that of awkward embarassment. "Such bold rhetoric coming from you, Sada."
"I am not wrong, am I? With this timeline, this nation needs better securrity, and it is a nation that believes in the power of love. And the food and culture is always in a class of its own."
"D'accord, Sada."
"I still can't wrap my head around a simple celebration maneuver being appropriated to open a door to the inner workings of evil," Hikari mused inquisitively, working on her plate and getting a few more pieces from what was left of the cheese board before Georgette chose to get the rest of the hors d'oevres and entrees due to her gormandizing gluttony taking precedence. "It's something you see out of a cookie-cutter comedy."
"It really is an unconventional method, but if no one other than ourselves is witnesssing it and it's in a church that very few parishioners go to, you might as well try something like that as a secret password," her big sister said.
Sadako turned on the television. "Oh, I forgot, Monaco and Saint-Etienne are kicking off." Both teams were walking on to the pitch, the flags of the Monegasques in the air, the crowd filled to capacity at the principality's national stadium. The four girls watched the proceedings unfold as Jose handed the others bottles of a native soft drink.
"What's this?" asked Hikari.
"It's called Breizh Cola, a well known domestic brand," said Georgette, cracking open a bottle and having a chug. "Mmmmm, such effervescent flavor. Nothing like this on the other side."
Sadako then went to the freezer and got out prepared bowls of vanilla ice cream on a tray which she added bowl of warm chocolate sauce, a canister whipped cream, a bowl of crushed hazelnuts and a bowl of cherries. "Make your own dames blanches, folks."
"Wow, amazing!" exclaimed Hikari. "I always wanted to do something like this!" Hikari poured some of the sauch on her bowl of ice cream, sprayed on some whipped cream, added hazelnuts and the cherry. "I think Flight Lieutenant Yeager calls this a hot fudge sundae! So beautiful!"
The others followed suit after finishing their drinks. "Carbonated soft drinks...a non-alcoholic palate cleanser for dessert," Takami mused. "I will note that from now on, Hikari."
"Copy, over!" 19th minute came. Kylian Mbappe with speed and shifty incision, faked the goalkeeper and slotted in home. Like shelling peas. 1-0.
"Ridiculously easy," Georgette said with a sigh. "I can only hope Saint-Etienne can rebound from this when they are away to AS Nancy Lorraine."
"Yeah, cause as we all know, Nancy need to win or they are getting relegated," said Sadako.
"Even if they win, they can still get relegated, too. What a horrible season they have had." Time passed. Minutes passed. Ages passed. The cows passed by to come home. Those cheeky, cheeky broads! Such were they. And still no further goals. Until Valerie Germain coasted home through in the fourth minute of second half stoppage time with the last kick of the game. "I think the referee decided to let them score late. That was deliberate, allowing that additional time. I would have been fine with 1-0 but the referee allowed it for the fans."
"At least Monaco won't need to bring their strongest side for Week 38 but our guys won't do that because the attention will now be on them. We're Paris. The spotlight is built for us because we remain the best-performing Ligue 1 team actually based in France. And we have a trophy to defend. The coach might still get sacked if they successfully do it, but we have a trophy to defend."
"To believe is to achieve. To dare is to do. Allez le PSG, allez en rouge et bleu."
She got a good laught out of that, Sadako did. "D'accord." The girls finished their dinner and dessert and shared duties washing. "My personal train of thought suggests this is just Monaco borrowing the trophy for now. It's okay. A cup double is fine by us. Another season, and Paris would have done enough to win the league."
"What's done is done."
One day at training, Georgette saw a young boy watching the team practice and go through drills. "Hey kid!" she said in fluent Portuguese.
"Hello," said the boy, coming over.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Davi. I am from Fortaleza, Brazil." Amazonas, as the people on the other side referred it as.
"Hello there. My name is Georgette, and I am one of the two chefs for the club that also takes care of the facility here. This is my partner, Sadako."
"Hello," Sadako said in Portuguese. "I am Sadako, I am from Japan working on a visa here. We prepare the meals for the players after training and also clean up the place after they leave. We're contracted to them until the end of the month."
"Whoa," said Davi. "Is that a lot of work?"
"We get paid good money for it and these players are professionals who worked real hard to play for this team," said Jose. "You can all me Jose."
"Sure thing, Miss Jose and Miss Sadako," said the boy.
"Let's take a walk around." So the three of them walked around the facility and the forest, letting the players train. "How are you enjoying Paris? Nice city, huh?"
"It's big. Lots of old buildings and the players are so tall. I'm still unhappy that they didn't get the job done against Barcelona. I hate that team so much."
"Well, to be fair, Davi, the boys didn't have a good season. They also lost the league last night, so there's that. But we're not as bad as you think," Sadako said.
"Really?"
"We're actually quite young. We were established in the 1970's as a merged club, but our predecessor dates back to the turn of the last century so we have sort of a history."
"Wow..."
"If we were truly as bad you thought we were, we would be Red Star, a team that plays next door from PSG's stadium at the Stade Jean Bouin of will will be relegated tomorrow. They used to be the top ticket decades ago. Now, it's us. We have never been relegated to Ligue 2 since 1974."
"And on top of that we have more trophies than any other club in France," said Jose. "We've won every domestic trophy we can win. Ligue 2, Ligue 1, Coupe de La Ligue, Trophee des Champions, and the one the boys are preparing for, the Coupe de France."
"Coupe de France? Is that the domestic cup, like the FA Cup or something?"
"Exactly." They were in room that featured the actual Coupe de France. "This is the trophy we are going to try to defend on the 27th. The Coupe Charles Simon, better known as the Coupe de France. We are like Arsenal in England or Barcelona in Spain in that we've won more domestic cups that any other team in the country."
"Actually, Jose, we are tied with Marseille, but if we beat Angers on the 27th, we will pass them," Sadako clarified. "That's called, in Spanish, an Undecima, Davi."
"That's cool!" Davi exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"Take a look at this other one," she said, pointing to the orange trophy that looked like an esoteric new age antique. "The Coupe de La Ligue, the French League Cup. We are the most successful club in this competition, too."
"This looks so cute," said Davi. "So orangey and stuff."
"We beat Monaco 4-1 to win this," said Georgette. "And we also beat Monaco 5-0 in the Coupe de France semifinals to make it to the final because Monaco decided to not care about the 100th edition of the tournament."
"100 years?"
"This is the 100th anniversary of the Coupe de France, yep."
"Whoa. Holy shit, that's so awesome."
"We didn't go winless against the current league champions. We have one loss, one draw and two wins. So we actually did okay," Sadako said.
"Ohhhh man..."
"And we defeated our last two opponents 5-0. One of them, Bastia, is about to be relegated on Friday because they are facing Marseille. And our women's team did avenge the loss by the men to Barcelona by beating their women's team in the semifinals of the Women's Champions League."
Davi was in stitches. "You know what, Miss Jose, Miss Sadako?"
"Yes?" asked Georgette.
"I was wrong. You guys are good after all."
Georgette squatted down and patted Davi's head. "We'll be all right. Sometimes we have off days, but they are few and far between between usually, we get things done. We just need to change some players, maybe change the coaching staff, stuff like that. Good teams adjust. That's sports. Remember, we're a very rich club, and the richest in the country, which is why Mr. Nasser chose to foot the bill to fly you here so that you can see that we're not as bad as you think."
"You know, Davi?" asked Sadako as the three of them continued.
"What?" he replied.
"You heard of this team called AS Nancy Lorraine?"
"Nan-say?"
"Yeah."
"Who are they?"
The two girls had a laugh. "They won the second division last year. But they are actually in last place in the league this year heading into Saturday. League champions last year, possible relegation this weekend."
"Whoooooaaa! You mean to tell me that's possible? What happened to them?" Davi asked. "That's crazy!"
"Well, that's possible to be on cloud nine one year, then in the pits of hell the next. If you can't adapt and you can't make the most of your talent, you're not going to be able to dance with the best teams in the country. They're not as rich as we are. We won four straight Ligue 1 titles before Monaco went on their run. So we are better than every other club in France, so that's gotta count for something."
"We have a women's team, a handball team, and teams that play FIFA 17 and League of Legends," said Georgette. "They're all going to be playing for big prizes in the coming days so we're gonna be busy. The more titles we garner up, the bigger our brand is. We are an international brands with fans from all over the world, including Brazil, the home of Lucas, Maxwell, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva..."
"Paris Saint-Germain is a sports brand that is built to be an extension of the city and its legacy as one of the best cities in the world," said Sadako. "That's why our slogan is Revons Plus Grand. Dream Bigger. The power to dream big in Paris will make you successful for years to come. So don't let go of your dreams to be great years from now. You never know if you get to be playing for PSG at Le Parc. Don't give up, Davi, because we sure won't. Promise?"
"I promise, Miss Sadako, Miss Georgette." Hugs all around.
"I'm glad we met you. Jose, is it okay if we do this?"
"Ah, why not. Ready, one, two..."
"THREE!" they both said. And they animal ears and tails popped out.
"OH MY GOD!" exclaimed Davi, covering his mouth in surprise. "Wow! I am not dreaming! You grew cat and bunny ears and tails. How did you do that!?"
"We're Witches, and we come from a different time period to experience life in this era," said Georgette.
"Man, is it okay if I selfie with you two?"
"Sure." Davi whipped out his cam and took some selfies.
"Damn! How did you do that? Please tell me?"
"If we did, you wouldn't believe us, so we're just gonna make it a secret, okay?" said Jose, winking playfully with a giggle.
"Let me put the pieces together, uh, Paris...Sadako...Georgette...PSG! Oh shit, it all makes sense now! Man, I am so glad PSG is my team. Paris Saint-Germain...Paris, Sadako and Georgette! Allez PSG! Ici C'est Paris! Paris Est Magique!" exclaimed an ecstatic Davi, punching the air in celebration and doing the Cavani Matador rifle post.
"Feel better now, Davi?" Sadako said with a playful tone and a wink.
"You bet! I forgive you guys now. You guys are the best after all! I love you all!"
"And with that, let's head back so we gave give you what the players eat. It's really healthy, all natural, you'll love it. Plus we made it ourselves, and since we love to cook, you won't be disappointed."
Davi's stomach growled. "My appetite is big too. Can't wait. Is it okay if I make you my adopted older sisters? Because you kinda remind me of my big sister over in Brazil. She takes care of me with cooking and cleaning but wants me to do chores as well instead of playing on my PS4 and doing nothing."
"Well, in order to dream big, you gotta do big things for your family. But here with this club, you will always be family to us. That's the PSG way. Don't be lazy. Work hard and you will be successful and eat really good food like here in France. And always be nice be nice your parents. Dedicate your life to them. I want you to return here when you are grown up, and train with this club so that you can make a name for yourself here. Okay?" said Jose.
"Oui! Yes, ma'am!" The three of them returned to the Ooredoo Training Centre to have a well-deserved lunch with Davi's parents. There, the two girls introduced themselves to them and talked about the upcoming contest with Caen, the transfer talk, the careers of the players, and so on.
As it turned out, PSG's women put on a much better performance in the Coupe de France Feminine final against Olympique Lyonnais. They still lost on penalties. There were two matches remaining: the regular season final with Bordeaux and the UEFA Women's Champions League final with Lyon.
As for Red Star, they were relegated with a 1-0 loss away to Auxerre. Strasbourg won out over Bourg-en-Bressed 2-1 to win Ligue 2, while Amiens also defeated Reims 2-1 on a late show late mail goal from Emmanuel Bourgaud in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time. ESTAC Troyes came from behind to defeat Sochaux-Montbeliard and advance to the playoff. Stade Brestois 29 and Racing Club de Lens also won but would have to settle for returning to the second division next year.
"Well, it looks like my team is going through," said Nikka, sipping some team the next day.
"I knew it," said Naoe. "Well, looks like I won't be following Gallian club football for a while. One club in Paris, even though their women are horrible against the only club that matters in France, Lyon...and why do you have good luck all of a sudden? Your luck is supposed to be horrible!"
"Maybe the gods were tired of me getting reamed and so they decided to give me a breather," said Nipa, shrugging Gallic-style. "I don't know..."
Paris Saint-Germain's men, meanwhile, headed into the final week of play with the wind knocked out of them by a certain Ronny Rodelin. His goal in the first minute of second half stoppage time was enough to salvage a 1-1 draw and keep Caen in the first division for another year.
"Hey, Davi," said Georgette as she headed to where the boy and his parents were seated. "I want to give you something before you head back, since we didn't win and we gave up another goal in stoppage time."
"What's this?" asked the kid.
"It's a charm in the shape of a persian cat. If you need to be motivated, wear this under your clothes and rub it for good luck. Also, it will never be too big for you as it gets bigger as you do."
"So this had magic powers?" asked Davi.
"Yep. Motivate yourself to take care of your parents like they are taking care of you. When you come back here, I want you to be motivated to train like the guys on the pitch for Paris so you can appreciate the work they do for everyone here. Work hard and keep the happiness of your family and your community in mind, okay?"
"Got it, Miss Jose."
"Good luck to you and have a safe trip home."
"Obrigado! Merci, adieu, bye bye!" said Davi as he waved to Jose and Sadako, who waved back as the kid left the Parc des Princes with his parents for the last time.
Sadako looked at Georgette and there was a worried look in her eyes. "You seem like you planned for this draw to happen, since Caen are from your part of the country. Did you?"
Georgette turned around and simply smiled as a Phil Collins track played in the background. "Who said I would?" AS Nancy Lorraine and SC Bastia were relegated, while Lorient would be placed in the playoff. Dijon was also safe.
END CHAPTER 30