My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 65: The Lone Wolf

The next day, Rio woke up to the sound of his alarm blaring in his ear. Out of reflex, he whipped his hand over and gently pressed the button to stop it. While feeling a little groggy, he managed to sit up and swing his legs off the bed.

"What happened? I don’t remember leaving the arena last night..." He murmured, rubbing his tired eyes.

USER HAS REACHED LIMIT OF CURRENT MENTAL CAPACITY

LEAVING IMAGE TRAINING

Rio checked his notifications, quickly learning the reason. He saw that the time stamp said he received the message at 2 am which meant he lasted around 5 hours.

"5 hours huh?"

Even though he had lasted for so long, he had yet to finish the "Hold off The Beast" mission. Thankfully, no matter how many times Akinfenwa shoulder-barged him in the Image Training, he wouldn’t be affected physically. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

While this did not help for things like muscle soreness, it allowed him to test his Titan’s Core all he wanted without worrying about injury. The last thing he wanted to do was pull a hamstring before the Hull game.

Of course, with his new S-Grade Stamina, it would mitigate some risks, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Time to get some training in before I head to the stadium."

With that, Rio jumped out of bed and got ready for his morning stretching routine.

An hour or so later he returned to the kitchen feeling refreshed. Since he had missed out on his routine yesterday because of the "fever," today’s felt that much more beneficial.

"Morning Leo," Rio mused on his way past the stove.

"Morning Beast. Breakfast is on the table. Hurry up and eat, Dad has a flight soon," Leo said, flipping an omelet.

"Yep!"

Rio smiled. Leo had been making a point to cook huge meals whenever their dad was home. Probably because he knew that Carlos would have to be away for long stretches of time dealing with the family business back in Spain.

He quickly got dressed and headed down, being met with a wide array of food which tickled his appetite.

"Wow, what’s the occasion?" Rio exclaimed.

Leo flashed a look at him, a tinge of sadness in his eyes. "Dad is off to Spain for a week early tomorrow morning so this will be the last breakfast we have together before the Hull game."

She let out a sigh, "I wish Mateo was here as well."

Rio looked at his brother and felt a little guilty. He internally vowed to try and help him out more often while their dad wasn’t here.

"What’s with this sad atmosphere?" Carlos asked, tightening up his belt after walking out from his bedroom.

"Uwahhhh look at all this food. What’s the occasion?" He added on before receiving any replies.

This time, both Rio and Leo turned to him with serious expressions, forcing him to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Ahem... Let’s eat then."

Rio made his way to the other side of the table and began to tuck into the delicious food. There were scrambled eggs, chorizo, and toast with some avocado on the side and even a heap of churros with chocolate sauce.

He raised his head every so often to see Leo slowly eating with a sad face. It was clear that he was a little depressed that their father would be leaving just as Rio was breaking into the team.

Just seeing his expression caused Rio’s heart to ache.

"Dad..."

"Hmm?" Carlos raised his head, attempting to swallow the large mouthful of food he had just shoveled in.

Rio debated for a while on whether or not to broach the subject. He had never once butted into his parents’ business dynamic since it wasn’t really his place. However, since gaining the System and the Captain’s Presence skill, he was a lot more mature and had a wider viewpoint.

After a few moments, he worked up the courage.

"Do you really need to keep going back to Spain every month?" He asked, locking eyes with his father.

Carlos seemed surprised by this question, but not as surprised as Leo whose eyes had gone wide with shock.

"R-Rio, what are you talking about?" Leo stammered, however, Rio could see that he was watching for Carlos’s expression from the corner of his eyes.

"It’s fine, hijo," Carlos said, wiping his face with a napkin before setting it down.

He let out a small sigh and responded. "I know it’s tough on you both when I’m away, but we need to manage the properties. We’d be fine while you are on your rookie contract, but if you don’t get a renewal, who will pay for the mortgage?"

Rio frowned. He had expected this sort of response from his father, especially now that they had bought the apartment in Leeds.

He knew that Mateo would be able to turn superstar and enter the elite bracket after this season. This was especially true since he had signed with United, but Rio couldn’t convince his father that he was also a star in the making.

Which meant that he had to do the same. Get a massive contract extension right out of the Championship, something that seldom few are able to achieve.

Rio’s eyes flashed with determination. "I won’t be needing a mortgage, I’ll get a Premier League salary soon. So please, sell the business in Spain and stay here." He pleaded.

Carlos heard the conviction within his son’s voice and did not laugh; no matter how outlandish the claim was, he would not crush his son’s dreams. However, that didn’t mean he thought Rio could pull it off.

"Do you know how tough it is to become a Premier League regular? Let alone get a big contract?" Carlos asked, his eyes laser-focused on Rio’s face.

Rio shook his head, "No, but I’m willing to stake my whole future on it."

His goal was to become a Ballon d’Or winner by hook or crook.

This time Carlos shook his head, "It’s too uncertain. Even if people try their best, it doesn’t mean that they’ll succeed, Rio. Look at Bojan. Look at Halilović. While I’ll acknowledge your conviction, I cannot risk our family’s stability on such things."

What his father said made a lot of sense; after all, he was the head of the family, the one who needed to ensure their survival and success. However, it still hurt a little knowing that his father did not trust him completely.

’What can I do to convince him...’ Rio thought furiously. Since he had the Major League System, he had complete confidence that he would be able to improve over the next few months and turn the heads of scouts all over England.

Yet by the time he had shown his potential, his father and brother would have already worried for too long. He had to think of something now.

"What if I win the Player of the Month?" He murmured, clenching his fists under the table.

Carlos’s eyes widened at these words. As someone who had followed football for decades, he was well aware of how tough it was to win Player of the Month in the Championship, let alone as a teenager.

One would essentially have to be better than hundreds of seasoned professionals, going through six or seven games of high intensity in order to make it to the top. All it took was having one bad game for a player’s rating to drop.

He let out a sigh, placing his fork down.

"Alright, I hear your conviction Rio. If you win the Player of the Month for October, I’ll sell the business."

Rio grinned. October started tomorrow.

"Deal."

The team bus arrived at Elland Road two hours before kickoff. The atmosphere was already buzzing. Fans were lined up outside the Bremner statue, singing songs about Rutter and Summerville.

Rio stepped off the bus, headphones on. He was listening to Eye of the Tiger (Total_Football_14’s recommendation).

"Rio! Rio!"

A group of kids screamed his name. Rio smiled and waved, but he didn’t stop. He was in the zone.

He walked into the locker room. His kit was hanging up. Number 37.

Archie Gray was already there, tying his laces nervously.

"You okay, Archie?" Rio asked, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah. Just... Hull are tough. They have Seri in midfield. He’s played in the Premier League."

"So what?" Rio scoffed, pulling on his socks. "He’s old. You’re young. Run him into the ground."

Archie looked at Rio. The confidence radiating off the Spaniard was infectious.

"You really think we can win?"

"I don’t think," Rio said, standing up and puffing out his chest. "I know."

Farke walked in. The room went silent.

"Okay lads. This is it. The last game before the break. Hull are a good team. But we are Leeds. We are at home."

He looked at each player in the eye.

"Meslier. Clean sheet. Rodon, Struijk. No mistakes. Archie, Ethan. Control the midfield. Summerville, Piroe... and Rio."

Farke paused on Rio.

"Rio. You wanted this start. Now show me why."

Rio nodded. "I will."

They walked out to the tunnel. The noise was deafening.

LEEDS! LEEDS! LEEDS!

Rio lined up. He looked at the Hull players. They looked focused.

But Rio looked hungry.

[Mission: The Lone Wolf]

[Time Remaining: 2 Hours]

[Target: 1 Goal]

The referee blew the whistle.

Rio touched the ball for the first time in the 3rd minute. He received it on the right wing. Coyle, the Hull captain, came tight.

Rio felt Coyle’s arm on his back. In the past, he would have panicked.

Now, he leaned back. Titan’s Core engaged.

He spun Coyle, leaving him grasping at air.

"See?" Rio whispered to himself. "Too strong."

He drove inside. He saw Piroe making a run. He saw Archie making a run.

But he also saw a gap at the near post.

He wound up his left foot.

BANG.

The ball flew. The keeper dived.

It hit the side netting.

"Ooooh!" The crowd groaned.

Rio clapped his hands. "Next one!"

The game went on. 0-0. 20th minute. 30th minute.

Hull were frustrating them. They sat deep. They time-wasted.

42nd minute.

Archie won the ball in midfield. He looked up.

"Rio!"

He played a long ball over the top.

Rio sprinted. Coyle was chasing him. The center-back, Jones, was coming across.

Rio got to the ball first. He was in the box.

Jones slid in. A desperate tackle.

Rio could have gone down. It would have been a penalty.

But a captain doesn’t dive. A captain scores.

[Skill: Elastic Limbs Active]

Rio skipped over the tackle. He was one-on-one with the keeper.

"This is it," Rio thought.

He remembered the Image Training. He remembered the diagram.

Low to the left.

He opened his body as if to shoot right. The keeper shifted his weight.

Rio snapped his hips closed and drilled the ball low to the left.

The keeper couldn’t get down in time.

The ball hit the net.

GOAL!

1-0.

Rio didn’t run to the corner flag. He ran straight to the camera.

He pointed to the name on his back. LANCE.

Then he pointed to the stands, where his father was sitting.

"That’s for you!" He shouted.

DING

[Mission Complete: The Lone Wolf]

[Reward: Skill ’Captain’s Presence’ Unlocked]

Rio felt a shiver run down his spine. The aura settled around him.

Archie jumped on his back. "YOU DID IT! YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD!"

Rio laughed, carrying Archie like a backpack.

"Told you," Rio said.

Halftime came. 1-0.

Farke was happy. "Good. Very good. But 1-0 is dangerous. We need another."

Rio sat down, drinking water. He looked at his teammates. They looked tired.

He stood up.

"Hey," Rio said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the noise. Everyone looked at him. Even the senior pros.

"We are not tired," Rio said, his eyes burning with the new skill. "We are just getting started. Hull are scared. I can see it in their eyes. We go out there, and we kill the game. For the fans. For us."

Liam Cooper nodded slowly. "The lad’s right."

"Let’s go!" Ayling shouted.

They went out for the second half. And they destroyed Hull.

Piroe scored two. Summerville scored one.

4-0.

Rio got taken off in the 80th minute. The entire stadium stood up to applaud him.

"Rio! Rio! Rio!"

He clapped back, a huge smile on his face.

He sat on the bench, exhausted but happy. Farke walked over and patted his head.

"Good job, son," Farke whispered. "You earned it."