Arriving at Building D, Winston and Oswin found Bongani, Hickman, and Elijah sitting on the football field, chatting about something.
The trio glanced over when they heard Oswin's voice. The moment they saw Winston, they quickly rose to their feet and walked toward the two of them.
The three players sized Winston up, shocked to see him awake. In truth, news of Winston waking up hadn't reached most of the players in the academy yet. This was good news for both Winston and Oswin since they wanted to research Ethan without drawing too much attention.
"Wow, Wis, you're finally awake!" Bongani said happily, placing both hands on Winston's shoulders. "You know, I was about to concoct some kind of drink for you."
Winston smiled. Seeing how much his friends cared about him made his heart feel warm. He placed a hand on Bongani's arm.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm okay now and ready for this week."
"That's good. You had us worried for a minute," Hickman said, also placing a hand on Winston's shoulder. "We tried everything to wake you up, but you wouldn't budge."
With a wry smile, Winston replied, "Yeah, Oswin told me. Thanks to the doctor for taking me to the infirmary. I was afraid some of you would eventually resort to unorthodox methods to wake me up."
"What did the doctor say?" Elijah asked. "I've never seen a player—or anyone, for that matter—sleep for that long from exhaustion."
Winston scratched the back of his head with a wry smile. "Yeah, Dr. Haruto said exhaustion finally caught up with me. He told me I need to give myself more time to rest."
"I was going to ask you about that. Nobody trains like you do, and I've never seen you relax," Elijah said before giving Winston a fist bump. "Although Oswin said this isn't your first time having one of these long sleeps, you should listen to the doctor. We still have a match between you and me to play."
"Again, you need to go back to the back of the line. I'll be the first one to challenge Wis," Oswin said, placing his hands on his hips before giving his body a quick stretch. "And if you're in such a rush, you can challenge me right now. We're already on the field."
Elijah stretched his upper body and loosened his legs.
"Alright. I was going to challenge you next, but seeing as you're eager for a beating, come on."
"I'll take Hickman, and you take Bo," Oswin said, dribbling the ball between his feet. "So, how many goals count as a win?"
"Two. Just two," Elijah replied.
Winston and Hickman shook their heads, while Bongani looked eager to watch the two players play a friendly match.
"Although I'd like to watch the two of you play, I have a more important one-on-one challenge that I need to prepare for." Winston sighed.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." Oswin turned toward Bongani and Hickman. "Do you two know a player named Ethan Reeds? He plays as a central defensive midfielder."
Bongani and Hickman looked at each other before answering in unison.
"Yeah, we know him. What did Ethan do?"
"He's the player who recruited me for a one-on-one challenge match today," Winston said, folding his arms. "What type of player is Ethan?"
Hickman rubbed his chin, "He has great defensive prowess. Not at my level, but he has good form. Outside of our training in the defensive dome, I don't know much about him."
Bongani spoke from the side, "I don't know him that well either. I only know that he and his friends are pretty normal. I haven't seen him get into fights with anyone. The only thing I know is that he loves going to the indoor pool with his friends whenever we finish dome training."
Winston nodded, feeling relieved.
"That's good," Oswin said. "We thought he might have a vendetta against someone that could cause Wis problems on the pitch."
"Thanks for the valuable information."
Hickman, Bongani, and Elijah looked at each other with furrowed brows.
Seeing their concern, Winston quickly explained, "Don't worry, guys. I'm just being cautious. I don't want to be recruited by a player who has a vendetta against someone and then end up getting caught in the middle of it—especially after my long sleep."
"Yeah, that's smart. I'd do the same thing," Elijah said. "Have you accepted his recruitment yet?"
"No, I haven't. I wanted to ask about him first before I went looking for him."
"Do you know who he's challenging?" Bongani asked.
"No." Winston glanced down at himself. "But I hope sleeping through the whole weekend hasn't affected my physical condition for today's match."
He turned toward the exit. "Anyway, I have to go find Ethan in Group B. If I win this match, he could be a great asset to us as we climb toward Group A."
Just as Winston stepped through the football field gate, Oswin called after him.
"Wis, wait! We're coming with you."
Winston stopped and looked back at his friends. "No, need I don't want to scary him,"
A sharp electronic chime echoed throughout the academy, followed by a calm male voice.
>One-on-One Challenge Initiated. Darwin, Group A, has challenged Derrick, Group C. Derrick is to report to his instructor within ten minutes. I repeat, Derrick is to report to his instructor within ten minutes.<
Winston furrowed his brow. That angry-looking twin has initiated a one-on-one challenge. I wish I had the opportunity to watch his match. I want to see how far his skills have progressed since I last saw him. Ever since I unlocked these two Awakenings, I've been feeling more confident in my own skills.
Coming to Group B, building he climbed the steps and watched the players who were playing football, while others were sleeping on the field.
I'm so close to being in this building. I hope the Core picks a player for me to challenge in a one-on-one.
Winston walked into the Building B instructor's office and informed the instructor that he had been recruited by Ethan. The instructor called Ethan through the building's speakers. A lean, tall player with a fade haircut and black, curly hair soon appeared. He had a bull ring through one of his nostrils. Ethan's fair-skinned face carried a wide smile, but something about that smile sent a chill down Winston's spine.
Winston couldn't figure out what it was, Ethan extended his hand with a smirk.
"Wassup, bro. Thanks for accepting my invitation."
"No problem. I was surprised to see that you sent an invitation to me," Winston replied.
"Yeah, I saw your skills and how skillful you are with the ball between your feet. Honestly, I thought you would reject my offer since you were asleep the entire weekend," Ethan said.
With a wry smile, Winston replied, "Yeah, about that... I hope you won't have second thoughts about recruiting me since I've been sleeping for three days."
"No worries, man. We're all fighting for the number-one spot. We have to look good for the scouts. We've only got a few weeks left in this academy, and most of us practice for hours without much rest. So I understand. I hope you're not here to reject my invitation."
"No, no. I just wanted to meet you and see if you still wanted me on your team today."
"No problem, bro. With your talent, I was actually worried that you would reject me instead. But thanks for coming to look for me. I didn't even know you were awake."
He chuckled, "If I'd known, I would've come to your training dome to talk to you face-to-face."
"That's okay. I'm here now. So, what's your game plan?" Winston asked.
He wanted to ask who Ethan's opponent was, but stopped himself. The player Ethan was challenging was from the same group, and Winston didn't want to involve himself in whatever situation was unfolding between them.
For now, he was simply happy to be playing again in a one-on-one challenge.