In a room with ample space, a boy shifted in his sleep, a subtle smile gracing his face. His tousled blonde hair bore witness to the twists and turns taking place in his dreams.
"Aizaki, get up! You're gonna be late!"
A loud, feminine shout sliced through the air, startling the sleeping blonde into wakefulness. His eyes roved across the room, taking in the numerous posters of his favorite football players adorning the walls, before settling on his alarm clock.
"Shit," he cursed in his mind, swiftly jumping out of bed and bolting into the bathroom.
A few moments later, Aizaki stood on the pitch, huddled with the eager players gathered for the tryouts, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the club officials.
Coach Fukuda and six other people walked onto the field, halting at the center circle, their eyes scrutinizing the players standing before them.
"A fine bunch has gathered here," Fukuda remarked, his eyes keenly observing the assembled players.
"I strongly believe that clubs who won't bother to raise a new generation of players have no future. Specifically, I believe that a club's youth development system is only working properly if the senior team's starting eleven has at least six young players in it," Fukuda asserted, emphasizing the importance of nurturing talent within the club.
"Six? So at least half of the senior team should come from the youth team? That's a lot," Aizaki mused to himself.
"Usually when a club needs a player to fill a hole, they either buy foreigners or they 'steal' the player from other clubs," Fukuda continued.
"But that's basically a gamble. What if the new player can't cope with the change in environment or ends up flopping? It becomes a waste of resources. Here at Esperion, we raise youth players to fill in any holes discovered in the senior squad. We do this our youth by working on their weak points, and developing their strengths in a way that tailored to fit the Esperion football style. But this isn't just about the club, the future of Japanese football depends on our ability to raise the new generation."
After his speech, he looked around and asked, "If you have any questions to ask me or the other coaches, please ask."
Nobody spoke, indicating they all understood. As he turned around to walk away, he suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, I forgot to say one thing. Well, most of you already know this but please listen. The probability that successful candidates will actually emerge from this tryout is very low. Out of all of you, it's possible that no one will pass."
Hearing this, Aizaki wasn't to shocked. He already knew the exams will be hard since it was a youth team tryouts and he had already experienced something similar during his past life.
He looked around, observing the players reactions and as expected none of them looked shocked. Well except for one.
"Huh? I didn't hear anything about this old man Fukuda!! You where the one who invited me here, so why did you keep quiet about something so important!"
Aizaki looked towards the sound of the voice, and saw a boy of average height with curly black hair and big eyes pointing straight at Fukuda with one hand while the other rested on his waist.
"You! How dare you speak to him like that, don't you have manners?" one of the coaches besides Fukuda screamed, fury painted on his face.
Murmurs flew around as the players chattered with each other about the boy who dared to challenge the officials, their discussions filled with a mix of curiosity and disbelief.
Fukuda, on the other hand, approached the boy and came to a halt right in front of him. He locked eyes with the defiant youngster for a few seconds, creating a silent yet intense show of authority.
The murmurs died down, and an eerie silence engulfed the pitch as tension began to rise. Then, in a surprising twist, Fukuda broke the silence, speaking with a leisure tone.
"Oh, that's true. I knew I forgot to tell you something. "
Hehehe he chuckled nervously, scratching his chin before continuing.
"I was running late back then so it skipped my mind. Sorry, sorry."
The moment those words left his lips, the previous tension dissipated as if it were an illusion, leaving behind an awkward silence.
"This guy... Is he for real?"
Aizaki thought to himself as he felt his eyes twitch, fighting back the urge to facepalm himself.
He shook his head and let out a long sigh before redirecting his attention back to the boy Fukuda had called Aoi.
"So, he was also scouted by Fukuda. He must be a truly exceptional player." Fukuda had left a significant impression on him when they met, making it clear that he wouldn't extend an invitation to just anyone for the tryouts.
Afterward, Fukuda delivered another speech, emphasizing the distinctions between youth teams and high school teams, highlighting that only the strongest would be chosen. He expressed anticipation for them to give their all and put everything on the line.
Aizaki felt his blood boiling as he listened to Fukuda talk. Excitement surged within him, due to him finally taking the first step towards reclaiming his place on the world stage where he truly belonged.
The youth exams involved a series of exercises involving cone dribbling, a 50 meter dribbling run, a 50 meter dash, and finally a 7 vs 7 mini game. Those who passed this exams, will come back in the afternoon for the final exercise.
Aizaki excelled in the cone dribbling exercise, showcasing remarkable ball control. He also performed well in the 50m dribbling run, but he approached the 50-meter dash with all seriousness, aware that his new physique didn't favor physical prowess.
When he first arrived in this new world, he pushed his body to the limit through physical exercise, implementing all the workout routines form his previous life. Although he did improve, compared to players on the world stage, it was clear he wouldn't be able to compete with them physically.
Thus, he shifted his focus to the technical aspects of the game, honing his control, passing, and shooting accuracy. Thankfully, although his physical strength and speed were not up to par, he could still outpace highschool kids. But he acknowledged that against the pro's and truly gifted players, his physical strength was average at best.
While lost in his thoughts, a whistle snapped him back to reality.
"First place, 6.7 seconds; second place, 6.9 seconds..."
Similar scenes were unfolding all over the pitch as coaches announced the results of the 50m dash when one caught his attention.
"F-First place, 6.1 seconds."
Immediately he turned around and looked In the direction of the voice. He looked over and saw a guy with short brown hair standing with his hands on his knees as he gasped for air.
"What kind of crazy time is that?"
"Whoa, so freaking fast."
As these murmurs erupted all around the pitch, he heard his name and walked up to a line drawn with chalk, taking a running position.
""3, 2, 1,"
Fweeep
As soon as the whistle was blown, he took off, channeling all his energy into his legs as he glided across the pitch.
"First place, 6.5 seconds; second place, 6.8 seconds; third place, 7.1 seconds." He sighed in relief as he, at least, secured the third position.
After all the players had finished their 50m dash, they were given bibs—some White, others red. Aizaki took the white bib he had been handed and draped it over his jersey as the coaches announced,
"Next up is the 7 vs 7 match. Players wearing the same color of bibs are your teammates, while those with a different color are your opponents."