Pokemon - The Apex of Time

Chapter 3 - The Boy Who Flew

“Ok...” I put my hand in hers and we began the lap together. My gloves were tucked into my waistband and went nowhere as we gradually picked up pace and slowed down when Darragh said to. I avoided the public's gaze as we ran, because I was afraid of seeing someone laugh at us. But in fact, there were a few 'aww's mainly, and it seemed like most of the spectators were doing other things. Eventually, we made it round the pitch and back to Darragh, where everyone was getting back into a circle around him.

“Well done.” He nodded, looking at us all. “Now, as I told you a couple of days ago, I've come to a decision on what positions you'll play in the team.”

“Can you really tell already?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, we've only just started!” Etienne seemed confused. Almost everyone was as well.

“Trust me, I have it all figured out.” Darragh smiled. “Some of you might not be happy with your positions, but I'm fairly certain they are what you're best suited for. Right, I'll start from the back...”

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and cleared his throat. “I want you to break into groups of defenders, midfielders and forwards when I tell you what you are.”

We all nodded anxiously.

“Firstly, in goal, we obviously have Toby.”

I nodded once more and took a step back from the circle.

“Defenders, I want you to stand with Toby. That's Harry, Jamie, Max, Jake and Gray.”

The five of them walked over to me and we smiled at each other. Each one of them I knew in a different way, but they were all nice guys. I just wondered how well they could defend.

“Midfielders, then... Etienne, Nick, Holly, Xene and Skyra.”

That was an interesting mix in that group. Skyra seemed like someone who could go forward and attack, whilst Xene looked like he was capable of stringing passes together.

“That leaves our strikers.” Darragh said, putting the paper back in his pocket. “Sam and Ethan, you two will play up front. And Nelly, you'll be just behind them as a centre-forward. That means you'll have to-”

“Play passes as well as just shoot, I know.” Nelly said happily as she strolled up to Sam and Ethan.

That seemed like quite the trio to me, having faced the three of them in our previous shooting drill.

“Well, that's that! Any objections?”

Everyone shook their heads. “Ok then, I want each group to get to grips with their positions. Attackers, get to know each other's play style, read each other's runs. Midfielders, practice your long and short passing. Defenders, split into two groups. Half of you try to take a shot at Toby, the rest of you, try to make the tackle. Everyone got it?”

“Yeah!”

“I'll come around if you need help, but for now, let's get started!”

Each group went ion different directions, including my defenders, who ran for the goal. I was about to reach for my gloves when Nelly grabbed my arm. “Good luck.” She smiled, and kissed my cheek.

“You too.” I grinned, before pulling my gloves on as I ran off.

We decided to set it up like this: Gray, Jake and Max would start with the ball outside the box and try to dribble or pass their way in to take a shot. Harry and Jamie had to get the ball away from them before they shot, or block their shot when it was taken. The three-on-two match-up seemed fair, as they were defenders, and practising against the odds was a good thing. I stood on my line and looked towards Nelly in the distance. “I'll dive. I will. Even if you're not here, I'll do it.”