The rest of the meeting passed without incident as the U20 coach went over a couple plays and formations, though (Y/N) knew that Oliver would just overrule every call in their next practice. It was common knowledge that their coach couldn't be trusted with much when it came to actually playing football.
At the end of the session, Oliver practically dragged Sendou out of the room, ready to give him a talking to for letting his ego get the best of him and almost endangering his teammates. Everyone else filtered through the room too, except (Y/N) decided to lag behind, not wanting to catch Oliver's rage.
They rifled through their pockets, making sure they had all their belongings before wondering if it was safe to head out to the car now. That was when a hand caught their shoulder, making them look back quickly.
"It's (L/N), isn't it?" Asked Sae Itoshi, staring at them with his cyan eyes. (Y/N) flinched automatically at the name, reminding them of their dad yet again as they smiled awkwardly.
"Yeah, that's me, though I'd prefer if you called me (Y/N) instead," they said hesitantly, seeming to deflate under the cold gaze of the pro midfielder, "Um, do you need something?"
"We've met before." Sae said plainly, getting straight to the point. (Y/N) sighed internally, wishing he wasn't so blunt. Seriously, how does anyone start a conversation like that?
"We have," replied (Y/N), hoping that Sae wouldn't compare their former standings to where they were now, "It was at the annual Europe training camp, I think. We played a friendly match together." The pink-haired man nodded, seeming to remember too.
"Yeah, we also played on a team in one of the drills, I think. You were quite the playmaker, I must say." Sae's voice held a hint of nostalgia, but (Y/N) was more put off by the fact that he said 'were' instead of 'is.' As expected, the conversation they feared to have with him was going to happen now.
"And you're going to ask me how a budding young player like me ended up here?" suggested (Y/N), catching Sae off guard. The midfielder blinked, taken aback. The U20 player almost worried that they'd gotten the topic completely wrong and that he was going to say nothing of the sort, but of course, they were wrong.
"I was going to ask..." Sae admitted, staring with piqued interest, "so that means you know you're not your former self?" (Y/N) bit back a retort. Obviously they weren't. Over the past couple of years, their life had been run amok, turned upside down and pillaged, how could they still be?
"I'm not," they whispered, the words packing more venom than they'd intended as some of their pent up anger slipped loose, "I'm not sure if you know, but a lot has changed over the past two years, prodigy." (Y/N) knew they were only projecting their own frustration and former dreams onto him, but they couldn't help it.
"I'm well aware of that," Sae responded, a bitter taste in his mouth, "and I'm also aware that you have what it takes to get back and above where you were." These words made (Y/N) look at him suddenly, their eyebrows furrowing as they tried to comprehend how Sae knew what had been going on in their head.
"You had more potential than me, (Y/N)," he continued, not breaking eye contact as he searched through their eyes for their weaknesses and hidden truths, "When we played, you inspired me. Now, you're nothing but a genius run out of gas, but you're not hopeless. Now, I'm giving you this opportunity: play with me and I'll be your fuel. I'll drive you back to where you deserve to be."
(Y/N) could only stare at this amazing pronouncement as Sae wrapped up his inspirational speech. They swallowed once, trying to get words, any words, out of their mouth, but nothing came, leaving them staring at the midfielder, dumbfounded.
"Accept, or don't, I don't really care. Just come to me with your answer at the Blue Lock game." With this, Sae turned on his heels and left, beckoning to the blonde man who'd tried to attack Sendou who sat in one of the room's corners, watching the interaction lazily. (Y/N) hadn't even noticed he was still there, too caught up on Sae's words.
"Oh, and this is Ryusei Shidou, a handpicked player of mine from the Blue Lock program. I apologize for all the trouble he put your team through today." The teen added as an afterthought, cocking a finger back at the tanned man who smiled mischievously, waving a hand at (Y/N). They could barely muster a wave in return and a "no problem" before the two had left, leaving them with an eternity worth's of choices and answers to find.
It wasn't until the shrill beep of their cellphone broke them out of their daze that (Y/N) remembered Oliver and Sendou were both waiting for them on the car. They cursed under their breath before making a mad dash out of the building, hoping the captain wouldn't be too mad at them.
* * *
It would be a lie to say that the additions of Sae and Shidou didn't make practices more lively, though, in all honesty, most things went smoother without them. The point wasn't that the two weren't good players, it was just that they clashed horribly with the U20 lineup, especially Shidou.
After their disastrous first meeting, the bug-like blonde and Sendou had been getting into squabbles nonstop. The fight was usually ended by a word from Sae or forcefully by Oliver. All things considered, (Y/N) was just glad that they didn't have to get in Shidou's way again.
During the past couple practices, (Y/N) had been putting more effort in their drills and movements, so much so that Oliver noticed. When confronted, they denied noticing anything and laughed it off as extra preparations for their match against Blue Lock.
While that was at least half true, (Y/N) caught themselves glancing at Sae intermittently while they played, dazedly pondering the possibility that the midfielder might be watching them too. They shook their head, trying to chalk it up to his previous words messing with them, but they knew that wasn't true.
Although it was a fact that they tried to downplay, (Y/N) really had liked the attention they'd gotten when they were a world class player. Now, Sae had given them a taste of what they used to have, making them hungry for more. So what? Were they just trying to impress the newcomer? With their glory days so far behind them, it was almost impossible for them to believe that their ego and skills were returning.
Nonetheless, Sae's words had haunted them ever since that day. Now, you're nothing but a genius run out of gas, but you're not hopeless. That was what he'd said to them, adding fuel to the fire by allowing them to toy with the possibility that there was some finite chance that they might become who they used to be.
(Y/N) frowned every time the thought crossed their mind, knowing that it couldn't be done. At least, not without their dad. Without their original purpose to play, they'd never be more than a shell, a lifeless husk, of who they used to be.
* * *
Sae exited the practice area, bag slung casually over his shoulder as he prepared to return to his hotel by taxi. He could've just stayed home with his parents, but he didn't want to risk the possibility of seeing any familiar faces he might want to avoid. Besides, it wasn't like he didn't have the money for anything extra.
"Good work out there, boy genius," the strong, deep voice of Oliver Aiku surprised him slightly as he halted, staring at the leaning figure of the captain who was blocking his path to the exit, "Let's have a little chat."
"What do you want?" questioned Sae, raising an eyebrow, "Make it quick." In reality, the player didn't have any plans at all for the afternoon, he just preferred not to talk to trash players, though Oliver was admittedly at least kind of decent.
"Sure, sure," Oliver responded nonchalantly, looking as though he couldn't care less about Sae's time, "You see, our ace, Sendou, got into another fight with your violent tag-along. Looks like they just can't see eye to eye." The pink-haired man blinked, reflecting on the past practice. The captain was right, the two just couldn't stop quarrelling.
"Don't care," Sae sighed, trying to walk past the green and black haired adult, "Just kick that trash ace out of the team." Many may have called it harsh, but the player only saw this as the truth. Any hope he'd had for the striker had been eradicated once he'd seen him play. Sae's own brother at 13 was probably better than Sendou.
"Golly, me might be trash to you, but to us, he's our ace, you know?" Oliver scratched the back of his head, chuckling under his breath as he leaned against the wall, "So, most of our members, y'see, are saying they'll refuse to play if Sendou isn't in."
Sae frowned slightly, annoyed. The U20 team was already buffed with the additions of himself and Shidou, not to mention that they had (Y/N), even if they weren't at their full potential. This posed an unexpected problem to him. How would the team even balance with this shift in dynamic?
"This could end up with us boycotting the match altogether," Oliver elaborated, reading Sae's mind perfectly, "Still gonna stick to your guns, genius?" Sae's eyes narrowed as he examined these words, trying to find any hidden meaning.
"You threatening me?"
"Nah, man!" responded Oliver instantly, not wanting to get the wrong idea across, "C'mon, nobody wants the match cancelled. Really, this is my way of being nice. I mean, I feel bad for you being treated like some theme park attraction."
Sae was unsettled by how easily the defender could read his mind, but, alas, he should've expected this. A captain of such a prestigious team was bound to have more than an average skill set and plays. It was at that moment that the midfielder realized how Oliver could wrangle all the players on his team with his charisma.
"...What do you want?" the pink-haired man said, his teal eyes narrowing as he reconsidered Oliver, recalculating his true potential. He was sure that this 'friendly talk' wasn't just that. There were sure to be some ulterior motives in play.
"Take us to victory without using Shidou," Oliver's face was calm and composed, but his voice was cold yet amused, as if sizing up Sae, "Should be easy enough for you, right, boy genius?" For a moment, the corridor was silent as Sae pondered this, unsure how he got himself into this situation.
"Are you speaking on behalf of the team?" he asked first, trying to set the grounds for this proposal, "Or was it a suggestion from the adults of the JFU." Depending on the answer to this counter-question, Sae would decide his response"
"Well, 99% percent of it is the simple thought of 'what will Itoshi Sae bring to our current team?' Just that. Call it a bit of a selfish indulgence of mine." Oliver admitted, a mischievous yet calculated smile etched onto his features, before his stone cold demeanour vanished in an instant to add: "Then, the other 1% is me being a dutiful captain! It's not like I'm a fan of those money-grubbing JFA, adults either."
"For a captain, you sure do as you please," Sae mumbled, running the proposal through every crevice of his thoughts as he considered the ups and downs, "I'm intrigued. Fine then, I'll bite." Oliver's eyes lit up instantly as he proffered his hand for a handshake.
"Oh, thanks! Guess you're not so bad after all-"
"On one condition." Sae added, cutting the defender off as he ignored Oliver's outstretched hand. After careful deliberation, he'd decided one sacrifice was worth another and he'd strip down the fibres and boosts of the U20 team until he could see the bare inner workings.
"And what might that be?" asked Oliver, a drop of apprehensiveness slipping into his voice.
"Bench (Y/N)."
"What...?" Oliver stood up straight, mouth slightly ajar as he took in these words carefully, shocked. There was no way Sae would actually consider that, right?
"Bench them." Sae repeated, now dead serious, "(Y/N) is the only reason your team's doing as good as it is. You want to see what I add to your team, right? Then take them, your mastermind playmaker, away and then we'll work from there."
"Look, (Y/N)'s a part of our team too! They're a part of the U20-"
"No, they aren't. Not in spirit. (Y/N) was only ever truly part of one team and that was Bastard Munchen. You guys are only sub-par replacements. Without them, you're nothing."
"You're wrong." Anger was bubbling inside Oliver. Of course, (Y/N) was an amazing player, but to call them the heart and driving force of the team was a bit much, wasn't it?
"Then prove it by benching them. Do we have a deal?" Silence rang in their ears, but this time it was different. The formerly calm air was now buzzing with tension and adrenaline as the two football players stared each other down, each waiting for a move from the other. Oliver took a shaky breath before clenching his fists in determination. He was more than (Y/N)'s supporting act.
"You have yourself a deal, boy genius."
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yippee hooray another chapter done!!
it took me a lot less time than expected haha but i hope its still as good as the other chapters
i havent really been in the best state of mind recently and ive been feeling down a lot with no reason (im lying theres a huge reason but im trying my best to deal with it ig :,> ) but i hope that goes away soon so i can start giving you guys faster and better updates!
as always, ily guys and stay tuned (and safe!!) until the next chapter <33