Chapter 8 – The Newcomers

The atmosphere at the reserve team training ground was bright and full of energy.

"That's right! One more time like that! Pass!"

"Good! That was really well done!"

"Other than reacting a little late, overall, that wasn't bad at all."

The coaches carefully observed the players' training. The new players who had joined from other clubs this summer were gradually blending into the team's atmosphere.

'So, they joined around this time.'

Among them were Serge Gnabry and Héctor Bellerín.

Serge Gnabry had come from VfB Stuttgart's youth team after passing Arsenal's entry test. His greatest strengths were his explosiveness and his fast, accurate shooting. He was a versatile player capable of playing as a winger, second striker, or false nine.

At 16 years old, he was the same age as Kai.

'But I've never played alongside him before.'

In his previous life, Gnabry's potential hadn't fully exploded at Arsenal, leading to multiple loan spells. Each time, he failed to meet expectations, and Arsenal eventually lost patience, selling him to the Bundesliga.

But once he moved to Germany, he finally unlocked his potential. He played a key role in leading his team's rise, and two years later, he transferred to Bayern Munich, where he helped them achieve the treble.

Right now, he was barely keeping up with the reserve team training, but Kai, knowing Gnabry's future, was thrilled to have him as a teammate.

'True talent never disappears.'

He eventually became one of the key players for the German national team. There was no way he lacked talent.

'He's a perfect fit for Arsenal.'

Rather than moving in straight lines, Gnabry excelled at cutting inside and switching play. His off-the-ball movement was strong, and he knew how to utilize his teammates, making him an essential player for the team.

As Kai watched Gnabry unleash a quick dribble followed by a precise shot into the corner, he turned his gaze toward Héctor Bellerín.

'He's definitely a great player, but…'

Bellerín was once called the successor to Cafu, one of the greatest right-backs in football history.

His biggest weapon was his speed.

As one of the fastest full-backs in the league, he covered large areas of the pitch and shone in counterattacking situations. Having been a winger during his time at Barcelona's youth academy, he was also an excellent dribbler.

He was good at creating chances and making aggressive runs down the flank.

However, his defensive positioning was sometimes shaky, leading to him conceding one-on-one situations too often. Additionally, his crossing ability left something to be desired.

'His skills declined after his injury.'

After tearing his ACL, Bellerín's career took a downward turn. A full-back who relied on speed simply couldn't maintain his level after losing that advantage.

As his teammates marveled at Bellerín's incredible pace, a coach's voice called out.

"Arata! Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

At the assistant coach's signal, Kai took a deep breath and exchanged quick passes with the coach.

One-touch passes. Two-touch passes.

His passes were precise and measured, yet the coaches only nodded silently.

"Very stable."

"His balance is solid."

"Was that calculated?"

"Of course. The ball wouldn't move like that otherwise."

After smoothly receiving a pass, Kai swiftly dribbled past the cones before taking a shot.

Whoosh!

The ball rocketed into the top right corner of the goal, as if pulled by a string.

Smith beamed.

"Arata! You look really sharp today."

"It just feels like everything is clicking."

"Good. Next!"

Lately, Kai had been in an excellent mood.

The awkward disconnect he had felt with his body was gone, and the ball now stuck to his feet just like in his prime.

He was experiencing the joy of learning football all over again.

As long as he was having fun, even the toughest training sessions didn't feel tedious.

"I thought it would take longer for him to adjust."

"Arata! Watch out for the ball!"

A ball flew toward Kai's head, but instead of dodging, he instinctively performed an acrobatic move—

A bicycle kick.

The ball traced a beautiful arc before hitting the back of the net.

Though the shot wasn't particularly fast due to the distance, the elegance of his execution left his teammates in awe.

"Oh!"

"Crazy!"

"Did he really react to that?"

Kai nonchalantly dusted off his jersey and smiled.

At first, he had intended to dodge the ball.

Getting injured from unnecessary risks wasn't worth it.

But he couldn't resist the urge bubbling inside him and went for it.

Frimpong ruffled Kai's hair aggressively and made a fuss.

"This guy acts like he's the main character or something! Am I right or am I right?"

Kai wasn't one to take it lying down.

He immediately put Frimpong in a headlock.

"Ack! I surrender! I surrender!"

As their antics unfolded, laughter spread throughout the training ground.

"Alright, alright! Back to training!"

The intensity returned as the players, fueled by their desire to reach the first team, poured their efforts into the session. The coaches responded by pushing them harder.

Whenever things started to get too heated, Neil Banfield stepped in to calm things down.

After the session, the players were given a break.

Kai, along with Frimpong, approached the newcomers who hadn't yet blended in with the team.

"Hey there!"

Gnabry flinched slightly before offering an awkward smile.

"Oh, hey."

"I'm Kai Arata."

"Kai Arata?"

"Just call me Kai."

"Ah, Got it, Kai."

Frimpong cleared his throat and dramatically introduced himself.

"Ahem! I'm Emmanuel Frimpong! Soon to be a first-team player!"

Gnabry looked at him with admiration, though his attention quickly shifted back to Kai.

What he had seen from Kai today was simply unreal.

Until now, Gnabry had thought he was one of the best among his age group.

But after witnessing Kai's play firsthand, he felt a sense of despair.

Kai was ahead of him in every aspect.

Kai immediately noticed the shift in Gnabry's emotions.

Encouraging words wouldn't help.

'I remember how empty words of comfort felt during my rehab.'

In moments like these, the best approach was to step back.

Kai nudged Frimpong, signaling him to change the topic.

Understanding instantly, Frimpong flashed a smug grin and brought up something that all guys loved.

"Hey, do you like football video games?"

"Football games? Of course!"

"Then, wanna come over and play after training?"

"Really? I can?"

"Of course!"

"Then I'm in!"

Gnabry looked at Frimpong gratefully.

As the two grew closer, Kai approached Bellerín, who was standing apart with Jon Toral.

Bellerín greeted him warmly.

"Kai, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Héctor Bellerín, and this is Jon Mikel Toral Harper."

"Jon Toral."

"I'm Kai. Nice to meet you."

The three exchanged handshakes.

Being the same age, they quickly found common ground.

"How was training today?"

"I'm not sure yet since it was the first day, but Arsenal's methods and facilities don't seem inferior to Barcelona's."

"Yeah, I felt the same way."

"The club controlling our diet is a bit weird, though."

Kai corrected them.

"They don't control everything—just cut out things like ketchup and sugary foods."

"Ah! That makes sense."

"If you guys ever need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks, Arata!"

"You acted all serious during training, but you're actually really nice, huh?"

"Did I?"

Kai continued chatting with them, making the newcomers feel welcome.

As Kai listened to them, he also gathered some interesting information.

Thanks to their conversation, he learned that Jon Toral had been an ace at Barcelona's youth academy.

'He's got great ball control and smooth movement, but why didn't he make it big?'

Did something major happen?

In his previous life, he had only heard of Toral's name but didn't remember his career details.

"Arata, when did you join Arsenal?"

"I entered the academy when I was seven, so it's been 11 years now."

"I heard a rumor that Arsenal had a secret weapon hidden in the reserve team. That must be you, huh?"

Toral's words made Kai raise an eyebrow.

"Me? A secret weapon?"

"You really didn't know? You're super famous among La Liga clubs."

"Not just in Spain—there's no big club that doesn't know about you."

"Really?"

Kai tilted his head in mild surprise.

"Arata, have you received any offers recently?"

Bellerín and Toral's eyes sparkled with curiosity. Kai scratched his cheek.

"Hmm. Not that I know of."

"Huh? That's weird."

"There's no way clubs wouldn't want Arsenal's most protected young talent."

"Maybe my father turned them down. He wants me to debut for Arsenal first."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"Yeah, totally."

Since he didn't have an agent until he turned 18, Kai's father handled all his affairs.

Thanks to that, he didn't have to worry about anything except football.

"Kai! We're having a gaming session at Gnabry's place today. You're coming too, right?"

Instead of answering immediately, Kai turned to Bellerín and Toral.

"Do you guys want to come too?"

"Us?"

"Can we?"

Frimpong jumped in excitedly.

"Of course! The more, the merrier! But you guys play well, right?"

"You mean football games?"

"Yeah!"

"Uh, I'm decent?"

"I'd say I'm pretty good."

Frimpong smirked and gripped their shoulders firmly.

"Great! Let's see who's the best! Kai, you're coming too, right? You have to!"

"Don't worry, I'll be there."

"Heh heh heh! This time, I'm going to win!"

Kai scoffed.

"After losing 77 matches in a row?"

"This time, it's different! Gnabry taught me a secret move!"

"Try whatever you want. I'll crush you."

"Kai, don't cry when you lose."

"Look who's talking."

Of course, he had no intention of backing out.

He absolutely loved football games.

Just then, the assistant coach Smith called out.

"Break time's over! Gather around!"

The laughing and chatting players quickly assembled.

Smith scanned the group and started calling names.

"Arata, Bellerín, Sam, Robert—you guys wear red bibs. Frimpong, Toral, Matt, Gnabry—you wear blue bibs."

Frimpong raised his hand.

"Coach! Are we having a practice match?"

"Last time, we played six-a-side, but today it's 11 versus 11. The match will be two halves of 20 minutes each. The blue team's captain will be Frimpong, and the red team's captain will be Arata."

"Nice!"

Frimpong cheered, while Kai remained calm.

Smith glanced at Kai before continuing.

"The winning team is exempt from cleaning up the training ground!"

"Ooooh!"

"One rule—avoid reckless tackles, and don't send the ball flying over people's heads unnecessarily. Every time you do, I'll deduct points from your evaluation, so be mindful."

"Yes, coach!"

"You have 10 minutes to strategize. Gather with your teams."

"Got it!"

The players were fired up.

Instead of joining his team right away, Kai adjusted his cleats.

Frimpong came over and slapped him on the shoulder, grinning.

"Kai, today, I'll show you that football isn't a solo sport!"

Kai chuckled.

"Now I'm really looking forward to it."

"Wait, are you mocking me?"

"What do you mean? I'm genuinely excited. I want to see how much you've improved."

"For a second, I thought you were teasing me. Anyway, just wait! I'll prove why I belong in the first team!"

Frimpong, full of confidence, ran over to his teammates and started giving them tactical instructions.

Watching him seriously distribute roles, Kai decided to accept the challenge.

Bellerín approached him.

"Arata, what's our strategy?"

"For the first half, let's just play our usual game. Everyone should focus on what they do best."

"You mean, play freely?"

"Yeah. We can analyze their tactics and adapt from there."

"Got it."

While Kai was curious about Frimpong's strategy, he also wanted to completely crush him.

Not because Frimpong had been boasting about making the first team.

But because he simply couldn't resist the thrill of competition.