My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 43: Left foot

[You have consumed: A-grade Mental Elixir.]

[Mental grade has been increased by 3!]

MENTAL: (Avg. A+)

Composure: S

Vision: A+

Decision Making: A

Aggression: B+

Rio woke up to the sweet news of his increase in Mental grade and felt refreshed. It was as if he was a goldfish that had turned into a shark with the sharp increase in his abilities over the past few weeks.

He had entered a period of rapid growth in his first few weeks in England. However, Rio had a feeling that increasing his abilities would not be as easy in the future. The absence of S-Grade Elixirs in the shop was an indication that he would stagnate at some point without completing near-impossible missions.

Yet Elixirs were not the only way that he could improve how he played. There was also position-specific work he could do, as well as his physical strength which was still sitting at a modest C+.

Rio hopped out of bed and let out a big stretch, his eyes focusing on the now S-grade Composure with a smile on his face.

In a good mood, he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen of their shared apartment, seeing Mateo and Leo sitting at the dining table. Leo had flown in to help them settle before the season started properly.

"Morning guys," Rio said in a chipper tone.

"Good morning."

Rio felt that Mateo’s tone was a little odd, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"Is the breakfast ready yet?"

"It’s just finishing up in the oven. Are you going for your morning run?" Leo replied. His tone sounded even more forced, causing Rio some alarm.

He turned to his brother and gave him a questioning look, however Leo’s expression was giving nothing away. Even moving his gaze to Mateo gave him no indication of what was wrong.

Feeling his anxiety peak, he wanted nothing more than to leave the room as soon as possible. Just as he was about to leave without breakfast, he noticed a newspaper on the table.

The Leeds Post.

"Morning, Rio," Mateo said sweetly, lacking the undertone that Leo had. But his eyes darted to the paper.

"Let’s go..." Rio said, grabbing the paper before Leo could stop him.

"A-Ah, wait Rio, don’t read that!"

"What the hell!?" Rio shouted, reading the headline.

"LEEDS UNITED’S NEW SPANISH FLOP? WINGER SEEN PARTYING AFTER PRE-SEASON WIN"

Rio’s jaw dropped. "Partying? I was in bed by 10pm! I was using the System!"

He scanned the article. It had blurry photos of someone who looked vaguely like him—same haircut, same height—stumbling out of a nightclub in Leeds at 3am.

"That’s not me!" Rio protested, slamming the paper down. "That guy is wearing a Liverpool shirt! I would never wear that!"

Leo sighed, rubbing his temples. "We know it’s not you, Rio. But the fans don’t. Social media is going crazy. They’re calling you a waste of money already."

As soon as he thought of this, he remembered the stares he got at the training ground yesterday. Since he had been so focused on his skills, he hadn’t realized the whispers weren’t about his football—they were about his "nightlife."

Rio was so caught up in his inner thoughts that he put his shoes on the wrong feet and had already left the apartment. Mateo tried to get his attention, however Rio was already jogging forwards while his mind was preoccupied.

By the time he returned, Rio was filled with dread about the upcoming conversation that would likely take place with Manager Farke. He tried to dodge the looks of his housemates and retreated to the bathroom, however that would only delay the issue.

Rio shook his head and slapped his face while staring at the mirror.

’I’m a professional for goodness sake. Why am I letting fake news rattle me right now.’ He thought inwardly, taking in his determined features.

Once he was cleaned up, he decided to be a man and tackle the situation head on.

When he arrived at the training ground, Farke was already waiting for him in his office. He turned to his manager and didn’t bow, but looked him in the eye.

"Boss, the paper is lying."

Farke’s face remained stern for a moment, not expecting the direct approach. However, he cracked a small smile.

"I know, Rio. I have eyes. That boy in the photo has terrible calves. Yours are much better."

Rio felt his body flood with relief as he heard these words. Despite this being the case, he still solemnly sat down, waiting for the lecture.

"But," Farke continued, his tone serious again. "In England, the media builds you up to knock you down. You scored a goal, you made an assist. Now they want a scandal. You must be careful."

"I understand, Boss. I will be boring. I will be invisible."

"Good," Farke nodded. "Now go train. We play Cardiff on Sunday. And Rio?"

"Yes?"

"Score a hat-trick. That will shut them up."

Rio grinned. "Consider it done."

He walked out of the office, feeling lighter. But as he entered the locker room, the banter started immediately.

"Here he is! The Party King!" Summerville shouted, dancing on a bench. "Did you enjoy the club, Rio? Was the DJ good?"

"Hahaha." This time it was Mateo who couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Rio’s reaction and his expression was enough to make him feel weak with hilarity.

It wasn’t long before the whole squad was swept up by Summerville’s contagious laugh, joining in on the fun.

Rio inwardly sighed, reaching down to grab his boots with his left hand. On his way up he pinched Mateo’s elbow, causing him to let out a yelp of pain.

"Hahaha." Now it was Rio’s turn to laugh, experiencing the sweet taste of revenge after dealing out some punishment.

However, he stopped merely a moment later and stared at his boots. His left foot to be exact.

’How was I able to tie my laces with my left hand so perfectly? Could it be?’ Rio’s mind raced as he looked at his hands.

’Elastic Limbs... does it affect my dexterity too?’

His mind began to work, thinking about all the possibilities that had just opened up for him. Could it be that he was just as coordinated with his left side as he was with his right now?

’Does that mean I’m ambidextrous? Can I shoot with both feet?’

Rio’s spirit surged, feeling a wave of ecstasy threaten to overcome him. However, he quickly reigned it in. He didn’t want to get his hopes up just yet.

"Mateo, let’s go do some shooting practice after the session." Rio said, his tone serious.

"Huh? Ah okay."

Around 20 minutes later, the two boys went to the training pitch with a bag of balls.

Rio had a small smile on his face after the talk with the manager. The punishment that the media had tried to inflict on him had backfired; it only made him more focused.

"Why were you so serious about shooting?" Mateo asked, placing the balls on the edge of the box.

"I just want to try something." Rio replied, placing a ball on the penalty spot and walking back.

Mateo raised his eyebrow in question, wondering why Rio was lining up with his left foot.

In the next moment, Rio ran up to the ball. Although it felt a little foreign, he planted his right foot and whipped his left leg through the ball.

Mateo’s eyes widened, feeling a strange aura flowing from his friend. He suddenly regretted standing behind the goal for this.

He sharpened his concentration and braced himself for the ball that would surely come blitzing towards the net in a moment. Yet he could only open his jaw wide in the next moment as he saw the ball blazing through the air.

"Ah..."

The two both watched on silently as the ball rocketed straight through the air as if it was a NASA rocket on its way to the moon... and completely missed the goal, hitting the corner flag instead.

Rio felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "Maybe I need a little bit of practice."

"A little bit?" Mateo laughed, falling to the grass. "You almost killed the corner flag! Stick to the right foot, Party Boy!"

Rio gritted his teeth, but he was smiling too. The power was there. The accuracy would come.

"Just you wait," Rio whispered, placing another ball down. "By Sunday, this left foot will be a weapon."