My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 63: Elland Road is waiting

Carlos pulled the car into the staff entrance at Elland Road and was waved in by one of the security guards who exchanged pleasantries with him.

It was clear to Rio that the two must be familiar with each other since his father had been dropping off ham here for weeks.

Even though he had been to Elland Road to watch games from the bench and even score that rabona, Rio couldn’t help but feel excited.

Would he be able to see the manager’s office while he visited?

’Soon enough I’ll be the king of this place...’ He told himself.

"Alright, let’s head in," Carlos said, jumping out of the car with ease.

Leo had decided to stay in the car, not wanting to get in the way of the father-son duo. If Rio really was still sick, he did not want to be present for the resulting argument with Farke.

As they made their way in through the players’ entrance, Rio couldn’t help but move his eyes around, taking in his surroundings. They walked past a few doors as they went down the familiar corridor.

"Media room, kit room, tactics room," Rio muttered, his curiosity mounting.

His father didn’t say a word, silently walking towards the end of the corridor where the Manager’s office was located. Rio couldn’t help but smile wryly, knowing what he was probably thinking.

The reason they were there was to prove Rio wasn’t dying of the plague, not to play around.

"Ah, Carlos. You brought the invalid." A deep voice called out from one of the rooms, getting their attention.

"Boss, thanks for seeing us on short notice." Carlos walked forward and shook the man’s hand.

Rio observed Daniel Farke. If it wasn’t for the intense aura radiating from him, he could have been mistaken for a regular heavy metal fan one would see often in Germany.

"This is my son Rio. Rio, this is Rob, the head physio, and the Boss." His father said, sending a stern look towards him.

Rio nodded, interpreting the stern look to mean ’don’t say anything stupid about FIFA’.

"Huh? Son?" Farke looked Rio up and down and was utterly confused.

"He looks like he ate your younger, skinnier son," Farke commented, letting out a few chuckles.

"Ahem." Carlos coughed lightly, wanting to move the conversation along. "Shall we step into the gym? Rob wants to run the vitals."

"My my, where are my manners. Rio, please join us in the dungeon." Despite saying so, Farke still had a grin on his face.

Rio did as he was told, heading into the spacious gym which held some miscellaneous items like resistance bands and even a bench press.

Carlos took a seat on a plyometric box without being offered and told Rob about Rio’s "fever" and sudden recovery. He spared no detail, even shocking Rio with how much his father knew.

He spoke of Rio’s dietary intake (the broccoli hell), amount of sleep, and even took into account the extra sessions he did with Archie. Rio’s eyes fell on his father and felt his already high opinion increase even further.

"Oho, you’re certainly taking your recovery seriously, young man." Rob nodded with respect. "It’s quite rare for someone your age to bounce back from a viral load so quickly. are you sure you didn’t take any... supplements?"

As he spoke, Rob was placing his hands upon Rio’s neck and pressing each of his glands to look for any swelling or heat.

"Just paella and determination," Rio responded, not budging in the least.

"Hmm yes. No temperature I assume?" Rob responded after feeling his forehead.

"How does he look?" Carlos asked after seeing Rob had now taken a step back.

"I can’t see anything wrong in my preliminary examination. But damn Carlos, why didn’t you tell us that your son was lifting weights in his sleep?" He shook his head in exasperation.

"Weights?" Carlos replied with confusion.

"Am I wrong? But I could have sworn I felt significantly more muscle density in his traps and deltoids." Rob responded, feeling his confidence waver.

"Ah. Because I was called lightweight by my agent, I’ve been hitting the gym for most of the last month," Rio clarified, feeling the two both staring at him.

"Oh, you just added mass in a month... EH!?"

"W-What!? You can do that without steroids?"

Both Rob and Farke gawked at the young man who made such a statement so matter-of-factly. Sure it wasn’t unheard of for young players to fill out, but seldom in the middle of the season.

"N-Never mind that..." Farke said after a while, regaining his composure. "Can you do further tests on his core strength? The Hull City midfielders are animals."

"Ahhh sure," Rob responded, snapping out of his daze.

He took Rio through a series of plank tests and resistance pushes, telling him to say something if he felt any fatigue. Since Rio was now fully upgraded with Titan’s Core, he held the plank like a statue and passed with flying colors.

"Are you sure he was sick?" the physio asked, rubbing his chin in thought.

Rio answered, "I had a sharp headache and a fever, right here." He pointed to his head where the System usually gave him notifications.

Rob pressed down on a few spots, sometimes using a bit more force, however, Rio did not feel any pain. In fact, he felt like he could bench press Rob.

After stepping back once again, Rob confidently stated that there were no present issues.

"What you described was likely a rapid metabolic spike. Sometimes when the body enters a growth spurt, it burns hot. Usually, it happens to teenagers in the academy, but you are a late bloomer."

He continued. "It’s also uncommon to gain such functional strength so quickly. Perhaps it is because you have the Spanish genetics that your body was able to adapt."

Shutterstock

Rob smiled, "You did the right thing by resting yesterday. If you were a horse, I would say you are ready for the Kentucky Derby. You are cleared."

Despite knowing he was fully healed, it filled Rio with relief hearing these words. Not only did he now have a medical clearance, his manager would now believe him that he was ready to start.

Farke blinked a few times, seeing the unfamiliar readings on the heart rate monitor. He struggled to understand it at first, however, his managerial aptitude worked in the background to bring him to the right conclusion.

’He isn’t just fit. He is a tank.’

Seeing the power in Rio’s frame, Farke resisted the urge to slap himself hard. He had been keeping Rio on the bench to protect him, thinking he was too fragile for the Championship.

However, it seemed to be having the opposite effect. Not only did Rio train harder, but his body also responded by turning into a weapon.

"No..." Farke clenched his fists, a wave of tactical excitement washing over him.

"I’m sorry, I’ve been hesitating to start you because I didn’t want you to get broken by the English defenders."

Carlos and Rio both looked puzzled, but a smile soon appeared on their faces.

"I... I want to play against Hull and prove that I can handle the physicality. I’ll become the strongest winger in the league and prove the critics wrong with my shoulders," Rio said resolutely.

[Chat Room Active]

Hand_Of_King: Look at the manager! He is drooling. He sees the power. A strong player is a manager’s dream.

Total_Football_14: Do not rely only on strength, Rio. Use it to protect the ball, yes. But your mind must still be quick. A tank is useless if it drives off a cliff.

Zizou_5: Rob is a funny man. ’Spanish genetics’. Hah! It is System genetics.

Rio suppressed a laugh, nodding at Farke.

"Okay," Farke said, his voice dropping to a serious rumble. "You start. But Rio?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"If you get bullied by Coyle, I will sub you off in ten minutes. No mercy."

"Understood," Rio grinned. "Coyle won’t get near the ball."

A few hours later, Rio was lying in his bed and staring at the ceiling. Since everything was now out in the open, he felt relieved, like a pressure had been taken off his chest.

He could tell how much Farke trusted him just by the tactical shift. Another byproduct of his resolution was that his father no longer seemed to blame himself for the agent drama, chalking it up to the chaotic nature of football.

He had also earned himself a pasta dinner from Leo, who was currently cooking in the kitchen. This timing was brilliant as his carb-loading would be optimal by tomorrow, meaning his energy levels would be maxed out.

Rio breathed out a sigh of relief.

’I need to stop worrying about these things. It seems to do more harm than good in the long run,’ He thought inwardly.

He didn’t really feel like entering the image training tonight, especially since it had been a long enough day. With his first ’S-Grade’ physical check in the books and his mission finishing tomorrow, it was a good time to let his body and mind rest.

He felt a little energetic and his muscles hummed with power, probably from the Titan’s Core settling in. With that, Rio closed his eyes and drifted into dreamland.

Despite being in a good mood before bed, his dreams were filled with intensity. It was as if he was playing the match already, but in fast forward.

He saw the Hull City defenders drifting away after being shoulder-barged into the advertising boards. Archie Gray, whose face seemed to lack the anxiety that Rio was used to, appeared in front of him like a veteran.

"Why didn’t you pass to me? I was open!"

Wearing a Leeds kit, an older-looking Archie questioned him with a serious expression. Rio wanted to answer, but every time he opened his mouth, the crowd roared so loud it drowned him out.

"Why!? Why would you shoot from there? You should have crossed!"

Farke’s booming voice entered his ears, causing him to spin around in fright. There he saw the manager throw his coat onto the ground in passion, pointing at the scoreboard.

Rio then locked eyes with the scoreboard.

LEEDS 1 - 0 HULL

SCORER: RIO

’W-What is happening?’ Rio was confused, but also excited. Hot adrenaline ran through his veins as his mind tried to make sense of the premonition.

DING.

Rio suddenly sat up from the bed, his body covered in sweat and his lungs sucking in air like he had just scored a winner. His first thought was to look around the room to try and see where he was.

’My room...’

After seeing the familiar posters on the wall, Rio finally managed to calm down. The dream he had experienced felt far too real, causing him to believe that he had just played the match.

Just as he was about to check his System, Leo opened the door to his room.

"Rio!? What’s wrong?"

Seeing his alert and sweaty visage, Leo rushed over to check on him, concern etched onto his features. He placed a glass of water on the nightstand.

"You were shouting in your sleep, hermano." His face turned amused. "Something about ’Titan’s Core’?"

Rio let out a sigh. It was true that he was excited, however, he didn’t like the idea of talking in his sleep about System skills.

Just as he was about to get out of bed he heard a deep voice.

"And where do you think you’re going?"

Carlos was leaning against the door with his arms crossed, tapping his fingers while staring at him. He was holding a banana.

"Ah, I just needed to stretch." He replied weakly. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Thankfully he had been quick enough to answer that his father did not call him out, however, it looked like he would have to stay calm today.

"Eat this," Carlos threw the banana. Rio caught it with his left hand—fast, precise. "Potassium. Good for the muscles."

Rio peeled the banana, taking a bite. "Thanks, Dad."

"Farke called," Carlos said, his eyes gleaming. "He released the lineup to the press early."

"And?" Rio asked, though he knew the answer.

"You’re starting on the right. Summerville on the left. Piroe in the middle. He called it the ’Trident’."

Rio grinned. The Trident. He liked the sound of that.

"Get dressed," Carlos said. "We leave in one hour. Elland Road is waiting."

Rio jumped out of bed. He felt the floorboards groan under his new weight. He walked to the mirror.

He looked at himself. The S-Grade physique was hidden under his pajamas, but he could feel it. The power. The balance.

He was no longer the skinny kid from Girona. He was a machine built for the Premier League.

"Hull City," Rio whispered to his reflection. "You are so fucked."

[Chat Room Active]

Hand_Of_King: That’s the spirit!

Total_Football_14: Remember, Rio. The first touch sets the tone. Make it count.

The_Phenomenon_9: And if you get a penalty... give it to Piroe. He needs the confidence. Just kidding. Smash it yourself.

Rio laughed, grabbing his kit bag.