My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 81: A roulette

"Thank you so much for that assist, Skip." James said breathlessly.

"Oh it’s no bother, and please just tap it in the middle next time you run~"

Rutter was all smiles as he saw off the QPR defenders at the edge of the box. It was clear from how he acted that he quite liked this new tactical setup of his captain.

"W-Well we’re resetting now." Rio said, all but dashing back to the center circle.

He grabbed the match ball from the net and carried it under his arm once again. James jogged up not long after and caught up to him with an amused expression on his face.

"Wow your passing is so lovely." He said, stretching slightly in the cold night air.

Rio let out a grunt, "Yeah, to you."

"Pfft hahaha"

Once again, James began to giggle to his heart’s content. It seemed as if he took some pleasure in QPR’s misery this evening, especially the embarrassing 14-second goal. He felt as if he got to know a lot more about Rio’s brain.

Hearing him laugh brightened Rio’s mood, allowing him to forget a little of the pressure he had gone through wearing the armband for the first time.

Once the laughter died down, Rio spoke. "They’re not usually on a mission to park the bus this deep. I kind of provoked their manager in the press by accident." He admitted.

"Ohhh, I see. It all makes sense now."

"You must never wake a relegation team up during their defensive drills, unless you’re prepared to face the dirty tackles that is." James said matter-of-factly. Yet he still held an amused expression.

Rio nodded, committing this to memory. It was helpful to know that it wasn’t just his brother Leo that suffered from such an unpredictable temper when poked.

"Do you also get cranky without enough service?" He asked.

James was thoughtful for a moment, but responded truthfully. "Oh definitely, I might even be worse than Bamford." He sent a wink his way.

"Haha, well remind me never to starve you of the ball then." Rio blurted out.

Silence.

Both Rio and James stopped in place and stared at each other with wide eyes.

’What the hell did I just say?’

’When would I ever get the chance to starve him to begin with? I’m the fucking playmaker.’

’Argh you idiot!’

Rio’s mind raced as he quickly averted his gaze from James’s, feeling stupid for saying something so cheesy on a football pitch.

James blushed, not expecting such bromance words. However, he was able to quickly recover, since it was probably just a slip of the tongue. Rio’s words never felt arrogant or selfish and he was always focused.

Out of consideration for Rio he quickly changed the subject, allowing the focus to return to the game.

Around 30 minutes later, the duo arrived outside QPR’s penalty box again. The place was a congested two-bank defensive line with Begovic on the goal line, of which the delicious smell of fear would make any attacker stop and drool.

Rio who had only had one assist this half suddenly felt his appetite rouse from the delicious gaps.

A defender in his early thirties wearing the QPR kit and sporting a bruised ego walked out of the defensive line and onto the midfield, stopping when he spotted the duo of Rio and Rutter.

He was average height, but his shoulders were wide and he had muscular legs. If it weren’t for the captain’s armband, one might think that Steve Cook was a bouncer at a nightclub or something.

"Ref, did ya see that foul? What took ya so long?"

His voice was gruff and he talked with an accent, however one could hear the desperation within his tone.

"Yes Cook, I saw it but the linesman gave the advantage even though I told him you said it was a foul." The referee replied, not yet booking Rio for whatever reason.

"Argh that damn ref, he’s more stubborn than a mule."

It was only now that he seemed to notice the tall Rio who was conspicuously still holding the ball at his feet.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? And why are ya playing like Messi man?" He looked at Rio in anger.

"Cook!" Rutter was shocked with how aggressive the defender was being. This was the reason why their manager was the one who dealt with the press while Cook was stuck hacking players all day.

"What? Isn’t it weird for a fucking nineteen-year-old to be wearing the captain’s armband?"

’Oh sh*t! Is he trying to rattle me?’

Rio locked in, seeing the bloodshot eyes of the gruff man in front of him seemingly trying to penetrate through his very mental shield.

Rutter frowned, moving in front of Rio and puffing his chest in annoyance.

"Back off! This is my captain Rio. He’s helping us win the game after you guys parked the bus."

Rio suddenly felt warm inside noticing how Rutter had stuck up for him, even twisting the story so as not to place any blame on the referee.

"Captain!?"

Cook’s face morphed into one of shock, at least for a few moments before a look of understanding crept onto his features.

’Ah, he must have had to bribe the manager a few times.’

"Nice. To. Meet. Ya. My name is Steve Cook." Cook extended his boot for a challenge.

Not understanding what possible conclusion Cook had come to, nor why he was speaking so slowly to him, Rio stepped into the tackle. The first thing he noticed was how slow and clumsy the man’s feet were, the next was the vice-grip like strength behind the shoulder barge.

’What is this disparity!?’

Even with his Titan’s Core, Rio had a hard time not succumbing to the crushing weight of the veteran. However, since the whole stadium was watching him, he did not want to look weak in front of them.

Donning his best pokerface, he locked eyes with Cook the entire time, keeping his balance.

Fortunately for him, a stern-faced referee walked over to the scene and blew his whistle gently, getting the attention of the man in the hoops.

Cook stiffened, feeling his body turn cold as a yellow card flashed. He quickly took back his aggression and nodded towards the ref a few times before running back into the defensive line without a word.

Rio blinked a few times, dusting off his shirt, unsure of what he had just witnessed.

[Chat Room Active]

Hand_Of_King: Haha! The old bull tried to bully the young lion! You stood your ground well, kid. His yellow card is your trophy.

Total_Football_14: The tactical blueprint worked perfectly for the first goal, but do not rely on it blindly. Now that their best defender is on a yellow, attack his side. Twist the knife.

Zizou_5: He called you Messi. I am offended. You should play like Zidane. A roulette past him next time will end his career.

Rio smiled internally. A roulette, huh? The legends were right. Cook was rattled, on a yellow card, and terrified of the space behind him.

The game restarted. QPR were bleeding, and the sharks of Elland Road smelled it.