My system allows me to copy talents

449  In the mountains

Indeed, they were running late. So, they hurriedly stormed out. As they reached the pick-up spot, they noticed the bus on standby. Some staff members were waiting outside. Seeing their figure, they urged them to hurry. "Hurry up, you three."

As they entered the bus, he was greeted with the sight of players whom he had only seen on screen previously. Contrary to his initial expectation, the sheer number of people on the bus left him bewildered. The bus was overflowing with players. All these players were selected? He couldn't help but wonder. Shouldn't there be only 23 players? But it seemed like there were already more than 20 players on the bus. Not to mention the absence of some starters. So, if he had to sum up all those players, it easily exceeded 25. How could that be?

For a while, he stood frozen at his place, pondering. Most of the players on the bus didn't even bother to notice. They went on with their task. Some appeared interested in him. At the same time, most of them ignored his presence. Tatsuki then gave him a light push, waking him up from his reverie. "Let's hurry to our seats," he said after finishing his greetings. He knew quite a few of them despite playing as a substitute. Naoto was the same as well. He wasn't their starter. Even after settling down, he couldn't stop wandering his eyes. 'He got selected as well?' seeing the figure of Tominaga, Hiro couldn't help but question. Sure, he had been performing well. But weren't they overdoing it? Like how could they draft so many attackers? Like seriously, what was happening?

Tatsuki caught the whiff of it as he sensed his confusion. "Ahh, I forgot to tell you. The team selection hasn't been completed yet."

"What do you mean it hasn't been completed yet?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Three players will be going home after the training sessions," Tatsuki tried to clarify. "So, what you mean is that we have to compete among ourselves to qualify?"

"Exactly, you need to deliver good results in the training session to qualify for the final 23."

Now, it all made sense to him—the presence of all these people. So, even if he had missed the training camp, it wouldn't have mattered to the team. Luckily, he didn't miss the training camp. Or else, he wouldn't even have this opportunity to compete for the spot.

Hiro then started to inquire about other players. As he toggled through the selection process, he became aware of his competitors. He was an attacking midfielder. So, he had to compete against other midfielders. But it wasn't as simple as he had envisioned. Since some players were regarded as untouchables. They were mostly the players playing overseas.

Even though they weren't going to join the camp, their spot in the team was almost guaranteed. Only a threatening injury could put their spot in jeopardy. It wasn't a fair competition. Part of the reason why they were called was to train themselves to prepare for such a scenario. It meant that even if they weren't selected they could be regarded as emergency reserves.

After all, football is an uncertain sport. Anything could happen at any moment. The journey to the training camp was filled with animated conversation, nervous laughter, and occasional pep talks. Along the way, he attracted quite a lot of stares too. Most probably they were wary of him. Well, considering his performance, they probably regarded him as a threat, a competitor they needed to be wary of. Though their gaze bothered him slightly, it didn't affect him in any way. Partly because they were prioritizing themselves instead of looking at the big picture. It's important to have competitions. But if it affects the performance and camaraderie of the team then what good would it bring?

They were a team after all. And, their objective should be to help the nation instead of worrying about their spots. But the way they looked at him, he could tell that they weren't going to make things easier for him. Most probably, they'd do everything in their power to keep him out of the game. Humans are selfish beings. So, it didn't surprise him when they looked at him warily. Even so, he wasn't going to go easy on anyone. Those penetrating gazes had quite the opposite effect on him as they propelled him to give his best. It made him even more determined to get selected. It fueled his determination to play. Finally, they arrived at the training camp.

The journey was quite long. Some had even slept on the bus. As he glanced outside the window, he noticed that the place was rather secluded. It was deep in the mountains surrounded by lush forest. Initially, Hiro had thought that they'd head to Tokyo. But instead, right now, they were in the countryside. If it was such a long journey, why didn't they take flight? That way they would have arrived early. Or was the federation so cheap that it couldn't even afford the cost of flight?

He couldn't help but feel dissatisfied. And from the looks of it, many shared his dissatisfaction. They had left quite early in the morning. But right now, the sky had already darkened. Though it wasn't completely dark yet still, some stars were visible in the sky. The sky was a tapestry of deep blue and light purple. "Everyone, wake up, we're here," one of the staff members called out. As they heard him, some player yawned while some began to stretch their body. "Yawn~ Seems like we'll be plowing the field for the training," Kenjiro joked as he looked outside the window. Some players giggled as they heard him. The guy who was cracking all those lame ass jokes was called Kenjiro Watanabe. He had short black spiky hair, a lean and athletic build, and a perpetual twinkle in his brown eyes. Since he played for Urawa Red Diamond, Hiro had already met him. In his team, he was also known as Joker for his humor.