Game Changer | Petalz 🌸🍃

Chapter VII

There used to be a time when Sakura looked forward to training with her dad. She couldn't wait for it even; it was always the highlight of her day. But that was a long time ago when she was just a little kid. When the grass at the Ajinomoto Stadium seemed to stretch endlessly before her eyes and the distance between the goals felt impossible to cover by her tiny feet.

Her dad would play there with her after his training, letting her score goals as he dramatically threw himself to save her shots that barely passed the goal line. He would then change into her biggest supporter, chanting her name the way she often heard his name being chanted from the stands while she mimicked his goal celebration, running with her arms spread open, as if she was pretending to fly. She even had a replica of his red-blue striped jersey and would point at the club's crest on her chest like she had seen him do it, though at that time, she had no idea what it meant, or why he did that.

All she knew was that she wanted to be like her daddy. And he would always tell her that one day she would. That one day, that huge stadium would be full of people chanting her name, and he would be among them.

The carefree phase lasted until she was eight when she began to have proper training with the F.C. Tokyo's junior team. First with the boys and then with girls, once a girls' team was created a year later. But even then, her dad would come to her training to cheer for her from the stands. And when he had time, they would still have their one on one practice, though he no longer let her win; something she actually appreciated. She liked the fact that he stopped treating her like a little kid, even though she still very much was one.

After each failed attempt to outplay him, he would give her advice on what she could have done differently. He was the one to teach her all the dribbling tricks, and how to control the ball. Told her to be proud of that crest on her chest, because although she wasn't born in Tokyo, this was the best club with the greatest legacy in the league.

She took his words so seriously that when she was eleven and she heard a boy at school trash-talking her beloved club, she just couldn't let it slide. She got into a scuffle with him and almost broke the boy's nose while she herself ended up with a bruised lip and a detention. Still, seeing the boy cry with a bloodied nose was a win in her book. Of course, her parents were called in to the principal's office, and she had to apologize to the boy and promise it would never happen again. She did so, albeit begrudgingly.

Back at home, she got the standard lecture from her mom about how disappointed she was with her, how that wasn't how she had raised her and that violence was never the answer. Her dad nodded along, trying to appear stern, but Sakura looked right through him. After mother sent her back to her room, grounding her for a whole month, her dad came in and said that although he didn't condone violence, he was still proud of her that she kicked the boy's butt, making her grin despite the stinging pain she felt from her cut lip.

It's one of her fondest memories because that day she felt like no matter what happened, her dad would be always there for her, always on her side. She was certain that the bond they shared born out of their mutual love for soccer would never be broken. He was her first coach, her best friend, her idol and her hero.

Until that one fateful match when everything changed, and nothing has been the same since.

And although there were times when she was angry with him. When she resented his cold-hearted persona. When she wished his frigid gaze wouldn't track her every movement, judging, assessing, criticizing. She still believed that as long as they had soccer, the bond they used to share could be still reforged.

That was what she was thinking when she made her promise to him.

I promise I will win the World Cup title... Just please stay...