Another 142: A new beginning

COTIA'S TRAINING CENTER, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL


Alright boys, that'll be enough for today.... Uh?
Roberto... I'm back!!

So the winters' nationals are already over... I hope you aren't back empty-handed?
No... Just like you said... I found out what I was missing.

That's good... In that case I'll ask for you to be brought to the top team.
What? already? Don't you want me to prove myself first...

Most of your youth rivals already made it to the top team. This is the best way to put you to the test.
Alright then. But to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I know everything about my new ability...

That's what training is for. However, you're stepping in a harsh world from now on... If you fail to deliver,
even I might not be able to save you from being dismissed by the club...

Got it, Tsubasa?
Yeah, Roberto... Don't worry about me!!

We still got 4 months before the beginning of the pro brazilian championship... That's more than enough to
get you ready. But it'll still be harsh considering you'll have the usual training with the top team...

BACK IN JAPAN, EVEN BEFORE GRADUATION, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF MOST OF THE JAPANESE GOLDEN AGE MEMBERS JOINING PRO CLUBS WAS CONFIRMED... ONLY MISUGI'S CONTRACT WAS KEPT SILENT THANKS TO MISTER KATAGIRI... OFFICIALLY, "JAPAN'S PRIDE" WAS STILL HESITATING...


WHILE HE WAS, IN FACT, STILL FEELING THE AFTEREFFECTS OF HIS "PERFECT COPIES" DONE IN THE MATCH AGAINST NANKATSU IN THE WINTERS' NATIONALS... HE WAS RESTING IN ORDER TO BE READY FOR THE J-LEAGUE'S OPENING MATCH, AS HIS PRESENCE WAS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO ATTRACT SPONSORS...


HE WAS STILL, HOWEVER, DOING LIGHT TRAINING TO KEEP IN SHAPE AND SECRETELY OBSERVING F.C. TOKYO'S TRAININGS, HOPING IT'D BE ENOUGH TO BE IN SYNCH WITH THE TEAM...


SODA'S TRYOUT FOR GAMBA OSAKA WAS A SUCCESS, AS WAS JITO'S FOR AVISPA FUKUOKA... EVEN THOUGH EARNING A SPOT AMONG THE REGULARS WOULDN'T BE THAT EASY, THEY WERE SURE TO HAVE AT LEAST A CHANCE THIS YEAR...


TAKI, IZAWA AND KISUGI ALSO SUCCEEDED IN THEIR TRYOUTS FOR TOKYO VERDY, YOKOHAMA FC AND CEREZO OSAKA, AND THE CLUBS, AGGRESSIVELY AIMING FOR A PROMOTION TO THE FIRST DIVISION WOULD PROBABLY GIVE THEM THEIR CHANCE EARLY TOO, IF THEY COULD DELIVER GOOD PERFORMANCES...


... UNLIKE TAKASUGI AND MORISAKI. EVEN THOUGH THEIR TRYOUTS FOR RESPECTIVELY SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA AND SHIMUZU S-PULSE WERE A SUCCESS, THEIR DEBUT WOULD PROBABLY BE LATER AS MORISAKI WAS STILL RECOVERING FROM HIS INJURY AND TAKASUGI HAS A BIT OF A SLUMP AFTER HIS FAILED PENALTY KICK AGAINST WAKASHIMAZU...


SORIMACHI AND WAKASHIMAZU'S CONTRACTS WITH VISSEL KOBE AND NAGOYA GRAMPUS WERE OFFICIAL BEFORE THEIR INJURIES, HOWEVER SORIMACHI IS CONSIDERING PLAYING WHILE NOT BEING HEALED, WHILE NAGOYA GRAMPUS ALSO SIGNED SEIGO NARAZAKI, CURRENT NUMBER 1 KEEPER OF THE JAPANESE NATIONAL TEAM, WHO WON THE EMPEROR'S CUP AND WAS NAMED MVP OF THE J-LEAGUE LAST YEAR WITH HIS FORMER CLUB...


THIS IS, AFTER ALL, THE WORLD OF PROS... IF A CLUB CAN'T USE YOU, THEN YOUR CAREER MIGHT BE SHORT-LIVED, BEING DISMISSED OR REPLACED...


ALTHOUGH ISHIZAKI'S TRYOUT FOR FUJIEDA MYFC WAS A SUCCESS, HE CHOSE TO JOIN THE NEWLY CREATED UNDER-23 SECTION OF JUBILO IWATA... A CLUB OF THE SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE, WHERE HE MET AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE, URABE! BOTH OF THEM WANTED TO EVENTUALLY EARN A PLACE IN THE TOP TEAM SOME DAY... BUT FOR NOW THEY'LL PLAY IN THE J3.


AND FOR THOSE WHO WERE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL, LIKE NITTA, SAWADA AND SANO, THEIR NEXT IMPORTANT COMPETITION WOULDN'T BE THE NEXT WINTER'S NATIONALS, THERE WAS THE INTER HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS FESTIVAL BEFORE THAT!


THE BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP FROM MAY TO DECEMBER... THE J-LEAGUE FROM MARCH TO NOVEMBER... THE INTER HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS FESTIVAL IN SUMMER... EVERYONE IN THE JAPANESE GOLDEN AGE WAS OFF TO A NEW START...


EVEN THOSE WHO WEREN'T IN THE LAST WINTERS' NATIONALS...


... BUT WHAT OF THOSE WHOSE PLANS DIDN'T GO AS PLANNED, UNABLE TO KEEP ON PLAYING IN HIGH SCHOOL, WITHOUT A TEAM, PRO OR NOT, TO JOIN OR GO BACK TO...?