The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 78 - Game Start

"♫♫ Yeah, you can be the greatest, you can be the best

You can be the King Kong bangin' on your chest

You can beat the world

You can win the war

You can talk to God, go bangin' on his door... ♫♫ "

Zachary hummed the Script's 'Hall of Fame' yet to be released lyrics as he sat on the bus heading to Skonto Hall with the rest of his teammates.

It was the afternoon NF Academy would face VfB Stuttgart in the Riga Cup finals.

The previous night, he had thought he would only grow more nervous as the match approached. Even in his past life, he had always felt agitated and tense right before games.

But surprisingly, he'd woken up that morning in a very tranquil state, at peace, and in harmony with the world. A good night's sleep had calmed his nerves. He had never felt more ready to perform.

"That's a good song you're singing," Paul Otterson commented. He was seated beside him on the furthest seat at the back of the bus. "Who's the artist?"

"The Script and Will.i.am," Zachary replied without thinking.

"Eh!" Paul inclined his head, giving him an arch look. "Are you messing with me? I'm Will.i.am's biggest fan, yet I've never heard that song in any of his albums!"

"Oh!" Zachary was perplexed. He was about to argue but stopped suddenly—as understanding dawned on him. The song had not yet been released or even composed.

"Oh, that was a mistake on my part," he lied, a sheepish smile outlining his face. "I mixed up the artists. Maybe, I heard it on one of the TV shows that I'm watching. I think it might have been a soundtrack. I really can't recall." Words came out of his mouth at the pace of a machine gun as he tried to rectify his mistake. He didn't want Paul to begin thinking he was a freak after the song came out months later.

He had liked the song in his previous life because listening to it gave him a feeling of accomplishment even when he'd failed to succeed in his sports career. It inspired him to dream he could achieve the impossible even after he had reached the lowest point in his previous life. In his new life, just before the cup final, the song seemed fitting. He had started humming the tune by reflex.

"Maybe, we could try Shazaming it," Paul intoned, taking out his phone. "I would really like to download it and add it to my collection." The Swede seemed quite intent on finding out the name of the new song.

Zachary cursed himself inwardly for being careless with his knowledge of the future. Nonetheless, he fixed Paul with his meanest stern look before saying: "Do you really want to search for music when the match is only an hour away?"

"Oh! Sorry captain," he replied in a meek tone, pushing his phone back into his pocket. "I wasn't thinking straight. I'll keep focused on the match. I won't let anything distract me."

Zachary nodded, finally relaxing. He made a mental note to mind his words in the future to avoid leaking any information that wasn't supposed to be available in that period.

He spent the rest of the fifteen-minute bus ride in silence, his eyes closed, his mind solely focused on the match. His mind achieved a state of tranquility that translated into a soft smile on his lips. He couldn't know, for sure, whether they would win the final, but he was very optimistic and ready to play. He wanted to emerge from the match without any regrets.

A few minutes later, the bus pulled into the parking lot of the Skonto Hall. Zachary picked up his bag, alighted from the bus, and followed the rest of his teammates and technical staff into the indoor stadium.