Become A Football Legend Chapter 372: Medicine Man

Lukas stood still for a second before João’s voice pulled him back to reality.

"Who is this guy?"

Lukas blinked.

"What guy?"

"Rafael."

João pointed toward the restaurant.

"Who is Rafael Martinez?"

Lukas shrugged and started walking again.

"No idea. Just somebody I think I’ve seen online before."

João frowned.

"You know his full name."

"I have a good memory."

"That’s suspicious."

"It’s not."

Neither of them sounded particularly convinced.

By the time they reached the table, Joanna had already spotted them approaching.

Lukas stepped behind her chair and bent down, placing a light kiss on her cheek.

"Hope we didn’t make you wait too long."

Joanna smiled.

"No. You’re fine."

Only then did Lukas properly look at the man sitting across from her.

Rafael appeared to be around João’s age, perhaps a year or two older. He had short black hair, brown eyes, and the sort of appearance that would probably make life easier than it had any right to be. Even seated, he looked athletic. The confidence in the way he carried himself suggested someone who was comfortable speaking to strangers.

Before Lukas could say anything, Rafael stood.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Lukas Brandt?"

Lukas raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

The young Spaniard immediately offered his hand.

"Rafael Martinez."

Beside him, João nearly burst out laughing.

"See? You actually do know him."

That only made Joanna more confused.

She looked from Rafael to Lukas.

"Wait, you two know each other?"

"Not really," Lukas replied as he shook the man’s hand. "I think I’ve seen him somewhere online."

João stared at him.

"You’ve seen him somewhere online and somehow remembered both his face and his full name?"

Lukas shrugged.

"I told you. Great memory."

The explanation did absolutely nothing to satisfy João.

Rafael looked equally puzzled.

"I can’t believe you know who I am."

"Honestly, me neither."

Lukas laughed.

"Maybe Instagram recommended your profile to me at some point."

Rafael tilted his head.

"How would that even happen?"

Then he paused.

"Actually, no. Maybe I know."

"You do?"

Rafael nodded.

"I follow you."

Lukas blinked.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

The young Spaniard smiled.

"I started following you when everybody thought you were signing for Atlético."

That was when Lukas finally noticed the shirt.

An Atlético Madrid shirt.

João noticed it at exactly the same time.

He pointed dramatically.

"There it is."

"There what is?"

"The reason you came disguised."

Lukas sighed.

"Please don’t start."

João ignored him.

"You were afraid an Atlético fan would find you."

Rafael laughed immediately.

"Why would I beat him up?"

"See?" Lukas said.

"Football fans aren’t all insane."

"I know how football works," Rafael said. "Besides, if we signed every player we were linked to, we’d need three stadiums."

That got a laugh from everyone around the table.

The conversation lasted only another minute before Rafael glanced at his watch.

"Well, I should probably get going."

He turned toward Joanna.

"It was nice meeting you. Hopefully I’ll see you around campus."

Then he looked at Lukas and João.

"It was a pleasure."

"You too," Lukas replied.

A few moments later, Rafael disappeared back into the flow of students and pedestrians moving through the street.

Joanna watched him leave before looking back at the others.

"Nice guy."

João nodded.

"Definitely."

Then Lukas asked the question that had been sitting in the back of his mind.

"Is he a student here?"

"Yeah," Joanna replied. "He said he’s studying medicine. Second year, apparently."

"Medicine?"

João sounded impressed.

"Not bad."

Lukas glanced at him.

"Better than football?"

"Of course not."

João looked offended by the suggestion.

"He’s not better than us."

Lukas smiled.

"Who’s us?"

João opened his mouth.

Paused.

Then pointed at both of them.

"Us."

That only made Joanna laugh.

The waiter arrived shortly afterward and the conversation shifted toward food, classes, travel plans, and everything else that had occupied their minds during the trip.

Lukas joined in naturally. He laughed when appropriate. He contributed to the conversation. He looked exactly like someone enjoying lunch with his friends.

Yet every now and then, his thoughts drifted back to the brief encounter that had just taken place.

Rafael Martinez.

A random medical student in Madrid.

That was all he was to João and Joanna.

But to Lukas, he was something else entirely.

* * *

That night, the city lights of Madrid stretched endlessly beyond the windows of their hotel suite.

The room itself was quiet.

Joanna slept peacefully beside him, one arm draped across his chest, her breathing slow and steady. The day had exhausted her. Between touring the university, walking through the city, and everything else they had done since arriving in Spain, she had fallen asleep almost immediately after getting into bed.

Lukas, however, wasn’t sleeping.

His eyes were closed.

But his mind was elsewhere.

The LTC.

The familiar training field stretched endlessly beneath an artificial sky.

Lukas ran.

Every muscle in his body screamed in protest.

A simulated resistance system wrapped around his waist and torso, generating enormous force that constantly dragged him backward. Each stride felt like trying to sprint through deep water while carrying another person on his back.

Yet he kept going.

One length of the field.

Then another.

Then another.

The resistance increased.

Lukas lowered his shoulders and pushed forward.

His legs burned.

His lungs burned.

Sweat poured down his face.

Still he ran.

The system tracked every movement, every stride length, every change in acceleration, constantly adjusting the resistance to keep him operating at the very edge of his limits.

Minutes passed.

Then more minutes.

Eventually time lost all meaning.

The only things that existed were the field, the resistance, and the next step.

At some point his legs simply gave out.

Lukas stumbled.

Took another step.

Then another.

Finally he collapsed onto the grass.

His chest rose and fell violently as he fought for air.

Above him, the simulated sky remained bright and cloudless.

For a few moments neither he nor TT spoke.

Then TT’s voice appeared.

[Are you trying to get yourself killed?]

Lukas closed his eyes.

[Because I admire the enthusiasm.]

A brief pause.

[But it really feels like you’re trying to get yourself killed.]

A weak laugh escaped him.

The kind that barely qualified as a laugh.

He was too exhausted to answer properly.

The sky above suddenly shifted.

The bright sunlight faded.

Clouds gathered.

Within seconds rain began falling from above.

Heavy rain.

Cold rain.

The drops struck his face, his arms, his chest.

Lukas didn’t move.

He simply lay there in the middle of the field.

The water soaked through his training clothes almost immediately, but he barely noticed.

His breathing gradually slowed.

The rain continued falling.

TT remained silent.

For once, the AI seemed content to let him think.

Eventually Lukas took a deep breath.

Then another.

The question had been sitting in the back of his mind since the restaurant.

Since seeing Rafael.

Since remembering that other life.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded strangely quiet.

"TT."

[Yes?]

Lukas continued staring at the rain-filled sky.

For several seconds it seemed like he might not finish the thought.

Then he asked.

"Will I make her happier than she was back then?"

Silence followed.

The rain continued falling across the endless field.