Chapter 11:

He's Meeting With The God?

Can He Become A Professional Athlete In Another World?


“What do you mean by that?” asked Daniel, furrowing his brows.

“Now, what could I mean by that?” said the god, tapping his chin with a playful look on his face.

“Stop messing with me!” demanded Daniel.

“Wah, since when did you become so demanding?” jokingly whined the god. He chuckled and reverted back to his elegant self from before. “Alright, I’ll stop joking,” he told Daniel with a whimsical smile. “Daniel Morikawa, a hafu from Japan with an American father and a Japanese mother, born in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, Libra, Type-A, second-year college student with a bright future in the NBA after being drafted fifth overall in the first round,” recounted the god like a child listing his favorite ice cream toppings in order. “One night, while celebrating your draft recruitment, you got too wild and died from a car crash. I, the almighty and merciful god of sports, Nazmith, granted you the choice of reincarnating in a new world in order to finally live out the dream that you never had the chance to live.”

“Where is this going?” asked Daniel with a raised eyebrow.

“You wake up as Max Power, the star Igniter of the Siraco Stars, and quickly assimilated to your new world after feigning amnesia to prevent others from finding out your secret,” continued the god. “I have to say, how ingenious of you to come up with that lie,” applauded Nazmith.

“Thanks?” responded Daniel with a tilt of his head.

“So? How is it to play Halo? I thought that having you come to this world will be the best option for you considering how similar the sport is to basketball,” said the god, proud of himself. “In fact, I’ve been planning this even before you died! Although it would’ve been better if you actually managed to get some experience playing in a professional league before having to die.”

“It’s not like I have control over when I die,” snapped Daniel snarkily.

“How fragile you humans are,” agreed Nazmith with a tear.

“Did you bring me here just to make fun of me?” asked Daniel with exasperation.

“Of course not,” replied the god with a smile.

“Anyway, now that you brought me here, I was wondering if you can tell me about the Astariv King Devils,” said Daniel.

“Oh, you want to ask me about the league’s reigning champions? Well, let’s see, they’ve been champions ever since the formation of the league. They have the only perfect record of any professional sport team in any sports league in this world. Oh, right! They’re the most influential team in the world of sports and the most influential individuals in the kingdom second only to the king,” revealed the god.

“Most influential individuals?” asked Daniel.

“Ah, that’s right, I forgot to mention that your world is ruled by sports!” added the god sheepishly.

“What does that mean exactly?” Daniel asked with a worried voice.

“Think of it like if a celebrity from your past world achieved enough power and influence to affect society with just a snap of their fingers and the only person who can keep them in check is the national leader, but the leader himself is also influenced by the celebrity’s words and actions due to their god-like status granted to them by society,” detailed the god.

“Y-You’re kidding, right?” said Daniel with an anxious chuckle.

“In short, the king may be the king of the nation, but the Astariv King Devils are the kings of the people,” concluded Nazmith cheerfully. His face then turned dark as he revealed the following information. “With the Astariv King Devils ruling over the people, the nation is constantly in a state of misfortune. The nobles and wealthy all enjoy power by sponsoring the team and providing them with riches and influence. The middle class are all forced to be mindless puppets to their honey-laden words which keep them docile and powerless. And those of the lowest of classes are ignored like street trash. The king is kept unaware of this situation through flattery and lies.”

“How is this even possible?!” shouted Daniel in disbelief.

“As I have already said, your world is ruled by sports,” repeated the god. “The people have given them the power and status they need to become living gods. Ever since their debut, they have attained unbelievable support from people from all walks of life. They’ve made Halo the dominant sport of the kingdom, and made themselves the most dominant team of the sport. No other athlete or celebrity or noble could hope to match them in influence or power. Likewise, no other team can hope to supplant them as the number one team. They will forever be the kings of the people.”

‘We’re all fated to serve the kings,’ recalled Daniel. “Then why have you brought me here to this world?” he asked the god.

“Because you will be the one to take them down,” simply revealed the god with a smile. “I have chosen you as the hero who will be responsible for bringing peace and happiness to this world.”

“What?! A hero?!” exclaimed Daniel in utter surprise.

“Oh, there’s also one more thing I forgot to mention,” added the god absentmindedly. He came down and tapped Daniel’s forehead with his index finger.

The space suddenly changed and Daniel found himself floating like a ghost next to a tree in an unfamiliar setting. Standing a few paces away from him were two kids Daniel didn’t recognize. The kid on left was dressed in a very dirty oversized shirt and a pair of brown pants with torn legs; and the kid next to him had on a short-sleeved shirt made of cheap fabric and a dirty pair of shorts. They were both dirty and had dirt on their faces and necks.

“Are you serious?” asked the child on the left.

“Of course I am!” replied the child to the right with clear determination. He wore a frown filled with confidence but devoid of arrogance. His friend could only look at him with awe in his eyes. “I’m going to rise up the ranks and become a professional Halo player and defeat the Astariv King Devils. When I do, I’ll become the new star athlete! And with my influence, I will change this rotten world!”

“I-I’ll support you all the way!” quickly declared his friend.

“Let’s rise up to the top together, Kody!” declared the confident kid with a smile.

“Yeah!”

‘Kody?! T-T-Then that means that’s….’ Suddenly, Daniel was transported back to Nazmith’s space. “Just now, was that—?” he started to ask.

“A memory belonging to Max Power,” answered Nazmith with a nod. “Daniel Morikawa, there are two reasons why I reincarnated you into Max Power’s body rather than give you a body of your own. First reason, you both possess similar physical builds and temperaments and abilities, therefore making you both compatible in body, spirit, and mind. This compatibility is why it was easy for you to quickly accustom yourself to Max’s body and abilities with no trouble at all. Secondly, and probably the most important reason of all, you possess the power to make that dream come true and stop the Astariv King Devils.”

“Me?” scoffed Daniel. “What kind of power could I possibly possess?”

“Like Max Power, you were not a born prodigy like your contemporaries, whether in this world or in that world, and worked hard to get to where you are right now. You worked hard to hone your skills from a young age. That work ethic has allowed you to become the number fifth draft in your world’s premier professional league. And when you came to this world, the same work ethic allowed you to adapt in a short amount of time. However, unlike Max Power, who was known for his obstinate and fiery style of play; you, Daniel Morikawa, are more flexible mentally. You were the one to have come up with that plan to stop a strong player on the opposing team in your very first professional game, weren’t you? In short, the reason why I chose you as my hero in this world to accomplish this task is because you are destined to become the greatest professional athlete in this world.”

“When we first met, you said that you didn’t want to follow the same trope that you have seen millions of times before,” protested Daniel.

“Uh-uh,” tutted Nazmith with a wag of his finger, “I said that I was tired of reincarnating people into heroes tasked with going on a stereotypical quest to defeat a dark lord. But I never said that I wouldn't reincarnate you into a hero athlete tasked with taking down an evil sports team in a world where battle through sport is the norm.”

“T-That’s—!” protested Daniel.

“You’re not a prophesized hero with the responsibility to defeat a demon lord using a powerful cheat-level blessing bestowed to you upon a god and forced to form your own adventuring party to complete the quest, right?” pointed out Nazmith with a cheeky smile.

“T-That’s—!” stuttered Daniel at a loss for words.

“I’m glad that we have come to an understanding,” concluded Nazmith with a smile. The god’s space began to suddenly fade away along with the god himself.

Daniel opened his eyes and saw Kody looking down on him from a standing position. “Are you okay?” Kody asked him with a worried raise of his eyebrow.

“I’m fine!” responded Daniel after a short pause.

That night, as Daniel was preparing for sleep, he discovered a note atop the dresser next to his bed. He picked it up to read it.

It was nice talking to you today, my chosen one! Here’s to hoping you achieve your dream of becoming a pro and completing my goal of restoring peace and order to this world. Isn’t it great that our goals line up so perfectly together? (LOL) If you ever need help, feel free to contact me at any of my temples throughout the kingdom! (Looks like I should’ve told you this beforehand, but, oh well, tee-hee!) I’ll be watching over you and cheering you on from atop my (awesome) throne! Don’t let this life end before you achieve your dream (like it did before, LOL)…. But if you do, don’t worry, you can count on me to resurrect you again! You’re my favorite, have I ever told you that? Here’s to hoping you achieve your dream—Oh wait, did I already write that? Whoopsie! Good luck on becoming this world’s MVP! -Nazmith

P.S. Did you like the little gift I gave you? Really useful, isn’t it? I always believed that you would understand how it works without me explaining it to you (and not because I forgot to explain it myself before sending you to this world). Here’s some advice, though: You’re not the only one with an ability like that in this world. Beware of those who possess divine blessings such as yours.

After reading the note, Daniel could only conjure up the following words: “Too freakin’ long!”

Gekkou
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