THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Immediately after setting foot within the Familien Pub, Zachary's eyes widened in wonderment as he was encompassed by the vibrant mood within. There were hundreds of conversations going on in loud voices, each competing with the pop-electronic music that dominated the atmosphere. Everyone inside was swimming in the music like happy rainbow fish. For a few moments, Zachary stood close to the entrance, transfixed by the scene before him.

"Come on, Zachary," Nicki yelled, trying to make himself heard over the loud music. "Don't just stand there. Let's find some seats and get this night started by ordering some drinks."

Zachary nodded and followed after him, his physique helping him push through the thick crowd with little effort. He concluded that the DJ for that night was at the top of his game. She/he, whoever it was, was doing a good job mixing records — based on the vibrancy of the crowd. A good number of people, including beautiful girls in skimpy clothing, were already on the dance floor, wriggling their bodies to the rhythm of the electrifying beats.

As Zachary moved through the crowd of party animals — following after his teammates, he noticed that there were even a few couples that'd already melted into each other's arms. Despite it being so early in the night, they rocked their bodies against each other, performing dances that were clearly not safe for viewing by anyone below eighteen. They were enjoying themselves and didn't give a damn about anyone around them.

"Well," Nicki yelled again from in front of him once more. "We're quite lucky. It seems Mikael already instructed the staff to save us some seats in the corner. Let's head there."

A minute later, the whole entourage of players took up more than five tables at one end of the pub. Everyone started to order drinks, and Zachary followed suit by ordering a non-alcoholic cocktail. And as part of his initiation ritual, he ended up being the one to cover the entire bill for the team.

It wasn't much since he had more than 5 million Norwegian Kroner in his account from just the Audi endorsement deal. So, he didn't even flinch in the slightest as he swiped his card and ended up spending more than 10,000 NOK just a few minutes into the night.

Immediately after that, his teammates applauded him and mouthed out-of-sync welcomes to the Troll Kid family. They toasted to his hat-trick against Vålerenga before downing their drinks. That was how they started the festivities for the night with a bang.

In the beginning, Zachary thought he would be bored and end up leaving early. But then, the DJ continued doing a good job, so he remained seated, swaying his head from side to side, and immersed himself into the captivating music. As the minutes clocked by, the sounds of the crowd become part of the happy center of his brain, reaching in and pulling out the joy within him. He enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere of the place for sure while occasionally sipping on his non-alcoholic cocktail and observing the people going crazy on the dance floor. It was a refreshing adventure for him to experience the nightlife of Trondheim.

An hour into the night, a few brave girls approached their tables and then started warming up to some of the players. Most of the players responded with positive attitudes to the advances of the beautiful girls. Some got up and headed to the dance floor, accompanied by their new acquaintances of the fairer sex. However, Zachary remained seated as the straightforwardness of the party-going girls was a very new concept to him. Their ferociousness in flirting with his teammates was beyond what he would categorize as sane.

Occasionally, his ears would pick up phrases like: "Dear! Should we leave this place and go get wild somewhere private?" That made him uncomfortable, and he kept on rejecting their advances, choosing to remain a spectator for the night.

Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!

Zachary felt his phone vibrate as he was still seated, observing the party-goers around him. He fished it out of his jacket pocket and glanced at the screen. He was surprised after noticing that it was Kasongo who had sent him a message.

'Hello, Zach,' the message from Kasongo read, 'Where are you at the moment?"

'Why are you asking?' Zachary typed a reply, glancing around. 'Are you also at Familien? It's quite weird that you're sending me a text right at this time.'

'Hehehe!' Kasongo replied almost immediately. 'Good guess. Look to your left, across the dance floor, towards the DJ's Booth. You'll be able to see us there. Come, find us there coz the bouncers have stopped us on multiple occasions from approaching your table.'

'Okay! Just wait a moment. I'll be there.'

Immediately after typing the response, Zachary stood up and excused himself from his teammates. He pushed through the crowd on the dance floor and trekked towards the DJ's booth, where he found Kasongo and the Otterson brothers waiting.

"Hello, Zach," Kasongo was the first to greet him. "Congratulations on scoring your first hat-trick today."

"Thank you, Kasongo," Zachary replied, patting the short guy's back. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're doing okay," Kasongo replied, grinning.

"And you, Paul, Kendrick!" Zachary said, turning towards the Otterson brothers. "You seem abnormally quiet! What's the matter?"

"We're fine," Paul said, smiling at Zachary. "But man! You have grown way too tall. You're almost double the height of our friend here." He added, patting Kasongo's back.

"I eat well," Zachary replied, grinning. "But aren't you guys supposed to be having an academy training session tomorrow since it will be a Sunday? Why are you here instead of resting to prepare for the session?"

The three friends exchanged glances and smiled on hearing Zachary's question.

"Guess what!" Kendrick was the one to reply after a short while. "We're no longer academy students. We got promoted to the under-19 team just this week. So, we're budding professionals now."

"Oh," Zachary said, smiling. "I guess congratulations are in order then."

"Thank you," the three fellows replied, more or less in unison.

"So, when do you start playing the under-19 league?" Zachary probed. "I would love to come and watch your debut game."

"Our first game is in two weeks," Kasongo replied excitedly. "It would be great if you could come."

"Too bad," Zachary said, shaking his head. "I'll still be in Congo by then. So, I won't be able to watch your game."

"You're heading back to Congo during the break!" Kasongo exclaimed, eyeing Zachary with surprise.

"Yes, of course," Zachary replied matter-of-factly. "Why do you seem bewildered? Does my going back surprise you that much?"

"That's because you've never desired to return ever since arriving here in Trondheim," Kasongo countered, grinning. "I almost thought that you were thinking about changing your citizenship status and becoming a Norwegian resident for good."

"Stop joking," Zachary said, shaking his head. "Guys! Do you think we should settle down somewhere before continuing our chat?"

"My thoughts exactly," Paul chimed in. "Let's get ourselves some seats. Zachary! Maybe, you can also buy us drinks to celebrate our reunion. This is the first time we've seen you since you started playing professionally."

"That's okay," Zachary replied, looking around. "As long as it isn't anything alcoholic, you're free to order whatever you want. I'll meet the cost."

"Great," Paul said, rubbing his hands excitedly. "Let's try to get ourselves some seats."

"Maybe, you should return with me to my former table," Zachary suggested, glancing around. He'd already noticed that almost no free tables around the whole pub. So, it would be hard for them to find a seat at that time of the night. "I can see that the section reserved for the Rosenborg players is the only section of the pub with a bit of breathing space."

"That's a no," Kendrick responded, shaking his head. "We'll only embarrass ourselves if we try to get near your table. Haven't you noticed that aside from the bouncers, waitresses, and a select few beautiful girls, there's no one else that can approach your tables?"

"Now that you mention it, that seems to be the case," Zachary said, glancing around. "Let's squeeze ourselves somewhere there." He added, pointing to the tables just beside the DJ's booth.

"That's okay."

They immediately headed over to the table closest to them. Without any problems, they managed to acquire some seats and order some non-alcoholic drinks soon after.

"So, how are you finding life as a pro, Zachary?" Kendrick asked after a while. "Is the training as hectic as that in the academy?"

Zachary smiled, placing down his glass on the table. "I wouldn't say that training is more hectic. The team training sessions only last a few hours and are shorter than those we used to go through at the academy. But after the team sessions, most of the players go through their own personalized training to maintain their fitness. Some even have their private coaches to help them train. So, they will end up doing significantly more work than what the average academy player is used to."

"Oh, that's interesting," Kendrick said after taking a sip from his glass of non-alcoholic wine. "So, one has got to be self-motivated to survive at the pro-stage, then."

"Exactly," Zachary replied, nodding. "You can't depend solely on the team sessions to keep yourself fit. Those aren't enough to keep any player in top match condition. Since you three have become pros, you've got to endeavor to work hard by yourself during your free time. Otherwise, you'll lose your fitness and drop out of the squad only after a few weeks. The competition among the pros is quite fierce."