Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 128: GO! Anton!

At USC's field, there was a scrimmage today. It wasn't a big deal, so the crowd was small, but the die-hard fans who showed up kept the vibe lit!

The game hit halftime. Freshman Anton, this year's rookie, sat on the bench with a towel over his head, looking all bummed out while the offensive coach went on about positioning and pick-and-rolls.

It was Anton's first time repping the team, and man, he bombed it. He messed up a bunch, totally screwing up the team's offense.

Anton wasn't really paying attention to the coach. He kept glancing around, trying to spot someone. His dad had invited this person to watch, and now Anton felt like a total joke. It was eating him up inside!

The offensive coach, a middle-aged white dude, actually thought Anton had potential. The kid was tall, ripped, and had killer hands for catching.

In the coach's eyes, Anton was the future star tight end for the next four years. But today, Anton was just lost, wandering around the field like a zombie. Instead of helping, he was messing up the whole offensive flow!

"Hey! Mind if I have a word with this kid?"

The coach turned to see a young guy with a little girl on his shoulders, smiling and asking to talk.

Anton heard the voice and jumped up, stammering, "Principal, when did you get here? I thought you were in the stands!"

Alvin shook hands with the coach and introduced himself, "Hey, Coach, I'm Anton's high school principal, Alvin. Nice to meet you!"

The coach frowned and said, "Hey, I'm the offensive coach, Luke. This is the team's resting area; you shouldn't be here!"

Anton felt awkward, stuck between his high school principal and the coach who'd been good to him. Now, Coach Luke was being kinda cold to Alvin, which made things even weirder!

Alvin smiled, put Ginny down, kissed her cheek, and sent her off to find Tony, who was watching from the sidelines. The girls weren't into football, so they went shopping with Pepper. Today, only Tony and Alvin brought Ginny to watch the game!

Ginny, acting all grown-up, patted Anton's leg, sighed, and mimicked Coach Bill's old cheer, "GO Anton, GO Anton," as she skipped over to Tony. Watching a fight was more fun; chatting with a downer wasn't her thing!

Tony was a big deal in America, and Coach Luke definitely knew him. Middle-aged folks usually aren't too stubborn; life's tough enough! Plus, this was just a scrimmage!

Coach Luke smiled, shook hands with Alvin again, and said, "Sorry about that, you know, I was just..." He shrugged, apologizing for his earlier attitude.

Alvin grinned and said, "No worries, but you gotta cut a principal some slack for caring about his student, right? Haha!"

Coach Luke shook his head with a smile. He thought Alvin was cool, not pushy at all, and easy to get along with.

Patting Anton on the back, Luke smiled and said, "He's a good kid, just off his game today. Maybe you can talk to him; he's a bit too nervous!"

Alvin pursed his lips, glanced at Anton, and said to Coach Luke, "I don't know much about football, but I've seen Anton play. Maybe he's not nervous but scared. I don't know why he's scared.

At our school, the players rarely show fear when facing opponents!"

Turning to Anton, Alvin said, "Dude, you gotta tell your coach what's up instead of just running around like a headless chicken out there!"

Anton hesitated, "I don't know, man. Back in the day, I just caught the ball and ran. As long as I handled the blockers, I was the star.

But now the coach wants me to do all this positioning, pick-and-roll stuff, and avoid fouls!

Plus, there's this guy on the other team who's always messing with me. I don't know how to handle it!"

Coach Luke frowned, "You're scared of the other team's defensive player? Why?" A tight end who's scared of the opponent is pretty much useless!

Anton glanced at Coach Luke, pouting, "He keeps talking trash. I'm worried I might lose it and punch him. I promised my dad I'd get through college without any trouble!"

Alvin laughed and pounded Anton's chest, "This is a game, man. Use your shoulder and knock him down for me!

Don't make me lose respect for you, Anton. Be a man and control your fists. This is football, a stage for tough guys. As long as you don't kick him in the groin, you're good. Listen to me, teach him a lesson on the field."

Pointing to the fans in the stands, Alvin said, "Do what I say, and they'll love you!"

Anton looked at Coach Luke, waiting for his response.

Coach Luke hesitated, looked at the field and the score, then nodded and went to talk with the head coach. Judging by his gestures towards Alvin and Tony, it seemed like letting Anton back on the field wouldn't be a problem!

Anton looked a bit embarrassed at Alvin, hesitated, and said, "Thanks, Principal. Honestly, I'm kinda scared. That playbook is driving me nuts.

I want to do well. I want to make a living playing football. I don't want to go back and help my dad sell guns, and he doesn't want me to either.

The coach is good to me. He explains everything clearly, but I forget it all once I'm on the field! I'm not used to the tactics in the playbook. I just like charging forward!"

Alvin sighed. This was a kid from Hellfire Boulevard. They cherished what they had now but had lost their drive. He didn't even dare to express his true thoughts to his coach.

Actually, Alvin thought Anton was doing pretty well. It was better than stealing his dad's shotgun to confront his coach. There were no Frank's disciplinary office or Jack's security department in college!

Patting Anton on the shoulder, Alvin smiled and said, "You need to understand your value. They recruited you, and they even gave you a scholarship. Do you think they don't know your strengths?

If you have any problems, talk to your coach. He wouldn't spend seventy or eighty thousand dollars a year to recruit a loser!

You're doing great now. You have a sense of respect for the world, but you still need to adapt to its rules. This isn't Hellfire Boulevard. Keep it up, kid!"

The fans noticed a strange scene on the sidelines.

A young man and a little girl, every time their number 88 tight end caught the ball, would spin their arms like windmills, sprinting along the sideline with number 88, shouting, "GO! Anton! GO! Anton."

Anton ran joyfully on the field. The coach changed the tactics; he was no longer responsible for pick-and-rolls for the running back. He just needed to avoid the opposing defensive linemen, use his tall frame to jump and catch the quarterback's pass, push away the defenders, and sprint, knocking down all the enemies in front of him, sprinting!

Anton completed two touchdowns in two rounds. When he caught the ball again, the entire field erupted in cheers, with hundreds of fans shouting in unison,

"GO! Anton! GO! Anton!"