[Football] Bad Boy Batty

"Kevin! Go! Take the toy back and put it in my hand - don't fight with A Kun, hey Kyle! Don't roll in the mud!"

On the hillside grass of a manor in southern Italy, Batti was leisurely playing with his three wolfhounds. Not far away, Loach was climbing a tree, obsessed with picking the green and red wild fruits on the tree.

It's good to have a godfather who owns properties all over the world. Not in a good mood? No problem, just get on a private plane, take the people you want to take, choose a place, and go for a trip.

It has been a week since the derby defeat, which can almost be regarded as Manchester City's darkest week in the entire season, because three days after losing to Manchester United, they lost to Wolves in the FA Cup semi-finals and missed the chance to advance to the final.

I don’t know if it was VAR’s fault or what, but Manchester City’s two consecutive goals were both ruled invalid. Batistuta almost quarreled with the referee. He had a yellow card, so Guardiola substituted him off the field early.

The result is that Wolves won and will face Manchester United in the final.

In addition, his affair with Augustus was leaked by some big mouth, and the news was everywhere, including on TV, in newspapers, and on social media.

Batty was fed up with it.

He even turned down a night run that he had planned with Lucas. It is said that Theo expressed deep regret for this and strongly invited him to find time to go again.

He bit a stalk of grass in his mouth and closed his eyes.

It’s not that he can’t stand losing, nor does he have a problem with the fans’ memes. He’s just simply - annoyed. Yes, that’s all.

Batty's life cannot be without the Internet, music, and dance, but every few months (sometimes longer), there are always a few days that make him want to return to primitive society, put aside everything and think about nothing.

Guardiola understands this feeling very well, so he gave Batistuta a day off before the training session on Tuesday and contacted the team's press department to post some news related to the Financial Fair Play Act on the account to divert attention and avoid the emergence of unfounded news such as [Bati did not participate in the team training, suspected of being incompatible].

The weather in southern Italy was warm and pleasant at the end of March, much better than the damp and cold Manchester. Batistuta lay on the hillside, basking in the sun with his eyes half closed, and occasionally playing the ball throwing game with the dog.

"So Barty, did you and Augustus hug?"

Qiao Lin's gossiping voice broke the beautiful tranquility that was like an oil painting.

Batty turned over, propped his head up and looked at the tablet next to him, which showed his good friend far away in the East applying eyeliner in front of a mirror.

"Hug."

"and then?"

"Then no."

"How can there be no? I want to hear the details!" Qiao Lin finished drawing her eyeliner and waved her eyeshadow brush threateningly, "How did you hug him? Did you put your hands on his neck or waist? How did he react? What did he say to you? How did other people react? I want everything, every detail!"

"Do not."

"Tell me quickly! I will die if I don't have the details to support my imagination!"

Batty rolled his eyes and said, "Then come to England and I'll tell you when you get here."

"Oh dear, I'm living very well here. There's no Taobao in the UK. It takes one or two months for something to be delivered. I can't wait." Qiao Lin paused and said, "Tell me the details quickly! Otherwise, I'll write an ABO fan fiction for you, get you pregnant, and then run away with the baby!"

Batty: ...

"You write it. If you dare to write it, I dare to read it." Batty gave his friend a fake smile. "Ever since I read an article about me, who has a special job (standing on the street), being bought by a player as a championship gift and sent to the locker room to play with for a whole night, I have become immune to all types of fan fiction."

There was an odd silence from Qiao Lin for a few seconds.

"There are still such immortal products? Where is the morality, where is the bottom line, where is the connection?"

Batty gave the screen a middle finger.

"Okay, okay, seriously, let me ask you a question." Qiao Lin cleared her throat and returned to seriousness. "Although I am very obsessed with the pairing of Augustus and you, unrequited love, fighting and whatnot, but that is only limited to the second dimension. In real life, he is a pervert, and you hate him, so why don't you pretend and let him stop bothering you completely?"

"Hmm?" Batty didn't understand what she meant.

"That is to say - you can pretend to be submissive to kill his interest." Qiao Lin said, "Augustus is the kind of guy who gets more excited the more you go against him. He wants to suppress you and win, so you let him win. The more you cooperate with him, the more bored he finds you. If you do this for a few months at most, he will give up on you and look for the next prey."

This is absolutely true.

Batty called the dog Kevin and held him in his arms, slowly combing the hair on his head.

"It's not worth it," he said. "Why would I change myself for that lunatic and do things I don't want to do for a few months? That's a long time. I don't have the time to play that pathetic game with him just to keep him away from me."

"but……"

"I'm happy with where I am now. Besides the fact that I'm upset about losing, the 'keep him away from me' plan would take more energy than I need to get back to the game, so why would I do that?"

Qiaolin shut up. Soon, Kyle and Kun were also tired from playing. They returned to Batty with their toys in their mouths and lay down to bask in the sun comfortably. Batty changed his position and lay in the middle of the three dogs, turning the tablet around and resting it on Kevin's furry butt.

"To be honest, I feel a little sorry for him." Batty smiled and tapped the screen. "He has a distinguished family background, is rich, is worshipped as the son of God by the fans, and has won the game, but that can't change the fact that he is a poor guy who will stand up in public if I hug him."

There was silence from Qiaolin at first, and then a low scream broke out.

“It’s even better now! What kind of extremely entangled story between a master and a dog is this! Damn it, I’m going to type it out today!”

The woman on the screen dropped her half-finished makeup and ran to the computer, then started typing away, seemingly forgetting the existence of the person on the other end of the video call.

Batty: ...

It's hopeless, just bury it.

……

Batty, Loach and his three wolfhounds stayed in the estate until the afternoon, and towards evening, an unexpected person visited them.

"I thought you were supposed to be training in Turin now." Batty raised his hand to block the sunlight and looked to the side through his fingers. "Long time no see, Chris."

C Ronaldo was standing on the slightly lower grass in casual clothes. He pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and bent down to rub the head of Kyle who ran to his side.

"We have an away game today, which is very close to here. You posted a photo on IG this morning and my teammates recognized this place," he said.

"How did you get in? This is private territory."

"Come on, I have your godfather's phone number." Ronaldo shrugged and said, "I have known him much earlier than you."

Batty made a few ambiguous nasal sounds and remained noncommittal.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked rather stiffly, "If not, please don't block me from continuing to bask in the sun."

"Wow, it seems someone here has eaten a bomb barrel." Ronaldo was not angry because of Batistuta's tone. He said in a joking tone: "Don't be so cold. Remember the first time we met, you were very proactive at that time."

Hiss—Bati narrowed his eyes.

A bit abnormal.

"What exactly are you doing here?" Batty put down his hand and raised his eyebrows to look at the Portuguese. "Date? Have you asked Ricardo's opinion?"

But what's even more strange is that today Ronaldo was not angry at all because Batistuta teased him and Kaka. Instead, he looked at him happily.

"I don't know if Ricardo minds, but what does Augustus think of you coming to Italy alone to relax?"

Batty: ?
"What is called--"

"Also, I heard that after the Manchester derby you played in the locker room until Old Trafford closed, and the stewards had to go in and tell you to leave quickly. Is this true?"

Batty: ? ?

"I'm more curious, if he inherits the Rothschild family's wealth, will he give you half of it? And what should we call you, Mrs. Rothschild?"

Batty: ???
Before Ronaldo could say the next sentence that would make his brain explode, Batistuta got up from the grass, grabbed the dog's toy bone and pointed it at him: "I'm warning you, if I hear that idiot's name again, I will--"

"What's up?" Ronaldo maintained that cheerful attitude.

In Batty's astonished eyes, he crossed his arms and said, "This is not a pleasant feeling, is it?"

"Now you understand how I feel when I hear you making fun of me and Ricardo," Ronaldo said. "Next time if you talk about me and Ricardo regardless of the occasion, I will read you and Augustus's article in front of you."

Batty: ...

"You came here just to tell me this?" he asked.

"uh-huh."

Batty gave him the middle finger without any hesitation.

"You'd better pray that you don't meet me in the Champions League, Chris!" The Manchester City king almost got angry, "Otherwise I'll make you pay! Keep your word!"

……

After returning to Manchester, Batistuta vented all his frustrations on the game. The first to suffer was Fulham, followed by Cardiff City, and finally Crystal Palace was not spared.

[The ball goes in! Batistuta! This is his 8th goal in the past half month! After the defeats against Manchester United and Wolves, the former Manchester City Brazilian Rose turned into a ferocious beast and completely released herself! ]

3 games, 8 goals.

The angry Batistuta put himself back at the top of the Premier League scorer list, 5 goals more than Neymar behind him and 7 goals ahead of Salah. If he continues like this, this season's Premier League Golden Boot will belong to Batistuta again.

However, if things get too crazy, accidents are more likely to happen.

In early April, without the pressure of the FA Cup, Manchester City focused on preparing for the match against Tottenham. Guardiola organized a 4v5 training match for the players to practice passing and tacit understanding in a limited open space.

During the process, Batistuta was knocked down by Stones with a small move and never got up again.

"Are you okay?" Stones ran over, "Can you get up?"

Batty tried to move his calf, then shook his head.

Stones clenched his teeth tightly. Now was the crucial moment to challenge for the championship. If Batistuta was injured at this time, nothing would be more fatal than this.

The worst part was, it was entirely his fault.

“Team doctor!!!!”

……

Batty was lying on the examination bed with a piece of paper hanging all over his body. It was prepared for the examination. Now the results are out. Fortunately, it is just a muscle injury. He can return to the court after resting for two weeks at most.

"Two weeks!" Batistuta glared at Alandes beside him, "We're going to play Tottenham this weekend, and you told me it would take two weeks!"

"Yes, that's right." Arandez looked calm. He held up a piece of film and said, "This is your right calf muscle. This is where you got injured. It's called the soleus muscle. You should be thankful that you didn't injure the gastrocnemius muscle above or the bone inside. Otherwise, you might have to rest longer."

"Damn it!" Batty rolled his eyes and lay back on the bed, then cursed in a long string of Portuguese that Alandes couldn't understand. Of course, you could tell with your knees that they were definitely not good words.

Guardiola pushed the door open.

"I already know your situation, Batistuta," he said as he came to the bedside. "Maybe it's my fault for not giving you enough rest. Mikel told me that as of yesterday you had five fewer rests this season than last season."

"Of course I want to play more games," Batistuta said. "It's a matter of luck, it has nothing to do with anyone." Just as he finished speaking, he remembered the scene when he was injured and asked: "Hey Pep, how is John?"

"John blames himself terribly," Guardiola said helplessly, "but don't worry, I will go and talk to him."

Batty nodded.

"There are still games to come. Don't worry, we have a backup plan and we know our opponent Tottenham very well. Believe in your teammates." Guardiola patted Batistuta on the head. "Don't think about anything. Heal your injury well. The second round is waiting for you."

"Oh, I see."

Guardiola left and Batistuta stared at the ceiling.

What else can he do except accept the reality and heal his injuries?

After thinking about it, Batistuta took out his phone and opened the Manchester City group chat. Someone posted that his hand would be out for two weeks, and everyone was comforting him and praying for him.

He flexed his fingers and typed quickly.

Batty: @All
Batty: You better beat that rooster by a large margin, or I'll hop on one leg to the locker room and scold you, do you understand?
……

That night, Batty returned home and, with the help of Loach, put a physiotherapy sleeve on his right leg and lay down in bed to rest. Almost at the same time, the news of his injury became a hot topic.

[Soleus muscle injury, Manchester City king will be out for two weeks and miss the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Tottenham]

Hot comments on Twitter:
You three just can't appear on the same field, one of you has to be injured, right? @Bati @De Bruyne @Neymar

(End of this chapter)