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+---- Thread: The Wolfe of Istanbul #4: Pre-Academy Season Finale Interview (/showthread.php?tid=9644)
The Wolfe of Istanbul #4: Pre-Academy Season Finale Interview - Bloodless - 2026-05-25
(Thank you @CROney3 for letting me use your name for the reporter lmao)
Looking out the window of the small interview room Dante took a look at the place which had become his home over the past couple months.
Istanbul. His eyes bounced over the different memories, from his recent period of reflection to the moment he made up his mind to truly try. He had grown so much with this team, in such a short time, yet he was still the same as always, bored and uncaring about anything that wasn't soccer. The first few games he played in where Dante had next to no impact he had actually gotten frustrated for the first time he could remember. Then he scored an assist and was even more frustrated. But those days seemed like a far cry from his current self, and his continuous improvement showed it. He'd even grown as a person and made some friends in Joshypoo Homme Esquire III (@o1playz) and Jake Ronaldo ... even if it started out as him just wanting to get passed the ball more he found they were like moss and just kinda grew on him.
Stifling a yawn Dante realized that the interviewer had arrived and was speaking to him ... a tall man with short brown hair, dark olive skin, and a smile that could disarm most suspicious people.
"The Wolfe of Istanbul--- seems you live up to your reputation."
He seemed to notice that Dante hadn't caught a single word ... like all the reporters before him. He was here because his coach Mazeed al-Kazmi had forced him to, threatening to cut off his wi-fi access for the week ... then he wouldn't be able to play any games and he'd ACTUALLY die of boredom. The reporter kept going on and on, until Dante who had been growing irritated with this one-sided affair finally turned to look at the man who interrupted his reminiscing.
"How many questions do you need to get out of here?" Dante said while eyeing the man, catching sight of the name on his media pass hanging from his neck. Croney. Sure, he may as well test the waters so he can get out of here quicker.
The man's eyes lit up then sharpened as he held up his hand and all five fingers. "Five and we can call it a day."
"Too many, think of all the time I could be sleeping. Two questions." Dante fired back without hesitation.
"Meet me halfway with three?" Croney suggested. "I need enough to actually write my article, and that should be enough for this segment."
Dante pretended to contemplate it for a moment before sighing again, deeper this time as he resigned himself to his fate. Seeing his victory Croney flashed a big smile as he spoke. "Alright then, let's get started shall we? First, tell me your thoughts on the past couple games. They were big wins for Istanbul, and even more so for you and your supporters. The fans want to know exactly what went into those victories." He finished before looking back up to Dante expectantly, his hand dipping into a pocket in his coat and pulling out a black pen and small notebook.
"Goals." The reporter gave him a look and Dante once again had to remind himself of the trouble that he'd get in if he dismissed another reporter. Not worth it. "Coming into the season I had no goals set, yet I found success in games in due time regardless. Still, after getting so many assists and realizing that we were just one defensive team away from being locked down offensively I decided to reinvent my mindset." Dante gazed back out the window and down at the field before continuing.
"People say I have the talent and skill, but after having to settle for assists I realized my current self had limits if I continued on how I was. I found that setting goals to challenge myself during matches also helped me perform better, with sharper movements and more determination."
Croney looked up at Dante with a curious expression on his face, but upon seeing Dante's lack of intention to continue his explanation he shrugged. "I get that, but you do know assists are equally as important, right? They both result in the same thing, a point for your team." Dante nodded in response while contemplating those words, but his mind quickly raced to the conclusion that goals he scored were always better then an assist.
"That's a rather pointed statement. Is that your next question? Why I prefer goals over assists?" Seeing Croneys head dip up and down Dante found himself smirking slightly, but it quickly passed. "It's simple. Scoring gives me purpose." The reporter quickly followed his question and asked Dante to elaborate, to which the young Striker obliged. "A Strikers purpose is to score goals. It's the only thing that gets me pumped up. An assist ... doesn't prove your existence like a goal does. A goal screams that you are victorious, the same way a gladiator shouts bravely after striking down his opponent. At least, that's my line of thinking." The young player's arm shifted, propping itself up against the table as he rested his chin on his hand like a pedestal. He was waiting for the next question, listening to the ambient sounds of the pen bleeding onto the sheet as the reporter continued to jot down Dante's responses.
When the reporter looked up from his notebook Dante's eyes flicked towards him, showing that he was still paying attention. "So then Wolfe, have you ever considered swapping positions?" The reaction was immediate as Dante's hands came together and rested on the table, locked together as his eyes tightened and his vision focused. It was a far cry from the almost aloof shroud he had just moments ago, like a beast had awoken and was glaring at a much weaker adversary attempting to get one over on him.
"Never." He was giving his full attention to this one moment, the weight of his focus heavy in the room.
"It has never crossed my mind. Scoring a goal is what got me invested in soccer. Scoring a goal is what has allowed people to see my talents. Scoring a goal has provided me with interest in myself for the first time in my life. Giving that up may as well be death itself." He finished with a nod accompanied by a satisfied look in his eyes, as if he was verbalizing it for the first time ... which it probably was. Soccer to Dante was not something which was limited to mere expression of talent, it was his everything, the only thing which he could get excited for every single day without fail. Scoring was proof of his existence, and he refused to give that up.
"Playing CAM and Striker may be similar in some ways, but the fact that I can't throw my all into scoring ... well, that's just not as entertaining to me." Croney of course did understand on some level. Imagine you find a Coyote and capture it, bring it home, then treat it like a dog. Even if you aren't the one who gets injured. someone or something inevitably will get hurt, because it's not the Coyotes natural environment. Dante's natural environment was at the forefront of the formation, so even if he was slotted in as a CAM he would just act as a Striker anyways.
"Well that's three questions, thank you very much for your time Dante. Congratulations on a great season in Istanbul!" Croney said as he stood up, pushing the chair backwards in the process. Dante returned his words with a polite nod as he watched the man leave the room, the door just clicking closed before Dante practically visibly deflated. His face was pressed against the table as warm sunlight poured into the room from behind some clouds. "Gahhh ... so ... annoying ..." He said before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep like he'd been doing before.
One more match left for the Wolfe of Istanbul.