My system allows me to copy talents

Dark clouds shrouded the vast expanse, enveloping the world in darkness. Lighting sparked and thunder rumbled while the wind rustled violently.

Birds flew in panic, the people fleeing to nearby shelters.

"A storm is coming," Hiro mumbled while looking outside the window.

The others, however, didn't seem to care. Some were goofing around, some playing cards.

On their way to their next destination, they had been alerted of the deteriorating weather conditions. Hence, right now, they were cooped inside a hotel room to take shelter.

The location of the storm was far from their present location.

However, it still wouldn't be wise to move in such a drastic condition.

The world outside was shrouded in darkness and cold. But inside the room, they were staying in right now, it was all cozy and cheerful.

It was almost as if they were in an entirely different world.

Seeing the lax atmosphere of the room, Hiro couldn't help but sigh, 'Do these people not realize about the predicament outside? How can they be so chill?'

Hiro felt a little confused looking at their present state. They were enjoying their time here as if they were on vacation.

A bunch of them were gathered here while the other bunch were cooped in different rooms. However, due to the availability of a limited number of rooms, they had to share the rooms. In contrast to the gloomy weather outside, it was quite lively inside.

However, for some reason, Hiro still found the outside world peaceful. The creaking window upon getting struck by the rustling wind outside, the greyish sky, and the empty streets were somewhat liberating to look at.

Hence, he again diverted his gaze outside the window.

Staring at the greyish sky, Hiro began to contemplate, 'Our next opponent is tough to beat. Will we be able to beat England?'

'On their way to the quarter-finals, they haven't lost even a single match. And Harry Kane still looks in form despite being one of the oldest in the tournament. Is this the dying struggle of a chicken on its deathbed?'

In their next match, they had drawn England who had been one of the dominating teams in the entire tournament until now.

Be it their group stage or their recent match, they had dominated both.

With more than 15 goals under their name, they were the highest goal-scoring team in the World Cup. So, just from their form alone, Hiro could tell that it wouldn't be an easy match.

However, it didn't mean that he thought they wouldn't be able to defeat them. Though he was aware of the difficulty, he wasn't afraid.

Sure, he was concerned.

After all, the team they were about to face in the next round was impressive, a powerhouse

team.

So, it'd have been strange if he didn't feel worried at all.

'I wonder if they'd be thinking the same about us. I mean we have been an impressive team too. So, will they be worrying about us like we are worrying about them?'

While pondering, Hiro couldn't help but wonder if their opponent would feel concerned about them like they were being concerned by them.

Suddenly while pondering, Hiro noticed a few streaks of rain on the window.

"Oh! It's starting to rain," Hiro mumbled, his attention shifting to the falling raindrops.

Watching the raindrops striking the window, Hiro felt calm. It had been quite a long time since he last enjoyed the rain.

Well, his days had been nothing but hectic recently. Even more due to his growing popularity.

Slowly, the rain began to intensify. The rain produced a pitter-patter sound upon striking the window.

Hiro could tell that the world outside was cold. However, it was warm inside. Hence, while staring at the rain, his consciousness began to drift.

His eyelids felt heavier and he struggled to keep them open. At the same time, his head began to swing as he struggled to remain awake.

The livelier buzz of the people around him further intensified his desire to fall asleep.

Everything seemed to be fading. It was as if his consciousness was starting to get muzzled.

Bark! Bark!

Just as he closed his eyes, he heard a bark.

'A dog?' Hiro wondered.

The bark was barely audible, feeling distant yet close.

At first, Hiro tried to ignore it. However, the more he ignored the more sharper it got. Now, his eardrums were reverberating with the bark.

No longer able to avoid the bark of the dog, Hiro drifted awake.

However, as he looked through the window, he couldn't seem to find anything other than the

long streaks of raindrops. It was difficult to look through the rain.

Yet still, Hiro kept hearing the bark. It was even louder than before.

'Did somebody leave their dog outside? It wouldn't be good if that's the case,' with a gaze full

of concern, Hiro scanned the streets in search of the barking dog.

Perhaps, one of the guests in the hotel had a pet.

He might be hearing the bark of the pet.

So, there wasn't any need for him to get worried over it. However, for some reason, he couldn't help but feel restless.

Hence, he kept searching.

Despite his long search, due to his limited vision, he failed to track the dog.

Previously it was vigorous bark. However, right now, it was more like whimpering. It sounded

like a call for help. Thus Hiro couldn't help but keep searching.

The pitter-patter sound of the raindrops was muffling the whimpering of the dog. However, Hiro could still listen to it.

Unable to locate the dog, he closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the whimpering sound of the dog.

Upon focusing his attention, Hiro could tell that the sound was coming from somewhere close. It didn't sound like it was coming from a distance.

Perhaps, he would have to step out to find the dog.

But the coach wouldn't allow him to step out in this weather condition.

So, how was he supposed to go out?