The sky over northern Italy was a dull gray, matching the mood in Ethan Blake's chest. The 17-year-old midfielder trudged off the training pitch of C.D. Veronia, a lesser-known Serie B team, after yet another frustrating session.
"Blake! Quicker on the ball!"
"You're always two steps behind!"
The assistant coach's words echoed in his mind as he dropped his boots in the locker room and sat on the cold bench, drenched in sweat and disappointment.
He buried his face in his hands.
"Three years... and nothing to show for it."
Ethan was close to giving up. No minutes in official matches, no attention from scouts, not even a compliment in training. Just silence... or worse, mockery.
Suddenly, a strange sound buzzed in his ears. Like static.
He looked up — and froze.
A translucent blue screen hovered in front of him.
(FOOTBALL SYSTEM LOADING...)
(Welcome, Ethan Blake.)
(Syncing Player Data...)
(Profile Initialized.)
[Player Status]
Name: Ethan Blake
Age: 17
Club: C.D. Veronia Youth Team
Position: Central Midfielder
Overall Rating: 42
Passing: 44
Dribbling: 39
Shooting: 41
Speed: 43
Stamina: 40
Game Vision: 36
Mentality: 38
Ethan blinked. "What… what is this?"
He reached out to touch it, but his hand passed through the screen.
"Some kind of augmented reality? A virus?"
He looked again.
His heart sank. The numbers were brutal.
"So... I'm really this bad?"
No response came. Only the faint hum of the locker room lights... and the chilling silence of the stats staring back at him.