Intergalactic Youth Cup – Qualifier Match 2 Atletico Solar Academy vs. Mars United Youth
Venue: Lunar Axis Stadium (Neutral Ground)
The tunnel smelled of sterilized metal and recycled air. Outside, beyond the clear dome, lunar dust kicked up with every gust of artificial wind.
I clenched my fists, then loosened them.
This was it.
We were one win away from the qualifying.
Coach Navarro's voice echoed around the locker room like thunder in a bunker. "They're bigger. They're faster. But I don't give a damn. You stick to our tempo. You play our game. Vega—"
He pointed directly at me.
> "You run the rhythm. You see the game before it happens. Make it count."
I nodded.
Musa cracked his knuckles. Kenji had already locked in, earbuds in, eyes closed. The Martian twins were adjusting their visors—part of their oxygen regulation implants. Soren was bouncing a ball between his feet like it was just another street match.
Atletico Solar Starting XI:
GK – Martez
RB – Riku (Martian Twin #1)
CB – Kenji
CB – Olawale
LB – Ria (Martian Twin #2)
CM – Soren
CM – Vega
RW – Juno
LW – Kai
CAM – Alejandro Vega Ruiz
ST – Musa
First Half
Mars United came out like a storm.
Their striker was a brute—six-foot-four, red skin, horns. Their midfield played vertical, almost chaotic, slamming passes down our throats.
But we held.
Kenji was cutting off lanes like a tactician possessed. Riku and Ria held the flanks, interchanging like synchronized code. Soren stayed calm under pressure. Musa fought like he was born in a warzone.
And me?
I waited.
The first chance came in the 17th minute.
Soren chipped it wide to Juno, who took one touch and laid it back. I feinted inside, pulled two markers, then slid a blind reverse pass into the box.
Musa didn't miss.
1–0.
Their defense turned on themselves, shouting in Martian dialects. We didn't care.
Navarro screamed for composure.
We gave it to him.
Possession. Control. Pressure without panic.
By the end of the half, their attack looked slower. Like the vacuum was draining their will.
We regrouped in the locker room.
No speeches, just breathing, just nods.
Second Half
They pressed harder.
A Mars midfielder tried taking me out—studs up. I rolled, popped up, and didn't even flinch. That rattled them more than a card would've.
Minute 68.
Kenji broke their play with a standing tackle that made Navarro clap. Ria picked it up, tapped it to me. I took two touches, spotted Kai cutting in, and released a slicing pass across three defenders.
Kai tapped it in.
2–0.
No celebration. Just focused eyes and calm jogs back to formation.
Mars United didn't quit, but we never cracked.
The final whistle blew.
2–0.
We'd done it.
Elira waved at me from the analyst's box, a wide smile on her face.
Reporters were already talking to Coach. Fans were on their feet.
But all I felt was something deep in my chest: stillness.
That kind of stillness that only comes when you know you've played the game the way it was meant to be played.
I didn't score. But I didn't need to.
Two assists. Control of the pitch. Man of the Match.
The journey had only just begun.