"Listen up!"
Coach Lucien blew his whistle, silencing the chatter on the training pitch. He stood in the center circle, holding two piles of bibs. His face was stern, his eyes scanning the group of nervous teenagers.
"Today decides your future." Lucien barked.
He threw the yellow bibs to the players he favored.
"Team A (Yellow Bibs): Jerome, Sylvain, Marcus, Leo..."
He rattled off the names of the academy's stars.
"Team B (No Bibs): The rest of you. Adrian, you're with Team B."
Of course. Team A was the prospective First XI. Team B was the fodder. The punching bags.
Adrian caught the eye of Jerome, who was pulling on a yellow bib. Jerome smirked and made a 'cutting throat' gesture.
Adrian didn't react. He just activated his Eye of Truth.
He scanned his own ragtag team. Most were mediocre. Red and grey stats everywhere. But then, two lights flickered in the sea of trash.
He looked at the goalkeeper, a quiet boy with long arms named Hugo.
[Target: Hugo Lloris (Regen?)]
[Position: GK]
[Reflexes: 165 (A-Rank)]
[Handling: 140]
[Potential: S]
Adrian blinked. 165 Reflexes? That's first-team quality.
Then he looked at the small, frail midfielder adjusting his socks. Enzo.
[Target: Enzo]
[Position: CM]
[Strength: 40 (Paper)]
[Vision: 155 (A-Rank)]
[Passing: 145 (A-Rank)]
[Trait: The Architect (Can see lines others miss)]
Adrian grinned.
He walked over to Enzo. The small midfielder looked up, intimidated by Adrian's massive frame.
"Enzo," Adrian said, his voice low.
"Y-Yeah?"
"Don't run with the ball. As soon as you get it, look for me. I won't be running. Just smash it into my chest or feet. Can you do that?"
Enzo adjusted his glasses (he actually wore sports goggles). He looked at Adrian's 188cm build.
"If I pass it... can you hold it? Jerome is strong."
Adrian chuckled. It was a terrifying sound.
"Jerome is a toothpick. Just get me the ball."
[Ding!]
[Match Start!]
[Objective: Score a Hat-trick (0/3)]
The whistle blew.
Team A started fast. They moved the ball with slick, one-touch passing. Tiki-taka. Team B couldn't get near them.
Adrian stood near the center circle, barely moving. He looked like a statue.
"Look at him!" Coach Lucien muttered on the sidelines, scribbling in his notebook. "He's not pressing. He's lazy."
Minute 5. Team A's winger, a speedster named Leo, burned past Team B's left-back. He whipped a cross into the box.
Sylvain, the star striker of Team A, leaped up.
A powerful header. It was destined for the top corner.
"Goal!" Sylvain shouted prematurely.
But a hand flew out of nowhere.
Smack!
Hugo, Team B's keeper, dove like a salmon and clawed the ball out of the air.
"What a save!" someone shouted.
Minute 9.
The pressure was relentless. Team B couldn't clear their lines. Enzo tried to control the ball, but three yellow bibs swarmed him. He lost possession.
Sylvain picked up the loose ball, dribbled past a defender, and slotted it into the bottom corner.
GOAL! Team A 1 - 0 Team B.
"Too easy!" Jerome laughed from the back, shouting across the field. "Hey Lighthouse! The game started, in case you didn't know!"
Adrian ignored him. He walked to the center circle for the restart.
Minute 12. Team B kicked off. Enzo passed to Adrian.
Immediately, Jerome came charging out of the defense. He wanted to make a statement. He wanted to humiliate the big man early.
"I'm taking that!" Jerome roared, sprinting full speed at Adrian.
Adrian saw him coming. Time seemed to slow down.
[Passive Skill: Heavy Tank... ACTIVATED!]
Adrian didn't try to dribble. He didn't pass. He just planted his left foot into the turf and turned his shoulder slightly towards the incoming missile.
The sound was sickening. It sounded like a car hitting a tree.
The impact sent the 185cm defender flying backward through the air. He tumbled two meters and landed face-first in the mud, gasping for air.
[Ding!]
[Physical Duel Won!]
[Dominance +1]
Fweeeeet!
The referee blew the whistle frantically, running over.
"Foul! Foul!" The ref reached into his pocket. "Yellow Card! Adrian! Excessive force!"
The game stopped. The players were stunned. They looked at Jerome, who was groaning and holding his ribs.
Then they looked at Adrian, who hadn't moved an inch.
"Excessive force?" Adrian looked at the ref, his face innocent.
"I just stood my ground. He ran into me."
"You shoulder-checked him into next week!" the ref yelled, holding up the yellow card.
"Play fair!"
Adrian took the card. He didn't care. He looked down at Jerome, who was being helped up by Sylvain. Jerome's eyes were wide with fear. The arrogance was gone.
"Are your laces tied, Jerome?" Adrian whispered as he walked past.
Minute 18.
The dynamic of the game changed. Team A was scared.
Every time Adrian got near a defender, they flinched. They had seen what happened to Jerome.
But Adrian still couldn't run. His Speed: 42 was a problem. The defenders realized they just had to intercept the pass before it reached him.
"Cut off the supply!" Jerome yelled, still rubbing his chest.
"Don't let him touch it!"
Team A pressed high, suffocating Enzo.
Minute 20. Enzo had the ball deep in his own half. He was surrounded.
"Pass it back!" the left-back screamed.
But Enzo saw something. His Vision (155) highlighted a passing lane that no one else saw. A narrow corridor between three defenders.
And at the end of that corridor, Adrian was standing with his back to the goal, 25 meters out.
Enzo didn't hesitate. He whipped a driven ground pass. It was a laser.
The ball cut through the midfield.
"Intercept it!" Lucien shouted.
Jerome was tight on Adrian's back. He knew he couldn't out-muscle Adrian, so he tried to stick his leg around to poke the ball away before it arrived.
"Not this time," Adrian growled.
He leaned back.
He used his massive frame to seal Jerome off. He trapped the ball with his right foot. His First Touch (25) was trash, so the ball popped up slightly into the air.
Perfect.
"He lost control!" Sylvain shouted.
Two midfielders from Team A rushed in to steal the loose ball.
Adrian didn't try to control it down. He didn't try to dribble.
The ball was bouncing at knee height. 25 meters from goal.
Adrian pivoted on his left foot. The movement was violent, torquing his hips with his 180 Strength.
He swung his right leg.
BOOM!
The sound was like a cannon firing. A shockwave rippled through the grass.
The ball disappeared.
The goalkeeper, a decent prospect for Team A, didn't even see it. He heard the sound, and then he heard the net snap.
The ball hit the top right corner with so much force it got stuck in the metal stanchion inside the goal.
Silence. Absolute silence.
Coach Lucien dropped his clipboard. Enzo's jaw hit the floor.
Jerome was still standing behind Adrian, trembling.
[Ding!]
[GOAL!]
[Shot Speed: 142 km/h]
[Distance: 26 meters]
GOAL! Team A 1 - 1 Team B.
Adrian stood there, smoke metaphorically rising from his boot. He turned slowly to face the sideline, locking eyes with Coach Lucien.