Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Lucas, still holding his hand up, slowly lowered it as his gaze fixed on the assistant coach named Alex. The feeling of surprise that Lucas was feeling had also gone through all the other boys — after all, playing against a club like Liverpool, even if it was the under-18s, was a great opportunity.

The shocked silence was broken by Miguel removing the headset from his head and putting it around his neck. "Is that... serious?" he asked, showing interest for the first time in their conversation.

Alex ducked his head a little and smiled. "I'm more serious than ever. I wouldn't joke about something like this. I know that's your sound, and it's mine too."

"Wait a minute... we're going to face Liverpool Under-18s just like that? We're Team-B!" said Arthur, the blond-haired boy. He no longer exuded the same confidence as before. "How...? It makes little sense. Are they just trying to throw us to the wolves?" He looked at Denis and Loki, hoping they would back him up.

Alex crossed his arms. "This is your chance, boys, to show what you're capable of. It's not a championship, but winning a pre-season friendly like this could make the guys on the A-Team's coaching staff look at you with fresh eyes. You may not have the most glamorous space or the coach with you all the time, but that doesn't diminish what's coming. Believe me, you'll want to train hard for this game."

Alex's speech had a different weight for each person there, but it was undeniable that what he was saying made sense. Everyone knew that the B-Team was far from being seen in the same light as the A-Team, but a game like this could be a golden ticket.

Lucas wondered for a moment if the majority felt the same way. Then, when he looked over and saw everyone with cheerful expressions, he knew he wasn't the only one.

'And I thought maybe they'd chicken out.' Alex thought, visually seeing the impact of his words on these boys, becoming more relaxed. "Well, before you get too excited, let's get all this energy out. In particular, I'd like to train each of you individually, but I still need to find out for myself what you can and can't do. We're going to do a six-on-six now, but before we do that, open your lockers, boys."

Lucas turned and faced the locker where he saw his name labeled in clear letters, with a simplicity that carried the weight of a promise for him. "Tanaka" was written in white letters, contrasting with dark, old metal. As he opened the cupboard, his eyes widened slightly when he saw the Brighton uniform hanging there, every fold in the fabric freshly ironed and spotless. He ran his hand down the shirt, feeling the material under his fingers, while noting the Brighton emblem stitched on the chest.

On the back of the uniform, his surname was written, just as he had requested when Brighton emailed, asking for the measurements Lucas wore. Just below his name was the number "7", which made Lucas frown.

Lucas had never played in the number 7 shirt. At the Wushia School, he used to be the "8" at first, the one who controlled the midfield and provided crucial passes. Then he migrated to a "10", the shirt of the maestros, the essence of the attack, who created chances and dictated the pace. He even played as a winger in some matches. But a number 7... he had never been one.

He looked around and saw Miguel wearing the number "10" — the same Miguel who hardly paid attention and kept listening to music. Arthur was wearing "9". Those two came from the A-Team, they had the experience, the prestige and, perhaps, the immediate respect that Lucas was still looking for.

'All right.' Lucas thought as he took off his shirt. 'I'm still not number 10 here, but this gives me another reason to fight.'

"Let's get on with it." Arthur's voice caught everyone's attention, bringing them back to reality.

Soon, Lucas was smoothing his number 7 shirt over his body as he followed the others onto the pitch.

The freshly wet grass was very pleasant to walk on, and the training space was very large, but they weren't alone, because a field next door was being used by the children's team. Also, some of the club's staff, seeing that training was about to start, approached the railings and benches parallel to the pitch to watch.

Alex stopped in midfield and waited for everyone to approach. He seemed much more animated and confident than when they first met. As soon as the last player entered the midfield circle, Alex said:Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"So, lads. We're here because I want to see what each of you offers. Don't worry about fixed positions. Today, the priority is to show your individuality, your ability to read the game and improvise. Anyone who understands that will know what I expect from this team. Of course, we have twelve players in the team and only eleven positions, so it's all about places in the team. But remember that this is a training session, not a proper match, and your coach isn't even here, so don't use everything you've got."

Alex continued:

"I'm going to split you into two teams of six. I myself will be in goal for one of the teams."

"Eh? Really?" Luiz Fernando asked.

"It may not seem like it, but I used to be a goalkeeper in my school's soccer club," said Alex, smiling. "Now, as captain of the Blue Team, I don't want to lose, and I also want to show the sieve guys the skills of their veterans, so I want you, you, you, you and you." He pointed to Miguel, Arthur, Denis, Loki, and Daniel. "You five go with me. Hillebrand, I want you on the bench for now. The rest of you, stay with Lucas. Come on, put on your vests and choose your positions quickly. We'll let you start with the ball."

Alex then kicked the ball that was near his feet to Lucas Tanaka, who received it and smiled.

[The mission "Time-B against Time-B" has been awarded.]

[Do you want to find out the objective of this mission?]