"Tesuka, do you think this is a playground?"
The coach's voice sliced through the air like a whip.
"Get your head back. Breathe. Look at the ground. Feel the ball like it's your closest friend—receive it properly. You're not here to please. You're here to create danger."
!!!
"Ball?" Tesuka whispered. "Why now? What's happening?! Why are you ringing?"
"I've received a quest. Want to see it?"
The virtual interface blinked to life in front of his eyes.
"Hurry up and show it," Tesuka muttered.
"Lower your tone," Ball replied coldly. "You're not my master."
*An icon flickered into view, hovering midair—mysterious and pulsing with light.*
!!!
#Ball
Fate: Footballer
Age: 6y(307days)
Position: Attacking midfielder
Overall attributes'stats: D+
Stats:
Stamina (Rank F) : 7/20
Speed (Rank F): 8/20
Control (Rank D+): 16/20
Dribble (Rank D-)
Vision (Rank B+): 14/20
Shoot (Rank D): 9/20
Reflex (Rank C-): 4/20
Mental (Rank A-): 1/20
Concentration (Rank C+): 18/20
Pass long (Rank C-): 2/20
Pass short (Rank B-): 3/20
Skills:
Flick over (Rank E+)
Fake shoot (Rank D)
Step over (Rank E-)
Cut (Rank D+)
Spin move (Rank C-)
Ultimate skill: Time regress
Quest :
Fulfill at least 40% of the coach's requirements during training.*
Reward:All stat points earned during the session—based on effort on your effort—will be multiplied by six. In addition, each skill rank will increase by one tier.*
Tesuka's eyes widened.
Six times the points? A full rank up in everything?
A flicker of tension surged through his body.
The coach's voice still echoed in his head. *""Tesuka, do you think this is a playground?"
The coach's voice sliced through the air like a whip.
"Get your head back. Breathe. Look at the ground. Feel the ball like it's your closest friend—receive it properly. You're not here to please. You're here to create danger."."*
He clenched his fists.
"Alright," he whispered to himself. "Let's turn this jungle into my stage."
Tesuka took a deep breath.
Then everything slowed down.
With his *C+ Focus*, he locked in, waited... and moved.
Smooth. No hesitation. His *C+ ball control* caressed the pass with his left foot.
A sharp ball into space, guided by his *C- vision* and *long pass*—not elite, but impressive for a boy barely thirteen.
He didn't stop. He read the play, made the run, called for it with intention.
*One-touch return. Perfect.*
"Yes! That's it!" Chekinah shouted.
"Keep it up, little bro!"
The coach stayed silent.
But his subtle nod—barely noticeable—said enough.
Approval. Respect. A signal that Tesuka had taken the first real step.
The exercise lasted twenty minutes, gradually evolving into a diamond-shaped possession drill—one-touch passes only, with a neutral player rotating at the center.
Then came the tactical phase.
— Team blue. Team red.
— Tesuka, you're on the red team.
Formation: 4-2-3-1. The focus: mid-block pressing* and *quick transition play*.
— Blue team, you'll work on positional attack. Use passes to enter the danger zone.
— Red team, the moment you recover the ball, shift vertically. Maximum three touches per player. I want a goal in thirty seconds!*
Positioned as a number *10*, Tesuka was tasked with juggling recovery, orientation, and projection.
At first, he missed several runs—misaligned with his midfielders. Timing off. Coordination lacking.
But slowly, he found the rhythm.
On a swift counter, he intercepted a poorly weighted pass, his *D+ control* and *C- reflexes* making the difference.
He lifted his head, scanned the field—then launched a driven crossfield ball toward Chekinah.
Chekinah made the run.
Two touches.
Back of the net.
The coach blew his whistle. Then, almost in a whisper, he said:
— That's what I wanted.
The players from the red team slapped Tesuka's hand. This time, it was genuine. The drill resumed, with a few variations. The coach insisted: repetition, projection, instinct.
Finally, the last phase began.
— Real match situation.
— Twenty-minute game. No referee. You handle it. You talk. And above all, don't fake it. I want more intensity than in a real match. Every ball is a final. Every duel, a battle.
Both teams took their positions. At the whistle, it was controlled chaos: high pressing, sliding tackles, overlapping runs, shouts flying from every direction.
Tesuka felt his heart pounding with every sprint. He lost the ball, won it back, missed a pass, then nailed another — brilliant.
In the fifteenth minute, he intercepted a lazy pass through the middle. One sharp dribble took out an opponent. He faced the second, drew him in, and slipped a precise through ball into Amadou's path. Goal.
Cheers erupted. This time, everyone saw it. Tesuka had made a statement.
Match over.
Coach Ndikumana gathered the team.
— What I saw today is promising. But not enough. PvP FC doesn't play to participate. We play to win. We play with our heads. What you have in your feet means nothing without clarity.
His eyes landed on Tesuka.
— You did well. But it's not enough. You lack endurance, speed. At your age, that's expected. But football doesn't care about age. I won't judge you by how old you are, only by what you give on the pitch. Perform, and you stay. If not, you're out. No one here has a guaranteed spot. That goes for all of you.
Silence. The players nodded, heads low.
The sun was slowly setting. The air had cooled.
But in the eyes of the young PvP FC players, another fire was burning — the fire of will.
Tesuka grabbed his bag. His legs ached, throat dry, shirt soaked.
But deep down... he felt frustrated.
!!!
#Ball
Quest: ...Completed.