The sky over Westbridge hung heavy with rainclouds, the morning greys swallowing the school in an eerie calm. Yet inside the locker room, tension crackled like static.
"Alright," Coach Davor barked, tossing a clipboard on the bench. "Scrimmage match. Full field. Starting eleven in red. Subs in black. Positions posted."
Leon didn't look. He didn't need to. He already knew where his name would be, if it appeared at all.
He tied his boots in silence, hoping no one noticed the sweat already clinging to his back.
"Vale," Coach called out. "You're with the blacks. Left midfield."
Leon looked up, blinking. A position.
Not just on the roster — on the field.
He jogged toward the pitch, wearing the black bib like armor. Rain began to fall in light, misty sheets.
The red team had Kael Rivas — tall, lethal, eyes like winter. A striker with no kindness in his stride. His passes were cold. His presence colder. And everyone bent their game around him.
Leon knew this was the real test. He wasn't just training alone anymore. He'd be seen. Judged.
"Player Stats," he whispered under his breath.
Leon Vale – Level 1
EXP: 87 / 100
PlaySight Uses: 1
• Shooting: 41
• Passing: 48
• Dribbling: 44
• Speed: 45
• Stamina: 42
• Vision: 10
• Mental: 39
Status: Mild anxiety – performance may dip under pressure.
He inhaled slowly, grounding himself.
One play. Just one good moment.
Kickoff – First Half
The whistle blew.
Leon held position, letting the flow of the game wrap around him. The ball shifted rapidly between players, boots thudding against slick turf. The red team controlled possession early, Kael orchestrating the midfield like a general.
"Move, black!" one of the defenders barked.
Leon shifted too late. A pass zipped by, and he was out of position. Again.
-2 Mental: Hesitation under pressure. (Temporary)
He shook his head. Focus. Focus.
Minute 17 – A Flicker of Blue
A red midfielder mishandled a pass, and the ball rolled toward Leon's zone. He sprinted in, nerves raw.
The HUD flickered.
PlaySight Activated. 1 Use Remaining.
Scanning… Optimal reaction path loaded.
In a ghostlike projection ahead, he saw the defender close in — a hard tackle. If he tried to dribble, he'd lose the ball. But a one-touch backheel to the center mid...
He followed the foresight.
The ball rolled backward, clean and smooth — and one of his teammates latched onto it, sending it across the pitch.
Safe. Effective. Unflashy.
+5 EXP: Smart distribution under pressure
+3 EXP: PlaySight use successful
EXP: 95 / 100
No one cheered. But Coach Davor glanced at his notepad.
Leon had noticed that glance.
PlaySight Internal Feedback
"Efficiency isn't always beautiful. You prevented a turnover and read the defense before it formed."
Mental boost: +1 (temporary)
Low-Profile Focus progress: 2/5
Leon jogged back into position, lungs tight, but head clearer. He wasn't shining, but he wasn't sinking either.
Minute 30 – Collision
Kael had the ball.
Leon tracked back, cautious. Kael feinted left — Leon bit too early. A sharp cut right, a burst of pace — Kael was gone.
"Too slow," Kael muttered as he passed.
Leon turned to chase but slipped, his knee scraping turf.
-1 Confidence – minor emotional setback
No EXP awarded.
Coach's whistle blew. "Halftime!"
Leon sat on the bench, breath fogging in the cold. His palms ached. But in his HUD, a soft glow pulsed:
EXP: 95 / 100
Next Level: 5 EXP Needed
Unlocks: +1 PlaySight use per half, Tactical Minimap, Possible Stat Gain
Almost there. But not yet.
Halftime Pep (and Doubt)
Inside the dugout, the red team laughed and joked.
Kael barely acknowledged the rest of them. He sat at the far end, retying his laces with surgical calm.
Coach Davor leaned against the wall, gaze drifting.
"Vale," he said suddenly.
Leon snapped to attention.
"Second half — push higher. You've got vision. Use it. But don't play safe. Try something."
Leon nodded. He didn't say much. He couldn't. His tongue was a brick.
But in his mind, something shifted.
Second Half – Time to Risk
The rain had stopped. The turf glistened.
Minute 52.
Leon received a low pass just inside the opposition's half. No PlaySight left. No foresight cheat.
Trust the training, he told himself. You've done this.
He turned. A defender closed in. Instead of passing, he tapped the ball ahead and flicked it between the defender's legs.
A nutmeg.
He darted past, scooped the ball up with the outside of his boot, and sent a curling cross into the box.
A header. The ball flew wide — barely.
No goal. But players clapped. Someone shouted, "Nice one, Vale!"
And in his HUD…
+7 EXP: Attempted skill move in match
+5 EXP: Creative play under pressure
Level Up!
Leon Vale – Level 2: Street Player
Level-Up Notification
Level 2 Reached!
• +2 to Dribbling
• +1 to Mental
• New Feature: Tactical Awareness HUD (preview minimap unlocked)
• PlaySight Uses: Now 2 per match
• Progress Toward Skill Unlock: "Agile Step" 20%
• Bonus: +1 Vision (capped at 11)
Leon nearly laughed.
He wasn't fast. He wasn't strong. But now he had something the others didn't — a mirror inside his mind that helped him improve. Little by little.
On the sidelines, Amara Quinn stood beneath a green umbrella, her bag slung over one shoulder.
She hadn't planned to watch. But she'd seen the cross. The play. The change.
Her eyes narrowed. She remembered the quiet, awkward boy who used to sketch soccer formations in his notebook instead of talking to people.
Something about him was different.
Back near the fence, Coach Davor leaned into his notebook again:
"Vale – Technical growth noticeable. Tactical sense improving. 2nd half performance more confident. Track for starting trial in 2 weeks."
End-of-Chapter HUD Log
Leon Vale – Player Log
• Level: 2 – Street Player
• EXP: 7 / 200
• PlaySight Uses Today: 1/1 used
• EXP Earned This Match: +20
• Stat Gains:
– Dribbling: 46 (+2)
– Mental: 40 (+1)
– Vision: 11 (+1)
• Unlocks: Tactical Awareness (Minimap: Basic Version)
• Skill Progress: "Agile Step" – 20% unlocked
• Solo Training Sessions: 2/5 toward Low-Profile Focus
The match ended in a draw, but Leon didn't care.
As he walked off the field, soaked and sore, he felt something settle in his chest. Not pride. Not confidence.
A spark.
Not yet a flame — but a promise that it might become one.