Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Jimenez glanced at his clipboard, adjusted his cap, then began organizing the teams on the pitch. His first instructions echoed through the air, directed at Team B — Lucas' team

"You're going to play 4-3-3. I want Daniel and Luiz Fernando controlling the defense. Daniel, you're going to be my commander at the back, understand? Act like a captain. Luiz, keep the defensive line organized and watch out for the opposition's attacks."

Daniel nodded, his face displaying a calm concentration, while Luiz Fernando, next to him, was already warming up his shoulders, unleashing a few quick movements to maintain flexibility. Both formed a solid duo; Lucas knew he could rely on them to hold the defense.

"Anton, you're, of course, going for a goal. Watch out for crosses and, above all, keep an eye on the opposing team's quick passes. They'll try to use the space on the sides to open up our defense."

Anton smiled slightly and slipped on his gloves.

Coach Jimenez continued distributing the positions. "Nathan, you're on the right wing. I need you to use your speed to get on the counter-attack and create space on the flanks. Lucas, you'll be on the left wing. I want to see how you do cutting into the middle and taking advantage of your diagonal passing. And William, you'll be our center forward."

Lucas looked at William with some surprise. Even with his bored expression, he had been placed as a center forward. At 1.60m tall, it was an unusual choice for the position, yet Jimenez appeared confident. Perhaps there was something about that boy that he didn't yet know.

"That's it," said Jimenez, finalizing the formation. "I want constant movement in the middle and to take advantage of the spaces on the sides. We'll focus on building fast moves and trying to surprise their defense."

Coach Jimenez next set up Team A, adopting a 4-4-2 formation. Mark and Raphael were deployed as the two strikers, as they were both left-wingers.

In midfield, Otto, the black-haired boy from whom he needed to copy the skill, and the almost bald boy, Felix, would be the central organization. Between them, Hillebrand, the attacking midfielder, would be a constant threat - his ability to break down the opposition's defense made him a danger that Team B would have to contain.

Aidan Perry, their left-back, was agile and had the ability to connect the defense to the midfield with quality. His presence would be key to Team A's rapid transition.

"Keep an eye on Perry's movements. I've played against him in a youth league. He's unpredictable and can come in to help the attack without warning."

Lucas stretched his legs and took a deep breath, glancing at the other side of the pitch where Team A was already exchanging light passes during warm-up

The coach's whistle blew, and the two teams lined up. The green grass seemed to glow in the soft light of day. Their gazes met.

Lucas suddenly felt the gaze of William, the designated center-forward, on him.

"Pass me the ball whenever you can," said William, looking at Lucas.

At that moment, their eyes met for the first time and Lucas felt a shiver run down his spine because, surprisingly, William's eyes seemed completely empty.

Lucas swallowed, because it wasn't the first time Lucas had seen a look like this. The other times he had seen looks like this were in his own mirror, when he was in that cycle of waking up, going to work and then coming home only to sleep. On those days, his life had become monochrome, emotionless, dull, without purpose.

'How does this boy look like that at this age?' Lucas looked straight ahead, frowning.

It was unusual to see such apathy in someone so young, especially in a sporting environment, where adrenaline and passion usually dominated the players' faces.

Lucas tried to push the thoughts away and focus on the game that would begin in a moment. He bent his knees and looked towards the middle of the pitch, where Otto stood. The match would start soon, so his aim was clear: watch Otto closely and copy his skill.

The whistle blew, breaking the momentary silence that had hung over the pitch. Team A kicked off and began exchanging passes, with Hillebrand taking up the most advanced position, ready to receive the ball at any moment.

Lucas repositioned himself, aware of Aidan Perry's movement on the A-Team's left flank on the other side of the pitch.

"Go, Nathan! Put pressure on Perry!" shouted Lucas, urging on his teammate on the right wing.

Nathan quickly closed down the space, which made Perry grit his teeth. This gave Team B a momentary opportunity to reorganize their lines.

Daniel and Luiz Fernando, like a wall, kept the defense solid, allowing the midfield to push forward and support the attack in a tighter formation.

Lucas knew the ball would eventually come to him; it was just a matter of staying ready and positioning himself free.

"Japanese!" The shout came from a midfield player, and so Lucas saw that the ball was traveling in his direction.

'Damn, I have a name.'

With a simple movement, Lucas took hold of the ball with his chest and quickly lowered it onto his left foot. The adrenaline took over and, without thinking twice, he looked around for a passing option. William was positioned in the center, but Lucas hesitated for a brief second. Something about that boy still made him uncomfortable, but the game didn't allow for indecision.

Lucas passed the ball back to Daniel, who had moved up in support. The two exchanged passes quickly, a real tiki-taka of coordinated movement. Daniel returned the ball with a first touch, and Lucas, now with more space, set off towards the left-back.

Team A quickly began to retreat. However, Lucas was one step ahead. He accelerated, gaining precious meters. The wind whipped against his face and the grass seemed to slide under his feet.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Look, he's fast too." An assistant coach of Jimenez wrote on his clipboard. "Boss, did you already know that?"

"Yes, I looked at the physical results of everyone who went through to this last phase."

"Everyone? But there are 22 players, and you didn't have much time."

"That's why I was five minutes late."

When Team A's right-back almost caught up with Lucas, the left-winger pretended to cut back towards the center, but at the last second changed direction, taking the ball further towards the end line. The right-back was taken by surprise and, despite being quick, couldn't keep up with the sudden change of pace. Lucas quickly looked into the area.

William was well positioned, still not expressing any emotion.

'He's the opposite of Nishida...' thought Lucas.

Without wasting any time, Lucas delivered the cross. The ball traveled high, with a curve, perfect for someone to anticipate and head in. Time seemed to slow down as the ball floated through the air, and Lucas held his breath. All eyes were on William. The boy, who had previously seemed disinterested, was now moving with precision. He leapt, outpacing the A-Team defenders with astonishing momentum.

BAM!

The ball exploded off William's forehead, speeding towards the goal. Team A's goalkeeper Felipe reacted quickly, but not quickly enough. The ball flew past his outstretched hands and into the net. A momentary silence overtook the pitch, soon followed by a roar of shouts and applause from his Team B teammates.

Lucas could hardly believe what he had just witnessed. William's apathy had turned into lethal action.

William descended from the air, his feet touching the grass just as lightly as before. Without showing any emotion, he turned to Lucas, only giving a slight nod. That brief gesture made Lucas realize that, behind the blank stare, there was much more to that boy than he could understand at that moment.

"Yeah, boys!" Coach Jimenez shouted, raising his fist in the air, and then completely changed his personality to give the A-Team a scolding. How can you let a boy of 1.60 get past you and a left-winger who isn't even a natural at the position fool you so easily? Lucas is an attacking midfielder!!!"

It seemed Jimenez was taunting the A Team; the boys were clearly annoyed by the goal conceded.

Hillebrand, now more advanced, tried to find gaps in the solid defense formed by Daniel and Luiz Fernando.

Otto, meanwhile, was the brains of the midfield, controlling the pace of the game with intelligent passing and impressive vision.

Lucas kept his eyes on Otto, observing every detail. The way he turned his body before making a pass, the way he scanned the field before receiving the ball. Lucas tried to decipher the patterns, waiting for the right moment to use his <Copying Genius> ability.

"Marking! Don't let him breathe!" shouted Jimenez from the sidelines, seeing the danger Otto posed.

Team B tried to press, but Otto always found a way through. It was then, in a quick exchange of passes between him and Felix, that Lucas saw his chance. He advanced quickly towards Otto, who, for a brief second, looked surprised. It was the perfect moment.

Lucas activated his skill.

[The player Otto Krieger has just demonstrated the Skill <Risk Analysis>, would you like to check the copy conditions for this skill?]