Thursday, September 17, 2026
Blackwood City, Aurelia
Blackwood Football Academy
Evaluation Day 10 of 90
Luca Veyron knew something was different before he reached the training pitch.
It wasn’t the weather.
The morning was cool and dry after several days of rain, and the grass had been cut short enough that the white lines stood out clearly against the dark green surface.
It wasn’t his ankle either.
Sofia Arden had been right.
After mobility work the previous night and a full night’s sleep, the stiffness had almost disappeared.
The difference was in his head.
For the first time since Adrian Vale had begun questioning his position, Luca wasn’t walking onto the pitch wondering whether he could play right wing.
He was going to find out how well he could compete there.
That was a smaller thought than I need to prove I’m a winger.
It was also a much harder one.
At 7:43 a.m., he entered the changing room and found Ryan Mercer already dressed.
Ryan was tying his boots.
He looked up.
“You’re early.”
“So are you.”
Ryan pulled the final knot tight.
“Today matters.”
Luca knew what he meant.
Victor Halden had announced yesterday that the right-wing rotation would be shared between them.
For Luca, that meant his first sustained opportunity to develop in his natural position.
For Ryan, it meant something more immediate.
He had been Blackwood’s established right winger.
His position in the starting group had been one of the few things he could consider secure.
Eastborough Athletic was watching him, the academy expected him to perform, and every strong session reinforced his reputation.
Now the academy had deliberately created competition for the position.
Ryan looked at Luca again.
“I’m not going to make this easy.”
“I don’t want easy.”
Ryan nodded.
“Good.”
Neither smiled.
There was no need.
At 8:27 a.m., Victor gathered the players.
Adrian stood several meters away with a clipboard.
Noah Kessler was beside the tactical board, studying the magnets.
Marcus Renner leaned against a goalpost.
Elias Morrow was stretching beside Luca.
Victor pointed toward the board.
“We’re working on wide combinations first.
Then eleven-versus-eleven.”
He moved the magnets.
“Blue group: Noah in central midfield.
Marcus at striker.
Luca on the right.
Elias at left back.”
Luca looked at the board.
Then Victor moved another magnet.
“White group: Ryan on the right.
Defensive midfield will rotate.”
Ryan looked toward Luca.
The two right wingers would be on opposing teams.
That was not an accident.
Victor continued.
“Blue and white will alternate attacking and defending.
I want the wide players isolated against fullbacks.
The objective isn’t to make your teammate look good.
The objective is to create an advantage.”
The players spread across the pitch.
Adrian caught Luca’s attention.
“Remember yesterday.”
Luca nodded.
“Wait for the defender.”
“Not just that.”
Adrian pointed toward Luca’s chest.
“Read the whole situation.”
The first drill was a simple-looking one-versus-one.
It wasn’t.
Each winger received the ball with a fullback five meters away.
A midfielder could then enter the sequence after the winger’s first action, creating a second defender and forcing a decision.
The first player to complete the attack earned a point.
If the defender won the ball, the defending team earned the point.
Ryan went first.
The ball reached him.
He took one touch toward the sideline, forcing the fullback to open his stance.
Then he accelerated inside.
The second defender stepped across.
Ryan released the ball early to the supporting midfielder.
The sequence ended with a low cross.
“Point,” Victor called.
Ryan jogged back.
Luca watched carefully.
Ryan had not beaten two players.
He had recognized that he didn’t need to.
The first defender was already moving.
The second defender was arriving.
The best option was the pass.
That was the level Luca needed to reach.
His turn came.
He received the ball.
The fullback approached.
Luca’s first instinct was to attack.
He resisted it.
The defender waited.
Luca shifted his weight toward the inside.
The defender moved.
Luca went outside.
He accelerated.
The second defender arrived sooner than expected.
Luca tried to cut across him.
The ball got away from his left foot.
The defender recovered and cleared it.
“Point, white,” Victor said.
Ryan’s team.
Luca clenched his jaw.
Elias slapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“Next one.”
Luca nodded.
The next sequence went better.
Then the one after that didn’t.
By the fifth repetition, the score was tied.
Ryan had two successful attacks and one failed attempt.
Luca had two successful attacks and two failures.
The numbers were not dramatic.
That was precisely why the competition felt real.
Neither player was dominating.
Neither was being humiliated.
They were testing the margins.
The next drill added Noah and Marcus.
The winger had to decide whether to attack, combine, cross, or recycle possession based on the movement of the striker and midfielder.
This time, Luca began to look different.
Noah received centrally.
Luca stayed wide.
Marcus moved toward the near channel.
The fullback shifted toward Marcus.
Luca saw it.
He didn’t immediately attack.
Instead, he held his position.
Noah passed to him.
The defender stepped out.
Luca took the ball forward.
Marcus suddenly reversed his run.
The center-back followed.
The space between fullback and center-back opened.
Luca accelerated into it.
He reached the box and cut the ball backward.
Marcus arrived.
Shot.
Goal.
Victor blew the whistle.
“Good.”
Luca turned.
Marcus pointed at him.
“That’s the one.”
Noah nodded.
“You waited.”
Luca understood why they were reacting.
Yesterday he had been making some decisions before the situation had fully developed.
Today he had allowed the defenders to reveal their intentions.
That small change had created the entire attack.
On the opposite side, Ryan watched the sequence.
Then his team took possession.
He responded immediately.
The ball went wide.
Ryan attacked his fullback.
One touch.
Two.
He used his body to create separation and delivered a cross before the defense could settle.
The ball reached the far post.
A teammate finished.
Victor raised a hand.
“Good response.”
Ryan turned toward Luca.
Neither player said anything.
The competition had become visible.
At 11:18 a.m., Victor moved the players into the match simulation.
He made the assignments explicit.
Blue Team
Goalkeeper: Leon Hart
Right Back: Mateo Silva
Center Back: Daniel Arkwright
Center Back: Ibrahim Okoye
Left Back: Elias Morrow
Midfield: Noah Kessler
Midfield: Julian Cross
Right Wing: Luca Veyron
Attacking Midfield: Samuel Reed This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Left Wing: Theo Martin
Striker: Marcus Renner
White Team
Goalkeeper: Aaron Bell
Right Back: Darius Cole
Center Back: Felix Ward
Center Back: Kieran Holt
Left Back: Nathan Brooks
Midfield: Ryan Mercer
Midfield: Ethan Cole
Right Wing: Ryan Mercer
Victor stopped.
The players looked at him.
He corrected the board.
“Ryan is right wing.
Ethan is central.”
A few players laughed.
Ryan didn’t.
Victor continued.
White Team
Goalkeeper: Aaron Bell
Right Back: Darius Cole
Center Back: Felix Ward
Center Back: Kieran Holt
Left Back: Nathan Brooks
Midfield: Ethan Cole
Midfield: Caleb Price
Right Wing: Ryan Mercer
Attacking Midfield: Andre Silva
Left Wing: Malik Johnson
Striker: Daniel Hayes
“Blue starts with the ball,” Victor said.
“Sixty-five minutes.
Normal rules.
Full defensive transitions.
No protected players.”
That last instruction mattered.
Luca and Ryan weren’t being tested in separate drills anymore.
They were competing inside an actual game.
Victor looked at both of them.
“Play your position.”
The whistle blew.
The opening ten minutes were uncomfortable.
Luca received the ball only twice.
The first time, he passed backward.
The second time, he attempted to attack Nathan Brooks and lost possession.
Ryan had more involvement.
He dropped slightly deeper to receive, linked with Ethan Cole, then attacked Elias when the left back stepped forward.
Elias managed to block the cross.
“Again,” Ryan said.
Elias grinned.
“You’re going to have to do better than that.”
Ryan nodded.
“I know.”
The next attack came quickly.
Ryan received near the touchline.
Elias approached.
Ryan feinted outside.
Elias didn’t move.
Ryan tried to cut inside.
Elias stepped across him.
The ball bounced loose.
Noah recovered.
Luca immediately began running.
He recognized the transition before most of the players.
Noah saw him.
A pass went toward the right.
Luca received with space.
Nathan Brooks moved toward him.
Luca slowed.
The defender slowed with him.
Marcus moved across the center-back.
Noah entered the half-space.
Luca waited another fraction of a second.
Then he accelerated.
Nathan turned.
Luca cut inside.
The center-back stepped toward Marcus.
The lane opened.
Luca slipped a pass toward Noah.
Noah returned it immediately.
Luca entered the penalty area.
He shot.
Aaron Bell saved it.
The ball bounced loose.
Marcus arrived too late.
White cleared.
Luca bent forward with his hands on his knees.
It had been a good attack.
It had also been a missed opportunity.
Adrian shouted from the sideline.
“That’s closer.”
Luca looked toward him.
“Don’t settle for closer.”
Luca nodded.
The game became increasingly physical.
Not dirty.
Competitive.
At 11:47 a.m., Ryan challenged Mateo Silva near the touchline and was clipped as he tried to accelerate.
He went down.
The referee stopped play.
Ryan immediately stood.
“Fine.”
Mateo offered his hand.
Ryan took it.
Two minutes later, Luca received a pass in the same area.
Darius Cole stepped across him.
Luca tried to protect the ball.
Their shoulders collided.
Luca stumbled but stayed upright.
He lost possession.
Darius cleared.
Luca turned back toward his own half.
The mistake became more important when White counterattacked.
Ryan was already running.
Luca had to chase him.
For several seconds, the two right wingers were moving in opposite directions across the same stretch of grass.
Ryan reached the final third first.
Luca caught up enough to pressure him.
Ryan cut inside.
Luca stayed with him.
Ryan attempted a pass.
Luca got a foot to it.
The ball deflected out.
Ryan looked back.
Luca was breathing heavily.
Ryan smiled without humor.
“Better.”
Luca replied, “Keep going.”
Blue scored first.
Noah intercepted a pass and found Luca wide.
This time Luca did not rush.
He held the width.
Nathan stepped toward him.
Marcus moved toward the near post.
Noah occupied the half-space.
Luca waited until Nathan committed.
Then he attacked the outside.
He reached the byline and crossed low.
Marcus missed.
Samuel Reed arrived behind him.
Goal.
Luca raised his hands.
The celebration lasted only a moment.
Ryan was already moving the ball back to midfield.
His expression had changed.
The goal wasn’t devastating.
But it was personal.
He had seen exactly what Victor had been looking for.
Luca was beginning to understand how the position worked.
And Ryan knew what that could eventually mean.
White equalized twelve minutes later.
Ryan received the ball from Ethan.
He attacked inside rather than outside.
Elias followed.
Ryan suddenly stopped and played a reverse pass into the space behind him.
Daniel Hayes ran onto it.
Cross.
Goal.
Ryan didn’t celebrate wildly.
He simply turned toward the center circle.
Luca watched him.
That was what made Ryan dangerous.
He wasn’t dependent on one move.
He could create advantages in different ways.
Luca still had catching up to do.
The match finished 2–2.
Luca had created one goal, taken two shots, completed several successful dribbles, and lost possession more often than he wanted.
Ryan had created a goal, completed more passes in the final third, and was more consistent defensively.
The result didn’t settle the competition.
It sharpened it.
Victor gathered the players.
“Good intensity.”
He looked at Luca.
“Your movement from the right is improving.”
“Your execution remains more consistent.”
Ryan nodded.
Victor continued.
“That means neither of you gets comfortable.”
The players began walking toward the changing rooms.
Ryan stayed behind.
Luca noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
Ryan stared at the pitch.
“You.”
Luca frowned.
Ryan kicked a loose piece of turf.
“For months, I knew where I stood.”
Luca said nothing.
“I knew what I had to do.
Train well.
Perform.
Keep my position.
Make the coaches trust me.”
He looked at Luca.
“Then Adrian starts watching you.”
His voice remained controlled, but the frustration underneath it was obvious.
“Suddenly everyone wants to know whether you’ve been playing the wrong position your whole life.”
Luca looked down.
Ryan continued.
“You know what that does to me?”
“No.”
“It makes every mistake feel expensive.”
The words hung between them.
Ryan wasn’t angry because Luca had done something wrong.
He was angry because Luca’s improvement had created uncertainty in a place Ryan had considered stable.
“I’ve got Eastborough watching,” Ryan said.
“If I lose my starting spot, I lose minutes.
If I lose minutes, my numbers drop.
If my numbers drop, scouts stop calling.
You think I’m competing with you because I don’t like you?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Ryan’s eyes were wet from sweat, but there was something else in his expression.
Fear.
Not fear of Luca personally.
Fear of being passed.
“I’ve worked for this.”
“So have I.”
Ryan looked at him.
“I know.”
For several seconds neither spoke.
Then Ryan picked up his bag.
“That’s the problem.”
He walked away.
Luca remained beside the empty pitch.
The competition had stopped feeling like an abstract battle for a position.
Ryan had made the stakes visible.
For Luca, the right wing represented discovery.
For Ryan, it represented something he had already earned and was afraid of losing.
Both could be true.
At 3:26 p.m., Sofia checked Luca’s ankle again.
“Any pain?”
“No.”
“Stiffness?”
“One.”
She nodded.
“Good.”
She looked at his right shin.
There was a red mark where Darius had caught him during the match.
“That?”
“Collision.”
“I can see that.”
She pressed lightly.
“Nothing serious.”
Luca exhaled.
Sofia stood.
“You handled the contact better today.”
“I nearly lost the ball.”
“Nearly isn’t the same as actually.”
Luca smiled.
“You’re getting philosophical.”
“I’m getting you to stop treating every imperfect action like an injury to your career.”
She walked away before he could answer.
At 6:52 p.m., Luca met Aurora.
She was sitting outside a small restaurant with her tablet beside her and two cups of tea on the table.
She looked up.
“How bad?”
Luca sat.
“Ryan is angry.”
Aurora’s expression changed.
“At you?”
“Not exactly.”
Luca told her what Ryan had said.
Aurora listened carefully.
When he finished, she said, “He’s scared.”
“I know.”
“Does that make him wrong?”
“No.”
“Does it make you wrong?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“Then don’t try to fix his feelings.”
Luca looked at her.
“Just compete.”
“Yes.”
She took a sip of tea.
“And remember something else.”
“What?”
“You don’t need to become Ryan Mercer to beat Ryan Mercer.”
Luca smiled.
That sounded obvious.
It wasn’t.
For years, he had tried to become whatever position demanded.
Striker.
Midfielder.
Something useful.
Something difficult to release.
Maybe becoming himself would be harder.
But at least he would know what he was competing with.
Aurora closed her tablet.
“How did you actually play?”
Luca thought about the match.
“I was different.”
“Different good?”
“Different honest.”
She smiled.
“That’s probably worth something.”
At 10:11 p.m., Luca sat on his bed with his training journal open.
He wrote down four things.
Wait longer.
Attack the defender’s movement, not the space I imagine.
Recover immediately after losing possession.
Ryan is better right now.
He stared at the last line.
It bothered him.
That was why he kept it.
He didn’t need to pretend he was ahead.
He needed to become good enough to challenge someone who was.
The System appeared at 10:18 p.m.
[PLAYER DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM]
[Evaluation Day: 10/90]
[Days Remaining: 80]
[Position: Right Wing]
[Development Trend: Positive]
[Performance Variation Detected.]
[Current Training Performance differs from previous positional sessions.]
[Improvement detected in:]
First-Touch Orientation
Acceleration Timing
Attacking Movement
Space Recognition
Combination Play
[Development Concerns remain:]
Final-Third Decision Making
Defensive Transition
Repeated-Sprint Efficiency
Positional Consistency Under Fatigue
[External Competition: Ryan Mercer]
[Current Competitive Status: Ryan Mercer remains more developed.]
[Observation: User demonstrates increasing positional adaptation.]
Luca read the final line.
Increasing positional adaptation.
Not mastery.
Not breakthrough.
Not victory.
Adaptation.
He closed the System.
Outside his window, Blackwood City remained awake.
A bus passed on the main road.
Somewhere nearby, music played from an apartment.
A restaurant worker dragged a metal shutter down for the night.
Tomorrow, people would go to work.
Aurora would continue building AURELIA.
Mara would probably call.
Ryan would train.
Marcus would chase another goal.
Noah would study another tactical pattern.
Elias would probably make another terrible joke.
And Luca would return to the same pitch.
Only now, the right wing was no longer a possibility he was imagining.
It was a position he had begun competing for.
He turned off the light.
For the first time, Luca didn’t wonder whether he belonged there.
He wondered how much better he could become.