The regional tournament was only a week away, but São Vicente's training grounds felt like a battleground. Every player pushed harder than usual, knowing this was their chance to get noticed. The whispers had already started—scouts from Porto, Braga, even Sporting would be watching.
And in the middle of it all, stood Tobi.
Not as the loudest. Not as the flashiest.
But as the most focused.
---
System Notification: Weekly Goal Set
> Objective: Finish top 3 in performance ranking for your team during the tournament.
Reward: Unlock "Game Sense" Trait (+10% chance of reading opponent's plays).
Penalty: Confidence debuff (-5 Mentality for 2 matches).
> Optional Bonus Objective: Catch the attention of at least 1 professional scout.
Reward: "Hidden Potential" skill evaluation unlocked.
---
Tobi trained with singular purpose. While the others played crossbar challenges and trick shot contests, he stayed after hours perfecting one-touch passes, long-range through balls, and defensive tracking drills.
At night, his notebook filled with detailed notes:
Porto's Academy Scout: Miguel Barreto
Known to favor intelligent midfielders with leadership skills.
Sporting's Scout: Catarina Silva
Interested in versatility. Likes players who can switch roles mid-match.
Braga's Scout: Rui Carvalho
Prefers aggressive talents. Loves flashy, confident players.
He needed to appeal to at least one of them. But Tobi wasn't planning to rely on luck. He had a System now. And he'd weaponize it.
---
Match Day: Regional Youth Tournament – Group Stage 1
São Vicente's first match was against Colégio Alfama, a private academy team that regularly produced top-tier players. Most thought the match was over before it began.
But Tobi walked onto the pitch like a general entering a battlefield.
---
> Match Detected: Tournament Environment
Skill Boosts Engaged
Insight Vision: ON
Clean Strike: Ready
Focus Flame: 50% Efficiency
---
The first half was intense.
Alfama's midfield pressed high, forcing São Vicente to panic. João, trying to impress, kept dribbling into traffic and losing possession. Tobi gritted his teeth. He had to take control.
In the 24th minute, he called for the ball from deep midfield.
"Give it," he shouted.
João hesitated—but passed.
What happened next changed everything.
Tobi turned, surveyed the field with Insight Vision, and saw a flicker—his left winger making a diagonal run behind the defense.
> Advanced Pass Calculated. Success Chance: 84%.
He chipped a through ball over two defenders.
Perfect. The winger volleyed it first time into the net.
1–0.
And just like that, the scouts scribbled their first note:
> #8 – Oliveira – excellent spatial awareness. Calm under pressure.
---
The second half saw Tobi take full command.
He won tackles, calmed the tempo, and created three more chances. João finally stopped forcing plays and started following Tobi's lead. The team moved like a unit.
Final score: 3–1 victory.
---
System Update:
> XP Gained: +80
Level Up! Level 4 Achieved
+5 Skill Points
+1 Passing, +1 Vision
New Trait: "Playmaker's Aura" – Teammates within 10m receive +5% pass accuracy.
Reputation: +15 (Local), +2 (National)
---
Post-Match
Backstage, near the parking lot, Tobi spotted a woman in a dark green blazer.
Catarina Silva. Sporting's scout.
She didn't speak to him. Not yet. But she watched him walk by, her gaze evaluating, precise.
Another man leaned against a car, arms crossed.
"Oliveira," he said flatly. "Didn't expect you to show brains on top of flair."
Miguel Barreto. Porto's man.
Tobi didn't flinch. "That's the difference between this Tobi and the old one."
Barreto raised an eyebrow. "Keep this up. You might just earn a trial."
And with that, he got in his car and left.
---
The Twist
That evening, Coach Farinha called the team into the locker room.
"We have a situation," he said. "One of the wild card teams had to drop out. The tournament committee brought in a replacement."
He paused.
"They're calling them Os Lobos Negros—The Black Wolves. A private youth academy from the north. And their captain?"
He turned, eyes sharp.
"Tomas Leal."
The room went silent.
Tobi's stomach dropped.
Tomas Leal. He remembered that name from his past life. A future national team golden boy. Aggressive. Gifted. Ruthless.
Tobi had faced him once in a junior final… and lost 4–0.
Tomas had destroyed him—mentally and physically.
---
> System Alert: High-Risk Encounter Detected.
Rival Identified: Tomas Leal – Youth Wonderkid
Age: 16
Position: CM
Traits: "Iron Will," "Eagle Vision," "Aggressive Instincts"
> Special Condition Activated: Rival Duel
Objective: Outperform Tomas in key stats (Pass Accuracy, Impact, Influence)
Reward: +2 Permanent Mentality, unlock "Rival Tracker"
Failure: -10 Reputation (National), +5 Anxiety
---
Tobi sat on the bench after training that night, staring at the stars again.
This was it.
This was the real test.
He could beat Alfama. He could impress scouts.
But to change fate, to really rewrite his future—he had to defeat Tomas Leal.
Not just on the scoreboard.
But on every level.
--