Ethan felt it before anyone said anything.
The way the space closed quicker.
The way tackles arrived half a second earlier.
The way his name was spoken on the pitch — not shouted, but warned.
"Watch eight."
That was new.
The first sign came at home against Barnsley. A mid-table side, organised, aggressive. Nothing special on paper. Ten minutes in, Ethan received the ball between the lines and turned.
A body hit him immediately.
Hard.
He stayed upright, released the pass, kept moving — but when he glanced up, two Barnsley midfielders were already shifting toward him again.
They weren't reacting.
They were anticipating.
The system logged it without delay.
[Opposition Focus: Confirmed]
Player Marking Priority: High
So it had started.
The game itself was scrappy. Fouls. Broken rhythm. Barnsley tried to suffocate the centre of the pitch, force Orient wide, disrupt tempo. Ethan adapted on instinct, drifting deeper, dragging markers out, opening lanes for others.
He didn't dominate the ball.
He dominated decisions.
Orient won 2–0. Ethan didn't score or assist. But he walked off to a quiet applause that carried weight.
In the tunnel, one of the analysts caught up to him.
"Did you notice their six?" he asked.
Ethan nodded. "He didn't leave me."
The analyst smiled. "Exactly."
The following week brought confirmation — not official, but undeniable.
Tuesday morning training. Short-sided game. High intensity.
Ethan split the press with a first-time pass that cut straight through midfield. The move ended in a goal. Whistle blew.
Danny Webb called everyone in.
"Reset," he said, then looked directly at Ethan. "Do that again."
The staff were testing him now.
Not to see if he could repeat it —
but whether he could handle being expected to.
The system updated mid-session.
[Expectation Load Increased]
Cognitive Demand: Elevated
Pressure had changed shape.
That weekend's match was televised.
Early kickoff. Cameras everywhere. Commentary louder than usual. Ethan felt it during warm-up — the unfamiliar awareness that every movement might be clipped, replayed, judged.
He started cautiously.
Too cautiously.
In the seventeenth minute, he played a safe pass when there was space to turn. The move fizzled out. Crowd murmured.
The system flashed briefly.
[Opportunity Missed]
He didn't let it linger.
Ten minutes later, Ethan received the ball again, this time under tighter pressure. He scanned once, twice, and turned sharply, driving forward before releasing a perfectly timed through ball.
Assist.
The commentator's voice lifted.
"Smart play from the youngster again."
Youngster.
Ethan almost smiled.
Orient won 3–1.
After the match, as players cooled down, Wellens pulled him aside near the dugout.
"You're not anonymous anymore," he said quietly. "Get used to it."
That night, Ethan's phone buzzed again.
A message from Jordan Graham.
"You know there were scouts tonight, right?"
Ethan stared at the screen.
"How many?" he typed back.
Jordan replied almost instantly.
"Enough."
The system didn't dramatise it.
[Live Observation Logged]
Source Level: Championship
Confidence Level: High
Ethan set the phone down slowly.
So this was the next step.
Not rumours.
Not data packets.
Eyes.
The following matches came thick and fast. Two games in six days. Heavy legs. He felt the grind now — not physically, but mentally. Every touch scrutinised. Every mistake magnified.
Against Oxford, he misplaced an early pass and heard it immediately from the stands.
Groans.
He responded the only way he knew how — by staying involved. Asking for the ball again. Making the next decision cleaner. Quicker.
The system tracked it.
[Resilience Check Passed]
Orient scraped a narrow win.
By the end of the month, the shift was undeniable.
Opposition analysts planned for him. Teammates deferred to him. Media asked his name more often. Not in headlines — but in conversations.
One evening, scrolling through his phone absentmindedly, Ethan came across a clip from a Championship-focused account.
"Keep an eye on this kid at Leyton Orient."
He didn't click it.
He didn't need to.
Later that night, the system delivered its largest update yet.
[Development Block Complete]
Decision Making +2.9
Composure +1.8
Vision +1.4
Consistency +1.2
Status Update:
League Recognition: Active
External Monitoring: Sustained
Transfer Interest Probability: Rising
One final line appeared, quieter than the rest.
[Next Exposure Event: High-Stakes Fixture]
Ethan lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He wasn't dreaming anymore.
He was being evaluated.
And somewhere, someone had started asking a simple question.
How long can they keep him?
Player Development Snapshot (Post-Chapter 15)
Name: Ethan Cole
Age: 18
Nationality: English
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Preferred Foot: Right
Club: Leyton Orient
Competition: EFL League One
Squad Status: First XI Lock
Primary Role: Hybrid Attacking Midfielder (Right Interior)
Technical
Ball Control: 66.3
Dribbling: 67.0
Short Passing: 68.9
Vision: 71.7
Finishing: 63.1
Physical
Pace: 72.0
Acceleration: 70.0
Stamina: 75.8
Mental / Tactical
Composure: 80.1
Decision Making: 79.1
Consistency: 79.2
Work Rate: 78.0
Mental Resilience: 85.0
Recognition Level: League One (High)
External Interest: Championship (Active)
END OF CHAPTER 15
Author's Comment
The moment you get watched is the moment the game changes.
Talent gets you minutes.
Consistency gets you trusted.
But attention?
Attention decides what happens next.