Ian made the first touch, passing the ball to Kelvin, who received it with the sole of his right foot. Unhurried, he began to dribble the ball as if dancing in the middle of the court, each step calm. Ian, meanwhile, moved to the right, pulling the marking and creating space for his teammate.
Elias quickly advanced, positioning himself face to face with Kelvin, his gaze fixed and challenging.
"I saw your dribbles in the match, but don’t think I’ll fall for them", he said, with a teasing tone.
Kelvin smiled, half amused, half confident.
"Good to know you’re watching my games. I’ll autograph for you later."
[Skill Activated: Instinctive Dribble]
With the ball glued to his foot, Kelvin started to toy with him, leading the opponent back and forth, forcing Elias to take a few steps back, trying to lose his position.
"You’re pretty arrogant for a freshman", Elias shot back, trying to hide his insecurity.
Suddenly, Elias feigned retreat, lunging at the ball as if to take control or steal it. But Kelvin had already anticipated the move — the system showed the prediction in every detail. At the exact moment, he softly tapped the ball over Elias’s head, who stretched desperately to reach it, but in vain.
Kelvin sprinted, regained control, and saw a great opportunity. Bruno, Elias’s partner, was charging toward him, trying to close down the play. Without hesitation, Kelvin made a quick move: he faked a shot with his right foot, making Bruno lose his balance and take a false step. The goal was wide open in the right corner, exposed by Bruno’s rushed approach.
Calmly, Kelvin adjusted the ball and shot firmly, low, and precise.
The gym exploded in murmurs and restrained applause as Kelvin lifted his head, letting out a sigh.
Ian saw the goal and flashed a quick smile.
"Nice one, Kelvin! Just keep it up till the end."
Elias received the ball at midcourt, looking at Kelvin with a face that wanted immediate revenge.
"You won’t escape that easily", he growled, starting to advance.
Bruno followed closely, ready to block any space.
Outside, Kazana bit his fingertip, his eyes glued to the court.
"He’s doing pretty well, huh? Kelvin’s on fire today."
"Nah, he’s not all that", Kazana replied, visibly jealous.
Ian tracked Elias, positioning himself to cut a possible pass.
Kelvin stood still, watching the opponent’s movement, preparing for the counterattack.
"Elias is going to try to open the game", Kazana said excitedly. "If Ian can hold him, we can recover easily."
"Ian won’t let that slide. And Kelvin already showed he knows how to decide."
Elias opened to the right and quickly crossed the ball to Bruno, who sped up along the sideline.
Ian ran to block the cross.
Kelvin positioned himself near the goal, ready for a possible rebound.
Bruno pushed forward on the right, carrying the ball strongly. Ian stepped in front, trying to block, but Bruno made a quick dribble and passed him.
"See that?", Kazana commented, excited. "Bruno is crazy fast!"
"Ian can’t slip", Dante replied, focused.
Bruno crossed to Elias, who was in the box, but Kelvin anticipated and cut the pass, recovering possession.
The ball dropped cleanly at Kelvin’s feet. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
He looked ahead, seeing the goal wide open.
Without hesitation, he started running with the ball fully glued to his foot.
The crowd in the stands stood up in anticipation.
"Go, Kelvin!", shouted Dante, jumping.
"Hmm", added Kazana, trying to hide his excitement.
As he ran, Kelvin noticed something. His body was responding in a way he had never felt before.
"If it weren’t for the system, I wouldn’t have the energy for this", he thought, feeling his muscles flow with almost supernatural strength.
He accelerated, while Bruno chased from behind but couldn’t keep up and fell behind.
Near the box, he made a sharp cut to the right.
The goalkeeper came out trying to close the angle.
Kelvin shot hard to the right corner.
The crowd exploded with applause and cheers.
Ian ran to Kelvin, giving him a slap on the back.
"That’s what I call a decision!"
Kazana clapped along with Dante.
"Maybe... he’s good, but just maybe", Kazana said, trying to hide his emotion.
Bruno picked up the ball at midfield after the goal. With steady running, he advanced pulling Elias along, trying to use the momentum to score quickly.
"Now it’s our turn", murmured Elias, focused.
Ian and Kelvin retreated a little, positioning themselves for defense.
Bruno made a short pass to Elias, who cut inside, dribbling Ian with an agile touch.
"Take that!", shouted Kazana, eyes fixed on the court.
"Elias is really good. They’re going all out now."
Elias accelerated, invading the box, passing Kelvin in a burst that almost caught the team by surprise.
Ian ran to close the gap, but Elias fired a low shot to the left corner.
"Goal!", shouted the opposing crowd.
Kazana clenched his fists, between frustrated and excited.
"We can’t let them breathe. If we slip now... it’ll be tough."
Kazana nodded, biting his lip.
"We need to pressure now. No space."
Kelvin took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the game.
"Now’s when we show who’s boss."
The match restarted, tension cutting through the air as the pairs prepared for the next move.
"Kelvin, I’m going to send you the most precise pass of my life. I don’t like losing."
Kelvin nodded, passing to Ian, who noticed his friend was very serious — he’d never seen him before.
Ian, with a quick glance, launched a precise curved pass, cutting through the marking, straight to Kelvin. The ball seemed to stick to his foot when he received it with a light touch. But the ball came at such speed that neither the defenders nor Kelvin himself could keep up — only the system could.
[Skill Activated: Offensive Instinct]
Kelvin sped up, his body flowing almost on its own, as if every muscle knew exactly what to do. He ran toward the goal, feeling his heart pounding.
"Go, Kelvin!", shouted Dante, standing and cheering.
Kazana remained still for a moment, looking serious, then let out a sigh, almost involuntarily.
"Hmph. If he doesn’t slip up, he might even score. But that doesn’t mean he’s better than me", he said, avoiding direct eye contact with Kelvin.
A few meters from the box, Kelvin made a quick cut to the left, tricking Bruno who was closing the angle.
The goalkeeper came out trying to reduce the space, but Kelvin didn’t hesitate. With a firm shot, he placed the ball in the left corner of the goal.
The crowd split between applause and surprised gasps.
Ian smiled wide and gave Kelvin a strong slap on the back.
"That’s how you play!"
Kazana clapped quickly, his expression hard to read.
"Okay, that was a good play. But he won’t be that accurate every time", he said, crossing his arms.
Dante laughed and nudged Kazana’s shoulder.
"Come on, Kazana. Today’s his day. Just accept it."
Kelvin took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline rise.
"We’re going all the way", he said, eyes steady on the field.