On the first day of the Copa Escolar tournament, Diego woke up very early at dawn. He was so excited, the energy eventually turned into anxiety, his heart drumming.
Diego imagined himself on the field's grounds already, playing the ball in front of hundreds in attendance. He imagined winning. He imagined stunning everyone and winning the tournament's MVP award.
Rolling out of bed, Diego prepared for the day, imagining his friends doing the same.
By the time he was ready for breakfast and about to leave, he wasn't the only one awake. Mrs. Montoya was already in the kitchen, taking advantage of the cool summer morning to bake.
Diego's father, too, was awake, seated on a cushion in the living room, and reading yesterday's papers.
In fact, everyone was awake by now, though they remained in their rooms. Movement and muffles could be heard from the girls' rooms, including laughter and audio from Mercedes's specifically.
As Diego greeted his parents, he was happy to know that no one in the family was absent, meaning they would all be at the match today, as father and mother had promised.
Mrs. Montoya gently shooed Diego toward the dining area after his greetings. "This is more than a balanced diet, Diego. This is fertilizer for you," she said, serving her son a great meal.
Diego ate with a large appetite, and his parents watched him as if it were a show. His happiness was evident and bright. Even Mr. Montoya had to smile softly in admiration.
They were proud of him. As the only son of the family, they would support him in this young adventure, the same way every other parent in this community supported their boy child into football.
Diego's parents decided it was high time they pardoned the tragedy of Aaron from their lives.
After breakfast, Diego left the house with his backpack, waving them goodbye. While he mounted his bicycle, the supplies in his bag clinked until his feet took control of the pedals.
As he cruised down the road to the community field, he envisioned victory for his school with him as the indisputable center of success.
Diego felt like he was growing little by little. Subtle points from Damian's progress and steady EXP from his Daily Quests were all adding up.
'Today, I won't just participate,' he said. 'I will matter.'
[Subject: Damian]
[Physicality: 0.073%]
[You receive: 0.73% Physicality increase]
[Balance: 25>>26]
[Strength: 23>>24]
[Ding!]
[You have been assigned Daily Quest: Deliver at least one long cross (20m) into the opponent's box]
[Rewards: 3500 EXP and
This was the first Daily Quest Diego had been assigned with an additional reward other than just experience points. This made him determined to complete the quest and acquire the skill.
But the task itself… a long cross into the box? Diego wasn't even sure he had that kind of delivery in him.
He checked his profile panel, but he didn't see any "Crossing" attribute anywhere under Technicality. Because of this, the quest felt mysterious, but he decided he'd accomplish it nevertheless.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The community field was divided into two halves: the left side belonged to the red and grey team, while the right was occupied by the yellow and green.
Colegio San Gregorio, Diego's school, was team red. Their opponents were Colegio de Vega, a known school.
All players and their coaches gathered early, drilling, while people of the community filled the bleachers.
In the middle of this, Coach De clapped his hands for his team's call-in. When they gathered, he introduced them to two other men who would serve as their additional managers. This excited the boys. It made them feel professional.
One of these new coaches took the responsibility of simplification. He ought to tell the boys the rules of the tournament and its structure.
The Copa Escolar featured only sixteen schools divided into four groups of four. They played group-stage matches for two teams from every group to advance and form an eight-team knockout bracket.
The game time was 40 minutes, and seven substitutions were allowed per match.
These were obsolete football rules that Diego had no difficulty understanding in this modern era.
Jogging to the bench, he knew he wouldn't start the match with or without the lineup list. His school's starting eleven was uncontested, and Coach De liked predictability.
In the bleachers, Mrs. Montoya released Olalla, who skipped the stairs and ran across the buffer area toward San Gregorio's bench. There, she leapt on Diego's back, hugging him tightly.
Diego was happy for the family support. He promised himself he'd make every minute count once he got subbed in.
~~~~~~~
3–1
'Unbelievable! We're winning big!' Diego exclaimed in his mind as he was finally subbed in.
San Gregorio were schooling de Vega in the opening match of the Copa Escolar. The gap in skill and composure was very large. Coach De could have come in with a weaker starting XI and still dominated.
Subbed in with ten minutes to go, Diego was certain this was their tournament to take.
"Coach said keep it forward," Ruben, their captain, told Diego as he filled in the vacant left-back position. San Gregorio was going for more goals with the plan of padding their advantage for goal difference on the group table. If Diego was going to shine today, this was a perfect setup to help him.
Pheee!
From his angle, the dusty field stretched wide, and Diego centered himself. The more the ball went deep in the rivals' half, the more he gravitated to the center, searching for a rebound to help with. The forward in his position was a lanky boy with a mullet. He hadn't had any luck since today with the last LB, nor would he with this new one.
[Positioning: 21]
[Awareness: 21]
'Hopefully, the more I practice in-game, I can make progress outside of actual training,' Diego thought.
He began by shuffling through the wider gradient of the field, careful not to drift too far up or mess with his teammate's vision in the center, while jogging to the pace his team was pressing.
For more than five minutes, the ball was tangled around the center and de Vega's half. But then, an overcooked pass from Gregorio's RB to their AMF gave de Vega definite possession. Quickly, the yellow team pounced, forcing the drawn defenders to begin trotting backwards in panic.
Thwack!
The ball erratically left the foot of de Vega's DMF. As his team spread out, everyone shouting, his target was the mullet forward, who was making an offensive run past Diego the instant the pass was released.
"Yes!" the forward shouted, his long legs stretching out. But Diego had positioned well. Flinging his foot, he intercepted the ball so hard that he hurt his toe, while the ball deflected upward.
"WOOOOOOOHHHH!"
For a moment, the field froze around the spinning ball, expecting a follow-up, but Kebehi blasted it out of play to get a recovery for his team.
Pheeee!
All defenders congratulated each other before rushing to mark rivals from their throw-in. San Gregorio defended again, Kebehi their best asset.
He saw Diego pointing forward while slipping into the wing, and the needed pass threaded through two yellow shirts.
"WOOOOOOOOHHH!"
'Control! Control! Control! Don't lose it!' Diego barked at his legs as he ran down the flank, the ball hopping ahead of him while agitated rivals gave chase, willing to do anything to end him.
From the center, striker Damian glanced wide. 'He could actually help here!' he thought as he jogged toward the box, matching Diego's run. Raising his hand, he yelled, "Diego!"
Thwack! FWOOOOSH!
'Just what I needed!' Damian grunted as he overpowered the defender manning him. Leaping into the air, he nodded the ball downward into the bottom corner of the net.
GOOOOOAAAAAALLLL! 4-1! San Gregorio Collegio is running a riot in the opening game of the Copa Escolar!
Diego couldn't believe it! They just added to the tally!
His first ever assist!
Red shirts flooded the left corner, arms wrapping around him as they celebrated.
[Quest Completed: Deliver at least one long cross (20m) into the opponent's box]
[You have received: 3500 EXP and
[System Lv. 1: 4200/1000]
'The new skill!' Diego exclaimed.
[Basic Long-Range: This standard skill lets the user kick the ball over long distances with better accuracy. 15% Accuracy. High Stamina Cost]