The morning was clear, almost suspiciously so.
Leon jogged out to the practice field early, hours before the team's scheduled drills. He'd woken from a dream he couldn't fully remember—just flickers of data, ghost-passes, and a voice he didn't recognize whispering: "Don't let it break you."
Whether it was from Zane's echo or just his nerves, he couldn't say.
But something in him had shifted again.
Player: Leon Vale
Level: 2
EXP: 151 / 200
Skill: Agile Step Lv. 1 – Progress: 12%
Stats:
Dribbling: 49
Passing: 57
Shooting: 42
Vision: 15
Mental: 43
Speed: 50
Stamina: 48
Active Systems:
– Minimap (Basic Mode)
– Agile Step Lv.1
– ZANE-003 Echo (Passive)
Leon started cone work. The moment he activated Agile Step's rhythm, the cuts came cleaner. Flow Assist responded like second nature now.
Then came the real test — sharp redirection into first-touch passes against a wall.
He rotated from cone to wall, moving like water through wire.
Until he noticed her.
Leaning against the far gate, arms folded, watching.
He didn't recognize her — not fully. But her presence wasn't unfamiliar either. Maybe a few shared classes? She had tied-back dark hair, sharp features, and an air of focus that reminded him of Coach Davor in study mode.
She didn't wave. Just kept watching.
Leon didn't ask why.
He kept moving.
Later – Team Session
Coach Davor split the team into tactical squads. Kael and Leon ended up on the same side again, and this time, no one protested. That in itself was a shift.
The coach stood by the edge, clipboard in hand but eyes glued to the field.
The scrimmage kicked off — quick transitions, man-marking drills, counter-scenario resets.
Leon's minimap pulsed every few seconds — slow, just enough to map local proximity. He trusted it in the tighter plays, often catching defenders just before pressure peaked.
In one sequence, he received a pass from Theo with a Ridgegate-style press coming from two angles.
Minimap blinked red.
Agile Step fired.
Leon spun outward, let the momentum roll into a light tap through the legs of the oncoming defender — a nutmeg. Then he pivoted and found Kael sprinting left.
A quick pass, and Kael thundered it into the net.
Even Kael looked a little stunned.
Coach said nothing. But he was writing something now.
+9 EXP (Movement Integration)
+2% Agile Step Progress
+1 Vision
EXP: 160 / 200
Agile Step Lv.1: 14%
During the water break, Kael walked past Leon, flipping his bottle open with a smirk.
"That was clean," he said. "You're not just reacting anymore."
Leon took a breath. "Neither are you."
Kael snorted. "Weird, huh? I think I prefer you like this."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Unpredictable. Sharp. Still slow on the shot, though."
Leon chuckled. "Give it time."
Kael gave a nod that was almost friendly. Almost.
Later – Study Hall
Leon walked into the academic wing with damp hair and his boots still clutched under one arm. He wasn't in the mood for schoolwork — but the academy didn't care about moods.
As he slid into the back row, he noticed the same girl from the field seated two rows up.
She hadn't changed much — same calm posture, same focused stare.
The instructor handed out printed diagrams of tactical formations. Most students groaned.
Leon didn't mind.
His mind, however, flickered elsewhere.
PlaySight Notification:
"Mental Pattern Recognition Opportunity Detected."
Would you like to sync tactical analysis overlays to classroom visuals?
He hesitated.
"...No," he whispered.
He didn't want the system thinking for him right now. He wanted to learn this with his own eyes.
After class, as he packed up, he caught her gaze for a second.
She tilted her head slightly. Then walked past him — leaving behind the scent of eucalyptus and turf.
No name.
No words.
Just an impression.
But it lingered.
Night – Dorm Room
Leon sat at the edge of his bed, watching old match footage. Not academy footage — not even Ridgegate.
It was Zane.
Or what was left of him.
The footage was warped — overlays tangled, prediction paths looping too far. In one clip, Zane made a brilliant pass into space. But the replay showed it wasn't genius.
It was PlaySight doing the thinking.
That was the difference.
Leon didn't want to rely on the system.
He wanted to become someone the system assisted, not replaced.
He looked down at his display again.
Player: Leon Vale
Level: 2
EXP: 160 / 200
Skill: Agile Step Lv. 1 – Progress: 14%
Stats:
Dribbling: 49
Passing: 57
Shooting: 42
Vision: 16 (+1)
Mental: 43
Speed: 50
Stamina: 48
Minimap: Basic Mode
Tactical Mode: Locked
Mental Required: 50
A blinking prompt waited under "Legacy Echo."
ZANE-003 Data Drift Detected.
Replay fragments suggest residual pathing prediction is slightly misaligned.
Adjust sync?
Leon selected: Ignore.
Final Scene – Davor's Office
Coach Davor leaned back in his chair, reviewing footage from the past week.
Leon's dribbles. His sudden improvements. The clean movement shifts.
The system's influence wasn't confirmed — but something was happening. Davor had seen it before, years ago, when Zane had lit up the same field.
And then collapsed.
Davor's phone buzzed.
A message from the academy's analysis department.
"Player: Leon Vale
Subject of Inquiry: Self-paced development anomalies
Motion metrics suggest deviation from natural growth curve."
Coach stared at it for a moment.
Then deleted the message.
"I'll figure it out myself," he muttered.
And behind his quiet resolve, a mix of caution… and hope.