~EIGHT MONTHS LATER. July, 2023.
2 PM.
As the bell rang for dismissal, low murmurs rose from the classrooms until the entire school became noisy.
Within minutes, dozens of pupils flooded out the front doors excitedly. Diego was among them.
Dressed in a grey shirt with red sleeves and baggy blue jeans, the boy was unnoticeable in the homogeneous crowd.
Now ten years old, Diego was in fourth grade, a pupil of Colegio San Gregorio.
Because of his awakening, he was often slow to grasp academic lessons, leaving him more dull than the original vessel was.
It would take at least half a decade before his brain could adjust to this generation's caliber.
But truth be told, academics were the least of Diego's concerns when he had the GOAT system.
Many football players have minimal formal education, and they performed well. In fact, it was considered smart to de-emphasize education and prioritize football success above all else.
There were exceptions, but Diego decided to ignore that fact, just to keep his confidence intact over his scholastic shortcomings.
"BYE! Bye! DIEGO!"
Diego waved back cringingly to the girl who called out to him as she jogged toward a waiting car.
Her name was Matilde, and she was the only girl in school who treated him like a normal human being instead of a class clown like the others did.
Lacking the memories of this body's past, Diego couldn't figure out what strange history had led to their friendship, but he wasn't about to question the one person who actually liked him.
As he walked through the side of the school's refectorium, Diego leapt over the back quad once the field came in sight.
Under the 2 PM Sun, a few boys were already out there juggling a worn-out Mitre.
Summer was here, the best season to foot a ball.
Summer break was around the corner too, and with it came the school's annual Copa Escolar, a tournament that gathered football teams from several schools around the San Blas–Salamanca district.
Diego was old enough to participate last year, but his head injury had limited him.
This year, he was determined to begin etching his name in football.
Mark the day! July 2023!
Coach De had said he would be giving everyone a chance to participate, but he'd also weed out the weaker players during the first two weeks to form a strong representative squad for the main tournament.
Diego was sure he would be selected.
As he promised, he'd been very diligent with the system, completing daily quests and missions with religious devotion.
The growth so far was really small. There had been no increase in his OVR or any attribute specifically.
Instead of actual attribute increments, Diego had only been given Exp as rewards so far.
He was disappointed but not discouraged. At least the experience points were explained to be very useful too.
Dropping his bag by the bleachers, Diego brought out his Barcelona jersey, a 2014 Neymar Jr model. He also fetched Aaron's lime-green cleats.
Seconds later, he jogged toward Coach De, silent amid the countless boys already gathered beneath a cantilever shade.
Coach De seemed to favor and act more cordially with the boys he was more familiar with.
Damian was one of those boys.
And why wouldn't he be? Damian was a star, a young baller who never failed to score in any inter-class game.
Diego disliked him, and he had good reason to. The eleven-year-old and his notorious clique were the ones who had attacked him last year with their bikes.
Since there were no witnesses, Diego's accusations were weak, and the boys had walked away scot-free.
Now, despite Diego's full recovery, he was still considered incompetent to compete because of the injury.
"Coach De! Why didn't you choose Diego!" Damian boomed mischievously.
The P.E. teacher had just finished giving them a lecture on discipline and honor regarding the upcoming school tournament.
A rundown of activities for the day was also revised, followed by the listing of the afternoon's play.
Home & Away, a total of 22 pupils would face themselves.
As usual, the names of the remarkable young ballers were there, except for a few like… little Montoya.
While the other boys were laughing, Coach De looked at Diego neutrally.
"Diego recovered from a head injury," he reminded the bunch. " He will have minimal playing time, as I've said before."
"Oh, come on, Coach! You should let him play! It's been more than a year. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Another little bump on the head? And second, it'll be fun for team morale! We all need someone to practice passing accuracy on."
Diego was frowning at Damian's feigned sympathy. It was another mockery, and he knew it.
But somehow, his enemy's sarcasm had worked in his favor. Coach De was convinced that the boy wasn't useless after all.
The arrangement was that Diego would be subbed in halfway through the second half. That was satisfactory for one day.
It was also generous since some other boys were left with nothing but spectator duties from kick-off to the final whistle.
When the match began, the edges of the field were crowded with other children, shouting and waving, and parents who came to watch their sons.
With girls present, Diego knew every boy would push himself to the limit for the admiration.
"Coach De? What position will you have me in?" Diego asked from the bench.
Coach De was a brawny man who had a daughter in the school. Because of this, he was very charming and charismatic to both kids and adults.
Diego had never seen him play a full match or do anything spectacular, but one afternoon, he'd stunned the entire school with two hundred keepie-uppies.
That alone assured them they had the right sports tutor.
"We'll see who's exhausted," De replied to Diego. "But don't expect upfield."
Exactly as Coach De said, Diego was called in to play, but because one of the centre-backs had to leave with his mother.
The match was fifteen minutes per half, which meant a 1:3 ratio to professional playtime. It also meant Diego stepped onto the field at '60, five minutes into the second half.
Ten minutes. That was all he had to make an impression.
But at CB, what could he possibly prove?
The scoreboard read 1–1 when Diego stepped onto the field, and of course, the opposing scorer was none other than Damian.
The undisputed striker flashed a taunting grin at Diego when he was walking into position.
'Haha. It's your responsibility to stop my train now!'
Since this was his first official match under the GOAT System, Diego thought he would be given some sort of analytical guidance, but he was left alone with the parched pitch.
"Focus," he muttered to himself at the sound of the whistle.
Luckily, the ball stayed mostly on the other side of the field, giving Diego a chance to settle into his position.
In his defensive spot, his only job was to remain vigilant and ready.
"Pssssst," whispered his fellow defender at some point. "You're not strong enough to hold the center here. Swap with Kebehi on the wing."
Kebehi, an 11-year-old of average height, was definitely more physically capable than Diego.
When the suggestion was made, neither boy hesitated; they were smart to switch positions immediately.
At least, Diego's smaller legs could carry him swiftly along the flank. He could be bulldozed by Damian and Ruben if he remained a sweeper.
Not long after the switch, the ball shifted back toward the other side of the field.
Damian's team launched a concerning charge. The boys played too well for ten-year-olds!
"Trap offside! Trap offside!"
Kebehi whispered this order when the charge started from the opposite penalty area.
Diego knew exactly what an offside was, of course.
But the 1986 offside rules were nothing like this modern interpretation.
Modern offside was… a lot stricter.
Even if this was just a school match, the children had so much knowledge that they understood offside dynamics, which, back in Pele and Maradona's time, would have been overlooked.
Instead of catching Damian offside, Diego put him onside.
As Ruben launched a lob above their heads, the defenders knew they were done for since no whistle signaled an offside.
Thum! Thum! Thum!
The leather ball rolled toward their corner, and Damian sprinted after it.
"Ah! I hate stupid teammates!" Diego heard someone yell, and guilt immediately washed over him.
Determined to make up for his blunder, he chased the school's best player with his smaller legs.
[Pace: 27]
Skrrshhh!
Sliding, Diego's lime-green boots came in between Damian's black cleats.
"Hargh!"
He fiercely displaced the ball, and the rest of the tackle sent Damian tumbling down.
Damian tried to sell an injury for a set piece, but it was obviously a clean tackle. Everyone saw it, and they were cheering.
[Tackling: 20]
"Good one, Diego."
"Nice."
Diego beamed as his teammates acknowledged his defense.
Looking around to reorient himself, he got to his feet, ready for the corner kick.
Damian was still on the ground, so Diego lent a hand to help him up.
"I didn't know you had it in you. You're trying to play dangerously, huh?" his rival said.
The moment Damian's palm met his, Diego was blinded by a system notification.
[10x Bind Successful!]
[Subject: Damian Bernárdez| Club: ???]