Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Lucas stood still, speechless. Lucy's confession had caught him completely off guard, not because he couldn't understand how she felt, he wasn't an idiot. Lucas knew there was a reason for her to stare at him during class and also to go to all his games. However, he had never thought that she would actually act to express it. His thoughts began to revolve around the complexity of the situation.

He looked at Lucy, who was waiting anxiously for an answer, but his mind was far away. Although he had the body of a young man, he knew that mentally he was 30.

It was as if there was an invisible wall between him and that moment, something he didn't know how to cross and whether he should.

Lucy was an incredible girl. He knew that from the start. She was funny, talented, dedicated, and had a sparkle in her eyes that seemed to light up any room she entered. He felt good around her, but this statement put everything in a different context. Now he had to deal with a moral and emotional issue that he had chosen to ignore until now.

As he reflected, images of his past life began to appear in his mind. He remembered his life in Tokyo, the lonely nights after giving up on his soccer dream, the relationships that never worked out because he was always chasing something that never came.

That life was marked by monotony and regret. Now he had a young girl proposing to him, but how far could he go with that? And how could he do it without hurting Lucy, who was just a girl trying to figure out her own feelings?

"Lucy..." He looked away to the garden, as if searching the plants for an answer he didn't have. "I can't give you an answer right now."

Lucy blinked, surprised by his answer, but blushed and smiled all the same. "All right, I know it was sudden, but I had to say it. I didn't want to keep it to myself and pretend everything was normal."

Lucas gave a slight smile. "I appreciate your sincerity. I really do. And... don't get me wrong, but I need some time to process this. Not because I don't like you. On the contrary. You're one of the most incredible people I've ever met. But sometimes the timing is just as important as the feelings."

Lucy lowered her head, clearly trying to contain a wave of emotion. "Do you think that was a mistake?"

"No, never. I just... I need to make sure that what I do won't hurt you. Because I care a lot about you, Lucy. We're good friends. And you deserve more than any response that comes from impulse or doubt."

She looked up at him, and although she still seemed shaken, she also seemed pleased somehow. "You always overthink things too, don't you?"

Lucas laughed nervously. "You too?"

"I thought a lot before I had the courage to do that." She said, looking Lucas straight in the eye.

They sat in silence for a while, the cold wind caressing the garden. Finally, Lucy sighed and smiled, albeit slightly.

"Thank you for being honest with me."

Lucas took a deep breath, feeling relief mixed with a weight that still hung over him. He knew it wasn't over. "Do you want to stay here a bit longer? Or do you want me to take you to the station?"

Lucy shook her head, pointing to the horizon, where the sun was almost gone. "Let's stay a bit longer. I like it here. And for now, I think that's enough."

Lucas nodded, taking a seat next to her in one of the flowerbeds. They watched the sunset, each immersed in their own thoughts, but somehow comforted by each other's presence.

For Lucas, that moment was further proof that his new lease of life came with challenges he had never imagined facing, but which he knew he had a responsibility to handle with care.

-:-

*BOOOM!*

A deafening impact echoed across the pitch.

The ball came off Lucas's right foot with extraordinary force, like a cannon shot.

Anton didn't even have time to react. The ball crossed the goal line in the blink of an eye, hitting the net violently, shaking it as if it were made of paper.

The whole pitch stopped for an instant.

"What the fuck was that?!" Anton exclaimed, stunned, looking at the ball as if it were a dangerous weapon.

Alex, who was watching from outside, put his hands to his head. "Lucas! What was that shot, man? Were you trying to kill Anton or the goal?"

The surrounding players started laughing and commenting among themselves.

"Bro, what were you doing? Two meters from the goal line? Why did you kick so hard?" Miguel asked.

Two days had passed since the moment in the winter garden. Lucas had tried to stay focused on his routine, but Lucy's confession was still on his mind. Her words, her intense gaze, the weight of that exchange of glances, everything seemed like a piece of an emotional puzzle that he didn't know how to put together.

Now he was back at Brighton's training ground, immersed in his new reality. Assistant coach Eddie had scheduled a light training session for the first team and the reserves, because they had a game the next day.

The focus was on finishing, and Lucas, as always, gave himself completely to the work. Perhaps even more willingly than usual. After that shot, Lucas scratched the back of his head, trying to look nonchalant, and with an awkward smile. E

"Sorry about that, Anton," said Lucas as he backed away from his team.

Assistant coach Eddie watched from afar, jotting something down on his clipboard. He was quieter than he usually was when he was a coach.

Jimenez had decided to spare Arthur, Miguel, and Raphael for the next game, because they were usually key players in attack and were tired after so many games in a row. As a result, he could test the formation with Willian and Lucas in attack.

The new line-up for the next game looks like this:

Goalkeeper: Mark (Anton was also spared as a precaution).

Defense: Aidan at left-back, Kevin, Daniel Riber and Luiz Fernando at center-back, and Loki at right-back. The full-backs would be more advanced.

Midfield: Felix as a midfielder, Javier and Hillebrand in creative roles.

Attack: Willian and Lucas as the attacking duo.

So Eddie followed every detail of the interaction between Willian and Lucas in this training match, as Jimenez was busy with some routine medical examinations.
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In the first few minutes of the tactical training session, it was clear that the pair had potential. Lucas was agile, looking for space and creating chances with quick passes. Willian, on the other hand, knew exactly how to position himself to receive balls and finish, and was also very agile.

At one point, Lucas picked up the ball in midfield and accelerated, leaving two defenders behind with an impressive change of direction. He saw Willian running diagonally and made a millimetre pass, which Willian completed with a first touch, sending the ball into the back of the net.

"That's it!" shouted Willian, pointing at Lucas. "That's how it's done!"

Alex nodded in approval and clapped his hands. "Good play, but do more triangulations with Hillebrand. Don't just use direct passes. I want to see movement without the ball!"

Lucas was starting to feel more comfortable in attack again, but he couldn't deny that he was still adjusting after playing so many games in midfield.

By the end of the training session, he was panting heavily. As he was collecting his things, Willian approached him and patted him on the back.

"Hey, Lucas, let's score at least one goal each tomorrow."

Lucas laughed, nodding at him. The relationship between Willian and him was no longer as tense as it used to be, largely because Willian didn't play good matches whenever he had the chance and so his ego wasn't as big as it used to be.

Eddie gathered the team together at the end of training and reinforced the strategy:

"Guys, tomorrow we're going to play with a slightly different formation. I want to see this new dynamic in action. Willian and Lucas, the attack is yours. Trust in the construction of the middle and make every opportunity count. Hillebrand, it will be a new challenge for you in midfield. Today you did as well as you could, but tomorrow you need to be more focused at the back. The idea is to find new rhythms, strategies and test limits."

The team nodded, and Lucas felt the pressure mounting. Tomorrow would be the time to prove that he could shine in any position - and perhaps leave a mark that could further influence his future at Brighton.

The next game was against Wolverhampton FC in Wolverhampton City, which was almost four hours away from Brighton, so they would have to leave in the morning. A part of him wanted this game to be at home, so that he could receive Lucy's support. This feeling took him by surprise, because he had never realized that he felt this way.