Silence fell for a moment, broken only by the heavy breathing of the children. The teacher cleared his throat and then announced solemnly:
— Here is the summary of the match.
Total goals scored: 20.
Top scorers of the match:
Sabiti: 7 goals
Abdul: 5 goals
Tesuka: 2 goals
N'golo: 2 goals
Djibou: 2 goals
Elisée: 1 goal
Kali: 1 goal
Top assist providers:
Tesuka: 7 assists
Elisée: 3 assists
Sabiti: 2 assists
Abdul: 1 assist
N'golo: 1 assist
The teacher added with a smile:
— Those in third year who heard their names will receive +3 points in PE. As for the others, I'll explain later.
Now go wash up. Head to the toilets, dry off, and get ready to return to class.
The children were exhausted. Even Tesuka wasn't spared, except for Sabiti, who had played for less time.
Just as the students were about to leave, the teacher called out:
— Tesuka, come here for a moment.
The boy approached, surprised. The teacher observed him briefly, then asked:
— Your name is Tesuka, right?
— Yes, he replied calmly.
— I'd like to recruit you into my U9 team.
— What team? Tesuka asked, intrigued.
— PVP FC of Buyenzi. I coach the U9 squad there. It's a very well-known team around here.
Tesuka's eyes lit up slightly. He knew that name well.
"My old team… How could I ever forget?"
In his past life, it was with that club that he had reached the semi-finals of the Primus League National Championship, which had led to him being scouted by Tanzania's Young FC. He nodded.
— I see.
— So, do you agree?
— Of course. I accept.
Emotion surged in his heart:
"I can't believe it… I'm joining one of the best youth academies in the country, right now. Back then, I only got in when I was thirteen…"
But suddenly, a question cut through his thoughts.
— You live with your parents, don't you? I'll need their permission.
"What?" Tesuka cried out internally.
"Both my father and mother were against me pursuing football… It was a miracle they let me play in my past life…"
The teacher frowned.
— Why the face?
— It's nothing, he answered with a slight smile.
— Where do you live?
— In Buyenzi, Avenue 21, house number X.
— Alright. I'll come by Saturday at 8 a.m. Let them know I'll be visiting.
— No problem. I will.
Tesuka bowed slightly, then slipped away to the restroom. There, alone in front of the foggy mirror, he murmured:
— Ball. Ball, Ball…
A familiar voice echoed in his head.
— I heard you, damn it. What do you want?
— Show me the hologram.
Ball responded:
— Okay boss, whatever you say.
---
Updating...
!!!
#ball
Name: Tesuka
Fate: footballer
Age: 6y
Position: in update
Overall stats attributes: in update
Stats:
Stamina (Rank F): 7/20
Speed (Rank F): 8/20
Control (Rank D-): 5/20
Dribble (Rank D-): influenced by skill moves in possession
Vision (Rank B+): 13/20
Shoot (Rank D-): 1/20
Reflex (Rank C-): 4/20
Mental (Rank A-): 1/20
Concentration (Rank C+): 18/20
Pass long (Rank C-): 2/20
Pass short (Rank B-): 3/20
Skills:
Flick over (Rank E+)
Fake shoot (Rank D)
Step over (Rank E-)
Cut (Rank D+)
Spin move (Rank C-)
Ultimate skill: Time regress
---
— What? Tesuka exclaimed.
— Ball, is this my reward?
— No, it's not, Ball replied. My program detected an anomaly. Your mind is infused with experience from your past life, but your six-year-old body can't keep up. For techniques, my system tried to restore the ones you once possessed, but they are degraded due to the physical limitations of your new body.
He added more technically:
— I'm also re-evaluating your position on the field, based on your performance during the match.
---
A few minutes later…
— Done. Update complete.
---
!!!
#ball
Name: Tesuka
Fate: footballer
Age: 6y
Position: Attacking midfielder
Overall stats attributes: D+
Stats:
Stamina (Rank F): 7/20
Speed (Rank F): 8/20
Control (Rank D- ⇒ D+): 5/20 ⇒ 16/20
Dribble (Rank D-)
Vision (Rank B+): 13/20 ⇒ 14/20
Shoot (Rank D- ⇒ D): 1/20 ⇒ 9/20
Reflex (Rank C-): 4/20
Mental (Rank A-): 1/20
Concentration (Rank C+): 18/20
Pass long (Rank C-): 2/20
Pass short (Rank B-): 3/20
Skills:
Flick over (Rank E+)
Fake shoot (Rank D)
Step over (Rank E-)
Cut (Rank D+)
Spin move (Rank C-)
Ultimate skill: Time regress
There, the hologram has now been fully updated with your reward. I've added the stats you see here: dribble, shoot, concentration, long pass, and short pass. I noticed those are very crucial.
The dribbling and mental stats evolve in a slightly unique way.
The mental stat increases when you overcome a tougher situation than the last.
As for dribbling, it evolves based on the acquisition of new techniques. Its level is the average of the ranks of the newly learned dribbling skills.
As you can see, it doesn't have a direct numeric progression like the others.
The precision of a dribbling technique depends on your opponent's defense rank. If their rank is lower than your dribble rank, it will be easier to get past them. If not, the opposite happens.
— The attacking midfielder reward was granted because you delivered far more assists than required. Its purpose was to significantly boost your stats, as you've noticed.
— So, do skills only improve the dribble stat?
— Not only. Dribbling directly depends on skills, but other stats can also increase numerically and be temporarily influenced by a skill related to that stat.
— But for dribbling, its rank is defined by the average of dribble-related skill ranks. So if a new skill isn't related to dribbling, it has no effect on the dribble stat?
— Exactly.
— That means the dribble rank shown is not fixed. It's variable.
— Yes. For example, if you use a skill like Fake Shoot (Rank D), your dribble rank will temporarily be Rank D.
— Alright, I get it.
---