Monday, July 15th, 2022 - Morning
Demien woke to the soft chime of the system ringing in his head, and before he even opened his eyes fully, the familiar blue panel materialized in his vision with notifications scrolling across it.
「INCOMING CONTRIBUTIONS」
「danjuma has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Enzyx11 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「miguel_jeann has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
「mud104 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「HikenAce has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
Demien sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes while the notifications continued displaying, and across the room, Luca was still buried under his blankets with only his dark hair visible above the covers.
The panel updated with calculations.
「Total Power Stones Received: 11」
「Rewards Calculated: 11 TP」
「New Balance: 99 TP | 2 SP | 0 MP」
Demien stared at the numbers while something warm spread through his chest, and he thought about these people—danjuma, Enzyx11, miguel_jeann, mud104, HikenAce—sending support when they didn't have to, choosing to believe in him when they could have ignored him completely.
"Thank you," he said quietly into the empty room while Luca continued sleeping, and his voice carried genuine gratitude as he continued, "All of you, seriously, thank you for believing in me."
He paused before adding, "I know today's going to be tough with Fiorentina on Wednesday, but knowing you guys are supporting me... it helps more than you know."
The panel faded as Demien swung his legs out of bed, and Monday morning came with gray clouds hanging low over Zingonia as he moved to lace his boots before heading to the training pitch, where the air felt cooler than usual while other players stretched and jogged in preparation for the recovery session.
Coach Rossi stood near the center circle with his clipboard as players gathered around, and he waved them closer before saying, "Light work today, recovery and tactical walk-throughs only, no intense drills since Saturday took a lot out of you and we have a match Wednesday."
The session lasted ninety minutes with gentle jogging, stretching routines, and tactical discussions about positioning and set pieces, and by the time they finished, most players felt loose and refreshed rather than exhausted.
In the cafeteria during lunch, Demien sat with Luca and a few others as conversation drifted toward the upcoming friendly, and someone at the far table said something that made heads turn.
"Heard it's against Fiorentina," one of the defenders muttered while cutting his chicken, and the name hung in the air for a moment before another player responded.
"That's Demien's old academy, right?"
"Yeah," someone else confirmed while glancing over at their table, though the look wasn't hostile but curious, maybe even sympathetic.
Luca leaned closer to Demien and kept his voice low as he said, "You good?"
"Yeah," Demien said automatically while pushing pasta around his plate, though his appetite had vanished the moment Fiorentina was mentioned.
"It's going to be a burden on him," another voice carried from across the room, not loud enough to be confrontational but not quiet enough to be private either, and Demien heard it clearly as one of the midfielders said, "Playing against the team that cut you? That's heavy."
Riccardo, sitting nearby, glanced at Demien before looking back at his plate without saying anything, and the conversation moved on as if nothing had been said, but Demien felt the weight of those words settling on his shoulders.
********
Tuesday, July 16th, 2022
Tuesday's main training session was sharper and more intense as Coach Rossi put them through tactical drills with emphasis on pressing triggers and counter-attacking patterns, and the players moved with purpose while sweat soaked through their kits under the midday sun.
Demien worked hard during the eleven-versus-eleven practice match, completing passes and tracking runs, but the whispers continued around him like background noise that refused to fade.
"Must be tough for him," someone said during a water break while Demien was within earshot, and another player responded, "Yeah, but he's handling it well, hasn't said anything."
"Still, facing your former team? That's pressure."
Luca found him after training as they walked back toward the showers, and he said, "Ignore them, they don't know what they're talking about."
"They're not wrong though," Demien said quietly while pulling off his training bib, and the fabric stuck to his skin with sweat as he added, "It is a burden."
"So what?" Luca said while shrugging, and his tone was casual as he continued, "They cut you, right? So go out there and make them regret it, that's what I'd do."
Demien looked at him, and Luca's expression wasn't particularly wise or profound, just honest in the way eighteen-year-olds could be when they hadn't learned to complicate things yet.
"Yeah," Demien said while nodding slowly, and something about Luca's simple logic made more sense than any motivational speech would have.
They continued walking toward the building together without saying anything else.
*******
Wednesday, July 17th, 2022 - Morning
Wednesday morning began at five-thirty when Demien's alarm went off, and he rolled out of bed while Luca groaned from across the room before sitting up and rubbing his face with both hands.
"Too early," Luca muttered while swinging his legs over the side of his bed, though he was already reaching for his clothes despite the complaint.
They packed their bags quickly with match kits, boots, and personal items before heading downstairs to the lobby, where other players were already gathering with similar bags slung over their shoulders while Coach Rossi stood near the entrance checking his watch.
At six o'clock sharp, the team bus pulled up outside the residence, and players began boarding in small groups while morning light barely touched the horizon, and the bus was modern with comfortable seats and enough space for everyone to spread out.
Demien climbed aboard and found a seat near the middle as Luca dropped into the seat beside him, and they settled in while other players filed past them toward the back.
Then Coach Rossi stepped onto the bus followed by another figure, and the entire atmosphere shifted as players who'd been talking went quiet while heads turned toward the front.
Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta's first team head coach, climbed the steps with his assistant beside him, and his presence was unmistakable as he moved with the calm authority of someone who'd built a reputation on tactical brilliance and Serie A success.
Several players exchanged surprised glances while Demien felt Luca tense beside him, and someone near the back whispered, "What's he doing here?"
Gasperini moved down the aisle and took a seat near the front while his assistant sat beside him, and then Coach Rossi stood up and raised his voice to address the team.
"I know you're all wondering why Mister Gasperini is joining us," Rossi said while gesturing toward the first team coach, who remained seated but attentive, and Rossi continued, "He'll be observing the match today, nothing more."
Gasperini stood briefly and turned to face the players, and his expression was neutral as he said, "Don't think about me being there, play your game like you would any other match, I'm only watching, so do what you do best and don't let my presence change anything."
He sat back down, and the bus started moving as players gradually resumed talking in low voices while the city streets passed by outside the windows, though the energy on the bus had shifted from casual to quietly focused.
About thirty minutes into the journey, as the urban landscape gave way to countryside, Riccardo leaned across the aisle toward Demien and Luca while they were deep in their game, and his voice carried genuine curiosity as he asked, "What are you guys even playing?"
Demien looked up from his phone and said, "League of Legends."
"That the one with all the characters and abilities?" Riccardo asked while trying to see the screen better.
"Yeah," Luca answered without looking up as his thumbs moved rapidly across his screen, and he added, "I'm about to die though, this guy's camping my lane."
"Just ward better," Demien said while smirking.
"Easy for you to say, you're playing support and just sitting back," Luca shot back while his character died on screen, and he groaned before adding, "See? Told you."
Riccardo watched for a moment before asking, "You guys any good at this?"
"I'm decent," Demien said.
"He's lying, he's actually pretty good," Luca corrected while respawning, and he continued, "Carries me half the time even though I'm supposed to be the damage dealer."
"Because you keep running into their whole team," Demien pointed out.
"That was one time," Luca protested.
"Three times. Yesterday."
Riccardo chuckled before leaning back in his seat and saying, "You two sound like an old married couple," and he closed his eyes while adding, "Wake me up when we're close to Florence."
Demien pulled out his phone and plugged in his earbuds as Luca did the same beside him, and they opened League of Legends mobile while music played softly in their ears, and the game provided a welcome distraction as Italy's countryside continued replacing urban buildings outside.
The journey stretched on for four hours with players alternating between sleeping, talking, and staring out windows while the bus ate up kilometers on the highway, and Demien found himself returning to his game repeatedly while occasionally glancing at Luca's screen to see how his match was going.
Luca kept making exaggerated faces when his character died, and Demien smirked at the silent comedy playing out beside him as they made their way toward Florence together.