Rio was sprinting at full tilt, the ball glued to his right boot as if held there by an invisible string.
The sensation of the [La Gambeta] skill was intoxicating.
It felt like someone else had taken control of his legs.
But the euphoria lasted exactly three seconds.
Because standing in the penalty box, rushing out like a pissed-off grizzly bear, was Paulo Gazzaniga.
The First Team goalkeeper was huge. On TV, he looked tall. Up close, charging at you with his arms spread wide and his eyes locked on the ball, he looked like a wall of muscle.
Shoot, Rio thought. The instinct screamed at him. Just smash it!
King_10: Shoot, boy! The far corner is open! Place it low and hard!
Rio's brain processed the advice in a millisecond, and immediately rejected it.
Are you crazy? Rio panicked. If I shoot, it's going into the stands! I have a Shooting stat of F-! And even if I hit the target, look at him! He's a pro! He'll catch my weak shot with one hand while drinking a coffee!
Gazzaniga was closing the angle rapidly. He was big, imposing, and terrifying.
There was only one option. The craziest option.
I have to go around him.
Hand_Of_King: Yes! Humiliate him! Sit him down!
Rio didn't have time to think about the mechanics. He just let the warm energy of the Red Packet item guide him.
As Gazzaniga dove, throwing his massive frame toward Rio's feet to smother the ball, Rio didn't panic.
The La Gambeta feint triggered again.
Rio's hips swiveled violently to the left. It was a lie.
Gazzaniga bought it for a split second, shifting his weight just enough to expose the right side.
Rio snapped the ball to the right.
I did it! Rio thought, his heart soaring. I'm past him!
But he had forgotten one thing. He wasn't Maradona. He was Rio Lance, a kid who had been tripping over the ball ten minutes ago.
The skill gave him the feint, but it didn't give him the perfect touch to follow it up.
His touch was a fraction too heavy. The ball didn't stay glued to his foot... it squirted away, rolling agonizingly toward the goal line, but slightly too wide of the post.
"No!" Rio gasped.
He tried to chase it, but his momentum from the feint threw him off balance. His feet got tangled.
Gazzaniga, recovering with terrifying speed, scrambled on all fours like a spider, reaching out a gloved hand to claw the ball away.
It's going out, Rio realized with horror. I did all that work, beat the defender, beat the keeper, and I'm going to run it out of play.
The ball slowed down on the grass, teasing him.
Rio lunged, managing to get the tip of his boot on it just before Gazzaniga's glove slammed down.
poke!
Rio didn't shoot. He didn't cross. He just desperately poked the ball back toward the center of the six-yard box.
The ball trickled across the empty goalmouth. It was agonizingly slow.
And then, a blur of motion.
"JAVIIIII!"
Javi, the other substitute who had come on as a striker, threw himself at the ball. He didn't use technique. He didn't use elegance. He threw his entire body into a slide, legs flailing.
Gazzaniga's trailing leg tried to block it. The defender, Arnau, was sprinting back on the goal line.
Thwack!
Javi's shin connected with the ball. The ball bounced off Javi's shin, hit the post with a loud clunk, bounced off Arnau's knee, and then trickled across the white line.
The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the center circle.
The silence that followed lasted for a heartbeat. Then, the U18 bench exploded.
"YES! GOAL! GOAL!"
Javi scrambled up from the net, screaming like he had just won the World Cup.
He sprinted toward the corner flag.
Rio lay on the grass near the post, chest heaving, staring at the sky. He felt like he had just run a marathon in ten seconds.
We scored, he thought, a goofy grin spreading across his face. I didn't score... but we scored.
A hand grabbed his jersey and yanked him up. It was Mateo, who had run all the way from defense.
"You lunatic!" Mateo roared, shaking Rio back and forth. "What was that?! Since when can you dribble the goalkeeper?! You looked like... like... I don't even know what you looked like! It was messy but it was magic!"
Lucas ran over, jumping on Rio's back.
"That run! That feint! Rio, you've been hiding this?!"
Rio laughed, feeling the weight of his teammates on him. It was the best feeling in the world.
"I told you, Lucas! Just give me the ball!"
Total_Football_14: Ugly. That finish was ugly. The assist was chaotic. But... effective.
Hand_Of_King: Who cares if it's ugly? The ball is in the net! The keeper is on the floor eating grass! That is the beauty of football!
Rio looked over toward the sideline.
Coach Michel was standing motionless. He was just... staring.
Michel looked at his assistant, then back at Rio. He rubbed his chin, a deep furrow appearing between his brows.
A minute ago, Michel was thinking, that kid couldn't trap a bag of cement. He kicked the ball into the advertising boards. And now? He just sent my starting right-back to the shops and sat my goalkeeper down with a body feint.
"Martinez," Michel murmured to the U18 coach. "Does he always play like that?"
Coach Martinez looked equally stunned. "No. Never. Usually, he just runs fast and falls over. I... I don't know what got into him."
Michel narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting. Very interesting. Inconsistency is a problem... but flashes of brilliance? You can't teach that."
Back on the pitch, the game was restarting. The First Team was angry now.
Conceding a goal to a bunch of kids? It was humiliating. They picked up the ball and slammed it onto the center spot.
Rio jogged back to his position on the left wing.
The adrenaline was still pumping, but he noticed something on his interface.
[Item: La Gambeta Feint]
[Time Remaining: 04:30]
He had less than five minutes left of being a magician. After that, the carriage would turn back into a pumpkin.
I need to make these four minutes count, Rio told himself.
But first, he had to address the chat.
Rio_Lance: Did you see that?! I beat the keeper! Okay, it was messy, but I did it!
Dinho_Magic_10: I saw it! The hips don't lie, my friend! You have the rhythm inside you, deep down!
Rio paused. He looked at the username again. Dinho_Magic_10.
The "Magic". The talk about "smiles" and "samba". The obsession with the elastico. And now, the "hips don't lie" comment.
It hit Rio like a thunderbolt.
Rio_Lance: Wait a second. Dinho... Ronaldinho? Is that you?!
There was a pause in the chat. A digital silence.
Then, a flurry of emojis appeared.
Dinho_Magic_10: Caught me! Haha! I was trying to be mysterious, but I guess my style is too loud, huh? Yes, little cheetah. It is me. The one who plays with a smile.
Rio nearly stopped running. Ronaldinho. The magician. The man who made the world fall in love with football. He was in the chat. He was watching Rio Lance, a nobody from Girona, play a practice match.
King_10: He is not a disciplined teacher, Rio. Do not listen to him too much, or you will end up dancing in nightclubs instead of training.
Dinho_Magic_10: Relax, O Rei. Life is short. Football is a game. Rio! Listen to me!
Rio focused his mind on the voice. It sounded relaxed, musical, full of joy.
Dinho_Magic_10: You have 4 minutes left of the item. The Coach is watching you now. He is confused. He thinks it was a fluke.
Rio glanced at the sideline. Michel was indeed watching him like a hawk.
Dinho_Magic_10: You need to show him it wasn't luck. You need one more moment of magic. But this time... don't rely on speed. Show him you can play with the team.
Rio_Lance: But I can't pass! My passing is terrible!
Dinho_Magic_10: You don't need to pass with your feet. Pass with your imagination. When the ball comes... don't look at it. Look at the space. Feel the vibe!
Rio didn't entirely understand what "feel the vibe" meant, but he nodded anyway.
The First Team was attacking furiously now.
They were pinning the U18s back. The ball was zipping around Rio's penalty box.
"Defend!" Mateo screamed, clearing a header off the line.
Rio dropped back deep. He was almost playing as a left-back now.
Arnau, the First Team defender he had humiliated, was charging forward, eyes burning with vengeance.
"You're not getting past me again, kid," Arnau growled as they jostled for position near the corner flag.
Rio felt the physicality. Arnau was strong. He shoved Rio, testing his balance.
But Rio still had the [La Gambeta] active. His balance held. He absorbed the push, his body adjusting automatically.
Four minutes, Rio thought. Just one more chance.
Suddenly, the U18 goalkeeper, Pau, caught a cross. He didn't hesitate. He saw Rio standing near the edge of the box and threw the ball out hard.
"Counter!" Pau screamed.
Rio trapped the ball with his chest. It stuck perfectly this time, thanks to the item.
Arnau was right on his back, breathing down his neck.
"Got you," the defender hissed, stepping in to tackle.
Rio was trapped against the sideline. He had nowhere to go. Arnau blocked the path forward.
A midfielder was closing in from the side.
I'm surrounded, Rio panicked. If I lose it here, they score.
Dinho_Magic_10: No panic. Only possibilities. Look at the midfielder coming to help you. It's Lucas. But the passing lane is blocked by Arnau's legs.
Rio saw Lucas sprinting into space in the center, screaming for the ball. But Arnau was standing right in the way, legs spread wide in a defensive stance, blocking the pass.
Dinho_Magic_10: A blocked path is just an invitation for a tunnel. nutmeg him, Rio. It is the ultimate joy.
A nutmeg? Rio thought. Here? In my own defensive third? If I miss, I'm dead.
Hand_Of_King: Do it!
Total_Football_14: High risk. High reward. The Coach is watching.
Rio took a breath. He looked at Arnau's face.
The defender was confident, aggressive. He was expecting Rio to try and use his speed to run down the line again. He was leaning slightly toward the sideline to block the run.
Rio waited. He waited until Arnau took one step closer, eager to steal the ball.
Now!
Rio didn't use speed. He didn't run.
He simply used the sole of his boot to drag the ball backward, freezing Arnau for a microsecond.
Then, with a flick of his ankle so fast it was barely visible, he tapped the ball forward.
The ball slid perfectly between Arnau's open legs. The dreaded Nutmeg.
"Olé!" someone shouted from the bench.
Arnau clamped his legs shut, but it was too late. The ball was gone...
Rio spun around the stunned defender and collected the ball on the other side.
The pitch opened up.
"Lucas!" Rio shouted, playing a simple pass into the center.
He had broken the press. He had embarrassed the First Team defender twice in five minutes!
Michel, on the sideline, stopped writing. He slowly lowered his clipboard.
A small, barely perceptible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Rio sprinted forward to join the attack, the laughter of Ronaldinho echoing in his mind.
Dinho_Magic_10: Beautiful! That sound... the sound of the ball passing through legs... it is music! Welcome to the Joga Bonito, my friend!