Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

The small procession soon entered the large space of the institute's refectory. Most of the tables were empty, even though they were neatly organized. There was a large counter full of trays and baskets of fruit, but what really mattered to the new arrivals was two colleagues already having lunch.

Daniel Riber and Anton S. Schultz were sitting at the table closest to the window.

Daniel was wearing round glasses and smiled briefly when he saw us, while Anton, tall and serious-looking, had a penetrating gaze that showed focus.

"Look who showed up." Daniel called out, raising his hand with a restrained smile.

Raphael, always the first to make a joke, pulled up a chair and replied with a broad smile: "I hope they invent another competition, so I can knead you!"

With Raphael's provocation, Daniel's friendly attitude disappeared in an instant. "I won the game against you in the sieve and intercepted you several times, you idiot! I don't even know how you're here!"

"I'm here because I dribbled past you and scored a great goal! For a striker, it doesn't matter how many attempts you make, it's about not giving up and scoring when the opportunity finally arises!"

Raphael and Daniel stared at each other, forehead against forehead.

Felix let out a chuckle. "Guys, I love the friendly atmosphere," he commented, pulling up a chair and stretching his arms out, relaxing as he looked at them both with a smile.

Felix's teasing was enough to make Daniel and Raphael move away. After that, everyone except Daniel and Anton went to get their trays and choose what they wanted to eat. The counter was well-stocked, but unlike what you might find in a normal school cafeteria, there were trays of meats, grains, and salads. Just healthy food, as you'd expect from a club.

Lucas helped himself to a bit of everything to maintain a balanced diet while Raphael filled his plate with carbohydrates and proteins.

When they sat down at the large table in the center of the cafeteria, Anton asked the question:

"There's someone missing, isn't there?"

"It's William. He went to A-Team," Lucas answered bluntly.

William's name fell on them like a bucket of cold water, cooling the lively atmosphere of before. The news was still fresh and, although they tried not to show it, there was a mixed feeling of frustration and annoyance, as if William's choice of A-Team had created a division between them that hadn't existed before.

"Lucky." muttered Felix, rolling his eyes and resting his fork on his plate. "While we... well, you know." He shrugged, glancing at the others, who already knew what he was implying: the B-Team, which sounded like a secondary position, even though they knew it wasn't quite like that.

"No, he deserved it. William played very well and scored goals. It's only fair that he's there."

"It's not a question of deserving," replied Aidan with a slight tone of bitterness. "It's a question of... I don't know, luck? Connections? You'll find out. If it was about merit, it's hard for me to say that and not include myself, but Felix and Lucas were supposed to be there."

"What?" Lucas raised his head.

"I'm serious. You were the ones who played the best and the smartest." Aidan clarified his point.

After Aidan's words, a brief silence hung over the table.

Lucas lowered his head, looking down at his still-full plate. The mixture of meats, grains and vegetables now looked less appetizing. He chewed in silence, thoughtfully, and then replied:

"No, I understand Coach Jimenez's decision. I'm not ready for the A-Team. The only way I could get away from Felix's attentive marking was to leave the game for a while and then come back and try to surprise him. If I'd found another way or been able to overcome his marking with no problems, things might have been different. I lacked maturity and experience."

Everyone was quiet, and Felix stared at Lucas for a few seconds. There was no reason for Felix to apologize, as Felix felt that the reason he had got into the sieve was because his defensive presence was good and worked, especially when he marked Lucas.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

So they continued to eat, the conversation naturally returning to lighter topics and occasional laughter.

Suddenly, the door to the cafeteria opened with a bang, and a young man in his twenties walked in, looking excited. His clothes clearly indicated that he was part of Brighton's coaching staff, with the club's emblem on a large jacket and an enormous smile.

"Ah, I was told you were already here. How nice!" The young man said hello, and everyone stopped eating to look at him. "Look, kids, when you've finished, meet me out here. I'll take you to Team-B's exclusive changing room."

"Okay, boss, we'll be there in two minutes!" Luiz Fernando replied.

The young man nodded with a smile and, before leaving, added: "Oh, enjoy and eat up. We'll need you with plenty of energy!"

And then he left, leaving the dining-room door open. The group finished their meal quickly because they were excited about their first day of training. Even though B-Team was considered secondary, they were excited to have an exclusive changing room.

*

A few minutes later, they found themselves at the entrance to the cafeteria, where the assistant coach was waiting for them. He was leaning against the wall with a lit cigarette between his fingers, releasing a thin column of smoke into the air.

"Is smoking allowed around here? I mean... you are our coach, after all." Raphael said.

The boy let out a relaxed laugh between puffs. "Relax, guys. I'm just the assistant coach of Team-B. You're the athlete here, not me." He winked.

Lucas, standing a little further back, watched the coach with interest. It was curious how someone so young and easy-going could be part of a team from such a traditional club. He didn't seem the least bit intimidated, but he also didn't seem the type to take everything extremely seriously something that, in a way, brought relief to the tense group.

The coach took another drag and threw the cigarette on the ground, putting it out with his foot before motioning with his head for them to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you the way."

They followed him around the outside of the Brighton CT, watching the multiples being automatically irrigated.

When they reached the door marked with the Brighton symbol, the assistant coach stopped, turned to them and made a dramatic gesture, pushing the door open with a smile.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the B-Team dressing room!"