The word "showcase" spread through the academy like lightning through dry grass.
Everyone had something to prove.
The seniors wanted a call-up to Palmeiras B or a short-list for U20 Brazil trials. The juniors wanted to climb the ladder. The trialists wanted contracts. And the coaches? They wanted to see who broke when the spotlight came down.
Thiago didn't speak much that week.
He trained like usual. Ate quietly. Hit the wall with the ball every night until his legs shook.
But every time he stepped onto the pitch, he felt it building.
This match would decide how the academy saw him.
Not just as a player—but as a project.
The day before the match, Moreira pulled the squads together after drills.
"Tomorrow's match will be a mixed-internal. U17s and U16s combined into two balanced sides. Seniors and juniors. Roles won't be fixed. You're expected to adapt."
Murmurs rippled through the group.
Moreira's eyes scanned the crowd.
"Thiago. You start at fullback first half. Winger second."
A few heads turned. Guilherme visibly frowned.
Thiago didn't react.
He just nodded.
And rolled his shoulder like it was nothing.
That night, the System flickered to life the moment Thiago sat on his bed.
System Alert:Showcase Match Identified
Quest Unlocked – Claim Your Half
Objective: Earn a match rating of 7.5+ in both roles
Reward: +2 Vision, +1 Dribbling, +1 Tactical Vision
Penalty: Reduced Coach Favor (–1) if either half is rated below 6.0
Thiago exhaled sharply.
No easy wins. Not here.
This was a test.
And he planned to pass it in both halves.
Match day.
The sun was high. Not burning, but bright enough to force squints and drag sweat from skin faster than water could replace it.
Two full squads. Thirty academy staff. A drone hovering overhead recording every move.
The crowd wasn't huge—just academy players, local scouts, and some internal staff from Palmeiras' senior coaching circle. But the weight of their gaze pressed against every player on the field.
Thiago stood in line, adjusting the sleeves of his training kit.
Number 13 today.
Fullback first.
His heartbeat was steady.
His breathing slow.
But inside?
The fire was alive.
The match kicked off sharp.
Pressing. Tackling. Shouts echoing like gunfire across the wide, open field.
Thiago tracked runners early. Stayed in his line. But he didn't hide. First ten minutes, he called for the switch twice, carried forward, and launched a clean low pass into the middle that set off a quick one-two.
When the winger ahead of him lost possession, Thiago recovered instantly—body tight, low, intercepting the counter like he'd trained for it.
At minute 17, the ball dropped on his side after a poor clearance.
He met it mid-air with a half-volley, redirecting to midfield with clean technique.
Coach Silveira clapped once from the sideline.
System Notification:
Mid-Match Rating: 6.8
Defensive Contribution Logged
Progress: Defensive Core I – 40%
+0.5 Physicality+1 Awareness
By minute 28, his opposite winger started pressing harder. They exchanged three duels. Thiago lost one, won two.
On the second win, he used the pressure to his advantage—absorbed contact, spun inside, and released a quick diagonal switch that shifted the play.
No flair.
Just sharp execution.
By halftime, the scoreboard read 1–1.
And Thiago?
Still standing.
Match Rating: 7.4System Progression: Anchor Phase (71%)
He walked off toward the water bench, lungs tight but legs steady.
And now… it was time.
"Second half," Moreira called out. "Thiago—push forward."
He swapped jerseys, to number 17.
From the back line to the wing.
From structure to expression.
The shift was instant.
The moment the ball came wide, he controlled it with a dead stop, squared up his defender, and waited.
One stutter step.
Two.
Then a sharp flick inside, dragging the ball behind him and snapping his hips.
The defender froze.
Too late.
Thiago glided past and sent a chipped ball toward the back post.
No one connected—but the sideline gasped.
He could feel it now.
His game.
His rules.
Fifteen minutes later, he received the ball again in space, twenty-five yards out.
Instead of rushing wide, he cut inside and played a wall pass through the half-space.
The striker touched, returned.
Thiago took one step—
—and let the shot fly.
Low. Sharp. On target.
The keeper saved it, barely, but spilled it to the feet of the trailing midfielder.
Tap-in.
Goal.
System Notification:
Goal Contribution Logged
Match Rating: 7.8
Momentum Surge I: Unlocked
+1 Dribbling+1 Vision
Hybrid Role Development: Adaptive Tree Unlocked
He didn't smile. Didn't raise his arms.
But his feet were light now.
Like they'd been waiting to run this stretch of grass their whole life.
In the 79th minute, he dropped deep, received a lofted pass from João, and danced past two defenders like he was in Rocinha again.
He stopped just short of the touchline. Looked up. And pulled off a no-look pass back to the edge of the box.
Shot. Just wide.
Even Moreira laughed under his breath.
Thiago jogged back, face blank. But inside?
He was flying.
Final whistle.
2–1.
Both teams exhausted. Staff murmuring, taking notes.
Thiago grabbed water and collapsed onto the grass, arms spread wide, staring at the open sky above.
System Summary:
Quest Complete – Claim Your Half
Rewards Granted: +2 Vision, +1 Dribbling, +1 Tactical Vision
New Passive Activated: Momentum Surge I
EXP Gained: +28
Level: 5 → 6
Skill Point Earned
Coach Favor: +2
He sat up just as Moreira walked over, hands behind his back, face unreadable.
"You played two games in one," the coach said.
"Felt like three."
Moreira almost smiled.
"You didn't lose control. Didn't force it. Made the game work around you."
"Still think hybrid's a dead-end?"
Moreira studied him a second.
"Hybrid's temporary. Your instincts still pull you forward."
Thiago didn't answer.
"You're getting there," Moreira said. "Don't rush. Let the game pull you when it's ready."
Then he turned and walked off.
Thiago stood.
Looked out across the empty field.
And thought: I'm not waiting anymore.