The air smelled different at the Elite Camp.
Not of dust or sweat like at the academy — but of polish, precision, and pressure.
The turf was smoother, greener. The walls carried the crest of the National Youth Elite Team, golden letters gleaming beneath the Lagos sun. Cameras watched from every corner.
This wasn't training anymore. This was scrutiny.
I stood there with my kit bag over my shoulder, surrounded by boys who looked older, sharper, built like they'd been sculpted for this. Some wore boots worth more than my entire luggage. A few looked like they'd been here for years.
I was the newcomer.
The outsider from Benin City.
And everyone knew it.
---
Arrival
A coach with a clipboard checked my name off the list.
> "Joseph Oyas. Attacking midfielder. Lagos Academy."
He didn't smile, just pointed toward the dorm blocks.
> "Room B-17. Be on the pitch in twenty minutes."
That was it. No welcome speech. No handshakes.
I found my room — clean, two bunks, one already taken.
The other boy looked up from tying his boots.
> "You're the new one," he said, not even as a question.
> "Yeah," I replied, setting my bag down. "Joseph."
> "Chinedu," he said curtly. "Left winger. Don't slow me down."
He stood up and left before I could reply.
I exhaled slowly. So that's how it's gonna be.
---
First Training
The pitch buzzed with tension when I got there.
Two full squads of national-level players — the best from every regional academy.
Everyone wanted the same thing: a spot on the National Youth Cup roster.
Coach Olumide, the Elite Team manager, walked in wearing a serious expression and a cap that cast his face in shadow.
> "Welcome to reality," he began, his voice carrying easily over the quiet field.
"Some of you were stars at your local academies. Some of you were captains, heroes, or prodigies. Forget all of that."
He paused, letting the silence bite.
> "Here, you're all just players fighting for the same eleven jerseys."
Then his eyes swept across the rows of faces — and stopped briefly on mine.
> "We begin with the transition drill. Full intensity. No excuses."
The whistle blew.
---
The Shock
From the first pass, I knew I wasn't in the same world anymore.
The speed — unreal.
Touches — instant.
Movement — constant.
The midfielders here didn't just play football. They read minds.
Every second someone was yelling — "Man on!" "Switch!" "Drop line!" — the kind of coordinated chaos I'd never seen before.
I barely had time to breathe, let alone think.
When the ball came to me, a defender closed in so fast I nearly panicked.
I tried to spin like I always did, but he anticipated it — stealing the ball clean and launching a counter.
> "Wake up, rookie!" someone barked from behind.
Heat flared in my chest.
I tightened my jaw and chased back, winning it with a desperate slide.
Grass burned my leg, but I didn't care.
This wasn't about comfort anymore — it was about survival.
---
The Rivalry Begins
During a passing sequence, Chinedu — my roommate — kept calling for the ball.
Every time I tried to link with him, he ignored my return pass, taking on defenders alone.
When he lost it, he glared at me.
> "Next time, move faster," he snapped.
> "Next time, pass when it matters," I shot back.
That earned a few surprised looks from nearby players.
The tension was thick, electric.
Coach Olumide's whistle cut through the air.
> "Oyas, Chinedu — on the same side for the scrimmage."
Perfect.
We lined up: White vs Red. I was central; Chinedu wide left.
The whistle blew again.
The ball rolled to me.
I turned — pressed immediately — and passed it to Chinedu.
He sprinted forward, danced past one defender, then shot from an impossible angle.
Wide.
He didn't look back.
Next play, I ignored his run entirely, slipping the ball through the middle to our striker, who scored easily.
The team celebrated — except Chinedu.
He jogged up to me, eyes sharp.
> "You think you're the star here, Benin boy?"
> "I just play football," I said coolly. "The ball decides who's right."
---
Pressure Mounts
By the second hour, exhaustion started clawing at me.
My touches were cleaner now, but the pace never slowed.
Every mistake meant a glare. Every mispass drew a grunt from Coach Olumide.
Then came the tactical drill — full-field transitions, 11v11, no breaks.
I tried to find rhythm, scanning constantly, using the System's faint minimap to track positions.
> ⚙️ Tactical Awareness Map (Advanced): Partial Sync – 68%
Flashes of blue and red silhouettes flickered in my vision — erratic, imperfect. The System was struggling to keep up with this level of play.
My body followed instinct instead.
Interceptions. Quick turns. Long balls.
But Chinedu kept clashing with me.
At one point, he demanded a pass, and when I didn't deliver, he yelled,
> "You're selfish, bro! Trying to impress the coaches?"
> "We're trying to win, not audition!" I fired back.
He shoved me lightly.
Coach Olumide blew his whistle.
> "Enough!" he barked. "You both want to prove something? Then prove it in the test match tomorrow."
Silence fell.
Tomorrow. The evaluation match that would decide who made the National Youth Cup squad.
---
Nightfall
That night, I sat on my bunk, staring at my boots.
My body hurt everywhere. My mind replayed every mistake, every bad touch, every glare from the coach.
From the other bed, Chinedu muttered,
> "Don't think I'll lose to you tomorrow."
> "It's not about you," I said softly. "It's about belonging."
He didn't reply.
The room fell silent except for the hum of the ceiling fan and my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Then, faintly — ding.
---
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
> ⚙️ Environment Sync Completed.
You have adapted to National-Level Tempo.
Ball Control: +2
Stamina: +3
Awareness: +3
Team Chemistry (New Stat) Unlocked
Team Chemistry affects passing flow, off-ball movement, and player trust.
⚙️ New Quest Unlocked:
"Trial of the Cup" – Earn your starting position in the National Youth Cup squad.
---
I smiled faintly.
The System had changed — evolved with me.
This wasn't the same Joseph Oyas who'd started in the streets of Benin City.
This was a new chapter.
A new battlefield.
Tomorrow would decide if I was good enough to stand among Nigeria's future stars.
As I lay back on my pillow, eyes fixed on the ceiling, I whispered to myself — the same words that had carried me this far:
> "Dreams aren't given. They're fought for."
And somewhere deep inside, the fire burned again — bright, hungry, and unstoppable.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
⚙️ SYSTEM UPDATE: National-Level Sync (Version 2.3)
Host: Joseph Oyas
Age: 15
Position: Attacking Midfielder (CAM)
Current Club: Lagos Elite Academy
Nationality: Nigerian 🇳🇬
---
⚽ Base Attributes
Attribute Current Change
Pace 68 —
Dribbling 73 +1
Passing 71 —
Shooting 67 —
Defense 45 —
Physical 69 +2
Stamina 72 +3
Ball Control 74 +2
Awareness 70 +3
Vision 73 —
---
💫 New Stat Unlocked
Team Chemistry (NEW): 55
> Reflects synchronization and trust between teammates. Affects passing flow, positioning, and off-ball coordination.
---
🧠 System Status
Environment Sync: ✅ National-Level Tempo Adapted
Skill Learning Efficiency: +15% in match scenarios
Fatigue Resistance: Slightly improved under high stress
Replay Mode: Activated for Tactical Review
---
🎯 Active Quest
"Trial of the Cup"
> Objective: Earn a starting position in the National Youth Cup Squad.
Reward: Skill Point +5, Trait Unlock (Hidden).
Progress: 0 / 1