Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Time seemed to pass like the blink of an eye. Since that intense Christmas night, Lucas, Lucy, Kate and they had maintained a close relationship as the days went on for the New Year. They saw each other. Always the three of them together.

New Year's Eve arrived with fireworks and laughter in Lucas's room, and they enjoyed another intense night.

And with the start of January, things were back to normal on the Seyek Institute campus and in Brighton, too.

January 2 - Morning back at Brighton

Lucas woke up early, grabbed his bag and, after a quick coffee, headed to Brighton's training center.

The weather was cold and dry, with a sharp breeze that made the grass look even less green. As he reached the changing room, he heard laughter and excited chatter from his teammates.

"Look who's here! Tanaka!" shouted Arthur, the team's center forward, when he saw him cross the threshold.

"Happy New Year!" Lucas replied with a broad smile.

Arthur ran to hug him, closely followed by Raphael, who punched Lucas lightly on the shoulder.

"How was your vacation, Lucas?" asked Raphael.

Lucas knew he had to be careful with his words. What had happened between him, Lucy, and Kate was something he didn't want to share.

"Quiet." he replied with an enigmatic smile. "I've had a lot of rest and put my head together."

"Oh, you've rested? I can't believe it!" Anton, the team's goalkeeper, entered the dressing room with a laugh. "Coach Jimenez said just now that you came in everyday before those heavy snow days, and that we should follow your example." Lucas laughed briefly.

Lucas gave a short laugh. "And I really did! Unlike you, I can't stay away from a camp for long."

Felix approached, slung an arm around his neck, and gave him a close, analytical look.

"Hmmm... You look different. Lighter. Something's happened, but I will not push it." He winked.

As the players continued to greet each other and swap stories about their vacation, Raphael approached with a mischievous expression.

"Someone here doesn't want to tell what they did on vacation..." He teased.

"There's nothing to tell, man. You know me. Movie, food and sleep." Lucas shrugged.

"Sure, sure..." Raphael replied, pretending to believe.

Daniel Riber and Luiz Fernando, the defenders, were sitting in a corner, watching the exchange of words with amused smiles.

"Lucas, watch out for Raphael. He loves to get information and then tell everyone," warned Daniel, laughing.

"Hey, I don't do that!"

"I'll keep an eye out. Thanks for the tip." Lucas winked at Daniel.

Shortly afterwards, Eddie entered the changing room, followed by Alex. The changing room immediately fell silent.

"Well, it looks like you all enjoyed your vacation. Now it's time to work! We've got a second semester ahead of us and I want to see everyone fit. Let's get out on the pitch now!" Eddie ordered.

All the players took to the pitch, excited to resume training.

With the ball rolling, the sound of boots on the pitch, Eddie's commands - Lucas forgot everything else.

The first few minutes of training were a light warm-up, followed by muscle activities. Eddie and Alex needed to check how each of them was doing physically after these breaks.

Eddie monitored every movement, while Alex corrected posture and gave precise instructions.

"Tanaka, your speed has improved! What did you do during your vacation?" asked Alex, impressed with Lucas' performance.

"I trained at home during the blizzard."

"You trained at home? What kind of training?" Alex asked and then he thought of something and blushed. "DON'T TELL ME! I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!"

Lucas laughed as he watched the expression on his assistant's face.

Training continued to be intense throughout the morning, with physical and tactical challenges. When the muscle activation session was finally over, Eddie gave them a break to hydrate and catch their breath.

"Boys! Now let's get down to business!" Suddenly, Jimenez's firm voice cut through the soft din of conversation. He had his hands in the pockets of his heavy coat as he walked towards the assembled players. "We have a game in two days for the Premier Youth League. I want to see how you're doing after the break, then we'll play a group game on a reduced pitch. No slacking off!"

The players murmured to each other, exchanging excited glances.

"I'm going to split you into two teams of six to keep up the intensity and avoid injuries," Jimenez explained. "Lucas, Willian, Arthur, Felix and Aidan from Team A. Anton will be the goalkeeper. Loki, Raphael, Miguel, Daniel and Luiz Fernando will be the B Team, with Mark in goal. I want to see intensity, quick passing and precise decisions."

Lucas walked over to Willian and the two shook hands, a silent gesture of camaraderie and respect.

"It seems fate wants us to play together again," Willian commented with a smile.

"Better for us. And worse for them," Lucas replied, winking at his teammate.
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Jimenez assembled the two teams in the center of the reduced pitch. "I want intensity, but no unfair tackles. We'll use this game to test the rhythm and understanding of the attacking team on one side and the defending team on the other. Remember: there's nothing more dangerous than an injury straight away."

The players nodded, looking forward to the challenge.

As soon as Jimenez blew the whistle, the game came to life.

Lucas received the ball from Felix and drove it through the center, quickly analyzing the movement of his opponents. Loki advanced towards him, but Lucas dribbled quickly sideways and passed the ball to Aidan on the wing.

Aidan returned the ball with precision to Lucas, who saw Willian breaking clear near the penalty area. With an accurate pass, Lucas put the ball into Willian's feet. The striker quickly got to his feet and shot high, but Mark made a spectacular save to prevent the goal.

"Good save, Mark!" Jimenez shouted from the sidelines.

"Ow! They got to the goal with just a few passes." Kevin, the reserve defender, commented, standing next to Alex.

Alex smiled. "It looks like they're even hungrier to win than they were before the break. That's good. In fact, very good. I think we can be Champions League winners if we carry on like this."