The players, both in blue and in red-and-white, just stopped, looking around as if waking from a strange, chaotic dream.
The scoreboard at the far end of the stadium glowed with a result that made absolutely no sense:
Fleetwood Town 2 - 4 Apex United.
The tiny away section, a pocket of die-hard Apex fans, erupted into a sound far bigger than their numbers, a roar of pure, unadulterated, joyful disbelief.
On the pitch, the Apex players staggered towards their fans, a collection of exhausted, mud-stained, and deliriously happy young men.
"Emre! You absolute freak!" Jonathan Rowe yelled, throwing an arm around the young Turkish midfielder who was trying, and failing, to look humble. "Did you use a cheat code? You have to tell me if you used a cheat code!"
"My controller just... slipped," Emre said with a small, secretive smile, which made the players around him laugh even harder.
Ethan walked onto the pitch, a wide, proud grin on his face.
He felt like the only sane person in a beautiful asylum. He was met with a series of bone-crushing hugs from his players.
"Gaffer, that was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life!" David Kerrigan said, his eyes wild with adrenaline. "Can we do that every week?"
"If we do that every week, I’ll have a heart attack by Christmas," Ethan retorted, clapping him on the back. "But I’ll admit, it was pretty fun."
The post-match press conference was a surreal experience.
The room was packed with virtual journalists, all of them looking at Ethan with a mixture of awe and utter confusion.
The first question was straight to the point.
"Ethan, can you... can you even begin to explain what we just witnessed out there?"
Ethan leaned into the microphone, a calm, confident smile on his face. "I think what you witnessed was football," he said simply. "It’s not always a tactical chess match. Sometimes it’s a chaotic, unpredictable, and beautiful story. My players were the authors of a classic today."
"Your team was down 2-1, and you seemed to abandon all tactical structure," another journalist followed up. "Was that a deliberate decision, or just a case of desperation?"
"It was a deliberate decision to trust my players," Ethan replied smoothly. "You can draw all the lines and arrows you want on a tactics board, but in the end, the game is decided by human beings. By their courage, their creativity, their refusal to lose. I just... took the leash off."
He answered a dozen more questions, praising his team’s heart, showing respect for a battered Fleetwood side, and generally exuding an aura of cool, charismatic control that was a world away from the nervous, overwhelmed kid he had been just a few weeks ago.
He was growing into the role.
He walked into the dressing room to find the party in full swing.
The music was blaring, and the players were celebrating like they’d just won the league.
He let them enjoy the moment before bringing up the official FCG stats page on the main screen. The room quieted down, the players gathering around, eager to see the fruits of their chaotic labor.
First, he pulled up the league’s Top Goalscorers chart.
A huge cheer went up. Sitting at the very top of the list, with an incredible 8 goals in 7 games, was Viktor Kristensen.
"Get in, Vik!" Josh Sargent yelled, lifting the young Danish striker into the air.
Viktor, for his part, just blushed, a happy, embarrassed grin on his face.
"And look who’s number one on the assists chart!" David Kerrigan shouted, pointing a proud finger at his own name.
He had 6 assists, a testament to his chaotic but effective wing play.
Then, Ethan switched the screen to the most important image of all: the League One table.
The room fell silent for a second, just taking it in. After seven games, Apex United sat proudly at the top, three points clear of their nearest rivals.
Their perfect start had been ruined, but their position at the summit was undeniable.
They had faced adversity, they had been tested, and they were still the best team in the league.
"That," Ethan said, his voice filled with a quiet, profound pride, "is what a team looks like. Enjoy this. You’ve earned it. But on Monday, we go again."
He left them to their well-deserved celebration, a feeling of deep contentment settling over him.
He logged off, the sound of his players’ joyous, off-key singing the last thing he heard.
He sat up in the pod, the silence of his bedroom a welcome, peaceful contrast. He was tired, but it was a good tired, the kind that comes from a hard day’s work and a spectacular victory. He was about to get up and fall into his bed when he remembered the promise he had made to himself. He wouldn’t just be a manager. He would be a student.
He pulled out his phone and opened the FCG app, navigating to the ’Watch Live’ section.
He found the match he was looking for:
Quantum FC vs. Nova Athletic.
GridironGuru versus Maya.
He lay back on his pillow, his phone propped up in front of him, and started to watch the replay of the match that had happened earlier that day.
It was a fascinating contest. Maya’s Nova Athletic was brilliant, their S-Rank Maestro, Gavi, a blur of creative energy.
They played with a fluid, attacking style that was beautiful to watch.
But GridironGuru’s Quantum FC was something else entirely.
A flawless, high-tech, perfectly synchronized unit. Every player was a world-class athlete. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn NovєlFіre.net
Every pass was perfect. Every movement was ruthlessly efficient.
They won the match 3-0, and it could have been ten.
Ethan watched, a growing sense of unease in his stomach. He was a good manager. He was building something special. But this... this was a different level.
He was about to turn it off, feeling a little dejected, when the virtual post-match interview with GridironGuru came on.
The famous streamer was in his element, a charismatic, confident smile on his face as he answered the journalist’s questions.
"An easy win today, Guru," the journalist said.
"Your team looks unbeatable."
"Thanks," Guru replied, his voice smooth and practiced. "We’ve got a great group of players. But the real credit has to go to our new Head of Recruitment. He’s been an absolute game-changer for us. He has an eye for talent that is simply on another level."
"And who is this new scouting genius?" the journalist asked.
GridironGuru’s smile widened. He looked directly into the camera, and for a split second, Ethan felt like he was staring right at him.
"You might have heard of him," Guru said, a predatory glint in his eye.
"He’s a promising young analyst who’s been making a name for himself in the lower leagues. We’re delighted to have him on board. His name is Liam."