"Ethan, are you just going to stare at that screen all day? Dinner's almost ready," his mother's voice called from the kitchen, warm but tinged with the usual gentle chiding.
"Just a minute, Mom!" he yelled back, his eyes glued to the screen.
He wasn't watching a match, not this time. He was watching a trailer, one he'd already seen at least fifty times.
"Football Coaching Game"
The letters flashed in brilliant, holographic blue.
The trailer showcased a breathtaking virtual world where you weren't just a player, but a coach, a manager, a legend in the making.
You could scout unknown talents, design revolutionary tactics, and lead your custom-built team from the muddy pitches of the lower leagues to the roaring stadiums of the Champions League.
It was a VMMORPG, released in this year of 2025, and it was everything Ethan had ever dreamed of.
There was just one problem. The entry fee, the cost of the neural-dive headset, the subscription… it all added up to a small fortune.
A fortune his family simply didn't have. His father's toy shop, a charming relic in an age of digital entertainment, barely kept them afloat. His mother managed the household with a magician's skill for stretching every last dollar.
All the real financial weight fell on his older sister, Sarah.
At twenty, Sarah was already a junior associate at a downtown firm, sharp, smart, and perpetually tired. She was the family's anchor, their quiet hero, and the last person Ethan would ever want to burden with a plea for an expensive video game.
A sigh escaped his lips.
He closed the trailer and scrolled through his feed, the usual mix of match highlights and football memes.
His life felt like that—watching from the sidelines, full of passion and knowledge but with no way to get on the field.
He could tell you the exact formation Red Star Belgrade used to win the European Cup in '91 or the subtle tactical genius behind a mid-table team's surprise victory last weekend.
He lived and breathed football, but in the real world, what good was that?
Just as he was about to toss his phone aside, a notification popped up. It was from a live stream.
"GridironGuru is LIVE: THE ULTIMATE GIVEAWAY!"
Ethan's heart skipped a beat. GridironGuru wasn't just any streamer; he was the football content creator, a charismatic ex-analyst with millions of followers.
Ethan clicked on the notification instantly.
The Guru's face filled the screen, beaming with energy. "HELLO, GURUNATION! Are you ready for the opportunity of a lifetime?" he boomed, his voice echoing with digital reverb.
Behind him, the logo for 'Football Coaching Game' pulsed with light.
"That's right!" the Guru continued.
"The creators have given me ONE exclusive, all-access pass to give away to one of you lucky, knowledgeable, die-hard football fanatics! We're talking the game, the headset, a lifetime subscription! The whole shebang!"
The chat feed on the side of the screen exploded into a frenzy of emojis and capital letters.
Ethan felt a jolt, a wild surge of hope that was so intense it was almost painful.
"But you've gotta earn it!" the Guru declared, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"No random draw, no comment-to-win nonsense. We are launching… the GridironGuru Gauntlet! Three hundred, yes, THREE HUNDRED of the toughest football questions I could think of. From history, to tactics, to player stats, to business! You'll have three hours on the dot to complete the test. The highest score wins. It's that simple. The link is now live on my website! Good luck, you're gonna need it!"
Ethan's hands were already flying. He navigated to the website, his pulse thrumming in his ears.
This was it. This wasn't about luck. This was about knowledge. This was a competition he could actually win.
He clicked the link, filled in his name—Ethan Couch—and the timer began.
[02:59:59]
The first question was simple enough:
"Which country won the first-ever FIFA World Cup in 1930?"
Uruguay, he typed, his fingers steady.
The questions grew progressively harder. They delved into obscure rules, historical matches, and the intricate financial workings of modern clubs.
"What is the 'Gegenpressing' tactic most commonly associated with?"
Jürgen Klopp. A high-intensity system focused on winning the ball back immediately after losing possession, turning the opponent's transition into an attacking opportunity for your team.
He didn't just know the answer; he understood the philosophy behind it.
An hour flew by. Then two. His family had eaten dinner, the clinking of cutlery a distant sound he barely registered. His mother had poked her head in, seen the fierce concentration on his face, and quietly left a plate of food and a glass of water on his desk, both untouched.
He was in the zone. His mind, usually a chaotic jumble of daydreams, was now a finely-tuned machine, accessing years of accumulated football obsession.
He answered questions about the Bosman ruling, the tactical evolution of the false-nine, and the transfer record progression since the 1980s. It was a marathon, a brutal test of mental stamina.
[00:10:00]
His eyes stung. His brain felt like mush. He was on question 298. He was running out of time. His fingers flew across the keyboard, a frantic dance of keystrokes. He typed, clicked, and submitted, his breath held tight in his chest.
Question 299.
"Name the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs."
Clarence Seedorf. Ajax, Real Madrid, AC Milan.
Easy.
Question 300. A scenario.
"Your team is down 1-0 in a cup final, it's the 85th minute, and your star striker has just been sent off. The opponent is parking the bus. You have one substitution left. What tactical change do you make and why?"
Ethan's mind raced. This wasn't a trivia question. It was a test of instinct.
He typed furiously, his thoughts pouring onto the screen. He described pulling off a defensive midfielder, bringing on a tall, physical forward to act as a target man for long balls, and shifting to an aggressive, all-or-nothing 3-4-2 formation to create overloads in the wide areas for desperate crosses into the box. It was risky, almost suicidal, but it was the only chance.
He hit 'Submit'.
The timer read [00:00:01].
He had done it.
He leaned back in his chair, his body trembling with adrenaline and exhaustion. He finally took a gulp of water, the cool liquid a balm to his dry throat. Now, all he could do was wait.
He rejoined the stream. The Guru was back on screen, looking overwhelmed.
"The response has been insane, folks! Thousands upon thousands of you took the Gauntlet! Our servers almost crashed!" He laughed. "We're tabulating the results now. Stay tuned, we'll announce the winner right after this short break."
The next ten minutes were the longest of Ethan's life.
He paced his small room, unable to sit still. He thought about the questions he might have gotten wrong, the answers he second-guessed.
Did he make the right call on that final tactical scenario?
Finally, the stream returned. GridironGuru held a tablet in his hand, his expression one of genuine awe.
"Alright, champions, listen up!" he began, his voice serious now.
"What an absolute spectacle that was! Three hundred questions, folks, in a mere three hours! We put your football knowledge, your strategic minds, and frankly, your mental endurance to the ultimate test. And let me tell you, the results were nothing short of astounding!"
Ethan's heart hammered against his ribs.
"We had thousands of entries, from every corner of the globe! From seasoned tacticians to budding analysts, everyone gave it their all. But as you know, in football, just like in life, there can only be one winner. One person who truly rises above the rest, who demonstrates not just knowledge, but a genuine, unyielding passion for the beautiful game."
The streamer paused for dramatic effect, his eyes scanning the virtual crowd.
"I've just been handed the final results. And let me tell you, this individual… this player… they absolutely dominated the leaderboard. They answered questions about obscure formations from the 1970s, predicted the tactical shifts in a simulated Champions League final, and even nailed the exact date of the first international match! It was a masterclass in football IQ!"
Ethan stopped breathing. His hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles white.
Please, he thought. Just this once.
"So, without further ado," GridironGuru's voice boomed, reaching a crescendo.
"The player who will be stepping onto the virtual pitch, the one who has earned their right to lead their team to glory in the new VMMORPG Football Coaching game… the champion of the GridironGuru Gauntlet… is none other than…"
"..."
The world seemed to slow down.
The hum of the old refrigerator in the kitchen, the distant sound of traffic, his own frantic heartbeat—it all faded into a dull roar.
"…ETHAN COUCH!"