The alarm blared at 6:00 AM.
All thirty players gathered on Field 1 in the cold morning air. Coach Koji Saito stood in the center with a clipboard, his posture rigid and commanding. Three assistant coaches flanked him like sentries.
Assistant Coach Makoto Fujiwara. Fitness specialist. Forty years old. Former Olympic trainer with the kind of presence that made athletes nervous just by looking at him.
Assistant Coach Kenji Taniguchi. Tactics specialist. Fifty years old. Played professional before. His eyes were sharp, analytical, missing nothing.
Assistant Coach Ryo Nakamura. Psychology specialist. Thirty years old. Sports psychologist with a notebook already in hand.
GK Coach Hideki Yamamoto. Former national team goalkeeper. Stood slightly apart, studying the goalkeepers with an intensity that made them shift uncomfortably.
Coach Saito spoke in his rough voice that cut through the morning chill.
"Today: complete evaluation. Six fitness tests. All recorded."
He held up his clipboard.
"Results posted publicly tonight. No hiding from reality."
Looking directly at the players.
"Everyone will see where you stand."
Test 1: Forty-Meter Sprint.
Pure speed test. Electronic timing.
Daichi: 4.89 seconds. Fastest. Explosive.
Haruki: 4.92 seconds. Close behind.
Jin: 5.18 seconds. Technical player, not pure speed.
...
Takeshi: 5.34 seconds. Eighteenth place.
Sato: 5.51 seconds. Twenty-sixth place.
Fitness Coach Fujiwara wrote everything down.
"Yamamoto: decent speed but lacking explosive power."
First measurable gap established.
Test 2: Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery.
Endurance test. Shuttles until failure.
Measures stamina and recovery.
Kaito: Level 21.8. Defender's engine.
Daichi: Level 21.2. Complete athlete.
Jin: Level 20.4. High level.
...
Takeshi: Level 18.6. Fifteenth place. Respectable.
Sato: Level 17.2. Twenty-fourth place. Struggling.
Takeshi's adult mind was working: Tokyo FC season destroyed my legs. Three weeks was not enough recovery.
Fujiwara: "Yamamoto: above average but not elite tier."
Test 3: Vertical Jump.
Explosive power test. Jumping ability.
Haruki: 68 centimeters. Striker's leap.
Daichi: 65 centimeters. Complete package.
...
Takeshi: 54 centimeters. Nineteenth place.
Fourteen years old versus sixteen year olds.
Physical development gap was brutal.
Fujiwara: "Age factor visible. Development curve normal."
Not criticism. Just fact.
Fact that still hurt.
Test 4: Agility - T-Test.
Cone drills. Change of direction.
Jin: 9.12 seconds. Technical wizard.
Daichi: 9.28 seconds. Efficient.
...
Takeshi: 9.64 seconds. Fourteenth place.
Good but not great.
Story of the morning.
Test 5: Core Strength - Plank Hold.
Hold until failure.
Kaito: Eight minutes forty-two seconds. Machine.
Daichi: Seven minutes eighteen seconds.
...
Takeshi: Five minutes thirty-one seconds. Sixteenth place.
Arms shaking. Core burning.
Watching Kaito still holding effortlessly.
How is that even human?
Test 6: Reaction Time.
Light board drill. Cognitive speed.
Takeshi excelling finally: 0.186 seconds. Fourth place!
Adult mind advantage showing.
Daichi: 0.178 seconds. First place. Of course.
Jin: 0.192 seconds. Sixth place.
Fujiwara: "Yamamoto: excellent cognitive processing."
"Shows potential."
Small victory in a sea of mediocrity.
At 8:30 AM, water break.
Players collapsed, gasping.
Sato to Takeshi: "I am getting cut. I know it."
"I am bottom tier in everything."
Takeshi: "We are two days in. Long way to go."
But internal doubt crept in: Am I just delaying the inevitable?
Watching Daichi drink water calmly.
Not even breathing hard.
Different species.
At 9:00 AM, technical drills started.
Station 1: Dribbling Through Cones.
Timed. Precision plus speed.
Jin: 11.2 seconds. Zero cone touches. Perfect.
Ball literally glued to his feet.
Crowd watching. Murmuring appreciation.
Daichi: 11.8 seconds. Clinical efficiency.
...
Takeshi: 13.4 seconds. Two cone touches. Mistakes.
Twelfth place.
Technique good but not Osaka academy level.
Tactical Coach Taniguchi: "Decent. Needs refinement."
Station 2: Passing Accuracy.
Twenty passes to targets at various distances.
Scored on accuracy plus pace.
Jin: 19 out of 20 targets, perfect weight. 95 percent.
Kaito: 18 out of 20. 90 percent. Defender with distribution.
...
Takeshi: 16 out of 20. 80 percent.
Respectable but not exceptional.
Several passes: right direction, wrong weight.
Adult mind sees the pass. Fourteen-year-old legs cannot execute perfectly.
Station 3: First Touch Control.
Balls fired from machine. Control in box.
Jin: 18 out of 20 perfect first touches.
Ball dying at his feet like magic.
Some touches actually improving ball position.
That was world-class.
Takeshi: 14 out of 20 controlled. 70 percent.
Good but six bobbled or left the box.
Taniguchi: "Functional but not creative."
Station 4: Shooting Accuracy.
Ten shots. Various angles. Targets in corners.
Daichi: 9 out of 10. 90 percent. Clinical finishing.
Each shot: precise, powerful, perfect technique.
Haruki: 8 out of 10. 80 percent. Explosive power.
...
Takeshi: 6 out of 10. 60 percent.
Better than this normally.
Pressure? Fatigue? Both?
Missing targets he would have hit at Tokyo FC blindfolded.
At 10:30 AM, ratings got announced.
Taniguchi read the technical scores.
"Jin: 94 out of 100. Elite tier."
"Daichi: 89 out of 100. Elite tier."
"Kaito: 84 out of 100. High tier."
...
"Yamamoto: 71 out of 100. Mid tier."
Mid tier.
Not even high tier.
Just... mid.
Sato: 58 out of 100. Low tier.
His face crumbled.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
⚡ Technical Evaluation Complete ⚡
Mid Tier Ranking
Reality: Your technique is good
For Tokyo FC level
For U16 national team?
Average at best
The gap is real
Not perception
Measurable fact
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
At noon, lunch in the dining hall.
On the wall: CURRENT RANKINGS (After 1.5 days)
Everyone crowded to look.
TOP 5:
Daichi Suzuki: 94.2 out of 100
Jin Nakamura: 91.8 out of 100
Kaito Hayashi: 87.4 out of 100
Haruki Tanaka: 85.6 out of 100
Issei Kojima: 84.2 out of 100
...
Takeshi Yamamoto: 72.4 out of 100
Hiroshi Sato: 61.8 out of 100
Cut line projection: around 70 out of 100.
Takeshi: safe but barely.
Sato: danger zone.
Coach Saito made an announcement.
"These rankings will change daily."
"This afternoon: tactical sessions."
"Tonight: first practice match."
"Perform or drop."
Looking directly at the bottom ten.
"Seven of you will be cut."
"Currently, I know who."
"Prove me wrong."
He walked away.
Tension was suffocating.
At Table 3, where Takeshi and Sato sat with other bottom players:
Sato: "I am 27th. Three spots from being cut."
Takeshi: "Afternoon is a chance. Tactics is my strength."
Please let that be true.
At 2:00 PM, the film room.
All thirty players watched tactical footage.
Coach Taniguchi presented Japan's system. 4-2-3-1.
Showing opponent footage from last U16 World Cup.
"Pattern recognition. Reading play. Football intelligence."
He quizzed players randomly.
"Nakamura: What is the weakness in this defensive shape?"
Jin answered immediately. Correct. Detailed explanation.
"Suzuki: Where should the striker be positioned here?"
Daichi answered precisely. Optimal spacing described.
"Yamamoto: What is the midfielder's passing option?"
Takeshi's adult mind analyzed.
He saw it clearly, explained it well.
Taniguchi: "Correct. Good vision."
Finally. Something.
On the field came the tactical positioning drill.
11 versus 11 shape. Walking through situations.
No ball. Pure positioning and movement.
Where to be when the ball was in different zones.
Takeshi excelled here.
Adult tactical mind equals years of experience.
Taniguchi: "Yamamoto: excellent reading."
"You see two moves ahead naturally."
Other players noticed.
Jin commented: "Kid has a brain at least."
Backhanded compliment but still acknowledgment.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
⚡ Tactical Intelligence Assessment ⚡
High Tier Ranking
Adult mind advantage activating
This is your edge
Speed: Mid-tier
Technique: Mid-tier
Tactics: High tier
Football IQ: Your weapon
Use it
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Shadow play came next. Movement patterns.
Practicing runs. Creating space.
Takeshi showed intelligent movement.
Not fastest but smartest positioning.
Creating passing lanes others did not see.
Taniguchi: "This is what separates good from great."
"Physical tools can be developed."
"Football IQ is harder to teach."
"Yamamoto: keep this up."
First genuine praise.
Feeling less invisible.
Maybe there was hope.
At 3:30 PM, set piece practice.
Corner kicks. Free kicks. Defensive organization.
Takeshi read opponent movement patterns.
Calling out positioning adjustments.
Taniguchi: "Yes! Exactly! That awareness!"
Other players looked at him differently.
Not awe but acknowledgment.
"Relegation kid might have something."
Small shift. Not hierarchy change. Just: maybe not complete waste of space.
At 5:00 PM, team selection.
Coach divided thirty players: Team A (Top 15) versus Team B (Bottom 15).
Team A: Daichi, Jin, Kaito, Haruki, Issei plus top tier.
Team B: Takeshi (highest ranked on B), Sato, other bottom players.
This would be a massacre.
Everyone knew it.
Question: how bad?
First half started at the whistle.
Team A dominated possession immediately.
At five minutes: Daichi scored. 1-0.
Clinical finish. Team B defense helpless.
At twelve minutes: Jin assisted Haruki. 2-0.
Perfect through ball. Explosive finish.
At eighteen minutes: Daichi again. 3-0.
Hat-trick in eighteen minutes like it was training.
Team B barely touched the ball.
Takeshi tried to organize defense.
"Sato, drop deeper! Cover that space!"
"Watch Daichi's movement!"
Using tactical mind to minimize damage.
At twenty-two minutes: Team B's first shot!
Takeshi won the ball in midfield.
Quick counter. Shot from distance.
Issei saved easily.
But the attempt existed.
Small victory in humiliation.
Second half came.
Team A took their foot off the gas. Mercy? Boredom?
Team B got more possession.
At thirty-one minutes: Takeshi created a chance!
Intelligent through ball to a teammate.
Shot went wide. But chance created.
Taniguchi: "Good vision, Yamamoto!"
At thirty-eight minutes: Daichi scored again. 4-0.
Because of course he did.
Reminding everyone who was boss.
At forty-two minutes: TAKESHI SCORED!
He intercepted a lazy pass from Jin.
Drove forward. Saw a gap.
Low shot to the corner. Goal.
4-1 final.
Team B celebrated like they won the World Cup.
It was pathetic but also: they scored on Team A.
Takeshi scored on Team A.
Against Issei in goal.
Small victory but victory.
After the match:
Team A barely sweating.
Team B exhausted, destroyed, but they scored.
Daichi walked past Takeshi.
Brief pause. First acknowledgment all week.
"Decent goal."
Two words.
Might as well be a novel.
He walked away.
Jin: "Not bad for relegation kid. Lucky though."
Still dismissive but less dismissive?
Progress measured in molecules.
At 8:00 PM, back in the dorm room.
Takeshi and Sato collapsed.
Most brutal day of their lives.
Every test: gap visible.
Every drill: falling short.
Practice match: 4-1 destruction.
But Takeshi scored.
But Taniguchi praised his tactics.
But "decent goal" from Daichi.
Progress? Microscopic. Enough? Unknown.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
⚡ Day 2 Complete Evaluation ⚡
Physical Tests: 16th out of 30 (Mid-tier)
Technical Tests: 18th out of 30 (Mid-tier)
Tactical Tests: 7th out of 30 (High-tier) ⭐
Overall Ranking: 18th out of 30
Moved up from 22nd
Strengths Identified:
✓ Tactical Intelligence (Adult mind advantage)
✓ Pattern recognition (Elite level)
✓ Positioning awareness (Natural gift)
✓ Reaction time (Top 5)
✓ Football IQ (High tier)
Weaknesses Identified:
✗ Physical development (Age 14 vs 16 gap)
✗ Technical refinement (Good not great)
✗ Explosive power (Below elite threshold)
✗ Experience at this level (First time)
✗ Confidence (Declining under pressure)
Gap to Top Tier:
Daichi (1st): 94.2 - You: 72.4 = 21.8 point gap
Massive but not impossible
Current Projection:
You will make squad as backup (18th-20th)
Need acceleration to crack starting XI
Recommendation:
Stop trying to be Daichi (impossible)
Be best version of Takeshi (possible)
Your edge: Brain over body
Tactics. Intelligence. Reading game.
Physical will improve (you are 14, they are 16)
Football IQ? That is your weapon now
Use it
Survive these 3 weeks
Make the 23-man squad
Then: World Cup proves your worth
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Takeshi stared at the ceiling.
Sato already asleep from exhaustion.
Body screaming. Mind racing.
I am eighteenth. Mid-tier. Not elite.
But I am rising. Twenty-second to eighteenth.
Daichi said "decent goal."
Two words I will remember forever.
Because they mean: I exist to him now.
Not much. But something.
Tomorrow: climb higher.
Phone message from Akari came.
"How was day 2? Miss you ❤️"
Too exhausted to respond properly.
"Brutal. But surviving. Love you."
Sleep took him.
Tomorrow: Day 3.
The climb continues.
One ranking at a time.
Until they could not ignore anymore.