Chapter 4 - CHELSEA VS ARSENAL PT 2

"Chelsea vs. Arsenal's first half ends 1-0.⠀What a game so far!⠀A tight, tense affair settled by a stroke of genius from Wager towards the end of the first half."⠀Inside the Chelsea U14s locker room, James Simmonds praised his players before breaking down the tactics for the next 45 minutes.⠀"Arsenal will attack even harder in the second half," the manager warned.⠀"In this situation, we must keep our defense and midfield compact, focusing on quick counterattacks.⠀Come on, boys, let's get back out there and find the goal to close this game out!"⠀The commentator's voice echoed as the teams walked back onto the pitch:⠀"The players return to the field, and the second half is underway.⠀Arsenal immediately push forward with the ball, but Chelsea remain completely unfazed."⠀Meanwhile, things were getting difficult for Mike.⠀During the halftime break, the Arsenal manager had ordered Nwaneri to mark him closely, leaving him no breathing room.⠀Recognizing the threat, Mike decided to drop back and help out in defense for the first 10 minutes of the half, waiting for the right moment.⠀The opportunity came when Charlie cleanly intercepted an opponent's pass.⠀Mike immediately launched into a full sprint down the left wing.⠀Charlie carried the ball forward through the midfield, skipping past an Arsenal midfielder with a quick move.⠀He looked up, spotted Mike—whose sheer pace had finally freed him from Nwaneri's tight marking—and delivered a perfect cross out wide.⠀The ball landed flawlessly on Mike's foot.⠀Cutting sharply toward the center, he caught the entire Arsenal defense off guard.⠀Capitalizing on their hesitation, he successfully dribbled past one defender, but suddenly found himself trapped.⠀Nwaneri had tracked back relentlessly, and two more defenders were closing in fast to block his path.⠀With a brilliant shift of his center of gravity, Mike shielded the ball, buying himself just enough time to spot a tiny pocket of space.⠀He slipped a clever pass backward to Charlie, who had joined the attack at pace.⠀"What a magnificent move!" the commentator shouted.⠀"After Wager's unparalleled control, he even manages to find the space to lay it back to Holland!⠀Holland is completely unmarked... he shoots..."⠀"Goooooolllll! Charlie Holland makes it 2-0 for Chelsea!⠀What a spectacular match!"⠀For the final 20 minutes of the game, Chelsea, rallied by their captain Mike, successfully resisted Arsenal's repeated waves of attacks to seal the victory.⠀"And there is the final whistle!⠀The Premier League U14 National Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal ends 2-0.⠀Mike Wager wins it for Chelsea with a goal and an assist.⠀What a performance!"⠀"Today here at St. George's Park, we witnessed the birth of a future champion.⠀The winning team will now be awarded the beautiful silver trophy and their well-deserved first-place medals."⠀Up on the podium, Mike and his teammates celebrated wildly, lifting the hard-earned trophy high into the air with the gold medals hanging from their chests.⠀After the match, his mother was waiting for him in the car with a proud smile.⠀"You did amazing, Mike.⠀I'm so proud of you."⠀"Thank you, Mom," he replied.⠀Once they got home, Mike headed straight upstairs for a hot shower.⠀Afterward, he checked his phone and messaged his friends on WhatsApp to organize a night out.⠀He grabbed lunch with his parents and then lay down for a two-hour nap.⠀⠀/ PLAYER STATS /⠀Name: Mike Wager⠀Status: Kid with good future potential⠀Defense: Level 40⠀Midfield: Level 58⠀Offense: Level 57⠀Speed: 4/10⠀Stamina: 4/10⠀Strength: 4/10⠀Vision: 7/10⠀Skills: Croqueta, Ronaldo chop, Trivela cross, Trivela shot⠀⠀Over the first two months, Mike had completed both his daily objective and the team training objective every single day, earning himself 420 soccer points.⠀In the following two months, however, the rewards decreased.⠀The daily mission dropped from 5 points to 2, and the team training mission went from 2 points to 1.⠀During that second period, he only managed to gain 180 soccer points.⠀Through those months of hard work, he had increased both his stamina and strength to Level 4, while also unlocking four special skills: the Croqueta, the Ronaldo chop, the Trivela cross, and the Trivela shot.⠀Resting in bed, Mike looked at his current balance of exactly 180 soccer points.⠀He decided to invest 100 points to upgrade his speed to Level 5, keeping the remaining 80 points tucked away for the future.⠀Just before dinner, he went downstairs and told his mother he was heading out with friends.⠀On his way out, he grabbed the credit card his father always kept on the study table.⠀He stepped outside and had his driver take him to a casual pizzeria where Gim was waiting.⠀"How's it going, buddy?⠀I just finished a massive game and I am absolutely exhausted," Mike said as he arrived.⠀"Everything's good, Mike!⠀Did you guys win?"⠀"Of course.⠀I even got a goal and an assist."⠀They walked into the restaurant.⠀Since they were only 13, Gim's father—a man almost as wealthy as Mike's own father—was sitting at the head of the table to keep an eye on them.⠀Mike took a seat next to Anna, who was already waiting inside, while Mary and Gim sat across from them.⠀'I almost forgot about these double-date outings, and how it's always just the four of us.⠀But I guess we're only 13, so it makes sense,' Mike thought to himself.⠀He felt a slight wave of awkwardness, knowing that the thirteen-year-old girl sitting right next to him would one day share a highly complicated and intriguing romantic relationship with him.⠀Shaking off the thought, he focused on enjoying his food in peace.⠀After finishing a simple Margherita pizza and saying goodbye to his friends, he climbed into his black SUV for the drive home and went straight to sleep.⠀For the next two weeks, his routine remained identical: school and intensive training.⠀The training sessions were brutal, but the stakes were high.⠀Two weeks later was the final day of the Games Program Academy 1, featuring a Power Play event.⠀It consisted of 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 matches between established youth academies, all set to background music.⠀It was a festival designed specifically to boost the development and inclusion of young talents under the age of 14.⠀Mike knew this day would be his best chance to showcase his newly upgraded speed and dribbling.⠀He was ready to put on a real show.⠀On top of that, right after the Power Play, May and June would bring prestigious international tournaments—the ultimate gateway to connecting with the top clubs worldwide.⠀After two incredibly busy weeks, the big Sunday finally arrived.⠀'Before I head out, I should check the shop for any new skills I can buy.⠀Over these past two weeks, I managed to save up another 40 soccer points, bringing my total to 120.'⠀He spent 100 soccer points to purchase the Marseille Roulette, ate a quick breakfast, and headed out to the meeting point.⠀⠀/ PLAYER STATS /⠀Name: Mike Wager⠀Status: Kid with good future prospects⠀Defense: Level 40⠀Midfield: Level 59⠀Offense: Level 58⠀Speed: 5/10⠀Stamina: 4/10⠀Strength: 4/10⠀Vision: 7/10⠀Skills: Croqueta, Ronaldo chop, Marseille roulette, Trivela cross, Trivela shot