My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 24: Ghost of the Flank

"Whoa!" Rio’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the new mission objective that floated in front of his face while he stood on the touchline waiting to come on.

The "Score or Assist against the Champions" mission seemed the most glaring as it rewarded ten times the XP, an A-grade Skill called "The Ferrari Engine," and a Gold Lottery ticket.

Rio had never even used a Silver lottery ticket, so the thought of using a Gold one made his imagination run wild.

"Maybe it will give me a skill to never get tired?" He thought, rubbing his hands together greedily while the fourth official checked his studs.

Without further ado, Rio slapped hands with the departing Yan Couto and jogged onto the pitch, heading toward the right flank where Vinicius Jr. had been wreaking havoc all night.

"Wait, who is marking me?" He asked aloud, though no one could hear him over the crowd.

A moment after he stepped onto the grass, a squat, muscular man appeared next to him, wearing the white jersey of Real Madrid.

Before he could even realize what was happening, a firm shoulder barge sent him stumbling, causing the breath in his lungs to fly into the air.

"Ferland Mendy," the commentator’s voice sounded out on the stadium speakers behind him, knocking him out of his reverie.

"M-M-Mendy!????" Rio’s whole body felt as if it had lost strength as he stared at the French left-back for Real Madrid. What the hell was Ferland Mendy doing this high up the pitch?

Rio’s attention was drawn to the giant screen behind the goal which had the words "REAL MADRID HIGH PRESS" flashing in red upon it.

"High press? There’s no way that they are pressing this hard when they are up 2-0..."

Then it dawned on him, Real Madrid wasn’t pressing to win the ball back; they were pressing to humiliate them.

"They want to crush us!? How the hell am I meant to find space? That’s like trying to find water in a desert..." Suddenly, the missions that once felt achievable, now seemed as if they were an unclimbable mountain.

Two more aggressive interceptions by Mendy went straight through the passing lanes and into Luka Modric’s feet, sucking all of the enthusiasm out of Rio’s body.

Just as he was about to give up on Leo’s advice, he saw a notification appear from the System.

SYSTEM HAS NOTICED THAT THE USER IS UNABLE TO FIND SPACE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACTIVATE A TACTICAL HINT?

ACTIVATE GHOST MODE (Invisible movement for 3 seconds - Cooldown: 5 mins)

ACTIVATE SPEED BURST (Instant 99 Pace - Cooldown: 10 mins)

ACTIVATE LEO’S VISION (Highlight the "Pocket" - Recommended)

ACTIVATE DIVE (Try to win a foul - High Risk)

"Oh thank god!" Rio breathed a sigh of relief, seeing as he could choose a hint to help him. It would be pointless going up against such an athletic defender at his current tactical level. However, it filled him with even more enthusiasm for his future as a winger.

"Let’s go with Leo’s Vision."

The moment he selected the option, something unexpected showed up on the pitch; A blue, glowing square appeared in the empty space between the touchline and Real Madrid’s center-back, Antonio Rüdiger.

Looking at the highlighted area felt a little weird, like he was cheating on a test, however, it had a positive psychological effect on Rio.

His current goal was to trust his brother, both in his life and his football career.

Going up against the advice of his own eyes seemed to make this goal tangible, filling him with fighting spirit.

"Hahaha! It’s time to see if the lazy genius knows what he’s talking about." Rio pointed his finger toward the empty space and let out a nervous laugh.

Getting into position, his eyes narrowed as Aleix Garcia received the ball in midfield and performed his wind-up for a long pass.

WHOOSH

’Long ball into space! Who do you think I am?’

PAH

"Intercepted by Rüdiger."

"Damn it! What the hell was that positioning?" Rio complained, seeing the German defender heading the ball away easily.

"Again!"

PAH

"Intercepted by Mendy."

"Again!

"Intercepted by Camavinga."

"AGAIN!"

Rio tried and tried again to make the run into the blue square, but there was something wrong. With his new mental grade, he was able to track the flight of the ball, however, he always seemed to be arriving too early or too late.

This time, he decided to let the ball go first, focusing his vision on Rüdiger’s movement from when the ball left Aleix’s foot until it landed.

"W-What!?"

Rüdiger seemed to move in an odd fashion just before the ball arrived, changing his body shape ever so slightly despite being a giant.

"Is this what all strikers feel like playing against him?" Rio mused, feeling frustrated. Now that he had seen it up close, he could now understand what was happening.

His long limbs and terrifying aura allowed him to cover space in such a way where there was an unusual pressure applied to the attacker. This made his movements unpredictable, especially just before the ball reached the target zone.

But unfortunately, knowing about the quirk did not make it easier to receive the ball. Therefore he decided to just work on his defensive tracking for a couple of minutes to regain his breath before trying again.

[Chat Room Active]

Total_Football_14: You are running too straight! Rüdiger loves straight lines. You must run diagonally! Curve your run like a banana!

Hand_Of_King: Banana? Forget fruit! Just run faster! You have 92 Pace! Use it!

Zizou_5: Patience. Mendy is aggressive. He will get bored of marking space. Wait for him to bite.

By the end of the ten-minute period, he had managed to successfully track back three times. Despite having 92 Pace, he had only managed to stop Vinicius once, the others either resulting in a corner or a dangerous cross.

Of course, he was going up against a Ballon d’Or contender who was dribbling around him like he was a training cone, but still, it gave him a wake-up call not to blindly rely on his speed stat.

While the Major League System was a great tool to help him achieve his dream of becoming a professional footballer, it was just that; a tool. If he didn’t put in the tactical work and utilize it correctly, then it would feel as if he had achieved nothing.

And if the System were to disappear one day, he would have learned nothing either, returning to his previous self—a fan sitting on the sofa. This was not something that he would allow happen.

As his thoughts drifted, Rio’s consciousness reappeared in the game as Mateo received the ball again in the center circle. He quickly took a look at the stadium clock which read 65:00.

"Looks like I need to adjust my runs if I want to touch the ball before full time." He mused before turning his body, curving his run toward the touchline, away from the ball. It seemed that the advice from the legends and his brother had finally taken its toll on his mind.

Aleix Garcia saw the movement. He didn’t hesitate. He launched the ball high into the evening sky.

Mendy turned to chase. Rüdiger turned to intercept.

But this time, Rio wasn’t running straight. He was arcing wide, creating an angle that neither defender could close down easily.

The ball was dropping into the blue square.

Rio was dropping into the blue square.

It was a race. A race between a neon pink boot and a white jersey. A race between fear and glory.

"Catch me!" Rio whispered, his heart pounding against his ribs.