**London, United Kingdom. **
2021
The rain fell in steady streams, relentlessly attacking Laurent's jacket as he made his way to school. London weather was no joke, especially in the cold autumn mornings of November. It was the first day back after the half-term break, and before even reaching school, he wanted nothing more than to be back in bed.
If only he had inherited the football talent rather than his older brother, then maybe he wouldn't have to go to school and could just kick a ball around for ninety minutes and get paid.
Yeah, you've probably guessed it: Laurent's older brother is Alexandre Lacazette, the esteemed Arsenal player. His connection to him came with some perks, mainly financial support, but if anything physics had taught him, it was that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And the downside to having such a talented brother was the constant comparisons.
"How come your brother's so good at football and you're just a pacy winger with no tech?"
This question summed up most of the comparisons pretty well. Although Laurent was on the school football team, it was mainly because of his pace. At least he wasn't completely useless with the ball, though.
He had finally reached the school gates and quickly made his way to the sixth-form common room, trying to avoid the younger students.
"Yo Laurent." He turned his head toward the familiar voice and nodded at his tall portuguese friend, Cristiano. "Got your kit for the match today?" Cristiano asked, his captaincy clear in his voice.
"Yeah, right here." Laurent lifted the Nike duffle bag in his hand. "What's the lineup saying?" His voice tinged with curiosity.
"We're playing 5-2-3," Cristiano answered, moving toward his locker, which was close to Laurent's.
"Five at the back? You're mental. Where's the attacking football you love so much?" Laurent snickered at his playful tendencies, but when he turned to see Cristiano's face, he looked completely serious. "Oh, you're serious?"
"Bro, we're playing the Year 13s. They're a million times better than us Year 12s. This is the only way we won't concede too many goals."
"It's only an event to raise money for the Year 13s' prom anyway. It's never that deep," Laurent responded with a yawn.
"Well, it is. Mr. Harris contacted one of his friends who works as a scout for West Ham to come and watch the match." Cristiano's voice lowered, but the seriousness still lingered. "So maybe it isn't that 'deep' for someone like you who's actually smart, but it is for me. Football's the only thing I've got going for me."
"Damn, bro. Didn't realize it meant that much to you. Don't worry, for you I'll actually try to finish those long balls you give me." Laurent responded with an unwavering resolve. Cristiano was his friend, and to be fair, football was the only thing he had going for him. He had gotten rejected by the local football college and had to join sixth form as a result.
Laurent understood his frustration. He was, lowkey, a genius. Not trying to sound like an arrogant bastard, but he was. He was almost guaranteed to be successful in life, with his subject choices being Further Maths, Chemistry, and Physics, and having gotten nearly straight A*s in his GCSEs.
"Yeah, I'd appreciate that, bro." Cristiano turned toward him and gave him a dap. "Anyways, I've got to go. Got a history lesson."
---
**Period 5**
It was Laurent's final lesson of the day, and as usual, he was zoning out, just staring out the window. Anything was more interesting than learning about Acid-Base Equilibria.
[System Activation Complete]
Huh?
A translucent blue screen appeared before his very eyes. Was he hallucinating?
[Perfect Winger System:
System Level: 1 (0/25)
User: Laurent Lacazette
Age: 16 Years Old
Talent Assessment: Grade-C
System Points: 0
(Current Appraisal: A smart boy who is barely useful on the field.) ]
The transparent blue screen expanded, showing something similar to a User Interface in an RPG game. Laurent's initial shock was replaced with genuine interest, something to kill his boredom. The screen seemed to sense his intrigue and expanded further.
[User Menu]
-User Stats
-Missions
-System Shop
-System Wheel
—
"Laurent." He snapped out of his daze and looked toward his chemistry teacher.
"Yes, sir," he answered quickly, hoping to hide the fact that he hadn't listened to a word the teacher had said.
"I asked, what would happen to this equilibrium if the temperature increases?" the teacher repeated, pointing toward the board.
"The equilibrium would shift left in favor of the endothermic reaction."
"Well done. Glad to see you were listening." The teacher's tone clearly betrayed his words, as he knew Laurent hadn't been paying attention since the beginning of the lesson.
Laurent's eyes wandered back to the blue screen, which had once again shifted as the words read:
[Open 'Perfect Winger' Starter Pack.]
No harm in that, Laurent thought. Discreetly pressing the 'Open' button, the interface showed the image of a present that shook violently before exploding into confetti as seven cards appeared on the interface.
[Pick Four Cards]
Don't have to tell him twice. Without wasting any time, Laurent picked the card located at the top right.
It spun countless times before slowing down and revealing itself as:
[The Art of the First Touch, Dennis Bergkamp]
With this, he could basically become the 'Nagi' of the football world. He glanced at the level and saw that it was merely at Level 1/100, so it would obviously need to be worked on.
Patience was never a trait of his, so he quickly tapped on another card closer to the middle. It performed its little spinning routine before finally revealing itself as:
[The Flair of a Brazilian Prince, Neymar Jr.]
Spectacular. Absolutely spectacular.
Laurent had to restrain himself from screaming aloud as he could barely contain his excitement. To have such a skill would make this game against the Year 13s easy as hell.
He tapped another two cards, and they were:
[The Simple Cut In and Shoot, Arjen Robben]
[+25 Levels on a Skill Card]
He immediately used the +25 levels on the Neymar Flair because his shooting wasn't necessarily that bad, and his touch, although sometimes comparable to a trampoline, wasn't as cool as Neymar's skills.
[Mission Requests:
1- Help yourself and Cristiano get scouted by West Ham. Do you accept? {Y/N}
2- Score a Hatrick. Do you accept? {Y/N}
Mission Rewards:
1. Grade C Vitality Potion
2. Real Passion for Football]
Instantly, Laurent accepted both missions. There seemed to be no punishments for failing them, and with these newfound skills, completing these missions wouldn't seem so far-fetched.
'System, Show my Current Stats:'
[User Stats:
-Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: C-)
Balance and Coordination: C
Agility: B
Strength: D
Stamina: C- ]
These stats didn't really tell him anything right now as he didn't have anything to compare them to, but he guessed they should give him a rough idea of where his strengths lay.
"I really am a pace merchant, aren't I?" Laurent murmured to himself, glancing at his agility stat.
"What did you say?" the girl next to him turned to ask.
"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself," he sheepishly answered. He could've sworn he heard her mutter the words 'weirdo' but reluctantly ignored it.
And with that, the school bell rang, marking the end of the school day.
Yet for Laurent, the day had just begun.