SSS Alpha Ranking: Limitless Soccer Cultivation After A Century

Blaze woke before the alarm, staring at the ceiling like it owed him answers, why always me that ends up in the medical center, his ankle throbbed a little, but it wasn't the pain that kept him up. It was the weird emptiness. No boots. No morning drills. No grass under his feet, and just like previous time since joining Titans, his day didn't start with a sprint, this need to end, he thinks to himself, I need to find a way to play pass my limits without always collapsing.

Jason had given him a new role yesterday, and part of Dante Anderson appreciated it. The other part felt like he was being quietly pushed into retirement at 122, well in coach defense, I guess he is not that too young, he thought with a smile.

He swung his legs off the bed, braced himself, and stood. Still stiff. Still slow. Still not him, almost like an exercise.

The training facility was already buzzing when he arrived. The sound of whistles, shouts, boots hitting turf. For a second, Blaze just stood there in the hallway, watching through the glass as his teammates warmed up. It hit him in a way he wasn't ready for. Every stretch, every short pass, every burst forward… that used to be him and it's hurt, he could only wish them the best and help whichever way he could.

Alex spotted him and waved. "You ready for your first day in the booth?"

Blaze made a face. "Please don't call it a booth. Makes me sound like a retired commentator."

Alex laughed. "Relax. You're helping me break down movement patterns, not calling goals on TV."

Blaze followed him into the small analysis room. Monitors covered the wall, showing different angles from previous matches. Alex handed him a tablet. "Alright. Start with Rift Striker's left-channel transitions from the final. Look for spacing errors and timing gaps." this was a part of football, he has never encountered, it was different and maybe he could learn a thing or two.

Blaze stared at the screen. "You know I usually solve these problems by kicking the ball, right?"

"Today you solve it using your brain," Alex said. "Lucky you."

Despite the joke, Blaze settled into the chair. As the footage played, something clicked. He wasn't trying to replace the feeling of being on the pitch. Instead, he was watching from a distance, seeing patterns he never noticed before, movement he did not notice, it was like he was seeing the game from the eyes of the fan and an analyst at the same time, it felt weird and good at the same time.

He leaned forward. "Pause that."

Alex paused. Blaze pointed at the screen. "See that? When their winger drags Rico out wide, the midfielder slips into the half-space. We kept getting pulled too deep." and nobody notices this during the match

Alex nodded. "Exactly. Now prove it across multiple clips." Wow, so many things he never thought to notice while playing, he was always focus on this team and scoring goals.

Blaze exhaled slowly. "Alright. Let's do it."

And just like that, he started working. Not with his legs, but with the part of him that understood the game like instinct, he started understanding more about formations, back drop, tactics, and it becomes clear, they did a lot of things wrong in the finals.

On the Training Pitch

Jason watched the session with more intensity than usual. He didn't want Blaze to feel the shift, but it was happening. Titans had always relied on Blaze for aggressive momentum, that spark that turned a dead play into something dangerous.

Without him, the shape looked stiff. The transitions slower. Diegoo kept checking over his shoulder like he was waiting for Blaze to appear and bail him out of double pressure. Marcus tried too hard to compensate, rushing plays he normally handled calmly.

Jason clapped his hands. "Reset! Diego, stop forcing it. Marcus, don't run into that trap again. You're drifting too central."

Aya jogged over, panting. "Man… it's weird without Blaze yelling at me to switch sides."

Jason raised a brow. "If your game collapses because one player isn't here, that's a problem." Football is a team sport not Dante Anderson and his 10 teammates, we are a team before him.

Rico scratched the back of his head. "It's not like that. The rhythm is just… different."

Jason didn't argue. He saw it too. The team wasn't falling apart, but they were adjusting to a hole that couldn't be filled yet.

Scarlett jogged up next. "Coach, be honest. We're gonna struggle for a bit, right?"

Jason studied him. "Only if you expect Blaze to carry you when he comes back."

He is just one player, football is a team sport, always remember that.

That shut them all up.

Jason blew the whistle and restarted the drill. The team pushed hard, trying to shake off the discomfort. But the truth stayed clear. Blaze wasn't replaceable, Diego tried his very best, but he was always waiting for Dante Anderson to help with the finishing store or to drop for a one,two counter.

And that was both a blessing and a problem.

Back in the Booth

By noon, Blaze's head hurt in a way that had nothing to do with the injury. He rubbed his temples. "Man… how do you stare at screens all day? I feel like my brain's melting."

Alex chuckled. "Welcome to my life."

Blaze pointed at another clip. "Pause. That's the same thing again. Marcus steps too early and the backline shifts late."

Alex grinned. "You're getting good at this."

"Don't encourage me. I don't plan on making this a career."

"Relax," Alex said. "It's temporary. But you're helping more than you realize."

Blaze looked at him, unsure whether to believe that. He wanted to be useful, but part of him still felt like he was being put in storage until further notice.

Before he could spiral, the door opened and Jason walked in. Sweat still clung to his shirt from the field.

"How's he doing?" Jason asked.

Alex shrugged. "Annoyingly good."

Blaze rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure that wasn't a compliment."

"It was," Alex said. "In my own style and more."

Jason stepped closer. "Blaze, the patterns you flagged earlier? I tested the adjustments on the pitch. It helped immediately."

Blaze blinked. "Seriously?"

Jason nodded. "You saved us time. And right now, time matters."

Blaze felt a small, unfamiliar warmth in his chest. Maybe he wasn't useless. Maybe this role mattered too.

"Good work today," Jason said. "Head home. Rest. Physio in the morning."

Blaze nodded and grabbed his things.

The Call

After Blaze left, Jason sat in his office with a bottle of water pressed against his forehead. Coaching without his star forward on the pitch was harder than he expected. Not impossible, but the team's balance was off.

His phone buzzed.

Unknown number. But with a Rift League title under their belt, he expected plenty of calls from sponsors and opportunists.

He answered. "Jason speaking."

A smooth voice came through the speaker. "Coach Jason Hale. Congratulations on the Rift League win. You handled it with remarkable composure."

Jason sat up a bit straighter. "Thank you. And you are…?"

"Elias Varron." The name carried a weight that made Jason freeze.

Elias Varron wasn't some random investor. He was the head of Varron Dynamics, one of the biggest interplanetary sports development companies in the Rift colonies. A man whose investments could shape entire leagues.

Jason cleared his throat. "What can I do for you?"

"I've been following the Titans for a while," Elias said. "Your young forward, Blaze… exceptional raw talent. His injury is unfortunate, but it doesn't change his value."

Jason's jaw tightened. "If this is about signing him—"

Elias chuckled. "Relax, Coach. I'm not trying to steal your players. I'm offering you something."

Jason leaned back in his chair, cautious. "Alright. I'm listening."

"My company is launching a new elite development program. Cross-world training. Enhanced recovery tech. Strategic mentorship. I want Titans to be the first team involved."

Jason frowned. "Why us?"

"Because you've built something no one expected," Elias said. "A team that shouldn't have won the Rift League, but did. I invest in outliers, Coach. I invest in teams that rewrite the rules."

Jason rubbed his chin. "And what exactly do you want in return?"

"First-look rights to any player you develop over the next three years."

That hit like a punch.

Jason didn't answer immediately.

Elias continued, "Think it over. This could accelerate Blaze's recovery. And change your team's entire future."

The call ended before Jason could speak.

He sat there in the silence, the weight of it pressing on his chest. It was the kind of offer that could pull Titans into the next level.

But offers like this always came with teeth.

And he had no idea how he was going to explain this to the team… or to Blaze.