SSS Alpha Ranking: Limitless Soccer Cultivation After A Century

Jason stepped into the training center early, long before the others drifted in. The place felt different without Blaze in the lineup. Normally Blaze would already be warming up, tossing jokes around, sparring with weights like they were toys. Now the gym sounded empty. Too empty.

Jason kept replaying last night's call in his mind. The investor had been calm and confident, the kind of tone that sounded like opportunity but smelled like trouble.

"We want Blaze leading the program. Not assisting. Not observing. Leading. If he's not ready physically, we'll hold off launching until he is."

That one sentence hadn't left his head.

Jason rubbed his temple. He hated this already.

Footsteps echoed behind him. Ryker, Maya and Felix walked in, still half-asleep, but their chitchat died the moment they noticed Jason's expression.

"What's with the face?" Felix asked.

Jason took a breath. "We need to talk before Blaze gets here."

That alone got everyone's attention. The team settled around him in a loose circle, waiting.

"There's been a development," Jason said. "An investor reached out last night. They're offering to fund a major expansion of the program we've been designing. New tech. Better facilities. Worldwide rollout."

Ryker raised a brow. "That sounds good. So why do you look like someone stole your wallet?"

Maya folded her arms. "Yeah. You're not exactly selling this as a win."

Jason exhaled. "Because the investor only wants one person to lead it."

They all waited.

"It's Blaze."

The silence hit harder than Jason expected.

Felix spoke first. "Wait… lead? As in he leaves here?"

Jason nodded.

Ryker swore under his breath. Maya sank onto a bench.

"So the moment he heals, they just want him out?" she asked.

"They don't see it as taking him," Jason said. "They think they're giving him an opportunity."

Ryker paced. "He's the backbone of this team. Even if he doesn't act like it. Everything we've built works because he's in it."

"And he's injured," Maya added. "Why would they even push something like this right now?"

Jason didn't answer. He didn't have one.

The door opened behind them. Blaze limped in slowly, earbuds hanging from one ear, hoodie pulled low. He wasn't even trying to pretend his leg wasn't hurting today. His gait gave everything away.

He froze when he saw the circle of faces.

"…Did someone die?" Blaze joked, but his tone was thin.

Jason straightened. "Actually, we were just.. "

Blaze lifted a hand. "Save it. Whatever you're hiding, I already heard."

Everyone blinked.

Blaze tapped the earbud. "You guys echo like you're talking in a tunnel. I heard 'program,' 'Blaze,' 'lead,' and something about leaving."

Felix winced. Maya cursed under her breath.

Blaze stared at Jason. "So. Tell me how I'm getting replaced while I'm still limping."

"You're not being replaced," Jason said gently. "They want you to run something..."

"Without the team," Blaze cut in. "So yeah. Replaced."

His jaw tightened. You could almost see the frustration simmering beneath his calm.

Jason stepped forward. "Look, this isn't something I'm pushing. They came to me. I haven't agreed to anything. You deserve to know before anything moves."

"So what do they want exactly?" Blaze asked.

Jason explained everything, as simply as he could. When he finished, Blaze just stared at the floor.

The room stayed quiet until Blaze finally asked, "And if I say no?"

"I'll support you," Jason said. "But it may complicate things with the expansion."

"So the team suffers if I stay," Blaze muttered. "Great."

Maya stood. "You're not walking out of here because some investor wants it. We built this together."

Ryker nodded. "We're not falling apart just because someone dangled money in front of us."

Blaze swallowed hard. He didn't show emotion openly, but something cracked in his expression.

Before anyone could say more, Blaze turned and walked out.

He didn't storm off. He didn't slam the door. He just left with the quiet exhaustion of someone who had already been carrying too much.

Jason sighed. "I'll go talk to him."

"No," Maya said. "Let him breathe first."

Felix rubbed the back of his neck. "This is going to get messy, isn't it?"

Jason didn't answer. He didn't need to. They all knew.

Blaze made his way outside and sank onto the lower steps of the building. The cold air stung his lungs, but it grounded him.

He hated feeling weak. He hated the idea of being benched even more. And now he hated that his future was being decided while he struggled to walk straight.

He hadn't even fully healed, and they already wanted to ship him off like he was some shiny new product.

He put his head in his hands.

He didn't hear Jason approach until the man sat beside him.

"You okay if I sit here?" Jason asked quietly.

Blaze didn't look up. "You're already sitting."

Jason rested his elbows on his knees. "I know this hit you hard. I'd be pissed too."

Blaze let out a low laugh that didn't have much humor. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. The program sounds like something I should want. But leaving the team? That feels wrong."

"You don't have to decide today."

"That's the thing," Blaze said. "You know me. I don't freeze up. I don't hesitate. I always know my next move."

"Except this time?"

Blaze shrugged. "Everything feels tangled."

Jason nudged his shoulder lightly. "Then let it be tangled for a moment. Nobody's dragging you anywhere."

Blaze finally looked up. "You sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

Jason wasn't lying. Blaze could hear truth in the steadiness of his voice.

A moment passed. Blaze looked away toward the parking lot.

"So what now?"

"Now," Jason said, "we go back inside. You help analyze the drills from a chair. The team adjusts. Life keeps moving."

Blaze smirked. "You make it sound simple."

"It isn't. But we make it work."

After a long pause, Blaze nodded and pushed himself up. Jason stood with him.

They walked inside together.

Training that day was tense. The team kept glancing at Blaze like he might disappear if they blinked too long. Blaze sat at one corner of the gym, notebook in hand, analyzing form, making adjustments, calling out corrections. He forced himself to focus.

It helped more than he expected.

At one point Maya approached him with a water bottle.

"You know," she said, "if you ever leave this team, I'm replacing all your posters with pictures of frogs."

Blaze snorted. "Why frogs?"

"They stick around."

A laugh slipped from him. "You're ridiculous."

"Only for you," she said lightly.

Blaze went quiet. He suddenly felt the weight of everything again.

But for the first time since the conversation started, it didn't crush him. It just reminded him that the team wasn't letting go easily.

Jason watched them from the other side of the gym, relieved to see Blaze even slightly more grounded.

The investor's call had opened a door. But stepping through it might tear the team apart.

For now, though, they were still together.

And that had to be enough.