The System Makes Me a Player

The pairs begin to leave the court and sit on a bench outside the playing area, taking deep breaths and recovering from the intensity of the first half.

"I thought this would be harder, Ian", Kelvin says, wiping his face with a towel, still a bit sweaty.

"I thought so too. I guess we're just really good", he replies, letting out a light laugh, still energized from their performance.

Kelvin smiles, but his expression quickly turns more serious as he looks toward the court.

"I hope the whole game doesn't stay this boring, Ian."

"Yeah, I noticed Samuel almost took your leg off with that foul", Ian comments, adjusting his socks.

"And the ref only gave him a yellow. That was clearly a red."

The two look at each other for a moment, sharing a silent understanding.

"You think they can come back?" Ian asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Only if we let them. And well... I'm not really in the mood for that", Kelvin says with a laugh.

Ian smiles again.

"Then let's go finish this match."

The referee blows his whistle loudly, calling the players back onto the court.

"Second half", Ian says, standing up.

"Time to end this", adds Kelvin, walking back into battle.

Applause echoes from the stands as the players return to the court. The scoreboard shows 3–0 for Sanu, and even with a comfortable lead, Kelvin remains calm.

Samuel places the ball at the center of the court and exchanges a quick glance with his brother.

"We're going to shut those two up", he says firmly.

"They're way too confident. Time to wipe that smirk off", adds Samuka, clenching his fists.

The whistle blows, and the second half begins.

Samuel passes to the side, and Samuka moves forward with the ball glued to his feet. But unlike the first half, he doesn't rush, he stays calm, trying to control the tempo.

Kelvin notices.

"They've changed a bit", he murmurs to Ian, already moving into position.

Samuka dribbles left, fakes a shot, then pulls back. Samuel appears quickly, picks up the ball in motion, and shoots from outside the box. The ball comes fast, barely missing the goal. It scrapes the post, startling even Sanu's keeper.

"Whoa!" exclaims Ian, eyes wide. "That was close…"

Kelvin furrows his brow, focused.

"They really did change a bit", he says with a grin.

"Definitely", replies Ian.

Kelvin nods.

The ball returns to Sanu. Kelvin controls it at midfield, spins past his marker, and accelerates. But this time, Samuka and Samuel close in together, in sync, like a twin wall.

Kelvin tries to squeeze between them, but Samuka bumps him with a shoulder and knocks him off balance.

"It's tougher now. They're using their bodies", says Kelvin, recovering and passing to Ian.

"But not impossible", Ian responds, quickly returning the ball with a first-touch pass.

Kelvin pulls to the side, makes a short dribble, and shoots. The ball crashes into Samuel's leg and goes out for a throw.

The crowd stays excited, but now with a certain tension in the air. Uchi is different.

Kelvin grabs the ball for the throw.

"They're different, Ian. I like it."

"You like being challenged, don't you?"

Kelvin smiles.

"It's no fun if it's easy."

He throws it hard, straight to Ian's feet. Ian controls it, spins on the spot, and sees Kelvin sprinting behind the defense.

"Go!" shouts Ian, launching a precise pass.

Kelvin receives it at full speed. Samuel tries to keep up, but he's a step behind. Kelvin enters the box, readies the shot... but Samuka appears out of nowhere, diving in front.

The ball hits him and deflects for a corner.

"They're giving it their all now…" Ian murmurs, walking over to take the kick.

Kelvin raises his hand, signaling the play. The crowd holds its breath.

Ian runs and crosses it with a sharp curve. Kelvin jumps early and heads it in the middle of the chaos. The ball deflects off Samuka… and goes in the corner of the net.

4–0 for Sanu.

The stands erupt in cheers. Kelvin hits the ground and gets up smiling, raising a clenched fist in celebration. Ian runs over, and they bump chests, fired up.

"They might scare us sometimes, but we're way better", says Ian, out of breath.

The Uchi twins glance at each other. Their expressions are serious, but Samuel bites his lower lip, frustrated.

"They're really good…" says Samuka, breathing deeply.

"Doesn't matter, bro... We're turning this game around", Samuel replies.

Uchi restarts the match, trying once more to find a reaction. Samuka moves up the right side, tries to cut past Ian, and crosses to Samuel. He controls it well, spins, and fires, but Sanu's keeper pulls off an incredible save, punching it away.

Kelvin is already there, recovering the ball before anyone from Uchi can react. He sprints down the left side, advancing as Ian follows through the center.

Samuel tries to block him, but Kelvin lures him in with a body feint and, at the last second, delivers a perfectly timed pass to Ian, who charges into the box alone.

"Go!" shouts Kelvin.

Ian strikes first-time.

Goal for Sanu. 5–0.

The crowd goes wild. Some fans even stand, shouting Ian's name. He celebrates, beating his chest and pointing at Kelvin.

"That was amazing", says Kelvin, still laughing. "That one's yours, Ian."

"Ours", he replies.

On the restart, Uchi tries to slow the game down, keep possession, and control the pace. But Sanu is playing at a relentless rhythm. Smothering defense, quick passes, clean tackles, everything seems to be working perfectly.

Ian steals the ball at midfield and quickly passes to Kelvin, who spins and sees an open path to goal.

He doesn't hesitate.

He shoots low and hard into the bottom right corner. The keeper dives, but can't reach it.

6–0.

The crowd is in a frenzy.

Kelvin walks back with a near-mocking smile, locking eyes with the twins, now panting, sweaty, and visibly shaken.

"I was afraid this game might get boring", he says, passing by Samuel.

"It's not over yet", Samuel replies, but his tone lacks conviction.

"Hope not", Kelvin says with a faint smirk.

With little time left, Uchi attempts one last quick play, but Ian easily intercepts a pass and gently taps it to Kelvin. This time, he decides to have fun.

He rainbow flicks the ball over Samuka's head, then nutmegs Samuel with a soft touch.

The crowd rises to its feet. Cheers, whistles, applause.

Kelvin places the shot with finesse.

7–0.

The ref checks the time and blows the final whistle.

The Sanu players hug. The crowd goes wild. Kelvin and Ian share a handshake, sweaty but with eyes full of excitement.

"That was awesome", says Kelvin, looking up at the stands.

"And it was only the first match", Ian adds, smiling.

At the far end of the court, the Uchi twins stand in silence.