Unlimited Potential System

The next morning, Tyler woke up to the sound of his phone vibrating next to his head. He groaned quietly and turned around, reaching for it on his bedside table. It was a message from Jasmine.

Jasmine: Good morning, sleepyhead. I bet you'll pretend you're tired even though you rested all day yesterday.

Tyler chuckled softly and rubbed his eyes. He typed back quickly.

Tyler: I woke up before my alarm. You can't call that lazy.

He sat up in bed, stretching his arms and twisting his neck side to side. His body still felt slightly heavy from the recovery sessions, but nothing too bad. He got out of bed and dragged himself into the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and splashing water on his face, he stood in front of the mirror for a moment. His hair was a mess, so he combed it quickly before pulling on a hoodie and joggers.

When he walked out of his room, Tony was already on the couch with a bowl of cereal in his lap. The TV was on, though muted, showing an old Ligue 1 highlights program. Enzo was nowhere to be seen, which was unusual since he was often the first one awake.

"You're finally up," Tony said with his mouth half full. "I thought you were gonna sleep till noon."

"It's not even eight yet," Tyler replied, raising his eyebrow.

"Still," Tony shrugged and shoved another spoonful into his mouth. "Footballers always talk about waking up at crazy times like five in the morning. You're slacking."

Tyler rolled his eyes and dropped himself into the armchair. "I trained yesterday. Recovery is important too. Didn't your coach tell you that?"

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who played at Stade Louis II in front of fans and got man of the match," Tony fired back with a grin.

Tyler let out a small laugh. "So now you're jealous."

"Not jealous," Tony shook his head, then pointed his spoon like it was a weapon. "Motivated. You just gave me another reason to grind harder."

Before Tyler could answer, Enzo finally came out of his room. His hair was messy, and he had his training bag already strapped to his shoulder.

"You're leaving already?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah," Enzo yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Under 19 training started early today. Don't ask me why. Coach just texted us that he wanted everyone in by eight."

"That's unlucky," Tony said with mock sympathy. "I'll be here enjoying my cereal while you're suffering."

"Thanks for the support," Enzo replied dryly. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and headed to the door. "See you guys later."

The door shut behind him, and Tony looked at Tyler again. "You know he's gonna text me later asking to play FC with him. I'm not saying yes this time. Yesterday he roasted me too much."

"You're terrible at the game, though," Tyler said.

"I'm not terrible," Tony argued. "I just have bad luck. The game scripts against me."

Tyler laughed loudly, shaking his head. "Bad luck doesn't explain losing six matches in a row."

"Okay, mister professional footballer," Tony leaned back. "One of these days, you and I are playing a series. Best of seven. We'll see who's bad."

"You'll just lose all seven."

Tony threw a cushion at him. "Keep talking."

Tyler caught it and set it down beside him, still smiling. The banter was light, and it reminded him of how important it was to have normal conversations outside football.

Tony crunched through the last of his cereal and set the bowl on the table. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "So what's the plan for today? Another recovery session?"

"Probably," Tyler said. "Adi doesn't want to risk anything. It'll be light."

"Must be nice," Tony muttered. "Meanwhile, my coach is out here making us run suicides for losing a training game yesterday."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Who even lost the ball?"

"Enzo," Tony answered without hesitation. "But he'll deny it until the day he dies."

Tyler smirked. "That explains the mood he came back with yesterday."

Tony leaned forward. "Yeah, he blamed me the whole walk home. Said I didn't press fast enough."

Tyler shook his head, amused. "Sounds about right."

After a while, Tyler stood up. "I'm going to head to training. What about you?"

"I have class later," Tony sighed. "The teacher better not waste our time again. Yesterday was long enough."

Tyler smirked. "You mean the same teacher you insulted after coming home?"

"That's the one," Tony said without hesitation. "If he starts dragging things again today, I'll actually fall asleep in class."

"Don't get caught."

"I won't," Tony grinned.

Tyler shook his head and went back to his room to get his training bag. He grabbed his shades and mask on the way out, then left the apartment.

The walk to the Monaco Performance Center was peaceful, though he still caught a couple of people glancing his way like they recognized him. He pulled his mask higher over his nose and kept walking until he reached the entrance.

When he got into the locker room, a few players were already inside changing into training gear. Tiago greeted him with a nod. "Morning, superstar."

"Morning," Tyler said as he sat down at his locker.

"Ready for another recovery day?" Tiago asked.

"As long as it doesn't include anything painful," Tyler replied.

Tiago chuckled. "Hydrotherapy again. Brace yourself."

Tyler changed and followed the group out to the training area. The morning started with a light jog around the pitch, then they headed back in for pool recovery. Tyler didn't mind. He knew the coaching staff wanted to make sure he wasn't overworked after his debut.

The players joked lightly during the session. Ben Seghir splashed water at Jakobs, who responded by dunking him briefly under the water. Everyone laughed until the fitness coach barked at them to calm down.

After about two hours of work, Adi Hütter gathered the players for a short talk.

"Good work," Hütter said. "We're easing into the week, but don't think that means you can relax mentally. Focus every day. That's the standard we expect here."

The players nodded, and with that, they were dismissed. Tyler went back to the locker room, showered quickly, and changed into his hoodie and joggers again. He was about to leave when Ismail Jakobs called out to him.

"Tyler, wait a second."

Tyler turned around. "Yeah?"

Jakobs walked over. "You've got something, you know. But don't let it get to your head. I've seen young players lose themselves after one good performance. Promise me you won't be one of them."

"I won't," Tyler said firmly.

"Good," Jakobs nodded. "Then I'll keep feeding you the ball."

Tyler grinned. "I'll make sure I finish it, then."

Jakobs gave him a fist bump before heading out.

When Tyler finally left the center, he debated whether to grab something to eat or just head home. His stomach made the decision for him, and he stopped at a small café near the harbor. He ordered a sandwich and juice, then sat by the window.

The café wasn't too crowded, just a couple of older men reading newspapers and a group of tourists near the counter. Tyler kept his mask on until his food arrived, then pulled it down and ate quickly.

As he ate, he thought about the system again. The Golden Boy quest was still on his mind.

[Objective: Finish in the top ten of the Golden Boy ranking by the end of the year]

[Reward: System Upgrade]

It wasn't going away. Tyler took a deep breath and nodded to himself. He had to use every match, every chance, to get closer.

He finished his meal and walked back home, keeping his head low as he moved through the streets. By the time he got to the apartment, Tony was on the couch with his laptop open. He looked stressed, his hand buried in his hair.

"What's up with you?" Tyler asked as he dropped his bag.

"Assignments," Tony groaned. "Teachers here are insane. Who gives three essays in one week?"

"Sounds rough," Tyler said as he sat down. "Need help?"

"Unless you're secretly an expert in French literature, no."

Tyler chuckled. "Definitely not."

Tony closed the laptop with a sigh. "I swear, school's more exhausting than training sometimes."

They spent the afternoon in the apartment. Tyler joined Tony for a while, watching random videos online and eating snacks. Enzo came back later in the evening, tired but still eager to talk about training.

"Coach shouted at us for twenty minutes straight," Enzo said as he collapsed onto the couch. "I swear I didn't even do anything."

"Sure," Tony teased. "You probably messed up a pass."

"It wasn't me," Enzo defended himself. "It was Jules. But everyone had to suffer."

"Team punishment," Tyler nodded. "Happens everywhere."

Enzo sighed and reached for the TV remote. "Let's just watch something before I sleep. My brain is fried."

They ended up putting on a Champions League highlight show. Tyler watched silently, taking mental notes on the players. The ambition inside him grew stronger. He wanted to be on that stage. Not just as a participant, but as someone who made the difference.

The three of them argued lightly about which team looked the strongest. Tony insisted Bayern were unbeatable. Enzo said Real Madrid always found a way. Tyler quietly believed Manchester City had too much quality, but he didn't bother pressing his point.

As the night went on, Enzo eventually fell asleep on the couch, and Tony was half asleep next to him. Tyler stood up quietly and went to his room. He lay down on his bed and pulled out his phone, texting Jasmine.

Tyler: Long day. Training, recovery, café stop, then listening to Enzo complain.

Jasmine: Sounds productive. Did you at least eat something good at the café?

Tyler: Yeah. Sandwich was solid.

Jasmine: You're so boring.

Tyler smiled. They went back and forth for a while before saying goodnight.

After putting his phone away, he stared at the ceiling. The side quest was still there. The Golden Boy ranking. The system upgrade. It felt heavy, but it was also fuel. He clenched his fists lightly under the blanket.

He would stay hungry. No matter what.

A/N:

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