Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

After the final whistle, the stadium was in pure ecstasy. Brighton had beaten Sevilla 3-0, and Lucas Tanaka was the name on everyone's lips.

In the stands, fans were still singing, while the players were celebrating on the pitch. Lucas was enjoying the moment. His mind was totally on the joy he was feeling, on how he was feeling it.

The next morning, Lucas woke up in his own dorm room. That was one advantage of playing at home. Sleepily, he reached under his pillow for his cell phone. As soon as he unlocked the screen, the notifications exploded.

[Instagram: 99+ notifications]

[Twitter: 245 mentions]

[YeahChat: 42 new messages]

Lucas frowned. He opened Twitter first, curious about what was being said.

The first post was from a user with a large following:

@FootballFanatic

"This kid, @LucasTanaka7, is something special. Three goals against Sevilla? Look at him! 🔥"

Further down, another comment caught his eye: Continue reading stories on empire

@LaLigaYouthScout

"@LucasTanaka7 destroyed today in Brighton's game against Sevilla. Control, vision, coolness... He's definitely a name to watch over the next few years. Brighton has a gem in their hands."

Scrolling down some more, Lucas read the more relaxed and sometimes hilarious comments:

@SevillaFan97:

"Who is this Lucas Tanaka, and why has he broken up our team?!"

@BrightonLover:

"Tanaka is our pride! This boy is going to be bigger than Beckham. Write it down!"

@FutebolMemeiroBR:

"Did you see this video of Brighton's goal yesterday? What a humiliation for Sevilla!"

@AsianFootballNews

"Incredible to see a young Japanese player excelling at a high level in Europe! Lucas Tanaka is the new hope of Asian soccer?"

Laughing, Lucas switched to Instagram. His profile, which previously had around 3,000 followers, now boasted 9.8k followers. He opened the message requests tab and found dozens of messages. Some were from Brighton fans, thanking him for the performance, while others were from people from all over the world, impressed by what they had seen.

It was then that he opened YouTube. A video entitled "Lucas Tanaka's hat-trick against Sevilla U-20" was already in the TOP100, largely because of his goal. He clicked on it and soon the comments flooded the screen:

[FootballArt: His second goal was surreal. His coolness to get past three players was that of a veteran!

Sevilla_JK: It hurts to admit it, but this kid has a future. Who's his agent? I want to sign him for my team!"

JapanOnTop: Represent, Lucas!

HatersWillCry: And they still say that the new generation doesn't have any stars. Lucas Tanaka is shutting everyone up].

Lucas then went to look at the messages on YeahChat.

Between the teasing from friends and the flood of notifications, Lucas looked at the messages again. Some were more personal, from friends and acquaintances from his old life in Japan.

[SakuraKai: Lucas-kun, you look amazing! I can't believe that shy kid turned into such an excellent player!

Mr. Yamamoto: Hey, Tanaka! What a grand match! You're doing great, keep it up!

Hana <3: Hi, oni-chan! Mom's helping me write this message here! We're proud of you! Ganbatte!]

He took a deep breath, feeling a pang of nostalgia.

However, among so many messages that made his heart fill up, one particular message caught his eye. It was from a group called "Team Wushia". This was the group of his former club mates in Japan. As soon as he clicked, a flurry of messages appeared.

[Kenji Nakamaru: Guys, did you see that?! Lucas scored a hat-trick against Sevilla! Look at the link!

{Link to YouTube video: "Lucas Tanaka's hat-trick against Sevilla U-20".}

Toshinori: I saw it just now! Seriously, @Lucas, since when did you become such a monster?!

Yukihiro: He used to be just the 'passing king' here in Japan. But can he score goals too?

Kuwabara: HAHAHA! Did you see the second goal? He left the guys' jaws on the floor!

Tsukada: Even my jaw dropped...

Hidefumi: Represent Japan, Lucas! Asian soccer is on your back now, HAHA!

Yuuga: Calm down, guys. Let's all take a breath. Not so excited.

Yuuga: Someone tells Lucas he hasn't replied yet because he's probably busy signing for Real Madrid].

Lucas read the messages with a smile on his face. He clicked on the link sent by Kenji and watched another video of his own game one more time. Then he turned back to the group.

'These guys haven't changed a bit,' he thought. Then he finally replied.

[Lucas: You guys are the worst. You haven't changed a bit, huh?!]

It didn't even take five seconds for Kenji's reply to appear.

[Kenji Nakamaru: Finally! I thought you'd forgotten about your friends here in Japan!

Toshinori: Lucas-kun, you're famous! It's hard to talk to you now, huh?

Lucas: What an exaggeration! I just got busy, you know how it is.

Yukihiro: You're busy humiliating a European team, aren't you? Seriously, that goal was fucked up. The guy with the short hair looked lost.

Kuwabara: I cried with laughter when I saw Bryan Gil slip. Lucas, did you plan that?!

Lucas: I planned the dribble, but him falling over was a bonus LOL].

The conversation continued, full of laughter and teasing, but soon Kenji changed his tune.

[Kenji Nakamaru: Seriously now, Lucas. I'm very proud of you. Remember when we used to play on the school field? And you used to complain that you couldn't hit the ball because it was too heavy? Look how far you've come!

Lucas: I remember, Kenji. I also remember you kicking the ball in the wrong direction and asking me to correct it in the middle of the game.

Kuwabara: Lucas, you will not let Kenji forget that, are you?

Lucas: Of course not. But seriously, I'm also very grateful for everything we've experienced together. That's where it all began, right?

Tsukada: I always knew you'd go far, Lucas. You had that determination that no one else had.

Yuuga: Hey, Lucas. Now that you're getting famous, when are you going back to Japan? We need a rematch on that school field. You are against us.

Lucas: Rematch? You know you'd lose, right? But seriously, I want to go back. I don't know when yet, but I promise I'll let you know when I'm on vacation. The season has just started.

Kenji Nakamaru: If you don't, we'll come to England and pick you up. You've been warned.

Lucas: You won. But what about you? How are things going over there?

The conversation changed tack, with each of them sharing a little about their lives. They said that they were going to play in the National Championship next month and that the team wasn't any less strong just because Lucas left.

In the end, Lucas put his cell phone away and took a deep breath. The smile on his face was impossible to contain. No matter how many compliments or followers he received, talking to those who had been with him from the beginning would always be special.

'You're part of it,' he thought, as he looked up at the ceiling. 'Thanks for everything, Team Wushia.'

Still lying down, Lucas thought about how he could spend the day. Perhaps he would go to the nearby mall, buy something for himself - nothing too extravagant - and end the afternoon by watching a movie. It was a simple plan, but exactly what he needed after days as tiring and stressful as the last.

He had barely got out of bed to wash his face when his cell phone started ringing.

'Who could call so early?'

Seeing the name "Jimmy McAllister" on the display, Lucas sighed.

Jimmy was the person no one could ignore. With his born salesman personality, he always had something to say. Lucas liked him, but he was still a little unsure about this 'agent'.

Reluctantly, Lucas answered. "Jimmy, it's eight in the morning. Can't it wait?"

"Good morning to you too, star! Wait, don't tell me you're asleep after a hat-trick against Sevilla! You should celebrate, kid! If I were you, I'd have a party organized with neon lights and lots of girls!"

Lucas sighed, rubbing his eyes. "You're my agent. Should you really be influencing me to do this?"

"Oops! That's right... Let's get straight to the point, as usual. Listen, I've got some fresh news, and I needed to talk to you before anything else. You know that contract renewal offer Brighton made? The one you asked me to look at?"

Lucas sat up in bed, now more attentive. "Yes. You said you were going to see if you could get better terms. Any news?"

"Anything new? Lucas, I'm the news! I've spent the last few days analyzing every line of that contract, studying between the lines as if it were a Shakespeare novel! And guess what? I was right. It's a trap!"

Lucas frowned. "What do you mean, a trap?"

"Oh, they offer you a nice pay rise, right? But they tie you down for five years! Five years, Lucas! With a termination clause so high that even Real Madrid wouldn't pay it without thinking twice. The percentage of the gloves goes mostly to them, and of the sale too. That's what keeps you stuck and poor, you know?"

"At the moment, Lucas, I'm thinking of something big for you. Brighton wants you, of course, but... What if I told you there were other clubs keeping an eye out? I'm not just talking about teams from England, Lucas. I'm talking about clubs from Spain, France, Portugal, Germany... Even Japan, can you believe it? The newspapers over there are buzzing about you! So tell me... what's your opinion on a transfer?"