Chapter 3: This was just the Beginning

The ball floated in the air at full speed, every ounce of power I could muster behind it. I was sure this was going in.

Max: "He's shooting from there?!"

Rohan: "Bro, someone defend that!"

Cole: "I can barely—wait!"

Out of nowhere, Cole sprinted in with everything he had. He leaped into the ball's trajectory, twisting his body mid-air. The ball slammed into his stomach with a loud thud and deflected downward toward the bottom-right corner of the goal.

The goalkeeper reacted instantly, diving to his left. No way... could he actually reach it?

At the last second, his outstretched fingertips brushed the ball, slowing its momentum. It smacked against the post with a loud clang! and ricocheted back into play.

The ball rolled straight to Calvin, who immediately began scanning the field, looking for an outlet.

Calvin: "Where's the support?!"

Mathews waved frantically on the right, calling for a pass. Calvin took a deep breath and threaded a sharp, precise through ball straight to him.

Mathews controlled the ball with a deft touch and took off down the sideline. Peter came rushing to intercept, but Mathews pulled off a sudden step-over, leaving Peter flat-footed.

Mathews pushed forward, gaining momentum. Ronald and Bakugo were the only two defenders left between Mathews and our goal.

Max (shouting): "Cross it! I'm in the box!"

Mathews looked up, calculating his options. With a quick glance at Max's positioning, he made his move, sending a curling cross into the penalty area.

The ball spun through the air, heading directly toward Max. Ronald tried to get there first, but Max's timing was perfect. He jumped high, higher than anyone else, and met the ball with a powerful header.

Time seemed to slow as the ball rocketed toward the goal. Anshul, our goalkeeper, had no chance—it was placed perfectly into the top-left corner.

PE Sir: "GOAL! Max scores for Team B in the 28th minute! The match is over!"

Max celebrated, running toward his teammates with his arms wide open. The rest of Team B swarmed him, cheering loudly.

Max (grinning): "Told you guys, there's no stopping me."

I stood frozen, staring at the net. My heart sank as the final whistle echoed across the field. We had lost.

Zoheib: "Hey, don't sweat it, Ken. You did good out there."

But I didn't feel good. As I watched the other team celebrate, one thought echoed in my mind:

I'm still not good enough... but I will be.

PE Sir: "Alright, everyone, gather around! Time to wrap this up with some important announcements."

The players trudged over, exhausted but eager to hear the final verdict.

PE Sir: "First things first, the Man of the Match goes to... Rohan!"

A round of applause broke out as Rohan stepped forward with his trademark smirk.

PE Sir: "You created so many chances for your team today. Well done!"

Rohan (grinning): "Thanks, sir. It's what I do."

PE Sir: "Now, let's talk about the match. Team B takes the win with a score of 2–1!"

Cheers erupted from Team B, with Max already puffing out his chest.

Max: "Obviously, we were the better team. No surprises there!"

PE Sir (ignoring Max): "Finally, the announcement everyone's been waiting for—the starting XI for the interclass competition."

The air grew thick with anticipation. My palms were sweaty, and my heart pounded so loud it drowned out everything else.

PE Sir: "The selected players are… Rohan, Zoheib, Max, Mathews, Ryan, Cole, Tom, Ronald, Ken, Ahmed, Ben, Zack, Peter, and Calvin."

Wait… what?

My name was there, sandwiched between these incredible players. I stared at Sir in disbelief. Did he really just say my name?

Zoheib (grinning): "Ken! You made it, bro! I told you, didn't I?"

Max (glaring): "What?! You're joking, right? How did Ken make it?"

PE Sir: "Enough, Max. Every name on this list earned their spot fair and square. No one gets here by luck."

I was still frozen, my mind racing. I actually made it…

Peter (patting my shoulder): "Welcome to the team, Ken. Guess I'll be seeing you on the pitch more often."

Zack: "Yeah, man. Work on those passes, though. We've got a tournament to win!"

Calvin (nodding): "Let's make sure all this effort pays off."

Zoheib clapped me on the back with a grin. "This is just the start. Now it's time to prove yourself, Ken."

I nodded, a surge of determination building in my chest.

This isn't the end. It's just the beginning. Time to show everyone that I belong here.

The next day, an announcement echoed through the classroom speakers.

Class Speaker: "Attention! Tomorrow, for the interclass competition, 8A will face 8B. Thank you!"

Zoheib: "Looks like we'll be facing 8B for the first match."

Max: "I heard that their player Jayden is one of the best in our school."

Rohan (grinning): "Finally, a worthy opponent...!"

I just couldn't wait—my first match representing my class. The excitement and nerves tangled within me as we stepped onto the field.

PE Sir: "Welcome, boys. We'll start the tournament with this first match, 8A vs. 8B. Let the best team win!"

We shook hands, eyes locked with determination. It was time.

Match Day: 8A vs 8B

Formation for 8A (5-2-3):

LW - Rohan, ST - Zoheib, RW - Mathews

CM - Ken, CM - Max

LWB - Ahmed, CB - Ryan, CB - Cole, CB - Tom, RWB - Ronald

GK - Ben

Formation for 8B (4-5-1):

ST - Jayden

CAM - Dante, CAM - Christopher

LM - Tony, RM - Hinata

CM - Yusuf

LB - Collins, CB - Jaison, CB - Jamal, RB - Jude

GK - Jimmy

PE Sir: "Alright boys, get in your positions! The match between 8A and 8B starts now... KICK OFF!"

Jayden, the star striker of 8B, kicks off and immediately passes back to Yusuf. The 8B players start moving strategically, looking for gaps in our defense.

I stayed in my position, scanning the field. Jayden was pacing forward, waiting for the right moment to strike. Yusuf sent a long pass to Christopher, who controlled the ball effortlessly and dribbled toward our half.

Ryan rushed in for a tackle, but Christopher flicked the ball past him and sprinted ahead.

"Damn! He's fast!" Ryan cursed, turning quickly to recover.

Christopher had an open space in front of him, but Ronald anticipated his movement and slid in with a precise tackle, knocking the ball out for a throw-in.

Throw-in for 8B.

Collins took the throw, sending the ball to Dante, who shielded it from Max before laying it off to Hinata.

Hinata sprinted down the right flank, Ahmed closing in on him. Just as Hinata prepared to cross, Ahmed lunged in and blocked the ball with his foot, sending it out for a corner kick.

Mathews: "Stay focused! They're looking for Jayden in the box!"

Dante took the corner, curling it into the penalty area.

Cole and Jayden jumped at the same time. Jayden managed to get his head on the ball, but Ben reacted quickly, diving to his left and punching it away!

SECOND BALL!

Christopher pounced on the rebound and shot instantly!

The ball flew toward the top corner, but Tom threw himself in the way, deflecting it out for another corner. 8B was pressing hard!

Another corner was taken, but this time, Ronald headed it out, and Max quickly controlled the ball before passing it to me.

This was it. My moment to shine.

I sprinted forward, leaving Yusuf behind. I could hear Zoheib shouting, "Ken, pass it!" But I had other plans.

I dribbled past Dante and Christopher, advancing quickly. Mathews was making a run on the right, but I knew what I had to do.

I positioned myself 25 yards away from the goal. My heartbeat raced. The goalkeeper was slightly off his line. This was my chance.

I took a deep breath, planted my left foot, and swung my right leg with everything I had.

BOOM!

The ball soared through the air like a missile, curving slightly before dipping.

Jimmy, the 8B goalkeeper, leaped to his right, stretching his arms as far as possible.

But it was too late.

The ball smashed into the top left corner of the net.

GOALLLLL!!!!

The entire field went silent for a moment before my teammates erupted in cheers.

Zoheib sprinted toward me, grabbing my shoulders. "KEN! THAT WAS INSANE!"

Max clapped his hands. "Yo, that shot was unreal!"

I stood there, still processing what had just happened. I had scored. And not just any goal—a goal from long range, my weapon, my Mid-Range Power Shot.

The realization hit me like a wave. I finally proved to myself that I could do this.

PE Sir: "And Ken scores a STUNNING goal in the 10th minute! 8A takes the lead! The score is now 1-0!"

I clenched my fists. This was just the beginning.