Proving Ground

Daniel arrived at CF Igualada's training session early the next day, determined to do better. His strange moments on the pitch hadn't gone unnoticed, and he could feel the skepticism from some of his teammates.

As he laced up his boots, he heard a voice behind him.

"You don't belong here, Carter."

Daniel turned to see Álvaro, one of the team's midfielders. He was tall, lean, and carried himself with an air of arrogance.

"Excuse me?" Daniel replied, raising an eyebrow.

Álvaro crossed his arms. "You show up out of nowhere, get a spot on the squad, and you can't even keep up in training." He scoffed. "You think you can just walk in and take someone's place?"

Daniel clenched his jaw. This was coming sooner or later. He had seen it before—new players always had to prove themselves, but Álvaro's hostility felt personal.

Before he could respond, Coach Navarro's whistle cut through the air.

"Enough talking! Time to work!"

The players jogged onto the field, but Daniel could still feel Álvaro's glare burning into his back.

Fine. If they wanted proof, he'd give it to them.

The team was divided into small groups for passing drills. Daniel found himself paired with Álvaro, Luis, and another midfielder, Raúl.

From the very first pass, Daniel could tell Álvaro was trying to make him look bad. His passes were unnecessarily sharp, forcing Daniel to react quickly.

At first, he struggled. His powers were still unpredictable—sometimes the ball seemed to slow down before reaching him, but other times, it moved too fast for him to adjust.

"Come on, Carter," Álvaro taunted. "Did they not teach you how to pass in America?"

Daniel gritted his teeth. He needed to focus. Control it. Use it properly.

Then, something clicked.

Instead of fighting his ability, he let it guide him. He didn't overthink—he just moved.

When Álvaro fired another pass at him, Daniel was ready. He shifted a split second before the ball arrived, positioning himself perfectly, and sent a crisp pass to Luis in one smooth motion.

The group fell silent for a moment.

Luis grinned. "Nice one."

Daniel met Álvaro's glare. Yeah, that's right. I'm here to stay.

As training wrapped up, Daniel wiped sweat from his forehead and headed toward the locker room. His body was exhausted, but he felt good—he had proven something today.

But as he grabbed his bag, his stomach twisted.

Through the chain-link fence, near the parking lot, he saw the same dark-jacketed man from the night before. This time, he wasn't pretending to check his phone.

He was staring directly at Daniel.

They weren't just watching anymore. They were waiting.