My system allows me to copy talents

Conceding two goals in a matter of minutes had left them utterly disappointed and frustrated. And, right now an unusual silence had gripped the air around their locker room.

A palpable sense of heaviness was lingering around the locker room making it appear quite suffocating and difficult place to be at.

Yet, having no choice Hiro remained seated in his seat, silently observing his surroundings, hoping for a change of scenario. It wasn't his first time experiencing such moments. He had experienced a lot. But it was his first being so helpless.

Being new on the team, he didn't have any right to speak his heart. And, he couldn't even bring himself to tell them to cheer up as it wasn't his place to speak.

Helpless, he just sat at the edge of his seat.

Then finally a change took place as a middle-aged man with kempt hair, dressed in a casual fitted suit, made his way into the locker room.

His face was devoid of any emotion, and he appeared as if he was surrounded by an unusual aura of calmness. Unaffected by the pervading heaviness in the room, he calmly swept his gaze across the room.

"Alright, listen up," Coach Tatsuya began, clapping his hands to gather everyone's attention. "We've had a tough first half, but this game is far from over. We need fresh energy out there, then only can we turn things around."

Standing at the center of the room, he began his speech, one filled with passion and hope.

Though he didn't say much, it still was enough to divert the attention of the players away from the tragedy that had struck them a moment ago. It was enough to fill most of them with newfound hope and determination.

Even Hiro couldn't agree more that his speech moved him deeply.

He had already met this man whom everyone addressed as the manager. But since he was a man of few words, he didn't get to know him well.

Regressing to the past, changes had already started taking place. And, he was well aware of it. But there was simply nothing he could do about it than to face those changes.

Previously at this time, the team was still managed by the previous manager. However, due to his intervention, things had started to change. A butterfly effect had already started, and he could no longer be sure of the future.

Among those many changes was the appointment of Tatsuya as the new manager of the team.

Seeing Tatsuya in action; was a different experience. It was almost as if he was meeting a new person than the one whom he had previously met.

Similar to him, he was also new here. In fact, he had only arrived here just a year ago. But the amount of influence he had on the team was something many couldn't even achieve in a long time.

When he talked, everybody listened without any exception. Well, why wouldn't they listen to him? After all, he kept his message short and precise, no bullshit.

"Now, Hiro," Coach Tatsuya said, turning to him with a steady gaze. "You're going in. Show them what you've got."

Hiro felt his heart race. For a while, he couldn't even bring himself to react as he remained still, trying to digest the announcement.

He hadn't expected to be subbed on so early. At most, he had expected to be subbed after the 70th minute of the match. But he was now going to debut.

Excitement filled him as he heard the announcement. However, he couldn't keep his manager waiting now, could he?

So, he immediately nodded his head. Determination flashed in his eyes, he could barely conceal his excitement from leaking. But despite his attempt on trying to hide his emotions, right now he was like an open book; anybody could read his emotions if they carefully looked at him.

Tatsuki who was seated right beside him nudged him lightly as he whispered, "Go out and shine"

Then after speaking a little more, he dismissed the meeting. However just as he was about to walk out, Tatsuya turned to look at Hiro and spoke, "Give it your all out there"

Most of the players in the locker room were happy about the change. But some appeared quite dissatisfied with it as well. They were reluctant to give their spot to a teenager who was barely 16 years old.

Fearing the wrath of the manager, they still kept their dissatisfaction to themselves as they just grunted and stormed away without saying anything.

Hiro had already expected it. So, it didn't bother him much as well. He just turned a blind eye to their disgruntlement and instead focused his attention on the match ahead.

He knew exactly why he was given the opportunity. They were losing at the moment, and he was expected to deliver.

If he failed to deliver, it would negatively affect his chances of getting any more gaming minutes later on. But, if he manages to turn things around, his evaluation would improve drastically.

Sure, being only 16 years old, people might not place such high expectations on him in the first place. But, he always liked to think otherwise. He liked to put himself under pressure so he wouldn't sway away from his path.

If they don't have such high expectations of him then the more better. But if they did, then he didn't want to disappoint them.

Well truth be told, the coaching staff might not have such high expectations of him. But what about the people? Seeing him play, they'd probably have huge expectations of him. They'd probably want him to make a change.

Just as he was about to walk outside of the room, he got stopped by Naoto. It appeared as if he was about to say something.

His eyes glistened with pride as he converged his eyes on Hiro. Then he spoke, "Glad to play alongside you once again"

When he was speaking those words, Tatsuki too joined in.

"We believe in you," Naoto added while Tatsuki nodded in response.

[New quest]

[Requirements]

[(1) Score a goal]

[(2) Achieve a match rating of more than 7]

[(3) Avoid loss]

[Reward: Copy a talent of your choice from one of the opposing players]

[Failure: Deduction of a point from your reputation stat and limit on one of your talents for the next game]

After making it to the pro, his system had changed quite a bit. And, new features had been unlocked. Just like the reputation stat. It was one of the stat that was unlocked after he made it to pro.

Currently, he has 27 reputation stat points out of 100. Curiously, he had asked if there was a system to grade players based on the reputation stat numbers. And, for some reason, there was indeed a grading system as such;

90-100: Legendary

80-89: Elite

70-79: Star

60-69: Notable

50-59: Known

40-49: Recognized

30-39: Established

20-29: Emerging

10-19: Local Talent

0-9: Unknown

Normally, kids his age were mostly regarded as local talent. But he had already surpassed it. There was also a consequence for dropping reputation points— just like in real life when one player made a bad decision or had a poor performance, it would negatively affect his relation with the club and the fans.