The atmosphere on the field shifted. Those who passed to Level Two were called to a different area, while the rest remained—unsure, uncertain.
Was this the end of their journey?
A soft breeze swept across the field, but it couldn't calm the storm in their hearts.
Eric stood at the edge of the pitch, unmoving. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. Silent tears fell down his cheeks.
From a distance, Alisha noticed. She strolled toward him with her usual teasing tone.
> "Yo, Eric… what's with the face? Didn't make the cut?"
Eric looked up. His eyes were red, voice shaky.
> "I… I tried, Coach. I gave it everything. But it still wasn't enough…"
Alisha froze. This wasn't him acting dramatic—this was real.
> "Whoa whoa, hey—don't cry now," she said, clearly panicking under her cool facade.
> "I'm sorry, Coach…" Eric sniffled, barely able to speak. "I let everyone down…"
Alisha scratched her head awkwardly. Guilt started creeping in.
> "Hey, no one's mad, okay? We already forgave you… I was just messing around earlier."
Then suddenly—Akira walked up behind and pinched Alisha's arm.
> "Seriously? There's a time and place for jokes, you know."
> "Okay okay, my bad!" Alisha dodged the second pinch, grinning.
Akira knelt beside Eric, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.
> "Listen to me, Eric. You didn't fail. You're just not there yet. But you're not doing this alone."
Alisha crouched beside them too, her tone still playful, but sincere.
> "Yeah. This time, we've got your back. We'll help you rise, got it? You little show-off…"
Through his tears, Eric smiled. > "You mean it…?"
> "We mean it," Akira said firmly. "You're not alone in this."
Meanwhile, chaos broke out on the other side of the field.
Wonbin and Nike sprinted toward Samuel, throwing themselves onto him dramatically.
> "SAMUEL!!! I CAN'T BEAR TO BE APART FROM YOU!!!" Wonbin wailed while wiping away fake tears.
> "WONBIN'S RIGHT!!!" Nike howled with him, voice cracking from the effort.
Samuel, caught off guard, looked like he wanted to vanish into the grass.
> "Guys… I'm not even cut yet. There's still three more days to prove myself, right?"
> "STILL!!! I DON'T WANNA BE SEPARATED FROM YOU, SAMUEL!!!"
> "RIGHT!!! RIGHT!!! RIGHT!!!" they screamed in unison.
From a distance, Coach Noah just shook his head at the scene unfolding.
Then his eyes landed on Armin, who stood by himself, deep in thought.
> "Armin," Noah called out.
> "Yes, Coach?"
> "You planning to play or what?"
Armin didn't answer immediately.
> "If you're done… you can walk away now."
He clenched his fists, breathing in deeply.
> "I still want to play, Coach. I want to keep playing."
Noah stared at him, then smirked.
> "OHHHHH you're serious? You sure? No turning back, you know."
> "I'm serious."
> "Good. Just remember… there's no turning back~~~" Noah added, playfully dragging out the words before walking off.
Armin exhaled, thoughts still spinning.
> (In his head) Am I really making the right choice…?
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Ash grinned wide beside him.
> "Armin! You still playing?"
> "Yeah. I still want to… with you, Ash."
> "No way! You're the best, man!" Ash squeezed him in a full-on K-drama hug.
A whistle blew from across the field.
Coach Noah called the remaining players to gather.
> "Alright, listen up. We're expanding the list. Final count for the tournament: 18 players."
The field buzzed with whispers. Hope returned to the eyes that had dimmed.
> "If your name's not on the board yet, don't give up. Training continues. Show us what you've got. The one we're looking for… might still be you."
The sky hung heavy with clouds—but their spirits refused to fall.
This wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
To be continued…