Two days after Raj completed his mentorship quest, the school notice board buzzed with excitement.
Students crowded around the red-colored sheet pinned to the center like it was a ticket to paradise.
"Read it aloud!" someone yelled.
A prefect stepped up, cleared his throat, and announced:
"Attention all cricket players!
The Annual Inter-School Selection Trials will be held in two weeks.
Players from Classes 9 and 10 will be selected for the team.
Performance during this period will decide final shortlisting.
— Coach Murali Krishna."
The crowd exploded in cheers, nervous whispers, and a few nervous breakdowns.
Raj didn't cheer.
He just smiled.
This was it — the first turning point of his new life.
In his previous timeline, this was the event where he was sidelined. Sabotaged. Forgotten. Someone stole his spot using dirty tricks, and Raj quietly accepted it because he lacked confidence.
But not this time.
This time… he would fight for his place.
And earn it.
At practice, tension was thick.
The once-casual drills now had a sharp edge. Teammates glanced over shoulders. Every run was chased harder. Every miss was met with mutters.
Raj noticed that Vikram, the confident Class 10 batsman, had stopped joking around. He was now intensely focused — and clearly irritated by Raj's rising influence.
"Why is he practicing with the seniors?" Vikram asked loudly during stretches.
Coach Murali didn't respond.
Raj stepped forward. "Because Coach asked me to."
Vikram smirked. "Right. Because the system favors teachers' pets now."
Raj didn't bite.
The system buzzed softly.
[New System Path Detected: Competitive Politics]
Passive Skill Check: Charisma 34 — Response Neutralized
New Side Quest Unlocked: "Unite or Outsmart"
Objective: Resolve internal team conflict before selection day
Bonus Reward: Team Captain Consideration Preview
Raj exhaled.
"Not everything has to be a fight," he said calmly. "We're all playing for the same team."
But Vikram's eyes didn't soften.
Not yet.
Over the next few days, the air got colder — not because of the weather, but because of the rising silent war.
Raj tried to bridge gaps. He offered advice during nets. Cheered for others. Shared water bottles.
Some responded. Some didn't.
Only Uday and Zayed remained consistently by his side. Even a few juniors — Nikhil and Harini included — began walking with him after practice.
That only made Vikram more bitter.
"You building a fan club or a team?" he scoffed one afternoon.
Raj just smiled and kept walking.
Coach Murali watched silently from a distance.
One evening, Coach finally called Raj into his office.
"You've been doing well," he said. "On and off the pitch."
"Thank you, sir."
"But you need to understand something. Talent matters. But in team sports… unity is everything."
Raj nodded. "I'm trying."
"Good. Because there's a possibility you'll lead warm-up matches as vice-captain."
Raj's heart skipped. "Me?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. It's not confirmed. But… you've shown signs. Just keep doing what you're doing."
[System Message: Hidden Leadership Track Progress: 40%]
Keep building trust with seniors or defeat them respectfully to unlock the role.
Raj walked out of the room with a renewed fire in his heart.
A few days later, during warm-up matches, Raj got his first real test.
Coach put him in charge of Field Setup + Batting Order for the B-Team — made up of underdogs, Class 9 students, and overlooked players.
A-Team, led unofficially by Vikram, had the seniors, power hitters, and main bowlers.
The match felt one-sided on paper.
But Raj wasn't about paper.
He was about planning.
He arranged the field positions using his system's "Tactical Eye", placed Harini at cover, where she could use her agility, and had Zayed open with an unexpected off-spin.
Then Raj stepped in at number three and anchored the innings.
Final score: B-Team — 96 runs in 12 overs.
A-Team chased, overconfident.
But Raj's team fielded tight. Took smart singles. Ran aggressive saves. And on the final over… Vikram skied a shot that Harini caught clean.
They won by 3 runs.
[Team Buff Achieved: Morale Surge +5%]
Quest Progress: "Unite or Outsmart" – 75%
Seniors' Resistance Level Dropped
That evening, Coach announced:
"Next match, Raj will lead Team A. Vikram will lead Team B."
The entire ground went silent.
Even Vikram looked stunned.
That night, Raj sat under the stars again, digital watch blinking softly.
You didn't win just by skill.
You won by building trust.
Leadership is earned. Not given.
He smiled.
"Let's see what tomorrow brings."