Fourth place!
In fact, if three of their opponents in the last five rounds weren't the three teams ranked above them, they would theoretically still have a real shot at promotion.
"I don't really get this," said Anne Hathaway over the phone. "If your promotion rivals still have to play you, isn't that a good thing? As long as you beat them, that's basically… what did you call it? A six-point win?"
Kai smiled. "Looks like you've been following football news lately. That's pretty professional. But you need to understand—teams above us are strong. When we face them, the chances of losing are much higher."
"Oh… I see." Hathaway's voice dropped slightly, as if she were already mourning Kai's season. "But it's fine. You've already done incredibly well this year. Very few players your age succeed after entering professional football."
"And at the very least, you'll win the assist king this season! By the way, tell that Ronaldo guy to actually finish the chances you create. And stop him from dribbling so much—it doesn't even count as an assist if he does everything himself. Honestly, his dribbling isn't even as good as Diego Maradona!"
Kai covered the phone and glanced at Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I told you not to listen, but you insisted. So? Feeling good now?"
Ronaldo was furious. "Is this how you usually talk about me?"
"Relax. We don't talk about you," Kai shrugged. "We talk about romance, poetry, and life."
He shoved Ronaldo aside, leaving him to sulk like a wounded beast.
Truth always hits hard.
Hathaway's idea sounded simple, but reality wasn't. A so-called "six-point match" wasn't easy to win—especially when Moreirense had three of them left.
Everyone knew how brutal that would be.
But deep down, Kai actually agreed with her.
They still had a chance.
As long as they beat Vizela, Gil Vicente FC, and Rio Ave FC.
Just that. Nothing crazy.
"...Oh! One more thing!" Hathaway suddenly sounded excited. "The crew of The Lord of the Rings contacted me! Peter Jackson called me personally!"
"Seriously?" Kai perked up. She had mentioned it before, but it wasn't confirmed back then.
The Lord of the Rings project had already begun filming last October and would continue until December this year—nearly two full years. All three films were being shot together.
A massive production. Total budget: $281 million.
Back then, it would've been nearly impossible for Hathaway to land even a tiny role—maybe a background extra with one line or less than ten seconds of screen time.
But things were different now.
Jackson wanted her for a major role—the elven princess Arwen, future queen alongside Aragorn.
Originally, the role belonged to Liv Tyler, but conflicts had arisen between her and the production team—differences in acting approach, character interpretation, appearance choices, even issues that delayed filming.
A split seemed inevitable.
Jackson was willing to reshoot scenes—if he could find a better replacement.
Hathaway's rising popularity made her a strong candidate. And her innocent, elegant look matched the elf aesthetic perfectly.
But her agent had concerns.
At this stage, Hathaway was better off sticking to lead roles—preferably romantic films in the "American sweetheart" mold. That was her safest box office formula.
Branching out too early into different genres?
Fans might not accept it.
"Even if you stick to romance, fans might not buy it," Kai said bluntly. "Most scripts coming your way right now are low-budget projects trying to punch above their weight."
"They don't have strong scripts or solid casts. That kind of fast money isn't worth your time."
"A production like The Lord of the Rings? That's history in the making. If you can be part of it, you take it—no hesitation."
"And from what I know, Arwen already has the most screen time among the female characters, right?"
"Cate Blanchett doesn't even get a third of that."
"And think about it—if this series blows up, there'll be spin-offs, sequels, everything. Like Star Wars. This could become the next global phenomenon."
He paused.
"That's just my opinion. Whatever you decide—I've got your back."
Hathaway smiled sweetly. "Alright. I know what to do now. I'll go for it."
Within two days, the casting news broke.
Hathaway made headlines—but reactions were mixed.
Some accused her of using her rising fame to steal roles.
Others said she lacked self-respect, taking a supporting role just to squeeze into a major production—hurting her future as a lead actress.
And of course, critics turned it into a broader debate about modern actresses.
The noise kept growing.
But once Hathaway entered the set, everything went quiet.
She focused on filming—and talked to Kai every day. Her mental state stayed steady.
Kai, meanwhile, trained relentlessly and chatted with her during breaks, barely affected by media noise.
The only one in the squad with similar focus?
Cristiano Ronaldo.
The rest were, to some extent, influenced by the media storm.
Because Moreirense had just defeated S.C. Beira-Mar 2–0 in the 26th round, bringing their total to 40 points.
Meanwhile, the top teams battled it out.
Gil Vicente drew with Vizela.
Vizela remained first with 45 points.
Gil Vicente followed with 44.
Rio Ave sat third with 42.
Moreirense?
Only five points behind at most.
Five rounds left.
Seven points gap, then five points gap.
Wasn't that practically a gift from fate?
But the media wasn't buying it.
"Moreirense reaching the top flight? Don't be ridiculous—these top three are on another level!"
"One goal scored, eleven conceded against the top three this season. The gap is obvious!"
"Vizela: Those three points against Moreirense are crucial—we can't afford to lose them!"
"Gil Vicente FC: The next two matches are just warm-ups. Whether it's bottom-place teams or fourth-place Moreirense—it's all the same to us!"
"Rio Ave FC: Our clash with Vizela is do-or-die. And the final round against Moreirense? That might decide everything!"
The message was clear.
Nobody feared Moreirense.
Not yet.
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