A New Name Echoes
The stadium of Crown Meridian Academy was still shaking even after the final whistle.
Fans were still standing.
Students were screaming.
Phones were recording everywhere.
Because what they had just witnessed…
Was absolute madness.
The scoreboard still glowed brightly above the field.
Crown Meridian Academy — 7
Ravenwood Football Institute — 6
A striker war.
And at the center of it all…
Adrian Montiero.
On the Field
Adrian stood near the penalty box catching his breath.
Sweat ran down his face.
His legs felt heavy.
But his heart…
His heart was racing with excitement.
Tyler suddenly tackled him from behind.
"YOU'RE INSANE!"
Adrian almost fell.
"Tyler—!"
Rafael Navarro walked over laughing.
"Five goals."
Tyler pointed dramatically.
"FIVE!"
Adrian shrugged slightly.
"You assisted two."
Rafael smirked.
"Still lost the striker battle."
Tyler laughed loudly.
"Barely!"
Players from Crown Meridian rushed toward Adrian celebrating.
The crowd continued screaming his name.
"ADRIAN!!"
"ADRIAN!!"
"ADRIAN!!"
Dante Cruz Approaches
Across the field, Dante Cruz walked slowly toward him.
The Ravenwood striker looked calm.
No anger.
Just respect.
He stopped in front of Adrian.
"You're stronger than I thought."
Adrian smiled slightly.
"You're not bad yourself."
Dante chuckled.
"Next time we meet…"
Adrian finished the sentence.
"We'll score even more."
Dante nodded once.
Then turned and walked away.
The System Reacts
Suddenly Adrian's vision flashed.
[■■ THE APEX PREDATOR SYSTEM ■■]
[MATCH COMPLETE]
[FINAL SCORE]
Crown Meridian Academy: 7
Ravenwood Football Institute: 5
[PLAYER PERFORMANCE]
Adrian Montiero
Goals: 5
Assists: 2
[TASK COMPLETE]
[Outscore Dante Cruz]
[REWARDS GRANTED]
[Predator Instinct +3]
[Shooting +2]
[Skill Evolution Progress +20%]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED]
[PREDATOR ZONE — LEVEL 1]
[Skill Description]
When activated during high pressure situations, shooting accuracy and reaction speed increase dramatically inside the penalty area.
Adrian blinked slowly.
A new skill.
A powerful one.
He could already feel something changing.
The Stands
Up in the crowd, Elena jumped excitedly.
"ADRIAN WON!!"
Lucas laughed.
"That kid just dropped five goals."
Camila Montiero was already filming on her phone.
"This clip is going viral tonight."
Beside them…
Valentina Rousseau stood silently.
Her eyes shining.
Her heart beating fast.
She whispered quietly to herself.
"That's my boyfriend."
Locker Room Celebration
Back in the locker room the team exploded with energy.
Music blasting.
Players shouting.
Tyler jumped onto a bench.
"I DECLARE ADRIAN THE KING STRIKER!"
Everyone cheered.
Rafael threw a towel at him.
"Sit down idiot."
Coach Ramirez entered.
The room instantly quieted.
He looked around slowly.
Then finally spoke.
"Seven goals."
He looked directly at Adrian.
"You carried this team."
Adrian shook his head.
"We all played well."
Coach Ramirez smirked.
"Still humble."
He turned toward the whole team.
"This is only the first match."
His voice became serious.
"The regional tournament has monsters waiting."
Everyone nodded.
The real battle had just begun.
Outside the Stadium
Later that night Adrian walked out of the stadium entrance.
Valentina was waiting.
The moment she saw him…
She ran straight into his arms.
"You were incredible!"
Adrian laughed.
"You watched?"
She punched his chest lightly.
"Of course I watched!"
Then she grabbed his face and kissed him.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Adrian blinked.
"Someone's excited."
Valentina smiled brightly.
"You scored five goals."
She kissed him again.
"You deserve it."
Adrian pulled her closer.
"Maybe I should score five every match then."
Valentina laughed.
"Please do."
Somewhere Else
Inside a dark office filled with screens.
A group of football scouts watched the recording of the match.
One of them paused the video on Adrian scoring his fifth goal.
"Adrian Montiero…"
Another scout nodded slowly.
"He's going to dominate the regional tournament."
A third scout leaned forward.
"Send his name to the national youth program."
The screen showed Adrian celebrating again.
The rise of a predator…
Had finally begun.
With Adrian's name now spreading across the region, what new rivals will step forward to challenge him next?
If you like the story pls drop your thoughts, powerstones, reviews, collections and comments.