Chapter 15: The Revenge
A week blurred past. Manchester United. At St Mary's. The team he'd announced himself against at Old Trafford. Now they were coming to his house.
Leo trained like a man possessed. The system tracked every session.
[Training Performance: 9.3, 9.5, 9.4, 9.6, 9.5.]
[User Rating: 94 (OVR).]
The night before the match, he used his two skill tokens.
[Skills Upgraded:]
> Acceleration (Level 3 -> Level 4): +20% speed over first 10 yards.
> Long Shots (Level 2 -> Level 3): +15% accuracy outside box.
[User Rating: 94 -> 95 (OVR).]
Ninety-five. He had reached Henry's level. Genuine world-class. Undeniable.
---
Saturday, 8th December 2001. St Mary's Stadium.
The ground was packed. Every seat filled, every voice ready. The air crackled. Manchester United. The champions. Coming to their house.
Leo sat in the home changing room, pulling on his boots. The system populated the United lineup.
Manchester United (4-4-2):
Fabien Barthez (GK) - 87
Gary Neville (RB) - 86
Jaap Stam (CB) - 91
Ronny Johnsen (CB) - 84
Mikaël Silvestre (LB) - 85
David Beckham (RM) - 93
Roy Keane (CM) - 92
Paul Scholes (CM) - 91
Ryan Giggs (LM) - 92
Ruud van Nistelrooy (ST) - 94
Ole Gunnar Solskjær (ST) - 88
The same monsters. Beckham. Keane. Van Nistelrooy. But Leo looked at his own 95. He was higher than all of them. The hunter had become the hunted.
Southampton's lineup appeared.
Southampton (4-4-2):
Paul Jones (GK) - 71
Jason Dodd (RB) - 73
Claus Lundekvam (CB) - 74
Dean Richards (CB) - 76
Wayne Bridge (LB) - 76
Leo Carter (RM) - 95
Anders Svensson (CM) - 75
Matthew Oakley (CM) - 74
Chris Marsden (LM) - 72
James Beattie (ST) - 77
Kevin Davies (ST) - 74
Gray stood at the front. "They'll come at us. They'll try to bully us. They remember Old Trafford. They want revenge." He paused. "But this is our house. Our crowd. Our pitch. Carter, Silvestre couldn't handle you at Old Trafford. He won't handle you here. Run at him. Make him suffer."
Leo nodded.
[Stuart Gray: Tactical Instruction Received. Target Silvestre relentlessly.]
The teams walked out. The tunnel was narrow, the walls red, the light blinding. Leo stepped onto the pitch and the home noise wrapped around him like a blanket. The Northam Stand was a sea of red and white, bouncing, singing.
"He's one of our own, he's one of our own, Leo Carter, he's one of our own!"
The whistle blew.
---
United started strong. Beckham whipped a cross in, Van Nistelrooy rose, header saved by Jones. The Stretford End of the away corner roared.
Leo touched the ball early. A simple pass from Oakley. He turned and ran at Silvestre.
[Acceleration (Level 4) Activated. +20% Speed.]
He left the Frenchman for dead. Cross into the box. Beattie lunged, Barthez saved.
The home crowd erupted.
"Carter! He's cooking him! Every time!"
In the fourteenth minute, Southampton struck.
Svensson won the ball, played it wide to Leo. Silvestre backed off, terrified.
[Space Identified. Driving Run (Level 4) Activated.]
Leo drove inside, past Silvestre, past Keane's desperate lunge. He looked up. Curled Finish activated. He opened his body and bent the ball toward the far corner. Barthez dove, fingertips grazing, but the ball kissed the post and nestled in.
The net bulged.
St Mary's exploded.
Leo ran to the corner flag, arms outstretched, the noise washing over him. His teammates mobbed him.
"He's one of our own! He's one of our own! Leo Carter! He's one of our own!"
[Goal Scored. Match Rating: 8.5.]
Southampton 1, Manchester United 0.
---
United were furious. Keane screamed at his teammates. Beckham whipped crosses. Van Nistelrooy hit the post. But Southampton held.
In the thirty-eighth minute, United equalised. Scholes ghosted into the box, met Giggs's cross, and volleyed home.
Southampton 1, Manchester United 1.
Half-time. Gray was calm. "You're matching them. Keep going. Carter, you're unstoppable. Keep running at Silvestre."
---
The second half was a war. Both teams pushed. Beckham hit the bar. Beattie forced a save. The crowd was relentless.
In the sixty-seventh minute, Southampton won a corner. Svensson whipped it in. Leo rose, Power Header activated, and thundered it past Barthez.
St Mary's erupted again.
Southampton 2, Manchester United 1.
---
The final twenty minutes were a siege. United threw everything forward. Van Nistelrooy had a goal disallowed. Keane screamed at the referee. Beckham's free-kick was tipped over by Jones.
Leo dropped deep, defending, blocking, running. His Endless Engine kept him moving.
The final whistle blew.
Southampton had beaten Manchester United. At home. Leo Carter had scored twice.
Keane walked past Leo, his face granite. But he stopped. "Hell of a player," he said, almost grudgingly. "Keep going." He offered a hand. Leo shook it.
The system pinged.
[Match Complete. Southampton 2 - 1 Manchester United.]
[Match Rating: 9.6 (Man of the Match).]
[Charm Points: 5,550.]
[Skill Tokens: 2 Available.]
Absorption.
[Talent Absorption Available. Defeated Team: Manchester United.]
> David Beckham (RM): [Laser Cross (Level 5)]
> Roy Keane (CM): [Warrior Spirit (Level 5)]
> Ruud van Nistelrooy (ST): [Clinical Finisher (Level 5)]
Leo selected Van Nistelrooy's Clinical Finisher, upgrading his existing Level 2 version to Level 5.
[Talent Upgraded: Clinical Finisher (Level 5).]
[User Rating: 95 -> 96 (OVR).]
Ninety-six. He had surpassed Henry. He was now one of the highest-rated players in the world.
Gray found him in the changing room. "You just beat Manchester United almost single-handedly. You're not a wonderkid anymore. You're the real deal."
Leo sat at his locker, the noise washing over him. He was 96. He was seventeen. And he was just getting started.