Ethan’s phone almost slipped from his grasp. He read Leo’s text again, then a third ti, the glowing words seeming to pulse with an impossible energy.
I’M IN THE GA!
For a full ten seconds, Ethan’s brain felt like a frozen computer. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. The bombshells had been coming one after another—the ga’s connection to reality, the secret society of managers, GridironGuru’s rivalry—but this one was different.
This was personal. This was his best friend.
His thumbs, clumsy with shock, began to type.
Ethan:You’re ssing with . This isn’t funny.
Leo:I AM 1000% NOT SSING WITH YOU. I’m lying in the pod right now! It’s exactly like you described! The white, the hum, everything!
Ethan:How?! Your dad’s severance package? What kind of company gives out neural-dive pods?!
Leo:It’s so ga-corp called ’Aetheria Dynamics’. They bought my dad’s smaller tech firm. He said the package was weird. They offered him a huge cash bonus or this ’simulator’. He thought it was a tax write-off gimmick and was going to throw it out! I begged him to take it just in case. The delivery guys in the gray jumpsuits dropped it off an hour ago!
Ethan’s mind flashed back to the delivery of his own pod. The sa unmarked van, the sa professional, discreet delivery. It wasn’t a prize. It was a deploynt.
Ethan:Okay. Okay. I believe you. Wow. So... have you done it? The setup?
Leo:Just finished! My avatar looks like a taller, cooler version of , obviously. I just got my team!
Ethan leaned forward, his knuckles white as he gripped his phone. This was the crucial part. The ga’s allocation would define Leo’s entire journey.
Ethan:And? Who’d you get? Please don’t say you got a Premier League team.
Leo:Haha, no. My luck’s not that good. I got an English League Two team. A club called Crewe Alexandra.
Ethan let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. League Two. The fourth tier.
A level below him. It was a tough, gritty starting point, but it ant they weren’t direct rivals from day one.
Ethan:Okay, Crewe. They’re famous for their youth academy in the real world. Solid start. What did you na your club?
Leo:Orion FC. You know, like the constellation. The Hunter. Thought it sounded cool.
Ethan:Orion FC. I like it. But what about the most important part? The wonderkid?
There was a pause. Ethan could almost feel Leo’s dramatic tension through the screen.
A new ssage finally appeared, glowing with excitent.
Leo:They gave a defender! A 17-year-old center-back from Argentina. His na is Matias Gallardo. He’s only got a 64 Current Ability, but Ethan... his Potential is 92. S-Rank!
An S-Rank defender. Not quite the SSS-Rank of Emre Demir, but still a world-class, ga-changing talent. A defensive rock to build a team around. It was a perfect counterpoint to Ethan’s attacking jewel.
Ethan:A 92 potential defender?! Leo, that’s insane! You have your cornerstone! We both have our future captains!
Leo:I know! I was watching his little highlight reel. He’s a beast! Strong, fast, reads the ga like a veteran. My team is gonna be a fortress!
They texted back and forth for another ten minutes, Leo recounting every detail of his setup, from choosing his club’s colors (a striking black and gold) to the bewildered expressions on his new players’ faces. The shared experience, the secret language they now both spoke, was exhilarating. They weren’t just two friends talking about a ga anymore. They were two managers, two founders, two rivals in a world no one else knew existed.
Then, a thought struck Ethan, so obvious and so brilliant that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t considered it before. The ga wasn’t just a single-player journey against NPCs and a few top-tier rivals.
Ethan:Leo. Wait.
Leo:What? Did your ga just give you another secret trait?
Ethan:No. Better. My next friendly is against Ipswich in a couple of days. But the schedule has open slots after that.
Leo:...Yeah? So?
Ethan:So, we can schedule our own friendlies. Against other human players.
The pause on the other end was electric. Ethan could picture Leo sitting up in his own pod, the sa dawning realization hitting him.
Leo:You. .
Ethan:Apex United vs. Orion FC.
Leo:My S-Rank defensive rock against your SSS-Rank attacking player.
Ethan:The first-ever match of the Couch-Leo derby!
Leo:DUDE. WE HAVE TO DO IT. We have to! Can you schedule it now?!
Ethan was already navigating the nus in his mind.
"Let check." He logged back into the ga via his computer, his hands flying across the keyboard. He went to the scheduling tab, his heart pounding with a new kind of excitent. It was one thing to beat an NPC team. It was another thing entirely to face your best friend.
He found an open date four days from now. He clicked on "Arrange Friendly" and then "Search for User-Managed Club." He typed in ’Orion FC’.
A single result popped up. The black and gold crest of Orion FC, managed by ’LeoTheHunter’.
Ethan grinned. He clicked the button.
[Send Friendly Match Invitation to Orion FC?]
[The Apex Stadium | 4 Days From Now]
He hit [CONFIRM] without a second’s hesitation.
His phone buzzed instantly.
Leo:I GOT IT! THE INVITE IS HERE! ’Apex United has formally invited you to a pre-season friendly.’ This is so official! I’m accepting! YES! It’s locked in!
They had a match. A real match. Their two secret projects were about to collide. The implications were huge. They could test their tactics, scout each other’s players, and establish bragging rights that would last a lifeti.
Ethan:Get ready, Leo. Emre is going to turn your S-Rank defender into dust.
Leo:You wish! Matias Gallardo is going to have Emre in his pocket all ga. Your boy won’t even get a sniff of the goal!
The friendly banter, the competitive trash talk they had shared for years over gas of FIFA on a console, suddenly felt real. It had stakes. It had aning.
Ethan laughed, feeling a pure, uncomplicated joy that eclipsed even the thrill of his first victory.
The ga was incredible, the secret world was mind-blowing, but sharing it with his best friend? That was the best part of all.
The mountain he had to climb, with GridironGuru and ’Prodigy’ at the summit, suddenly didn’t seem so lonely. He had a fellow climber now, a friendly rival to push him every step of the way.
Ethan:Four days. Get your team ready. You’re going to need it.
Leo:Bring it on, gaffer. Bring it on.
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