Kelvin went silent for a moment. The realization was setting in.

With Erick, every play was a war. The tension, the rivalry, the emotional pressure… all of it influenced the match. Erick reacted with intensity, with anger, with wounded pride.

But Oliveira was different. He was cold. Technical. A pure defender — no ego in the play, no provocation. He didn't play to humiliate. He played to do the job. It was like facing a wall — rigid, calculated, but soulless.

The difference was subtle, but crucial.

The game resumed.

Kelvin positioned himself wider, sometimes switching places with Felipe to confuse the marking. He wasn't going to force the direct confrontation with Oliveira the same way. He was going to test his patience.

Rodrigo got the ball in the middle and turned quickly, finding Ian on the right. Ian passed to João Vitor, who advanced and crossed it low. Kazana pulled the defender, and Kelvin cut in from behind.

But Oliveira read the play — closed the space and cut it off again. The ball went out for a throw-in. Kelvin smiled.

"You're paying attention, huh?"

Next play, Kelvin dropped deeper. Received the ball almost at midfield. Faked like he'd drive forward, but held. Lured Oliveira into making a mistake. And he came. But before that, Erick's presence appeared behind Oliveira and... Kelvin didn't flinch. Oliveira's presence was strong — but it wasn't Erick.

A quick touch to Ian, then a fast one-two. Oliveira was forced out of position. At that moment, Kelvin was already moving — sprinting into the empty space behind.

"Now!", Felipe shouted, launching it.

The ball was perfect.

Kelvin controlled it with his chest, set it up, and finished first-time, across goal.

GOAL.

Levi didn't even have time to move. The ball hit the net, and the coach blew the whistle hard.

"THAT'S IT, KELVIN!", he shouted, excited. "That kind of reading! Intelligence! Movement! That's how you dismantle a strong defense!"

Kelvin looked at Kazana, who gave a thumbs up with a slight grin.

The switch had flipped.

It wasn't about power. It wasn't about flashy dribbles. It was about reading the game, breaking the structure, understanding the opponent's pattern. Oliveira was strong, technical, well-positioned… but too cold. And that was his weak spot. Against instinctive and creative players, he'd suffer if he didn't adapt.

For the rest of the training, Kelvin was a different player. Stopped trying to do it all alone. Started using short passes, quick one-twos, diagonal runs. He used Oliveira as bait, pulled the marking, and created space. Twice, he left Kazana one-on-one with the keeper — one goal, one off the post.

Oliveira watched from afar.

Every play from Kelvin now seemed less about individual brilliance and more about strategy. That didn't annoy him — on the contrary. The defender wasn't driven by vanity or personal duels. He didn't play to humiliate or be applauded. He was the type of player who saw the pitch as a puzzle: positioning, coverage, timing. It was all calculation.

But at that moment… he felt his math was failing.

He could see what was happening. Kelvin had changed.

"He stopped trying to beat me," Oliveira thought. "Now he wants to deceive me."

It was subtle, but deadly.

Before, Sanu's winger came straight at him, always seeking the duel. Now, he floated. Left the marking zone, dropped back like a midfielder, drew attention and — suddenly — the pass came. Oliveira felt like he was being pulled by a magnet out of his comfort zone. And for someone methodical like him… that was dangerous.

In the last play, Kelvin didn't even touch the ball. He just made a diagonal run and called for a pass that never came. But the movement pulled Oliveira, who followed on instinct.

"Damn", he muttered, realizing it too late.

The opened space left Rodrigo free to break through. A pass from Felipe broke the line. Dante tried to cover, but Kazana was already in the box. He shot across, low.

GOALKEEPER SAVED!

But Oliveira didn't even celebrate.

He was already turning away, thinking about what he had done.

"He pulled me out of position again. Without even touching the ball."

Oliveira didn't show frustration on his face. But inside, he was replaying every step.

"If I mark man-to-man, he floats and opens space. If I stay in line, he cuts behind. He's testing me like I've never been tested in any training."

The coach's final whistle blew. Cheers and laughter echoed among the starters. Kelvin and Kazana high-fived, Rodrigo smiled satisfied, Levi complained about the heat.

And Oliveira?

Silent.

He walked to the edge of the pitch, grabbed his water bottle, and sat in the goal's shadow. There, just for a moment, he allowed himself a fraction of doubt.

Kelvin had learned to wait, to hide, to appear at the right moment. He was the kind of forward that dismantled a system without making noise.

But Oliveira wasn't the kind of player to accept being dismantled.

He sat there, head lowered, until a shadow fell beside him.

"You read the game well today", It was Dante.

Oliveira looked up. Nodded, expressionless.

"But Kelvin got under your skin, didn't he?"

Silence for a few seconds.

"No", he replied. "He pulled me out of my comfort zone. That's different"

Dante raised an eyebrow.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Study him"

Dante laughed.

"You're weird, you know that?"

"And that's exactly why he won't get past me next time"

On the other side of the field, while everyone else was leaving, Oliveira stayed a few minutes longer. He grabbed his phone, opened his notes app, and typed:

"Kelvin. Tendency to float between lines. Starts plays by dropping deep — seeks quick one-twos. Acceleration only comes after second pass. Uses Kazana as distraction and Felipe as lateral support. Must force him into dead zones. Right side of the field, on his weak foot. Without space to face forward, he loses 70% of impact."

Saved. Put the phone away. Took a deep breath.

It wasn't anger. It was just strategy.

Kelvin had won that afternoon. But Oliveira… was already building the counterattack.

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