The morning alarm jolted Marco from the deepest sleep he'd experienced since arriving in 2004. His tired body had crashed hard after yesterday's training marathon, and for a blissful few seconds, he simply lay there, muscles aching, mind foggy.
Then reality crashed back. The system. The training. The cut inside move at 8.1. Coach Hoffmann's words: borderline case.
He groaned and forced himself upright. Across the small room, Tim was already half-dressed, putting on his training kit with the unconscious efficiency of someone who'd done it a thousand times.
"Marco," Tim mumbled, yawning. "You were out cold. Didn't even hear me come in last night."
"Rough training," Marco replied, testing his legs. Sore, definitely, but not injured. The system's body optimization and his new yoga routine before bed must have helped with recovery.
A translucent message floated in his vision:
[Recovery Status: 78%
Recommended activity level: Moderate
Intensive skill training: Not recommended until 90%+
Today's focus: Match Day observation and assessment]
Match day? Marco's inherited memories supplied the answer immediately. Saturday. The U17s had a league match this afternoon. A chance to see where he stood in the pecking order.
The morning training session was lighter than usual—pre-match preparation, tactical review, set piece work. Marco moved through it mechanically, conserving energy, but his analytical mind was working overtime.
The system had activated what it called "Assessment Mode," overlaying information on players around him:
[DENNIS HOFFMANN (Age 16, RW)
Overall Rating: 71/100
Key Strengths:
- Speed: 8.4/10
- Dribbling: 8.1/10
- Acceleration: 8.7/10
Status: First Team Prospect
- High Priority]
Dennis was the standout winger Marco had noticed yesterday. Tall, lean, with explosive pace that made him dangerous on the counter. During the small-sided games, he'd beaten Marco one-on-one three times out of four.
71 overall, Marco thought. Thirteen points ahead of me. That's the gap.
[LEON SCHÄFER (Age 16, CM)
Overall Rating: 73/100
Key Strengths:
- Vision: 8.9/10
- Through Balls: 9.1/10
- Positioning: 8.6/10
Status: First Team Prospect
- Highest Priority ]
Leon, the midfielder with the exceptional passing range. Marco watched him during a possession drill, saw how he scanned constantly, how he always seemed to know where space would open before it actually did. That vision—8.9—was elite even for professional players.
He's special, Marco realized. That's what "highest priority" means. They're already planning his path to the first team.
And then there was Phillipe, the striker:
[PHILLIPE WAGNER (Age 17, ST)
Overall Rating: 69/100
Key Strengths:
- Finishing: 8.8/10
- Positioning: 8.3/10
- Composure: 8.1/10
Status: First Team Prospect
- Medium Priority ]
The assassin in the box. Clinical, cold, ruthless. During finishing drills, he converted nine out of ten chances. The one he missed, he swore at himself in frustration.
These were the players ahead of Marco in the hierarchy. The ones the coaches watched most carefully. The ones who would get promoted while others—like Marco, borderline cases—got released.
I need to be better than them, Marco thought. Or at least valuable enough that they can't afford to let me go.
The system chimed with analysis:
[Competitive Assessment Complete
Current Squad Depth Chart
- Left Wing Position:
1. Dennis Hoffmann (RW, but flexible)
2. YOU (Marco Reus) - BORDERLINE
3. Sebastian Kurz (LW, 62/100) - At Risk
4. Vacant
Analysis: Only two natural left wingers in age group. Dennis preferred on right. This provides opportunity.
Strategic Recommendation:
- Position yourself as the specialist left winger
- Dennis can't play both wings simultaneously
- Coaches need depth; become indispensable backup
- Then surpass him
Path to safety: Reach 65/100 overall (minimum)
Path to prominence: Reach 70/100 overall (Dennis's level) ]
It was brutally clear. Marco didn't need to be the best player in the academy. He just needed to be too valuable to cut. And the left-wing position—his natural role—was relatively uncontested.
Opportunity, Marco thought. If I can improve fast enough.
"Reus!" Coach Werner's voice cut across the training ground. "You're in the squad today. Left wing, second half substitute."
Marco's heart jumped. I'm playing.
Around him, some players nodded approval. Others—like Sebastian, the other left winger—looked disappointed. The squad for match day was limited. Being selected meant something.
"Don't mess it up," Tim whispered as they jogged to the next drill. "Hoffmann told Werner about your extra training yesterday. They're watching you."
Great. More pressure.
But Marco forced himself to stay calm. This is good. A chance to prove myself. To show them I'm improving.
The system displayed a new notification:
[MATCH OPPORTUNITY DETECTED
Opponent: VfL Bochum U17
Expected Entry: 60th-70th minute
Expected Game State: Unknown (will update during match)
Preparation Protocol:
- Stay warm (light jogging)
- Mental rehearsal (visualize successful actions)
- Observe opponent's left back (identify weaknesses)
- Be ready for immediate impact
Note: First impressions matter. Coaches evaluate substitutes harshly.
Success requirement: 7.5/10 performance minimum]
7.5 out of 10. That's the standard.
The hours until the match crawled by. Morning training ended. Lunch in the cafeteria—carb-loading, the system reminding him of optimal pre-match nutrition. Then rest period, lying in his dorm room while Tim napped, Marco unable to sleep, running through scenarios in his head.
What if I mess up? What if I'm not ready? What if the cut inside move I trained isn't enough?But he forced the doubts down. No. I've prepared. I've trained. I'm better than yesterday. Better than last week. Trust the process.
At 2:00 PM, the team bus departed for Bochum's academy complex—a thirty-minute drive through industrial landscapes and autumn-coloured trees. Marco sat near the back, watching the starting eleven joke and laugh, the camaraderie of players who knew they'd be on the pitch together.
He was apart from that. A substitute. An outsider. A borderline case fighting to belong.The match kicked off at 3:00 PM. Marco sat on the bench, watching, analysing, absorbing.
Bochum's U17s were physical, direct, aggressive. Long balls to their striker. Quick wingers running in behind. Their left back—the one Marco would face—was tall, strong, but not particularly quick. The system highlighted his positioning:
[OPPONENT LEFT BACK ANALYSIS
Name: Unknown
Estimated Overall: 64/100
#Weaknesses Detected:
- Slow to turn (takes 1.2 seconds average)
- Leaves space in behind on 68% of attacks
- Aggressive tackling style (commits early)
#Recommended Exploitation:
- Use speed to get in behind
- Sell outside move, cut inside (he will commit to challenge)
- Through balls into channel when he pushes high]
I can work with that.
Dortmund took the lead in the twenty-third minute—Leon with a perfect through ball, Phillipe finishing clinically. 1-0.
The bench erupted. Marco clapped politely, but his eyes never left the game, cataloguinginformation, building his mental database.
Halftime. 1-0. Coach Werner paced, making adjustments. "Second half, we control the game. Possession. Make them chase. Tire them out.
"At sixty-two minutes, with Dortmund comfortably ahead 2-0, Werner turned to the bench. His eyes scanned the substitutes.
They landed on Marco.
"Reus. Warm up."
Everything crystallized. This was it. His chance.
Marco sprinted to the sideline, going through dynamic stretches, high knees, butt kicks, short sprints. His heart hammered. His mouth was dry. But his body felt good—sore but functional, ready.
At sixty-eight minutes, the fourth official raised the substitution board. Number 17 coming off. Number 23 coming on.
Marco Reus entering the game.As he jogged onto the pitch, the system displayed one final message:
[MATCH MODE ACTIVATED
Real-time guidance Enabled
Tactical overlay: Active
Performance tracking: Recording
Objective: Demonstrate value
Required rating: 7.5/10 minimum
Timer: 22 minutes + stoppage time ]
The stadium noise—such as it was, maybe two hundred people—faded to background hum. Marco's vision sharpened. The system overlaid glowing indicators: teammate positions, opponent positions, space to exploit.
His first touch came thirty seconds later. A simple pass from midfield, ball rolling to his feet on the left wing.
Marco controlled it smoothly—First Touch: 7.8/10—and turned upfield. The Bochum right back pressed toward him. The system highlighted the space behind: Available. Teammate overlapping.
Marco waited one heartbeat. The defender committed. Then Marco played a simple through ball into the channel—weight perfect, 7.9/10—where the overlapping fullback ran onto it and crossed.Phillipe's header went just wide. But Marco saw Coach Werner on the sideline, nodding.Good. Solid start.
Three minutes later, Marco received the ball deeper, near midfield. Leon called for it back, but Marco saw something else: Dennis making a run in behind on the right side. The system calculated passing angles, defensive positioning, probability of success: 73%.
Marco played the diagonal through ball with his left foot, forty yards, curving away from the Bochum center back and into Dennis's path. Dennis controlled it, cut inside, shot—saved by the goalkeeper, but another good chance created.
[Through Ball: 8.2/10 - Excellent
Vision: 7.9/10 - Good
Decision Making: 8.0/10 - Correct choice
Performance Rating: 7.8/10 (exceeding minimum requirement) ]
Seventy-ninth minute. Score still 2-0. The game winding down. Marco had touched the ball eleven times, completed nine passes, created two chances. Solid, professional, consistent.
But solid wasn't enough. He needed a moment. Something that would make the coaches remember him.
And then opportunity arrived.
Leon won the ball in midfield and immediately found Marco wide left. Open space ahead. The Bochum left back—tired now, eighty minutes played—squared up to defend.
Marco accelerated at seventy-percent speed, ball close to his feet. The defender tracked his run, backpedalling, waiting for the move. Marco gave a subtle shoulder drop right, selling the outside route.The defender's weight shifted. Just slightly. Just enough.
Marco planted his left foot—exactly 18cm left of the ball, perfect technique—and cut sharply inside with his right. The defender lunged, committed, caught wrong-footed.
And he was gone.
Marco burst past him, the cut executed at 8.3/10, muscle memory smooth and instinctive. He was through, driving toward the penalty area.
The center back stepped up to challenge. Marco could shoot—but the angle was tight. Or he could pass—Phillipe making a run to the far post.
Pass, the system advised. Probability of goal: 67% vs. 32% if you shoot.
But something in Marco—some competitive fire, some need to prove himself—overrode the logic.I need this. I need them to see what I can do.
He shot. Right foot. Dipping technique at 6.7/10—not perfect, still improving. The ball rose, dipped, heading toward the far corner—The goalkeeper dove. Fingertips. Deflected over the bar. Corner kick.
[Shot Attempt: 7.1/10
Decision: SUB-OPTIMAL (pass was better choice)
Technique: Good but could be better
Performance Rating: Stable at 7.8/10 ]
Marco grimaced as he jogged back. I should have passed. Got greedy.
But then he heard it. Applause from the bench. Coach Werner clapping. "Gut, Reus! Good run! Almost!"
And on the sideline, Coach Hoffmann was making note in his notebook, nodding.
The match ended 2-0. Marco had played twenty-three minutes. Eleven touches. Ten completed passes. One key chance created. One shot. Zero mistakes.
[MATCH COMPLETE
Final Performance Rating: 7.8/10
- ABOVE TARGET
#Key Positives:
- Passing accuracy: 91%
- Through ball quality: 8.2/10 average
- Cut inside execution: 8.3/10
- No turnovers
- No tactical errors
#Areas for Improvement:
- Shot selection (passed would have been better)
- Dipping shot technique still developing
Coach Reaction: POSITIVE
Status Update: Borderline → Promising Prospect
MISSION PROGRESS: +2 Points
Current: 60/100 Overall Rating
Target: 65/100 by evaluation ]
In the locker room after, as teammates showered and joked, Leon caught Marco's eye."Nice through ball," the star midfielder said. "You saw that run before I even made it."
"Thanks," Marco replied, trying to sound casual. And Dennis, pulling off his boots, called across the room: "That cut inside was clean, Reus. Almost scored. Keep that up."
Tim, his roommate, grinned. "See? Told you they're watching. Hoffmann's been talking about you all week since he saw your extra training."
As Marco sat there, exhausted, sore, but satisfied, the weight of what he'd accomplished settled over him.
He'd played. He'd performed. He'd exceeded the minimum requirement.
He wasn't safe yet. Not even close. But for the first time since waking up in this impossible situation, Marco felt like he had a chance.
A real chance to stay. To build toward something greater.
Two points of overall improvement, he thought, checking the system. 58 to 60. I need five more points before evaluation. Then five more after that. Then...
Then I become too good to cut. Too valuable to lose. Then I could become the player Marco Reus should have been.
As the team bus rolled back toward the academy complex, Marco stared out the window at the fading autumn light, his reflection ghosting over the passing landscape.Seven months, twenty-seven days until the historical release date.
But that future was already changing. The system, the training, the work—it was working.I can do this, Marco thought, allowing himself a tired smile. One match at a time. One training session at a time. One point at a time.