THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
GOAT Skills Simulator
"DING"
A new system notification appears after Zachary selects the receive button.
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*GOAT Skill Simulator
2 new messages
-> You have spent 2 Juju-points to activate the simulator for one hour.
-> Simulation virtual reality system will be active in two minutes. Please lie down and prepare yourself for this procedure.
****
Zachary first locked the door of his room, then closed the curtains before lying on his bed in a supine position. He calmed his mind and patiently waited for two minutes to pass.
When the countdown is complete, new words begin to fill in the user interface positioned at an angled angle right in front of his face.
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GoAT Skills Simulator activated
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Connecting System Neural Interface
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ACTIVATION IS SUCCESSFUL
****
Zachary's vision blurred as soon as the last message from the system appeared on the screen. Everything was blurred; then he saw nothing. His consciousness floated through the space filled with thick static. His heart was pounding, echoing in his ears, as he descended into a new reality. The feeling in his body drained until finally, everything turned black.
When Zachary's eyes recovered, he was no longer in his room or lying on his bed. Instead, he was in a dark room with only a bluish system interface shining before his eyes.
"DING"
System notifications are heard as new words fill the interface. Zachary blinked as his eyes adjusted to the lighting of the screen.
****
*GOAT Skill Simulator
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Mental conditioning begins...
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Bend-it training package like Beckham Juju loading...
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Choose the type of surface area to begin practicing the skills
a) Synthetic grass
b) natural grass
c) Grass Teacher
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****
Zachary naturally chooses GrassMaster grass because it is the most common type of field surface in Trondheim. It was a hybrid field surface achieved by combining natural grass with synthetic reinforcing fibers. Although in simulation, Zachary wants to practice in a field he already knows to master Bend-it like Beckham Juju quickly.
As soon as his right finger left the system interface, a perfect green football field began to form under his feet. It spread out and covered more ground in the previously dark virtual space.
In a matter of seconds, Zachary stands in a green world with millions of perfect grass strands under his football boots. His outfit has even turned into the style he likes, a kit with a green jersey and matching boots. He stood between goal posts similar to the two white towers planted on either side of the capped field.
The system simulator does not give him a second to adjust to his surroundings. Not long after the ground had finished forming, Zachary felt the ground under his boots move, giving him the feeling of being on a travelator. He quickly crossed the field and arrived in front of the box 18 yards away from the empty field.
In the luminescence explosion, a clear 3D image of David Beckham, in a red and white Vodafone Manchester United jersey, appeared alongside Zachary. Five balls lined up in front of Beckham soon after.
The English football legend waved his hand nonchalantly towards the goal as a glowing silhouette appeared in the box in front of him. They include a wall of faceless players lined up about 10 yards from the ball. After they took their positions, a goalkeeper appeared between the posts.
Zachary can tell that the system is simulating a real match scenario to take a free kick. But he was confused about how simulation would help him in the mental training necessary to master Beckham's skills. Many players watch videos of legends appearing in the match. However, it did not guarantee they would master that skill.
Despite this, he remained attentive, watching David Beckham prepare himself for the shoot. He was eager to learn the legendary setpiece technique.
The England legend had just taken a few steps back, positioning himself with his left shoulder at the 90-degree mark facing the goal before observing the wall and the goalkeeper's position. He then approaches the ball at controlled speed and releases the curved ball, around the player and the goalkeeper, into the goal. He repeats the same procedure until all the balls are safe behind the net.
Zachary sighed in amazement as he analyzed the shooting posture of the Englishman. He realized that the spin on Beckham's free-kick was incredible. However, he is still unsure how seeing the Englishman pick up a setpiece will help him master GOAT skills.
However, the system resolved its doubts soon after.
The 3D image of the Englishman quickly moved towards Zachary and fused with his silhouette. At that moment, Zachary lost control of his body. He could feel his muscles and even look around him, but he could not control them.
Zachary felt himself taking seven steps behind five new balls that once again appeared in front of the box. He analyzes the situation of the field, the wall, the position of the goalkeeper, and the distance of one of the balls from the goalposts.
After a slow but steady approach, Zachary felt himself stepping on his right foot before taking the final step of a one-and-a-half-meter leap towards the ball. He then put his left foot right next to the ball, tilted his right foot backwards, and kicked the ball with the big toe of his foot. He fired a curling shot into the back of the net.
His body, still not under his command, continued to shoot the remaining four balls. Zachary only regained control of his body after he kicked the final ball.
He has experienced how Beckham feels, feels around, and controls his body every time he scores a goal from a free kick. Zachary knew that the system was slowly instilling the reflexes, body movements, and other relevant knowledge needed to study Bend-it like Beckham Juju in him. With only five balls he threw into the net, he had already begun to understand his skills.
He just needs to keep firing free kicks inside the GOAT skill simulator to improve his skill mastery. So, he continued to practice the setpiece for an hour until the system took it out of the simulation.
But he has made great progress. In just one hour, he managed to do 30 free kicks with Beckham's 3D model as a guide. He could feel his knowledge of setpieces growing slowly but surely. And all this made him lose 2 Juju-points very little.
Zachary opens the GOAT skills menu of the system to check the progress of his skills.
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-> GOAT Skills: 3
(Level 1: Progress: 61.021%)
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(ii) ZACHARY-ARROW-SHOT
(2nd level: Progress: 1%)
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(iii) BEND-IT LIKE BECKHAM JUJU
(First level: Progress: 0.03%)
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-> GOAT Skill Simulator
Enable Disable
(Activation charges 2 Juju-points per hour)
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****
Zachary's mood lifted when he realized that his Beckham skill set had improved by 0.03%. He knew firsthand how difficult it was to achieve complete early mastery of GOAT skills. He had only made 61% progress to master the level 1 Zinedine Visual Juju even after one year of training.
However, the simulator has helped him develop by 0.03% after shooting just 30 balls in one night. It was music in his ears.
[I wonder if I can use the simulator to practice other skills.] Zachary contemplates.
He activated the simulator at the cost of 2 Juju-points once again. Zachary wanted to test if the simulator could help him practice his other GOAT skills. However, only the arrow shots and Beckham free kick skills are available under the simulator menu.
[So, that's why I was able to master Zinedine Visual Juju before gaining access to the simulator.]
Zachary can understand why he can start mastering Zinedine-Visual-Juju without using a simulator. The system only includes match experience and tactical knowledge to improve its game intelligence before using skills. Due to his high spatial awareness stat, he did not face any obstacles in understanding and mastering this technique.
However, the requirements for arrow shots and free kick skills are different. Zachary must master perfect posture and body movements to execute the technique perfectly. Even a slight change in its balance can make the ball deviate from its intended path. The only way for the system to incorporate skills into Zachary muscle memory is through a GOAT skill simulator.
Zachary activated the simulator twice more that night, continuing his mental conditioning for Bend-it like Beckham Juju. He managed to shoot 90 balls at a setpiece and improved his skill progress by 0.09%. He slept at 1 a.m., felt successful.
**** ****
The next day, Zachary maintained his routine of getting up early, going to the gym at six, and going to school. When the last lecturer for the day moved out of his class, Zachary swiftly approached Kendrick and asked for help for his free-kick practice.
He needs to practice his techniques in the real world to complete his training in the GOAT skill simulator. Only then would he reach the perfect mental and physical state to execute the skill perfectly.
"You want to start practicing setpieces?" Kendrick looked at Zachary with a relaxed expression of calculation. "Do you not want to prepare for next week's review?" She asked.
Zakaria nodded. "We can train for 30 minutes today before the coach comes and also for a few breaks between workouts. Can you fit this into your schedule?"
"I'm a goalkeeper" said the Swede with a frown. "Your freekick exercise will only benefit me if your shots are more on-target. How good are you at setpiece?"
"I'm new at this," Zachary recited. "But I believe I can master free-kicks very quickly." He smiled at his flatmate.
"Okay, then," Kendrick said in a soft tone. "I'll agree to be your training partner for a week. Let's see how it goes from there."
Zachary gave her a smile of thanks. "thank you. But we have to rush to the field before others stifle our plans" Zachary said, pointing to Kasongo and Paul. Two flat friends are locked in a conversation with a group of girls.
"okay." Kendrick nodded. "Let's move."
Zachary and Kendrick quietly dropped out of their class and headed to the academy's training ground on their bikes. Fifteen minutes later, they were all wearing their training gear and ready to start their setpiece practice.
"I'll build the wall first" Kendrick announced.
"I'll help" Zachary replied. "I want to start with a free kick that's out of the box."
"It's okay" Kendrick said, pulling one of the football mannequins into the 18-yard box. Within minutes, the two boys set up a wall of five mannequins inside but close to the edge of the box.
"I'm ready when you're ready" Kendrick said as he positioned himself between the goal posts. "Let's see what you got."
Zachary smiled and placed the ball about ten yards behind the mannequin. He calmed his mind and then dribbled towards the goal in the same way he did in the simulation the night before.
However, the first ball still deviated from the target by a wide margin.
Kendrick raised his eyebrows. "Are you trying to shoot like Beckham? Why not start with a few simple free-kicks to get used to shooting from that position?" She asked.
"I understand," Zachary replied with a smile. "Don't worry. I've mastered the technique— to a certain extent."
Zachary had sensed the position of his body, by the time he made contact with the ball, slightly off the mark. His supporting leg needs to be planted steadily and facing the direction he wants the ball to follow. Zachary also realized he needed to swing his hand up and back while aligning himself at an angle of about 45 degrees before making contact with the ball. He was not yet perfect in executing that body movement while taking the first free kick.
Zachary retreated and threw the ball with the inside of his shoe once more. For that effort, he felt he had mimicked the perfectly fine shooting posture that the system implanted into his muscle memory. His body movements have matched what he did in cyberspace when he was possessed by Beckham. Zachary sent the ball spinning, on a curved path, towards the goal with the side of his big toe.
Kendrick couldn't even react when the ball passed him into the top right corner.
"Research!" Zachary celebrates as if he has scored in a real game. He's in cloud nine. He feels confident he will master Bend-it like Beckham Juju as long as he does setpiece training.
Kendrick could not hide his surprised expression. Then he rolled his eyeballs. "Are you really new to taking free-kicks?"
"That's good luck," Zachary answered honestly. "I need to shoot more balls before I can be consistent."
The Swede smiled. "Then I'll be serious too" he said, cleaning the goalkeeper's gloves in his black pants. "Do your best—and let me show Iker Casillas in action." He smiled at Zachary.
The two boys trained for an entire hour before joining their other teammates for a training routine. Surprisingly, Coach Johansen secretly approved their free-kick practice. He did not call them for a warm-up routine at the start of the day's training session.
Zachary managed to score an average of two out of every ten free-kicks during the session. He could feel his body adapting to the blunt shooting posture required for the skill. He just needs to maintain a strict training routine to perfect Beckham Juju.
Zachary dedicated three hours of his daily schedule to free-kick practice over the next six days. He spends an hour training with Kendrick and two in the simulator every day.
He did not relax his physical and tactical training routine despite having to take the time to practice dead balls.
A week passed, it was almost unclear, and it was time for an academy review. Zachary had to undergo an annual medical and played with Rosenborg's senior and junior teams for that year's test. He was delighted with the prospect of finally dealing with a professional player.