GEM TALENT

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The early morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, and before William could even stretch his aching limbs or rub the sleep from his eyes, the persistent, high-pitched vibration of his smartphone on the nightstand signaled an incoming call.

He reached out with a groggy hand to swipe the screen, and a small, tired smile touched his lips when he saw that the caller was his father,

Mr. Gill, who always seemed to know exactly when to check in on him.

He quickly answered the call because he deeply valued these morning conversations with the man who had sacrificed so much for his future, and he cleared his throat so that

his voice wouldn't sound too raspy or exhausted from the previous night's intense study session.

"Good morning, Dad," William said, resting back against his pillow while the cool morning air brushed against his face.

The two of them began a warm and familiar conversation, where Mr. Gill immediately started asking about the progress of his final exam preparations and whether he was staying focused on his books despite the exciting life of a professional athlete.

William responded by saying that everything was going fine and that he was putting in extra hours of study every day, and he also made sure to tell his father that the club had

officially given him some time off to prepare for the tests more effectively.

He explained that Coach Lincoln and the directors wanted him to be at his best

academically, and hearing this news made Mr. Gill let out a long sigh of relief that was audible even through the digital static of the phone line.

Mr. Gill absolutely loved seeing William play football and achieve great success on the pitch, but he was a traditional man who wanted his son to excel in his academics just as much as he excelled with the ball at his feet.

He often told William that the world of sports was unpredictable and could be taken away by a single injury, so having a strong educational background was the only way to ensure a stable and bright future for the family. They spoke for several minutes about specific subjects like biology and physics, and William felt a surge of new motivation as his father encouraged him to keep pushing until the very last exam was finished.

However, as they were about to end the conversation, the tone of the chat became more serious when Mr. Gill mentioned that he had to get ready because he was heading out to work for the day.

This mention of work immediately caused a flicker of worry and sadness in William's heart, and he took a deep breath before speaking up about a topic that had been weighing on his conscience for a long time.

"Dad, please listen to me for a second, because I really don't want you to be out there doing cleaning jobs anymore," William said, his voice filled with a mixture of love and

frustration that he couldn't hide.

He explained that since he was making good

money now as a professional player for l Blackpool, there was absolutely no reason

for his father to be scrubbing floors or carrying heavy equipment in the biting cold of the morning.

"You are not young again, and after all the years you spent raising me alone, you truly need to sit at home and relax while I take care of the bills and the house," he added, hoping that his father would finally accept the offer to retire and rest his tired, hardworking body.

Mr. Gill, however, disagreed totally with the suggestion, and he spoke with a firm, stubborn pride that William knew all too well because he had inherited that same iron will himself.

He told William that he would not stop working just because his son was successful, because he truly loved the rhythm of work and the feeling of being useful to society.

"I have customers who have known me for

decades, and they only want me to handle their buildings because of the deep trust and friendship that exists between us," Mr. Gill explained, his voice sounding strong and resolute despite his age.

He told William that for now, he would not stop his daily routine, and he made it clear that being active was what kept his spirit healthy and his mind sharp.

William agreed reluctantly to his father's decision, knowing that he couldn't change the mind of a man who valued hard work above everything else, and then he ended the call with a quiet promise to call again as soon as the match was over.

Once the phone was back on the nightstand, William began to prepare himself for the day, and he felt a strange mix of excitement and nervousness as he pulled on his casual Blackpool training jacket.

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After the preparation, he rode his bicycle to Bloomfield Road, he knew wasn't playing today, but he was determined to go to the stadium to support his teammates.

As he was getting closer to Bloomfield Road under a bright, clear sky. The air was crisp and filled with the scent of match-day excitement, and as he drew closer to the stadium, he could see hundreds of fans dressed in bright

Black and Green jerseys and scarves, their faces lit up with the hope of another victory.

They were chanting and singing as they made their way toward the turnstiles, and William felt a sharp pang of longing to be out there on the pitch with them, yet he reminded himself that his academic battle was just as important as the one about to be fought on the grass.

He reached the heavy metallic gates of the stadium and made his way to the section reserved for players and staff, where he found a seat that gave him a perfect view of the entire green pitch.

The atmosphere inside Bloomfield Road was electric, and the vibration of the chanting fans made the very air feel alive with an energy that he could feel deep in his bones. As the minutes ticked toward the official kickoff, the giant electronic screens at either end of the

stadium flickered to life, and the starting lineup for the match against Portsmouth was finally displayed for everyone to see.

William moved forward, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the list of names, and he began to process the massive tactical changes that Coach Lincoln had made in his absence.

He saw that Henderson was starting as the goalkeeper instead of Walker, which was a significant change, and his eyes moved down to the defensive line where a back three had been formed. Harris, Brooks, and Reed were listed as the three central defenders, suggesting that the coach wanted to use a more solid and disciplined defensive structure to handle the fast Portsmouth attackers.

In the midfield, the screen showed a line of four players consisting of Grant, Barco, Spenser, and the veteran general, Coleman, who was wearing the captain's armband today. Up front, the attacking trio was made up of Theo on one wing, Ortega on the other, and the powerhouse striker Ibrahim leading the line as the target

man.

William was impressed by the strength of the squad, but as he continued to look at the screen to check the substitutes, a look of pure, unfiltered surprise crossed his face.

He quickly looked at the list of bench players that appeared on the screen, but Kyle's name was nowhere to be found, and he wasn't listed among the starters either.

William was so surprised that he actually blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't misreading the text or missing a name, yet the reality remained exactly the same: Kyle was not in the match-day squad at all.

A chill that had nothing to do with the weather ran down William's spine, and his mind

immediately began to race with a dozen different possibilities about why the star newcomer was missing from such a massive fixture.

Only a few days ago, Kyle had been boasting about taking William's spot and proving his dominance to the entire league, yet now he wasn't even in the stadium to support the team or wait for a chance on the bench.

William looked around the VIP area to see if he could spot any of the other staff members who might know the truth, but everyone seemed focused on the players who were currently finishing their warm-up drills on the emerald turf.

He wondered if Kyle had picked up a sudden injury during the extra drills he had been doing in secret, or if something much more serious had happened behind the scenes that had led to his total exclusion from the team.

The absence of Kyle felt like a massive mystery that cast a dark shadow over the beginning of the match, especially since Reed and Harris were both starting despite their

suspicious alliance with the missing midfielder.

William sat back in his seat, his heart thumping with a new kind of anxiety as he stared at the glowing screen. What is going on?