Unlocked POV: Samuel Dela Peña – Regional Scout, Underground Talent Index | Affiliation: Black Flag Academy (Unofficial)]
The kid shouldn't have been on my radar.
I was in town for a different reason—an informal check-in on a semi-pro futsal player who'd fallen off the map. My contacts said he was hiding out, coaching local teens behind a public school somewhere in Sun Valley. I didn't find him.
Instead, I found him.
James Wong.
Fourth grade. Skinny frame. Mismatched gear. But the moment he moved—really moved—I paused my recording. The balance. The calm. The touch. He didn't just play like a kid. He played like someone remembering how to play.
The Underground Match wasn't sanctioned. Hell, I wasn't even supposed to be there. But word spreads fast through the right whispers. "Something's going down at Sun Valley Primary," one message read. "Basketball court, but not basketball. Check it out."
I did.
And I saw the spark.
Observational Note – Wong, James
Position: Fluid (Midfield-centric)
Strengths: Composure, ball control, passing vision
Anomaly: Movement instinct suggests high-level mental model (unusual for age)
Aura: Field-centric magnetism; others move around him without realizing it
It was the counter-press that sealed it.
Their team had just lost the ball. Randy's striker turned upfield—but James didn't retreat. He advanced. Cut angles like a chess player. Three steps, and the ball was his again.
[Field Trigger Detected: "Counter Press" – Executed Successfully]
The shift in momentum was immediate. His teammates surged forward. A give-and-go. A shot. A second goal.
2–1. Rebellion FC.
And still—no celebration from the boy. Just focus. Like this wasn't his first war.
After the match, I approached his coach. Erwin—scrappy, sharp-eyed, ex-semi-pro. I remembered him. Injury-prone but tactically gifted. He recognized me instantly.
"Didn't expect a Black Flag observer here," he muttered.
"I didn't expect to find a reincarnated tactician in a fourth-grade body," I replied.
He stiffened. "You saw that?"
"Hard to miss."
We sat in silence for a while. Kids trickled past us, drenched in sweat and joy. James lingered by the gate, talking quietly to a girl with glasses. Another shadow with potential.
"What are you going to do?" Erwin asked.
"Nothing," I said. "Not yet. He's raw. Unaware of the radar he's triggering. But when he's ready... we'll call."
[Internal Report Filed: Subject JW-10]
Code Tag: "Reboot Candidate"
Watchlist Status: Elevated
Academy Suitability: Black Flag – Pending
As I walked away, I looked back one last time.
James wasn't looking at me. He was watching his team laugh, celebrating in their little bubble of victory.
But something tells me he knew.
That somehow, the game had already changed.
And he was the reason why.