My system allows me to copy talents

After a brief rest, the players emerged on the field for the second half. The audience hurried to their seat as well.

The Portuguese players seemed to be in high spirits, their eyes glistening with confidence.

With their chest puffed and their head held high, they walked the field like proud knights marching on the street.

“Don’t they look different than before?” One of the Japanese fans couldn’t help but notice the change. It was a fleeting feeling but he could tell that something had changed.

Another seated right beside him squinched his eyes, trying to find out if something was different. But he couldn’t tell if something was different like he had mentioned.

“They look the same to me,” he said dismissively to the man next to him.

Soon after, the players positioned themselves to resume the second half.

Neither of the sides had made any changes to their squad and both of them were starting with the same set of players.

Bruno, however, unlike many of his teammates was still bothered by the matter that took place in the locker room earlier. He couldn’t get that feeling of shame from his chest no matter how hard he tried to.

Frequently, he would stare at his armband as if it were weighing him down.

Out of habit, Hiro swept his gaze while positioning himself. While sweeping his gaze over the field, he couldn’t help but take notice of Bruno’s actions.

‘Is something wrong with his arm?’ Hiro thought.

Though he found Bruno’s gestures strange, he didn’t think too much of it. Rather his eyes

darted to the bench. There he found Ronaldo seated comfortably, looking more focused than ever, ‘Not yet, huh?’

Beep!

The second half resumed.

With ever-increasing intensity, the game began, both sides looking threatening on the ball. Neither side wasted any time to build up the momentum.

After just two minutes, Yamada attempted a long-distance shot. The ball flew over the post, barely missing the post. Nonetheless, it was an impressive attempt.

Immediately after that shot, Bruno attempted a shot from outside the box.

However, unlike Yamada’s shot that flew over the bar, Bruno’s shot was on target and Aya had to stretch his hand to keep the ball away from the post.

“What are you doing? Don’t let him shoot. Press him,” Aya yelled, quickly picking himself up. He couldn’t help but feel enraged at his teammates for allowing Bruno space to shoot. If he had been a tad bit slow to react, the shot would have been converted.

So, it made him even more furious thinking about it.

At this stage, they couldn’t allow such mistakes to occur. It was an evenly matched game and a single goal could deter the fate of the game.

Portugal was awarded the corner. Yet, Bruno appeared to be exasperating. He was frustrated at the outcome. Clicking his tongue, he walked to the corner.

Once again, Hiro caught the sight of him looking bothered. Now, he was more certain that something was definitely wrong with him.

‘Something must have happened in the locker room.’ Hiro figured.

While everybody was retreating steadily, Hiro’s eyes gleamed as his lips curled slightly. He had figured out a method to disrupt their coordination.

So, he dashed to Endo and whispered something in his ear.

“Are you sure?” Endo asked, a little puzzled.

Hiro nodded, his eyes gleaming with confidence. Seeing him oozing with confidence, Endo couldn’t bring himself to question him. However, he still felt hesitant to follow Hiro’s instructions.

“But why me?” Endo asked. “You know well that I don’t trash talk. So, why me?”

Hiro stared at him fixedly with a look that spelled, “You’re the only option”.

Without even needing to tell him, Endo understood the hidden meaning. Frowning, he muttered submissively, “I know I’m the one close to him. But don’t expect a great outcome from me.”

Hearing him, Hiro cheered, “You can do it, Endo-san.”

Endo still didn’t feel like he could do a decent job. Hiro had asked him to get inside Bruno’s head. But he had never trash-talked before. So, he couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about it. After Hiro dashed away, Endo turned to look at Bruno. Looking at him, Endo couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, “Forgive me, brother. But I need to do it.”

Endo wasn’t the type of player who liked to play dirty. But the match had demanded it. So, he was utterly helpless.

Bruno delivered a brilliant cross. However, they failed to capitalize on the opportunity and wasted the corner.

“Hey, Bruno. Maybe you should have learned to finish from Cristiano,” Endo tailed Bruno, sticking by his side like his shadow.

Just the mention of Cristiano was getting on his nerves. However, he maintained his composure and avoided Endo.

Endo, however, kept on trash-talking.

Endo had heard the rumor of a feud between Bruno and Cristiano. So, he made use of that to get inside his head. But Bruno’s lack of response was making him worried.

‘I knew it, I’m not cut for it.’ Endo sighed.

Even after constantly trash-talking him, he hadn’t been able to move him. So, Endo was starting to feel worried. He worried that he couldn’t even get one thing done.

Little did he know, that things he said were already working.

‘It’s always Cristiano this, Cristiano that. Even in the Euro, he took the credit while the others did the work. Why can’t they appreciate us? Are we nothing but supporting characters?’

Bruno’s thoughts and feelings were in turmoil. Though he maintained his composure outwardly, a storm was razing inside him. He could feel his stomach churn.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

‘Sure, he was crucial for the team. But so were we. Sure, the media and the general public hyped him because of his reputation. But at least, he could have clarified. Couldn’t he tell them that others played an equally important role in winning?’

‘If it weren’t for my injury, I would have also played an important role in the Euro.’ Bruno had always felt remorseful for not being able to participate in the Euro.

The reason why Bruno didn’t view Ronaldo favorably was because Ronaldo was self-centered. He put himself above the team.