Beyond the Gridiron: Cosmic Sports System

28: The Peacock’s Desperate Comeback Backfire

The halftime break ended quickly, and the stadium’s buzzing atmosphere shifted instantly. The casual laughter from Ethan’s first-half disasters faded, replaced by tense anticipation. São Paulo Royal’s coaching staff had clearly delivered a fiery locker-room speech, judging by how their players stormed back onto the field, jaws tight and shoulders squared.

Gone were the preening poses and lazy swaggers. The elite team now moved with rigid, aggressive urgency—all except Ethan Voss. He’d clearly spent the entire break attempting damage control. His headband was forcibly straightened, his uniform meticulously brushed free of grass stains, and he even slicked down his messy hair with a water bottle. Unfortunately for him, the more he tried to look put-together, the more forced and awkward he appeared.

“He’s trying to reset his entire vibe,” Tiago whispered to Leo, snickering under his breath. “News flash: the stadium already has your fail clip on loop.”

Carlos nodded vigorously. “Bet his coach chewed him out so hard he’s scared to pose for the cameras now. Poor guy’s ego is hanging by a thread.”

Leo’s system flickered softly, the newly unlocked Vanity Shutdown talent activating passively. He could faintly sense Ethan’s scattered focus, the star’s brain tangled up in salvaging his reputation instead of reading defenses and running routes. The 15% focus reduction worked perfectly, turning the once-deadly prodigy into a shaky, error-prone player.

São Paulo Royal won the second-half kickoff and went straight into aggressive offensive mode. Their coach abandoned all fancy, flashy plays and switched to a brutal, high-tempo short-pass strategy, aiming to wear down Santo Antonio’s defense and avoid giving Ethan room for dramatic—and disastrous—solo moves.

For three straight plays, the elite offense moved steadily downfield with clean, simple completions. It seemed their desperate adjustment was working, and the tide was finally turning in their favor. The elite student section perked up, cheering loudly to drown out the lingering jokes from the first half.

Then the ball went to Ethan.

Refusing to be benched as a failure, Ethan waved off his teammates’ route assignments and insisted on a deep boundary shot. He needed a spectacular touchdown to erase his embarrassing mistakes, to prove he was still the top-tier prodigy everyone admired. No more silly fakes, no more posing—just a pure, blazing speed touchdown to save his dignity.

Or so he thought.

The quarterback hesitated for a split second, then complied, launching a high, arching deep pass toward the end zone, perfectly targeting Ethan’s sprinting route.

Ethan burned every ounce of his speed, sprinting full tilt toward the ball. He ignored Leo’s presence entirely, fixated only on the floating football and the game-saving touchdown he envisioned. He was already mentally drafting his post-game interview, ready to call his first-half errors trivial warm-up mistakes.

But Leo’s Predatory Read locked onto the ball’s trajectory instantly. He accelerated smoothly, slipping past Ethan’s blind side without the elite star even noticing. Just as Ethan stretched his arms out to secure the catch, Leo leaped slightly higher, plucking the ball cleanly out of the air for his second interception of the game.

The worst part? Ethan’s forward momentum was so unstoppable that he ran straight past the ball, skidded to a clumsy halt, and spun around blankly—only to see Leo already standing firm with the intercepted ball in hand.

The stadium burst into fresh, roaring laughter, even louder than before.

The live-stream chat exploded once again, flooding with relentless roasts. Viewers dubbed Ethan the “self-sabotage king” and joked that his greatest skill was turning game-winning opportunities into viral comedy clips.

Ethan froze on the spot, face flushing crimson. He stood there motionless for three full seconds, looking utterly defeated, like a peacock whose tail feathers had been completely plucked. His carefully fixed hair fell messy again, his straightened headband slipped once more, and his last shred of on-field dignity vanished entirely.

São Paulo Royal’s quarterback threw his hands up in exasperation, clearly done with his star teammate’s ego-driven blunders. The elite sideline went completely silent, every player looking away in shame, no longer willing to associate with Ethan’s continuous disasters.

Coach Ferreira barked a sharp but amused order from the sideline, signaling for the offense to take the field. Leo handed the ball to the referee, his expression calm as ever, no teasing or celebration needed. His quiet dominance was already the best humiliation for the arrogant elite.

As Leo jogged past Ethan, the defeated prodigy muttered a quiet, furious curse under his breath, but he made no move to argue or taunt back. Deep down, he knew it wasn’t bad luck—it was Leo’s overwhelming superiority, and his own crippling vanity that had lost him every single one-on-one battle.

With São Paulo Royal’s star completely neutralized, and their team morale shattered, the rest of the second half devolved into a one-sided rout. Santo Antonio seized full control of the game, turning the elite team’s desperate comeback attempt into another unforgettable public embarrassment.