My Ultimate Gacha System

Thursday night, Sophia asked whether Southgate had told him anything definite, since the press conference hadn’t confirmed a thing.

"I start Friday," Demien told her.

She paused before congratulating him, because he’d started for England before.

"What makes this one different?" she asked.

He looked at the Wembley itinerary open on his tablet. "First time I walk out there as a starter instead of sitting with the subs waiting for the match to need me."

"And Tuesday’s sitting behind it, isn’t it," she said, not really a question.

"It is," he admitted.

"Don’t play Tuesday’s match in your head on Friday," she said.

"Easy to say from outside the camp," he said.

"Still correct," she said, and he let her have that one rather than arguing it.

He asked about her work and listened through a short update before the call wound down.

"Enjoy the anthem from the pitch this time," she told him, and the smile stayed on his face well after the call ended.

Friday, October 13th, Demien woke before his alarm at England’s London base and lay still for a moment, running the check without needing to think hard about it — calves loose again, ribs only tender under direct pressure, hip moving freely, nothing sharp anywhere.

The routine ran in its usual order: hydration, a measured breakfast, light activation and mobility, a short walk away from the public areas, treatment for the contact soreness still lingering, then the final tactical meeting.

The breakfast room stayed quieter than usual — some players in headphones, Henderson talking briefly with Southgate’s staff, Watkins eating without joining the noise, Maddison scrolling clips on a tablet between bites.

Demien sat with Phillips.

"Australia will foul you early if Baccus can’t win the first duel clean," Phillips said.

"Is that tactical advice or wishful thinking before Italy?" Demien asked.

"Can’t it be both?" Phillips said.

The final tactical meeting confirmed the eleven on the board — Johnstone, Trent, Dunk, Tomori, Colwill, Henderson as captain, Demien, Bowen, Maddison, Grealish, Watkins.

Southgate ran through it position by position rather than giving a speech.

"Sam, talk early — this back line hasn’t played together much." "Trent, Levi — pick your attacking moments carefully, Boyle and Goodwin want the space behind you." "Lewis, Fikayo — deny Duke the first contact, and track Souttar at every set piece." "Jordan, hold the centre when Demien moves beyond the first press." "Demien — release Ollie early, protect Trent’s side after turnovers, and don’t sit in James’s lane." "James, stay beyond their midfield and connect with Ollie." "Jack, Jarrod — stretch their back five before you come inside." "Ollie — threaten in behind before you drop for it."

"Their back five will settle fast if we circulate slow," Southgate said. "The first pass forward doesn’t need to be the goal. It needs to make them turn and run."

He turned the board to Australia’s confirmed eleven — Ryan, Strain, Souttar, Rowles, Burgess, Goodwin, Baccus, Irvine, Boyle, Metcalfe, Duke.

Demien’s focus settled on Baccus and Irvine, because they were the two who’d be pressing and covering him all night.

The bus reached Wembley after dark, the arch lit up above the road, police and stewards holding the final approach clear, England supporters raised on both sides with flags and phones, and a section of green and gold gathering for Australia’s first-ever appearance at this stadium, camera flashes catching against the windows as the coach turned in.

Demien knew this route already from Ukraine.

The only difference was that his shirt wasn’t hanging with the substitutes this time.

He kept his headphones around his neck rather than over his ears, wanting the noise rather than blocking it, and lifted a hand when a cluster of supporters recognized him through the glass — though the loudest names being called still belonged to Kane, Bellingham, and Rashford, even from the bench tonight.

Security checked accreditation at the players’ entrance, FA staff guided the group past the mixed zone, cameras filmed from behind the barrier, and equipment staff carried the kit bags on ahead.

A reporter called out something about Italy.

Demien heard it and kept walking, because nobody stopped for interviews on the way in.

In the Wembley dressing room, his white shirt hung with WALTER printed across the back, shorts and socks folded beneath it, boots set under the bench, the GPS vest already tucked inside, his accreditation card resting nearby, the tactical sheet fixed above the central table.

He’d started for England before, so this wasn’t a first in that sense.

What mattered was starting at Wembley from the opening whistle rather than watching it from the bench.

He ran his thumb once across the crest, then got changed, because the feeling didn’t need to stop the routine.

Around him, Johnstone opened and closed his gloves over and over, Henderson adjusted the armband while talking to Dunk, Watkins ran through short visualization movements at his place, Trent went over Australia’s left-side runs with Bowen, and Grealish retaped a sock before standing for the warm-up.

"If Baccus follows you deep, I’ll stay behind Irvine," Maddison told him.

"Don’t drop toward me unless the ball’s already past Jordan," Demien said.

Watkins leaned in. "None of that means anything if neither of you passes when I run."

"Stay onside first," Demien said.

"Midfielders always blame the striker," Watkins said, and neither of them argued the point.

「NATIONAL TEAM MATCH MISSION ACTIVATED」 「INTERNATIONAL MATCH」 「England vs Australia」 「Wembley Stadium」 「Complete 6 line-breaking actions」 「Create 3 clear chances」 「Record 4 defensive recoveries」 「Record 1 direct goal contribution」 「Reward: +75 MP」 「Bonus Objective: Strengthen Italy Selection Claim」 「Bonus Reward: +5 SP」

It didn’t say earn an England place.

It said strengthen his claim.

He closed it and followed the others out.

The Wembley pitch sat under full floodlights, the stands still filling, a pocket of Australian support already singing, cameras tracking both teams, stewards lined along the boards, the referee’s team checking equipment near the tunnel — Stéphanie Frappart, the first woman to officiate a men’s international at this stadium.

England’s warm-up moved through its stages — dynamic movement, short passing, position-specific rondos, finishing, longer bursts of pace.

During the passing work, Demien took ball after ball from Henderson while Maddison held his position ahead, the same pattern from the whole week running on repeat.

During finishing, Watkins laid it to Maddison, Maddison touched it across, and Demien struck toward the bottom corner — saved the first time, in the second.

"Your layoff needs to come a bit further from your body," Demien told Watkins.

"Move your feet faster, then," Watkins said.

Across the pitch, Souttar rose for header after header, Goodwin curled ball after ball in from the left, Boyle ran the right channel at full pace, and Baccus stayed close to Irvine through their own passing work, exactly as the analysis room had shown.

Back in the dressing room, players stripped off warm-up tops, swapped damp undershirts, took last drinks, retightened laces, and quieted when Southgate called them in.

"Respect their intensity. Move the ball before their block settles. Protect the space behind the full-backs. Don’t give Souttar a cheap set piece," he said, nothing more dressed up than that.

Henderson spoke next, short and direct. "Doesn’t matter that it’s a friendly. The shirt’s still the shirt."

Demien stood between him and Maddison, breathing steady, though he rubbed his palms once against his shorts before they walked, the nerves still there under the calm.

In the tunnel, Ryan tightened his gloves, Souttar stood tall near the center of the line talking to Burgess, Irvine checked where Baccus had positioned himself, Goodwin rolled one ankle, Boyle bounced lightly on his toes, and Duke stared straight ahead toward the pitch.

Baccus glanced over once, already knowing which midfielder he’d be pressing all night.

Demien caught the look and adjusted a shin pad rather than stare back at him.

The teams walked out, and the tunnel noise widened into the full roar of Wembley, flags rising on the England side, the Australian section answering with its own chant, both lines forming up for the anthems.

Demien stood between Henderson and Maddison and let himself look around once while the first notes played, hearing it for the first time as a starter rather than a name waiting on the bench.

The captains completed the coin toss.

England kicked off.

Australia settled straight into their shape, Souttar directing the line, Strain and Goodwin dropping beside the back three, Baccus standing a few yards off Demien while Irvine covered the space behind him.

Watkins tapped it to Maddison.

Maddison rolled it back into Demien’s path.

Baccus was already leaving his position before the ball had even arrived, sprinting to close down Demien’s first touch.