Chapter 5 – Scrimmage 1

Flashback

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"Ego-san, I have a request," Kira said calmly, his tone steady and serious as he stood in front of the terminal.

There was no immediate response, but Kira wasn't concerned. He knew that in this facility—Ego's "castle"—everything was monitored and relayed back to the man in charge.

"I want to borrow the field so I can set up a game for my team. I need your help gathering them with the intercom," Kira continued, laying out his plan. "And I'll need a ball and a pair of gloves for the goalkeeper."

The terminal finally responded, Ego's bored voice coming through. "Why should I help you? Sounds like a you problem, not mine."

Kira simply smiled, undeterred by the indifference. "Because I want to know which of my teammates I can use to benefit me."

The sheer confidence and arrogance in Kira's statement made Ego raise an eyebrow, intrigued by the boldness of the request.

"I'll also need a timer to ring every ten minutes so we can rotate the goalkeeper," Kira added.

Ego's voice turned more challenging. "What if I don't want to bother?"

Kira's expression hardened, his voice becoming stern and commanding. "I'm not asking, Ego. I'm telling you."

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End Flashback

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In the control room, Anri Teieri sat reading a document to Ego. "Ryosuke Kira, 17 years old. Second-year at Matsukaze High School. His record this season leading to the Nationals: 36 goals and 17 assists. Matsukaze High is a school known to contend every year for the Nationals, but this year the previous seniors were pushed aside in favor of Kira, which led to altercations between him and his upperclassmen."

"So, he has a history of taking over a team and molding them to his style," Ego deduced, listening closely.

"Yes, not just in high school," Anri continued. "He did the same in middle school."

Ego's smile widened as he laughed, amused by Kira's audacity. "That kid even has the nerve to order me around and expect me to cater to him."

Ego chuckled, the grin never leaving his face, as he glanced at the monitor showing Team Z assembling on the pitch. "Well, since he has a track record, it'll be interesting to see how he transforms this team."

The reason Ego allowed Kira to act as he pleased was simple. Kira's actions fell squarely within the boundary of what Ego encouraged—a player taking the initiative to establish dominance and control within a team. It was the kind of self-importance Ego wanted to nurture in his players.

'After all, the World Cup doesn't come on its own,' Ego thought as he observed Kira on the screen. 'You need to chase after it. Take action and not let others dictate your path.'

Ego leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with interest. He was looking forward to seeing how Kira's plan would unfold.

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Back on the pitch with Team Z

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Kira declaration sent a ripple of excitement and tension through the group. The stakes were clear. This was no ordinary challenge—it was an opportunity to seize control and shape the team's future.

"Hah! We don't need to do that! I will be the core of this team!" Raichi shouted confidently, reacting to Kira's challenge with his usual self-absorbed arrogance.

"I'm always up for a game!" Bachira chimed in, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Kunigami, more thoughtful, gained a contemplative look. "Certainly, we can immediately see who is most worthy of building the team around," he remarked, weighing the value of the challenge.

"Yes, I agree," Kuon added, his voice calm as he voiced the general consensus of the group. The rest of the team seemed on board with the idea, with no one opposing Kira's proposal.

Isagi's heart raced. Anxiety settled in as he began to question himself. 'Do I really have what it takes to stand out among players like these?' His nerves tightened as he tried to gauge his place in this fierce competition.

Gagamaru, eager to get things moving, stepped forward and asked Kira the key question. "What are the rules for this game?"

Kira settled into a calm stance, ready to explain. "We're going to play 5v5, with one player as the goalkeeper. I'll be the first goalkeeper. So, you guys can form your teams first."

As soon as Kira finished speaking, the group began discussing how to divide the teams. Raichi continued to holler, insisting that everyone form the team around him, but by now, the rest had grown used to tuning him out.

Eventually, the teams were formed:

Team 1: Raichi, Kunigami, Isagi, Bachira, and Imamura

Team 2: Iemon, Kuon, Chigiri, Naruhaya, and Gagamaru

Kira nodded, continuing his explanation. "The rules are simple. You have ten minutes to score as many goals as possible. After ten minutes, the goalkeeper will appoint someone else to take their place. You can't choose the previous goalkeeper again, so we'll all rotate. This way, we all get 110 minutes to show our worth."

Isagi's mind immediately began analyzing the situation. 'That means each of us has to prove we can not only be a goalkeeper but also work with our teammates to provide assists or score goals.'

Kira went on, "We'll only use half of the pitch, and to ensure fairness, if the attacking team loses the ball inside the penalty box, the defending team must bring the ball out first and reset the play. We don't want it to be too easy to score goals. Everything outside the box is fine."

"Simple enough," Naruhaya commented from the group.

"Yeah, I was wondering what we'd do if we lost the ball in the box," Chigiri said, satisfied with the clarification.

Raichi, growing impatient, barked, "Tch! Let's get this over with!" His body language radiated irritation, clearly annoyed that everyone ignored his earlier demands.

Kira, smiling confidently, announced, "Alright, let's play!"

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Team 1 took the offensive first, with Isagi kicking the ball off to Bachira. The players quickly spread out across the field, each choosing their one-on-one matchups: Bachira was marked by Naruhaya, Isagi by Chigiri, Raichi by Kuon, Kunigami by Iemon, and Imamura by Gagamaru.

Bachira, always playful, grinned at his defender. "Hey, hey! Are you sure you want to guard me like that?" he taunted, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Naruhaya replied, confused by Bachira's playful remarks.

"So many holes to exploit," Bachira murmured, more to himself than to Naruhaya, his focus entirely on the game. Without paying any more attention to Naruhaya's defense, Bachira took a quick step and, with a smooth one-touch move, easily dribbled around Naruhaya, leaving him behind.

Naruhaya, realizing he'd been outplayed, tried to recover and catch up, but Bachira stayed just out of his reach, effortlessly keeping control of the ball. This gave Bachira the freedom to do whatever he pleased, maintaining the upper hand.

"Ooh, nice dribbling," Kira observed from the goal, impressed by Bachira's smooth transition and control. The other players shared the sentiment, recognizing Bachira's potential as a key figure for the team.

Just as Naruhaya thought he had a chance to regain control, Bachira set a trap. He allowed Naruhaya to get in front of him but then swiftly pulled the ball back, changing direction toward the inside edge of the penalty box. The sudden shift in movement caused Naruhaya to lose his balance and stumble, falling to the ground.

"Nyaha! What's this? Are you guys gonna let me score like this?" Bachira chirped, enjoying the playful chaos he'd created.

Seeing the danger, Gagamaru, who was the closest to Bachira, immediately closed in to block him. "Not if I have anything to say about it," he said, rushing to slow Bachira's advance.

"Alright, Gagamaru. Make sure to slow him down. I'm coming to help," Kuon called out as he moved to assist in defending against Bachira's skillful attack.

"That was a mistake leaving me open! Oi! Pass it over here!" Raichi shouted, his voice booming as he made a determined run into the empty space ahead of him. Seeing Gagamaru and Kuon closing in on him, Bachira knew he was about to be trapped. He quickly decided to pass the ball to Raichi, who was in a prime position to continue the attack.

Raichi received the pass smoothly and immediately looked up toward the goal, his eyes narrowing with determination. Not to be outdone, Isagi sprinted forward as well, trying to reach a spot where he could score. "Raichi, pass it to me!" Isagi called out, signaling his position as Chigiri quickly followed in pursuit.

But Raichi had no intention of passing. Ignoring Isagi's call, Raichi set his sights on the goal and prepared to shoot. His eyes locked onto the left corner of the goal, and with his right foot, he blasted the ball toward the target. "Take this, sexy shot!" he shouted, convinced of his impending success.

"What?" Kunigami muttered from his position, utterly bewildered. 'Who the hell names their kick "sexy shot"?' he thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

However, Raichi's confidence was short-lived. Just as the ball soared toward the goal, Kira leaped into action, intercepting it with perfect timing. The ball rebounded high and wide to the left side of the field. "Got it!" Kira declared triumphantly as he regained control.

Kira quickly analyzed Raichi's mistake. 'That shot was too obvious. Raichi should have made two more pass to set up a better position for the goal,' he thought critically.

"Tch!" Raichi clicked his tongue in frustration as his attempt was thwarted.

As the ball floated down, Iemon sprinted toward it, determined to trap it. "I'll be getting that," he said, moving into position. At the same time, Kunigami rushed in from the opposite direction, and the two players locked in a tense positional battle, each trying to secure control of the ball.

Kunigami found himself outmuscled by Iemon, who used his strength to gain control of the ball. Iemon swiftly trapped it and passed it outside to Naruhaya, who stopped the ball and scanned the field. Gagamaru and Kuon were positioned centrally, Iemon remained on the left, and Chigiri waited on the right. After considering his options, Naruhaya decided to take the ball to the right and link up with Chigiri.

As Naruhaya dribbled down the right side, Bachira moved to block his path. "Whoa, hang on there! You're gonna have to get past me first," Bachira teased, his playful grin still in place.

"Man, you recovered quick," Naruhaya remarked, surprised by how fast Bachira had returned to the action. Undeterred, Naruhaya tried to dribble past him, but Bachira's footwork was impeccable, cutting off every path forward.

Seeing that Naruhaya was stuck, Chigiri made a quick move to get closer, offering an easier link-up. Naruhaya noticed the shift and passed the ball to Chigiri.

Chigiri trapped the ball expertly, but Isagi was immediately on him, pressing hard to win it back. Chigiri, however, stood his ground, using his back to shield the ball from Isagi's reach.

'Damn, I didn't know Chigiri had this kind of strength,' Isagi thought, struggling to find a way around Chigiri's solid stance. The two were locked in a tight post-up, with Isagi trying to break through Chigiri's defense.

But just as Isagi was focused on Chigiri, a blur of movement caught the corner of his eye—a shadow sweeping past him. It was Naruhaya, suddenly darting forward with the ball at his feet.

Only then did Isagi realize what had happened. Chigiri and Naruhaya had performed a quick one-touch pass, using it to get past both Bachira and himself, leaving them behind and advancing down the field.

Isagi cursed himself for not seeing the play unfold sooner.

"What the hell are you guys doing, letting this weakling get by you?!" Raichi barked, clearly frustrated as he moved in to cover Naruhaya. Determined to stop him, Raichi charged in, but Naruhaya had other plans. He performed a body feint, faking a move to the inside before swiftly changing direction and heading vertically down the right side, leaving Raichi fooled and out of position.

Seeing the opportunity, Naruhaya wasted no time delivering a precise cross into the center of the box, where both Gagamaru and Kuon were waiting to capitalize on the play. Kunigami, realizing that Raichi had been completely beaten, cursed under his breath. "That idiot."

Imamura, now faced with the daunting task of defending against the towering presence of Gagamaru and Kuon, called out in desperation, "Can anyone help? I can't fight in the air with these two!"

"Don't worry, I'm here," Kunigami responded, moving in to press up against Kuon, leaving Gagamaru to Imamura.

As the cross sailed into the box, both Gagamaru and Kuon leaped into the air, rising above their defenders to meet the ball. Gagamaru, despite his effort, couldn't reach it, as Kuon soared even higher, towering over everyone.

'What?! I know he jumped the highest in the tests, but this feels like he's soaring in the sky,' Kunigami thought in disbelief as he struggled for aerial dominance against Kuon. But it was a wasted effort. Kuon successfully connected with the ball, delivering a powerful header that sent it sharply toward the goal.

Kira, watching the play unfold, reacted quickly and leaped toward the ball, but he was just a second too late. The ball soared past him and struck the back of the net with a satisfying thud.

Team 1: 0 - 1 :Team 2.