56 A wake up call

At the halftime break, both Jude and Miyata took some time to refresh their brains and go over what happened. 

"Team W has improved a lot since our game." Miyata pointed out.

But they were here to observe Team V — their biggest threat. They still had to praise the amount of improvements Team W's players had. 

"Unfortunately, they no longer look like a team anymore. The loss probably made them believe that the only way to get through the first selection would be to be the highest scorer."

"At this rate, it's going to be Otoya right?" Miyata questioned. 

"It doesn't matter."

Jude sighed and laid down on his chair. He closed his eyes and tried to relax as memories of his meeting with Karasu resurfaced in his mind. 

"Team V is all we should focus on right now," Jude said in a determined voice. 

The second half was soon going to start with a score of 1-0 for Team V. 

"Who do you think is going to win?" Miyata asked. 

It might've looked like both teams were evenly matched, but Jude already knew how it was going to end. 

"Couldn't you tell from that last goal? Team V is going to destroy them."

"Why? They are both around the same strength. That last goal was just because of a lack of coordination from Team W." Miyata rebuked. 

"You might think of it as nothing more than luck, an unfortunate coincidence, but I've already met Karasu and I know what type of person he is. He most likely used the first half as a setup to destroy any semblance of teamwork they might've had. Now for the second half, I can already tell that it's going to be a massacre."

Miyata's eyes widened in understanding as he looked back at the screen broadcasting the match. 

Jude's words gave him a slight idea as to what type of team they'd have to face. This time there was no apparent weakness he could exploit. 

Soon enough, the second half began and both players turned all their focus on the game. 

***

"You're coming to join us? How was the game?" Yanagi asked in between push-ups. 

Everyone in Team X was training rigorously, with the sole exception of Miyata — Team X's strategist was busy making up countermeasures for the final match against Team V. It could be said that he was pushing himself in his own way. 

"It was as expected, Team V won 4-1," Jude replied nonchalantly as he joined them in their training. 

"What? Team W lost? And by that much!?" Akira yelled out in surprise. 

"If anything, what's truly surprising is that Otoya successfully scored against Team V," Jude replied, his empty eyes revealing how conflicted he was feeling. 

Akira and Yanagi's conversation blended with the background as Jude separated himself from them and began his workout. 

Team W and Team V's game was more shocking than he would've thought. It was his first time witnessing a game at such a high level. 

Ever since his one-on-one against Karasu, he has been thinking of ways to improve and beat him, which was no easy task in such a limited amount of time.

Their team was clearly superior, but those were just excuses in Jude's mind. If he was to lose against Karasu, then it would all be because of his own weakness. 

'We were barely able to win against Team W, and now I'm supposed to face both Karasu and Hiori. Do I even stand a chance against them?'

Jude's thoughts sank deeper and deeper into the abyss. The more he thought of his current situation, the more he cursed his weakness. 

This was a feeling he hadn't experienced in over a year. 

"Why the hell are you looking so gloomy today?" As soon as those words left his mouth, Yanagi shot the ball at Jude's face. 

The spaced-out boy was barely able to duck at the very last moment. The sudden rush of adrenaline successfully woke him up from his daze. 

"Don't you dare look so down in front of me. If we're not in the top 2, you're the one who'll get through to the second selection. Everyone knows this. And we're all working our asses off for this very same reason. So don't even think of giving up on us."

"If you do, I promise I won't ever forgive you." Yanagi yelled out as he grabbed Jude by his collar and pushed him against the wall. 

"Aren't you getting too bold after becoming a midfielder?" Jude said as he grabbed Yanagi's arm and twisted it. The sharp pain made the boy instinctively fall on his knees. 

"Don't you dare think I will ever give up. I was just thinking of a way to completely crush those bastards." Jude spat out. 

"Then you better think faster. Everyone noticed that you've been off since your encounter with Team V." Yanagi sighed as he felt Jude's grasp on his wrist slowly relaxing. 

"Well, thanks to you I might have found a way."

Jude said as he held out his hand to helped him stand up. A calm smile could be seen on his face. The earlier gloomy feeling accompanying him completely vanished. 

"Are you secretly bipolar?" Yanagi asked with a frown on his face. 

"I've always been." Jude retorted with a playful smile. 

Unbeknownst to everyone present, Jude's eyes were looking past Yanagi. Focusing on a bright blue screen. 

[Side quest: collateral damage. 

Difficulty: B

Description: 

You have failed a quest for the first time. This failure is a thorn in your ego and for your future development. As such you should reawaken your ego by winning against Team Y by more than 5 points. 

Reward: 1 more special weapon slot + 5 pro points]