Chapter 16 – Scrambled

Kunigami's heart soared as the ball hit the back of the net. The weight of his previous failures seemed to lift, if only for a moment. "Yosh!" Kunigami shouted in exhilaration, celebrating the goal with his teammates.

"Good shot, Kunigami-san," Iemon said, giving him a congratulatory pat.

"If you missed that, I'd kill you," Raichi added with his usual gruffness, but there was a hint of approval in his tone.

While Team Z reveled in their lead, Niko stood apart, his mind already dissecting the play. 'They put their best dribblers on one side, forcing us to commit more defenders. With two players able to get past multiple players, we got pulled out of position, leaving number 9 wide open on the other side.'

Niko pondered a solution, knowing they couldn't allow Team Z to exploit that tactic again. 'We'll have someone mark number 9 closely, and we'll have to be more disciplined in our defense.'

The whistle blew again, signaling the restart. This time, it was Team Y's turn to take the offensive. They mimicked Team Z's earlier approach, passing the ball cautiously between them, feeling out their opponent defense.

Isagi, fixated on Niko, positioned himself to press. He had already seen Niko's impressive defensive ability, but now he was curious to see how he performed on the attack. As Team Y made what appeared to be a series of aimless passes, Isagi's patience wore thin. 'If he's not going to make a move, I'll force him,' Isagi thought, his determination growing as he prepared to press Niko.

Every time Niko touched the ball, Isagi was there, pressing him relentlessly. Yet Niko remained calm, passing the ball off just before Isagi could fully close in. Slowly but surely, more of Team Z's players were being drawn into Team Y's half of the field. Kira, with a keen eye for tactics, quickly realized what was happening.

"Kuon," Kira called, giving him a quick hand signal. Kuon nodded in understanding and shifted his attention to Okawa, who was lingering suspiciously near the offside line, as if waiting for the right moment to strike. He knew Team Y was laying a trap, and it was time to spring it into action.

As Team Y's left-back dribbled past Kunigami, heading toward the center of the field, Raichi noticed. "Damn, Isagi! He's coming your way!" he yelled.

"On it!" Isagi responded, moving quickly to intercept the left-back.

But that's exactly what Team Y had planned. As Isagi closed in, the left-back slipped the ball right past him, straight to Niko, who was positioned perfectly.

Niko had been waiting for this moment. "This is it," he murmured with quiet confidence, preparing to strike.

With perfect timing, Niko launched a beautifully crafted long pass forward, cutting through Team Z's defense. Okawa, seeing the ball soar toward him, burst into a sprint, bypassing the offside trap with ease. "About time, Niko!" Okawa shouted, thrilled to finally have an opportunity to strike.

Isagi, realizing he'd left his assignment to try and intercept earlier, was frustrated. "Damn it! Somebody stop him!" he shouted.

"Go! Okawa, score for us!" came the excited cries from Team Y's players, urging their striker forward.

"Make them pay!" another shouted.

Okawa, now in a dangerous position with open space ahead of him, arrived at the spot where he anticipated the ball would land. But just as he prepared to trap it, his view suddenly darkened. A shadow loomed over him, and he glanced up, only to see Kuon, Team Z's defender, leaping impossibly high into the air. Kuon intercepted the ball with a precise header, sending it back in the opposite direction.

'What the… how is he jumping so high?' Okawa thought, stunned by Kuon's athleticism.

Disappointment echoed from Team Y as their chance slipped away. But Niko, ever composed, quickly rallied his team. "Quick, get the ball back! We still have a chance!" he commanded.

One of Team Y's midfielders rushed forward to recover the loose ball, but Kira was already on it. After signaling Kuon earlier, Kira had anticipated this play perfectly. He positioned himself, shielding the ball with his back against the approaching midfielder. As the defender tried to muscle his way in, Kira, with finesse, used the pressure against him. He turned swiftly, flicking the ball through the defender's legs with a smooth nutmeg and leaving him behind.

Seeing Kira gaining momentum, Niko frantically organized his team. "Here he comes! Defend with everything you've got!" he shouted, aware of the threat Kira posed.

Despite Team Y's disciplined defense closing in, Kira didn't follow their expectations. Instead of passing or waiting for support, Kira took two steps forward from midfield, setting up for a long-range strike. Without hesitation, he swung his foot powerfully, sending the ball flying with a low trajectory toward the goal. The shot was fast and dangerous, aimed at the upper goalpost, but it clipped the crossbar instead of finding the back of the net.

Kira clasped his hands to his head, disbelief on his face as the ball missed by mere inches.

"Hey! I thought we agreed to play build-up!" Raichi stormed toward Kira, his face contorted with anger.

"I saw a chance, and I took it," Kira responded coolly, meeting Raichi's gaze without a hint of regret.

Tensions flared as the two stared each other down, and Isagi quickly stepped in to defuse the situation, playing peacemaker between his teammates.

Meanwhile, Niko stood in silence, lost in thought. 'That shot didn't go in, but it shows that he can shoot from that far.' Niko's mind raced, analyzing everything he'd seen from Team Z so far. 'That number 7 is not just a dribbler. He can link up with others, shoot from distance, and has great chemistry with his midfield. Combine that with their dangerous wingers,'

Frustration bubbled within Niko as he realized the challenge ahead. 'Our offense is easily stopped, and we're running ourselves into the ground trying to cover all of Team Z's threats. Fuck! This is going to be a long, brutal game.'

As Niko had feared, the rest of the first half was a nightmare for Team Y. Every attempt at offense was quickly snuffed out by Team Z's relentless defense. Whether it was through precise interceptions or solid goalkeeping, especially when Okawa managed to get close to the box, Gagamaru's sharp reflexes and anticipation thwarted any chance of scoring.

On defense, it was even worse. Team Y was constantly outplayed, unable to handle Team Z's fast passing, clever dribbling, or even their long-range shots and crosses. They were getting dismantled from all sides, toyed with and pulled apart. The only small victory they had was avoiding fouls in the penalty box, but even that felt meaningless as they watched Team Z breach their defense time and again.

The culmination of their misery came when Kira executed a brilliant fake, completely outmaneuvering Niko. Kira accelerated to the right, leaving Niko in the dust, and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one. With his usual calm composure, Kira slotted the ball neatly into the corner. The keeper reacted, but to no avail. The scoreboard now read: Team Y: 0 – 3 : Team Z.

The sound of the whistle signaling half-time was a huge relief for Team Y. Breathless and defeated, they trudged toward the locker room, frustration and despair etched clearly on their faces. In stark contrast, Team Z walked off the field with energy and high spirits, their confidence soaring after a dominant first half.