The Quartet Of Team W

Three days later, Team X faced off against the newly revitalized Team V. The anticipation was high, with many expecting a tightly contested match. However, Team V proved once again that they were a well-oiled machine, powered by the unrelenting brilliance of Shiro and Kurona. Team X, despite their best efforts, couldn't keep up. Their defense crumbled under the relentless pressure, and by the final whistle, Team V had secured yet another dominant victory.

2 Days Later

Last match of stage 1

Team V vs Team W

As the players of Team V walked onto the pitch, Shiro's eyes immediately locked onto four individuals in Team W's lineup. They stood out not just in stature but in presence, exuding an air of confidence and control.

Shiro's gaze lingered on Karasu Tabito, who occupied the midfield like it was his domain. His sharp eyes darted across the field, analyzing every player's position. A strategist, Shiro thought. He'll dictate the tempo and disrupt any plans we try to execute.

Next was Otoya Eita, whose relaxed posture belied the explosive speed he possessed. Shiro knew that once Otoya picked up momentum, few could keep up with him. He's a predator, Shiro observed. Fast and decisive.

In contrast, Hiori Yo appeared calm and composed, almost as if he were oblivious to the tension of the match. But Shiro recognized his understated brilliance. He's the brain, Shiro noted. Every move he makes will be calculated, setting up opportunities for his teammates.

Lastly, there was Yukimiya Kenyu, a forward whose confident smirk seemed to challenge everyone around him. His positioning was flawless, always lingering in spaces where he could strike. An opportunist, Shiro thought. He'll capitalize on any opening, no matter how small.

Kurona walked up beside Shiro, following his line of sight. "What's up? Something wrong?"

Shiro didn't take his eyes off the four. "Those guys… They're the real deal. Be ready. This match won't be like anything we've faced before."

The shrill sound of the whistle pierced the air, signaling the start of the match. Both teams exploded into action, the game already promising to be a battle of wills and skill.

The match began with Team V in possession, Shiro immediately link up with Kurona to initiate an attack. After a swift one-two pass, Shiro dashed forward, aiming to pierce through Team W's defense.

But before he could get any further, his path was blocked by Otoya and Karasu. The two players positioned themselves perfectly, cutting off his options and forcing him to halt his advance.

Karasu smirked as he intercepted the ball with ease, his eyes glinting with a sharp awareness. "You guys are predictable," he said coolly. "Team V's got too many weaknesses. It's child's play to focus on the only two players who actually know what they're doing—Shiro and Kurona."

Otoya chuckled, backing up Karasu's claim. "Doesn't matter how good you two are. A team isn't built around just two players. You're not breaking through us."

Shiro narrowed his eyes, feeling the weight of their words. So they've analyzed us already... They're targeting me and Kurona because they know the rest of the team isn't strong enough to make an impact.

Kurona sprinted to support him, but the pressure from Karasu and Otoya was relentless. It was clear from the start—Team W had come prepared, and they weren't going to make this easy.

Shiro grinned at the challenge, his competitive spirit igniting like a spark in dry grass. "Brilliant," he muttered to himself, his smile widening. This was his stage, and if they wanted to challenge him, he would answer in the most spectacular way possible.

With the ball glued to his feet, Shiro began his movements. First, he executed a quick Elastico, flicking the ball outside and then inside with the same foot in a seamless motion, causing Otoya to hesitate. He followed it up with a sharp step-over, his legs dancing around the ball as he feinted to the right before darting left. Karasu, however, wasn't fooled easily and kept his defensive stance, reading Shiro's next move.

Not deterred, Shiro leaned back into his arsenal of tricks. He performed a Sombrero flick, chipping the ball lightly over Otoya's head, forcing him to turn. As the ball descended, Shiro met it mid-air with a controlled rainbow flick, sliding it over his shoulder to land behind Karasu.

Yet Karasu wasn't about to let Shiro escape so easily. Using his signature arm technique, he hooked onto Shiro's right side, leveraging his balance and applying force to destabilize him. Simultaneously, Otoya pressed in, using his body to shift Shiro's center of gravity further off balance. Shiro gritted his teeth but refused to yield, planting his foot firmly to counter the pressure.

With a surge of strength and agility, Shiro twisted his body, dragging the ball along with the underside of his boot in a tight roulette spin. The maneuver unhooked Karasu and left Otoya a step behind, but it cost him precious time. Before Shiro could fully break free, Yukimiya was already closing in.

As Shiro tried to move past, Yukimiya's sharp vision and quick reflexes allowed him to anticipate Shiro's next move. The more Shiro tried to work his magic, the more Yukimiya seemed to read him, positioning himself perfectly to shut down the spaces Shiro aimed to exploit.

Realizing that his intricate dribbles weren't working, Shiro decided to shift gears. He simplified his approach, focusing on a more direct, efficient style of dribbling. It was less about the flair and more about precision, but even this change couldn't shake Yukimiya's focus. Every small shift in Shiro's body, every subtle change in direction, was analyzed and predicted by Yukimiya's keen eye.

Despite Shiro's best efforts to power through with speed and agility, Yukimiya's control was unbreakable. Shiro's movements were countered once again, with Yukimiya's positioning cutting off his path. Shiro paused for a moment, breathing heavily. It was becoming clear—his usual style wouldn't be enough to break through Yukimiya's calm, calculated approach.

Determined not to be outdone, Shiro tried one final move, looking for a way to outmaneuver Yukimiya, but as he took another step forward, Yukimiya slid in, intercepting the ball with clinical precision. The play was over, and Shiro could only admire the defense. Yukimiya was one of the toughest opponents he'd faced because of his unwavering ability to read the game and shut down any dribbler with remarkable consistency.

As Yukimiya intercepted the ball, his eyes quickly scanned the pitch for an opening. Without hesitation, he passed it to Hiyori, whose focus remained sharp despite the tension. The moment the ball landed at Hiyori's feet, he took a brief glance ahead, calculating his options.

Then, with a smooth motion, Hiyori swung his leg, sending a jaw-dropping through pass toward the left wing. The ball curved through the air with a force that seemed almost unreal. Its trajectory was perfect—an incredibly accurate ball that sliced through the defense, just over the heads of Shiro and the other Team V players.

Otoya, who had been sprinting silently down the left wing, broke into full speed. His movement was fluid, almost effortless, as he raced towards the ball. The ball's curve had placed it right in his path, and Otoya, showing his impressive timing, met it with a single touch.

The power and precision of Hiyori's pass had created a moment of brilliance. Otoya controlled the ball effortlessly, now in perfect position to challenge the Team V defense as the play unfolded before him.

As Otoya controlled the ball, drawing the attention of Team V's defense, Karasu seized the moment. While everyone focused on Otoya's move, Karasu made a quick, clever off-ball run, cutting through the defense. His movement was sharp and instinctual, something that only a player with his experience and sharp awareness could execute.

The defenders, already out of position as they tracked Otoya's potential cross, failed to notice Karasu slipping behind them. By the time they realized their mistake, Karasu was already in perfect position, just inside the box.

Otoya, with his excellent vision and composure, spotted Karasu's movement. He quickly laid the ball off to him with a sharp pass, and in one fluid motion, Karasu slotted the ball past Shiro, who was helpless to stop the ball as it flew into the back of the net.

The execution was flawless—Karasu's off-ball movement and Otoya's vision had dismantled the defense, and Team W had just taken the lead.

Match:Team V vs Team W

Score:0-1

Time Remaining:85 minutes

After Karasu's goal, Team W quickly regrouped, and Yukimiya turned to Shiro with a cold smirk, "This is the quartet of Team W." His words hung in the air, a clear message of their strength.

Shiro, still processing the goal, paused for a moment and reflected on the four players who had just demonstrated their combined power.

Yukimiya, with his ability to read and anticipate the game, had been an unyielding wall to break. His streetball-style dribbling gave him the edge in situations where others would falter, and his defensive skills were even more remarkable—he had predicted Shiro's every move, forcing him to adjust his style time and again.

Hiyori's vision and passing were a class above. The way he sent that curving through pass to Otoya had been a thing of beauty. Powerful, accurate, and swift, he was the brain behind much of Team W's attacks, always thinking two steps ahead.

Karasu was a master of movement, especially off the ball. The way he slipped through unnoticed, taking advantage of every shift in the defense, had allowed him to finish the move with ease. His awareness of space and timing was second to none, making him an incredible threat.

And Otoya—his unpredictability was his greatest asset. A player who could shift between roles, always keeping the defenders guessing. His creativity on and off the ball made him an uncontainable force.

Shiro couldn't help but recognize the synergy between these four players. Individually strong, but together, they were unstoppable. This was the true challenge of Team V.

Kurona approached Shiro, his mind racing with the implications of facing Team W. "We need to be a stronger duo to stand a chance against them. Their qualities... they're impressive, but we can't just let them dictate the game. We need to find a way to turn the tide."

Shiro looked at Kurona, thinking carefully. "I know what you're saying. And you're right. We need to play to our strengths. I have my formula to score—what Ego told us about some days ago. But to make that work, I need to be within 32 yards of the cage then no one can stop me."

Kurona nodded, his eyes narrowing with determination. "Okay, here's the plan. You stay forward, Shiro. You'll be our sole attacker, our only striker. The rest of us, we'll play defense. The others and I will fill the gaps in the defense, but we'll leave you the space to move forward and finish. We'll play counter-attack style—it's our best shot. You focus on scoring, and we'll make sure to protect you while you do."

Shiro's expression sharpened, understanding the gravity of the situation. "It's risky, so you want to do the triangle tactic,ok let do it"he said before going back

The match restarted, and instead of Shiro initiating the play, it was Kurona who made the first pass to another player, intentionally leaving Shiro out of the immediate play. The team was setting up for the Triangle Tactic, a strategy they had created based on Shiro's unique ability to draw attention.

This tactic was risky but necessary. Shiro, everywhere he went, naturally attracted the eyes of the defenders, a force that could either be used to their advantage or make them vulnerable. "There are two ways to use his attention," Kurona thought. "Either you use it to hide in his shadow and score while the defenders focus on him, or you make him disappear entirely from the play, letting him reappear at the perfect moment."

The Triangle Tactic relied on quick, precise passes, a slow-building formation reminiscent of tiki-taka, but with a twist. It was about moving the ball quickly and efficiently, with one player deliberately cut out of the play—Shiro. The aim was to make the defenders forget about him, making him an invisible threat. While they focused on the shifting ball, Shiro could slip into a position where only Kurona would see him.

Kurona's role was clear: keep the ball moving, keep the tempo high, and create space. As the ball made its rounds, he watched for the perfect opportunity. His mind raced with calculations—where would Shiro reappear? The beauty of this tactic was how it turned Shiro into a ghost, a phantom in the field that only those with sharp vision could track.

When Shiro finally moved, the defenders were slow to react. In that instant, with his incredible spatial awareness, he appeared in the perfect spot where only Kurona could spot him. The pass was precise, as Kurona found Shiro in the space he'd carved out just for him.

It wasn't just about the pass, though. The real magic happened after. Shiro, with his insane physicality, deft ball control, and remarkable ability to finish, was now in his element. With the ball at his feet, in his range, no one could stop him. Kurona watched, knowing that this was their best chance to make a real impact.

The Triangle Tactic was high-risk, but it played to Shiro's strengths—his ability to disappear and reappear, to exploit space, and to finish with power. Now, the only thing left was for Shiro to do what he did best: score.

As the ball arrived at Shiro's feet, ready for him to make his move, Karasu suddenly emerged from his blind spot. With a sly grin, he called out, "Oh, what do I have here? Someone trying to escape my sight?" His words were laced with a sense of challenge, and Shiro felt the pressure mount instantly.

In that moment, Karasu's sharp off-ball movement had allowed him to slip through unnoticed, just when Shiro thought he had found the perfect position to strike. Karasu's unique ability to read the game and close down his opponents made him a constant threat, and now, he was on Shiro's tail, ready to disrupt his shot.

Shiro's heart raced as he quickly analyzed the situation. Karasu, using his arm technique and body positioning, was trying to push him off balance and steal the ball. Shiro knew he couldn't hesitate—his window to strike was closing. With quick thinking and a sudden shift in his body, Shiro used his crazy ball control to adjust and evade Karasu's attempt, but Karasu was persistent, never letting up on the pressure.

The stakes were higher now. Shiro had to make this chance count.

Due to the lack of space he couldn't do his Superior Two guns volley.

Shiro, recognizing Karasu's intense pressure and the need to break free from his tight defense, decided to create something entirely new—a dribble he would later call the Shiro's turn. It was a move born out of necessity, designed to escape the pressure of a defender who was too close and too determined to block his every move.

As Karasu closed in, Shiro knew that speed alone wouldn't be enough to shake him off. Instead, Shiro used his body to deceive Karasu. He deliberately turned his back to the defender, shifting his weight forward, creating the illusion that he was going to attempt a simple turn. But in the same motion, he pushed his center of gravity against Karasu, subtly nudging him off-balance. This slight physical contact was enough to throw Karasu off, making him hesitate just a fraction.

With Karasu momentarily out of position, Shiro flicked the ball over his head in one smooth, fluid motion, leaving the defender spinning. But Shiro wasn't finished. As Karasu tried to recover, Shiro used his arm, placing it on Karasu's back for leverage, pulling himself upward. The force allowed him to jump even higher, using the support of his arm as a springboard.

In a seamless transition, Shiro soared through the air, volleying the ball with grace and precision, sending it toward the goal with a majestic strike. The move, a perfect combination of skill, strength, and agility, left Karasu unable to react. The defender, caught in Shiro's calculated movement, had no chance to recover.The goalkeeper astonished by such a move,was left unable to react.

Score:1-1