A last struggle

Both Otoya and Jude raced shoulder to shoulder, leaving Team W's defender in the dust.

In that moment they both gave one hundred percent of what they had in order to reach that ball.

Otoya knew that if Jude scored, this would make it impossible for them to make a comeback and win. As for Jude, he knew that this would probably be their last chance to score. 

Making use of his upgraded stats, thanks to his [Excitement] special weapon, he raced on equal ground with Otoya.

Even though Otoya was still faster than him, Jude made use of his superior physique to push him and keep him at bay. 

Both players surpassed their limits as they simultaneously lunged for the ball, their shoulders brushed against each other, the impact resonating through the air. 

For a fleeting moment, the ball hovered between them. Otoya was the first to react. Making use of his long limbs, he swiftly launched his leg forward in an attempt to push the ball out of bounds. 

Thanks to his enhanced speed of thought, Jude immediately understood what Otoya was trying to accomplish.

He reacted as soon as that thought crossed his mind. He launched his leg in between Otoya and the ball, successfully making use of his body's superior strength to stop him. 

In a swift move, Jude deftly maneuvered the ball away from Otoya's reach, trapping the ball with his left foot.

This short action allowed Otoya to replace himself in between Jude and the goal, effectively blocking his line of shot and pressuring him to lose the ball. 

"You're as annoying as it gets."

Jude's mind raced faster than ever, taking into account all the informations his five senses sent to his brain.

The incoming defenders coming to trap him, the various players running up for support, and the goalkeeper slowly standing up and getting ready for Jude's shot. 

All those variables were taken into account in a split second. Jude finally came up with a doable plan to score, he passed the ball back to Miyata who came from the wing to support him.

Flashing a weak smile, he struggled to keep his composure with the duration of his special weapon soon coming to an end. 

"Trust me and give it back!"

He yelled out, his body tensing up as he had to fend off Otoya's constant pressure. 

Noticing that he was already cornered by the two defenders and had no better options, Miyata nodded and sent the ball back to Jude with a slightly lobbed pass to escape the tackle of one of the defenders. 

With one last push, Jude exerted all of his strength to stabilize himself and hit the ball with what the goalkeeper believed to be a volley. 

With Otoya blocking his view, the goalkeeper was unable to see Jude twisting his body and hitting the ball vertically. 

'That's quite the big gamble, but with both [Excitement] and [Quick pass] that should do the trick.' Jude thought to himself as he lobbed the ball above Otoya's head.

Thanks to his two special weapons, when performing a first touch pass his passing stats would increase by two. Giving him more confidence to pull off such a complex blind pass. 

'You better not disappoint me.'

He had no way to look at where he was passing the ball, yet when he turned around to see the results of his actions, his eyes landed on Hiiragi and Akira's figure as they leaped up in the air. 

"You can't stop me!" 

Akira yelled out, putting his last bits of strength into this last jump, pushing Hiiragi while in the air and slamming the ball into the net thanks to an incredibly flashy header. 

"Let's go!!" Akira roared out loud. The whole of Team X joined him to celebrate. Miyata even jumped on his back.

"You really did it, congratulations."

Jude radiated a warm smile, congratulating his teammate. His whole play was a bet on Akira's ego, believing that he'd still run up to the goal and expect a pass as he usually would. 

"I admit I owe you one this time, I'll pay you back for sure," Akira replied, extending his arm for a handshake, which Jude gladly accepted. 

***

In such a short amount of time, both players have grown a lot more than anyone could've expected.

All of that was happening under of judging gaze of a lanky glassed man who carefully observed every single interaction unfolding between the players. 

"Team X seems to be very promising!" A cheerful woman yelled out from behind him. 

"It's too early to tell, we're still in the honeymoon phase. The spicy part has yet to come." Ego replied in his usual monotonous voice. 

***

"This isn't over! Why are you all looking so down? There's still 5 minutes left!" Otoya yelled out for the first time. Waking up the players in his team who had already succumbed to despair after looking at the giant screen, signaling that the new score was in favor of Team X. 

"He's right. We might not be able to win but we damn well should be able to score at least a single goal." Hiiragi added. Leaving his position and switching up with the offensive midfielder. 

"Looks like those losers still haven't given up, huh." Yanagi sneered, his condescending gaze looking down on the entirety of Team W. 

"Don't underestimate them, we already learned that a last-minute comeback was way more than doable," Jude warned, placing his hand on Yanagi's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, I still haven't forgotten the humiliation I received that day. I will make sure it won't happen again." Yanagi unconsciously clenched his fist as he went back to his position. 

Following Otoya's outburst, the previously cheerful Team X turned awfully quiet.

Remembering the game against Team Z made them understand that a win would only happen once the game is completely over, and until that happens, they can't stop giving it their all. 

"I won't let the same scene happen again, even without my special weapon active, I can do it," Jude whispered to himself.