Chapter 23 – Preparation

Team Z gathered in the video room, their eyes glued to the screen as they watched footage of their next opponent, Team W. Everyone sat scattered across the chairs, focusing intently as they tried to analyze the upcoming challenge.

"The key players on Team W are the Wanima Twins," Kuon began, holding the remote as he brought up their profiles on the screen. Two boys with identical builds appeared. Wanima Junichi had spiky hair, frowning with fierce, crocodile-like eyebrows, while Wanima Keisuke sported a dragon-style shaved haircut and a wide, toothy grin.

"Their specialty is combination plays. Their closeness and timing are powerful weapons that are not easily defended against," Kuon continued.

"But they can't use that weapon individually," Isagi chimed in, observing that the twins always seemed to rely on each other.

"Exactly," Kuon agreed. "That's why we have to separate them."

"Easier said than done," Kira interjected, folding his arms. "That kind of connection is like a telepathic link, the kind you only get from playing together your whole life."

"And it's not just the Wanima Twins we need to worry about," Kira added as he took the remote from Kuon and pressed a button, bringing up another profile. The screen showed a young blond-haired player with dark roots and silver limbal rings in his brown eyes. Raichi stiffened in recognition. The name on the screen read: Raito Fuwa.

"This guy's movements in the final third cause headaches for any team. He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to be a threat," Kira explained.

"Combine that with the Wanima Twins, and we have three attacking fronts that need to be dealt with," Kunigami summed up, simplifying their defensive strategy.

"If he's just running into empty spaces, we can mark him," Naruhaya suggested. "Then he won't be able to do anything."

Before Kira could explain further, Raichi cut in. "That bastard's real weapon isn't just his ability to find space. It's his timing and how he uses that damn elastico move to cut inside, creating space to pull off a shot."

The team looked at Raichi, surprised by his deep insight into Raito's playing style. Isagi, in particular, was impressed. "Wow, you figured all that out just from watching him?"

Raichi didn't respond immediately, his eyes narrowing. "We used to play together in middle school," he finally said, keeping the explanation brief.

Kira nodded. "Good. That'll make it easier for me to decide our formation."

The team turned to the screen on the right side of the room, where Kira had set up their formation for the upcoming match against Team W.

"This time, I'm moving Raichi to center back, and Naruhaya to midfield," Kira announced.

"What!? You can't do that!" Raichi shot up from his seat, his voice filled with protest.

"I can, and I just did," Kira responded calmly, unphased by the outburst. "Your performance against Team Y showed that you're easily pressed. When they press you, they take the ball back."

Kira turned to Raichi with a pointed look. "That's why I'm moving you to defense. Your assignment is Raito Fuwa. Focus on him and him only."

Raichi gritted his teeth, clearly upset, but knowing he couldn't argue given his poor performance. He slumped back into his seat, letting out a disgruntled grunt to show his dissatisfaction.

The rest of the team exchanged uneasy glances, but Kira continued explaining how they would handle the Wanima Twins. After finishing the discussion, the team left the room to head to the field, ready to practice their new strategy for the upcoming match.

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On the training field, Team Z had been practicing for two days straight, giving their all in both offense and defense. Raichi, determined to improve his skills, chose to shadow Kira during every drill, using Kira's prowess as a challenge to improve his defensive capabilities. Even during plays that didn't involve Kira, Raichi stayed close, trying to cut off his passing lanes. However, despite his effort, Kira often outplayed him, leaving Raichi frustrated as goals kept coming from the attacking side.

As the training wore on, Raichi's stamina became noticeable. While others began to slow down from fatigue, Raichi managed to make a few clean defensive plays.

In one instance, Isagi, receiving the ball from Kira, attempted a shot but sent the ball flying wide of the goal, completely missing.

"Ah…" Isagi groaned in frustration. "It didn't even touch the post."

"Heh, you suck! Guess that goal was a fluke after all!" Raichi taunted, piling on Isagi's misery.

"Alright, let's keep it going! We need to polish our plays before the next game!" Kuon called out, clapping his hands to reset the play.

This time, as Kira received the ball on the left flank, Raichi was waiting for him, eager to prove himself. "I'll stop you this time," Raichi declared confidently.

Kira, smiling at the challenge, replied, "Every time you say that, you end up humiliated."

As Kira prepared to attack, he assessed the distance between him and Raichi. He started with a body feint, trying to blow past Raichi to the left. Raichi bit, moving to cut off his path, but Kira swiftly changed direction, rolling the ball under his foot and cutting inside. The move created just enough space for Kira to take a shot, sending the ball into the top left corner of the goal, where Gagamaru's stretched-out hand couldn't reach.

"Damn it…" Raichi cursed, slamming his hand on the ground in frustration. He had lost count of how many times Kira had outmaneuvered him, either scoring or assisting a goal. Despite his efforts, he couldn't figure out how to stop Kira, much less a player like Raito, whose speed and timing were even more difficult to predict.

Raichi began analyzing the situation in his head, realizing that if he couldn't match the timing of these players, they would continue to score with ease. Determined, he hyped himself up for the next play, resolved to improve.

Before the team could resume practice, the intercom blared, and the monitor lit up, showing Ego munching on yakisoba.

"Hello, you unpolished gems," Ego greeted them, slurping his noodles. "Yakisoba's sauce and mayonnaise really are made for each other."

"Ego…" the team muttered in unison.

"The sixth match just finished. Here are the standings," Ego said, moving aside as the round-robin standings appeared on the screen:

TEAM, POINTS, Goal Diff.

Team V, 6 ,+12

Team Z, 4 ,+3

Team W, 3 ,-1

Team Y, 3 ,-10

Team X, 0 ,-3

"Alright, we're in the safe zone!" Kuon pumped his fist, pleased with the results.

"But there's more," Ego continued. "I'm changing up the rankings. Up until now, your rank has been based on test scores and gameplay. But as strikers, you must prove your worth with goals. Therefore, those who score more valuable goals will be ranked higher."

The screen displayed Team Z's new rankings, with Kira at the top, followed by Isagi and Kunigami. Several players, including Raichi, dropped in rank.

"Tch," Raichi clicked his tongue in frustration.

"I went down…?" Kunigami muttered, surprised.

"I dropped a little, too," Bachira added, glancing at the screen.

"Finding your weapons was only the first step," Ego explained, finishing his yakisoba. "If you stop after that, your potential will be wasted. The next step is to polish your weapons and make them stand out. Each of you has different abilities, so the methods to improve will vary. Your weapon can turn 'Zero' into 'One.' Now figure out how to multiply that 'One' to make it even stronger."

Ego clapped his hands in prayer, thanking the food he had eaten before delivering his final words: "Find the plays only you can make. Stand out. Talent is just a lump of ore—if you don't smelt and polish it, it's nothing but trash."

With that, the screen turned black, showing the schedule for Team Z's next match against Team W in 24 hours.