The whistle blew, signaling the restart of the game.
Shun took off like a bullet.
His body moved before his mind even processed the play. His teammates barely had time to react before he was already in Yokohama's half, cutting through their defense.
The ball stuck to his feet like it was an extension of his body.
One defender lunged—Shun twisted his body mid-stride, sending the ball behind his standing leg and slipping through the gap.
Another defender charged at him—Shun stopped dead in his tracks, forcing his opponent to stumble forward. In the next second, he was already past him.
The stadium fell into silence.
Shun was moving at a different level.
Even his own teammates watched in shock as he toyed with one of the strongest defenses in the state tournament.
The Monster Emerges
Yokohama's captain, a center-back known for his aggressive tackles, saw the danger.
"Don't let him through!" he barked.
Three defenders collapsed on Shun, surrounding him from all sides.
They thought they had him.
They were wrong.
Shun's right foot **tapped the ball forward—**but just as they lunged, his left foot flicked it backward.
A perfect fake.
All three defenders committed to the wrong direction, and in the next second—
Shun vanished past them.
Now, it was just him and the goalkeeper.
The keeper's eyes widened in panic as Shun closed in.
A shot? A pass? What would he do?
Shun didn't give him time to think.
A quick feint. The keeper dived to the right.
Shun, smiling, simply rolled the ball into the empty net.
1-2.
The entire stadium exploded.
Fear in Their Eyes
Yokohama's players looked shaken.
This wasn't the same player they had shut down in the first half.
This Shun Kiryuu was different.
Their coach, Tanaka, stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, watching with narrowed eyes.
"He's woken up," he muttered.
The Next Play
The game restarted. Yokohama, now cautious, moved the ball carefully.
But Shun was everywhere.
Their striker received the ball—Shun stole it.
Their midfielder tried to pass—Shun intercepted.
Their defenders tried to build up play—Shun shut them down.
It wasn't just his dribbling. It wasn't just his speed.
It was his presence.
It felt like he had taken control of the entire field.
His teammates followed.
Renji, fueled by Shun's intensity, pushed harder.
Rika's passes became sharper.
The entire team moved like a storm.
The Equalizer
Minutes later, Shun found himself at the edge of the box.
The defenders hesitated. They didn't know what he would do next.
Shun smirked.
He launched a curling shot toward the far post.
The keeper stretched, his fingertips grazing the ball—
But it wasn't enough.
The ball hit the back of the net.
2-2.
Shun clenched his fists. It wasn't over yet.
The monster inside him was still hungry.
The second half was coming.
And he wasn't done.