The new kits clung to their frames—clean white slashed with sharp black, the colors of Kelshea. Sleek. Lethal.
Akane tugged at his collar with a wide grin. "Looks good, right?"
Yugen rolled his shoulders, feeling the snug fit of the uniform hug his frame. "Yeah. It does."
He finished his stretches and took a deep breath just as the stadium announcer's voice echoed through the locker room walls like a thunderclap.
> "Kelshea, please make your way to the stadium entrance."
Yugen exhaled slowly, nodding to himself. "It's almost time, huh?"
The door creaked open.
Mika stood there, arms crossed, her presence sharp and cutting. She didn't need to raise her voice; her words sliced through the tension like a scalpel.
"If you're not first," she said, eyes narrowing, "you're irrelevant."
A pause. Then just one word, delivered with a cold finality.
"Win."
And she was gone.
No one said a word. The atmosphere changed—tension tightening into resolve. One by one, the players stepped forward. Yugen followed, his grin spreading unconsciously, excitement sparking in his veins like wildfire.
---
The tunnel loomed ahead, dimly lit and quiet. Only the muffled roar of the crowd reached them—an ocean crashing somewhere far beyond.
Kou and Kumi walked at the front, calm and focused, their strides heavy with purpose.
Across from them, Kuzan FC waited.
Their captain, Miku, gave a low whistle, eyeing Kelshea's squad with interest. "Ahh, so this is the infamous Kelshea…"
Their keeper, Yama, blinked nervously. "They look kinda scary... gwahhh…"
Yugen lined up with his teammates, gaze locked onto the opposition. His heart thudded harder in his chest, steady and hungry.
The whistle blew.
Together, they stepped into the light.
The stadium exploded around them—50,000 voices rising in a deafening chorus. Yugen stumbled for half a second, the sheer magnitude of it slamming into him like a wave. The lights, the noise, the scale… It was more than he'd ever imagined.
Memories flickered.
A boy, alone, kicking a ragged ball against a cracked concrete wall. Dreaming.
He slapped his cheeks with both hands—smack, smack. The sting snapped him back.
Who fucking cares what other people think? he thought. I'll win. I'll be the best striker in the world.
---
The whistle blew again.
Kou tapped the ball to Kumi.
The match began.
Kumi surged forward immediately, only for a figure to appear in front of him—Tetsu, Kuzan's steely midfielder.
"Let's see what you've got, Kelshea," Tetsu said, eyes gleaming.
Kumi launched into a series of stepovers, each movement sharp, calculated—but Tetsu matched him, feint for feint. Kumi pulled back, readjusting, and flicked the ball to Iori out on the wing.
Iori trapped it cleanly.
Another Kuzan defender closed in fast.
Without hesitation, Iori passed back to Akane, who looked up and lofted the ball high and deep over the press.
"Too long!" someone shouted.
But Iori was already sprinting, bending his body mid-stride—twisting in the air to control the impossible ball. The crowd roared as he tamed it and drove down the line.
Yugen moved instinctively. He saw the space open before the defenders did. He darted into it, eyes locking on Iori's.
Pass it.
The defenders responded, shifting toward him—and then he felt it. That sudden chill.
He glanced back.
Kou.
Unmarked, just outside the box.
He used me as bait…
Iori's cross cut through the air—perfectly weighted. Kou was already airborne, his body turning with mechanical precision, leg cocked back for the volley—
But it never came.
From nowhere, a blur of motion crashed into the path of the ball.
Itoku.
Kuzan's midfielder.
With a wild grin, he intercepted mid-air and launched the ball upfield in a thunderous clearance.
"Sorry," he said with a glint in his eyes. "I can't let you do that."
The stadium erupted as Kuzan pounced on the counter.
Sosei lunged to cut them off, but their passes were lightning—slick one-twos slicing through Kelshea's midfield.
Shit, Yugen cursed internally, sprinting to recover.
Tetsu broke down the left flank, but Akane threw himself into a sliding tackle, knocking the ball loose—
Only for it to spill right to Itoku, already there, already poised at the edge of the box.
Yugen's heart jumped.
He's already there?!
Itoku didn't hesitate.
He let it fly.
A curling shot, wicked and fast—spinning into the top right corner before the keeper could react.
GOAL: 1–0
Silence swept through Kelshea's ranks like a bitter wind.
Yugen stood frozen, hands trembling slightly.
He read Kou's play like a book...
At midfield, Itoku grinned wide as his teammates swarmed him, arms thrown around him in celebration.
Yugen stared.
Cold anger bloomed in his chest.
This guy is the heart of their team, he realized. If I can't get past him… I'll never score.