Chapter 215: Joint Tryout (11)
"Counterattack!"
Shinichi, with an impossibly tight heel flick, miraculously deflected Loki's sudden nutmeg shot.
But the match wasn't over—there was no time for awe or applause.
As Shinichi roared the call to arms, the two high-performance machines—he and Loki—launched forward once again, kicking off round two of their duel.
But this time, the other top forwards weren't going to just sit back and watch.
"One round of you two showing off is enough. Don't push your luck!"
With a bone-rattling thud, Chris slammed shoulder-first into Shinichi, bringing both supercars to a sudden halt. His eyes gleamed with competitive fire as he stood his ground.
"I'm not letting you two hog the spotlight in a globally broadcasted game. No way I'm letting this chance go to waste."
"Nice one, Chris."
With Chris blocking Shinichi, Loki surged ahead, pulling away by a wide margin. Muttering a low word of praise, he charged toward the rolling ball—but just two steps away, a foot stepped on it.
Snuffy.
Effortlessly redirecting the ball with a soft motion, Snuffy's light-footed maneuver completely disrupted Loki's rhythm.
There wasn't even time to stop—Loki felt as though a gentle push had sent him past the ball before he realized it, and by the time he turned around, Snuffy had already taken off with it.
"You guys really love working overtime, huh? This tryout was never supposed to be this intense," Snuffy joked casually as he scanned the shifting field—only to find Noah already blocking his path with a stoic face.
"You seem to be enjoying it yourself," Noa shot back coldly.
"What can I say?" Snuffy grinned. "Just like Chris, after seeing a battle like that, what young player wouldn't get fired up?"
"You're not that young anymore, Snuffy. Don't lump yourself in with those two brats."
"And what of it?" Snuffy's eyes lit up with a fire of renewed ambition. "Ever since I decided to cancel my retirement, I've made up my mind to be that foolish kid chasing dreams again. There's no moment in my life where I've felt more alive than now."
As that passion blazed in his eyes, the phantom of a soaring eagle seemed to cry out above him.
"So if I want to act like a kid, so what? A man's a boy until the day he dies, right? Besides…"
Snuffy smirked, eyes locking onto Noah's.
"Noa—don't pretend you're not loving this too!"
Noa said nothing, his face cold and unreadable.
But behind him, Lavinho suddenly cut back and sprinted into Snuffy's field of vision.
Almost simultaneously, both Snuffy and Noa sprang into motion.
Noa shifted his weight sharply to the right, planting his left foot for a powerful push-off.
That explosive burst let him get into a blocking position in the blink of an eye.
But just as Snuffy's right leg swung toward the ball, his toe dipped at the last instant.
Then, with a flick, he performed a feint—faking a pass and lifting the ball with a delicate chip instead.
The ball popped into the air, and Snuffy leapt after it.
Even though Noa realized the deception almost instantly and launched himself to intercept, Snuffy had already reached peak height in mid-air.
Noa could only watch helplessly as Snuffy coolly nodded the ball across the pitch with a forceful header.
The ball cut across nearly the entire width of the penalty area—landing on the opposite side of the field, right where Shinichi, who had shaken off Chris with clever off-ball movement, was waiting with coiled energy.
"Damn it! That kid got the ball!" Chris cursed to himself, having finally scrambled free of the crowd.
He couldn't keep up—despite his incredible athleticism allowing him to barely match Shinichi and Loki in straight-line sprints, he just didn't have the agility to mirror Shinichi's ninja-like footwork, especially after Shinichi had assimilated Otoya's stealthy off-the-ball techniques.
Shinichi was like a slippery eel, darting through gaps in the crowd, disappearing before Chris could even lock eyes on him again. Now, with the ball at his feet—he was free to soar.
"Reo!!"
Surprisingly, Chris didn't call on Loki—the one with the best shot at catching up. Instead, he shouted a name no one expected.
"Yes… It's my turn."
The chameleon faded from view—its body becoming translucent.
Then, a drop of black ink fell into that transparency and spread like smoke, until the entire figure was engulfed in darkness.
"Come, Shinichi!"
There wasn't a trace of fear in Reo's voice. He had long since accepted the worst-case scenario: being blown past. It wouldn't be the first time, and he wasn't afraid of it anymore.
What mattered now was facing Shinichi head-on and letting the pressure drive him to evolve once more.
"Let's go, Reo… If I'm right, you have that trait within you. If you can bring it to the surface—you could be the key to stopping Shinichi!"
Even Chris's feet paused in hesitation from the tension. But professionalism kicked in—he knew this play was likely beyond his reach, that he should conserve energy.
And yet, unwilling to bet against the impossible, Chris pushed forward again. No one could say what might happen next on this field.
Just as Chris feared, his position really did put him out of this play.
Meanwhile, Reo—his eyes illuminated by the vision of the field—watched Shinichi closing in, his heart pounding wildly.
'If I get passed, there's no one left on the back line who can stop him. The only one who might support me… is Loki, still charging back. Which means—'
"I need to stall him until Loki returns! That's the only way we can stop Shinichi's attack!"
A rare, frenzied fire lit up in Reo's eyes.
"Then let's see what happens!"
Facing Reo's poised stance, Shinichi remained expressionless, showing no signs of slowing. He surged forward like a god of war on a silver steed, charging straight at the lone mortal foolish enough to stand in his path—
5 meters… 3 meters… contact imminent!
Everyone's hearts jumped to their throats.
What exactly was Chris relying on?
Among the younger generation, was there really anyone besides Loki who could stop Shinichi, this unstoppable supernova?
With that question burning in everyone's minds, all eyes were locked on the two about to clash—no one even dared to blink.
And then—
Shinichi's footwork suddenly shifted. In an instant, he cut outward with the ball, switching from offense to a sharp lateral move.
He streaked across the field like a bolt of black lightning, drawing a dazzling Z-shaped trail of thunder behind him—then, the cannon loaded—
BOOM!!!
The much-anticipated Machino defensive line collapsed in an instant. The net whipped violently from the blast of the shot, to the point that onlookers wondered if it might just tear apart under that monstrous force.
"Just because you challenge me," Shinichi said, catching Chris and Reo's stunned gazes, "doesn't mean I have to accept your terms."
He turned to face them with a smirk—one so wicked it practically dripped mockery.
"Even an idiot could tell you two were scheming something," he added casually, "Not that I thought it would work—but denying you the chance to even try it? That brings an even greater despair."
"To stand before me, you have to be able to keep up. If you can't even catch my exhaust, you're not worth crushing—because you'll never even get the chance to strike."
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