"Not bad, Ren-nii," Ryo said as the ball flew out of bounds, "You almost beat me there."
"I did beat you, though. I just dribbled right past you…" Ren answered flatly.
"You did? I don't remember that," Ryo said, completely feigning ignorance.
"Besides, whoever scores first wins."
"Right…" Ren sighed as he reset his position, completely resigning himself to Ryo's argument.
Even after forty minutes, neither side had scored. From anyone watching on the outside, it was clear that the scrimmage revolved around Ren and Ryo. However, with that came a problem.
The two of them knew each other too well. After more than two years of playing together, such a result was only natural. When they played together in a full game, this understanding helped, but in the mini-game, where their teams played around them, it turned everything into a stalemate.
Any time Ryo would pass, Ren would instantly be applying pressure on the receiver, as if knowing where the pass would go beforehand. And the same thing was true about Ryo—he would read Ren's intent and act on it instantly.
On top of that, they each had their own strengths. Ren was better when it came to dribbling and ball control, while Ryo had better passing ability and vision. Against each other, these strengths were inconsequential.
However, Ryo had something that Ren had never seen before—his Anchor ability. The only way either of them could pull ahead was by playing something the other had never seen before.
I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to use Anchor, but now I have to use it whenever I can.
He had tried waiting to use his skill until he was sure he could score, but with the mini game nearing its end, he couldn't really wait around.
I just have to try it and see how it turns out.
So Ryo vowed that the next time he had the ball, he would activate the skill.
And that moment came barely thirty seconds later, after Hideki reclaimed the ball following a turnover, then passed it forward. By the time the ball made it to Ryo's feet, he was already running forward. Ren reacted instantly, chasing Ryo after his team's failed attack.
The main issue for Ryo was the three defenders left, one of whom was Taiga, positioned in the center. As one of the best defenders on their team, he wouldn't be easy to pass, especially with Ren chasing him.
So without hesitating any longer, Ryo activated his new skill for the first time.
{Skill Activated!}
—[Anchor – B]
But as he activated the skill, he felt nothing.
There was no immediate change to his movement, nor did any other noticeable change occur. But Ryo barely had time to mull over the lack of a new feeling before he witnessed the results for himself.
Taiga immediately stepped forward to challenge him. Maintaining a proper distance, he watched as Ryo tried to find a way forward. Ryo suddenly ran forward, and Taiga came up to his side and tried to use his body to interrupt Ryo's attack and win the challenge.
Taigia, being much older than Ryo, had an advantage when it came to his physicality. No matter how much Ryo tried, he would never be able to keep up his stride in such a confrontation.
But this time, despite being pushed by Taiga's shoulder, his run remained undisturbed.
So in this situation, Ryo stopped his run and brought the ball back, maneuvering away from Taiga. But behind him, Ren reached him and tried to poke the ball free. Despite being off balance and in an awkward position, Ryo effortlessly twisted his body, guiding the ball away into the open space, and shot the ball with his left foot.
As he watched the ball come to rest in the back of the net, Ryo couldn't help but stand there in awe. He hadn't stumbled, lost balance, or even slowed down despite Taiga and Ren's aggressive tackles.
Holy shit, this is completely overpowered.
—————————————————————————————————
"Alright, Ryo, you ready to watch the video?" Kazuki asked, tearing open a bag of chips. "I've watched it three times already, but it's still so exciting."
Ryo glanced over at Kazuki's bag of chips, silently questioning his choice of eating snacks right before dinner.
"It's the JFA, so I'm sure that the video is pretty good," Ryo acknowledged. "Don't you think so, Ren-nii?"
Ryo turned his head towards his brother, who was sitting right next to him. He found it surprising that Ren came along to watch the video. Originally, Ryo had only planned on letting him know that he'd be stopping by Kazuki's house before going to the restaurant. But after an enthusiastic aside by Kazuki and a bit of curiosity on Ren's part, he had decided to tag along.
Also watching with them was Kazuki's sister, Suzume. She'd been cheerful during the walk, but when they arrived, and she realized that Ren stepped inside her house for the first time, she had become noticeably quieter.
Now, they were all crowded around a laptop situated on the low table in the living room. So once Kazuki finally got his snacks ready, he finally hit play on the video.
The first thing Ryo noticed was the view count on the video—after barely twenty-four hours, it had already passed a hundred thousand views.
After the short intro played, the reel jumped straight into football action. And immediately, Ryo had another realization.
Wait, this video isn't just of the U-12 league, but of all age groups?
On the screen, the first clip was from a U-19 game in Kyoto prefecture. It showed a quick buildup, then an eventual foul outside of the penalty box. Everyone could tell where this was going; it would be a goal off a free kick.
The free kick unfolded as usual: the shooter's usual run, the attack's shuffling, and the defenders' retreat. But when the player shot the ball, it flew low, passing underneath the opponent's wall, slotting into the bottom right corner of the goal.
The next clip shown was a goal off a corner kick. Once again, it was a U-19 game, with one of the teams being one of the most well-known clubs in Japan.
The ball soared through the air, and the striker hit a header, but the goalie intercepted it, deflecting the ball. As it landed outside the box, a midfielder struck the ball cleanly, and it went straight into the back of the net.
As the video continued, Ryo could tell that all of the clips shown were of really high skill. The players did not fumble around with the ball; there were no mistakes in their play, and they especially showed remarkable skill when it counted.
Being able to think unconventionally, or quickly react to sudden changes in play, was what made the best plays stand out. Over the course of the video, many more clips were shown, mostly of U-19 games, but a few clips from U-15 games were also shown.
"Here it comes—make sure to watch, Ryo," Kazuki said excitedly. Ryo didn't respond and focused his attention on the screen.
He's telling me to watch as if I weren't the one who had actually played in the clip.
Once again, the screen shifted, but this time showing a pitch full of young players. As with all the other clips, a small banner went across the bottom of the screen: U-12 Nagano Prefecture Regionals: Lida Alto FC vs Ryusei Elementary.
Ryo hadn't been able to re-watch the game yet, but seeing the game from above felt completely different than playing. It felt strange; when he'd been playing, everything had gone by so quickly, but watching it as a third party, it looked completely different.
This must be why players often rewatch their games. They can see things from a different perspective and gain some new insights into their plays.
The whistle sounded from the computer's speakers. Right then, Alto touched the ball, and Ryo saw himself rush forward.
Joined by the two commentators' original commentary, the camera zoomed in on the action as Ryo chased after the ball, capturing his eventual slide, where he intercepted the pass before it could reach the Alto player, sending the ball off course. Then, after he lifted himself back up, he maneuvered around the remaining defenders and eventually shot the ball into the back of the net.
I've got to say, this play looks pretty good on camera.
"Wasn't that so cool!" Kazuki's voice sounded over the computer's audio. "I can't believe I saw that live, too."
As his clip eventually transitioned into the next, and Kazuki was still praising his play, Ryo couldn't help but wonder how the highlights were chosen. It didn't make sense to him why his goal was chosen out of the countless that took place this weekend. Sure, his goal was pretty good and flashy, but it was still a clip from a U-12 league. Next to the U-19 clips, the vast difference in skill was clear.
But Ryo decided not to think about it for too long; the JFA probably had their reasons for selecting his clip, so he didn't even try to understand why.
As the video rolled through a few more clips before drawing to a close, it had become time to head back to the restaurant. As Ren and Ryo started leaving, Kazuki expressed his interest in following after them to the restaurant, but was unable to because he had to stay home.
"Alright, goodbye, Kazuki," Ryo said as he opened the door. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah! See you tomorrow, Ryo," Kazuki waved, "You too, Ren-nii. See you around."
Every time Ryo heard Kazuki address Ren, he couldn't help but laugh.
Why are you addressing Ren as if he's your own brother, Kazuki? He's my Ren-nii. Only I should be able to call him that.
Yet, despite his inner protests, as long as Ren didn't mind, he couldn't really complain.
"Yeah, goodbye, Kazuki," Ren responded with a small wave, but his focus shifted elsewhere. "See you tomorrow at school, Suzume-san."
Ryo hadn't noticed her standing a little behind Kazuki until Ren addressed her. Suzume straightened up immediately.
"G-goodbye Ren-kun, s-see you tomorrow."
Without waiting any longer, the two of them stepped outside and headed toward the restaurant.