What does it feel like to be crushed 8-0 on the pitch?
Any professional player can imagine the sheer despair and helplessness that comes with such a scoreline. A few days ago, Niko Ikki had experienced that nightmare firsthand during Team Y's match against Team V.
Team V was a squad of monsters. They had an elite with speed beyond comprehension, an all-rounder with perfect vision and lethal passing, and a genius with explosive physical talent and god-tier ball control.
Niko Ikki, on the other hand, had no physical advantage. All he had were eyes that could dissect the field and a brain that never stopped calculating. Despite his best efforts in the last match, he couldn't hold back the relentless onslaught. Three different focal points of attack kept him spiraling until the final whistle blew at 8-0.
But Niko didn't break. He sat in the dark, analyzing the abilities of his teammates. What he found was even more depressing: aside from Ohkawa Hibiki, Team Y was almost entirely devoid of offensive power.
Was he supposed to just let his career end here? No. Even "ordinary" people have their obsessions. Niko believed that if he kept thinking—kept evolving his logic—he would find a way to break through.
Today was the day to prove his methods. Team Z didn't look as terrifying as Team V. They didn't have those blatant "geniuses."
I can win, Niko told himself, psyching up on the pitch.
Beep!
"Match continues. Team Z throw-in."
The announcement snapped Niko back to reality. Win at all costs, he chanted internally.
"Tsk, this is getting tricky," Kira muttered, scanning the expressions of Team Y. He had assumed that after such a massive loss, they would be demoralized. Instead, every face across the line was set with grim determination. In just a few days, they had clawed their way out of the abyss and forged a complete tactical system.
Who gave them this kind of courage? Kira's eyes landed on Niko, who was constantly swiveling his head to observe the field.
Just like in the manga, Niko Ikki is the brain of Team Y. Kira felt a flicker of respect for their resolve, a fire he rarely saw in his past life. "Then I guess I'll have to wake them up. This world doesn't reward you just for 'trying hard'."
Kira grinned. Use [Bachira Meguru Attribute Trial Card].
[Bachira Meguru Trial Card Activated!]
[Dribbling +20 (Decaying)]
[Speed +15 (Decaying)]
[Duration: 10 Minutes]
If one Bachira can't tear through your defense, how about two?
On the field, the ball was being cycled through Team Z's ranks. It eventually found its way back to Isagi. Sweat poured down Isagi's face; the defense was suffocating. He couldn't find a passing lane. As the primary playmaker, Isagi felt like a failure. Kira had carried the last game, but was he—Isagi—destined to be useless again?
Isagi's eyes scanned the field frantically. Suddenly, he noticed a shift. Kira was dropping back to receive the ball. But there's no point in him dropping back now, Isagi thought. There are too many defenders in front of him.
As he hesitated, a voice echoed in his mind: PASS TO HIM!
Was that... an instinct for a goal? Isagi lunged forward, drawing the defense toward him as he shouted, "Bachira!"
Team Y's defenders swarmed. "Stop him! Don't let Bachira get the ball—he's a nightmare once he starts dribbling!"
Just as everyone expected the pass to go wide to Bachira, Isagi executed a sharp laser-pass straight to Kira, who had retreated to an open pocket.
Nice coordination, Isagi! If you hadn't seen that, I'd have replaced you as playmaker! Kira thought as he collected the ball.
The defenders who had committed to Bachira were left stranded. "He faked it!" But Team Y was disciplined; a center-back immediately stepped up to cover, and the entire backline shifted their focus to Kira.
Kira looked at his marker—a burly defender. He wondered if the guy had the speed to match his bulk. Team Z watched with bated breath. After seeing Kira replicate Barou's Rainbow Flick, they were eager to see what he would reveal next.
Kira ignited. He drove the ball straight at the defender, increasing his speed as the gap closed.
Trying to win with raw pace? Niko watched from the back, ready to cover. He felt a sense of relief. The defender he'd sent up wasn't a "clumsy oaf"; he was fast enough to handle a direct sprint.
The defender braced himself, feeling confident he could handle the charge. But just as the collision seemed inevitable, Kira responded with a sudden spin.
Before the spin, his foot had already deadened the ball's momentum. His body moved with the grace of a dancing phantom—The Marseille Turn.
Bachira, watching from behind, nearly let his jaw hit the grass. Wait... isn't that my signature move? He hasn't even seen me use it in a real match yet!
Kira executed the turn with terrifying fluidity. As the master of the technique, Bachira knew how hard it was to maintain speed while spinning. Kira, however, didn't lose a fraction of his momentum. With one elegant rotation, he bypassed the defender, who was left standing like a statue.
I got played? The defender thought frantically. It's okay... Niko is behind me. He'll stop him.
Niko realized the danger and signaled another teammate to join him. They swarmed Kira in a pincer movement. But Kira wasn't done. He swept his foot across the ball, stopped it on a dime, accelerated, and spun again.
Another defender beaten!
However, Niko had learned from his loss against Team V. He didn't bite on the fake. He stayed glued to Kira, refusing to let him break free.
"This is as far as you go!" Niko shouted. Seeing Kira's balance shift after the second turn, Niko lunged his foot forward to snatch the ball.
Not bad, Niko, Kira thought. But his body acted on instinct. He tapped the ball with his right heel toward his back right.
A Back-Heel Pass!
Kira had drawn so much gravity that Team Y's defensive structure had collapsed. From Bachira's initial run to Kira's double-spin, the backline was in shambles. There was a gaping hole.
A figure burst into the space to collect the pass: Isagi Yoichi.
He arrived perfectly. His eyes seemed to flicker with a strange, new light as he met the ball. Isagi wound up his right foot and unleashed a shot toward the goal.
Wait... Kira's heart sank. Isagi, what the hell are you doing? You aren't like this in the manga!
Because Kira was such a dominant teammate, Isagi hadn't been pushed to the absolute brink of despair, slowing his evolution. The shot was directed straight at the center of the goal. Even a novice keeper could have stopped it.
Isagi's moment of coolness evaporated as the Team Y keeper, though shaken by Kira's dribbling, managed to parry the ball away. Isagi clutched his head, devastated by the missed opportunity.
"THE REBOUND!" Niko screamed.
Kira was already moving. He and Niko sprinted side-by-side toward the loose ball. Niko realized instantly that his physical stats couldn't compete with Kira's current state. Kira was too agile, too fast.
Kira claimed the ball by a hair's breadth. The keeper, forced to guess, dove to the right.
He guessed wrong.
Kira slotted a clinical, low-driven shot into the bottom left corner.
Thump.
"GOAL!"
The stadium erupted as Team Z swarmed the pitch. Kira feigned a celebratory smile and walked over to Isagi, patting him on the shoulder to celebrate. Inside, he was already calculating how to force Isagi to grow faster, but for now, they had the lead. 1-0.