Cameron stood near the centerline as he kept his eyes on the ball. A large majority of the crowd in the stands continued to chant as the French national team threatened the American goal.

[The ball is with Moitessier. He weaves it past Carter and has the space! The speedy #7 is racing down the flank while his teammates flock towards the penalty box. He sends a cross…but Acosta heads the ball outside the box, and it’s quickly picked up by Mills, the Sevilla midfielder. The US #8 sends a long ball towards the flank, and it’s expertly received by West.]

/ / /

The lob reached the capable feet of Ryuu, who was still being hounded by the Nitsuta #2, Shogo.

“Ryu-chan!”

“It’s up to you, Ichijyou!”

The forward remained calm despite the opponents quickly surrounding him.

“Don’t let him face forward! Shogo!”

“I know, Kei!

The Ooura East players had yet to move, so Ryuu was forced to penetrate the defense without any further assistance.

“Ichijyou!”

“Please!”

“Ichijyou…”

“Ryu-chan!”

Ryuu pushed the ball forward as if he wanted to reconnect with his teammates. Shogo closely followed, and despite the trepidation in his heart, he felt confident enough to mock Ryuu.

“As if I’d lose to a former genius.”

Then with a deceptive touch, Ryuu, with his back turned, nutmegged Shogo before spinning around to catch up to the ball. He couldn’t register the cheers and amazement from his teammates and the crowd as in his periphery, he saw the #5 of Nitsuta sliding in.

He managed to lift the ball over the defender’s leg but still stumbled before quickly getting up and running towards the ball.

Unfortunately, the time it took him to recover allowed the Nitsuta #2 to catch up and start pressuring him.

‘This guy is strong.’

By the time the pair reached the edge of the box, Kei, the Nitsuta #5 had just about caught up. Deciding to at least get a shot off. Ryuu pulled back his right foot and sent a shot towards the goal. However, with his lacking balance, the shot’s trajectory was obvious, and the power was sorely lacking.

/ / /

[The Madrid forward performs a breathtaking move, nutmegging his mark and skipping past the remaining defender. The French are right on his heels, but the brilliant #9 is abusing his world-class pace to eat up the yards.]

Cameron kept his eyes firmly on Dumont, the French goalkeeper, as the former approached the 18-yard box. Dumont was the starting keeper for PSG and an excellent goal-stopper overall. Yet, Cameron didn’t even flinch as the 6’4 behemoth charged out of the goal.

The 22-year-old was confident that the speedy side backs of France were closing in on him and spared no time to look around and focused only on his sole objective.

When Dumont reached the goal box line, Cameron reached the penalty box line.

‘He’ll try and fake to get an angle. That’s how he scores from these situations 80% of the time. Leclair is coming up on his right side, so he’ll go left. I just need to not reveal anything and let him commit an error.’

The American striker’s expression remained stoic as the French keeper closed in.

[He’s 1-on-1 with the keeper!! Will he attempt a feint or shoot directly?!]

However, contrary to everyone’s belief, Cameron didn’t attempt to feint or curl a shot. Instead, with inhuman timing and balance, the #9 instantly killed his speed. The incoming defenders ran past him the next second; their bodies had yet to react. Even Dumont was still approaching, but his eyes widened when he saw Cameron’s shooting motion.

Instead of a powerful kick, or a curved shot, the young man chipped the ball. While Dumont realized the situation, the two wingbacks, Leclair and Girault, were frozen in place because of the change in pace.

The ball sailed right over Dumont’s head, and for a moment, the keeper believed that the ball would rebound off the crossbar, but to his dismay, the ball dipped mere centimeters from the crossbar and calmly bounced into the goal.

Silence reigned over the stadium; however, its rule was short as the nearly 20,000 American supporters exploded in hurrahs in the next second!

[Oh, my word. WHAT A PLAY! WHAT A GOAL!]

Meanwhile, Cameron jogged towards the corner flag, where he celebrated by doing an elaborate bow to the supporting fans. In the next second, he was mobbed by his teammates.

“This bastard is too competent!”

“What a goal!”

“Hell yeah! Good goal, Cam!!”

The usually aloof forward tried and failed to suppress his lips from curling up into a smile.

/ / /

“We’ll stop you no matter what, Ichijyou.”

“…”

Ryuu ignored Kei’s provocation and jogged back to his position, whispering a curse under his breath.

The match progressed in very much the same manner. Ooura East would tenaciously defend, then they would send a long ball to Ryuu, who would attempt a breakthrough. By the 20th minute, the #17 had taken two shots on goal, but neither was in the least bit threatening.

As another Ooura East player sent a lob, Ryuu moved to receive it, but the pass was intercepted by Shogo.

[The ball doesn’t connect to Ichijyou. Nitsuta have lockdown the center forward! Oh? The free ball goes to Ooura Higashi! Can they do something with it?]

Instead of immediately passing, Miyazaki, the Ooura #10, pushed the ball forward and initiated a breakthrough.

‘It’s too tough for Ichijyou alone… I’ll go!’

The #10 left behind his opposing #10 as he attempted to sidestep the Nitsuta #6. However, the opponent was ready, and Miyazaki’s touch was poor.

Perfectly tackling the ball, the #6 not only took possession but also caused Miyazaki to take a tumble.

[It was stolen at a bad spot for Ooura Higashi, but Nitsuta has an opportunity to score!!]

“GO BACK!! STOP HIM!!”

The yell of Fukui Hiroari, the Ooura head coach, stimulated the players to drop back, but they left an open space at the edge of the penalty box, which the Nitsuta #6 did not miss.

A quick and accurate pass was sent and received. After controlling the ball with his first touch, the Nitsuta #7 pulled the trigger and sent the ball towards the upper left of the goal. The Nitsuta players watched gleefully as the keeper failed to reach the ball.

[GOOAAALLLL! 25 minutes into the first. Nitsuta #7’s goal!]

The Ooura East players’ expressions were the very definition of disappointment, none more so than Miyazaki, who had yet to stand from the last challenge.

‘Not good…’

- - -

“Ah geez! What are you doing!”

“Even if you dribble on your own, with #10’s skills, it’ll just get stolen…What you said before was right….”

“I didn’t want it to be right!”

Yuki and Anna loudly complained about the play just now, and both were giving Miyazaki death glares.

- - -

Ryuu walked up to the kneeling Miyazaki and patted him on the back.

“Don’t sweat it; there’s plenty of time left.”

“Sorry, Ichijyou…I-I rushed and…I just wanted to help in some way; I’m sorry.”

“…”

Ryuu gently patted Miyazaki’s head.

“You were trying to change the situation. So don’t worry, it’s not just your responsibility.”

‘No, in fact, it’s all mine. I’m the forward, yet my team can’t even rely on me to score. Pathetic.’

Miyazaki kept quiet when he noticed Ryuu’s pained expression.

‘Ichijyou…’

.

.

.

“Nitsuta Middle School had a dominant first half and spent just about every minute on Ooura Higashi’s side!”

“I was expecting more from the revived Ichijyou, but the center backs Tamura Kei, and Kikuta Shogo have done a good job at stopping him.”

As the two teams went back to their respective bench, Shogo, who had a pleased expression, faltered when he saw Ryuu.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Shogo?”

“Kei, it’s just….”

“You’re thinking about how you lost that first exchange with Ichijyou, right?”

“Yeah. I thought Ichijyou would be much more difficult to handle after he won our first battle, but he’s not as dangerous as I thought.”

“…”

- - -

At the Ooura Middle School bench, the atmosphere was strange.

“Well, it was just one point… it’s not so bad.”

“But if there wasn’t a miss there, it would have been 0-0.”

Most were just glad that they only conceded a single goal, while some were complaining about Miyazaki’s goal conceding mistake.

“But it’s unfair being big, huh?”

“It’s about Kikuta Shogo. That guy just plays soccer casually. Suddenly, he grew taller, joined Nitsuta’s regulars, and just became one of the top center backs in the district. Ugh, I can’t stand that guy.”

Ryuu wiped his sweat and took occasional sips from his water bottle, paying little attention to his teammates’ discussion.

“Ryu-chan…sorry. I couldn’t move up at all.”

“Don’t stress yourself about that, Yuuto. Our whole team was pressured. We’ll need to hold the ball more often in the second half and try and maintain more possession. That way, the side-backs can move up. And… I’ll score.”

.

.

.

Unfortunately, the second half was panning out to be a repeat of the first half. Nitsuta held most of the possession, and Ooura was constantly on the backfoot. After forcing a Nitsuta striker to concede a goal kick, the Ooura players shifted back into position.

‘If I didn’t recklessly go dribble.’

“Miyazaki!”

“Ichijyou…”

“Focus, we’re in the middle of a match. Anyway, give me a grounder right at my feet for the next one.”

“Eh? There’s no way that’ll go through!”

“Don’t stress about that, just send it. And make it a strong one!”

With those parting words, Ryuu ran back to his position, and right after, the Ooura keeper kicked the ball back into play.

- - -

{Grandpa, do you think he can win against that big guy?}

{You mean the boy?}

{Un.}

{It’ll be tough!}

{What!}

Ignoring his granddaughter's outburst, the elder gentleman continued with his explanation.

{If it was a 1v1, then I wouldn’t think so, but it’s a 2v1. #2 is entirely focused on marking him, and #5 is covering as a backup. The boy has occasionally been able to slip past both of them, but he’s at a constant disadvantage. That #5 is especially a problem. Despite him not standing out, he’s a very clever defender.}

“He didn’t say anything good again, right?”

Yuki asked Anna, who nodded but was visibly frustrated by her grandfather’s comments.

“If it was the old him…those two aren’t even a threat….”

Yuki tightened her fists at Anna’s comments, not out of anger but because she had arrived at the same conclusion. Seeing Ryuu struggle made her heartache.

‘Ryu-chan…’

- - -

As the time for the final whistle grew closer, Ryuu could feel it. Without needing to look behind, he knew that Kikuta Shogo had given him too much space. Ryuu readied himself, and as his focus sharpened, his senses slightly expanded.

Finally, Ooura Higashi intercepted the ball as Yuuto cut out a pass.

“To Miyazaki!”

Yuuto trusted Ryuu’s instructions and sent a swift pass to the still shaky #10, who managed to control the ball. Ryuu sprang into action right then, asking for the ball as he moved diagonally towards the right flank.

“Here!”

Miyazaki sent a pass, undoubtedly his best one all game.

With his back to the goal, Ryuu stopped to receive the ball but made sure to angle himself off center to Shogo, who was now tightly marking him.

However, right when Shogo expected the Ooura #17 to stop the ball, Ryuu let the ball pass and performed a half spin, effectively losing his mark and making a run at the goal.

/ / /

As Cameron stood with his back to the goal to receive Mills’ pass, he could feel Ponce right on him. The powerful center back had been his bodyguard since he scored in the first half, not that Cameron minded.

Mill’s pass was fast, but instead of trapping it like Ponce thought he would, Cameron redirected the ball with his heel to ricochet off of the inside of Ponce’s foot. Before the Frenchman could respond, Cameron did a flawless half-spin and raced towards the goal.

Despite quickly reaching his top speed, Leclair, the Manchester City side back, had almost caught up. Without dropping his pace, Cameron dashed towards the right side of the penalty box and reached the ball before Leclair fully caught up.

The two speedsters were neck and neck until…Cameron performed a devastating Ronaldo Chop. The move shifted the ball behind and to the left of Leclair, and the slight nudge Cameron gave him made sure that the defender would no longer be able to interfere.

/ / /

As Kei scrambled to catch up, Ryuu hustled towards the right side of the penalty box.

[Ichijyou got through! CB Tamura is desperately going back!]

“As if I’d let you!”

Ryuu placed his leading foot at an angle and deflected the ball towards the penalty box as he temporarily killed his own speed to move behind Kei, who failed to stop his own momentum. The striker burst forward with even greater acceleration than previously shown.

Without hesitation, Ryuu entered his shooting motion, but in that instant, he felt it. Instead of a shot, Ryuu slightly chipped the ball and then proceeded to jump forward just as Shogo’s wild tackle came in.

The ball bounced once, and like a predator hunting its prey, Ryuu aimed and shot a ferocious volley that sunk its fangs into the back of the goal.

/ / /

The young #9 dashed into the box and was ready to curl the ball past the keeper using his left foot, but his instincts warned him of incoming danger. Like an acrobat, Cameron performed an improvised rainbow flick that allowed him to narrowly evade Ponce’s last-second tackle.

Taking only a single step to readjust his balance, Cameron took aim and shot a venomous volley that rattled the net as it entered. Soon, he was racing towards the corner flag, celebrating with his teammates and the fans.

/ / /

[GOOAAALLL! 62nd minute, Ichijyou Ryuu scores his fifth goal for the tournament and Ooura Higashi have just tied the game!!]

Right after the announcers exclamation, the crowd went into a frenzy. For his part, Ryuu ran towards the stands and celebrated by pretending to be a matador before he was surrounded by his teammates, who congratulated him.

Shogo could only stare dazedly at Ryuu.

“He’s really a genius….”

“…Yeah. But soccer is a game played by eleven, not by one. We still have time, and we still have the momentum. We’ll get an opportunity, so stay focused, Shogo!”

“Yes, Kei!”

And perhaps for the first time, Shogo was entirely focused. He was still disheartened by Ryuu’s incredible goal but thinking about how he and Kei had basically shut down a genius this entire time comforted him greatly.

.

.

.

Kei’s assumption was quickly proven correct because right when the match restarted, Nitsuta returned to what they were doing before, and soon they were awarded a corner kick.

Shogo ran to the goal box, and he was followed by Ryuu. Their roles had now switched.

[The center back, Kikuta, is in the front of the goal! The whole Ooura Higashi is on defense. With less than 5 minutes left, this may be the match deciding play!]

Ryuu and Shogo battled for the best position near the front of the goal.

“That goal you scored was incredible, but… I’ll still win, Ichijyou.”

As the corner kick came in, Ryuu and Shogo readied themselves. They jumped simultaneously, but Ryuu’s jump was more explosive. The shorter of the two managed to clear the ball away with his head, and it bounced outside the Ooura penalty box.

When Ryuu was about to exhale a sigh of relief, he saw a blur rushing towards the ball. It was Kei. The second his feet touched the ground, Ryuu sprinted towards the defender, but it was too late.

Kei practically lunged forward as he volleyed the ball. And the Nitsuta defender watched as it curved left, flew past the keepers’ hand, and went straight into the goal.

.

.

.

“FWEEEEH!”

[The referee’s final whistle blows! Nitsuta Middle School wins!]

Shogo, subdued but not deterred, approached Kei and high-fived him.

“We did it, Kei.”

“Idiot, we barely made it out.”

‘This guy. If he’s like this after an injury, what would he have been like without it.’

Even after Nitsuta went up, Ryuu continued to threaten the goal, but at a distance. Yet, the Nitsuta keeper often could only deflect the fierce shots.

“Well. I won, unlike last time. You probably don’t remember the last time.”

“I don’t forget the faces of my opponents. You were one of Kagaya’s defender, right? Nice game, thank you.”

The #17 gave Kei a hug and a genuine compliment before heading off.

‘That Ichijyou remembered…someone like me…seriously, what a guy.’

Ryuu wiped his sweat with his shirt, but it was primarily covering his expression as he mumbled a series of curses.

‘I lost. Damn.’