The sun shone brightly over the quiet city of Tokyo.
The calm of the morning settled over the empty streets as a young boy came sprinting through, wearing a blue Japanese national football jersey. Clutched tightly under his arm was a football, his face lit with sheer, unbridled excitement.
He burst onto the local pitch, calling out eagerly to his friends.
Gathered on the corner of the field, one by one, they all turned toward him, wide smiles spreading across their faces at the sight of the ball.
The kid grinned, and dropped the ball at his feet before kicking it up to launch it straight up into the clear sky.
As the ball descended, the scene shifted seamlessly, and suddenly it was Jiho taking it down on the chest, his eyes wide and locked with intense focus. Dropping the ball to the turf, he broke into an explosive sprint forward, with Nagisa, Takezu, and Senji chasing hard behind him.
