Team Z vs. Team X
Current Score: 1 - 1
The game had turned into a war zone. Barou Shoei was rampant.
Every time Team Z tried to build an attack, Barou would crush it with sheer physical force. He wasn't just a striker; he was a tyrant who roamed the entire pitch.
"Give me the ball!" Barou roared, shoving his own teammate aside.
He took possession near the halfway line. Raichi and Igarashi rushed him.
"We'll stop you together!" Igarashi screamed, closing his eyes and diving in.
Barou didn't even flinch. He performed a sharp Chop Dribble, cutting the ball instantly to the right. Igarashi flew past him like a plastic bag in the wind. Raichi tried to grab Barou's jersey, but Barou stiff-armed him in the face.
"Don't touch me, scum."
BOOM.
From 25 meters out, Barou unleashed another cannon. The ball dipped viciously and tore past Iemon's hands.
GOAL.
Team Z: 1 - Team X: 2
"Dammit!" Kunigami punched the ground. "He's unstoppable!"
The morale of Team Z was shattering. The "Plan" was failing because the individual quality gap was too high.
"Hey, Isagi!" Raichi yelled, wiping blood from his lip. "Do something! You're the genius, right? Why are we losing?!"
Isagi stood at the center circle, staring at Barou, who was celebrating by pointing to his own name on his jersey.
Isagi's breathing was calm. Disturbingly calm.
He's strong, Isagi admitted internally. In a 1-on-1 duel, his specs are higher than mine. If I fight him fairly, I lose.
Isagi looked at his teammates. They were scared. They were looking for a savior.
Perfect. Fear makes people obedient.
"Shut up and listen," Isagi said, his voice cutting through their panic. "Barou is a simple creature. He's obsessed with his own image. He will never pass. That is his strength, but also his fatal flaw."
Isagi turned to Kunigami. "Kunigami, stop running forward blindly. Stay at the 20-meter line. When I get the ball, I will draw the defenders. You just find the open pocket of space."
"You want me to be a decoy?" Kunigami scowled.
"I want you to be a weapon," Isagi corrected. "Do you want to lose to that King, or do you want to shoot?"
Kunigami gritted his teeth. "Fine. Just get me the ball."
Kickoff.
Team Z restarted the game.
Isagi didn't rush. He passed back to Bachira.
"Bachira, let's dance," Isagi whispered.
Bachira grinned. "Roger!"
They moved up the field in sync. Bachira's dribbling drew two defenders. Isagi moved in the shadows, constantly scanning.
Metavision update: Barou is lurking. He wants to steal the ball and score a hat-trick.
Isagi received the pass from Bachira. Immediately, Barou charged at him.
"I'll crush you, Isagi!"
Isagi waited until the last possible second. He felt Barou's heat, his overwhelming pressure.
Now.
Isagi didn't dribble past him. He didn't pass.
He stopped.
He came to a complete halt. Barou, moving at top speed, couldn't stop instantly. His momentum carried him half a step too far.
In that tiny window, Isagi tapped the ball sideways.
Not to himself.
To the space on the right.
"Kunigami!" Isagi shouted.
Kunigami was there, unmarked, just as Isagi had predicted.
"I'm not just a weapon!" Kunigami roared.
He unleashed his lefty shot. It was a laser beam.
The Team X keeper dove, but the shot was too powerful. It ripped into the net.
GOAL.
Team Z: 2 - Team X: 2
"Hell yeah!" Kunigami screamed, fist-pumping.
He looked at Isagi. "Nice pass."
Isagi walked back to the center line. "Don't thank me. You did your job."
Final Minutes.
The clock showed 88 minutes. The game was tied.
Both teams were exhausted. The rain of sweat on the field was palpable.
But Barou wasn't tired. He was angry.
"I will not draw with these insects," Barou growled.
Team X had the ball. They fed it to Barou.
He was surrounded by three Team Z defenders.
"Pass it, Barou! I'm open!" a Team X player shouted.
Barou ignored him. "I'll finish this myself!"
He charged into the triple team. It was suicide. But it was Barou. He muscled through two of them.
Only Isagi was left standing between Barou and the goal.
It was the final showdown. The King vs. The Visionary.
Barou smirked. "Get out of the way, Isagi. I'll bury you."
He wound up for a shot.
Isagi didn't move. He stared directly at the ball.
I know you, Barou. You think you're the protagonist. You think the world revolves around your goal. That arrogance blinds you.
As Barou swung his leg, Isagi took a step forward.
He didn't try to block the ball. He stepped into Barou's personal space.
Barou hesitated for a microsecond. Ideally, he would shoot through Isagi, but the proximity threw off his rhythm.
Stupid, Isagi thought.
Isagi stuck his foot out, not to block, but to poke.
He poked the ball before Barou could make contact.
The ball rolled away from Barou's foot.
"What?!" Barou gasped.
Isagi had stolen it.
"Counter," Isagi said coldly.
The field was open. Team X had poured everyone forward to support Barou.
Isagi sprinted. His legs were heavy, but his mind was sharp.
Bachira was running alongside him.
"Isagi! One-two!" Bachira called.
Isagi passed to Bachira, then sprinted past the last defender. Bachira returned the pass perfectly.
Isagi was one-on-one with the keeper.
I could shoot now, Isagi calculated.
But he sensed a shadow behind him. Barou.
Barou had sprinted back the entire length of the field. He was coming to block the shot from behind.
"I won't let you!" Barou screamed.
Isagi saw him. He smiled.
Come on, King. despair.
Isagi wound up to shoot with his right. Barou slid in to block the right side.
It was the same move as the first goal.
Isagi cut the ball back to his left.
Barou flew past him, sliding helplessly into the net.
Isagi stood in front of the open goal. He took a deep breath.
"Checkmate."
He tapped the ball in.
GOAL.
Team Z: 3 - Team X: 2
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
GAME OVER.
Isagi stood over Barou, who was lying in the goal, tangled in the net.
The "King" looked up, his eyes wide with shock. He had never lost like this. He had never been completely read.
Isagi looked down at him, his blue eyes piercing.
"You're a good player, Barou," Isagi said, his voice void of sympathy. "But on this field, you're not the King. You're just another pawn in my game."
Isagi turned and walked away.
Bachira jumped on his back. "We won! We actually won! Isagi, you're a monster!"
Kunigami and Chigiri walked over, looking at Isagi with a mix of respect and fear.
They realized something that day.
Isagi Yoichi wasn't just a teammate. He was the boss.