At that moment, a figure clad in the blue number 10 jersey burst into the frame.
It was Kira Ryosuke, who had been tracking the play from the very beginning. He didn't even look at the ball as he sprinted; his movement was fueled by pure, unshakeable trust in Bachira. The roar of his teammates and the frantic, panicked screams of the defenders confirmed it: his line was perfect.
The ball... was here!
As Kira hit the center of the penalty area, the ball rolled into his line of sight. He decelerated slightly, adjusting his stride to find the perfect rhythm, and stole a quick glance at the goalkeeper's positioning. As the leather met his feet, Kira locked his right ankle, making his leg straight as a rod, and lashed out at the ball.
"To the left!"
The opposing keeper reacted instinctively, leaping high with outstretched fingers to tip the ball wide. However, the attack had developed with such blistering speed that he wasn't fully set. The ball rose in a sharp arc, grazing past the keeper's fingertips by a hair's breadth before slamming violently into the top corner of the net.
Thump.
Goal!
Less than three minutes into the match, Team Z led 1-0.
Kira punched the air with a savage intensity. His teammates swarmed him instantly, surrounding him in a chaotic celebration of Team Z's first-ever goal.
"Fast! That was way too fast! You three were incredible!" Kunigami shouted in genuine admiration. Though he had been pushing up the left wing, Kira, Isagi, and Bachira had operated like a high-performance engine, tearing through Team X's defenseless line before they even knew the game had started.
"Kira, how did you know I'd cross it there?" Bachira asked, his eyes wide with excitement. "To be honest, even I wasn't sure if anyone would be there to meet it."
Kira pointed at himself, then at Bachira. "Did you forget our training session the other night? That pass was exactly the triangle play we kept drilling."
Isagi's eyes widened. Of course. Bachira's instinctive cut-back from the goal line was the result of the triangular passing patterns the three of them had practiced for hours.
Kira felt a surge of private pride. The cut-back was a classic professional maneuver, and while high school teams practiced it, it only worked with players who shared a deep, mutual understanding. By building that trust early, Kira had triggered a chemical reaction that ripped Team X's defense to shreds.
However, a small part of Kira remained cautious. Their opponents were still talented strikers; if they were given time to regroup and organize, the rest of the game wouldn't be easy. He had to shatter them now, while they were still paralyzed by the shock of conceding. If all else failed, he still had his "Cheat Codes" ready.
Kira turned his gaze back to the pitch, his eyes filled with confidence.
Across the field, Barou Shoei looked like he was about to grind his teeth into dust. His eyes were murderous. Because he was a striker, he hadn't tracked back to defend, forced to watch from a distance as Kira stole his spotlight.
In Barou's world, no one was allowed to outshine the King. I'll let these peasants celebrate for now, he thought. He had never once considered the possibility of losing.
His teammates, however, were not as resolute.
"Are they really a brand-new team?"
"That coordination was too fluid... if you told me they'd played together for three years, I'd believe you."
"What do we do? Can we actually beat them?"
Unlike the original timeline, it was Team X who fell into self-doubt. They had started the game thinking only of stealing the ball to score for themselves; they never imagined eleven strikers could play with such calculated organization.
Inside the monitoring room, Teieri Anri stared at the screen, her expression one of utter shock.
"Team Z came prepared. Their positioning and synergy don't look like a team playing their first match."
Even Ego Jinpachi felt a flicker of surprise. According to his calculations, every room should have devolved into total chaos during the opening match. Yet, Team Z had bypassed the carnage entirely.
Usually, eleven strikers would never be satisfied with their assigned roles—unless a convincing leader had emerged among them. Ego watched the screen as the players crowded around Kira.
"It looks like Team X is in serious trouble," Anri noted, observing the shift in momentum.
Ego nodded slowly, a rare gesture of agreement. "But this is only the beginning. Let's see how the King of Team X responds."
Back on the pitch, the celebration ended.
Beep. Match continues.
Team X kicked off. Kira stayed high, wandering the front line. Based on his reading of the game, the current, demoralized Team X had no way of breaking Team Z's fortified midfield.
A few minutes passed. The ball moved aimlessly between Team X's midfielders, unable to penetrate the wall.
Every time Barou tried to move into space to receive the ball, a shadow was glued to his side. It was Raichi Jingo, following him like a piece of stubborn flypaper. Raichi wasn't even looking at the ball; he was obsessed with one thing: Barou.
Kira's pre-match instructions echoed in Raichi's head: "Raichi, you are the most important link. Mark their big man out of the game. Our victory depends entirely on you."
Raichi gritted his teeth, matching Barou stride for stride. That brat Kira actually asked me for a favor, he thought. There's no way in hell I'm letting this guy slip.
Twelve minutes into the first half.
"Nice steal, Raichi!"
Team X tried to force a pass to Barou, but Raichi was already there, sticking out a leg to intercept the ball.
"You ants aren't on my level!" Raichi roared with a maniacal laugh. He wound up and launched a long ball toward the right wing. "Go get it, pixie boy!"
While Raichi's defending was commendable, his passing accuracy left much to be desired. The long ball soared toward a defender, landing several meters away from Bachira.
"Dammit! My bad!" Raichi cursed.
"Insects," Barou spat. Ignoring Raichi's insults, the King immediately retreated into his own half. He realized that if he didn't help defend, the game would be over before it truly began.
The opposing defender settled the ball and saw Bachira closing in fast. He instinctively turned to pass it back to his keeper.
But as he turned, his heart skipped a beat. A blue jersey with the number 11 had already cut into the passing lane.
It was Isagi Yoichi. He intercepted the ball cleanly and let out a command that shook the field:
"Counter-attack!"
Instantly, the entire Team Z squad—including the backline—surged forward like a blue wave, crashing toward Team X's territory.