Chapter 217: Joint Tryout (13)
"When top-tier players start getting serious, the rest of us really don't stand a chance," muttered Isagi as he sat down in the stands during halftime, just after being subbed out.
He didn't even bother wiping the sweat off his face—his brain was already running at full speed, analyzing the final play of the half.
"Other than Reo, who got pulled into the spotlight thanks to Chris's outburst, that last offensive and defensive exchange was basically a stage for the star players. Whether it's me, Rin, or Kaiser—we simply couldn't get involved. No… it's more accurate to say that we were all collectively holding the balance of the game in place. But the moment anyone made a move, that balance shattered."
"The stars have the ability to instantly sense those shifts and attack the opening. But we—those who aren't stars—can't find any gaps in their plays. That's the core reason we're completely shut out of battles at that level."
Isagi's thoughts became clearer and sharper as he continued dissecting the problem:
"The most frustrating part isn't just the difference in skill—it's the number of star players. Each side has three top-tier stars. That means, when one of them holds the ball, two others can exploit off-ball movement to create openings. It's practically impossible to cover them all. During the second stage of New Hero Battle, when there was only one star per team, it wasn't like this—players like us still had room to make plays."
This match was an exception. Players like Noa, Snuffy, and the others—each one a franchise-level player hand-picked by Ego Jinpachi. Even in top European clubs, you rarely see a lineup stacked with three A-tier players on one team.
Though it was technically a tryout, this was a once-in-a-lifetime All-Star match.
Even pros in major leagues would struggle under these conditions.
Still, Isagi couldn't just accept it. His goal was to be the world's best, and he wouldn't settle for anything less. His eyes locked onto Shinichi across the field, and as he clenched his fists, scattered puzzle pieces quietly began fitting into place in his mind:
"Understanding the balance of the field… That's what I need to learn next. If I can read the balance, I can break it—and when I break it, I'll find cracks. That's the next step."
"I need to internalize the skill of those top players—how they can instantly see and exploit even the smallest shift in balance. I want to be like Shinichi and Loki. I want to enter the ranks of the elite while I'm still young!"
...
Halftime passed quickly.
Shinichi stood up without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Isagi kept his gaze firmly fixed on him.
Chris had basically declared open war on Shinichi.
The second half would revolve around that clash, and Isagi wanted to see exactly how Shinichi would respond to the traps his presence inevitably triggered.
Beep!
With no time wasted, the second half kicked off.
Since Shinichi's team had possession to start the first half, it was now Noa's team with the ball. Noa passed it sideways to Chris before sprinting away to draw Snuffy with him—freeing up space for Chris to operate. But as he left, he gave a last word of warning:
"Play around all you want in this match, but don't forget the purpose of this tryout for the ones that follow."
"Tch, always running your mouth. Yeah, yeah, I got it," Chris replied dismissively before shifting his attention to Shinichi.
"What? Not racing Loki anymore?"
"I just wanted to pay you back, that's all… World No. 2." Shinichi stared Chris down, eyes sharp and unwavering. "You could try what I did—just leave me in the dust."
"You little brat. Not cute at all." Chris didn't bother replying further. He lowered his center of gravity, slowly dribbling the ball toward Shinichi. If it were defense, he might have had a chance—but he knew that while carrying the ball, his speed couldn't match Shinichi's. Which meant… his offensive options were easy to guess.
"Knew you'd try to bulldoze through. You muscle-head idiot."
Their bodies collided with a thud that even made Shinichi grunt in pain—but ever since maxing out his strength stat past 100, Shinichi had selected a special trait to enhance his physical resistance, specifically for moments like this—to counter someone like Chris.
He never underestimated any opponent, not even Chris—the supposed "comic relief" from the original storyline, designed as a stepping stone for Noa and Isagi's growth.
He took even the World No. 2 seriously.
"You talk too much," Chris growled, his voice laced with strain as he felt the unexpected resistance. He'd always known Shinichi was strong—strong enough to outrun him even when pushed off the ball—but this was different. In a one-on-one collision, Shinichi was holding his own.
But brute strength alone wasn't the full equation—adjustment ability during contact mattered even more.
If two players had equal strength and both were forced back a step in a clash, the real difference was: could they recover their posture fast enough to go again?
The one who could instantly regain proper form and launch into another move held the advantage in a prolonged duel.
Chris's style relied on that exact principle—using his superior physicality to attack targeted parts of an opponent's stance. Break their posture, then hit them again through the opening it created.
In this case, Chris faked a cut, then slammed his shoulder into Shinichi's left side. If Shinichi's left leg gave way, he wouldn't be able to recover quickly, leaving Chris open to blow past him on the left flank.
But Shinichi didn't budge—not even a step. Like a wall, he stood firm, blocking Chris's path.
Unwilling to give in, Chris launched another full-power collision.
This time, he finally forced Shinichi back a step—but the recoil also killed his own forward momentum.
Though he technically got half a step past Shinichi, that brief moment was enough for Shinichi to recover and cut him off again.
"Is that all you've got, World No. 2? Seriously? You call that world-class?" Shinichi mocked, his breath steady.
"Stop saying 'World No. 2'! I only lost to Noa by a few votes—it was a narrow defeat!" Chris's forehead veins throbbed with frustration.
Shinichi's deliberate taunting had hit its mark—but Chris knew the truth: dribbling wasn't his strong suit.
His real strength lay in off-the-ball movement—catching passes, then charging like a freight train to smash through defenses.
Even in the original story, when he tried to steal the spotlight by subbing in, he didn't go toe-to-toe with Noa in solo dribbles like Lavinho did.
That just wasn't his game.
Let alone the fact that in this offensive play, Chris didn't even have enough room for a proper run-up.
Without being able to build momentum, he couldn't take advantage of his explosive power.
And going up against Shinichi—someone whose physical strength could match his own—he had virtually no chance of breaking through.
After all, it's not like he'd normally pick a fight with a top-tier defender without getting up to speed first.
This was him foolishly using his own weakness to challenge Shinichi's strength.
"Damn it, Shinichi! You baited me!" Chris growled, glaring daggers at him.
Reluctantly and with a heavy heart, he passed the ball away.
He had really hoped to push around the supposedly inexperienced Shinichi—but it turned out that while Shinichi didn't have the kind of league-hardened instincts veteran defenders relied on, he more than made up for it with an overwhelming all-around physical ability, completely locking down Chris's attack.
Like that one moment when Shinichi was briefly knocked off balance—a seasoned pro defender would've used soft contact techniques to absorb the hit and avoid a direct clash.
But Shinichi? He went head-to-head, matching Chris's power with his own.
And thanks to his superior speed, he even caught up when pushed aside.
Against any other league defender, Chris would've easily gotten past.
But not this guy—not this monster.
Shinichi's boosted resistance had just turned the tables on him.
"You just wait till I get up to speed! Then we'll go again!" Chris shouted, clearly still bitter.
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