"No way... What kind of move was that?"
The members of Team Z stood stunned by Seishirō's move.
This was the difference between genius and ordinary people.
"Now you get it? You can't possibly beat us because my Nagi is a once-in-a-million genius — a genius among geniuses. You can't beat him, and that includes you, Ryōsuke Kira. You might be strong in Team Z, but compared to him, you're not even close." Reo walked up with a taunting smile, showing no respect for his opponent.
But Ryōsuke's expression remained perfectly calm as he replied coolly, "Yeah, I get it. That was a beautiful shot... but hey man, you weren't the one who scored it, so what are you so happy about? Someone might think you made that shot yourself."
"Huh?" Hearing his words, Reo's eyebrow twitched violently.
"And besides, why do you keep saying 'my Nagi, my Nagi' like you can't live without him? Are you obsessed or something?" Ryōsuke mocked him in a calm tone, knowing that in the original story, he had indeed become obsessed with the white-haired guy.
Trash talk was part of competitive sports — it could boost morale and affect the opponent's mental state, and Reo's mentality was the easiest to break.
Besides, getting cocky after just one goal — Ryōsuke had to strike back.
"Well said!" Meguru chimed in with a laugh from the side.
"You bastard!"
Just two comments were enough to set Reo off. He started to rush forward but was quickly held back by Zantetsu.
"Calm down, Reo. This is a match — getting a yellow card now would be troublesome."
Zantetsu's words gradually calmed Reo down, and his face twisted into a smile as he continued his taunts.
"In this match, I'll show you the difference between us. You so-called 'jewel of soccer' — I'm going to crush you under my feet! Nagi's goal just now should have shown you the gap between us!"
"Is that so? Well, let's see about that." Ryōsuke responded with a smile, then turned to his teammates, "Seishirō Nagi's control and shooting skills were incredible just now. Are you guys scared?"
"Yeah, he's strong, but that's what makes it interesting, right?" Meguru responded with a smile.
"That's exactly why we need to defeat them fair and square." Rensuke's expression remained unchanged.
"We might not lose, you know!" Yoichi clenched his right fist, his expression determined.
In the past, such a goal might have shaken their confidence, but the current Team Z was different. Instead of being intimidated, Seishirō's talent and ability had ignited their fighting spirit.
Qualifying wasn't their concern anymore — winning this match was all that mattered.
"These guys... they're so annoying with their blind confidence." Reo scowled, displeased that Team Z's morale had only grown stronger after the goal.
"This is becoming more and more troublesome." Seishirō said slowly.
"Now it's our turn to attack." Ryōsuke narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on Team V's goal.
Team Z launched their offensive, with Meguru advancing the ball while Ryōsuke and Yoichi provided support on the flanks.
"Ryōsuke Kira is joining the attack? This is Team Z's first real offensive play." Despite his earlier contempt, Reo remained focused, analyzing the situation carefully.
As he studied the triangle offense formed by Ryōsuke, Meguru, and Yoichi, he searched for Team Z's weakness.
While Team Z's Captain was undeniably strong, the others were considerably weaker in comparison.
'We just need to cut off his connection with his teammates!' Reo thought. 'Isagi's abilities are limited. Though his passing vision is decent, his speed and ball control are lacking. He's merely a transit point in their triangle offense.
The best strategy is to double-team Bachira and force him to pass. His only back-pass options are Isagi or Kira, and since Isagi lacks offensive ability, he'll have to pass to Kira. Tight coverage is all we need — the others aren't threats.'
With this strategy in mind, he smiled and sprinted to mark Ryōsuke, directing his teammates to double-team Meguru and block the passing lanes.
"Kira, you won't get the ball with me here! I'll show you the difference between us!" Reo taunted in his ear.
"In the match against Team Y, someone told me the exact same thing." Ryōsuke merely glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
Though his receiving routes were cut off, he remained composed, steadily advancing toward the opponent's goal.
"Still putting up a brave front?" Reo could sense Ryōsuke's composure, as if their defense meant nothing to him.
This guy isn't bluffing. Wait—
A sudden rush of air swept past him. In an instant, Ryōsuke had darted by at breathtaking speed.
"What?!" Reo stood dumbfounded.
Despite being a genius himself, and knowing well from recordings and the match that Ryōsuke was fast, Reo had the defensive advantage and had cut off all receiving routes — he should have had him completely contained.
But now he realized his grave mistake.
Ryōsuke's speed surpassed anything he'd shown before — even faster than when defending against Zantetsu earlier!
'What is he planning?!' For the first time, panic crept across Reo's face as Ryōsuke blazed past him.
"Pass it there!"
And in Meguru's ear, the monster's voice rang out again!
❖❖❖
T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!
For just $1.50 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305258