(Huh? He can shoot from that distance? There are four defenders in front of him, including me! How did he even find an angle to shoot?)
Shingen Tanaka stared at Ryūma Banjō in disbelief.
Ryūma tilted his head, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Assessment complete. You guys are pathetic!"
"Hah? You arrogant brat! We only let you score because we were careless. You won't get another chance!" Shingen Tanaka growled.
Ryūma's grin widened.
"Sure, sure, big hair. If you think you can stop me, then try!"
The game continued—Team W kicked off.
"Stick with me, Team W! Push through and turn the score around!" Shingen Tanaka barked.
"Not happening, big hair! Watch our triangle offense!" the triplet brothers shouted in unison.
Watching their play, Ryūma thought to himself:
(Tch, these three really are triplets. They're so in sync it's like they've got telepathy—and they even talk in unison!)
"Damn it, are you three clones? Shiguma, it's yours!"
Shingen Tanaka called out to Kyohei Shiguma, positioned wide on the left.
"Got it, we'll break into the box and—"
Before Kyohei could finish, a shadow cut across his vision—Ryūma had already intercepted Tanaka's pass.
"Heh, nice one, big hair! I knew you'd pass to the big guy—and you did! Thanks for the gift!"
Ryūma immediately sent the ball forward.
"Hiori, take it! Counterattack!"
With that, Ryūma sprinted down the left flank, while Yo Hiori, receiving on the right, drove the ball toward Team W's backline.
"Damn it! Backline, step up! Stop them! Don't let them near the box!"
"No! That Ryūma Banjō—don't let him run free! Mark him tight!"
Tanaka shouted frantically.
(Too late! After so many training sessions with him, I know—he's already entering that zone where he can shoot from anywhere!) Hiori thought, then launched a long ball from the right, dropping it near the center of Team W's defense.
"Get to it! No one from Team V is there—it's a mispass!" Tanaka yelled as he rushed back.
"A mispass? No way—this is perfect! Accelerate!"
Ryūma grinned from the left, his heterochromatic eyes flashing purple.
In a blur, he cut across the pitch, planting his left foot and swinging his right leg back. Channeling all his power into one strike, he drove his foot through the ball with deadly precision.
It was the move he'd mastered by studying the New Generation World 11's Kaiser—the technique known as "Kaiser Impact"
Even though he could only harness part of his full strength, the shot's force was overwhelming.
"BOOM!"
The strike thundered as the ball rocketed forward, and the scoreboard lit up in bold letters:
GOAL!! Team V 2:0 Team W
"What?! No way! How do you even block that? My arm would snap if I touched it!" Team W's keeper stammered in terror.
It was no exaggeration. Ryūma had combined his blistering "Godspeed" run-up with Kaiser's "Impact" technique, creating a shot no ordinary keeper could face.
Shingen Tanaka glared at his demoralized teammates.
"Don't lose heart! It's only two goals! Mark that heterochromatic brat, tighten formation, and overturn the score in one push!"
Team W regrouped. Tanaka, Shiguma, and two more players pressed forward, while three others stayed locked on Ryūma, preventing his interceptions and off-the-ball movements.
Of the rest, one held the backline, while two shadowed Hiori, ready to steal or disrupt his passes.
"Don't let those triplets form their setup! Get up and mark them!" Tanaka barked again.
Two W-players pushed forward, pinning down two of the triplets.
"Damn it! These guys are so annoying!"
"Out of the way! Big bro, just steal big hair's ball!"
"Relax, he won't get past—wait, what?! Where did he go?!"
Using his teammates to block the triplets' vision, Tanaka slipped through the blind spot of the last brother and surged ahead.
"Your ball, Shiguma! Let's storm their box!"
Confidence brimmed inside Tanaka.
(Ryūma is marked. Hiori is contained. Team V has no one left to stop us!)
"Let's go!" Shiguma echoed, but the moment he pushed forward, a sharp, disdainful sigh cut through the air.
"Pathetic. You play like children. This match is a complete waste of time."
Rin Itoshi's voice was cold, his expression bored.
Before Shiguma could even react, Rin was already behind him—and the ball that had been at Shiguma's feet was gone.
(What? I already passed it left to Tanaka when I saw him—!)
(Don't tell me… he predicted it? No, impossible! I only made that pass as a reaction. Even if he did predict it, how could he hit it so perfectly?)
(Was it fast or slow? Forward or back? How could he know? …It must have been luck.)
Shiguma froze as Rin pulled away, shock and dread coiling in his chest.
"Shiguma! Snap out of it and defend!" Tanaka yelled while sprinting back.
"Huh? Sorry, Tanaka! I'll get it back!"
Shiguma snapped awake and charged, but Rin gave them no chance.
Team W had left only one defender at the back. The others were either pushing forward or glued to Ryūma and Hiori, leaving their defense wide open.
Even as a few scrambled back, it didn't matter. Against Rin, even a full defense wouldn't have been enough.
He weaved past the remaining defenders and, with a crisp strike, sent the ball flying. The keeper dove the wrong way entirely.
GOAL!! Team V 3:0 Team W
Rin glanced with contempt at the players he'd breezed past. Then, turning to Shingen Tanaka and Kyohei Shiguma, who had collapsed mid-sprint, gasping for air, he said:
"Hurry up and kick off, trash. Let's finish this boring game already."