The female referee hold the whistle close to her lips, the tension between both teams noticable.
The two coaches outside the pitch watched more closely and so were the instructors. The kids who were standing outside the area behind the fence didn't cheer up for team orange... It was as if even them sensed something had changed.
The ball was with the orange team to start first, the referee rose her hand and blew the whistle cutting it down to start the game.
The foward, Kenta Marito, kicked the ball backwards and his team explode foward.
It was like their game approach has now changed and they were about leaning to attacking now they have the advantage.
The ball rolled back into midfield—straight to Kenzie Kamay. Saki's eyes sharpened instantly. "Press him." Without hesitation, he and Papu surged forward together, closing the space before Kenzie could settle.
Kenzie lifted his head, scanning the pitch. Just once. But that was already too long.
He was thinking.
He's thinking…
Saki closed the gap quickly, angling his run to cut off the central lane, while Papu came in from the side to trap him. The pressure tightened around Kenzie like a net. His teammates began to move into space, calling for the ball, but Saki had already read the patterns. He adjusted his stance, cutting off the passing angles one by one.
"Cut the angles," Saki muttered under his breath.
Kenzie tapped the ball once, then again, trying to create just enough space to escape the press. But there was no room. Every option was shrinking, every second feeling heavier than the last. For the first time in the match, the so-called genius looked rushed.
His composure cracked.
Then, suddenly—just as Saki stepped in to steal the ball—
Kenzie released it.
He played the ball to the fullback, Kaito, who took a few quick strides forward before shifting it cleanly into midfield—finding Young Nicholas, the possession master.
But the moment the ball reached him, Don was already on him.
Pressure.
Hard and immediate.
Nicholas didn't panic.
With a sharp half-turn, he slipped past Don in one fluid motion, shielding the ball and accelerating forward as if the pressure had never existed.
On the right wing, Joha was already sprinting down the flank, his movement sharp and purposeful, while their striker pushed too early again—dragging himself into a predictable position.
On the far left, Imao struggled to break through. Jin Takahashi, the right fullback, stayed locked in—calm, disciplined, denying him any space to breathe, let alone advance.
Nicholas continued his advance, head lifting as he scanned the field. The defense shifted slightly, trying to adjust, and for a brief moment, space began to open on the right. His body leaned as if to release the ball to Joha—but he held it a second longer.
And then, from nowhere—Elton stepped in.
A clean, perfectly timed tackle.
Even Young Nicholas seemed to have missed his lurking presence.
Elton didn't hesitate. He collected the loose ball and surged forward, driving into space as the Orange team scrambled to reorganize.
This time, there was no rushed buildup—no quick, short passes.
Instead—
He went long.
A single, precise pass sliced across the field, sent toward the far left.
Lumi read it instantly.
He brought the ball down with a soft touch against his chest, cushioning it into his stride before bursting forward, accelerating into space and stretching the defense line.
On the opposite side, Kaito and Marco Rossi, the center defenders, shifted quickly to close him down, stepping in to trap him before he could gain more ground.
But the space that they left behind is where Saki slipped in predatory, timing his movement so he arrived exactly as Lumi needed an option. For a brief moment, Lumi lifted his head, and their eyes met. Without hesitation, he nudged the ball forward into the space Saki had created.
The pass wasn't loud or flashy—it was precise, intentional.
And just like that, the attack shifted.
Saki received the ball in stride.
His first instinct was clear—shoot.
The angle was there. Not perfect, but dangerous enough.
Kaito and Marco Rossi were still recovering, trying to close the gap, but the space in front of Saki felt… open.
For a split second, everything slowed.
And then—he spotted Papu once again, completely unmarked, forgotten as always.
Saki lifted the ball, sending it high into the air, aiming for a header and a quick finish from the rebound.
But before it could reach Papu—
Joha rose.
He met the ball cleanly, heading it away from danger and clearing it out toward their own side.
Damn.
Saki clicked his tongue, frustration flashing across his face.
As the ball hung in the air, untouched—suspended for a brief, breathless moment—it felt like time had slowed.
Then—
Don appeared.
With his usual sharp presence, he stepped into the space and met the dropping ball without hesitation. His body leaned into the strike, and with one clean, powerful swing, he drove it forward.
The shot came out of nowhere.
No control.
No second touch.
Just pure force.
The ball flew past everyone—past the defenders, past the goalkeeper—nestling straight into the net.
The whistle blew.
"Yeah!!!"
A wave of energy erupted from the blue team
as they rushed toward Don, voices exploding in celebration.
Even outside the fence, the crowd shifted—kids who had been silent now cheering loudly, drawn into the moment.
"Wow—go blue team!"
"They didn't see that coming, did they?" Said Don cerebratingly to the rest of the blue team.
"We've got them now."
"No joke! Don, I didn't expect that from you," Saki said, a small smile forming on his face.
"Yeah," another voice added—Elton, the midfielder. "You could've taken it yourself. You hesitated, didn't you? You had the chance and the ball to score, but you held back."
His words carried a hint of truth, leaning toward Saki's earlier display.
The team went quiet.
For a moment, even Saki said nothing.
Then—
"Better options can be more rewarding," he said calmly, his words directed at the whole team.
Surprisingly most of them nodded except Elton who seemed more centered to what he said earlier.
"Next time, I'll try not to pass when I have the chance to score," he said, meeting Elton's gaze directly.
Elton nodded once, a small, knowing smile forming on his face.
"And Lumi," Saki added suddenly, turning his attention to the young winger, "this time we're not stretching them wide. When you get the ball, cut inside. We need to bring chaos now that they've seen our pattern—they'll react to it."
Lumi smirked, his confidence steady.
"Rest assured," he said.