Chapter 151: Shadows of Youth
Charles moved with a frantic, high-velocity grace, his head snapping side to side as he scanned the terrain. The ball danced at his feet, an extension of his own twitchy energy, before he suddenly abandoned the midfield tug-of-war and fired a laser toward the box.
"Watch Loki's positioning!" Niko screamed from the back, his voice raw. Since he wasn't on the front line, all he could do was act as the team's eyes.
Loki's position? Kira narrowed his eyes, tracking the trajectory. The curve of the ball was definitely bending toward Julian Loki, but Marc Snuffy was stuck to him like a shadow. Even if Loki trapped it, there was no way he was shaking the Crown Messenger that easily.
Charles wasn't the type to make a rookie mistake like that. There had to be a catch.
The answer became clear in a second: Charles was using Loki as the ultimate bait. The real target was Shidou Ryusei, who was currently igniting like a rocket behind Loki's back.
As the ball arrived, Loki's lips curled into a faint smirk. He performed a sharp, subtle sidestep, letting the ball whistle past him. Behind him, Shidou was already on the hunt, eyes wide and manic.
'Tch. Another diamond in the rough with some serious kick,' Snuffy thought, his gaze lingering on Shidou for a second before he inwardly shook his head. 'But man, that's just unrefined. What's with the tongue? You're supposed to kick the ball, not taste it.'
Snuffy glanced back at his own protege, Kira. 'Now that's what a striker should look like. Clean. Efficient. Perfect.'
Loki took one look at Shidou's predatory expression and immediately looked away. 'Is he always this insane?'
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Shidou roared. He was in a state of pure, unadulterated hunger. Anything standing between him and the net was just something to be crushed. He shredded through Aiku's cover and bypassed Aryu's reach with a violent burst of speed.
Shidou licked his lips, coming face-to-face with the goal. He wound up and unleashed a thunderous strike.
BOOM!!!
"RIGHT IN THE WOMB!!" He let out a manic screech before the ball even crossed the line.
Suddenly, Kira appeared. With his hands behind his back to avoid a handball, he met the shot with a clinical header, sending it spiraling out of the danger zone.
Shidou's face froze, his momentum snapping. "KIRAAA!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"Down, boy. Good puppies don't bite," Kira retorted.
He had seen Shidou's run a mile away. He'd chosen to defend the goal line specifically to avoid getting tangled up with Shidou's physical frame. Engaging a Shidou in the FLOW was a good way to get a stray elbow to the jaw, and Kira valued his face too much for that.
"It's not over yet, Kira!" Aiku barked, sounding a frantic alarm.
At the edge of the box, Itoshi Rin's aura shifted. His eyes were burning with a dark, cold fire. He caught the rebound on the full volley, launching a strike that screamed with killing intent.
'Great. He's in the FLOW too?'
Snuffy saw the danger and lunged, his boot tipping the ball just enough to disrupt the path. The deflection sent the ball spiraling toward the goal mouth at an erratic angle.
Crap.
Kira didn't have time to think. He scrambled toward the ball, desperate to clear the line before Ubers' defense collapsed entirely.
Swoosh.
A blur of motion eclipsed him. It was Loki.
Kira's eyes widened. 'How? My Trial Card is still active. How is he outrunning me?'
Then he saw it—the black sparks flickering in Loki's eyes.
'Are you kidding me right now? You're a world star playing against kids and you're using the FLOW?'
Loki was operating on a different plane of existence. He met the deflected ball with a clinical tap-in, finally shattering the Ubers' net.
2-1. P.X.G. had clawed one back.
"YES!" Nanase screamed from the sidelines, pumping his fists.
Kira stood there, a bitter taste in his mouth. Everything had happened in a matter of seconds. He'd tried to stop it, but he'd been a half-step too slow.
He realized now that if he had entered the FLOW himself, he might have intercepted Loki. He hadn't yet experimented with stacking a Trial Card and his own FLOW state—the system hadn't warned him against it, but the physical strain was an unknown variable.
'Next time, I'm trying it,' Kira resolved.
Despite the goal, Loki looked strangely composed, almost embarrassed.
"I didn't mean to get that serious," he muttered, the fire in his eyes still simmering. "Let's finish this, Snuffy."
Loki shot a look at Kira. In his mind, the Japanese boy was no longer just a high-schooler; he was a variable that had to be accounted for.
Snuffy looked at the fiery young pro and tapped his wrist, miming a watch. Loki's competitive fire instantly died down into a look of sheer awkwardness.
Beep!
"The three-minute Star Change is over. Masters, please exit the pitch."
The announcement echoed through the pitch. Charles walked up to Loki, looking at him with wide, curious eyes. He'd rarely seen Loki look that focused.
"Hahaha... I guess we'll have to settle the score on the world stage next time," Loki said as he addressed Snuffy.
"Are you trying to settle a score with me, or were you trying to measure yourself against my student?" Snuffy asked, his tone teasing.
"I'd be happy to face him again," Loki said, his tone shifting back to that of a confident world-class ace. "But let's be real, Snuffy. Is he really your 'student'? You're a piece of work, taking credit for a talent like that."
"Mind your business, kid..." Snuffy replied, a faint flush of pride creeping up his neck. He'd taught the kid tactics, sure, but that terrifying speed was something Kira had brought to the table himself.
The masters exited, leaving the arena to the blue-locked egos once more.
[Julian Loki Attribute Trial Card has expired...]
Kira exhaled. He'd timed it perfectly. If the match had gone on a second longer, he would have had to burn a Snuffy card just to keep up. But now, seeing the fire in Shidou and Rin's eyes, Kira felt his own ego surging. He wanted to see how long they could last against the style of a man who had conquered the world.
Kira closed his eyes, centered his breathing, and whispered: "Use Snuffy Attribute Trial Card."
[Marc Snuffy Trial Card activated successfully!]
[Ball Retention +25]
[Vision +25]
[Physical Fluidity +25]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
As the card took effect, Kira felt a radical shift. The frantic, explosive energy of Loki was replaced by a deep, velvet-smooth sense of control. His body felt liquid, his mind expanding to encompass every blade of grass on the pitch.
Beep!
"Match continues."
As the whistle blew, Snuffy sat down on the bench. He leaned forward, unable to pull his gaze away from the field. His heart hammered with a strange, nostalgic joy.
Kira began to move, receiving the ball with a touch that was so soft it looked like magic. Snuffy watched him, his eyes filled with a deep, soulful longing. In Kira's every movement, every turn, and every decision, Snuffy saw the beautiful, haunting shadow of his own youth.
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