The fourth official looked toward the referee.
The referee glanced at his watch.
Then raised one finger.
"One minute!" the announcer shouted.
The words echoed throughout the stadium.
One minute.
Sixty seconds.
That was all that remained.
The scoreboard glowed brightly above the field.
Southside 3 - 3 Nocturne.
One goal.
That was all it would take.
One goal for Southside, and they'd complete the greatest comeback in the club's history.
One goal for Nocturne, and everything Southside had fought for would disappear in an instant.
One minute.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
Nobody in the stands was sitting anymore.
Children stood on their seats.
Parents gripped the railings.
Even the substitutes had wandered to the edge of the technical area, unable to stay seated.
Every heartbeat felt louder than the crowd itself.
The whistle blew.
The ball was back in play.
Réservoir collected possession first.
He immediately slowed the tempo.
His head lifted as he scanned the field.
Every Southside player was pressing.
Every one of them.
"...Interesting," he murmured.
"They're gambling everything."
Yusuke exploded toward him.
"So are you!" Réservoir smiled.
With one elegant touch, he spun away and threaded a pass into midfield.
Aka.
The crowd erupted.
The duel began again.
Yusuke reached him almost instantly.
Shoulder against shoulder.
Studs digging into the grass.
Neither player gave an inch.
Aka nudged the ball forward.
Yusuke hooked a foot around him.
The ball ricocheted loose.
Takumi dived onto it before Theo could react.
"GO!" Hiroto screamed.
Takumi didn't hesitate.
He burst through midfield with Yuma sprinting beside him.
Sora overlapped down the left.
Ren and Daichi pushed forward despite every instinct telling them to stay back.
There was no point defending anymore.
Not with one minute remaining.
The attack reached the edge of the final third.
Takumi slipped the ball toward Yuma.
Marc Pelletier slid across.
Clean tackle.
The ball bounced away.
Straight toward Hiroto.
Without taking a touch, Hiroto fired it back into the penalty area.
Bodies rose.
Jules headed clear.
Only as far as Sora.
Sora chested it down.
Crossed first time.
The ball curled dangerously through the six-yard box.
Adrien hesitated.
Yuma lunged.
Missed by centimetres.
The ball skipped all the way through to the opposite side.
Nocturne recovered.
Theo immediately turned upfield.
Counterattack.
The crowd screamed.
Everyone sprinted.
Yusuke.
Takumi.
Yuma.
Hiroto.
Sora.
Ren.
Daichi.
Every blue shirt raced after Theo.
Even Tsubasa stepped several metres off his line, ready to sweep if he had to.
The match had become complete chaos.
End to end.
Attack after attack.
Neither side cared about conserving energy anymore.
They had nothing left to conserve.
Only one player lagged behind.
Riku.
Again.
He watched everyone charge ahead.
Yusuke chasing Aka.
Yuma demanding the ball.
Hiroto barking orders.
The stadium chanting their names.
He tried to accelerate.
His legs obeyed.
But the distance never disappeared.
"...Again..."
His breathing grew heavier.
He remembered the previous match.
Watching everyone sprint ahead while he faded into the background.
He remembered the interviews.
The fans.
The cheers.
Everyone celebrating somebody else.
Never him.
His fists slowly tightened.
The veins in his forearms bulged.
Ahead of him, Yusuke threw himself into another challenge against Aka.
The crowd exploded.
"YUSUKE!"
Another roar.
Another chant.
Riku lowered his head.
His shoulders trembled.
Then—
he stopped running.
Only for a heartbeat.
He looked at the backs of every player on the field.
The people he'd fought beside.
The people he'd led.
The people who had unknowingly left him behind.
His breathing steadied.
His jaw tightened.
A fire slowly ignited behind his eyes.
His teeth ground together so hard they almost hurt.
"...If they won't acknowledge me..."
His voice was barely more than a whisper.
The fire only grew brighter.
"...I'll just raise all hell until they finally do."
Ahead of him, the ball broke loose once more.
For the first time all match...
Riku didn't chase it.
He hunted it.
To Be Continued.