The next morning arrived faster than Yuta expected.
His eyes were swollen from crying the night before, but inside his chest… something was burning again. A tiny spark. A tiny bit of hope.
He stood in front of the giant academy gates.
A massive board read:
"Hoshi no Requiem Soccer Academy – Where Fallen Players Rise."
Yuta gulped.
Yuta (thinking):
"Five hundred players… and only eleven will be chosen. This isn't a dream. This is war."
As he entered, he saw hundreds of boys warming up. Some were doing insane tricks, some sprinting like monsters, some already looking like national-level players. But all of them had the same expression:
Hungry. Desperate. Determined.
---
Inside the Registration Hall
A tall man with sharp eyes and a scar across his chin took the mic.
"Listen up, failures!"
His voice echoed through the hall.
The room went silent.
"This is not a normal academy. This is a battlefield. Every one of you is a 'fallen player'—someone who once dreamed big but crashed."
Yuta felt the words stab into his heart.
"But here," the man continued, "you get one last chance. Prove your worth… or get crushed by the others."
The players murmured nervously.
---
Yuta Meets His Rivals
As Yuta stepped aside, someone tapped on his shoulder.
A boy with silver hair and calm eyes stood there, juggling a ball effortlessly.
"You look nervous," he said.
"I'm Akashi Ren. What's your name?"
"Yuta. Yuta Hizashi."
Akashi smiled.
"Good. Don't lose too quickly, okay?"
Before Yuta could respond, someone else walked past them—tall, muscular, with a cold stare.
He whispered without looking back:
"Both of you… are already out of my way."
Yuta shivered.
Akashi frowned.
Yuta (thinking):
"So these are my rivals…"
---
CEO's Announcement
Then, the doors opened again.
The CEO of the academy walked in—an old man with white hair, but eyes full of fire.
CEO:
"WELCOME, FALLEN STARS!"
Everyone stood straight.
CEO:
"Today is your first test. No warm-up. No teams.
You will all run… until you collapse."
Gasps filled the hall.
CEO:
"We don't want your skills first. We want your soul.
Show me you can endure pain."
His eyes locked onto Yuta for a moment.
"Show me your will… to rise."
Yuta clenched his fists.
His heart pounded.
Yuta:
"National team… I will reach you. Even if it kills me."
The whistle blew.
"RUN!!!"
And five hundred fallen players sprinted into the beginning of their new destiny.