Chapter 56: The Battlefield
'What should we do? If we keep playing like this, we'll definitely lose. I need to think of something.'
Possibilities for defeating Kira flashed through Isagi Yoichi's mind. Suddenly, an idea struck him. 'That's it! Even though all three opponents have strong individual skills, they are all fighting their own battles. But our side is different. Me, Bachira, and Chigiri have been teammates for several matches.'
'If we can't win in individual 1v1s, then what about 3v3?' Isagi felt he had found a way to win and beckoned Chigiri and Bachira over.
"Huh? What are they doing? Holding a strategy meeting?" Aryu tilted his head, confused by the opponents' behavior.
'Interesting, Isagi Yoichi. What solution can you come up with? Let me see,' Kira watched Isagi with great interest.
Isagi's trio gathered and discussed for a moment.
"I see. Isagi, you mean you want to try playing as a trio?" Bachira seemed to understand Isagi's idea.
"Exactly. I feel if we don't make changes, we can't win against this TOP 3 team," Isagi stated his reasoning.
"Sounds like a good proposal. I think we can try it," Chigiri expressed agreement.
"Right. It's getting dangerous if we continue like this anyway," Bachira also nodded.
"However, I didn't expect that besides Kira, you're also good at coming up with ideas, Isagi?" Bachira seemed surprised by this side of Isagi.
After all, previously, Bachira's eyes were always on Kira's performance; how could he have noticed Isagi, who was constantly thinking so hard?
"We've never lost before. We can't start losing just because Kira's gone! It makes it seem like we can't do without him!" Isagi's entire body emitted astonishing fighting spirit.
Simultaneously, he thought to himself: 'I want to prove that even without Kira, I can win!'
"Oh ho, the expressions on those three seem different now," Aryu said while playing with his hair, noticing the change in the White Team.
"Is that so? I'm really looking forward to it," Kira also stretched, loosening up his body.
Match Continued.
White Team's possession.
After the kickoff, the White Team made obvious adjustments. Instead of relying on one person dribbling for a breakthrough, the three formed a triangle. They steadily advanced the ball through continuous one-touch passes.
'What's this?'
'This move?' Kira was somewhat surprised. This was the triangle passing they had practiced during training when he, Bachira, and Isagi were together.
Kira watched the situation on the field. The ball circulated constantly at the feet of Chigiri, Isagi, and Bachira. Gradually, their positions pressed past the midfield.
'Using what I taught you to defeat me?' Kira carefully observed the flaws in this formation, ready to find an opportunity to break it.
Isagi also constantly turned his head, received the ball, and passed it, all while thinking to himself.
'Chigiri is marked by Aryu. In a 1v1 against Aryu with his superhuman leap and coverage, Chigiri's speed is hard to utilize. Bachira is the same; facing Kira, who knows his habits and techniques, dribbling breakthroughs are useless. So, if we compete based on individual ability, we'll definitely be at a disadvantage.'
'We can only do this: control the distance within 15 meters, ensuring no one gets isolated. It can work. Maintain it. As long as we bring the ball in front of the goal, there's a chance!' Isagi thought.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, after Isagi passed to Chigiri, Chigiri started accelerating. This was the White Team's signal to launch an attack.
The long-limbed Aryu immediately followed.
"Hey, hey, hey, you won't break through my area."
Chigiri sneered in response, "I know that, of course." He then immediately passed to Bachira.
Isagi Yoichi instantly accelerated, searching for an opening. In a flash, Isagi ran into an unguarded space. Receiving a pass there would be an ideal shooting position.
"Such a naive tactic. You think I can't see it?" Itoshi Rin was no longer standing still. In an instant, he closed down Isagi.
Isagi's eyes widened. 'Seen through?'
'Not by Kira... This guy can see through me?'
'As expected of the number one ranked player.'
Isagi felt a trace of despair. This was the best method he could think of to break the deadlock.
"This..." After receiving the pass, Bachira originally intended to pass to Isagi immediately, but Isagi's position was covered. And Kira was right in front of him; breaking through would be impossible.
'In that case...'
'Then read my pass properly, Hyoma Chigiri!!!'
Bachira didn't pass to Isagi as planned. Instead, he passed to Chigiri on the other side.
'Ah, that pass?' Isagi stared blankly. 'I can't participate in the triangle attack now. Bachira's pass is useless here! Chigiri is defended by Aryu; it's impossible for him to receive the ball.'
Kira saw the nuance in this pass and looked thoughtfully at Bachira. "An imaginative pass."
"Hehe." Bachira chuckled, sticking out his tongue.
At this moment, Chigiri and Aryu constantly jostled for position.
'It's over. Following this trajectory, the ball will still be intercepted by him,' Chigiri thought. But then, he noticed the difference in the ball's spin.
'This is…? Just run forward, right?' Chigiri instantly understood Bachira's intention.
Chigiri immediately accelerated, not even looking at the ball's path.
'What does this mean?' Aryu was confused. He couldn't understand the point of Chigiri accelerating now.
'Giving up?'
"I said this area is mine!" Aryu leaped high, stretching his leg out in mid-air to intercept the ball again.
A sudden change occurred!
The ball actually accelerated and curved, changing direction.
Aryu was shocked in mid-air. 'What is this? A curving pass?'
The ball deviated from its previous trajectory, causing Aryu to intercept nothing but air. The landing point was precisely the direction Chigiri was sprinting towards.
"Go! Chigiri!!!" Bachira shouted wildly.
"It seems I guessed right, Bachira!" Chigiri accelerated with the ball to the front of the goal and raised his foot!
Boom.
Goal!
The White Team scores.
The score is now 1-2.
"Whoo-hoo!" Chigiri waved his fist. Bachira came over from afar and hung onto him.
"How was my pass?" Bachira was now acting like a teammate looking for praise.
"It was incredible! A pass that makes you addicted!" Chigiri responded with a thumbs-up.
While talking, the two returned to their previous formation. Isagi also returned to his position. "I didn't expect that... That was amazing, Bachira, Chigiri!"
After watching the scene, Kira also felt somewhat gratified inwardly. 'This guy Bachira is still constantly improving. I need to step up my game too.'
"How should I put it... Previous passes, like Isagi's, all had a clear purpose. I could see it at a glance. But Bachira's pass just now required deep thought to comprehend," Chigiri shared his feeling.
'Is this the chemical reaction between Chigiri and Bachira? Using triangle attack coordination to control the passing, and finally, building on my run, relying on Bachira's inspired pass and Chigiri's speed to score. Is this our current style of play as a trio?'
'We can win!' Isagi instantly gained confidence. 'As long as I find more uses for myself in this team, we can defeat the TOP 3.'
"Enough." Itoshi Rin suddenly stood at the kick-off point.
"I understand your level now. Truly green as grass..."
"You still treat playing here as a simple sports competition, right?"
"This is a battlefield. Right now, you are the equivalent of soldiers turning your backs to someone aiming a gun!"
"That's why I say, you are too green!"
Having said that, Itoshi Rin directly took a shot from the midfield.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Impossible!?"
Under the disbelieving gazes of the White Team trio, a world-class strike smashed into the net.
GOAL!
Score: 3-1.
The Red Team scores again.
'That just now... was a world-class strike from midfield? So... so powerful...' Isagi felt his football worldview being overturned. 'Even though this is a mini-pitch, it's still too exaggerated.'
Witnessing all this, Kira couldn't help the excitement stirring within him.
'Itoshi Rin, you've finally stopped standing still. Let's revel together!'
The corners of Kira's mouth turned upwards, revealing his warm smile
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