Chapter 16: Overwhelming Strength — Commanding the Team
Before long, everyone from Team Z gathered on their exclusive training field.
Almost everyone had agreed to Ryosuke Kira's proposal.
Only two hours remained until their first match. Though this little contest would consume both time and stamina, everyone understood one thing clearly — if they didn't decide positions and strategy now, the entire team would fall apart like loose sand.
The first priority was victory.
Kira understood that better than anyone. What he needed now was to unite this scattered bunch and secure full control over the team. Only then could he guarantee victory.
He stood before the goalpost, one foot resting on the ball, his sharp gaze sweeping across the players gathered before him.
"Then… who's first?"
"Let me crush you!"
At once, Jingo Raichi stepped forward.
Part of him wanted the striker position — the other part simply couldn't stand Kira's calm, unreadable face. Now was his chance to defeat him and seize the leadership role for himself.
If he could beat Kira, he'd not only earn the front-line position but also command the team. There was no way Raichi would let that slip away.
"Go ahead, you attack first," Kira said with a faint smile, lightly passing the ball toward him. "If you can score, you win. Start whenever you're ready."
Raichi's glare burned like fire. Just looking at Ryosuke made his blood boil.
He knew from the tag game that Ryosuke was strong — terrifyingly so — but one-on-one was a different story. Offense had the advantage, and he trusted his own strength completely.
"Watch me destroy you!"
With a shout, Raichi charged forward, dribbling hard as he approached. Ryosuke merely lowered his stance, his side seemingly full of openings.
There it is! Raichi's eyes lit up. He was ready to dash past with brute speed—
—but in the blink of an eye, Ryosuke was already right in front of him.
Thunderclap and Flash!
This time, the skill wasn't reinforced by his Total Concentration Breathing, so it wasn't at full power. Even so, his speed far exceeded normal human limits.
"So fast!"
Raichi was startled, but he didn't panic. He shifted his body, trying to muscle through. When defenders get too close, that's when attackers find their gaps — or so he thought.
"Hey! It's just a 1v1, you don't have to go that hard!" Wataru Kuon called out anxiously from the side. "You'll burn too much stamina or worse, get injured!"
Raichi ignored him completely. He had too much pride to accept being shown up.
This was his chance — maybe his only one — to humiliate Kira. If he could win, he'd earn the others' respect and dominance within the team.
Once I beat him and take control, I'll make that smug bastard play defense… no, he can be the goalkeeper!
He pushed forward fiercely—
—but he had forgotten one thing: this was the same man who had once stopped Kunigami's full-power shot with his chest.
Their shoulders collided with a heavy thud.
Raichi's eyes widened in disbelief. For a split second, it felt like he'd rammed into a boulder.
"So that's your idea of physical confrontation?"
Kira's calm voice rang in his ear.
The imbalance from the impact ruined Raichi's posture completely — he stumbled and fell face-first onto the turf.
At that exact moment, Ryosuke smoothly took the ball, controlling it at his feet with ease.
"Your attack's over," he said softly.
"Hey, that was a foul!" Raichi snapped, glaring at the others for support.
"No," Kunigami replied firmly. "Kira-kun's move was clean — legitimate body contact."
"My turn to attack."
Kira's cool voice pulled Raichi's attention back. Gritting his teeth, Raichi glared at him furiously.
"Come on then! Don't think you've won just because of a lucky tackle. I'll shut you down this time!"
He backed up toward the goal, narrowing the space to make himself harder to bypass.
"Is that so?" Ryosuke murmured. "Then here I come."
He gathered strength in his legs. Again, he activated Thunderclap and Flash, propelling himself forward at a blinding speed.
This wasn't just about leadership anymore — Kira wanted to test how the technique performed in actual field conditions.
"So fast!"
Everyone watching gasped. Even Raichi's eyes widened. He shifted his balance instantly, throwing himself toward the path Kira might take. It was the only chance he had to block him—
—but Kira stopped dead in his tracks.
The ball froze under his control, while Raichi, unable to stop in time, lurched past him completely off balance.
A gentle tap from Kira's foot sent the ball spinning cleanly into the net.
Goal.
While Thunderclap and Flash in its base form didn't strain his legs as much as the breathing-enhanced version, it still consumed more stamina than a normal sprint. It wasn't something he could spam endlessly. And against real elites, it wouldn't be so effortless. But for now, it was more than enough.
"Damn it… damn it! That was just luck! One more! Let's go again!"
"Enough," Kunigami barked. "A loss is a loss."
The others said nothing — all eyes were fixed on Ryosuke.
Only now did they truly understand his strength. His top ranking wasn't for show.
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〔TL〕
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