Seconds passed after the second impact in team X's goal area. Morale and spirits were at rock bottom. A few members of team X knelt on the ground and some of them cried in frustration at the mere thought of losing their first game at the facility, aware of the risk this entailed in their hearts.
Barou did everything he could to calm his spirits and keep away the frustration from consuming his mind, his fists clenched and his teeth chattering. He passively watched Team Z's celebration, which contrasted the moods of both teams, and how little by little the difference in skill between the members became more and more noticeable.
"This is ridiculous! How can the difference in skill be so noticeable?" thought the black-haired player, frustrated, trying to regain his morale, noticing how little by little the score was approaching the end of the first time of the game.
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Minutes later, both teams returned to their positions. Isami and Kunigami noticed how the spirits and strength of Team X began to falter, unconsciously affecting Barou, who was glaring angrily at Kaiser, who was watching the situation impassively.
Kaiser was silent, feeling a slight resonance with the moods and feelings that ran through his enemies. "This is nothing. If this is enough to make them lose heart, I don't think they can handle the pressure of a national or international match."
Kaiser knew from experience the mental pressure that professional soccer could exert on various players. Even the biggest stars had their most vulnerable moments at the hands of the fans in the most important games. Although he was not yet participating in that category, he had a slightly deeper understanding of that world thanks to the experiences that his teacher Noel Noa had instilled in him.
Our protagonist just sighed, dismissing his thoughts and returning to his senses as the match resumed.
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Team X began another attempt to break down the opposing team's defense. The midfielder began to walk toward Team Z's area with some trepidation, the weight of the two goals still weighing on his mind. Next to him, Barou was at the front with his team's two wingers, carrying out a three-pronged attack.
Instantly noticing the situation, Bachira and Isami looked at Ikki and signaled him to be alert to the attack. Ikki, understanding the situation, signaled slightly to the defenders to be alert.
Naruhaya, Kuon, Raichi, and Imamura caught the signal and nodded their heads in agreement.
Team X immediately positioned themselves strategically in the empty areas left by Team Z's inexperience. Little by little, with the ball in their hands, they began to make short passes to each other. Each member had beads of sweat on their foreheads, but they were immensely hungry to score a goal for their team.
At the forefront was Barou. Once he took control of the ball and rushed towards the center of the field, a kind of resonance intertwined the other members, who began to position themselves strategically around the defensive area, much to the dismay of Ikki, who was analyzing the situation in confusion.
Team Z immediately responded to Team X's attempt to attack them.
Bachira smiled mischievously as he took control of the ball, intercepting Barou's ball with a sweep and making a short pass to Isami to orchestrate another attack on Team X. However, the pass was read and interrupted by another member of Team X, who passed it to his teammate, noticing Isami's intentions to take the ball away from him.
A longer, less accurate pass reached Barou, which this time could not be read by Isami or Bachira. Barou, along with the offense, entered Team Z's defense.
Raichi confidently lunged at Barou again, his confidence flowing openly on his face, which held a smile full of excitement and explosiveness.
"Sorry, porcupine, but you won't get past me!" said Raichi as he made contact with Barou for control of the ball.
Barou just clicked his tongue in annoyance as the other defenders from Team Z approached the duel to regain control of the ball. Barou made a short pass to another member of his team.
Once the ball was in the other player's possession, Barou ran back into Team Z's defensive area, which was unprotected as Kuon and Imamura attempted to recover the ball.
Naruhaya watched nervously as Barou slowly approached again. Behind him, Gagamaru watched the match tensely, a drop of sweat forming on his face as he stood with his arms outstretched, expecting the worst possible outcome.
Kaiser, on the other hand, watched the situation impassively. He was not nervous; in fact, he favored the current situation. In his opinion, without some difficulty for his team, they would not be encouraged to grow. He could intercept Team X's advance again, but if he did so and orchestrated another goal, it would be counterproductive for his team.
"This is the perfect situation for them to grow little by little. Otherwise, they won't learn anything and will become complacent because they have me," thought Kaiser, limiting his abilities and focusing on maintaining his position while being marked by one of Team X's defenders. Although the defender was looking at him nervously, he limited himself to doing his job in case Team Z launched another counterattack.
Isami and Bachira, noticing the tense situation of their team, approached the penalty area alongside a desperate Ikki, who could not allow Team X to threaten a possible comeback against his team.
However, it was too late to act. Barou easily bypassed Naruhaya's defense again, finding himself just a few meters from the goal area. Ikki, Isami, and Bachira watched in despair as Barou moved further and further away.
Kuon, Raichi, and Imamura were in the same position, trying to catch up and intercept the black-haired player's advance, but it was in vain, except for Raichi, who was a little closer in terms of physical strength and endurance. Barou surpassed everyone else who was close to his position in terms of physical strength.
Without hesitation, the black-haired man kicked the ball with all his might to the left side of the goal. The ball reached an absurd speed, sabotaging Gagamaru's analysis, who this time was unable to predict where Barou was going to shoot.
Without anyone noticing, Barou's eye flickered with a faint red glow, as if he were in a trance, paying attention to nothing but the ball. However, the sensation vanished in a millisecond, almost as if nothing had happened.
To the despair of Team Z and the renewed hope of Team X, the ball passed through the hands of a frustrated Gagamaru, who stretched his body as far as possible to stop the ball, but his reaction speed in this case was not precise enough.
*GOOOOOAL*
TEAM X: 1 - TEAM X: 2
Barou stretched his arms forward with his chest out, declaring his authority on the field. Instantly, the atmosphere of Team X changed, and a faint but tenuous hope of a comeback was reborn in their minds.
"I hope you witnessed that. Don't think it will be so easy from now on. After all, I am the king of this field," exclaimed the Black Hair man, cheered on by his team under the gaze of Team Z.
Kaiser just closed his eyes and smiled, shaking his head. He had already realized that the flow of the game had changed, his team's morale had been damaged, and if he didn't intervene, his team would certainly have a good chance of losing the game.
"Tch," Isami muttered to himself, nervously observing Barou's presence.
For a moment, Bachira was not smiling. She passively watched as the tide on his side now tilted slightly. "This could get complicated from now on."
Kunigami watched silently with a clenched fist, feeling a bad feeling running through his body. "If we don't do something, this could get worse. Focus."
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The game resumed, with Ikki taking the kickoff. The ball was immediately kicked to Bachira to orchestrate the attack.
The moment Bachira took control of the ball, he was surprised to find three members of Team X flanking his position alongside Isami. Due to the surprise, the ball was snatched away again, much to the frustration of the Black-Haired Girl.
Ikki tried to intercept Team X's attack again, but it was in vain. His intentions were read, and he was tackled again.
Barou once again took the lead, with four teammates behind him. Subconsciously, Team Z began to make mistakes in their organization. The mere idea of being overtaken weighed on their minds and distracted their concentration.
A few minutes later, Team X scored again through Barou, much to the frustration of Team Z.
TEAM X: 2 - TEAM Z: 2
The rhythm of the game had now changed. Isami watched in frustration, trying to think of a way to solve everything, but the pace of the game was now so fast that she couldn't lose focus for a minute or the ball would again pass into the defensive area on his team.
Bachira was frustrated. Every time they tried to pass her the ball or approach her, she was marked by Team X's defenders and her control of the ball was nullified.
Chigiri didn't know how to react. Beads of sweat ran down her body as she tried her best to intercept Team X's attack, but it was in vain. She no longer felt that connection with her team, and the pace of the game was now in the hands of Team X.
Little by little, the positions of the others began to fall apart, and their intentions were openly read.
A few seconds later, another member of Team X took a precise shot at the goal area, which was immediately read and deflected by Ikki, who moved back to contain the attack, but the ball flew into the air and, unfortunately for Team Z, fell into the hands of Barou, who took another accurate shot that went into the goal under the gaze of a frustrated Gagamaru.
TEAM X: 3 - TEAM Z: 2
With just over 4 minutes left in the game, Isami didn't know how to feel about the situation. Going from leading the scoreboard thanks to Bachira and Kaiser to losing by a slight margin was too much to process, as Team X celebrated their lead once again.
She looked away from her team, observing Bachira's serious and irritated expression, Kunigami's tired and disappointed look, and Chigiri's listless gaze.
She felt no different, a deep sense of helplessness running through her mind. Her reactions now felt slower, with just a few minutes left in the game. She knew that if they didn't do something about it, it would deal a severe blow to the unity they had formed before for the next game.
On the other hand, Kaiser analyzed his team's situation, openly feigning an expression of reluctance so as not to be questioned by his team about his true intentions.
"I'll aim for a draw. It's going to be problematic if they collapse under the pressure and conflicts arise later. As much as I want to humiliate them, it's not wise now under the assignment that Ego-san gave me." Kaiser made her final decision, trying to balance the scale of difficulty and teaching for her team.
The game resumed immediately, much to the dismay of Isami, who couldn't think of a quick strategy to try to turn the situation around. The weight of the score was bearing down on them, and she knew that if they didn't do something, they would lose the game.
Bachira was in possession of the ball. Once the whistle blew, she made a short pass to Isami and then ran into Team X's area alongside Kunigami, orchestrating a double offensive.
Isami kicked the ball in a short, quick, curved pass to Chigiri's position, noticing Team X's intentions to steal the ball.
Once the ball entered Chigiri's position, she immediately saw Barou approaching her position at high speed, and behind them were two members of Team X aiming to surround her.
Gritting her teeth, the redhead made a medium pass to Bachira, who was surrounded by Team X's defenders along with Kunigami.
Kunigami gritted her teeth and looked at Bachira in front of her. She couldn't help but feel a slight sense of helplessness at not being able to score a goal as the team's striker.
With no other option, Bachira glanced quickly across the field and noticed Kaiser in position with a player marking him.
The two looked at each other and smiled slightly. Without hesitation, Bachira deflected the attempt to steal the ball by one of Team X's defenders and leaned back, preparing to make a pass.
Little by little, Barou approached her position to gain control of the ball. Finding herself a few meters away from being surrounded, Bachira made a long pass to Kaiser, who easily received it, jumping in the air and stopping the ball with his chest.
In midair, our protagonist focused his attention on a surprised Kunigami who was watching him.
The orange-haired girl watched as Kaiser's head tilted toward the goal area with a smile on his face. Noticing her teammate's intentions, Kunigami nodded her head.
She immediately launched herself into the attack, running towards the goal area at full speed, drops of sweat falling from her face onto the field as she approached her target.
Kaiser himself took control of the ball, deflecting the attempt by the player marking him to take possession, without hesitating for a second. Our protagonist made a long but accurate pass to Kunigami's position under the frustrated gaze of team X and the hopeful gaze of team Z.
With only 30 seconds left in the game, the orange-haired girl received Kaiser's pass with some difficulty, as the members of Team X approached his position alongside an enraged Barou, eager to snatch victory from him.
Feeling the pressure coursing through her body, Kunigami raised her face to look at the goal área next to the goalkeeper. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes changed, a slight dark orange color running across her eyelids as she prepared to kick the ball.
Without hesitating for a second, with just under 10 seconds left in the game, Kunigami shot at the goal area, and the ball flew at high speed toward the lower left corner of the net.
The moment Kunigami shot, Barou and his team's defenders arrived, but it was too late, and they could only watch in frustration as the ball headed toward the net.
With just under 5 seconds left, the goalkeeper leaned toward the ball, but unfortunately for him, he didn't react for a millisecond and watched with clenched teeth as the ball slipped through his hands.
*GOOOOOAL*
TEAM X: 3 - TEAM Z: 3
A whistle sounded from the field's speakers, marking the end of the match.
On one side, Team X was frustrated. They had attempted a comeback and almost won, but in the end, they were overtaken by Team Z.
Barou gritted his teeth in anger and frustration as he watched Team Z, especially Kaiser and Kunigami.
Isami sighed with relief. Although it wasn't the ideal result she had hoped for, at least they didn't have a defeat weighing on their conscience. "Honestly, without Kaiser, this could have been a disaster."
Bachira smiled softly. Although she wasn't particularly happy about the tie, it was a little better than having to bear the burden of defeat. "I'll make sure we win the next game. This isn't over yet," she concluded calmly.
Chigiri knelt on the ground, sighing softly as she caught her breath, beads of sweat running down her body. Although her team would not win, at least they had avoided the consequences of defeat.
Kunigami, on the other hand, sat on the floor resting after an intense game.
"How does it feel to rescue the team from the clutches of defeat?" whispered a voice beside her.
Kunigami tilted her head, looking at our protagonist who was calmly looking into her eyes.
"To tell you the truth, I won't lie to you, it feels good, but I like the feeling of victory in my hands better."
"Hmm, who wouldn't want to deliver the coup de grâce, but well, you and I certainly avoided having a record of defeat on us, not bad Kunigami-chan," Kaiser finished with a somewhat mocking smile on his face.
"Tch, you can really be obnoxious. Bachira rubbed off some of his habits on you," Kunigami replied with a slight blush on her face at the way she was addressed.
Bachira began to run toward Kaiser and, without hesitation, threw herself at his back. "Kaiser-kun, that was exciting to watch, and you didn't do too badly, Kunigami-chan. It's a shame I wasn't the one to score another goal," she said with a smile.
"Stop being greedy, little bee," Kunigami replied, irritated by Bachira's greed.
"I don't want to~ Next time, I'll make sure to beat you and score the winning goal."
Kaiser just sighed and shook his head, drawing Bachira's attention to him.
"Is something wrong, Kaiser-kun?"
"Yes, please get off my back."
"I don't want to~" Bachira replied with a mischievous smile.
Kunigami just laughed along with Chigiri and Isami, who had just arrived, at Kaiser's situation.
As the members of Team X left the field frustrated by the outcome of the match, Barou looked angrily at Kaiser, who had a somewhat uncomfortable expression on his face due to Bachira's presence on his back.
"This won't end here, I'll beat you for the next time blue rose," Barou thought, clenching his fists before leaving the field with his team.
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Final Score: Tie
Score: TEAM X: 3 - TEAM Z: 3