Even after being crushed, Team Y still had fire in their eyes.
Ryan noticed and couldn't help but smirk.
Persistent little guys. Even after that beatdown, they haven't given up yet.
The whistle blew Team Y restarted play.
They lacked a power striker, so their only option was long passes toward Ōkawa, stationed deep up front.
But Team Z wasn't about to let that slide. After a few minutes of fierce pressing, the ball was theirs again.
The next attacker was Meguru Bachira.
Facing an onrushing defender, he performed a slick body feint, letting the ball slip past one side while he dashed the other way one man down.
Another came at him; he toyed with him using tight dragbacks and stepovers, leaving the opponent dizzy.
Two more defenders converged.
"Only two? You'll regret underestimating me."
But suddenly, from the flank, Futago sprinted in to close him down.
"Make that three! We've studied your dribbling, Bachira!"
Surrounded on all sides, Bachira found himself cornered.
And that's when it appeared again the Monster.
It loomed in his vision, standing on the open wing opposite him, where Chigiri waited.
That familiar voice whispered in his mind.
But this time, Bachira clenched his jaw.
Enough. Stop showing up.
As long as you're here, I'll keep searching for you instead of myself.
Because of you, I could trust myself… but because of you, I stopped listening to my own heart.
You were the reason I played soccer but not anymore.
Disappear. Please. I don't need you anymore.
"Bachira! Pass it here!"
Chigiri shouted from the wing.
Bachira didn't respond his eyes burned with something new.
He charged head-on at the two defenders.
But his gaze flickered he could see the Monster again, this time behind the defenders, urging him to pass.
Damn it. Even now, my body's still looking for you.
You were the Monster that made me feel alive… but now you're just my cage.
Ever since I met Ryan, I found a new Monster, a real one. And playing with him became my purpose.
But if I can't break free from you, I'll never move forward.
So this is goodbye.
"Bachira! I'm open, pass it!"
Chigiri's voice rang out again. The Monster's silhouette loomed behind him.
Shut up. I'm done passing to you.
Bachira faked a pass toward Chigiri the defenders bit instantly, stepping to intercept.
But he rolled the ball through his own legs, slipping right between them.
Watching from midfield, Isagi muttered, confused.
"What's going on with Bachira? I've never seen that look on his face before… it's like he's someone else."
From nowhere, Ryan appeared beside him.
"He's awakened."
"Awakened? What does that mean?" Isagi asked.
"He's broken free from his Monster, the one that used to guide him. That's the real Bachira now: selfish, free, and alive."
Isagi turned to ask more but Ryan was already gone.
Bachira tore through the defense.
Every technique in his arsenal came alive: nutmegs, elastico, rainbow flicks, stepovers, a storm of pure creativity.
One by one, defenders fell behind.
Only the goalkeeper remained.
Bachira flicked the ball up and hit an outside-foot volley, the ball screaming toward the top corner
but a figure burst into view, his messy hair bouncing as he dove.
Futago, again.
With a desperate header, he cleared it from the goal line, sending it flying out of the box.
He'd been chasing Bachira the entire time and somehow caught up.
"Nice dribbling, Bachira," he panted. "But your finishing still needs work."
A calm, confident voice echoed from outside the box.
"Then I'll handle that part."
Everyone turned it was Ryan, standing exactly where the ball was about to land.
"Block him!" Futago shouted.
But he was too far still near the goal line. The others sprinted toward Ryan.
By their calculations, they'd make it in time. The ball still had to drop; Ryan would need to adjust.
But Ryan wasn't one for waiting.
As the ball fell to hip level, he unleashed a vicious volley, no setup, no hesitation.
The shot exploded off his foot like a cannon, ripping through the air before the goalkeeper could even flinch.
GOAL!!!
The net bulged. The stadium roared.
Ryan grinned and walked over to Bachira, ruffling his mop of hair.
"You did it, Bachira. You finally let go of your Monster and found your real self. I'm proud of you."
Bachira smiled, eyes shimmering.
"Thanks, Ryan. You made me realize I can't rely on that Monster forever. I had to find me."
He turned and saw the Monster's shadow smiling softly before fading away into particles of light, flowing back into his chest.
Thank you, Monster. For staying with me… for making me believe I wasn't alone. But now, I'll carry you with me as I become the world's greatest striker.
Ryan waved a hand in front of his face.
"Hey, dreamer. Snap out of it get back to your spot. Kickoff's next."
Bachira laughed.
"Yeah… got it."
The light on the field shimmered as if blessing his rebirth
and for the first time, Meguru Bachira played not for the Monster…
but for himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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