Capítulo 31: Chapter 31 – Crunch Time
Raichi's mind raced, processing the situation at lightning speed. 'I still need to figure out how to neutralize Raito,' he analyzed. 'I could cut off his sprint before it starts, but then he'll just pull that trick of his again.' He glanced to his left, where his fellow defender, Kuon, stood on standby as the game prepared to restart.
"Kuon," Raichi called, catching the other defender's attention. Kuon turned his head, eyes narrowing in slight confusion as he wondered what Raichi wanted from him. Raichi gestured toward Raito, signaling his plan without needing words. His intention was clear: they needed to work together to stop Raito's next move.
Kuon sighed heavily, exasperated by the request. He rolled his eyes—though with his naturally slanted gaze, it wasn't very noticeable. Still, he gave Raichi a subtle nod, signaling his understanding and agreement.
Raichi turned his focus back to Raito, muscles tensing in anticipation. He was ready to thwart whatever Team W had planned.
The whistle blew, and the final ten minutes began. The atmosphere shifted as both teams prepared to give their all in these closing moments. Team Z continued to build their offensive plays through Kira, who had maintained an iron grip on the ball throughout the match, never losing possession. As time ticked away, energy coiled in every player like a spring, ready to explode at any moment.
Naruhaya received a pass from Kira, but before he could make any meaningful play, a Team W defender pressed him aggressively. With no other options, Naruhaya quickly passed the ball to Isagi. However, this proved to be a critical mistake. Isagi was immediately pressured by the opposition, and they managed to steal the ball with ease.
Isagi gritted his teeth, frustration boiling within him. Throughout the match, he had been repeatedly targeted by Team W's pressing tactics. Though he occasionally escaped their traps, more often than not, the ball was stripped away from him. He knew he was the weakest link in Team Z when it came to overall strength—his technique, physicality, and pace were all average. His only true weapon was his vision, and even that couldn't help him stop Team W from regaining possession.
Determined not to let Team W do as they pleased, Isagi pressed back against their midfielder as they began building another offensive push. Team W was desperately trying to get the ball to Raito, their last remaining weapon. However, Team Z had adopted the same aggressive defensive stance, making it difficult for their opponents to advance the ball.
Realizing that his team was struggling to move forward, Raito made the decision to drop deeper into the midfield, hoping to create a chance by himself. He veered diagonally from his left-wing position toward the center of the pitch. "Pass it here!" he shouted, demanding the ball.
Having learned from previous encounters, Raichi didn't immediately follow Raito's movement. Instead, he stayed on the left, lingering just enough to block Raito's potential running path. This time, Kuon stepped up to press Raito.
Despite Kuon's pressure, Raito's superior dribbling skills allowed him to hold onto the ball, though he was clearly out of his comfort zone in the crowded midfield. Annoyed by the defense, Raito clicked his tongue. 'When it comes to acceleration, no one can match me!'
With that, Raito shifted gears. He pushed the ball forward into the open space on the left wing, using his blistering speed to blow past Kuon, leaving him in the dust. Now, it was a footrace between Raichi and Raito to reach the ball. Both players sprinted with everything they had, their paths set on a collision course.
Neither was willing to yield.
Just as it seemed inevitable that they would crash into each other, Raito reached the ball first, poking it to the right to continue his run. But before he could break away, Kuon reappeared, sliding in with a perfectly timed tackle to snatch the ball away. It turned out that Kuon had been shadowing Raito, running parallel to him, ready to intercept.
Frustrated, Raito growled and decelerated, trying to chase down the ball, but Kuon had already passed it off to Kira. The game swung back into a fierce tug of war, with both teams desperately attempting to break through the other's defenses.
As the clock continued to tick down, every second felt like an eternity, pushing the game closer and closer to injury time.
"You still think you can defeat me!?" Raito growled, using his back to shield the ball, pressing against Raichi with all his strength.
'I know I can't… not right now,' Raichi thought, his eyes focused, locking onto Raito's every movement. He didn't respond, only digging deeper into his defensive stance. 'The me right now can't beat Raito, which is why… I'll retreat for now.' Raichi strategically eased off the pressure, allowing Raito to escape—only for him to walk straight into the trap Kuon had set.
"Damn it!" Raito cursed, realizing his mistake too late.
"We still have time!" Kuon shouted as he intercepted the ball and swiftly passed it to Kira. "Break through, Kira!"
Kira, already running on fumes, was conserving his energy by pacing in the midfield, staying just active enough to prevent Team W from launching a counterattack. But now, sensing the game slipping away, he steeled himself for one final push. He raised his hand, signaling Chigiri to join the attack.
Seeing Kira's signal, Chigiri darted into the midfield to overload Team W's defense. The sudden shift created a 4v3 advantage for Team Z, significantly relieving the pressure on Kira. Slowly but deliberately, they passed the ball forward, waiting for their wingers to get into position. Bachira, too, moved inward to support, aiming to break through Team W's defensive wall.
The goalkeeper of Team W saw the mounting danger and yelled frantic instructions to his defenders, "Put more men in midfield! Don't let them break through!"
The defenders shouted in response, hyping themselves up as they converged in the center, trying to clog the midfield and prevent any penetration. However, in doing so, they left the flanks dangerously exposed—precisely what Team Z had been waiting for.
Kira seized the opportunity, launching a pinpoint pass to the left flank where Chigiri had stealthily slipped away while the defense was focused on Bachira. Chigiri exploded into a full sprint, his legs pumping powerfully as the wind whipped through his hair.
Keisuke, one of Team W's defenders, raced diagonally to meet him, determined to push Chigiri out of bounds. "You're not getting past me this time!" he shouted, his body positioning forcing Chigiri to make an additional pass forward into the empty space ahead, turning it into a contest of speed, easily escaping Keisuke's trap.
Chigiri's pass was too strong, however, sending the ball dangerously close to the sideline. He quickly slowed down as he approached it, controlling the ball just before it crossed the line. He glanced up at the box and spotted Kuon waiting for a high ball. Without hesitation, Chigiri whipped a cross into the air, aiming it toward Kuon in the center of the box.
This was one of their last-ditch strategy to score—flooding the box and positioning their players in prime scoring spots. Kuon leapt high, his body towering above everyone else, ready to head the ball. But a clever defender from Team W, unable to match Kuon's height, made a subtle yet effective move. He pushed Kuon just enough to throw off his balance mid-air.
As Kuon connected with the ball, the push had its intended effect—the header lacked the power to beat the keeper, who easily punched the ball out of the box.
"The ball's still in play! Raito, counterattack!" a defender shouted.
Raito immediately bolted forward, rushing to secure the ball. But in his haste, he didn't notice the shadow lurking behind him. Raichi, who had been silently tracking him, surged forward at the crucial moment. With a powerful shoulder, Raichi shoved Raito out of the way, positioning himself to win the ball. Raito tried to fight back, gritting his teeth as frustration built within him. But Raichi, seemingly tireless, held his ground, still brimming with energy while everyone else was clearly exhausted.
'This bastard…' Raito seethed. 'He still has stamina left!?' As Raichi muscled him out of position, Raito's rage boiled over. In a moment of desperation, he lashed out, extending his leg and kicking the back of Raichi's knee, causing him to lose balance and crash to the ground.
The sharp sound of the whistle pierced through the air. The intercom blared directly at Raito. "Number 13, Raito Fuwa! Yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct!" it declared.
Raito stood there, fuming as Raichi slowly picked himself up, the brief skirmish ending with the VAR referee's judgment.
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