The Arena Awakens
The stadium hummed with tension. The air was thick with anticipation as the Winter Tournament officially began. Banners waved, cameras flashed, and the roar of the crowd sent a shiver down the spines of every player who stepped onto the field.
Fukura High's team walked out in their sleek black and white uniforms, the crest of their school gleaming under the floodlights. Shun adjusted the sleeves of his jersey, his mind calm but razor-sharp. Around him, his teammates were already feeling the pressure.
"Shun… this is insane," Renji muttered, scanning the audience. "There are scouts everywhere. If we screw up now—"
"We won't." Shun's voice was firm. Cold. His eyes locked onto their first opponents—the technical team that was known for suffocating ball control.
On the other side of the field, their rivals stood unfazed. Their captain, a sharp-eyed midfielder, smirked as he juggled the ball effortlessly. "Let's put on a show, boys," he called to his teammates, loud enough for Fukura to hear.
Shun exhaled. Fine. Let's dance.
Kickoff – The Technical Nightmare
The whistle blew.
Instantly, Fukura High felt the suffocation. The opponents moved like a single organism, their passes quick and precise, cutting through spaces with near perfection.
"Shit! They're not even letting us touch the ball!" Renji growled, chasing shadows as the technical team wove their web of possession.
Shun analyzed everything. Their movements weren't random. Every touch was part of a carefully calculated rhythm, an endless tactical loop that drained their opponent's energy and patience.
Fukura's defense struggled, their formations stretched to the limit. The opponent's midfield orchestrator—a genius playmaker—pulled the strings with pinpoint accuracy, launching attacks without hesitation.
Then— a breakthrough.
A precise through-pass split Fukura's backline, sending the opposing striker into a one-on-one with the keeper.
"NO YOU DON'T!"
Renji lunged into a desperate slide tackle, but the striker faked, shifting his balance— and shot.
BOOM!
The ball slammed into the net.
The stadium exploded.
Fukura High was down 1-0.
Shun Awakens – The Hunt Begins
The silence on Fukura's bench was deafening. The players sat frozen as the opposing team jogged back, smirking.
"That's what happens when you give us space," the playmaker taunted, pointing at Shun. "You're not that special."
Shun rolled his shoulders. The hunt had begun.
"Oi, stop sulking," he called to his teammates. "It's just a warm-up."
Renji blinked. "Warm-up? Are you blind? We just got wrecked!"
Shun cracked his neck. "Yeah. And now we adapt."
The game restarted.
The moment the ball landed near Shun— he struck.
A lightning-fast turn. A devastating acceleration. He burned past one, then two defenders in a blink. His teammates barely had time to react before he was already at the edge of the box.
The opponent's center-back lunged in desperation—
Too slow.
Shun flipped the ball over his foot and vanished behind him, leaving the defense in ruins.
"WHAT—"
A perfect cut inside.
A clean strike.
GOAL.
The stadium erupted.
Shun walked back casually, his ponytail swaying with each step. He turned to the opposing playmaker, his eyes sharp.
"Not that special, huh?"
The battle had just begun.
Escalation – A Clash of Monsters
The technical team didn't back down. If anything, they became even more aggressive.
Shun was immediately double-marked, but he didn't stop. He dragged defenders out of position, forcing gaps to open.
Ryo, their right-winger, found space. A perfect pass from Shun.
Shot.
Blocked.
Renji took a long-range strike.
Deflected.
The opposition refused to break.
Then—disaster.
A sudden counterattack. Fukura was too high up. Their defense was exposed. The opposing striker made a cutthroat run, leaving only the keeper in his way.
Shun sprinted back.
One breath. Two breaths.
He wasn't going to make it—
The striker shot.
And then—
A blur.
The ball vanished.
For a split second, silence. Then—
"WHAT?!"
Shun stood inside the goal, the ball trapped under his foot.
He had outrun the shot.
He raised his head, eyes burning. "This is my field."
The Final Blow
With time winding down, Fukura had one last attack.
Shun orchestrated everything. He played a perfect pass to Renji, who returned it instantly.
The defenders swarmed him.
Too late.
Shun chipped the ball— a high, arcing pass.
And from the right flank—
Ryo flew in.
VOLLEY.
GOAL.
2-1.
Fukura took the lead.
The final whistle screamed.
The match was over.
Aftermath – The Path Ahead
As the crowd roared, Shun walked off the field, his body drenched in sweat. The technical team's playmaker stood frozen, his mouth slightly open.
"You…" he whispered. "You're a monster."
Shun didn't look back. He already had his sights set forward.
Because this was only the beginning.