The roar of the crowd echoed around the stadium as both teams stepped onto the field.
The grass looked perfect.
The lines were perfect.
Everything felt bigger than usual.
More serious.
More important.
Southside lined up across the halfway line.
Nocturne Eleven stood opposite them.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Confident.
Yuma cracked his knuckles.
"...I hate these guys."
"Focus," Hiroto replied.
Pambara stood slightly behind the others.
Trying not to look nervous.
Failing.
His heart was pounding.
His palms were sweating.
And every time he looked across the field—
he saw Aka staring back.
Not at Yusuke.
Not at Hiroto.
At him.
The referee walked toward the center circle.
Coin toss.
Final checks.
Then—
the whistle blew.
Kickoff.
The ball rolled backward.
Hiroto received.
Immediately scanning.
"Move!"
Southside exploded into motion.
Takumi drifted wide.
Sora pushed forward.
Yusuke moved between defenders.
For the first twenty seconds—
things actually looked good.
Quick passes.
Clean movement.
Sharp communication.
The ball moved from Hiroto to Takumi.
Takumi to Ren.
Ren back inside.
Nocturne didn't press immediately.
They watched.
Studied.
Waited.
"...Something's off," Takumi muttered.
Then Réservoir moved.
Just one step.
That was all.
Suddenly the passing lane disappeared.
Hiroto hesitated.
Only slightly.
Too late.
Réservoir intercepted.
Clean.
The counterattack started instantly.
"BACK!" Hiroto shouted.
Theo Armand sprinted down the wing.
Marc moved centrally.
Lucien pushed up.
Everyone shifted together.
Southside scrambled backward.
The ball reached Theo.
Ren met him immediately.
"Not this time."
Theo grinned.
"We'll see."
He pushed forward.
Ren matched him.
Shoulder to shoulder.
For a moment—
they looked evenly matched.
Then Theo stopped.
The ball rolled backward.
Réservoir again.
Everything slowed.
He stood near midfield calmly.
Surveying the field.
Watching pieces move.
Like a chess player.
"...Still predictable," he said quietly.
One touch.
The ball split through two Southside players.
Straight toward Aka.
The stadium reacted instantly.
Everyone remembered him.
Everyone watched.
Aka received the pass.
And stopped.
Completely.
No movement.
No dribbling.
Nothing.
The entire field seemed to pause.
Yuma frowned.
"...What's he doing?"
Nobody knew.
Aka stood there.
Ball resting under his foot.
Then smiled.
And accelerated.
Explosive.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Gone.
Kaito stepped up first.
Aka slipped around him effortlessly.
Daichi moved next.
Aka rolled the ball through a tiny gap.
Past him too.
The crowd grew louder.
Southside collapsed inward.
Everyone chasing.
Everyone reacting.
Everyone except one person.
Pambara.
He wasn't running toward Aka.
He was watching.
Watching the movement around him.
Watching Nocturne.
Watching the spaces.
And suddenly—
he noticed something.
"...Yusuke!"
The shout surprised everyone.
Including himself.
Yusuke glanced over.
"Left side!"
Yusuke turned immediately.
And saw it.
Theo.
Making a blind run behind the defense.
Aka hadn't looked at him once.
But somehow—
that was exactly where the attack was heading.
"REN!"
Yusuke shouted.
Ren reacted instantly.
The passing lane closed.
For the first time all match—
Aka hesitated.
Only briefly.
But it happened.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Toward Pambara.
Interesting.
The word wasn't spoken.
But everyone could see it.
Aka adjusted.
Changed direction.
And continued forward himself.
Now approaching the box.
Tsubasa stepped off his line.
Daichi recovered from behind.
Yuma sprinted back.
The pressure finally arrived.
Aka slowed.
The ball rolled gently beneath his foot.
The crowd held its breath.
Then—
the whistle blew.
Offside.
Theo's earlier movement had crossed the line before the pass could arrive.
No goal.
Nocturne backed away calmly.
Southside exhaled.
Relief.
Temporary relief.
Because as everyone reset positions—
Aka was still looking at Pambara.
Not smiling.
Not laughing.
Studying.
Like he'd just discovered something unexpected.
And for the first time since entering the match—
Pambara felt genuinely afraid.
The game was only beginning.