The crowd's roar still echoed long after the final whistle, but on the pitch, everything had gone quiet.
Blaze stood in the center circle, breathing hard, sweat and blood streaking his jaw. The crimson lightning had faded from his body, leaving only faint burn marks crawling up his arms like ghostly veins.
Scarlet and Anastasia reached him first.
"Blaze!" Scarlet's voice cracked. "You're overheating again! You can't keep pushing your channels like this."
He smirked, his eyes still flickering faint blue.
"Worth it."
Then his knees buckled.
Jason was already sprinting down the sideline before Blaze hit the ground. The coach's heart skipped a beat as he caught him mid-fall, his hands trembling slightly from the residual shock pulsing through Blaze's body.
"Stay with me, kid," Jason said, gripping his shoulder. "Don't fade on me now."
Blaze tried to grin, but his words came out slurred.
"Did we… win?"
Jason's jaw tightened. "We didn't lose. That's enough."
