MINUTE 15-20: THE PATTERNS EMERGE
Yokohama controlled the ball like they owned it. Methodical. Confident. Cruel.
Tokyo FC chased shadows.
But Takeshi's eyes were different now. The adult mind had woken up. He saw what others didn't—the spaces, the patterns, the vulnerabilities hidden in their perfection.
Their left-back pushes too high. The midfielder drops too deep. There's a gap there. Right there.
Minute 21.
Yokohama building from the back, confident passing chains. Tokyo FC pressing. Sato is forcing a bad pass. The ball came loose in midfield.
Takeshi and a Yokohama midfielder both lunged.
Adult instincts are half a second faster.
Takeshi won it.
THE COUNTER (MINUTE 21)
The field opened.
Yokohama caught pushing forward. Two defenders are scrambling back. Ryo is making a run right. The winger left. Sato supporting behind.
Options everywhere. But I'm seeing something else.
Takeshi drove forward with the ball. Thirty yards from goal. A defender closed. Everyone expected a pass.
But the adult mind was calculating: goalkeeper's positioning, defender's angles, 23 yards out—perfect shooting distance.
Then TIME RELAY is activated.
The world slowed.
1.5 seconds of enhanced perception. Takeshi saw everything simultaneously: the goalkeeper's weight on his right foot, the sliding defender blocking low shots, the top left corner completely open.
Trivela. Outside foot curl. Perfect angle. Shoot now.
Time resumed.
Takeshi's foot met the ball with an outside curve. The ball rose, bending impossibly. The defender's leg extended—missing by inches. The goalkeeper dove, reading it but too late.
Top left corner.
Net rippling.
GOAL.
1-1. (MINUTE 21)
The explosion came from deep in Tokyo FC's soul.
Sato tackled him with a hug. "THE DEMON IS BACK!"
Ryo: "THAT'S MY PLAYMAKER!"
Teammates mobbing him. The bench emptying. Coach Tanaka pumping his fist. From the stands, Akari was screaming like she'd won the World Cup.
Last place had just equalised against first place.
The impossible was happening.
Daichi stood at the center circle, watching.
His face remained neutral, but his eyes—now focused. No longer smiling. Just calculating.
"Okay. I see you, Yamamoto," he said quietly.
To his teammates: "Time to get serious."
MINUTE 22-25: THE SHIFT
Yokohama's kickoff was different.
No more casual passing. No more methodical control. The ball moved with purpose. Movement sharpened. Pressing hardened. Tokyo FC felt the change immediately—they were no longer dominant but angry.
Minute 27. Sustained attack. Wave after wave. Kenji making a save. Yuta clearing off the line. Tokyo FC couldn't breathe.
The crowd sensed the inevitable.
MINUTE 29: DAICHI'S ANSWER
Hayato—Yokohama's midfielder—had the ball.
A threading pass between the lines. To Daichi at the edge of the box.
Yuta marked tight, right there.
Daichi's first touch: perfection. Ball glued to foot. Turn. Yuta's hip checking him. Daichi still controlling. Space created—inches. But inches were enough.
Shot. Low, hard, corner.
Kenji diving.
Fingertips.
Not enough.
GOAL. 1-2. (MINUTE 29)
Daichi's celebration was calm. Just a point to the sky. Jogging back like this was routine. That's two of four promised.
Looking at Takeshi: "Not bad. But I'm better."
Reality delivered.
MINUTE 30-35: WAR
End-to-end chaos.
Tokyo FC pushing desperately—couldn't go into the half down or morale would die. Throwing everyone forward. Yokohama defending, counter-threatening. Both teams exhausted.
Pure warfare.
Minute 36: Corner kick. Everyone in the box. Ball swinging. Chaos. Ryo heading. Saved. Rebound. Scramble. Cleared. So close.
Minute 38: Yokohama counter. Three on two. Daichi with the ball. Could score. Instead passed. Teammate shooting. Kenji made the save.
Minute 41: Tokyo FC winning a throw-in deep in Yokohama territory. Sato taking. Looking for Takeshi. Throw.
Takeshi controlling under pressure, back to goal, defender tight. Can't turn.
Where's Ryo?
Peripheral vision: making a run.
Now.
THE ASSIST (MINUTE 42)
No-look backheel.
Through the defender's legs. Perfectly weighted. Ryo, one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Ryo composed. Finish clinical.
GOAL. 2-2. (MINUTE 42)
Chaos erupted again.
Ryo is pointing at Takeshi. "THAT'S MY ASSIST!"
Teammates everywhere. Bench emptying. 2-2.
Last place equalized twice.
Against first place.
Impossible.
Happening.
MINUTE 43-45: THE BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL
Yokohama furious.
Immediate pressure. Tokyo FC is defending with everything. Bodies on the line. Kenji commanding. Yuta blocking. Everyone is fighting for one more minute.
Whistle for added time: two minutes.
Added time—the final push. Both teams are exhausted. Yokohama controlling. One more attack. Ball to Daichi.
Shot.
Just wide.
Kenji collapsed in relief.
HALFTIME WHISTLE.
SCORE: 2-2
LOCKER ROOM - TOKYO FC
Players collapsed like they'd just survived a natural disaster.
Barely able to move.
Coach Tanaka entered. Long silence.
Then Ryo: "We're fucking tied with first place."
Sato: "Holy shit, we are."
Laughter. Exhausted but alive.
Coach's words cut through: "45 minutes left. They're better. We know it. They're fitter. We know it. They'll come harder second half."
Pause.
"But we're 2-2. We've earned their respect. Now let's earn their fear. Go out there and TAKE this match."
In a corner, Takeshi and Sato shared water, ice on their legs.
"One goal, one assist," Sato said quietly.
"Need one more of each."
"While stopping Daichi from scoring two more."
"Easy."
They laughed. Both knew it wasn't easy. Both knew they were outmatched.
Both believed anyway.
Takeshi checked his phone during the break.
Still nothing from Elsa.
Just the Ajax group chat:
Marcus: "WATCHING LIVE! YOU'RE INSANE!"
Oliver: "THAT GOAL! THAT ASSIST!"
Isabella: "GO DEMON GO!"
But Elsa: silent.
Why does that hurt right now?
He shook his head. Focus on the match. The system notification appeared, visible only to him:
[FIRST HALF ANALYSIS]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SCORE: 2-2 (TIED)
YOUR PERFORMANCE:
Goals: 1 (Brilliant trivela)
Assists: 1 (Beautiful backheel)
Key Passes: 3
Distance Run: 5.2km
Dribbles: 4/6
Rating: 9.0/10
You need miracles × 2
TIME RELAY: 34% remaining
Use for critical moments only
Quest Status: 50%
1 goal + 1 assist needed
45 minutes to decide:
Can last place BEAT first place?
Can the demon overcome the prodigy?
Can you complete the impossible?
Second half loading...
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Teams returned to the pitch.
The crowd buzzing with anticipation. 2-2 scoreline felt unthinkable. Everyone expecting goals. Mayhem.
Daichi looked fresh somehow.
Takeshi's legs were already heavy.
But his eyes—determined.
45 more minutes.
Against perfection.
For redemption.
Lining up for kickoff, Takeshi caught Akari in the crowd. On the edge of her seat. Hands clasped. Believing.
Sato beside him: "Ready for hell?"
"Been in hell for three years. This is just overtime."
Fist bump.
Daichi across the circle.
Two more goals promised.
Takeshi needing one more goal, one more assist.
Deep breath.
The whistle approached.
"Let's finish this."
[END PART 2 - TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 31 PART 3]