The locker room was silent in a way that felt permanent.
Ryo stood, voice tight: "Lose today... we're done. Three matches after this won't matter."
No sugarcoating.
"Win today... we control our fate. Three matches. But only if we win TODAY."
Players nodded, faces pale.
Takeshi checked the system:
⚠️ SURVIVAL QUEST: MATCH 5/8 ⚠️
OPPONENT: SAITAMA RED (12TH PLACE)
STAKES: CRITICAL - MUST WIN
LOSS PROBABILITY OF RELEGATION: 87%
WIN PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL: 68%
YOUR CONDITION: 81%
TIME RELAY: 75% available
MENTAL STATE: 74% (Akari's support stabilizing)
THIS IS THE MATCH THAT DEFINES EVERYTHING
In the tunnel, both teams looked terrified, not confident. Saitama players were desperate too—they were 12th. This wasn't a glory match. This was survival, pure and simple.
He saw Akari in the front row, holding a sign: "Believe."
Taking a breath.
Referee's whistle.
Life or death began.
Both teams started cagey, afraid to commit forward. Every pass was cautious, every touch heavy. The crowd was nervous, offering scattered encouragement.
At 8 minutes, Saitama took the first shot. Wide.
At 11, Takeshi's pass was intercepted. Groans from the stands.
Neither team playing well. Playing scared.
Then at 18 minutes—danger. Saitama counter attack. Their striker running through on goal. Kenji rushing out, one-on-one, diving—
SAVED.
Massive relief. The crowd screaming. Tokyo FC had dodged a bullet.
At 23 minutes, finally breaking through. Sato won the ball with a crunching tackle. Quick pass to Takeshi. Takeshi drove forward. Two defenders closing. No TIME RELAY yet—saving it. Just body feint, touch past the first defender.
The second defender lunged, catching his ankle.
PENALTY.
Crowd erupting. Saitama protesting. Yellow card given. Takeshi taking it himself. Pressure massive. Miss and they were finished.
Running up—bottom corner.
1-0 TOKYO FC.
Relief more than joy.
Akari jumping in the stands.
Saitama came out swinging after that. More physical, desperate. Yellow cards accumulating—28 minutes for a bad tackle on Sato, 35 for Yuta pulling back a striker. The referee losing control slightly. The match was getting heated.
Then at 42 minutes—Saitama free kick, 30 yards. Wall set up. Ball struck with power. Deflection off Yuta. Kenji wrong-footed.
1-1.
Silence from Tokyo FC's fans. Saitama celebrating like they'd won the World Cup.
Two minutes to halftime. Everything level again.
Locker room at halftime. Score: 1-1. Both teams exhausted already from the physical toll.
Coach Tanaka: "45 minutes. That's our season. Everything we've fought for comes down to this second half."
Ryo adding: "We score next. Momentum shifts. We win. They score next... we're fighting uphill."
Simple math, terrifying stakes.
System showing:
MATCH STATUS: Balanced knife-edge
TIME RELAY: 75% (unused so far)
STAMINA: 76%
TEAM MORALE: 63% (tense)
NEXT GOAL: CRITICAL
Akari's text vibrating: "You've got this. I believe."
Him texting back: "For you. For everyone."
Tokyo FC pushed hard from kickoff. At 48 minutes, Takeshi's shot was saved. At 52, Sato's header went just over. Creating chances but not finishing. Saitama defending desperately, countering dangerously. Every attack from either direction felt like it could be the goal.
Then at 64 minutes—a corner kick. Everyone forward. Ball whipped in, scramble in the box. Falling to Ryo. Ryo shooting through the crowd—
2-1 TOKYO FC.
Explosion of relief. Players mobbing Ryo. Takeshi looking at the clock: 26 minutes. Hold this. Just hold this.
Akari screaming in the stands.
But at 71 minutes—the collapse.
Saitama threw everything forward. Wave after wave of pressure. Yellow card, tactical foul. Another corner. Ball crossed in. Their striker rising above Yuta.
Header—
2-2.
Tokyo FC's stadium went silent. Saitama players celebrating desperately.
Takeshi on the ground, head in hands.
No no no not again.
19 minutes left. Back to square one.
Both teams were dead on their feet now, playing on pure adrenaline. At 75, another yellow card. At 78, Tokyo FC's corner saved. At 80, Kenji with a crucial save.
Clock ticking down. 2-2 felt like a loss.
84th minute—Takeshi tried time manipulation one more time. Creating space, pass to Sato. Sato's shot blocked.
So close.
86th minute—Saitama almost scored on counter. Cleared desperately.
88 minutes now. Referee indicating 4 minutes added time.
Four minutes to save their season.
89TH MINUTE:
Tokyo FC throw-in, deep in Saitama territory. Quick throw to Sato. Sato under pressure, back-passing to Takeshi.
Takeshi receiving. 28 yards from goal. Three Saitama defenders between him and goal.
Clock showing 89:14.
Crowd holding breath.
Akari standing, hands clasped.
This was the moment.
Activating TIME RELAY—final use. One and a half seconds of slowed perception. Seeing the defender's foot positioning (off-balance), goalkeeper slightly left, gap at far post, trivela curve needed (extreme).
Deactivating.
Body already moving.
First touch: setting the ball. Defender lunging (too late). Striking outside right foot.
Trivela technique from Ajax days.
Ball curving beautifully, impossibly. Bending around the defender. Bending away from diving goalkeeper.
Everyone watching the arc.
Far post—
GOAL.
3-2 TOKYO FC.
89TH MINUTE.
Pandemonium. Takeshi not celebrating at first, just running, screaming—pure release. Team tackling him to the ground. Pile of bodies. Akari crying in the stands. Crowd losing its mind. Saitama players devastated.
Referee pulling players apart: "Get up, match isn't over!"
System notification:
🔥 CLUTCH GOAL 🔥
TIME RELAY: PERFECTLY EXECUTED
TRIVELA: SIGNATURE MOMENT
THIS IS WHY YOU GOT A SECOND CHANCE
Final 4+ minutes were agony.
Saitama desperate attacks. Tokyo FC defending with everything. Bodies on the line. Blocks, clearances, prayers.
90+3—their final corner. Ball cleared by Ryo.
90+4—Saitama's last attack. Ball to Takeshi. Him holding the corner flag. Shielding the ball.
Referee's whistle—
FULL TIME: TOKYO FC 3-2 SAITAMA RED
Players collapsing in relief. Some crying—Kenji, Yuta. Ryo and Takeshi hugging: "We did it. We fucking did it."
Saitama players on the ground, some crying. They knew what this meant for them.
System update:
✅ SURVIVAL QUEST: MATCH 5/8 COMPLETE
RESULT: DRAMATIC VICTORY (3-2)
STANDINGS UPDATE: 11TH → 10TH PLACE
TEAM MORALE: 63% → 84%
MATCHES REMAINING: 3
CURRENT POSITION: 10TH (ONE SPOT FROM SAFETY)
YOUR PERFORMANCE: Match-winning
89TH MINUTE TRIVELA: Legendary moment
SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: 74%
THREE MORE MATCHES. FINISH THIS.
Akari met him outside the tunnel, running into his arms. Both crying.
"That goal... that was..."
"I know," he said.
Just holding each other. She grounded him after the highs too, not just the lows.
In the locker room, Coach Tanaka: "Three matches left. We're 10th. Need to stay top 9. But today... today we survived. Proud of every single one of you."
Team exhausted but smiling.
Ryo: "Three more. Let's finish this story right."
Everyone nodding. Still not safe. But alive. Still fighting.
That night, lying in bed, body destroyed.
Phone showing messages:
Elsa: "THAT TRIVELA!!! I screamed at 5 AM and woke my family!"
Sato: "you beautiful bastard that was insane"
Team chat: celebration emojis everywhere
Akari: "Sleep well, hero. Three more to go ❤️"
System final message:
89th minute winner.
Signature trivela.
This is who you're becoming.
Not the failure who died at 34.
The fighter who refuses to quit.
Three matches remain.
The story isn't over.
But today? Today you were alive.
Keep fighting. Keep living.
Closing his eyes, smiling despite exhaustion.
Three matches left.
10th place.
One spot from safety.
So close.
So close to redemption.
Three more battles.
Then maybe, finally, peace.