24 hours later, inside the passageway leading to the third round of selection—
"Alright, let's do this!"
(Let's see how far I've come... what I can do standing before the world's top players!)
As Yoichi Isagi crouched down to tie his shoelaces, Ryūma Banjō walked up with a grin and patted his shoulder.
"You seem a bit nervous, Yoichi."
"What's wrong? You scared?"
Yoichi stood up slowly and answered,
"If I said I wasn't scared, I'd be lying through my teeth!"
"Haha! No matter how strong they are, we're not weak either, right?"
Jyubei Aryu nodded in agreement, running a hand through his hair.
"Playing true to yourself—that's the most beautiful tactic!"
Seishiro Nagi scratched the back of his head, looking adorably confused.
"Hey, if we lose… we won't get eliminated right away, right?"
Rin Itoshi, walking in front, stopped at the exit. He turned back toward them and said coldly,
"Hey, throw away those childish thoughts."
"No matter who we're up against, we're going to win."
"Don't drag me down, you greenhorns."
"Haha, that's just Rin's way of cheering us on. You'll get used to it after a while~"
Ryūma ignored Rin's murderous glare completely and strode into the arena first.
Watching Ryūma's back, Yoichi clenched his fists, determination flaring inside him.
(Bring it on!! World 5!!)
...
Inside the Round 3 Selection Arena—
The five players of the Team World Five, dressed in white, were already waiting for them on the pitch.
Seeing their overwhelming presence, Ryūma couldn't suppress the grin tugging at his lips. His heart raced with excitement.
(They're here... Let me see just how big the gap is between us and the world's elite!)
But it was clear that the five on the Team World Five didn't take them seriously at all.
Dada Silva looked at Adam Blake and laughed.
"Ha! They're even skinnier than I expected!"
"Didn't I tell you? Japanese players just don't have the muscles for it."
"Guess that means I win the bet—you owe me ten thousand yen!"
On the Red Team's side, only Yoichi looked completely lost. Ryūma couldn't really understand them either—
but since he knew the story, he could more or less guess what they were saying.
Jyubei Aryu understood bits and pieces, and as for Seishiro Nagi... well, the genius was apparently talented at studying too. He could make out enough to get the gist.
Yoichi glanced left and right awkwardly.
"Uh... am I the only one who doesn't understand a word they're saying?"
Ryūma nodded with a blank look.
"Yeah, just a rough idea. They're mocking us."
"Exactly."
Seishiro Nagi's usually lazy gaze now burned with quiet intensity.
At that moment, Rin Itoshi walked straight up to Dada Silva and Adam Blake.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Is this match just a side job for you guys to make some pocket money?"
Seeing Rin approach them, Yoichi blurted out in surprise,
"Huh?! Rin?"
"Haha, between you and me, Rin started learning English just so he could read articles about his brother's overseas club~"
Luckily, Rin was too far away—and Ryūma's voice too quiet—for him to hear. Otherwise, they would've been facing a one-on-one before the match even began.
The Team World Five responded with mockery.
"Yeah, that's right!" Dada Silva sneered.
"If it weren't for making some extra cash during our off-season, why the hell would we come to this dump?"
"Right, you pervy old man? You're thirty already, aren't you?"
Adam Blake shot back with a scowl.
"I'm only twenty-six! Keep running your mouth, and I'll knock you flat, you greedy bastard!"
"I've got legit reasons for being here—I want to hook up with Japanese women in kimonos!"
"Soccer's just a side mission. Isn't that right, Cavasoz?"
Pablo Cavasoz answered with a bright, innocent smile.
"Yeah! I wanna go to Harajuku!"
"I wanna see what the holy land of cuteness—Harajuku—looks like with my own eyes!"
Dada Silva bent forward laughing.
"You say that, but deep down you still think you're the cutest one, huh? Hahaha!"
Adam Blake joined in, smirking.
"You baby-faced narcissist!"
Pablo Cavasoz puffed his cheeks and protested,
"I'm the world's cutest twenty-three-year-old! Only Pikachu can rival me!"
Over on the Red Team, Jyubei Aryu played with his hair and said calmly,
"These guys... they're treating this match like a joke."
"Yeah, can't wait to crush them already," Ryūma muttered, watching the fire in Seishiro's eyes mirror his own.
Rin Itoshi, his expression icy, spoke through clenched teeth,
"Say whatever you want, world-class stars."
"I'll crush you and make this little trip to Japan your personal nightmare."
The three opposing players didn't react, their confidence unshaken. Dada Silva just scoffed.
"Big talk for a brat."
Before the tension could explode, Leonardo Luna stepped between them with a light smile.
"Alright, alright, that's enough."
"You three are acting like kids."
Then he turned his attention to Rin, his voice polite but sharp.
"You must be Rin Itoshi, right? Ego told me about you."
"I heard you're Sae Itoshi's younger brother. Sae was pretty famous in RE·AL's youth academy."
"If you're his brother, you must be quite talented too."
"I'm looking forward to facing you."
"Still, you guys really came up with something—what was it again? A project to make Japanese soccer number one in the world?"
"Heh, a Spaniard becoming a sumo yokozuna has a better chance."
"Spending so much money on such a brainless idea... Japan really is swimming in cash, huh?"
Rin's eyes narrowed, his tone dropping to a chilling calm.
"So you're mocking us, huh, bastard?"
Luna blinked, then feigned surprise.
"Huh? Oh no, my bad! I was complimenting you!"
Then he flashed a bright, disarming smile.
"I just think it's amazing—betting your entire lives on something that'll never happen. Japan really is the world's number one masochist!"
At those words, every face on the Red Team darkened. Even though Yoichi couldn't understand the language, he could feel the mockery in Luna's tone.
Ryūma's expression hardened.
"When the whistle blows, pass the ball to me."
"I'll crush them with everything I've got."
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser