Midorima gathered with the other kids participating in the training.
They stood in a loose circle on the field, some nervous, some excited, others just looking around curiously.
One by one, they began introducing themselves.
When it was his turn—
Midorima stepped forward.
He adjusted his glasses.
Calm.
Confident.
"Hello everyone. Nice to meet you," he said.
A brief pause.
"My name is Shintaro Midorima…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"…and I'm going to become the best striker in the world."
For a second—
Silence.
Then—
The group exploded.
Some kids laughed.
Others reacted in awe.
"Whoa, that's cool!"
"No way, that's awesome!"
"You're serious?!"
But then—
"HEY! That's MY dream!"
A loud voice cut through everything.
Everyone turned.
A boy stepped forward.
Blonde hair.
Sharp yellow eyes filled with confidence.
Ryota Kise.
He crossed his arms, smirking.
"I'm Ryota Kise… the future best striker in the world!"
The atmosphere shifted.
A spark ignited.
Midorima blinked once, slightly surprised—
But then…
He smiled.
"…Good."
A quiet thought crossed his mind.
People with ambition…
Whether allies or enemies…
They force you to grow.
Before he could respond—
"Alright, that's enough!"
A strong voice echoed across the field.
All eyes turned.
Coach Hiroshi stood at the center, arms crossed.
"Listen up, everyone," he said firmly.
"Here, you're going to learn the fundamentals of everything."
He pointed to the field.
"We'll focus on basics first. Fix your weaknesses. Build your foundation."
Then he smirked slightly.
"And only after that… we move to advanced play."
He clapped once.
"Got it?"
"OKAY!" the kids shouted together.
Training began.
Dribbling drills.
Passing.
Positioning.
Basic movement.
At first, it looked chaotic.
Unpolished.
But as time passed—
Two players began to stand out.
Midorima.
And Kise.
Midorima observed everything.
Every mistake.
Every wrong step.
Every hesitation.
With his photographic memory, nothing escaped him.
Don't repeat errors.
Absorb everything.
Optimize.
His movements became cleaner with every repetition.
Sharper.
More efficient.
Meanwhile—
Kise watched.
Closely.
Very closely.
His eyes followed Midorima at all times.
Every step.
Every adjustment.
Every improvement—
Copied.
Perfectly.
"…So that's how you do it," Kise muttered.
The two advanced side by side—
Without even speaking.
One learning from the world.
The other learning from him.
After an hour—
"Everyone, center!" Coach Hiroshi called out.
The kids gathered again, breathing heavily.
"Now listen," he said.
"We've collected your basic data."
He pointed to both sides of the field.
"Let's see what you can actually do in a match."
His voice grew more excited.
"Team A vs Team B!"
He began calling names.
"Team A: Asahi, Todou… Midorima…"
Midorima stepped forward calmly.
"Team B: Kuro… Kise… Takeda…"
Kise smirked, eyes already locked onto Midorima.
"Alright!" the coach shouted.
"Take your positions—let's begin!"
The players spread across the field.
The air changed instantly.
What was once practice—
Was now competition.
Midorima found himself face to face with Kise.
For a brief moment—
Silence between them.
Midorima adjusted his glasses.
And smiled.
No arrogance.
No hostility.
"Good luck."
Kise frowned slightly.
"…What's with this guy…?"
Is he looking down on me?
Who does this algae-head think he is…?
Before he could say anything—
WHISTLE!
The game started.
The ball came to Midorima.
Instantly—
His mind activated.
He scanned the field.
Players.
Positions.
Distances.
Movements.
Everything connected.
See everything.
Control everything.
He subtly moved his head, expanding his field of vision.
The beginning of something greater—
A proto-form of meta vision.
Kise charged forward.
Direct.
Aggressive.
Trying to steal the ball immediately.
"…Too obvious."
Midorima saw it instantly.
The angle.
The timing.
The mistake.
With a smooth motion—
He shifted.
A sharp turn.
A sudden pivot.
Kise's momentum broke completely.
Midorima slipped past him effortlessly.
Like wind.
"…What—?!"
Kise froze for a split second.
His mind couldn't process it.
How did he do that…?
But Midorima didn't stop.
One player—
Two—
Three—
He passed them all.
Each movement precise.
Calculated.
Efficient.
No wasted motion.
He reached the right side, just outside the penalty arc.
The goalkeeper stepped forward nervously.
Trying to close the angle.
Behind him—
Kise was already catching up.
Fast.
Relentless.
But—
It was already over.
Midorima had seen everything.
Calculated everything.
Mapped the field perfectly.
His body moved.
Instinct and logic as one.
Using his ability to change direction without losing speed—
He created the perfect angle.
Then—
He kicked.
The ball curved.
Beautifully.
Precisely.
Avoiding the goalkeeper by the smallest margin—
And striking the top left corner.
GOAL.
Four minutes.
That's all it took.
Silence.
Then—
"GOOOOOAL!!"
His teammates rushed toward him.
"THAT WAS AMAZING!"
"Did you see that?!"
"No way!!"
They surrounded him, celebrating.
Midorima stood there for a second—
Slightly overwhelmed.
"…This feels…"
His chest tightened.
"…better than I expected."
A small, embarrassed smile appeared.
On the other side—
Kise stood still.
Head slightly lowered.
But his eyes—
Were shining.
Bright.
Intense.
Excited.
"…This isn't like the other sports…"
He clenched his fist.
"…there's someone really strong here."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"…This is going to be fun."
To be continued.
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