It's been a while hasn't it? Not THAT long but still I'm sorry for the inconsistent upload schedule. Anyways let's get on with the chapter.
Speech
"It was a mistake to make Isagi the striker! Next match I should be the one on top!" Raichi complained.
"No, me!"
"Back off, small fry."
"I don't want to play defense anymore…."
"You're just pissed because Isagi didn't pass the ball to you!"
"…" Yami sighed.
'Raichi really needs to be humbled.'
Yami never liked Raichi when he watched the show, and now he has to deal with him.
'Welp time to humble some people.' Yami sighed again as he stood up clearing his throat to bring their attention to him.
"Raichi." He said the blonde turned angrily to him.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Raichi asked calmly.
"I want you to shut the fuck up and back off."
Raichi's veins popped in anger: "Well what if I say no? What are you gonna do about it?"
"It seems like you don't understand do you?" Yami said more of a statement than a question.
"It's simple, none of you trash deserve to be strikers." Yami said looking at the players that were arguing who should be the striker.
"I'm going to prove it. If anyone thinks they should be the striker follow me we'll do a little competition." Yami said as he walked out.
Team Z looked between themselves and followed Yami some to compete and some to watch.
Isagi was left alone in the dressing room, his head drooped down.
He remembered what Baro said to him.
'Why did I pass?' he asked himself again and again.
'I'm still the same as before coming here….I can't stay like this!'
'What do I need if I want to stay in blue lock as a striker?'
'What do I have to do to get team Z to win?'
Isagi stood up and walked to see what the rest of the team was doing.
When Isagi arrived he saw Bachira, Chigiri, and more standing to the side.
While Raichi, Imamura, Naruhaya, Kuon, Yami, and Kunigami stood close to the penalty spot.
Isagi walked up beside Bachira and asked to get the gest of things.
"Yami made a contest where anyone who wanted to be our striker took five penalty shots, if Yami won they listened to whatever he said, however, if anybody else wins they become the striker." Bachira explained.
"What if two tied?" Isagi asked.
"He is about to explain that."
"If two or more get the same highest score they will have to play H.O.R.S.E." Yami said seeing no need to explain the famous game.
"I'll go first!" Raichi said as he picked up a ball and placed it on the penalty spot.
Iemon was in goal.
Raichi took a few steps back and shot the ball with his dominant foot.
Iemon dived to his right guessing correctly and saving the ball.
Raichi cursed under his breath and took another ball.
He repeated the action another four times and scored them all.
"Beat that!" Raichi half-snarled half-grinned as he mocked Yami.
Yami didn't reply and signaled for the rest to go before him.
They did.
Naruhaya scored three goals.
Kuon also scored three.
Imamura scored two.
Kunigami scored all five.
Then it was Yami's turn.
Yami easily scored all his shots and looked at Kunigami.
"H.O.R.S.E it is." Kunigami nodded.
Yami signaled for Iemon to step away from the goal.
"I'm going first." Yami said as he threw the ball to Bachira.
"Cross one up for me will ya?" Bachira nodded and got ready to cross the ball in.
Yami stood inside the penalty box, got ready, and then signaled for Bachira to cross the ball in.
Bachira did as told and crossed a beautiful ball into the box.
Yami jumped up and did a backflip while shooting the ball with his right foot performing a bicycle kick.
Yami's boots connected with the ball sending it comfortably into the empty net while Yami himself landed gracefully.
Jaws were opened as Yami walked back casually saying that it was Kunigami's turn.
'Fuck I almost didn't get that!' Yami kept a poker face but was sweating bullets in his mind.
Kunigami tried to do the same maneuver but failed.
Kunigami sighed and picked up the ball to do his own trick.
"Yami won." Bachira said as Kunigami failed to do Yami's trick completing the word H.O.R.S.E
Team Z went inside their room and started discussing what Ego meant by "Rebuilding soccer from zero".
After some time of discussing Isagi decided to speak his mind.
"I think I know what 'Rebuilding soccer from zero' means." Isagi said.
"Spit it out, then." Raichi said a bit more calmly than usual after he got humbled by not only Yami but Kunigami too.
"At the start of the previous game, both teams' players were only thinking about scoring goals as individuals so it turned to us just chasing after the ball. I think when Ego said to 'Rebuild soccer from zero' that situation was what he meant by 'Zero' The thing that shattered that Zero was Baro's play. After he did that the rest of the team started passing to him it gave them a clear path to scoring goals and I think Team X became more and more of a real team because of it. Baro took that zero of that scramble and turned it into a one by stealing a goal with his own talent. The other ten players used that goal as a compass to focus their plays and so now that team can go from one to ten or even one hundred. So what we need to create that 'one' is overwhelming individuality and talent."
"I see, The striker is someone who can turn zero to one, and then the midfielders turn that into ten or a hundred." Naruhaya said while scratching the back of his head.
"Indeed. I normally don't think very deeply about that stuff." Kuon said holding his chin with his hand.
"So did Ego make a system where whoever gets the most goals stays in order to make us feel all of that stuff?"
"Probably, thanks to that rule he got us to bring out our egos, throw away our tactics and positions, and focus solely on stealing goals for ourselves." Isagi replied.
"And only ones who can survive that clash of egos can become a true team." Kunigami added.
"You're all right but you're missing something." Yami said.
The questioning looks on Team Z's faces urged Yami to continue.
"I scored two goals so why didn't I turn the zero into one?"
"He's right….."
"Why?" Raichi impatiently asked.
"Because the first goal I scored was a penalty kick, anyone could do that. And the second goal I scored wasn't that hard either." Yami replied.
"So someone has to an insane goal like Baro to turn our zero into one."
And then the screen lit up showing Ego's face.
"Yep, you're getting warmer. Howdy, you lumps of talent." Ego said and Team Z's attention was instantly on him.
"The second match in wing 5 just finished, Team V crushed Team Y 8-0.
"Here are the current standings." As he finished that line a table appeared on the screen beside him.
In the number one place was team V followed by team X then came team W, Z, and Y.
"8-0?!"
"Seriously?! That's way too strong!"
"From zero to one I see…..You're on the right track with your thinking, but it seems like you don't understand the vital method of turning zero to one. First off, let's talk about Japan as an example. Japanese people like to be given roles to fulfill. For other people and for the good of the world. They're people skilled at devoting themselves to their roles and they see that as a virtue. Putting this into the world of sports, it's easy to understand which major world sport Japan can compete in. And that's baseball. Pitcher, catcher, infielder, outfielder, first batter, fourth batter, and above all, the innings are divided into offensive and defensive turns all on a large field where nobody collides with each other. This sport in which players clearly defined roles that they can totally pour themselves into is extraordinarily suited for Japanese people's idiosyncrasy and that's why they're so strong."
"But soccer is different."
"In this game offense and defense are combined, the open field allows for a high degree of freedom. The game is designed so that you can't win by just focusing completely on your assigned role. That's why what's needed is individual effort. Your own personal power. Do you know which positions Japanese soccer is known for by the rest of the world?"
"Midfielder and side-back! It makes perfect sense that this country would produce excellent players whose role is to put the team before themselves and turn their strikers' one into one hundred! Without that devotion and willingness to sacrifice Japanese soccer would never have advanced this far!"
"But at the same time, it's why a revolution will never happen. Now, you lumps of talent time to rewrite your consciousness…Scoring goals in soccer means destroying your opponent's organization. Basically, a striker is a destroyer!"
"Scoring a goal means destroying the enemy's system it's causing a revolution on the field! Strikers! Don't let yourselves be stifled by your positions! You mustn't let yourselves be confined to your roles! To turn zero to one you must take up arms strikers! And do it using your own personal weapons! Make fools of your enemies! Twist their arms! Destroy them! The beings known as first-class strikers all have their own personal weapons that no one else has! Probe your depths! Wrack your brains! Find out what you can do with your body and brain! Achieving the revolution known as a 'Goal' can only be done with your own weapons! That's the only place you'll find victory."
'Yup! He's crazy.'
Chapter end.
FINALLY!
Writing this chapter felt like it took me an eternity!
I honestly don't know why.
Because I'm burnt out? Because I'm losing passion for the ff? Or maybe chapters normally take that long and I'm overreacting.
Well, whatever it is the chapter is done.
Don't forget to leave a review and all that jazz.
It's Shadow Astro signing off!