HIBARI POV
The days passed quickly, and before I knew it, we were soon to play our last match which was to be against Team V. The top ranked team in our stratum.
We had handled Team Y and Z just as easily as we handled Team X. So easily, in fact, it was boring. This place was supposed to be for the best strikers in the country, but all I'd seen so far were desperate nobodies and wasted potential.
I called everyone into Room W for a meeting.
"Hey, fillers. Eyes front."
"This is Team V. They're 3-0, same as us. But don't let that fool you into thinking you're on their level."
"They beat Team X worse than we did, 7-0." I said as I pulled up Team X vs Team V footage.
I selected a player from the screen, his image magnified beside a few clips.
"Their center play revolves around three players. But mainly goggles here."
I tapped the touchpad and his player icon lit up.
"Kenyu Yukimiya. The 1-on-1 Emperor."
I played the clips. He weaved through defenders like it was second nature. Controlled, deliberate touches, acceleration at perfect moments, flicks that made people lunge and miss by inches. He made solo dribbling look like art. A couple of our players visibly shifted.
"He's their top scorer," I continued. "Right behind him is Jyubei Aryu."
Another player came up. I switched the screen. This time, it was clips of a tall, lanky striker who moved like a tower on springs.
"A true goal poacher. He utilizes those branches he calls limbs and his jumping ability to cause chaos in the penalty area. Not to mention he is six foot five."
The video showed him leaping above a pack of defenders, catching a cross mid-air like he was reaching into the sky, then slamming it home with a clean header.
"Last one is Yo Hiori. A playmaker who delivers complex and perfectly out of reach passes only Aryu can get."
The next clip played. Hiori sent a curling ball from just past midfield, bending it between two defenders. Aryu sprinted past both and rose up again, hammering it into the top corner.
I paused the footage and crossed my arms.
"Kurona, I want you marking the playmaker. I'll handle this False Emperor."
Then I looked over at the defenders.
"And for Aryu...just...try not to foul him I guess."
I let that hang in the air before turning off the monitor.
"Match is tomorrow. If you get cooked, don't cry about it."
I walked out without another word.
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YUKIMIYA POV
"Alright Team V, lets talk strategy. Our last match coming up is against Team W, the team ranked one below us." I turned on the monitor and was presented with records of all the teams in our stratum.
"Team W is undefeated, just as we are."
I let everyone take a quick second to glance at the current rankings, ourselves and Team W both will pass this selection along with our teammates, so in hindsight, this game didn't matter much.
I shifted the screen to show game footage of Team W.
"Taking a look at their key pieces here, no one particularly stands out, except this guy..." I moved an emerald haired player's image to the main screen.
"Meet Hibari Yakushiji, Team W's main method of attack. His dribbling techniques are certainly worthy of praise," I said, letting the footage run a bit longer. I paused it on a slow-motion replay, Hibari executing some wild footwork, twisting a defender inside out before striking from incredible range.
His flair was undeniable.
Hiori leaned back in his chair, one leg draped over the other. "So…who's the better dribbler, you think?"
I considered the question for a moment before speaking.
"My dribbling is cut from experience. Years of discipline, trial, and repetition. I know every move I make before I make it."
I motioned back to the screen.
"Hibari's is different. There's a kind of divine recklessness to it. Like he was born with it. It's spontaneous, an extension of instinct rather than thought."
I sat forward.
"So it's hard to say. I've never faced anyone like him. But that's what the match is for, isn't it?"
Aryu stretched his long legs across the bench and exhaled loudly.
"Hibari's style definitely holds more glam, though. That little shuffle he does with his ankles before cutting? So flashy. So elegant. So-"
I sighed and cut in before he could continue.
"Okay, okay, that's enough."
I tapped the display again. The stat screen loaded. Hibari's name popped up right beside mine. Same column. Same number.
"Hibari is tied for the most goals in our stratum. Six goals. Same as me."
Aryu raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "So how do we stop someone with ultimate glam before he reaches peak glamour on the field?"
I stood and adjusted the tactics board in front of us.
"I shift back to midfield. I'll orchestrate from there. That leaves me able to playmake and draw their focus without getting clogged."
I pointed at Hibari's position.
"First he ego-dribbles. Then we trap him."
Aryu sat up a bit straighter.
"We double mark him," I continued. "I'll press him tight on the ball. Aryu, you mirror his runs. Your reach alone can force him off rhythm."
Aryu grinned.
"So I get to glam-block the glam-king?"
"If you want to call it that," I muttered, brushing him off. "All I care about is the win."
There was a pause.
"Team W isn't weak," I said flatly. "But they haven't faced a team like us."
I tapped the screen once more.
"Let's show them what real domination looks like."
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Match Day
Team V Locker room
THIRD PERSON POV
Aryu was striking poses in front of the mirror, combing through his hair with dramatic, exaggerated flair. One pose led into the next with seamless glamor.
Hiori sat near the back, calm as always, munching on a bag of salted almonds with a vacant expression. His legs were crossed, one shoe untied.
Tanaka, a squat defensive midfielder with zero social awareness, was openly picking his nose while humming to himself.
No one seemed to care.
Yukimiya clapped his hands once, and immediately the room's attention shifted.
"Alright, everyone. Last match of the round. You already know the strategy. Play your roles, do your best, and remember, we don't need to crush them, just prove we're better."
There were a few nods, a few scattered grins.
Then the voice crackled over the intercom.
"Team V, please enter the pitch."
They moved in unison. Calm, smiling, walking with confidence.
But the moment they stepped out onto the field.
The air changed.
Right on cue, the doors at the opposite end slammed open.
Team W had arrived.
Hibari Yakushiji led them in, hands folded behind his head like he couldn't be bothered. He strolled out onto the turf with zero tension in his shoulders, eyes only half open. The rest of Team W followed behind him, matching his pace, his posture, his energy. The mood was colder. Sharper.
The two teams took opposite sides of the field.
Hiori's gaze shifted from the horizon to the green-haired boy striding out ahead of the others.
He squinted.
'My…the field atmosphere just got a whole lot denser once that Hibari entered the field.'
'He's bad news.' Hiori trusted his gut feeling, and right now. The alarm bells were sounding.
Players began moving to their positions. Studs clicked against turf. Jerseys fluttered in the controlled air of the facility.
Hibari and Yukimiya met eyes from across the center circle.
Then Yukimiya stepped up to the ball.
He glanced to his left and gently rolled it to Hiori, who took it in stride.
KICKOFF
TEAM W vs. TEAM V
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ADDITIONAL TIME
Before the match
Team W Locker Room
Hibari was seated on the lowest bench near the front of the room, elbows on his knees, head down as he finished tying his cleats for the third time. His focus was absolute. His hands moved with ritual precision. Left foot. Right foot. Double knots. Symmetry. Silence.
Kurona and Saramadara sat a few spots down, watching him.
"Okay," Kurona whispered, barely audible. "On three. We go for the laces."
Saramadara grinned, nodding once. "Winner gets the others food for the week."
"Loser gets whatever Hibari does to him."
Kurona's smirk didn't falter.
"One…two…go."
The two of them moved like shadows. Kurona crept in first, quick hands working as Hibari leaned forward to adjust his shin guards. He slid two fingers around the knot of the right shoe and tugged gently. One pull. Done.
He slinked back to his seat like nothing happened.
Hibari sat back up and blinked. His gaze dropped to his foot.
Untied.
He frowned. No memory of that.
Slowly, he leaned back down and re-tied it.
When he sat back up again,
His other shoe was untied.
A single tick mark formed on his forehead.
Kurona covered his mouth with his sleeve and leaned back, shaking slightly from holding in laughter. Hibari re-tied the left cleat again.
He glanced around.
Kurona looked relaxed, maybe a bit too relaxed. His shoulders twitched, a subtle giveaway.
Hibari's hand darted out and grabbed him by the collar.
Kurona let out a noise somewhere between a cough and a squeak.
Before Hibari could interrogate him, Kurona calmly pointed at his other foot.
Hibari turned his head.
Saramadara was crouched down beside him, fingers inches from Hibari's freshly tied shoe.
Frozen.
Without a word, Hibari grabbed him by the head.
He stood up, dragging both of them with him, one by the collar, the other by the scalp. His smile was painfully fake.
"Let's take a walk, yeah guys?"
The color drained from both of their faces.
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A/N: Short chapter sorry for that everyone. Also sorry for skipping the other games, it really wouldn't do a whole lot of good writing those games anyway as there really wouldn't be any important players in them anyway. I can guarantee though that it will never happen again.
Next chapter will focus solely on Team V vs. Team W and end of the first selection so expect a long chapter.
Let me know your guys' thoughts on this chapter!
Have a blessed day everyone!
Ussylliss out