Julian shook his head helplessly, making his black hair sway slightly, hands on his hip.
After scoring first, they were down 2 to 1 now and it was barely five minutes into the game.
‘I need to step up my game if I want to make the A-team.
I won’t accept anything less.’
Julian watched wordlessly as his team got into position, the defensive midfielder’s morale took a huge hit, but he was still putting on a brave face.
‘At least he hasn’t given up yet.’
He turned his head to the purple haired midfielder calmly walking back to his position, while the left winger who scored two goals hung a hand over his shoulder, speaking with clear familiarity.
‘It seems like they know each other.’ He thought.
‘And they make a scary duo.’
“PRRPP!!”
Julian’s focus snapped back into action when the referee blew the whistle, signaling the continuation of the game.
The yellow team’s striker resumed play, rolling it for the attacking midfielder who turned and passed the ball back.
The blue team stuck to their same gameplay, instantly pressing hard on the yellow team.
Unlike the first defensive midfielder, the second one was calm on the ball, taking a few steps forward until he was in the center before passing the ball to the left back who sped along the side of the pitch.
The left back cut the ball inside with the side of his right foot, before passing it to the same defensive midfielder who made the blunder.
Seeing the confident play of his teammates made the defensive midfielder forget his fault and mirror the play of his peers, running down the middle of the pitch with the ball.
He passed the ball to his fellow defensive midfielder before he was closed down by the aggressive pressing of the blue team.
The second defensive midfielder switched the play with a long pass overhead to the right wing who calmly took the ball on his chest.
By simply rolling the ball to the side, he made the charging left back slid past him, before sprinting into the gap.
He lifted his head and saw that the box had four blue bibs–two defenders and two defensive mids–and only one yellow one–the striker.
The right winger turned his head slightly and saw his attacking midfielder standing a few meters in front of the box, unmarked.
He made the pass, rolling the ball fast across the grass.
‘Now.’
The moment the ball was passed, Julian moved.
He wrestled his marker–the right back–away before making a horizontal run just outside the 18-yard box.
Unable to resist the urge, a defender of the blue team made a run forward to cut the pass out, but he wasn’t fast enough.
The attacking midfielder of the yellow team pulled the ball onto his left foot with the right, making the defender miss the ball.
He lifted his head and saw Julian making his run, and without a second thought or doubt in his mind, he rolled the ball into his path.
‘I love this kid.’
A smile formed on Julian’s face as the ball rolled exactly where he wanted it to.
He felt a tug on his shirt from behind but he paid it no mind.
The tug was negligible and he wouldn’t have stopped for anything either way.
This was his moment and nothing will take it from him.
Keeping his eyes on the ball, Julian pressed his left foot firmly next to the still rolling ball, leaned to the sight, tilted his right foot out and pulled the leg back before bringing it forward, the target already envisioned in his mind.
He caught the side of the ball at an angle with the inside of his foot, causing it to curve as it sped to the goal.
Everyone expected him to go for the top corner, but no, the ball skimmed the grass as it curved around the defense, heading straight for the bottom right corner.
The goalkeeper dived, but the ball was out of reach as it sailed into the corner, going over the white chalk line without interference, coming to a stop only when it hit the back of the net.
The goal was beautiful, causing everyone to stare in silence, not believing their eyes.
“Haaa…” Julian’s release of breath sounded loud in the quiet grounds.
–ding–
[Technique +(1)]
Julian was the only one aware of the system notification.
He swept it out of his field-of-view with a mental command.
“PRRPP!!”
“2-2” the referee announced, unable to hide the awe in his gaze.
“Holy shit, dude.” The yellow team striker jogged up to Julian, voice colored with intrigue.
“Th–” Julian caught himself when he remembered the personality he meant to portray.
“I know.” He finally said, turning around as if it was nothing, running a hand through his dark hair.
He made eye contact with the purple boy standing off in the distance.
“Heh.” A arrogant and challenging smirk appeared on his face.
To anyone, it may have seemed that the boy had no reaction to the challenge, but Julian could see the slight twitch of his brow and the almost imperceptable tightening of knuckles.
‘You may be a baller, kid.
But so am I.’
********
“PRRRPP!!”
The game resumed with both teams now completely riled up and battling to score a third goal before the other team.
The aggressive pressing of the blue team and the calm passing of the yellow team canceled each other out for a few minutes, making the game go into a stalemate.
Everyone started to get tired.
The blue team due to their pressing, running after the ball without stopping, and the yellow who had to deal with it, having to constantly pass the ball and run into gaps where there were no blue bibs.
The game was entirely being ran by the midfielders and the defenders, with the attackers not even able to get on the ball due to the heavy defensive display on both sides.
Not even Julian himself.
Everytime he got the ball, he was closed down instantly by two or more defenders, making dribbling or passing forward impossible.
And when he did have forward passing options, they were either offside or heavily guarded, leaving him with no choice but to pass the ball back.
Even the purple haired boy got silent.
Any attempt to pass to him was constantly shut down by the same midfielder he humiliated earlier who seem to have a grudge against the purple haired boy.
And with the purple haired boy out of the equation, their forwards became useless as they received no passes.
‘The game has been going on for almost thirty minutes now.’ Julian thought, eyes scanning the game for any signs of a way out.
‘We need to score a goal before the half ends.’
He pushed off the defender that clung to him, subtly holding his shirt so that the referee can’t see.
‘There’s only one way we can turn this stalemate into a win: a counterattack.’
His eyes fell on his attacking midfielder standing in the center, a marker clung to his back too.
‘But the person who’s supposed to start the attack isn’t seeing any of the ball.
And even if he did get the ball, he doesn’t have the skill to shake his marker off.’
‘That leaves me with only one choice…’
They were stuck in their half now and the ball went out for a throw, giving Julian the time to make his move.
He jogged over to the striker standing at the center, his marker never once leaving him, jogging by his side.
The striker was still in peak condition since he hasn’t seen much of the ball, two defenders stood a little bit away from him on either side.
Close, but not too close.
“What is your name?” Julian asked when he got closer.
“Johnathan Cass, young Master Valecrest.” The boy bowed slightly, never forgetting his standing despite them being in the middle of a match.
“Alright, Johnathan.” Julian clasped a hand on his shoulder, returning the earlier gesture.
“The moment I get the ball; you run. Don’t look back, don’t care about everything else. Just keep your eyes forward and run.”
He looked the boy deep in the eye.
“You hear me?”
“Loud and clear, young Master.”
Julian searched the boy’s eyes, looking for any hesitation.
He found none.
He didn’t care that the other defenders could hear.
He saw that Johnathan was faster than them during that first goal, and that’s all that matters.
The blue team took the throw in, resuming play swiftly, but Julian wasn’t done yet.
He jogged to the attacking midfielder with the right back still on his back, intent on not leaving Julian’s side for even a second.
“And tell them to clear the ball as hard as they can.”
The boy was surprised by the sudden push, but then nodded his head and did as he was told when he saw who it was.
Julian’s standing in society played a huge roll in the boy’s willingness, but he also did it because everything that Julian touched so far turned into a goal.
The ball fell to the purple haired boy who had to make a rushed pass as soon as he got it, the defensive midfielder not even giving him a chance to breath.
Luckily for him, the pass went through, setting the left winger free in the corner.
He was closed down immediately and lost the ball soon after.
‘He is fast, but his dribbling is shit.’
The defender who won the ball cleared it instantly, sending it flying forward.
‘This is it.’
Julian sprang forward with a burst of speed, kicking up grass and catching his marker off guard.
The ball fell to him, but the moment he took a touch, his marker was already on him, leaning against him with all his weight.
‘I have to get rid of him as fast as possible.’
Julian feinted to the left, bring the ball with him with his right foot, before quickly cutting it back, going around the defender who fell for it.
He lifted his eyes and saw Johnathan Cass sprinting forward, defenders covering him on both sides.
‘The kid listens well.’
Without ceremony, he lifted his left foot and brought it down fast, kicking the ball forward with power.
The ball soared through the air, swerving slightly against the air currents but still staying on course.
Johnathan Cass didn’t look back, sprinting forward like his life depended on it, slowly but surely losing his markers.
His eyes widened when the ball suddenly dropped a few meters in front of him, but the surprise turned into determination as he doubled his efforts to reach it.
Seeing that his defenders won’t catch up, the goalkeeper rushed out of his post, desperate to get a block in.
The ball bounced again, but Johnathan and the goalie was already on it.
The goalkeeper stretched his arms and legs wide, making his body huge.
Johnathan stretched his leg out, too, in a bid to get a touch in.
It was like the world went into slow motion as everyone watched the two contesting for the ball.
Johnathan got a touch in just before the goalkeeper, their momentum caused them to collide.
But no one cared about them.
Instead, everyone’s gaze was on the ball, watching it lift over the goalkeeper, into the air, before dropping down and bounce towards the goal.
A defender managed to catch up, he threw himself at the ball feet first in attempt to clear it.
He was able to kick it away, but no one was able to tell if the ball crossed the line.
Everyone’s head immediately snapped to the referee, awaiting his verdict.
“PRRPP!!”
The moment the whistle sounded everyone knew the result.
It was a goal.
The ball crossed the line.
–ding–
[Passing +(2)]
[Attacking +(1)]
“3-2 to yellow.”
“Haa…” Julian released the breath he unconsciously held in, feeling as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
“PRRPP!! PRRPP!!”
‘Finally halftime.’ Julian thought at the familiar tune.
But his eyes widened when the whistle sounded again, longer this time.
“PRRRRPP!!!”
“Fulltime. Yellow 3, Blue 2.” The referee announced.