Chapter 5 : Win

In the end, what I feared the most happened.

As predicted in the Future News Yuto conceded a penalty kick (PK) to Leonardo.

'So the next development will be...!'

While everyone's attention was focused on the referee's PK decision, my gaze was fixed on Yuto. He stood there, looking completely flustered, not knowing what to do.

But at that moment, I witnessed something unexpected. Leonardo was subtly taunting Yuto with a gesture. He did it so cleverly, hiding it from everyone else, that only Yuto and I, who were watching closely, noticed it.

Already upset at Leonardo for exploiting him to win the PK, Yuto couldn't hold back his anger and tried to charge at Leonardo. But Leonardo, one step ahead, quickly backed off towards the referee.

The referee, unaware of the situation, moved to stop the visibly enraged Yuto, Yuto intending to explain Leonardo's provocation, raised his hand.

But with his face red and breathing heavily through his nose, Yuto looked quite threatening.

To the referee, it probably appeared as though Yuto was about to shove him. The referee flinched in surprise and tried to step back, but couldn't because of the other players.

'No!'

Just as the referee, thinking he was being threatened, reached for his pocket to pull out a card,

"Wait! Wait a second!"

I quickly ran out from the bench and stepped between Yuto and the referee.

Both of them looked at me in shock.

Normally, a bench player would never run onto the field. But this was different. This was a PK situation, and the field was chaotic after the brief interruption.

So, no one stopped me as I squeezed between the referee and Yuto and grabbed Yuto's hands.

"Hey! What did I tell you before the game? I told you to look at me on the bench if you start getting angry, right? Huh?"

"S-Sorry. I just…"

"Ugh, never mind. Just apologize to him. You scared him!"

I pushed Yuto's head down and apologized to the referee.

"I'm sorry! It's Yuto's first game, so please understand! I'm begging you!"

"S-Sorry."

With both of us apologizing, the referee finally put the card he was about to pull back into his pocket. He then looked at us and said,

"Since it's his first time, I'll let it slide this once. And you, get back to the bench."

"A-Alright! Thank you."

I quickly returned to the bench. Hiroshi Yamada, the head coach, and Mizuki Sawamura, the assistant coach, who had just grasped the situation, were staring at me in bewilderment.

"You! What do you think you're doing?"

Coach Yamada asked in a stern voice, and I suddenly realized I was in trouble.

Since no one else had noticed Yuto's behavior, they wouldn't understand why I did what I did.

I wondered how I should explain it to the coach.

Then, someone placed a hand on my shoulder from behind and spoke.

"Coach, if it weren't for Reo, Yuto would've been sent off."

I turned my head and saw a familiar face standing there.

It was Kaito Chida, who had quietly approached the team bench.

Coach Yamada looked at him in disbelief.

"What?"

"The referee seemed to feel threatened by Yuto's actions. I saw him reach for the red card."

"What?"

"Reo might've acted impulsively, but in the end, he prevented a send-off. Well done, Reo."

Captain Kaito gave me a thumbs-up. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head and suddenly remembered what I had forgotten.

"Oh! Kaito senpai! I need to tell you something important!"

"Huh?"

"Tell sakai to save the PK by diving to the left!"

"What?"

Kaito frowned briefly. It was understandable. I knew how ridiculous my request sounded. But I had to say it. I didn't want to concede a goal here.

Kaito stared at me for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"Alright. I'll pass on your instincts to Sakai."

"T-Thank you!"

Just then, the referee blew his whistle to signal that the PK was about to be taken. Kaito hurriedly ran towards our goal.

At the goalpost stood our team's goalkeeper, Kento Sakai.

In front of him was Gunma's midfielder, Goki Yamamoto, who had stepped up to take the penalty.

The PK was about to start.

It seemed too late to pass on my message.

However, Kaito Chida, standing behind the kicker Goki Yamamoto, signaled to Sakai. Kento Sakai, noticing the signal, made eye contact with him.

Kaito pointed to the left with his finger.

Sakai saw this and nodded.

Moments later, the referee blew his whistle.

Whistle!

With the whistle, Goki Yamamoto moved to take the PK. He ran up and struck the ball with all his might.

The ball headed straight for the bottom left corner of the goal. Simultaneously, Kento Sakai dived to the left.

Thud!

The ball barely grazed Sakai's hand and deflected away.

Uwaaahhh!

The crowd, watching the nerve-wracking game, erupted in cheers. The bench followed suit.

It felt as if we had just scored a goal. Thanks to the spectacular PK save by Sakai, the whole team rejoiced.

"Yes!"

"That's our Kento!"

Coach Yamadaand Assistant Coach Sawamura high-fived each other.

I also clenched my fist in joy, celebrating with them.

Nice! I changed the outcome!'

I managed to prevent my friend from being sent off and also stopped an additional goal from being conceded.

Although no one knew, this change would completely alter the course of the match.

Tokyo Rebels, who almost faced a massive crisis due to a critical mistake, overcame the situation without harm, significantly boosting their morale.

With their spirits high, Tokyo Rebels began to dominate the game. And soon, another perfect opportunity came for Tokyo.

"Miyahara!"

Captain Kaito dribbled the ball up to the half-line and delivered a long cross from the side. The ball, fast and precise, dropped right in front of Yuto.

Hearing his name called, Yuto took a strong and swift shot.

Thwack!

The ball soared powerfully, passing through the players clustered at the front of the box. It flew past them and reached the goalkeeper. Though the goalkeeper dove for the ball, extending his arms with all his might, the ball merely grazed his fingers.

For a brief moment, the entire scene seemed to play out in slow motion.

And finally, the ball crossed the goal line.

Swish!

Whaaa!

As the ball hit the back of the net, Yuto roared on the pitch and ran toward the fans. His teammates rushed over, patting his head, shoulders, and back as they shared in his joy.

First debut, first goal!

Yuto was enjoying the best possible scenario for a rookie.

I was genuinely happy to see my friend score his first goal in his debut match, clapping enthusiastically.

The first half ended.

Tokyo Rebels finished the first half leading Gunma 1-0.

'I did it. I really changed it.'

The situation could have unfolded just as I had seen in the news article, but I managed to prevent that. What followed was a completely different outcome.

I sighed in relief as I warmed up on the pitch. I and the other substitutes were passing the ball around, getting ready for a potential substitution in the second half.

As I was quietly warming up, Coach Sawamura suddenly called out to me.

"Reo!"

"The coach wants to see you! Hurry up!"

"What? Yes!"

Hearing that Coach Yamada was calling me, I quickly headed to the locker room. Inside, the players who had started the match were gathered, and Coach Yamada stood before them.

It seemed he was in the middle of explaining tactics to the players. When I entered, he paused and turned to look at me.

"Oh, Reo. Quickly get changed!"

"What?"

"I'm going to sub you in right at the start of the second half."

Even though I had come to trust the 'Future News,' I couldn't help but feel surprised as I changed into my gear.

Nevertheless, I was pleased with the thought of being substituted in early.

After changing, I sat next to Yuto, and Coach Yamada continued speaking.

"The opposition is in a lot of disarray right now. You might have noticed in the first half that they're showing a lot of weaknesses on the flanks. On top of that, even their strong central defense is starting to falter."

This was largely due to Yuto's's performance. Coach Yamada aware of this, gave him a satisfied smile. Yuto blushed at the coach's smile.

"In the second half, the opposition will likely adjust their tactics to cover their weaknesses. But we'll exploit that and press even harder."

Coach Yamada looked at me.

"Reo, you'll be playing on the flank. But not in your usual position as a fullback; you'll be playing as a wing-back. Can you handle it?"

A wing-back?

The moment Coach mentioned wing-back, my heart began to race.

Fullbacks and wing-backs might seem similar. After all, both positions are for defenders playing on the flanks, especially in modern football.

But there's a subtle difference. Tactically, they're different roles.

A fullback plays in a four-man defense, focusing on balancing attack and defense.

But a wing-back, in a three-man defense, plays on the flanks and has a more attacking role compared to a fullback. In modern football, a wing-back often serves as a key player in linking defense and attack, acting as a lubricant for the offensive play.

In other words, Coach Yamada assigning me to wing-back not only meant a change in tactics but also that he was entrusting me with more offensive responsibilities.

Understanding the task, I responded energetically.

"I can do it!"

"Good. Then Kaito, who was playing on the flank, will move back to his original position as a central defender for the second half."

With the defense still solid and me added as an additional flank defender, Tokyo Rebels switched to a three-man defense for the second half.

"The formation will change to a 3-5-2. Break through the flanks and, in the center, keep pressing with physicality like in the first half. If we do this, we can win."

"Yes!"

"Good. Let's see each other after the game."

Shortly after, the second half began.

As we headed out through the tunnel, Yuto walked up beside me and spoke.

"Thanks for earlier."

"Don't mention it. If you're that grateful, buy me some meat after the game."

"Sure! Just say the word! I'll even buy you beef!"

We both looked at each other and laughed. I raised my right fist and showed it to Yuto.

"Let's do well in the second half."

Yuto smiled brightly and raised his left fist to lightly bump mine.

"Yeah, let's do well."

With that, we headed to our designated positions.

Tweet!

Moments later, the referee blew the whistle to start the second half.

Tokyo Rebels had the kickoff.

After a few quick and precise passes between the players, the ball rolled toward me on the flank.

My body moved toward the rolling ball. With a quick touch, I raced down the sideline.

In just a few seconds, I had already crossed the halfway line and entered the opponent's half.

Gunma's defenders attempted to tackle me, but I was a step ahead. I pulled the ball back slightly to avoid the tackle and then lifted it with the tip of my right foot.

The ball curved high and dropped just outside the opponent's penalty box.

Yuto and Gunma's midfielder Goki Yamamoto were both in the drop zone. Having missed a penalty, Yamamoto was desperate to redeem himself, but he was overpowered by Yuto'ss physicality.

It was no different in this duel.

Yuto easily outmuscled Yamamoto and won the header. The ball bounced off Yuto's forehead and dropped in front of our foreign player, Alex.

Without hesitation, Alex took a powerful shot from the center. The ball bounced once on the ground before getting sucked into the goal.

The Gunma goalkeeper tried to block it, but it was hard to stop a ball that bounced off the ground.

The ball brushed past the goalkeeper's hand and into the net.

Swish!

Whaaaa—!

Just a few minutes into the second half, Tokyo Rebels extended their lead with Alex's additional goal.

The stadium was filled with the roars of Alex, the players, and the fans, all celebrating.

Meanwhile, the Gunma players and fans fell into a gloomy silence.

Time passed, and eventually, the match ended.

In the 11th round, Tokyo Rebels achieved a flawless 3-0 victory over Gunma, making up for their defeat in the last round.

As the final whistle blew, Coach Yamada, beaming with joy, patted the players on the back and praised them.

"Well done! You did great!"

As he went around praising the players, Coach Yamada came over to where Yuto and I were. He looked at us with a pleased expression and said.

"You two worked the hardest today! Well done! I'm looking forward to seeing more from you!"

Coach Yamada's flood of compliments brought smiles to our faces.

"Come on, let's go thank the fans!"

The Tokyo Rebels team headed towards the waiting fans. It was only proper to show appreciation to those who had traveled far to support us.

As we approached the fans, they erupted in cheers.

Miyahara-!

Miyahara-!

The first chant was for Yuto's. It was a tribute to his outstanding performance in his debut.

Yuto bowed to the fans.

Alex-!

Alex-!

Then, they chanted the name of Alex, who had scored the second goal. And finally,

Reo-!

Reo-!

The fans chanted my name. Grateful, I bowed to them. The fans responded with thunderous applause.

Thus ended my second professional match.

And it was only later that I realized this change was just the beginning.