A Glimmer of Hope

The sharp blast of the referee's whistle echoed across.

The match was over.

Kagoshima had lost.

3-0.

Gabriel stood frozen, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. The weight of defeat pressed down on his shoulders, but it wasn't the loss itself that made his stomach churn—it was how they lost.

Izumi High barely celebrated. They exchanged a few nods, some light pats on the back, but to them, this had been nothing more than a routine win. Just another match. Just another team they walked over.

Gabriel exhaled sharply through his nose, his breath shaking with frustration.

As he turned away, his gaze landed on Takahashi, who stood motionless, staring at the ground. His captain's armband looked heavier than ever, hanging loosely around his bicep, as if he wasn't even worthy of wearing it.

Gabriel clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned away.

Ryota and Kenta approached him, their faces tired but not defeated.

"What now?" Kenta muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Gabriel didn't answer immediately. His heart was still pounding, his head clouded with thoughts. Finally, he exhaled.

"We go back," he said, voice low but firm. "We talk."

Kenta raised an eyebrow. "Talk? You want to talk to them?" He gestured toward their teammates, most of whom were already walking off the field with slumped shoulders, avoiding eye contact.

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah. We're not leaving until we do something about it."

Ryota sighed, but there was no hesitation in his voice. "Alright. Let's go."

The locker room was silent except for the occasional sound of someone untying their cleats or the soft thud of a jersey being tossed into a bag. The air was thick with tension.

Gabriel stepped in last, his eyes scanning the room.

Takahashi sat on the bench, elbows on his knees, head down. Renji leaned against the lockers, arms crossed. Jun and Hikaru sat quietly, not meeting anyone's gaze.

For a moment, Gabriel simply stood there. He wasn't sure what to say. How do you even start a conversation after a loss like that?

But then—

"This is pointless."

Renji's voice broke the silence. He pushed off the locker and turned toward the exit. "We lost. What's there to talk about?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "You think we can just ignore this?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" Renji shot back. "Pretend we didn't just get humiliated? Pretend like there's something to 'fix' when the truth is we're just not good enough?"

Gabriel's hands curled into fists. "You're wrong."

Renji scoffed. "Am I?"

Gabriel took a step forward. "Losing isn't the problem. Giving up is." His eyes locked onto Takahashi. "Right, Captain?"

Takahashi flinched but didn't respond.

Gabriel let out a slow breath, forcing himself to keep calm. "Do you know what the difference was between us and Izumi High today?"

Renji crossed his arms. "Skill?"

"No." Gabriel shook his head. "It was mentality."

Kenta leaned back against the bench, arms behind his head. "He's got a point. They didn't even play seriously until we pushed them. But the second they did, we just… fell apart."

Takahashi's jaw clenched. "What are you trying to say?"

Gabriel stepped closer. "I'm saying that we let them beat us. The second they accelerate, we stopped trying. Even you." His voice lowered, more disappointed than angry. "You had a chance, Takahashi. You could've gone one-on-one. You chose not to."

Takahashi's head snapped up. "You think I chose to lose?"

"Yes," Gabriel said bluntly. "Because you were scared."

The room went dead silent.

Takahashi stood abruptly, knocking over a water bottle with his foot. His voice was sharp. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Gabriel didn't back down. "Don't I?"

Takahashi's hands balled into fists. "What do you want from me, Gabriel?! I tried!"

"No, you didn't," Gabriel shot back. "You hesitated. You gave up before the play was even over."

Takahashi's chest rose and fell quickly, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "You don't get it. You've never been in my position."

Gabriel's eyes darkened. "I don't need to be captain to know that leadership isn't about talent—it's about how you react when things go wrong."

Takahashi's expression twisted. "And what makes you the expert on that, huh?"

Gabriel took a deep breath before speaking.

"Because I refuse to run from failure," he said simply. "My father use to say...A leader is someone who can unite a team, even in time of failure."

Takahashi's eyes widened slightly.

Renji looked away. Hikaru let out a quiet breath. The words hung in the air like a heavy weight pressing down on all of them.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then, finally—

"…So what do we do?"

The voice was quiet, hesitant.

It was Jun.

Gabriel turned to him. "We rebuild. From the ground up."

Ryota nodded. "Starting now."

Takahashi looked around at his teammates. At Renji, who had his arms crossed but wasn't arguing anymore. At Hikaru, who looked thoughtful. At Jun, who actually wanted to try.

And finally—at Gabriel.

He exhaled through his nose, then sat back down. "Fine."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Fine?"

Takahashi ran a hand through his hair. "…I'll take responsibility. I was wrong." His fingers tightened against his knee. "I let my own doubts hold me back. But if we're really going to change things…" He lifted his head, looking straight at Gabriel. "Then I need you to help me."

Gabriel blinked in surprise.

Takahashi let out a dry chuckle. "You're not exactly captain material, but… you don't back down. And I need that."

Gabriel smirked slightly. "You admitting I was right?"

Takahashi rolled his eyes. "Don't push your luck."

Kenta grinned. "Well, damn. This is progress."

Renji sighed. "I still think we're far from competing with teams like Izumi…"

"We are," Gabriel admitted. "But that doesn't mean we can't start working toward it."

Renji exhaled. "Alright. I'm in."

One by one, the others nodded some still have hesitant face.

Gabriel looked around at his team.

They had lost today.

But they were ready to fight for tomorrow.

As they stepped outside, the night air was cool against their sweaty skin.

Gabriel glanced at Takahashi. "Next game, you're taking that one-on-one."

Takahashi snorted. "If you give me another perfect pass, I might."

Gabriel smirked. "Deal."

Ryota slung an arm around Kenta. "So, food? I need something greasy after all that."

Kenta sighed. "You always need something greasy."

As they walked off together, the stadium lights dimming behind them.

The bus ride back to Kagoshima was silent.

Nobody wanted to talk.

Gabriel sat near the window, staring at the passing city lights. The dull hum of the engine filled the void left by unspoken words. Every so often, someone shifted in their seat, but otherwise, the entire team sat in defeated stillness.

Takahashi sat in the front, earbuds in, staring straight ahead. Renji leaned against the window, eyes closed, though Gabriel doubted he was actually asleep. Jun tapped his fingers against his knee, an unconscious habit when he was nervous.

Kenta, seated beside Gabriel, finally let out a frustrated sigh. "Alright, this is ridiculous."

Gabriel turned to him. "What is?"

"This." Kenta motioned vaguely to the team. "We just agreed back there in the locker room that we're going to fight for tomorrow, but look at us. We look like we just got sentenced to death."

Gabriel sighed. "Because it's not that easy. Saying we'll fight is one thing. Actually doing it? That's different."

Kenta rubbed his temples. "Okay, but how do we even start? Just train harder? Watch game footage? Hope for a miracle?"

Gabriel thought about it for a moment. "No. We don't need a miracle. We need a plan."

Gabriel's words hung in the air, heavy but certain.

Kenta sighed. "A plan, huh? Got any ideas, genius?"

Gabriel leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. But we need everyone on board first."

Kenta frowned. "You really think someone like Hakira gonna listen? He's already halfway out the door."

Gabriel glanced toward the back of the bus. Hakira sat slouched against the window, arms crossed, jaw clenched. He wasn't asleep—just lost in thought. The frustration on his face mirrored Gabriel's own.

"We don't have to convince him with words," Gabriel said. "We just need to come with something everyone would agree."

Kenta let out a dry laugh. "You make it sound easy."

Gabriel smirked. "Did I?"

Kenta shook his head, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward.

The bus rumbled on, cutting through the quiet streets of Kagoshima. By the time they reached their school, it was already late. The team shuffled out, shoulders heavy with exhaustion, but Gabriel wasn't done yet.

"Tomorrow don't forget to come to practice." His voice cut through the tired silence.

A few players turned to look at him.

Jun blinked. "Tomorrow?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah."

Renji scoffed. "You serious?"

Gabriel met his glare without hesitation. "Completely."

Takahashi pulled out an earbud, eyeing Gabriel carefully. "You think pushing ourselves hard, just after a defeat is gonna fix everything?"

"No," Gabriel admitted. "But doing nothing definitely won't."

Silence.

Then, Ryota yawned. "Ugh. Fine. I'll be there."

Kenta grinned. "If Ryota's going, I guess I have to. Otherwise, he'll get lazy."

Hikaru stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Might as well."

Jun nodded.

Takahashi exhaled slowly, then gave Gabriel a small nod. "I'll be there."

Gabriel watched as they all walk away.

He'd show too the others who didn't respond with actions, not words.