Yugen Vs. Meian

The pitch had gone still. The air was thick—almost electric. Every player, every breath, every thought, paused as Yugen stepped forward.

Across from him stood Meian. Taller. Sharper. Like a wolf among sheep.

He tilted his head, eyes glinting with something dangerous.

"Huh... who's this brat?" he scoffed, a grin spreading across his face. "Just another fly I need to crush."

Yugen met his gaze, unflinching. There was no trace of fear in his single eye—only steel.

"Bring it on," he said, quiet but firm.

That was all it took.

Meian moved.

The world lurched forward with him.

He exploded into motion—too fast, too fluid. His first touch on the ball was surgical. His pace? Unnatural.

Yugen's mind raced to keep up. Patterns, options, outcomes—they flashed through his thoughts in bursts.

His dribbling is too good. I can't win this head-on.

He retreated, steps light, spacing deliberate. He wouldn't fight fire with fire. Not yet.

From the sidelines, Mikaila's eyes flickered.

"He's not rushing in. Good. He's reading the field," she murmured, arms folded. "Cutting off the angles instead of chasing shadows."

But Meian was a different beast.

With no hesitation, he closed the distance, chaining stepovers so fast his legs blurred. His body feinted left, snapped right. He was dancing—no, hunting.

Yugen lunged in with perfect timing—

Now

His fingers stretched—

And missed.

Meian pulled the ball back mid-stride, switching direction like a ghost. Yugen stumbled, unable to recover in time.

A low chuckle followed as Meian passed him.

"Small fry," he muttered, his voice laced with amusement. "Kekeke."

Yugen froze.

Just for a second.

But in that second, something cracked inside him.

The field around him faded, drowned out by doubt.

Is this the world I want to be a part of? Is the difference between us this big?

Was my dream a joke all along?

And then—

A memory.

A voice.

A promise.

I will be the best striker in the world.

The words echoed, louder than the noise in his head.

Yugen's hand clenched into a fist. His lips trembled—not from fear, but from the fury of self-hatred. He wiped at his face—tears, sweat, shame, he didn't know. Didn't care.

"What was I thinking…" he whispered. Then, louder, firmer: "I swore I'd make it. No matter what."

He straightened. His shoulders squared. His eye lit with a new fire—wild, unrelenting.

I don't care if they're monsters, geniuses, or gods.

I am the world's best striker.

Meian stormed through the field, breaking ankles and shattering morale.

One player. Two. Three. He danced through the crowd with the grace of a killer.

"Someone stop him!" a voice cried.

"He just got past ten people!" another shouted in disbelief.

Meian didn't stop. Didn't slow.

His grin turned feral.

"Ganging up on me won't change anything," he spat. "You weak pests."

He pulled back his leg for the shot.

And Yugen was there.

Blocking his path.

Meian halted. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, quickly buried by contempt.

"You again," he sneered. "You persistent brat. What now? You think standing there will save you?"

Yugen didn't speak.

He just waited.

Head down.

Breath calm.

A still storm.

Meian growled. He came again. Harder. Faster.

A blur of motion. Stepover. Feint. Burst.

KNOW YOUR PLACE

But this time—

The ball was gone.

Meian froze. His momentum dragged him forward, but the ball wasn't with him.

"What the—?!"

Yugen had tapped it away—just a fraction of a second before Meian's last stepover.

His body moved before he could think.

One touch to control.

Another to burst past.

He dashed forward, the world narrowing to one goal—

The goal.

Meian turned too late.

The defenders collapsed inward, desperate to swarm him. But Yugen's body weaved between them, guided by instinct and fire.

This is mine.

He cut inside. The goal stood open.

No keeper. No barrier.

Just him, the ball—

—and the net.

Yugen's foot met the ball clean. A low, driven strike—fast, precise—

It rocketed into the bottom corner.

The net bulged.

Goal.

Silence. Then—

Sō Yugen—QUALIFIED. The trials are now completed.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then the noise erupted.

Shouts. Cheers. Disbelief.

Mikaila smirked, her eyes glinting with something wild. The corners of her lips pulled into a grin—crooked, wide, almost unhinged.

That's what I wanted to see, she said to no one in particular.

Akane nearly leapt out of his shoes. "THAT WAS INSANE!" he cried. "Yugen, bro, that was SO COOL!"

Kaito stood beside him, shaking his head in disbelief. "That last move... what was that?"

But Yugen didn't hear them.

He stared at his own hands, trembling slightly.

"I... I qualified?"

That was when Meian lost it.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!"

He grabbed Yugen by the collar, dragging him forward. His face was twisted—rage, confusion, and humiliation crashing together.

"How the hell did you do that?! You tricked me! You're nothing! NOTHING!"

Yugen blinked, still dazed. "I… don't know? Haha…"

Meian's fist lifted—

That's enough.

Mikaila's voice cut through like a blade of ice.

She caught Meian's wrist mid-swing, her grip firm.

He turned on her, rabid. "Tch. Move, you bitc—"

He didn't finish the sentence.

With a twist and a shift of weight, Mikaila flipped him.

THUD.

Meian hit the ground, hard.

Mikaila towered over him, expression like frost.

"You lost," she said, voice low and dangerous. "So get lost."

Then she turned to Yugen with a sudden, beaming smile—eyes still twitching with that wild energy.

"Yugen~! Go go!"

Yugen blinked. "...Okayyy?"

The door to the qualified candidates' lounge slid open with a whisper.

All eyes turned to him.

Some curious.

Some wary.

Some…hungry.

So these are my teammates.

Before he could process the tension, Akane bounded up to him.

"THAT GOAL WAS CRAZY! You gotta teach me that move! I'll trade snacks!"

Yugen took a step back, raising his hands. "I-I don't even know what I did..."

From a corner, Iori gave a silent nod. "Nice," he said simply.

Before the conversation could continue, the speakers came alive.

All qualified players, enter.

Akane pouted. "Aww, already? Let's go!"

Yugen nodded, still catching up with the moment.

He stepped forward. Through the next door.

Where the final stage awaited.

TEAM B… VS TEAM A.