Chapter 9: Aran Steps onto the Field

Chapter 9: Aran Steps onto the Field

Halftime ended. Players walked back onto the pitch.

The senior team had kicked off in the first half. Now it was the U23's turn to start with the ball.

Tweeeeet.

The referee's whistle cut through the air. Kiebler passed back to Aran, who had spent the first half standing on the sidelines as team manager.

Aran received the ball. Looked ahead. Saw the confusion in his opponents' eyes. Drew a long breath.

Everyone knew about his heart condition. The senior team hesitated, afraid he might get hurt. But that hesitation melted when they glanced at Jens and Jaeger nodding approval from the sideline. Red Kaiser was a world-class organization. Their medical team was world-class too. If it was dangerous, they wouldn't let him play.

Understanding dawned in their eyes. The embarrassment from the first half still burned. No point holding back now. Better to pull ahead first, then take it easy.

Aran saw the determination harden in his opponents' faces. Good. But he wanted to be absolutely sure they'd play at full strength. Otherwise, this would be boring as hell.

"Don't hold back!" he shouted across the field, finishing with a mocking smile. "I want to crush you when you're actually trying!"

"You little shit! Who are you gonna crush?!"

Rains, the hot-tempered one, exploded first. His teammates might have shrugged off the taunt, but not Rains. For him, you could kill him if you wanted, but insult him and he'd make you pay.

Rains charged forward, abandoning his defensive position entirely. Aran laughed in his throat. A bit reckless, but this kind of full-throttle intent was exactly what he wanted to face in his life's final game.

His heart condition had kept him from playing for over a decade. His skills should have rusted away completely.

But yesterday morning's training revealed something remarkable. His abilities remained intact. No rust. No decay. His skills were sharp as ever. As if the thirty-year-old soul and twenty-year-old body had fused into something perfect.

The physical strength and ability of twenty. The experience and understanding of thirty.

Aran's current ability was hard to measure. But one thing was certain—he was several times stronger and sharper than before.

Watching Rains charge at him, Aran felt no alarm. He was still in his own half with five or six teammates surrounding him. A simple pass here and there would neutralize Rains' reckless rush completely.

"Hey! All talk, but why won't you face me one-on-one?!" Rains felt mocked. Forgot about the ball entirely and grabbed for Aran's shirt instead.

"Referee! He's starting trouble!" Aran stayed cool, craning his neck to look past Rains and complain to the official. If he hadn't traveled back in time, twenty-year-old Aran could never have pulled this off.

The referee had been watching this unfold. Rushed over, blew his whistle, and showed Rains the yellow card.

"What?! I get booked? This guy was shouting at us earlier! Where were you then? What happened to your ears?!" Rains was furious. Hearing the insults, the referee reached for his back pocket. Seeing the red card emerge, Turas and Stephen went pale and rushed to intervene.

Turas locked Rains away from the ref while forward Michael helped. Stephen went to negotiate with the official.

"Sorry about that! It won't happen again! This is just a practice match—no need for red cards!"

The referee softened. Withdrew his hand from his pocket. Told the players to get back in position and blew to restart play.

Aran was now like a playmaker, determining how the team would play and attack. Got the ball and looked toward the opposition.

Ding.

Attack Suggestion:

Tell Kiebler to run into the penalty box and wait to score Combine with Patrick to attack down the right flank against the inexperienced fullback Kimmel, then cross to Kiebler

There it is again. I already know this stuff.

Go away. Don't pop up when I'm dribbling or passing.

Aran switched positions with Klaus, moving to the left wing to pair more easily with Kiebler.

He began driving forward with an unhurried expression. But inside, he was alert to the maximum. Because in Red Kaiser's defensive system, the pressing would begin once the opponent crossed into their half.

"Rains! Stephen!" Michael's voice boomed from behind. Aran knew this was the pressing command. Getting dispossessed in midfield was extremely dangerous, so he'd prepared for this. Rolled left, passed to Patrick, then pointed for him to play it back to center-back Sven. Rains, who'd charged up to press, found himself helpless against this back-pass.

"Michael! If you're gonna call for pressing, watch the situation first! All this random shouting is exhausting!" Rains complained.

"S-sorry!" Michael looked sheepish.

Usually the striker calls the pressing. For it to work, that striker needs experience and the ability to read the opponent's passing lanes. Michael was just a reserve forward who'd recently moved up to Germany's top league. Compared to the real starter—team captain David, a veteran and future club legend—the gap in game-reading and command ability was enormous.

After getting yelled at by Rains, Michael went quiet and didn't dare give more commands. Aran led his team forward again, comfortably.

He played quick combinations with Patrick, focusing on penetrating down the left side. Kiebler worried that just the two of them couldn't get the ball to the byline, so he drifted closer to help support.

"What are you doing here?! Get in the penalty box!"

Kiebler nearly coughed up blood. His dear friend had become so aggressive.

Aran and Patrick both had enough individual ability to get the ball to the byline. But the real test would start now. Ahead of them waited right-back Kimmel and right-midfielder Rains.

Two versus two.

Left-back versus right-back. Wing-forward versus central midfielder.

"Here we go then, you annoying bastard. Don't run away now. Let's duel like real men," Rains challenged.

Aran stopped moving his feet and replied:

"Mm. I won't run. Get ready to be burned."

The moment he finished speaking, Rains lunged forward. Aran smiled coldly and played a heel-pass to Patrick, who was overlapping behind him.

"Heh, I could see that coming! A guy like you would never dare fight face-to-face." Rains had seen Patrick nearby and anticipated this move. His initial target wasn't Aran but the space on the right where he expected Patrick to receive the ball.

But then Patrick heel-passed it straight back to Aran.

Both Rains and Kimmel lost their balance and nearly fell headfirst from the back-and-forth heel passes.

This wasn't a rehearsed play. Patrick simply knew that if Aran wasn't the one making the final pass, the attack would be meaningless. In that split second after receiving the ball, he thought only of playing it back. Never imagined he'd dummy two players so completely.

Aran took the ball and didn't hesitate. Used his left foot to curl it into the penalty box immediately.

"Yeah, that's how the ball should come." Kiebler smiled. Ran past the defender into position. As the curling ball reached him, he struck it cleanly on the volley without letting it bounce.

Red Kaiser never lacked quality goalkeepers. Ulrike himself was among the world's top five. But a shot from this close range was beyond saving.

The crowd roared.

Red Kaiser U23 had scored again!!