(That spot, Ryūma? No problem!)

Yo Hiori felt his footwork was unbelievably sharp right now. He suspected it had something to do with slipping back into that strange state he’d experienced earlier.

After adjusting his angle, Hiori focused on Ryūma sprinting toward the center of Team X’s midfield.

Then, as Ryūma reached the perfect position, Hiori’s eyes lit up.

“Now!”

The moment the word left his mouth, Hiori planted his foot and sent a pass straight into the middle of Team X’s midfield.

Charging at full speed, Ryūma watched the incoming ball and thought to himself:

(Damn, Hiori, that pass is like remote-controlled football!)

(Is his touch really that sharp right now?)

He cut off his thoughts as the ball landed perfectly in front of his feet.

“Heh—time to crush you all!”

With that, Ryūma burst forward toward the center of Team X’s defensive third.

Most of Team X’s players were packed tightly there, their formation as solid as Team Z’s.

The moment Ryūma entered their backfield, four defenders shifted to block his path.

(This is a bit troublesome. I need to open a shooting lane in an instant and go for the shot!)

With that decision made, Ryūma accelerated toward the right. As soon as the Team X defenders reacted to intercept,

he abruptly changed direction. His body came to an immediate stop—his right foot dragged the ball behind him and pushed it toward his left, and with his left foot, he broke to the other side.

“Watch this!”

The two defenders on the left rushed in simultaneously.

“Baka~”

Grinning, Ryūma pulled the ball back from his left foot to his right, spun backward, then flicked it to his left foot again.

As soon as his left foot touched the ball, he spun forward, using a Marseille Turn to push the ball even farther right.

Among the four defenders closing in, one positioned slightly deeper suddenly lunged at him with a sliding tackle—clearly waiting for this moment.

“Been waiting for you, pal. Finally made your move!”

Ryūma immediately shifted his stance, using the inside of his right foot to flick the ball through a gap between the four defenders.

At the same moment, he exploded forward, bursting through the hole and chasing down the ball.

He had been waiting for that last defender to lose patience. Once the man committed, Ryūma could exploit the gap behind them and break free.

Regaining control of the ball, Ryūma arrived at the right edge of Team X’s penalty area. Now he faced a choice.

(What should I do? Shoot? Keep dribbling? Or pass and circle around?)

(Tch, there are still four defenders in the box plus the keeper. My shooting odds are maybe thirty percent.)

(If only I could use the Heavy Cannon Shot, but I don’t have the space for a run-up—it’s impossible here.)

(Huh? Eita Otoya’s actually sprinting back?)

As Ryūma pondered, his peripheral vision caught Eita Otoya racing full-speed into defense.

He had already reached the edge of his own backfield—just a few seconds and he’d be inside the box.

(Damn! That means Tabito Karasu must be on his way back too. This is a dead end for a shot!)

(Four defenders plus the keeper, and Otoya closing in fast… if Karasu gets back as well…)

(Shit! Another stalemate!)

(Huh? Why the hell is Rin in that position?)

(Damn it, I get it now! That bastard set me up—I’ve become his bait again!)

Frustration burned in Ryūma’s chest, but he had no choice. Either pass to Rin Itoshi or try to force a shot.

Earlier, there might’ve been a thirty percent chance of success, but now—with Otoya sprinting back—that chance was even lower.

He liked to gamble on risky shots; after all, that’s how the Heavy Cannon Shot was born.

But he wasn’t stupid. With odds this bad, forcing it would just make him look like an idiot.

Gritting his teeth, Ryūma decided to dribble past one or two defenders as fast as possible to raise his shooting chance before going for it.

He knew it was dangerous. If he moved too slow, failed to find a clear lane immediately, or rushed the shot and missed...

any of those mistakes would trap him inside Team X’s penalty area with no escape!

Ryūma took a deep breath, ready to charge. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Yo Hiori on the left flank of Team X’s defense, signaling at him with several quick hand gestures.

Seeing that, Ryūma understood instantly. A grin spread across his face, and the violet glow in his eyes flared to life.

(Going for it again, Hiori? Didn’t know you had that adventurous streak in you!)

(Then come get it, Hiori!)

Ryūma didn’t slow down—in fact, he picked up even more speed. Two Team X defenders panicked and rushed to intercept him.

But Ryūma had been waiting for that reaction. The only thing that disappointed him was that he’d managed to bait only two of them.

Then, under the startled gazes of the two defenders, Ryūma passed the ball sharply to the left side of Team X’s backfield.

Yo Hiori had arrived at exactly the right spot, receiving the pass cleanly. At that moment, both of them thought the same thing:

(Synchronize, Ryūma!)

(Synchronize, Hiori!)

【Thud!】

As the ball descended just a few centimeters from the ground, Hiori struck it dead-center without hesitation, sending it toward the top of the box.

Ryūma, sprinting like a bullet, timed his run perfectly. With the momentum from his charge and Hiori’s pinpoint pass,

the two combined once again to unleash their evolved version of the Heavy Cannon Shot!

But just as he reached the ball, Ryūma’s expression changed—Tabito Karasu was right in front of him!

He was running directly into Ryūma’s shooting path.

No matter what, the Heavy Cannon Shot needed a straight trajectory to reach full power.

Hiori’s pass had been designed to conceal that straight-line path, making it unpredictable.

But Karasu had clearly anticipated where Hiori would send it, nullifying the advantage completely.

Ryūma’s brows furrowed as he spotted both Karasu ahead of him and Otoya rushing in from behind the shooting lane.

(Damn... even if I clear Karasu, Otoya’s right behind him.)

(Damn it! If only I could control the timing of this shot!)

(Calm down, Ryūma! Watch their movements—there has to be an opening somewhere!)

(No... there’s no time!)

(What should I do?! If I hesitate any longer, Karasu and Otoya will be in position, and I’ll lose my only chance!)