The momentum shifted.
Shun and Rika had been dominating, but now the opposing team was finally waking up.
Opponent 1:"Enough of this clown show."
Opponent 2:"We're not letting them embarrass us any longer!"
The opposing team started pressing harder, their tackles becoming rougher, their passes sharper.
And suddenly—
THUMP!
Shun got shoulder-checked while dribbling. He stumbled, barely keeping his balance.
Rika received the ball next, but before she could pass—
Opponent:"Not this time!"
A slide tackle came in fast.
WHOOSH.
Rika jumped over it, keeping possession, but it was clear—
"They're going all out now."
The lazy, half-dead opponents from earlier? Gone.
These guys were now hungry.
Toru's Redemption Arc?
On defense, Toru stood firm.
Toru (internally):"Alright, I got wrecked before… but not this time!"
An opponent charged at him.
Toru planted his feet, ready for impact.
Opponent:"Here we go again!"
And then—
WHOOSH.
The opponent didn't even touch Toru. He just dribbled right past him.
Toru:"…"
Toru:"I should've just stayed in bed today."
The Other Half-Dead Players…
Shun's teammates, who were previously half-asleep, suddenly activated.
Kaoru:"Time to show my true potential!"
Reality: He kicked the ball… and sent it straight into the sky.
The whole field watched in silence as the ball… never came back down.
Shun:"Kaoru… what did you DO??"
Kaoru:"I— I don't know, bro! It just disappeared!"
Somewhere far away, a bird got knocked out of the sky.
The Opponents Strike Back!
While Shun's teammates were busy… existing, the opposing team was attacking aggressively.
Opponent:"Too easy!"
A low cross came in, and before anyone could react—
G O A L !
The opponents scored.
Now the match was 2-1.
The lead was shrinking.
Shun wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"They're not backing down."
Rika smirked.
"Good. It wouldn't be fun otherwise."
The match was about to reach its peak intensity.