Everything froze.
The crowd, the players, even the air itself—it all stopped.
All eyes were locked on one thing.
Shun.
Hanging mid-air, his body twisted, his eyes focused.
Rika's pass had been perfect—a clean through ball slicing through the defense.
And Shun?
Shun (internally):"This is it. The final shot."
He threw himself backward—
⚡ BAM! A Bicycle Kick! ⚡
The ball exploded off his foot, cutting through the sky like a meteor.
BOOM!
⚽ G O A L ! ⚽
A Moment Frozen in Time
Silence.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even the cameras filming the match outside zoomed in on Shun, capturing the moment frame by frame.
Then—
Toru:"HOLY SH—"
Renji:"DID HE JUST—"!
And the stadium erupted.
Kaoru:"SHUN, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"
Rika:"…"
Shun stood up slowly, his breath heavy. He turned toward Rika, who was staring at him—wide-eyed, speechless.
Even her teammates, who were watching from outside, had a different look in their eyes.
Before, he was just a rival.
Now?
Something changed.