Reo took off his top and put on the storied jersey. It was a tad more loose-fitted than he would have liked, and the socks he was given slid all the way down his leg, leaving his shins and calves completely exposed. But there was no time to lose.

It was time for the substitution. An exhausted Mikki Yamane came off, making way for Umio Sekine, with number 19 being replaced by number 17. Simultaneously, number 11, Totori, was called off. Was Hinami planning to change their formation, opting for one striker and a traditional attacking midfielder? Or was Reo about to play as a striker?

None of that really mattered in the last minutes. When a game was in the dying moments, all tactics went out the window.

Gonda smirked. It was do or die.

As the weary Shuichi Totori approached Reo and the referee signaling the substitutions with a brightly lit board, Gonda seized his player by the shoulder. Leaning in, he offered the most ambiguous piece of advice a coach ever could.

“Reo-kun. Go out there, and be unpredictable. I know you can’t be pinned down by tactics, so go out there and do just that.”

Yet even that vague speech was enough. Reo naturally knew even before he heard all that.

He was the ace up the Pirate’s sleeve. His unyielding sharp cutlass, or perhaps a last ditch firearm with explosive power?

Reo shook his head. He’d leave that up to the person responsible for the headlines.

While the substitution was taking place, a wave of curiosity rippled through the stands. An unknown player now adorned the iconic number 10 jersey. A shirt traditionally reserved for the game-changers, the unpredictable ones.

“We have a new number 10?”

“Since… when?”

“Dunno…”

“Is he any good?”

“Dunno that either…”

These types of conversations weren’t far and few in between. In fact, there was a brief moment where everyone seemed to wonder just who the blonde kid with the number 10 was.

Totori eventually reached Reo, and the two exchanged a customary high-five, a ritual between the substitute and the substituted. However, the shorter of the two paused for a moment, giving his friend a gentle tap on the shoulder.

“Go, Reo. Give ‘em hell.”

“Thanks… Toto.”

Returning the friendly smile, Reo mirrored the warmth. He then turned his attention towards the girl standing before the bench, eyeing her cheekily. His face was strangely calm, although she seemed on the verge of hyperventilating.

Even so, Shuna ushered him on.

“Go on! Break a leg! Or… don’t!”

Reo smiled at that, securing the band in his hand with a firm grip. With deft movements, he positioned it to keep his bangs from falling into his face, pushing them back like a certain English winger.

It’s go time.

As Reo propelled himself off the ground and dashed onto the field, the supporters rose to their feet, delivering yet another rallying cry.

“NUMBER 10! NUMBER 10!”

The cheer, though simple, reached Reo's ears nonetheless. With each step, his cleats against the grass felt as though he walked on clouds. His feet propelled him forward with an unprecedented lightness. The scent and ambience of the field—tinged with sweat and the collective ragged breaths of all the players— a feel reminiscent to the saying, living in the moment.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Reo was playing official football. And although his brain commanded him to stay calm, his heart was doing somersaults inside his throat.

As Reo entered, he noticed Hinami had been awarded a corner kick, and Akihiko was waiting for him and Umio to place themselves accordingly before he took it.

Reo wasn’t particularly tall, so Gonda told him to wait outside the box. Corners were instances that mostly tall and strong players acted, and the young 10 wasn’t anything like that.

The dead ball finally came to life, as Akihiko swung in the cross from the left corner of the field. It was a good attempt and Housen and Toraichi moved fast. However, the opposition keeper went out of his line, and cleared the ball away with a fist.

“Shit!”

A fist however, that didn’t exactly hit the ball cleanly. The ball swerved off his arm, and despite its initial altitude, found itself dropping right outside the box. The area which Reo occupied.

Yuzuru Sakanami didn’t know who Reo was. He didn’t know what he was good at, or what his weaknesses were. It was nearing the end of the game, so everybody from the turtles was obviously cautious.

So when the magician from Kyoto glued the ball to the upper part of his foot outside the box, everybody froze. Reo had stopped the ball, and was all alone. The young man looked around him. His opponents didn’t come out to press, instead opting to stay inside the box.

Shoot.

Reo had already made up his mind.

“Mark him! Nanami!”

Yuzuru shouted, realizing his intentions. But the result was already predetermined. Reo had a quick mind, but his feet were even quicker.

He dribbled the ball to the left lightly, clearing off any opponent before him while doing so. Now he had a path to goal.

“Damn it!”

He took one more touch, slight, like a cat’s caress. And then one more, a little more forceful. He let the ball slide before him. He had utilized every yard of space that was offered to him.

“SHOOOOT!”

Everyone was on their feet. The whole stadium held its breath.

Reo knew how and what he needed to do. He leaned forward, and with the inner part of his boot, sent a curvy low shot forward. The ball skimmed along the grass with remarkable speed, resembling a razor blade hovering just above the ground.

The keeper dived, the ball grazing the tips of his gloves.

Heh.

But it wasn’t enough. The ball flew past him, and crashed into the goal, the force of the shot sending ripples across the net.

“GOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL!”

The crowd roared like a beast unchained, stands visibly shaking.

86th minute, Hinami had scored the goal they were so desperately looking for.

His first ever touch after so many months away from the sport. His first ever shot. As Reo witnessed the ball fly into the goal, he ran to the right side of the pitch, closer to the bench and closer to the higher stands. Or at least that’s where he aimed to go.

“YOU RASCAL!”

“YOU BURIED THAT, YOU LITTLE DEVIL!”

“GET IIIIIN!”

Before he could reach his destination, he was buried deep into his teammates’ arms, the Hinami team becoming one big pile of black and white by the corner flag. Housen, Akihiko, even Totori had made the trip from the substitute bench, as well as the keeper who pushed up to celebrate.

Back at the bench, Gonda had celebrated so hard that he seemed to have misplaced his glasses in the midst of all the excitement. It seemed to be a common enough occurrence that Shuna had already prepared a spare pair for him.

The crowd revered in ecstasy, and as Reo was released from the spontaneous group hug, he turned towards the fans in the stands, and opened his arms wide, as if to say…

I’m here.

From the stadium speakers, came a raspy, yet excited voice.

“GOOOAAAAL FOR HINAMI!” The effort was there, and the sound made everyone cheer harder despite the static. “NUMBER 10! YUU… REO!”

Although the static and noise didn’t help the delivery of the announcer, the message was out there for all to hear. Hinami had scored, a courtesy of their number 10.

Well, if they didn’t learn his name… that would be even better. Reo thought. He didn’t exactly want anyone connecting the dots on his past even by mere chance alone.

“Come on, we’ve still got 5 minutes to go!” Housen, ever the anchor to prevent complacency among his teammates, rallied his troops, snapping everyone back into fight mode.

“AYE!”

“Nothing is done yet!” On the opposing side, Reo noticed Nanami tapping Yuzuru on the shoulder just before the referee signaled for the match to resume.

Yuzuru received the ball and swiftly passed it to Nanami. Although Nanami's first touch was solid, Ishiguro seized the opportunity, executing a brilliant tackle to reclaim possession. The ball rebounded towards the area where Akihiko Hatate was positioned.

The crowd roared once again, sensing the momentum was with them.

“GOOOOO!” Gonda waved his arms and shouted. Hinami didn’t need to defend if they had the ball. Instead they could just put the stamp on their victory. Was it the rational thing to do? Certainly not. Yet the air was so electrifying, nobody in the stands seemed to be able to settle for anything less.

“Hatate!” Unmarked in midfield after dropping back from the attack, Reo called for the ball, signaling an unusual readiness to receive it.

Akihiko didn’t need to think long to play the pass.

“After him!” The mostly calm Yuzuru snarled as he pointed to Reo, who’s been like Midas for the Pirates. Everything he touched, turned to gold.

Reo looked around, and saw the faces of his opponents as they prepared to tackle him for dear life. They were nervous, Reo could sense it, see it in their eyes. Despite the devastating defending from Kame Hama, he controlled the ball, past one, two, dangerous and desperate tackles.

It felt as the world had stopped, time standing still. He could see every movement, every potential future, every possible path leading to a goal. When he was on the ball, he was the ruler of time, and he could manipulate everything, bend destiny to his will.

He saw the run down the wing from Kaoru Nakatani, who raised his arm, “Yuusaki, here!”

And also the inverted dash by Umio Sekine.

“Yuusaki, pass it!”

Yet his eccentric nature refused to settle for anything less than being in the spotlight, for anything other than being the best.

Reo ran past a few more opponents, deftly fainting and weaving his way through the cluster of defenders like the nimble, pacey dribbler that he was. His left foot seemed like a wand, guiding the ball with precision, while his body moved in perfect harmony. His opponents could never guess where he would go next.

“AH!”

The crowd gasped, the defenders shaking in their boots. This little blonde magician had come off the bench and turned this game on its head in a matter of minutes. It almost felt like the pitch itself would tip over, and the pirates’ momentum would swallow them whole.

Reo smirked. He had found himself into the box, a perfect situation.

Reo saw the chances he could set up. Passing to Toraichi, giving it to Kaoru, crossing it to the far post, where Umio prowled. Or even finishing it himself. No. He knew what he should do. A surefire way to cause some more chaos.

“Uraaaah!” A defender came running up to him, pure desperation in his cry. Reo flicked the ball over his opponent’s foot, and over his reckless challenge.

“Oh!”

Another gasp from the crowd. Reo received the tackle masterfully inside the box. The contact was non-dangerous, yet loud. It was as clear as penalties go.

“REF! REF!” Gonda was just about ready to jump out of his skin. “IT’S A NAILED ON PENALTY!”

The ball didn’t even go out of play, before the referee blew the whistle, and the crowd erupted in feverous cheers, drowning the sound of the whistle and the complaining of the defenders all together.

The Pirates had fled the corner, their back against the wall, and were now sailing free across the sea, their Jolly Roger flag waving proudly.

A well fought victory. With pure ecstasy emanating from the stands, the captain, Housen, confidently took the ball and placed it on the white spot opposite the Kame Hama keeper. If looks could kill, Housen would be dead.

A penalty in football is a direct free-kick awarded to a team when a foul occurs inside the opposing team's penalty box. It's a one-on-one situation between the penalty taker and the goalkeeper, taken from the penalty spot, 12 yards away from the goal line. Many called it the greatest punishment a referee could give a team, and also the greatest opportunity for the other team to score.

That was why the air was so visibly palpable. Everybody knew Hinami had the biggest chance to cross the line…

But then again, there was no way the captain would feel nervous. He stepped up, and pulled his right leg forward.

Clean contact, the ball flew into the top corner.

The crowd erupted in shouts, cheers, and wild embraces. A large skeleton flag rose from one corner, almost as if welcoming the goal that would secure their victory and send their spirits soaring across the heavens.

“GOOOAAAAAL!”

Everybody ran to embrace their captain, who pointed at the stands as he celebrated the goal. Hinami was a gigantic embrace, both on and off the pitch.

“GOAAAAL FOOOR HINAMIII! NUMBER 5! TAKASAKI HOUSEN!”

As if on cue, the minutes had dwindled down on the clock, and the referee glanced at his watch. Without needing to restart the game, he blew the whistle, the cheers erupting once again in ecstasy.

While everybody was huddled up as one, Reo separated a little and looked at the cheers of his teammates and the supporters.

What is this?

A weird sense of accomplishment washed over him. Maybe… he hadn’t really lost his touch?

What a silly thought… He almost muttered. From the onslaught of hugging, a short stature emerged.

It was Shuna.

“Come here, you little!”

Reo wished. It was Totori instead.

“I believed in you since day one, pal! I knew it!” Totori jumped right at him, crashing Reo onto the ground.

“OYE!”

“GROUP HUUGS!”

Soon, everyone converged to form a pile atop the first goal scorer, and undoubtedly the man of the match.

This wasn’t really all that bad…

Reo wanted to laugh a little.

“Damn it! Your elbow is in my face!”

“Nobody cares about your stupid mug!”

As Akihiko and Umio exchanged banter amid the chaotic tangle of black and white jerseys, the laughter of the rest echoed carefreely, a cathartic release of all their previous anxieties.

“He really did it. That little rascal…” Gonda chuckled to himself, while his daughter, who had been standing by his side the whole time, appeared oddly frozen in place.

“…Shuna?”

A few tears glistened at the edges of her eyes, and she suppressed a little sniffle as she spoke.

“I’m just so… glad.” She laughed at her own reaction, “We really made it.”

The match was over. Hinami had done it. They secured a place in the league after two years.

This clash may have ended, but…

The fun was just getting started.