The Golden Winged Of Football: Haruma Kusaka

Suddenly, Kazutora's smirk twisted, and in one fluid motion he shifted mid-swing

and instead of unleashing a shot at goal, he fired a razor-sharp pass straight through Kabuto's legs.

The ball cut through the Wolves' defense like a blade, skidding across the box from left to right from where Yohan was charging in at the ball.

Yohan now was sprinting hard, followed closely by Haru who was desperately trying to hold him back, trying to reach the ball before he could. Yet, Yohan reached the ball first, slightly tapping it forward into the path of Subaru who exploded into a rush towards the ball.

Yohan smirked and the next moment he tore himself free from Haru's grip, surging forward towards the ball.

Rushing in at the ball, Subaru lunged in desperately, diving head-on to cut him off, but Yohan's foot reached first, flicking the ball sharply toward the right side of the net.

The ball blazed past Subaru's outstretched dive and crashed gracefully into the right side of the nets.

'And it's a goooooal! It's a hat-trick!'

A heavy sigh of disappointment swept through the crowd, the sound echoing like a wave across the stadium.

Yohan, smirking with wild intensity, sprinted toward the corner flag, his smirk never fading, his eyes blazing with triumph.

The silence hung heavy for a moment, then it was shattered as the Kashiwa Tyrants erupted, roaring in celebration, sprinting after Yohan to join him in his wild run.

Raya clenched his teeth hard, holding back a scream as he slammed his boot into the turf in raw frustration. Jiho let out a furious roar, his fist pounding against his thigh.

Zora lay flat on the grass, hands covering his face, refusing to show his pain. Kabuto stood rooted in place, his face cast in shadows, the weight of disappointment etched deep in his expression.

At the other end, Yohan sprinted to the corner, throwing up three fingers to the sky, a bold reminder to Tokyo of the scoreline.

Within seconds, his teammates swarmed him, their celebration crackling with wild intensity as they roared and piled on in triumph.

'Yohan Eunseong can't be stopped! He kept on scoring, what a phenomenal talent he's been! For now a sure winner of the JFC 2042 Rising Prodigy.'

The entire fandom of Tokyo were sunk back into their seats, the stadium wrapped in heavy silence. Not a word, not a cheer, just the weight of disbelief hanging in the air. Ryusei, Kento, Masaru, and Toru sat frozen as well, their faces blank, showing not a single trace of emotion.

'Yes absolutely! but not let's just forget about their captain, Kazutora! The best roaming player we've seen in years, he'll stop you, he'll assist you, he'll lead you! undoubtedly the finest captain we saw in this entire tournament!'

Shiori was watching with her eyes glistening with faint tears, while Rukia was seated frozen in her seat, nervously biting her nails in silence.

In the stands, Haruma's mother watched the field with soft, gentle eyes, a faint smile still on her lips. Beside her, Ayane sat with her arms folded, her expression sharp and focused, fixed on the field.

From the VIP box, Ismau looked on with a restrained smile, though beneath it he fought to hide his disappointment. Around him, Daiki, Hideo, and the rest remained utterly still, watching in heavy, unbroken silence.

Haruma was standing motionless in his position with his face dropped low, swallowed in shadows. Around him, the stands were drowned in silence, a stillness so heavy it felt suffocating. The only sounds that broke through were the cheers of a few Kashiwa's fans and the triumphant shouts of their players echoing across the field…

The whistle rang sharp through the stadium, drawing the first half to a close: U17 Tyrants 3 – U17 Wolves 1.

Inside the U17 Tokyo Wolves' locker room, silence weighed heavy. Players sat scattered across the benches, some hunched forward, others leaning back against the lockers, but all wearing the same hollow look. Their faces were drained, eyes empty, the anguish of the half buried beneath lifeless expressions.

Minato-sensei stood in silence, his head lowered, lost deep in thought. Beside him, Raon was scanning the room with his brow furrowed, teeth clenched with frustration.

"Why are you looking like this!" Raon yelled out, his voice shaking the wall, "Are you really gonna give up just because they are leading by just two goals!"

But the players didn't respond. They remained slumped on the benches, shoulders heavy, eyes downcast, confidence drained, their silence saying more than words ever could.

Minato shook his head in denial, before looking up at the squad, "There's no reason for you all to act like we've already lost! It's a game of football! We still have forty five minutes to play! All we need is a new strategy and I'm sure we can pull a comeback! Come on Raya! let's plan it, we will make a comeback, come on!"

But the words fell flat. The room stayed silent. Raya sat slouched on the bench, his head tilted back against the wall, eyes shut tight, body language drained of fight.

"Come on guys!" Raon said in a low desperate tone, his eyes began to shine with tears, "Show me that we still can win damn it!"

Minato clenched his jaw, then suddenly grabbed the pen off the table. Without another word, he strode to the board and began scribbling furiously, dragging the marker across it with sharp, determined strokes.

"We… we just need to stop Yohan and Kazutora," Minato stammered, his voice trembling. "For Kazutora, I was thinking, we could push him into a red card… fake a foul. Haru… Haru might be the best for this. He can do it… he definitely can…"

But the room stayed silent. No answer. No reaction.

Minato's voice faltered. The pen in his hand slowed against the board, the hurried lines breaking into shaky strokes, until finally his arm fell limp at his side. His shoulders sagged as his eyes welled, and he quickly wiped at the tears that threatened to fall.

Raon stood nearby with his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white, his eyes filling with tears he fought to hold back.

Minato turned slowly and saw his team slumped across the benches, their shoulders heavy and their posture broken, as if the match had already been lost.

He lowered his gaze, rubbing his forehead as the tears finally began to fall.

Just then he heard movement. His head lifted sharply, and there stood Haruma, rising back to his feet.

Minato's eyes widened, his tears stopping mid-fall, while Raon stared at Haruma in shock.

Without hesitation, Haruma tightened his fist and swung it straight into his own cheek, the punch landing with a brutal thud that echoed through the silent locker room.

The sheer force of the blow snapped the players out of their haze, their heads jerking toward him, eyes wide in disbelief.

Every gaze was fixed on Haruma, who stood tall with his face twisted to the side from the impact, but he did not move, his body refusing to waver.

Haruma clenched his jaw and lifted his head, revealing a face carved with fierce resolve. His eyes blazed with raw intensity, his cheek flushed red from the strike, a thin line of blood trailing from his lip to show just how hard he had hit himself.

Through gritted teeth, he forced the words out, loud enough for every corner of the room to hear.

"I deny defeat!"

Haruma's words ignited a spark inside every young Wolf, their eyes widening as they fixed on him in silence.

Grinding his teeth, Haruma's voice rose with burning conviction.

"This isn't it! I won't let it end like this! I can win… I will win!"

With a furious roar, he slammed his fist into his cheek again, harder than before, a spray of saliva bursting from his mouth on impact.

Minato and Raon stood frozen, their eyes stretched wide in disbelief, shaken by the sheer force of Haruma's passion, a fire not only for football, but for victory itself.

Jiho clenched his jaw and sprang to his feet. With his fist wound tight, he smashed it into his own cheek just as Haruma had, the sharp crack echoing through the locker room. His chest heaved as he stood tall, eyes blazing with new fire.

Kabuto, who had been slouched against the lockers, straightened up. He struck his face with two quick blows before his trademark smirk returned.

"How dare I even think it was over," he growled. "We haven't lost, and we won't!"

Itsuki let out a heavy breath, then drove his fist into his cheek with all his strength. One by one, Nagisa, Haru, and Subaru followed, each punching themselves as if snapping their bodies out of the haze.

The sound of fists against flesh reverberated around the room, their determination reignited, their fire roaring back to life.

At last, Raya rose slowly from the bench, his posture heavy but unbroken. He clenched his fist, then drove it hard into his cheek, the sound echoing through the room. He swallowed back the pain, spat to the side, and lifted his head, his eyes sharp once more, his commanding aura blazing back to life.

"Forty-five minutes, huh?" he muttered through gritted teeth, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. "That's more than enough for us to win."

As the fire reignited across the Wolves, Minato and Raon exchanged looks, their faces breaking into smiles of relief and confidence. The pack was alive again.

Minato let out a steady breath before raising his voice, strong and energetic.

"That's it! That's the spirit! And for that, I've got a plan!"

His tone rang with authority, sharp and commanding, pulling every eye in the room toward him…