Jim stood on the pitch, eyes locked forward, but his mind drifted—
Back to the mountains.
Back to the old man with sharp eyes and sharper passes.
"You're the most talented player I've ever trained," Kenzo had said, arms folded and eyes gleaming with pride.
"Now go show the world who you are."
The memory faded. The roar of the stadium snapped him back.
And Jim was off.
He sliced through Yellow Storm's midfield like it was made of warm butter. One by one, defenders fell behind, confused and chasing shadows.
But then—
Tadashi stepped up. The dribbling demon. Yellow Storm's pride.
The commentator's voice boomed, "Tadashi has dribbled through pro-level players! Let's see what this rookie can—"
WHOOSH.
The ball was gone. Tadashi blinked.
The crowd blinked.
Even the commentator forgot how to English.
"...Huh?"
Jim had already glided past him. Tadashi turned around slowly, like a man who just lost his wallet in a crowd.
Even Zyro, Yellow Storm's fearless captain, watched in awe. "What exactly... is this monster?"
And then—it happened.
Jim's body flashed green. His raptor sprite ROARED into existence, its eyes glowing, tail thrashing.
The stadium fell silent. Like, drop-a-pin silent.
Before anyone could understand what was happening, the goalkeeper froze.
The net rippled.
The ball was already in.
GOAL.
A beat.
Another.
Then—
"GOOOAAAALLLLLLL!!!!"
The commentator lost his mind. The crowd exploded.
Alex raised a brow. Volt screamed like he saw a ghost. Coach Tenjo's eyes widened—not in shock, but something deeper. Recognition?
"That technique..." he thought. "I've seen it before... but where?"
The half-time whistle blew.
In the locker room, Volt was bouncing off the walls like a kid after ten energy drinks.
"Brooooo!! How did you do that?! That was insane!!"
Jim shrugged, still catching his breath. "Honestly… I don't know. My body just went woooosh, waaash, BANG... and I did it."
Volt blinked. "...That explained absolutely nothing."
"I know," Jim grinned. "That's the beauty of it."
Alex gave Jim a thumbs up and said coolly, "Well done."
Volt turned to Alex. "Whoa whoa whoa, Mr. Ice Dragon himself giving compliments? Is the world ending?"
Alex sighed. "Say one more word and I'll sub you out myself."
Everyone laughed.
But deep down, Jim knew—this was only the beginning.
The scoreboard showed 1–1.
The second half was about to begin.
Could Phantom Force actually beat Yellow Storm?
Or would the storm strike back?