Beyond the Pitch

For the next few days, Gabriel showed up to practice, played hard, and kept his head down. He didn't push, didn't ask any more questions. If the team was broken, then fine—he wasn't here to fix it.

But that didn't mean he stopped watching.

Takeshi was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't shown up since their conversation behind the school. No one mentioned him, no one asked about him. It was like he had never been part of the team at all.

The others weren't much different. The intensity of that practice match hadn't carried over. If anything, Gabriel started to see it clearer now—how their movements lacked something, how even their best players seemed to hold themselves back. It was frustrating.

Still, Gabriel kept his frustration to himself.

After practice, as the team gathered around, Coach stepped forward, his usual stern expression in place.

"Listen up," he said. "We've got a friendly match scheduled in two weeks. Against Izumi High School."

Gabriel perked up. A match? His first game in a long time. He felt a rush of excitement—finally, a chance to play for real, to test himself in a real match situation.

But as he looked around, his excitement faded.

No one else seemed eager. No murmurs of anticipation, no fired-up energy. If anything, the atmosphere grew heavier. Some players exchanged uneasy glances, others sighed as if they had been expecting bad news.

Gabriel frowned. What the hell was this reaction?

As the team dispersed, he jogged up to Ryota. "Hey, what's up with everyone? Why does nobody look happy about this game?"

Ryota gave him a tired look. "You're new, so you wouldn't know… but Izumi is the best team in Kagoshima. Not just that, they had a solid run on a nationals last year."

Gabriel blinked. Izumi High. He didn't realized a team like that were that strong.

Still, rather than feeling intimidated, a different emotion bubbled up inside him—excitement.

A team better than them? That meant their players were good.

That meant Gabriel would have a real challenge.

His heart pounded. He couldn't wait.

For the next few days, Gabriel carried that excitement with him. While the rest of the team seemed weighed down by the upcoming match, he felt the opposite—energized. The thought of facing a top-tier team made his blood rush.

But the more he trained, the more he noticed it. The others weren't just dreading the match. They were resigned to losing.

Passes lacked urgency. Runs were half-hearted. Even the seniors, the ones with the most experience, played like they were just going through the motions.

It pissed him off.

One afternoon, after another uninspired practice, Gabriel found himself next to Ryota again as they packed up. He couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Its seem they have already given up, didn't they?" he said, voice sharper than he intended.

Ryota sighed. "It's not that simple."

Gabriel scoffed. "It looks pretty simple to me. They all act like we've already lost before even stepping on the field."

Ryota didn't answer right away. He stared at his bag, shoulders tense.

"You don't get it," he finally muttered. "They played Izumi before. And they got crushed. And that was when the team was better than were we are now."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "So what? That was last year. This is now."

Ryota let out a dry chuckle. he repeated. "You'll see."

Gabriel didn't like that answer.

And as he left the field that day, he made a silent promise to himself.

No matter what the others thought—no matter how much they doubted—he was going to fight for that game.

Even if he had to do it alone.

For the next week, Gabriel stuck to his usual routine—showing up, training hard, and keeping his mouth shut. But now, every drill, every pass, every shot was done with one thought in mind: Izumi High.

The more he thought about it, the more his excitement grew. He wanted to see how good they really were. He wanted to test himself against the best.

But his teammates? They were the opposite.

If before they had been indifferent, now it felt like they were just waiting for the game to be over before it even started. The energy in practice was lifeless. Even the coach, wasn't pushing them any harder its seem like it was benefiting him.

Gabriel couldn't stand it.

One day, as they were doing a shooting drill, he watched as Gen received a perfect pass, lined up his shot—then barely put any power into it. The keeper didn't even have to try.

Gabriel snapped.

"The hell was that?"

Gen turned, frowning. "What?"

Gabriel stepped forward. "You didn't even try."

Gen jaw tightened. "It's just practice, man."

Gabriel let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah? And what do you think the game's gonna be? You gonna half-ass it then too?"

That got everyone's attention. A few players glanced over. Even Coach seemed to be watching now.

Kenta sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, you don't get it—"

"No, you don't get it." Gabriel cut him off, voice sharp. "You guys act like the game is already lost. But it hasn't even been played yet."

Gen expression darkened. "And you act like one guy is gonna change anything."

Gabriel held his gaze. "One guy who gives a damn is already more than what you've got now."

Silence.

Kenta didn't respond. No one did.

Gabriel exhaled through his nose and shook his head. "Whatever," he muttered, walking back to his spot.

The drill continued. But the weight in the air didn't fade.

As practice ended, Ryota walked up beside him.

"You really don't let things go, huh?" he said, a small smirk on his face.

Gabriel didn't return it. "I just don't like playing with ghosts."

Ryota sighed. "Don't expect them to change overnight."

Gabriel stayed quiet.

He didn't expect them to change cause he knows no matter how much you try to understand other people's hearts, people aren't able to change others.

At school, the atmosphere wasn't much better. The Seniors from the team avoided the topic of Izumi entirely, while the first-years—Ryota, Kenta, Daichi, and Gabriel—found themselves venting about it during lunch.

"I just don't get it," Gabriel said, stabbing at his food with his chopsticks. "Why even bother playing if they've already decided we'll lose?"

Kenta sighed. "They're just being realistic. They've seen how good Izumi is firsthand."

"Yeah, but so what?" Gabriel shot back. "That doesn't mean we roll over."

Ryota pushed his tray aside and leaned in. "We get it, man. It pisses us off too. It's just... they're not wrong to be scared."

Daichi finally spoke up. "We want to fight too, Gabriel. We just… don't know how. We're first-years. We don't have a voice on this team."

Gabriel looked at them—at the frustration in their eyes, at the same anger he felt, just buried under hesitation.

He exhaled through his nose. "Then I'll fight for us."

The table went silent.

Then, slowly, Ryota smirked. "You really don't let things go, huh?"

Gabriel smirked back. "I just don't like playing with ghosts."

Kenta chuckled. "Well… if you're gonna fight, then I guess we've got your back."

Daichi nodded. "Yeah. Even if we can't do much, we're still in this."

Ayane approach, "Its been a while since i didn't seat with y'all, its more like i was cut off the scenario."

Ryota look at her, "its true its been a while we didn't see you."

Ayane took a seat beside Kenta, setting down her lunch tray. She raised an eyebrow at the four of them. "You all look like someone just told you your dog died. What's going on?"

Ryota sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Just the usual. Gabriel being stubborn, us being stuck in the middle of a team that's already given up."

Ayane frowned. "Still about that next game?"

Kenta nodded. "Yeah. We want to fight, but the seniors of the team…"

"Are acting like we already lost," Gabriel finished, his voice edged with frustration.

Ayane clicked her tongue. "Figures. It's been like this since last year. Honestly, I was hoping you guys wouldn't fall into the same pit."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated, tapping her fingers against her tray. "Let's just say… the team wasn't always like this. Something happened. Ever since then, they've been playing it safe."

Ryota, Kenta, and Daichi exchanged glances.

Gabriel leaned forward. "What happened?"

Ayane exhaled. "Takeshi probably knows more than me."

At the mention of his name, the table went silent.

Kenta glanced at Gabriel. "Speaking of Takeshi, you talked to him, right? Before he disappeared."

Gabriel's jaw tightened. "Yeah."

"And?"

"And he told me to stop asking questions."

Ayane crossed her arms. "If Takeshi isn't talking, then there's something worth hiding."

Daichi shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like we can do anything about it."

Gabriel's fingers curled into fists. "Maybe not. But I can't just sit back and accept this. If the seniors won't fight, then i will."

Ayane studied him for a moment, then smiled. "You really don't back down, do you?"

Gabriel smirked. "Not my style."

Ryota chuckled. "Alright then. If we're gonna do this, we better be smart about it."

Kenta stretched his arms. "Guess this means we're starting a revolution, huh?"

The tension between them felt lighter. They weren't just frustrated anymore.

And Gabriel wasn't alone.