Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Chapter 42: 41 - Gekokujou

[High School Wushia 0-1 High School Gekokujou].

Twenty minutes into the first half, Lucas was running around the pitch with his eyes fixed on the ball moving between his opponents’ feet.

The opposing team, Gekokujou, were not easy opponents, as they were also in the main tournament. They played with a combination of physical strength and technique that demanded the maximum from all the Wushia players.

However, Lucas felt that, despite the goal conceded, the team’s morale was intact.

Gekokujou had scored in the 15th minute, following a positioning error in the Wushia defense. The central defender, Hidefumi, had gone up to try to cut out a cross, but the timing of his impulse was wrong, leaving one of the opposing strikers free to head it into the left corner, out of the reach of goalkeeper Toshinori.

The goal came quickly, and Gekokujou celebrated with the intensity of a team that believed it had taken control of the match.

But Wushia were undeterred. They had faced adversity before and knew that the game of soccer was a continuous ninety-minute battle, where every second counted.

"Let’s not lose our heads," said Lucas, his voice firm but calm. "It was only one goal. We have plenty of time to turn it around. Keep doing what we train, trust each other, and remember: the game isn’t over until the final whistle."

Those words reverberated inside every player. They knew Lucas was right.

Coach Yamamoto had always emphasized that the game of soccer was as much mental as physical. No matter how well or badly things were going, keeping a cool head was essential.

Lucas, playing as a central midfielder with Yukihiro back and Tsukada remaining in the first team, was less likely to go forward and was just coordinating the attack, looking for spaces between Gekokujou’s defensive lines, basically what he would normally do if he didn’t have a system. This was bothering him.

Lucas knew that the opponent, having scored early, would probably retreat to protect the advantage. And that’s what Wushia needed to exploit.

As they approached the half-hour mark, Lucas received a pass from Yukihiro, who had dropped back to look for play after seeing that he wouldn’t be able to pass on the left. At that moment, Lucas used <Mirage Feint>, deceiving his direct marker and opening up space in midfield. He raised his head and saw Tsukada on the right wing, accelerating parallel to the sideline.

Without hesitation, Lucas delivered a shot that cut through the opposition defense like a hot knife through butter.

Tsukada masterfully controlled the ball, but was soon surrounded by two defenders. Instead of trying a one-on-one, he opted for a pass into the box, where Nishida, the center forward, was already positioned.

The ball reached the feet of Nishida, who immediately tried to shoot, but was blocked by one of the Gekokujou defenders, who made a precise tackle.

However, Lucas didn’t let the opportunity slip away. He ran on to the ball that was left outside the penalty area and struck it first time. The shot was low and placed, but the opposing goalkeeper stretched as far as he could and managed to put it out for a corner.

"Shit, my shot’s too weak."

One part of the stadium let out a sigh of frustration, while the other, perhaps the majority, celebrated. At that moment, Lucas looked to his right and saw a wall of green shirts with white stripes. This was the Gekokujou crowd, a huge crowd with more than 2,000 fans present waving poles and banners.

"Seriously, why do they have so many fans? I know it’s the weekend, but it doesn’t make sense to have so many people here to watch a high school game." Lucas thought aloud.

The corner was taken by Lucas, who put the ball into the center of the box with a perfect cross. Hidefumi, the defender who had missed the opponent’s goal, rose higher than anyone and headed the ball in. The ball, however, went straight into the hands of the goalkeeper, who held firm and quickly launched a counter-attack.

Gekokujou, aware of the need not to retreat too far, began to throw long balls to their speedy forwards. In one of these moves, Wushia’s right-back Kuwabara was outpaced by the speed of Gekokujou’s left-winger, who advanced quickly to the by-line.

He crossed low with his three toes, making the ball take a bizarre curve, and the Gekokujou striker narrowly missed the ball, which passed through the penalty area untouched.

As the half wore on, Wushia High School kept up the pressure, but the goal still hadn’t come.

Coach Yamamoto watched from the sidelines. He knew his team was playing well, but needed something more. He approached the sideline and called Lucas over for a quick instruction.

"Lucas, they’re retreating. Tell the others to keep trying to make runs down the wings and crosses, keep pressing and then Nishida will score at some point. Take care of the defense, though. They’re waiting for a mistake from us to try for the second goal."

Lucas agreed. He knew the coach was right. They couldn’t be careless, but they couldn’t despair either. They had to keep a cool head and stay focused.

’Should I use that skill? I haven’t received a mission for this game yet and...’ Lucas was thinking when, just then, a system window popped up for him.

[The mission "Oppressive Silence" has been granted.]

[Main Mission: Oppressive Silence

Description: Gekokujou High School is famous in Nagoya for having sports teams that excel in all competitions. Their fans are big precisely because they win a lot and therefore underestimate lesser opponents, so how about shutting them up?

Goal: Humiliate Gekokujou High School to the point where their fans stop cheering.

Rewards:

+40 Star Points

+1 Rare Loot Box

+200 Credits].