Another 160: Escaping the darkness

THIS IS IT! THIS FINAL MATCH OF THE COMPETITION... IS ENDING UP LIKE THE OTHER MATCHES OF OL YOUTH! EVEN THOUGH PSG YOUTH LOOKED SO STRONG IN THE GROUP MATCHES AND THE SEMI FINALS... HERE... THE TIDE HAS COMPLETELY SHIFTED IN OL'S FAVOR! THE FIRST HALF WILL BE OVER SOON AND OL YOUTH MIGHT SCORE AGAIN!


OVER, AND OVER... THE PASSES OF PSG YOUTH'S CONTROL TOWER KEEP ON BEING INTERCEPTED! AT FIRST IT WAS FERRILLI... BUT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE CAN READ HIM LIKE AN OPEN BOOK! AHHH! AND NOW HE'S LOSING THE BALL!


OL YOUTH... IS LIKE A CURSE TO THE OPPONENT'S PLAYMAKER! JUST LIKE THE OTHERS BEFORE HIM MISAKI SEEMS TO FALL MORE AND MORE DEEPLY INTO A SLUMP... AND YOU KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WHEN A PLAYER IS UNDERPERFORMING...


JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS BEFORE HIM... MISAKI MAY BE SUBSTITUTED SOONER OR LATER! BEING LED 0-1, PSG YOUTH CAN'T AFFORD TO BE COMPLETELY DOMINATED ON THE MIDFIELD AND JUST DEFEND FOR THE REST OF THE MATCH...


Nihihi... That's right, even though soccer is a team sport... Your dear teammates will get rid of you without
remorse if you're a liability! No matter what... To keep standing on the field... You must play for yourself above everything else!

Nothing... Nothing is working today... Is that the power of other countries' golden age?

And there are others... "Supernovae" even stronger than them? Incredible... I want to play against them...

But all the supernovae are pros... If I don't become a pro myself... If I fail here...!

This isn't my first hardship... I was severely injured in the past...

I was told by doctors that I should give up on soccer... But my dad helped me see
specialists from other countries... With surgeries and special rehabilitation programs... As well as willpower and hard work... I was able to play again!

As I kept following my dad all around the world, I absorbed all the soccer I could, and improved my
physical condition. Until I felt ready to face other countries' golden age... And supernovae.

This is just... A slump. This is nothing compared to what I went through!

EVEN THOUGH OL YOUTH IS COMPLETELY SETTING THE PACE, PSG YOUTH IS HOLDING ON IN DEFENSE, MOSTLY THANKS TO N'DIAYE AND GERINI! FERRILLI IS ATTACKING... BUT HERE IS N'DIAYE, TACKLING HIM LIKE A SAVAGE BEAST! THIS IS...

Eat this! Beast tackle!

AH, NO, THE REFEREE DIDN'T JUDGE THAT IT WAS A FOUL! THE LOOSE BALL IS THUS PICKED UP BY... BOSSI! SEEING OL YOUTH'S DOMINANCE IN THE MIDFIELD, HE WENT DOWN TO GIVE A HELPING HAND!

What! I wanted another free kick!

BOSSI IS THEN GETTING PAST HIS MARKER WITH HIS SPECIAL FEINT! TURNING AROUND HIM AND MOVING THE BALL WITH THE SOLE OF HIS FOOT, HE'S THEN RESUMING HIS DRIBBLE! IS HE GOING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH? A SHOT OR A PASS? HIS NEXT PLAY MIGHT BE THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THIS FIRST HALF FOR PSG YOUTH!


That light... In Misaki's eyes...

As expected! You won't give up!

AND BOSSI IS FINALLY DOING A PASS! THIS IS FOR... AHH! BUT...


ISN'T THAT A MISTAKE? BOSSI SENT THE BALL TO THEIR PLAYMAKER MISAKI, WHO ISN'T PERFORMING WELL AT ALL IN THE LAST PART OF THE FIRST HALF!

What! His teammates are still trusting him?

NEVERTHELESS, MISAKI IS GOING UP TO ATTACK...!!

In good times and bad times... No matter what, he supported and trusted us! The least we can do is
trust you too!

This isn't good! Keeping on fighting... The trust of his teammates...

That kind of positive attitude and surrounding might make him escape the darkness!