Captain of the New-Gen XI

[Chapter 5]

MATCH RESTART 

With that and an immediate pass to Kaiser from Noel, the match was underway. By the time Seth had received the ball from Ness, the boy was already traveling on the same line as Isagi. Matching his pass, the boy had come to a conclusion.

He wanted to see if Isagi could at least catch a glimpse into his vision. If the boy could then keep up and match it, he was sure he would make it to the next game. 

"Come on, Isagi." Seth stated, causing the boy to look at him a bit surprised. He didn't expect his request to be taken seriously after all. "If you can't learn from your master at this moment, then learn from me. Just follow our lead. Remember, just because something looks different doesn't mean you shouldn't attempt it." 

He nodded affirmatively, setting his sights forward. 

Not far from them, Noel had reached his full speed and passed by multiple players, leaving them completely in the dust. His acceleration was similar to Seth's because he's the person who taught it to the boy.

Of course, he had made some small changes over the months, and he was sure he would be able to learn it on his own, but Noel's help sped up the process significantly. 

Passing Isagi, Seth flicked the ball back once he was met with one of Spain's players. Isagi had no hope of matching that speed, but what he could do was provide Noel with a clean pass from across the field. 

The man received the ball, then immediately continued on his murder streak. Passing by two more players, one of them being Bachira. 

Glancing sideways, he delivered the ball right to Seth's feet. The boy had someone right on his tail, but it didn't matter since the puzzle was getting himself into place. 

Knocking it forward, Seth lightly jumped, mostly vertical. The tips of his cleat gave the ball a firm pat, sending the ball into the air. 

'What is he? The player got his answer before his thoughts could fully string together. The moment Seth's feet were on the floor, he turned and bent his knees, traveling only a few inches ahead of the ball. 'Is he trying to pass someone behind me?!'

However, he could not look, and with no callouts from any of his teammates, he assumed that he was wrong. If he turned to confirm, then 

"Watch out!" Gomez shouted from ahead of them while guarding Kaiser. "He's behind you!" 

'So that's it!' Lara grinned. He saw Seth's eyes narrow and grinned further. 'All I need to do is stop the one behind me from receiving any passes, and the rest will box him.' 

As if on cue, three of their players began making a full-on sprint toward them. To him, Seth was out of options. He couldn't pass back with him already as the ball. I couldn't go forward since Lara had turned his torso and widened his stance to stop the player dead in their tracks. 

By the time the boy landed and got control of the ball, he would be triple-pressed, cutting almost all of his pass and shot courses. It would have worked if it were almost any other player. 

"I got you!" As Lara turned, Isagi ran past the man, his eyes dead set on the ball, only inches away from reaching Seth's thigh. 

Isagi had been watching football since he was a small child; that experience, combined with his keen senses, allowed him to predict what Lara would do. And learning from Seth, he took very quick glances toward his feet to know the exact moment the man would turn and when his stance had naturally solidified. So he slowed his run and moved to the side of the man at the last second. 

Thus, it was impossible for the man to block the boy without compromising his footing, something he had seen Seth take advantage of previously. 

Paying attention to footwork and taking advantage of it was something Seth did all the time. Something so simple, offering such advantages, was almost cheating.