2.11. So Obedient?

He'd scored.

Just that thought, repeating over and over in his mind, was enough to fill his entire body with a rush of warmth. Y/N literally couldn't force himself to not be happy. It was just programmed into him, making his blood sing with joy and throat block up from the sheer amount of dopamine flooding his system.

He'd scored.

He had scored.

He'd fucking scored.

Y/N didn't even feel it as he walked back to his own half, in a daze at his own accomplishment. That was it. He'd shown what he could do to probably hundreds of thousands, or millions of people.

Yet, it wasn't enough. He was already itching to score another, his entire body trembling with adrenaline. Y/N was happier than he'd ever been for the past few years, but he knew he could make it even better by scoring more.

He stopped by Sae, the two of them in the middle of the field. Sae's eyes were bored as ever, but he still gave Y/N a nod of acknowledgement for the goal. "You could've scored faster if you didn't stop."

"Oh, I know!" Y/N chirped happily. He hopped from foot to foot, trying to alleviate some of the shaking in his legs. "But then it's boring. More interesting to let them have a chance, right?"

"You're strange."

Y/N didn't even care about what Sae said. He backpedalled into his own half, waiting for them to restart the game. His eyes flickered all around the stadium, but he didn't actually register anything. The only thing he could see was himself, scoring that goal.

Bluelock formed up opposite him. They'd taken a bit of time to discuss, but the determined looks on every single face was almost laughable to Y/N. They really think they can stop me?

They started with the ball. Rin, standing at the front, passed to Isagi. Y/N's eyes tracked the movement, and he began jogging towards them, taking satisfaction in the way they immediately passed away from him. A huge portion of the Bluelock players were going on the attack, it looked.

Rin, Nagi and Isagi formed a sort of triangle at the very front, supported from either side by two pairs of Yukimiya and Bachira, and Otoya and Chigiri. More than half their team was on the attack - and it left their goal incredibly vulnerable.

Like before, they pushed forwards. They hadn't changed their plan, it looked. They would try to break open the U-20 team's defences, cycling through their weapons and controlling the midfield through fast plays.

Bluelock pushed their way up the field. The ball went out to Rin, then to Yukimiya all the way on the right side of the field. One of the midfielders went to meet him, and the ball was moved away, back to the centre. They didn't launch any committal attacks, choosing instead to test the waters.

Y/N didn't try too hard to take the ball away, either. Instead, he just slowly moved towards whoever was closest, playing like a normal person by marking them. His teammates kept up good pressure, though, holding the enemy team back.

They were gearing up for something, though. Even Y/N could tell. Aiku was slowly moving forwards into the centre of the pitch, and the three other defenders had made their defensive zones smaller.

For the next few minutes, Sae slowed down his attacking, letting Isagi and Rin make their way further upfield. The crowd seemed to grasp that they were losing, yelling out encouragement to the U-20 team as the other team managed to bring the ball a good distance upfield.

"Now!" With a yell of command, Bluelock surged forwards. Isagi and Rin sped up their passing, beating one of the U-20 midfielders and running forwards. Bluelock were like hungry animals, each of them starving for their own goals as they all ran towards the goal.

Damn. Y/N was midway through doubling back when he met Sae's eyes. The midfielder very subtly shook his head. What? You're gonna get crushed...

As if he could tell what Y/N was thinking, the teal eyes narrowed. Sae tilted his head, motioning for Y/N to run the opposite way. Y/N stared. Then he turned, trusting Sae as he began to run down the field towards Bluelock's goal.

It looked like one small mistake was made. Getting too greedy for a goal, Otoya had gone in by himself.

The U-20 reaction was immediate. Two of the defenders pressed him, forcing Otoya backwards. He made to pass the ball away to Rin, but that had been expected.

Aiku slammed into the tall teenager. Rin was sent stumbling to the side, and more U-20 players were already in place for Aiku to pass to. Y/N internally sighed with relief, and a little admiration. It was a good trap, probably thought up by Sae before the game. I don't think any of them have the mental capacity to make a trap.

In just a few seconds, Sae had the ball. Y/N looked straight forward, hearing the familiar sound of boot hitting ball. The ball was flying over his head right after, landing perfectly at his feet. Thank you!

He smiled, sprinting for the goal for all he was worth. There were... three defenders, and the goalie. Aryu on one side, Karasu in the middle, and Niko on the other side. Behind them, Gagamaru was watching him, crouched and ready to block the shot.

Y/N didn't choose the most easy option - he chose the most interesting option, and ran straight down the middle. The three defenders moved into positions, the two flanking players trying to box Y/N in while Karasu held his attention in front.

Eyes flickering from side to side, he carried on running forwards. The defenders' faces went a little confused, probably wondering why he was doing such a braindead play. He knew something they didn't though. He saw gaps in their formation that they didn't.

The three of them closed in from all sides. Y/N didn't slow down at all. Their trap only works if Karasu holds me in front of him, giving the other two time to pinch me from both sides. If I just...

Without slowing at all, Y/N booted the ball right at Karasu's chest. Startled, the defender barely reacted in time. He reflexively caught the ball with his chest, bringing it down to the floor.

"What is this?! Y/N L/N kicks the ball right at the defenders?" The crowd screamed with surprise. Y/N sped up.

Then, before the ball even had a chance to bounce, Y/N swooped in. He stole the ball from right under Karasu's nose, literally. The crow boy didn't even have a chance to react. Y/N was incredibly fast, more like an eagle than a boy as he flew straight between the smallest gap in their defences.

Whew. It was just Y/N and Gagamaru. He had a few seconds to shoot, maybe fifteen or twenty metres away from the goal. It was a shot he would never miss. Grinning, Y/N drew back his foot. How do I wanna do this?

A shot to the top right? He's new to goalkeeping, so he probably won't be able to reach it. But if he's new, I could fake him out, or draw him out then do a fancy shot, or I could do a rainbow flick over his head...? Yeah, Y/N was having too much fun thinking.

In the end, he decided to go for a simple feint. A fake shot with his left foot, then a finish on his right. Gagamaru took the bait, leaping to the side of the goal, and Y/N spun on his heel. It was literally an open goal-

"Miss."

What?

Y/N's right foot clipped the ball strangely, and instead of a clean shot, the ball ricocheted to the side, bouncing off one of the posts and going out of the pitch. An open goal, and he'd...

Missed?

The ecstatic cries of the crowd instantly stopped. An aw of disappointment rose from the stands. The defenders gave shouts of encouragement, slapping each other on the backs. Gagamaru scrambled to his feet, expecting to save a goal but only being greeted by the players moving in for a corner.

"What?! He missed?!"

"Maybe a bit overcooked there from Y/N L/N, the newbie. Probably stress or nerves, right?"

"I don't know about that, Tereasa. Looked like he just completely gave up on the shot, decided to aim for the post instead?"

"Well, he's scored one already... maybe it was just a fluke."

"Straight after this corner kick, we'll bring you viewers a replay of that missed shot! You guys at home can make your own decision, and remember to tell us what you think on social media!"

Y/N stood in front of the goal. The smile on his face had disappeared, mouth open as he stared at the white line on the floor. Slowly, carefully, he raised his hands to his face. Yep, they were shaking. A familiar shake he thought he'd gotten over since Ascension.

A shake he only got when he was confronted with a certain someone.

Y/N gulped hard. Blinking rapidly, he raised his eyes, clenching his fists in an attempt to stop them shaking. Scanned the nearest few faces, head swivelling to take in the people lining the pitch's sides.

Most of them were managers, security, and ballboys. They stood just behind the metal barriers that lined the pitch, eyes on Y/N as he looked at each of them. There was a secondary referee right behind the goal... two men in U-20 gear standing next to him.

Y/N's eyes drifted right over them, finally landing on a man in a black suit. The noises of the defenders surrounding him faded. The noise of the crowd faded. The noise of his own team, rushing to set up for the corner, faded. The only noise-

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The only noise that he could hear was his own racing heart, pounding in his ears. Y/N took two steps backwards, the colour draining from his face. An iron band tightened around his chest - squeezed the air out of his lungs in one go.

Y/N wanted to run. He wanted to leave the stadium, screw the consequences. But he couldn't, legs paralysed with terror and wide eyes fixed on the man in the stands.

Kuroi Jigoku waved.

"So obedient, aren't you?"