Ryan closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was standing in the Gates of Miracle feet on that glassy, endless surface of water, centered between the five doors.
Slowly, his body began to sink. Water crept over his skin. He didn't panic; he allowed himself to descend.
The water swallowed him completely, but Ryan felt no discomfort. He kept sinking and, as if time itself muted, every sound that used to fill his ears faded away. It felt as though the whole world had quieted to nothing as if he alone remained.
Back on the pitch, only an instant had passed; Barou was still charging with the ball. When Ryan opened his eyes this time, lightning seemed to flash in his pupils.
Barou was the first to sense something wrong. He could feel it the aura around Ryan had changed wildly.
If before Ryan had given off the feeling of being on a sunlit beach golden sand, seagulls wheeling, a warm breeze now it was as if he stood on the deck of a ship in a hurricane: rain lashing, winds roaring, waves towering like walls ready to swallow everything below.
Barou reminded himself it was just theatrics. He was a king, kings don't flinch. This time, he would crush Ryan.
Ryan stood perfectly still and watched Barou bearing down on him.
"Hey, are you scared of me?" Barou snarled.
Ryan didn't answer. His eyes were vacant, distant.
Barou nudged the ball behind Ryan and sailed past but it was less a feint and more like Ryan ignored him entirely.
There was no exhilaration in Barou's mind at having gotten past him; instead a growing unease tightened like a knot.
No sooner had Barou passed than Ryan exhaled and moved. His speed was so fierce the lightning in his eyes seemed to etch a streak through the air.
Barou pushed on, but then heard hurried footsteps behind him. Panic made him quicken the pace yet the footsteps only grew closer.
Ryan closed in and, without hesitation, slid in to tackle.
Barou barely had time to react before he was knocked to the ground, tumbling helplessly. The ball was cleanly taken. Ryan's tackle struck the ball first, then Barou's legs. No foul was called.
Team Z seized possession and launched a counterattack.
Barou lay on the turf, dazzled by the stadium lights, not with rage at the trip but stunned by the change in Ryan's presence.
A silhouette blocked the glare Ryan, hands on his knees, smiling faintly.
"Moshi moshi, daijobu?" Ryan offered, reaching a hand down to help him up.
"Tch… this round's on me, but remember I will return from hell and defeat you. I am a king." Barou gripped the offered hand, rose, and brushed dirt and grass from his kit.
"Heh. Barou-chan… so tsundere," Ryan teased.
In the control room Ego stared at the screens, utterly shaken. He couldn't keep calm; the face of disbelief was plain on him. A high-schooler Ryan had already reached that state. What he'd seen told him Ryan could enter it at will.
Impossible. How could this be? Ego thought.
If Ryan heard Ego's skepticism, he'd likely reply: Not just one there are five. Some reached it in middle school.
Anri, standing beside Ego, was lost. From her point of view Ryan had only zoned out for a moment and then suddenly moved inhumanly fast.
"What happened? Is Ryan okay?" she asked.
"That's the zone," Ego answered. "The legendary state. It's a burst of extreme focus and creative power. In zone, attention narrows, self-consciousness drops, perception and motion flow perfectly, and time seems to slow until it feels like time no longer exists."
"Oh so I've had that too? Like when I'm studying or working hard, time flies by," Anri said.
"No. That's flow. Zone is another level it requires extraordinary talent and absolute power. Some athletes never touch it their entire lives. Flow is what normal people get when they concentrate; zone is a domain gifted only to the few. And it can't be forced: the more you chase it, the further it slips."
"If zone is that rare, how did Ryan get in so fast? He was joking one second and another second he was a different person."
"That's the insane part," Ego said, eyes gleaming. "Ryan can control whether he enters zone. It's like a door most people push and it stays shut. For him, the zone opens to invite him. He walks through whenever he wants, and walks out whenever he wants."
"So Ryan's strength is already way beyond the others," Anri murmured. "They've never pushed him to truly reveal it."
"Yes. If at this age he can freely use zone… maybe just maybe my plan will actually work."
"Hey, it's our plan. Don't cut me out of this," Anri snapped with a tiny smile.