Hasumi Seiya's last sentence echoed in Lucas' head like a thunderclap that wouldn't go away.
"You can win the next match, but I doubt you'll get past them in the quarter-finals..."
Even as he left the stadium, with his friends exchanging views on the game, he felt isolated, trapped in a whirlwind of thoughts.
As they walked through the busy streets to get back to the hotel, Baro, Yukihiro and Kuwabara were still enthusiastically discussing the game they had watched.
Hasumi Seiya's tactics and Hanrahan College's soccer display were on every lips. However, Lucas walked in silence, his steps mechanically following those of the others, his mind wandering through the clouds of uncertainty that Seiya had sown.
The vibrant melody of the big city, with the sounds of conversations, honking horns and the constant murmur of urban life, were drowned out by the cacophony of doubts that now invaded his thoughts.
