Kaito Isagi stood in front of the familiar cold steel door of Ego Jinpachi's office. His heart pounded in his chest. The last time he was here, Ego had called him weak—had told him to devour his teammates. And now, after his loss against Julias, he had been summoned again.
With a deep breath, he stepped inside.
Ego sat at his desk, fingers laced together, his sharp eyes locking onto Kaito like a predator analyzing prey.
"You've improved."
Kaito stiffened. He hadn't expected even that much praise.
"But you're still not enough."
The words stabbed into him like knives.
"You let yourself play a supporting role. You let Kuroka take control. You let Julias dominate you." Ego's voice was cold, cutting through the air with brutal honesty. "And yet, you tasted something, didn't you? That moment where you were more than just another player. That moment where you weren't a pawn—you were the one moving the pieces."
Kaito clenched his fists. He had felt it. The moment he had scored against Julias, when he had stolen the ball, when he had controlled the game for those fleeting seconds. It was addicting.
Ego leaned forward, smirking. "There's something you haven't unlocked yet, Kaito Isagi. A weapon buried inside you. And if you want to surpass Julias… if you want to take your rightful place as the protagonist of this story, you must find it."
Kaito's eyes burned with determination. "What is it?"
Ego's smirk widened. "The Zone."
Silence.
"The Zone?" Kaito repeated.
"A state of mind where all distractions fade away. Where instinct and calculation merge. Where time slows, and every pass, every movement, every goal becomes effortless. It's a place only the best can enter, and when they do—" Ego's glasses gleamed as he leaned back, "—they become unstoppable."
Kaito's breath hitched.
"There's one last match against Julias tomorrow," Ego continued. "One last chance to show your true potential. If you want to win—if you want to devour the Crowned Prince—you must find a way to enter the Zone."
The words ignited something inside Kaito.
"Go. Train. Evolve. Or accept your place as just another stepping stone."
Kaito didn't hesitate.
He turned, leaving the office with fire in his veins.
Kaito found Kuroka and Sora already on the field, running drills.
Kuroka raised an eyebrow. "What's with the sudden intensity?"
Kaito's grin was sharp, almost feral. "I'm done playing second to you."
Kuroka blinked before grinning back. "Oh? The little mutt thinks he can rebel?"
Kaito grabbed a ball, his eyes locked onto the goal. He could feel it—the Zone was within reach. He just had to find it.
Tomorrow, he wouldn't just be a player.
Tomorrow, he would become the King.