Chapter Text
1.
From a very early age, Iyo and Issei could tell that their son was… different. While it’s normal for a toddler to be sensitive to their surroundings and be easily stimulated, Isagi had always been more so than others. It became even more noticeable once Isagi began to learn to speak. It’s not uncommon for Isagi to point somewhere, exclaiming something like “bugs” or “birds” or “cats” even though there’s seemingly nothing there just for them to notice a little later that Isagi was pointing somewhere farther away than they could see.
When they took their son to the doctor, they were told that Isagi possessed senses sharper and more sensitive than average. Better eyesight, a sharper nose and ears, and his skin was also more sensitive to stimuli like heat and pressure. It’s not all good, however, as all those also meant that Isagi would always be more prone to overstimulation and experience all kinds of sensations more intensely, including pain.
As a child, Isagi cried a lot because he felt so much . A large crowd of people, loud music, the sound of traffic, things that would be mildly upsetting at most for other kids were downright unbearable to a painful degree if Isagi got too close to the source. He would sometimes cry when it started raining from how loud the sound of falling water drops can be and especially the sound of the thunder.
Not just sound, but also lights and smells, any place where those things coalesce in a high degree were places that his parents couldn’t really bring him to. Which unfortunately is most places in a city. Iyo and Issei considered moving to somewhere in the countryside for Isagi’s sake, but the problem was that Isagi had always been a curious and active child. Attracted to the lights and the sound just like most other kids his age would despite the pain it would often bring him.
In the end, Isagi was still a toddler in a very important stage of his early development. One that required him to be exposed to all kinds of stimulation and experiences so as to not stunt his later growth. Earmuffs, photophobia glasses, and age-appropriate exercise helped Isagi to adapt to his condition, as recommended by the doctor, and by the time he turned six, he wasn’t quite as troubled by his surroundings and intense stimulation anymore though he still wears earmuffs and the photophobic glasses when he goes out to play or go to places like the mall with his parents.
The one problem that came with his condition that he’s still adapting to is his pain sensitivity. Regularly playing around the neighborhood either by himself or with other kids had helped to build up his pain tolerance as tripping and getting scratches were something common and Isagi had to be used to it. Some degree of roughhousing between kids was to be expected, and his parents’ concern also grew as Isagi became more physically active both as a result of growing up and his interest in football.
Whether falling, trying to tackle, or colliding with other kids, football was quite a physical sport. This means that when he plays, Isagi has to take off the things that helped him to deal with his heightened sensitivity lest he might get injured, and the kind of movement required to play freely meant that at the very least he had to expose a decent amount of his legs to the elements.
It’s a somewhat weirdly virtuous cycle for Isagi. He likes football, so he wants to play it. In order to play it, he had to be able to deal with all the trouble that his condition caused him, and once he could deal with them, his condition actually helped him play football better even when Isagi himself had yet to figure out the finer details.
Isagi was eight years old, in his third year in Elementary School, when the coach of a local football club’s youth academy contacted his parents, thus beginning his true first step toward his journey to be the world’s #1 Forward.
2.
There’s no doubt, that if there’s any football player that Isagi would rank as his ultimate favorite and his greatest inspiration it would be Noel Noa. It was from watching a match on television that featured Noa that Isagi was inspired to become a Striker, dazzled by the Frenchman’s performance, the sureness in all his steps before he eventually made a shot that young Isagi could watch over and over again without losing the slightest bit of adoration for the goal and the man who made it.
His parents, while neither of them really gets football, were happy that it doesn’t seem just to be a fleeting or temporary interest but something more permanent. Besides, it’s good to have someone to look up to, and from when they can look up on the internet, Isagi’s new idol Noel Noa seemed to be a very upstanding athlete so they indulged Isagi quite a bit when he asked them to buy things like Noel Noa posters and when he asked them to record his matches when it airs on TV. They did draw the line when Isagi asked them for a bed sheet with Noal Noa’s face on it though, partly to spare future Isagi from what could only be described as a dark history if they let that happen and also to make sure that Isagi didn’t have it in his mind that having his idol’s face on his bed is an acceptable thing.
3.
It’s been a year since Isagi joined the youth academy and one thing that he could say for certain is that not a single one of his teammates is good enough. He kept that assessment to himself though, as he could see the coach giving him the stink eyes when he expressed even mild dissatisfaction about them.
To be sure, it’s not that the others are terrible or anything. They were all still part of a youth academy for a rather notable club in Japan after all, but nine years old Isagi could feel that his teammates were not quite as driven to score a goal as him. He had lost count of how many times whether in a practice match or in a tournament Isagi had had to let go of a chance to score either by himself or through a challenging assist because he knew that he would get scolded if he tried. Hell, even when he successfully scored he would still get scolded.
If he was older, more worn down by societal expectations to act maturely and not rock the boat, he would have eventually swallowed his pride and conformed. But nine years old Isagi wasn’t quite mature enough to really get it. The only reason why he had endured it that far was because this was supposed to be where the strong players his age were, but whether it was teammates or opponents, once he got over the initial excitement it just felt like he was playing with and against the neighbor kids all over again, just on a nicer field.
He wanted to quit, but he also wanted to continue playing. If he quit, he’s not sure where else he could go. He had seen other teams, and none of them were that much different from his current team.
That is until he met Itoshi Sae.
Older than him by one year, not only did Isagi see that Sae was much more skilled than other kids their age, but he could also feel from the way that Sae played and commanded the field that he was not like the others, simply following the order of their coach and play nicely as a team. No, Itoshi Sae played for himself and used all the others on the field to advance his vision for the game.
Isagi was attracted by the way that Itoshi Sae played and realized that he could do it too. His eyes had always been sharper, seeing more things more clearly than others. Even without seeing, all his other senses are sharp enough for him to be able to create a perfect mental map of the whole field and everyone on it. If he could understand better how they would act, if he could control them…
His team had lost, but Isagi had gained something very important from it.
“Your team… it’s full of waste.” Sae commented after the game.
Isagi was pretty sure that Sae had approached him on purpose to say that, and he agreed with the other’s assessment.
“But you’re not bad. Come to my team if you want something more worthwhile.”
Isagi laughed. “Maybe later. I’ve just figured out something fun and I want to see how far I can go with just myself.”
“Suit yourself.” Sae had shrugged.
There’s still a lot of time, after all.
4.
What Isagi experienced after the match against Sae could only be described as an “evolution”. While before it, by virtue of his sharper senses, Isagi was already a better player than others his age, after it he had simply become an existence that stood above the rest at least among players of his age group.
While previously he had used his sharp senses to guide his own plays, after realizing what he could do after witnessing Sae, he had extended that control beyond just himself to everyone else on the field. Predicting his teammates and his opponents’ moves, giving commands to his teammates to move a certain way while baiting his opponents to move the way he wanted them to, Isagi had made it part of his way of playing to control the whole field to maximize the paths which he can score goals from and if he really has to, allow his teammates to score with his assist.
However, with that evolution, an older problem that came with his condition began to come up again. Once he was identified as the biggest threat on the field, the amount of time that he was marked by multiple people and rough-housed increased, and the sensitivity to pain that he thought he had overcome became a problem once again. It’s not uncommon for him to finish a game with multiple bruises.
He also tired more easily, as not only did his newfound playing style demand greater physical exertion, but it also required him to maintain a high degree of concentration throughout the entire game. While usually it’s fine, it became an issue when playing against a more substantial opponent, like Itoshi Sae’s team.
Itoshi Sae, as he expected, was not quite playing to his best the last time they faced each other, but the second time was different. After Isagi scored the first goal, Sae took into his own hands to be the one to disrupt and stun Isagi, and it was the hardest that Isagi had ever played in his young life. Sae’s physique and technical abilities were superior to Isagi’s and his strategies more mature, but halfway through Isagi figured out that his sight, his senses, and his overall ability to “see” and control the field were stronger than Sae’s.
What he needed was a way to outmaneuver Sae… and fight off the increasingly stinging headache.
The score was 2-3 in Sae’s team’s favor with 10 minutes left on the clock, and having cut off a pass, Isagi was taking the ball by himself toward the other half of the field. As he expected, Sae was immediately upon him.
Taking a split second to assess his situation, Isagi came to the conclusion that if he wanted to score, the only way to do it was by beating Sae in this one-on-one. His teammates were being marked closely that passing to them would just be giving the ball away, and losing the momentum here would be fatal to their chance of winning. He could take comfort in the fact that no one else would interrupt his one-on-one with Sae though, as the last time someone did, it had given Isagi an opening to make a pass that eventually culminated in his second goal of the game.
One fake-out, two fake-outs, and Sae was not baited, as he expected. He knew that it wouldn’t work, but it confirmed something that Isagi had been trying to confirm. A small habit of Sae that told him if the other was going to truly react or not. He had an idea, something that could beat Sae if executed well by taking advantage of what he had confirmed. It’s something that he had practiced before and could only successfully execute half the time, but… well, what kind of Striker would he be if he shied away from risky plays?
He moved to push the ball forward and moved the rest of his body accordingly… and there! Sae moved to stop him, but Isagi quickly halted the ball with his foot and moved it back behind his leg before executing a rapid 180 turn, shifting his weight to his other foot, and dashing forward past Sae.
He did it! And while Sae was slightly faster than him, from his experience of practicing this with his teammate, the steps and feints he used would throw Sae off balance for a moment, enough time for him to put enough distance between them. His teammates had already moved to support him, giving him an opening if he needed to pass, but he had no intention to do so.
Two defenders moved to stop him, and Sae was closing on him from behind, but it didn’t matter. He could clearly see the path to a goal, small as it might be, but of course, he was unfettered and he made the shot. It passed the defenders, and the goalkeeper, who moved forward to keep a better eye on Isagi, was caught off guard by the shot and reacted too late. The ball went in, equalling the score.
Isagi would have celebrated, but a sharp pain in his head stopped him. He knew what it was. It’s something that he hadn’t experienced in a long time, but when he was younger before he was used to his conditions, he remembered often getting headaches. According to his parents, as informed by the doctor, it’s likely due to his brain being overloaded by information.
It’s something he was already used to, but this match in particular had been more challenging to his brain than all others. On top of keeping track of all the information his senses were sending, he also had to keep very close track of Sae whether on the offensive or defensive, on top of pushing himself to beat Sae multiple times which required a lot of thinking.
He had already reached his limits. But there were still just slightly under 10 minutes left, and his team was useless without him against Sae.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and found it was from Sae.
“You’ve reached your limit. Stand down. I would rather not have my future teammate damaged for an insignificant match.”
Isagi felt a laugh bubbling in his throat despite his exhaustion and the headache killing him. That’s right. At the end of the day, this match, the team he’s playing for is just a stepping stone for him in his ambition to become the world’s #1 Striker. In fact, he had already made up his mind to leave for a while now, and it’s clear that Sae’s offer from the last time they met still stands.
His team lost 3-5 in the end, his teammates unable to stop Sae at all after Isagi was subbed out, but having beaten Sae in a one-on-one for the first time, he’s quite happy with himself.
5.
Itoshi Sae had longed for a true rival since he first began playing football and made it his ambition to be the world’s #1 Striker. He saw potential in his younger brother Rin and thus ordered him to join him in playing football, hoping that Rin would be that rival, but Rin was too obedient, and too reliant on him, still. At least for now, Rin still looked for his approval too much for Sae to be able to consider him a rival.
But then he met Yoichi Isagi. The first time they met, it was quite apparent to Sae that Isagi wasn’t quite there yet. While he had very good senses and eyes, his athleticism was just slightly above average and he had yet to make good use of those senses. It would be enough to dominate others their age, but not enough to beat Sae.
He could tell, however, that Isagi had evolved in the middle of their first match. Realizing what he could do with his senses, he thought of things in a more strategic way and began to utilize his teammates as tools instead of a hindrance. Sae knew that with time, Isagi Yoichi would grow to be his equal and perhaps even surpass him.
Thus, he wants to have Isagi with him on his team. To have Isagi as someone he could challenge over and over again. To compete as strikers in the same team. To have someone actually worthy to pass to him and give passes to him.
But Isagi had refused the first time around, and Sae understood. The other still wanted to hone his skills and senses on his own, to form his own identity instead of being a mere copy of someone else.
His assessment of Yoichi Isagi’s potential was proven right in their second match against each other. In fact, he felt that he had underestimated how much and how quickly Isagi would evolve. Not only was his ability to command the field equal to his own, but Sae could tell that Isagi had fewer blind spots and was perhaps even better than him at predicting movements on the field, as proven by the many times that the other managed to intercept passes and strategically place himself during crucial moments.
If there’s one weakness though, it would be his still rather unexceptional physical ability and still not quite enough stamina. Above average but not quite the level that would be able to outmaneuver him and play a full, high-intensity game. But those are things that could be fixed through training, What mattered was that Isagi possessed incredibly sharp senses and minds, and perhaps more importantly, a drive for the goal that Sae had never seen in anyone else before.
So, when the coach of his team introduced Isagi Yoichi to the team just one month after that match, Sae knew that his wish for a rival would be satisfied.
“I hope that what you’ve shown me wasn’t a one-time thing,” Sae stated.
Isagi met his challenge with a grin. “We’ll see about that.”