What a wow first half half the commentator said.

The air inside the Martian dome shimmered with heat and sound. Thousands of voices echoed from the stands, a chorus of roars that seemed to shake the thin atmosphere itself. Titan's Reach stepped back onto the field, eyes sharp, movements measured. But this time, there was something different, a low hum of fire burning at their center.

Blaze walked behind Jason, his steps deliberate. His hood was gone, and the faint orange veins beneath his skin pulsed softly, rhythmic and calm. The med unit had cleared him only hours before the match, but the decision to enter now was Jason's and his own.

As the holo-board flickered to life, displaying Second Half Begins, Blaze stepped onto the turf. The crowd reacted instantly half in cheers, half in disbelief.

> "He's back! Blaze Titan is entering the match!" Our Star Player, Our Weapon shouted the fans.

> "After collapsing last round? That's insane!"

Jason's voice came through the comms, even and grounded. "You know the plan. Observe first, read their pattern, then strike. Control the fire don't let it control you."

Blaze's lips twitched in a faint smile. "Understood, Coach."

Across the field, Flash FC lined up again, led by their captain, Bolt. He was already smirking, lightning filaments glowing around his boots. When he spotted Blaze, his grin widened.

"So the flame boy finally shows up."

Blaze adjusted his wristband. "Let's see if lightning can outrun fire."

The whistle blew and it was a scene for the gods.

From the first touch, Blaze didn't rush. He moved with eerie calm, tracking the rhythm of the game through his telepathic senses, the subtle shifts in motion, the pulse of every pass. Aya's voice echoed faintly in his head, carried through their shared aura link.

"Left flank's weak. They're rotating faster than usual."

"Got it." he replied mentally.

Flash FC attacked with blinding speed, just as before. Bolt's team seemed to vanish and reappear like ghosts, their movements unpredictable. But this time, Blaze didn't chase the ball, he chased the pattern.

The Aura Flame inside him pulsed in response to every movement, every surge of energy on the field. His perception sharpened, time slowing to a crawl. He could feel the momentum of each player like heat signatures, swirling in organized chaos.

Then it clicked.

"They're using pulse sync," Blaze muttered under his breath. "Their formation's rhythm isn't random, it's musical."

Aya frowned as she passed him the ball. "Musical?"

"Yeah. Every fourth pass hits the same wavelength. If we interrupt that beat..."

"...we break their tempo," Aya finished, her eyes lighting up. "Scarlett! On my mark, cut between the second and fourth lanes!"

Scarlett didn't hesitate. As Bolt's midfield reset, Aya delivered a quick back pass, drawing their defense inward. Blaze surged forward, not fast, but perfectly timed to beat the offside flag.

The fire beneath his skin ignited faintly, controlled, focused.

Scarlett's foot met the ball and flicked it up. Blaze spun in a smooth motion, catching it mid-air and slamming it across the field with his heel. The pass curved like molten light, slicing through the space between defenders and landing at Diego's feet.

Diego didn't waste the moment. He struck.

The ball screamed past the keeper and into the net.

> "Goal! Titan's Reach ties it up — 2–2!"

The entire stadium exploded with noise.

Jason stood at the sidelines, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with restrained pride. "That's it. That's how you use the fire."

The momentum shifted.

Titan's Reach began to read Flash FC's rhythm, using Blaze's aura field as their compass. Every time Bolt tried to accelerate play, Blaze was already there, one step ahead. His aura created a faint distortion in the air, almost like invisible pressure guiding his teammates.

Aya coordinated flawlessly, her passes finding Scarlett and Lionel with surgical precision. Scarlett was in her element now, darting like wildfire, using Blaze's aura pulse to anticipate Bolt's charges.

"Left side, Scarlett, now!" Blaze called.

She flicked her wrist, booting the ball into a diagonal arc. Aya caught it, twisted, and passed it back. The flow was hypnotic, movement turning into music.

For a full ten minutes, Titan's Reach dominated possession.

But Bolt wasn't done, he wasn't about to give up on his dream.

The Flash FC captain's aura flared suddenly, lightning sparking off his boots as he accelerated far beyond normal human limits. He tore through the midfield, his path a blur of light. Blaze turned just in time to see him coming.

Their eyes met, lightning and fire colliding.

Bolt smirked. "Try to predict this."

He vanished.

To everyone else, it looked like teleportation. But Blaze's telepathy caught the faint echo, the trace of energy Bolt left behind. It was an afterimage of movement, a flash of intent.

Blaze inhaled, the Aura Flame roaring to life. His vision blurred, his heart pounding as heat surged through his body. For a second, his aura expanded beyond him, touching the space around Bolt, and the moment Bolt reappeared, Blaze was already there.

A blur of orange and blue collided mid-field. The ball bounced high into the air, surrounded by sparks and embers. The crowd gasped as both players stumbled back.

Bolt looked up, disbelief etched on his face. "You read that?!"

Blaze grinned, flames licking at his fingertips. "No. I felt it."

The match turned into chaos. Both captains became the center of gravity, their energy bending the flow of the game. Bolt's lightning-fast dashes clashed with Blaze's explosive counters, the two weaving around each other like rival storms.

Aya, Scarlett, and Lionel fell into rhythm behind Blaze's lead. They weren't just reacting now they were creating opportunities. Every flick, every touch felt alive, precise, purposeful.

By the seventy-second minute, the scoreboard still read 2–2, tension crackling in the air.

Bolt charged again, a streak of blue cutting through Titan's defense. He passed two players, left Lionel diving in vain, and drew back his leg for the shot....

But Blaze appeared out of nowhere, intercepting the ball mid-kick. The impact sent a shockwave across the field, a burst of heat and light that made the crowd gasp.

The ball shot upward, spinning violently before landing near Aya. She trapped it with one foot and glanced at Blaze.

He nodded once. Now.

Aya lobbed the ball across the field toward Scarlett. Scarlett sprinted, aura trailing behind her like a comet tail. She could hear the footsteps closing in, Bolt's defenders were fast, too fast.

"Scar!" Blaze shouted.

Without looking, she kicked it backward, straight into his path.

Blaze's world slowed again. The flame pulsed once in his chest. The crowd faded.

He leapt and for a minute everything was perfect and he saw the beauty of the game.

The Aura Flame exploded from his body, wrapping around his leg in molten light. His boot connected with the ball midair, and for a split second, it looked like the ball caught fire.

The shot tore through the air like a meteor, burning red against the Martian dome.

It hit the net so hard the impact reverberated through the ground.

> "GOAL! Blaze Titan scores! Titan's Reach takes the lead, 3–2!"

The dome erupted in chaos, cheers, chants, and disbelief. Even Bolt froze for a moment, staring at the goal, his breath short.

Blaze landed on one knee, aura still glowing faintly around him. The fire didn't roar this time, it pulsed steady and warm.

Aya ran up, grinning, and pulled him up by the arm. "Guess you finally learned how to not burn everything down."

He laughed softly, sweat dripping from his temple. "Guess I did."

Scarlett jumped on his back, laughing breathlessly. "That's my striker!"

Lionel clapped Blaze on the shoulder. "Remind me to never bet against you again."

Even Jason cracked a smile on the sidelines. "Well done, team. Now hold the line."

The final ten minutes were pure survival. Flash FC threw everything at them, waves of speed and precision. Bolt's desperation was palpable, his lightning aura sparking violently.

But Blaze anticipated every move. His telepathy linked the team together, allowing them to defend as one.

Lionel blocked two critical shots, Aya cleared a dangerous rebound, and Scarlett slowed the tempo whenever the rhythm threatened to spiral.

When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard remained:

Titan's Reach 3 — Flash FC 2.

The crowd roared so loud the dome trembled.

Blaze fell to one knee, exhausted, the Aura Flame flickering weakly around him. Anastasia, watching from the medical deck, exhaled for the first time all match.

Jason approached him, offering a hand. "You did it. You controlled it."

Blaze looked up, eyes glowing faintly gold. "No, Coach. We did."

Jason nodded, smiling faintly. "Then get ready. The finals won't wait."

As the team huddled together in the middle of the field, the Martian sky dimmed to dusk, and the red dust rose gently around them. The fire had survived the storm and for the first time, it didn't feel like a burden.

It felt like destiny, they are going to the finals for the first time ever.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.