My mistake had sacrificed my teammates. A sense of guilt washed over me, but the two players in question walked off the court laughing lightheartedly. As they did, they gave me a "Good job!" with a thumbs-up. To respond to their kindness, I had to do everything in my power to make up for it during the rest of the match.
Though only dozens of seconds had passed since the start of the match, the situation was now 5 against 7. We were at an overwhelming disadvantage. A difference in numbers translates directly to a difference in combat power. Since I wasn't being counted as part of the force, they probably viewed it as practically 4 against 7.
With the Forwards halved, pushing the front line forcefully was a bad move. The leader immediately changed the team's formation to an interception type, drawing the enemy into our territory.
As expected, the enemy attacked. They intended to crush us with their superior numbers. Even if we weren't wiped out, we would lose if the flag was taken. The strategy of drawing enemies in is strong on defense, but it's a double-edged sword because the flag becomes easier to steal. Furthermore, since we were outnumbered, the defensive battle would be even more grueling.
The only option was to endure and wait until the enemy grew impatient and showed an opening. If we could reduce their numbers by even one, there was still a chance for a reversal.
To fill the gap in the Forwards, one of our Backs moved up to the front line. Without people to hold the front, we would be overrun instantly. I had to work hard as the resupply person to cover the increased burden.
"Upham! Bring the ammo, Upham!"
The leader, who was holding the frontmost line, called out to the Backs.
There are two main ways to resupply Forwards. One is to cradle them in your arms and deliver them directly. You can carry many balls at once, but the opening is large. Danger follows you even when returning to the supply source. The other way is to roll them across the ground. Since you don't expose yourself by moving, it's relatively safe, but delivering them one by one takes time.
This location wasn't a dedicated court; it was just a vacant lot. The bare ground had many small bumps, and even rolling a ball straight was quite difficult. If the force was too weak, it wouldn't reach the Forward; if it was too strong, the ball might break while rolling.
The role of the Backs depends on using these methods appropriately to deliver the necessary number of balls to the Forwards as safely and quickly as possible. The Forwards were behind the shadows of the Shelters. There were two Shelters set up in our territory. The front one was called the First Shelter, and the rear one was the Second Shelter.
The final defensive line was the Second Shelter, but practically speaking, once the First Shelter fell, the flag would be wide open, making a comeback difficult. Currently, the Forwards were arranged with two at the First Shelter and one Back at the Second Shelter. These three were maintaining the front line.
The dedicated resupply Backs were myself and one other boy. That boy, called Apam, was hand-delivering to the nearby Second Shelter and rolling balls to the distant First Shelter.
Because of that, the supply to the Second Shelter was sufficient, but the First Shelter was running low. However, if he carried them by hand, he would become a perfect target at the front line exposed to the enemy's fierce assault. The fact that I had fumbled the initial supply and delayed everything was also a heavy blow.
The enemy could likely guess roughly when our balls would run out. They would surely launch a full-scale offensive at the right moment. If resupply didn't arrive before then, our numbers would dwindle further, and the front would be pushed back beyond recovery.
"Upham! Hurry up! We're done for! UPHAAAAM!!"
The leader was shouting exaggeratedly. However, this was an act. There were still plenty of balls for the moment. Was he trying to draw out the enemy by pretending to be in a corner? But the enemy, perhaps sensing this, stood their ground and didn't move.
The enemy showed no signs of crossing the center line yet. They were steadily maintaining the current front, waiting for the right moment to strike after perfecting their setup. The side with superior numbers had no reason to rush. If this stalemate continued, our gradual exhaustion was inevitable. I gathered a large number of snowballs and sprinted toward the First Shelter.
"Wait—!? It's bad to move forward now...!"
A high-risk supply run. Naturally, it caught the enemy's eye. If the resupply succeeded, the resistance would be prolonged, so the enemy showed no mercy just because I was a beginner. Several enemy Forwards threw snowballs at me all at once.
I concentrated.
The movement of the balls slowed down. Was it a state similar to what's called the 'Zone' in sports terminology? A sensation as if my brain's processing speed had temporarily surged, making the flow of time seem slow. It was the same feeling I experienced when I fought Mock. After that, for some reason, I became able to trigger this "Zone" intentionally.
A true "Zone" refers to a very limited mental state where one can maintain peak performance. An extreme state of concentration that excludes all stray thoughts is not something even top athletes can pull out easily. The mind is like a constantly moving wave; even the slightest stimulus becomes stress and causes changes within like ripples. There is no way to control it completely; rather, the more you try to grasp it, the further away it slips.
That is why athletes gradually bring their mental state closer to the Zone through daily training, adjusting so that their peak coincides with the competition schedule. Even so, there is no guarantee they will achieve the expected results on the day of the event. In the first place, improving the mind—something so unobservable and uncertain—in a planned manner is difficult.
My state of concentration was likely different from a true Zone, but being able to draw out a similar state just by focusing was an extraordinary trait. It wasn't a sensation needed for daily life, but it was a capability to be utilized in a situation like this.
I read the trajectories of the approaching snowballs and dodged them slowly. In reality, I was dodging with all my might, but because my perception was so clearly ahead, it felt like my body was only moving slowly. Even so, I had become much faster than before. After the fight with Mock, my body's athletic ability had significantly improved.
It wasn't that my body had grown or gained muscle, but I had become visibly stronger. Apparently, this strength was related to my life force. I felt like my life force and this body were more in sync than before. As long as I wasn't injured, I didn't consume as much life force. Furthermore, I was now able to clearly see the life force that I could only vaguely sense before.
A film of life force covered my body thinly. This film itself had no substance and didn't seem to have a physical effect on reality. Other humans had life force as well, not just me. However, in my case, it covered my body like a film, whereas in other humans, it looked like it was dissipating from their bodies like steam.
"Awesome! She dodged them all!"
I brought my drifting thoughts back. I had successfully evaded the snowballs and reached the First Shelter. I didn't have proof until I actually tried, but compared to Mock's arrows, I could dodge things like this with ease.
"Nice work! Alright, go for one more resupply!"
The leader judged that a second resupply was possible after seeing my movements. Following his instructions, I headed back toward the Back Line. A pursuit snowball was thrown at me then, but I dodged it while looking backward as I ran.
I returned to the supply source and hurriedly gathered snowballs. However, my grip was too strong, and I crushed several balls. Being stronger was good, but it resulted in instances where I couldn't control my strength because I didn't know the proper level of force. 'I'll need to practice so I can control this later.'
Seeing my successful resupply, the other resupply player, Apam, had moved up to reinforce the Second Shelter. Now there were four defenders holding the front. We could compete sufficiently.
However, a painful cry reached my ears as I was gathering balls. The referee's whistle blew. It seemed one of the Forwards protecting the First Shelter with the leader had been hit. But he had appeared to be hidden firmly behind the Shelter. How did the enemy get him out?
There was only one possibility: a curved throw. By tossing the ball high into the air, they aimed for the area behind the Shelter.
But that is not as easy as it sounds. A trajectory that is only slightly arched won't hit a player tucked tightly against the back of a wall. If it's lobbed too high like a fly ball, it's difficult to aim and easy to dodge. Even so, it's an effective means of intimidation when mixed with straight balls, but it's a different story when it comes to actually finishing someone off.