The streets of Kochi were starting to believe.
Banners flew from balconies. Street vendors played highlight reels from the last match on tiny TVs. Murals were popping up overnight—of Faizan's leap, Arjun's gaze, and that yellow crest burning against the blue of Hyderabad.
But inside the Blasters camp, belief wasn't enough.
There was still work to do.
Two matches left.
And the next one? Mumbai City FC — their biggest rival in the title race.
---
✦ Blasters Camp – Tactical Room
Coach Sameer stood before a shifting tactical board. Red magnets marked Mumbai. Yellow ones marked Kerala. The space between them was tight.
"These boys are hungry," he said, tapping the Mumbai midfield cluster. "They want to snatch the title in our house. They'll press, they'll play dirty, they'll try to provoke."
He looked up.
"Let them. And when they open up — we break them."
He turned to Arjun. "They'll press you with two men. Can you handle it?"
Arjun didn't flinch. "Let them bring three."
---
✦ Night Before – A Quiet Moment
In his room, Arjun looked at the old video again.
His father. Barefoot. Juggling a worn ball on a patchy field.
"You know why elephants walk slowly, monu?" his father had asked the boy-version of him behind the camera.
"Because the world needs to feel their weight."
Arjun whispered: "They will."
---
✦ Game Day – Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
The stadium was packed to the rafters. Thousands more waited outside just to hear the roars from within.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1 (English):
"It's here. The penultimate chapter. Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City. Whoever wins this, takes control of the league."
> 🎙️ Commentator 2 (Malayalam):
"Janangale kaathu nirthiya kshanam aanu ithu! (The moment the people have waited for!)"
From the tunnel, Arjun could hear the chenda drums, the booming chants:
"Oru paadam, oru veeran... Marannilla njangale!"
Kochi wasn't hosting a match.
It was hosting a reckoning.
---
✦ Kickoff
The game started at a brutal tempo.
Mumbai pressed hard. Arjun barely got a second on the ball. Their midfield duo was shadowing him like glue.
In the 12th minute, Faizan took a rough challenge — studs-up. He limped for a while, but waved off the stretcher.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"The stakes are boiling over already. Referee needs to get a grip."
> 🎙️ Commentator 2:
"Mumbai aren't just playing the ball — they're playing the man."
Coach Sameer paced furiously.
At the water break in the 22nd minute, he called Arjun over.
"Next time they swarm you, bait them. Drag them out. Faizan cuts in behind."
Arjun nodded, wiping sweat from his brow.
---
✦ 29th Minute – The First Strike
Mumbai swarmed again. Two midfielders pressing high. Arjun feinted right, flicked the ball behind him with his heel—
—and spun between them like a whirlpool.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"OH MY GOODNESS! ARJUN DEV JUST DISAPPEARED BETWEEN TWO!"
> 🎙️ Commentator 2:
"They were humiliated!"
He sprinted forward. Drew the third defender.
Then laid it off.
Faizan, clear on goal, curled it into the bottom corner.
1–0 Kerala.
The stadium shook.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"GOOOOOAL! Faizan finishes it, but Arjun set the table and served the meal!"
---
✦ Halftime – Blasters Lead
In the locker room, the mood was focused.
Sameer didn't praise.
He just said, "They'll throw everything now. Long balls. Crosses. Desperation. Don't get heroic. Get clinical."
Faizan looked at Arjun. "You think they're gonna fold?"
Arjun tied his laces tighter. "No. But we'll make them break."
---
✦ Second Half – Chaos and Calm
Mumbai came roaring back. In the 58th minute, they equalized off a rebound.
1–1.
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"The tension is unbearable! Both sides are bleeding for every inch!"
> 🎙️ Commentator 2:
"Did it have to be this painful?"
Then — the 74th minute.
Free kick, left side of the box. Everyone expected Sahal to whip it in.
But Arjun stepped up.
Silence.
Then the whistle.
He floated it with precision.
And Abdul Hakku again rose, above everyone.
GOAL!
2–1 Kerala!
> 🎙️ Commentator 1:
"IT'S HAKKU AGAIN! AND ARJUN DEV... THE MAGICIAN IN MIDFIELD!"
> 🎙️ Commentator 2:
"Ee kaaryam manassilakkan oru kalam vendi varum. (It'll take a generation to understand this.)"
---
✦ Full-Time
Final whistle.
2–1.
Kerala Blasters top the table with one game remaining.
The stadium sang.
The drums thundered.
And Arjun stood in the middle, arms out, eyes closed — letting the sound crash over him.
---
✦ In the Stands – Kalyani
From a quiet row in the VIP box, wearing a cap low over her face, Kalyani watched silently.
When Arjun made the final assist, she whispered it again.
"Marannilla njangale."
And smiled.
---
✦ Final Scene – Late Night Text
That night, Arjun received a message from an unknown number.
> "Rainer Graf. I was in the crowd today. You were magnificent. We'll talk. After you win what you came for."
He stared at the message.
And deleted it.
Not yet.
---