On The Side Of The Pitch With You

Galaxy: The New Inazuma Japan

He felt the corner of his lips tugging up. "Yeah!" He left with a wave, an identical accessory swinging from his wrist guard.

As soon as the door closed, Yuuichi heard his mother laughing. "Kyousuke forgetting things? I never thought I'd see the day."

His father shook his head slightly. "He's usually so diligent. And for it to be his phone of all things..."

He couldn't help a chuckle. "I think it's fine in its own way."

"Oh?"

"Kyousuke's too strict with himself sometimes. Him forgetting things like this means he's finally relaxed enough to be a regular 13-year-old!"

~~~~~

"Odaiba Soccer Garden..." Tenma kept squirming in his seat. "I wonder what kind of place it is."

"There's a large mall, amusement park, and aquarium nearby, so it's a very busy place." Shindou smiled slightly. "Yamana was invited by the photography club to see the sights not too long ago. When she heard we'll be going there, she shared some of her photos with me."

"Huh? Why only with―"

Tsurugi slapped a hand over his mouth before he could finish. "Tenma, that's not something you should ask."

The brunette pulled his hand off. "Huh? Why?"

"You'll understand when you're older."

"B-But we're the same age...?"

Their ash haired senior gave a small laugh, dismissing the topic. "In any case, it's an hour's ride from Inazuma Town to Odaiba, so make sure to change positions once in a while to avoid getting cramps."

"Right."

They talked about various things on the way, from the scenery to what they hope to see to the number of times they've gone out of town with the exception of Holy Road and their time travel trips, and much more. When they arrived at their stop, they found a crossroads right outside and followed the directions pointing to the stadium.

"This is the new soccer hall." Shindou stated as they made their way in. "Other than this stadium, there's also a boarding house prepared for us."

Tenma was first to open the tunnel's door to the field, leading him to being hit by a ball right on entry.

"I-I'm sorry!" A pink haired girl said, running over to them.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." Tenma said, laughing sheepishly.

The girl's blue eyes widened and she suddenly bowed. "Captain! G-Good morning!"

"Morning. You're here early! Were you practicing?"

"Yes." She then pointed to the other side of the field. "Everyone else is already here."

They spotted the other eight all spread out, doing their own things. Immediately, they were reminded of their reality. While it's true that they were there...

"They're not practicing real practice." Shindou said.

Tsurugi's eyes narrowed. "Why did the coach choose them..."

"This is great! Good morning, everyone!" As usual, without a care in the world, Tenma dropped his bag on the side and ran to the field. "I'm surprised you're all here so early! Let's work well together!"

The seven only stared at him. Tsurugi and Shindou exchanged glances.

Only Tenma.

Their assistant coach and trainer, Funaki Hiromasa, soon arrived and called them over to the bench. "We will be holding a training camp here for the week before FFI Vision 2's Asia preliminaries begin. Let's begin with self-introductions. Matatagi, you first."