Life As Teikoku's Manager (an Inazuma Eleven f.f.)

The Grand Finale

Endou, unexpectedly, turned his back towards the ball speeding towards him. Has he lost his mind? The all of a sudden, everything made sense as powerful golden light enveloped him. The first breath of a hissatsu has power not of this world, a new door opened, a new wisdom gained.

That was when Raimon awakened. I felt renewed power coursing through my veins, and I was sure everyone else did too. Endou caught the ball cleanly, then tossed it out. Very soon we caught up to Zeus with another point delivered by Gouenji's Fire Tornado combined with The Phoenix.

"There is not much time yet! Will we go into overtime, or will there be a conclusion?"

That was when the atmosphere of the whole field changed. It became, the best way to describe it, more malicious. Like a monster had just caught you in his grasp.

Aphrodi, still blinded by his rage, charged again, only to realize that the ball was kicked out of his posession by his own teammate and queen. His eyes widened, the rage sucked out of him like a vacuum, replaced with a lost puppy. His face would have been priceless if it wasn't for the confusion and urgency of the moment.

"E-Eris?" he managed to whisper. The said girl only sneered. "Aphrodi I've had enough. I told you not to get in my way, and we have to win." The blonde looked like he had been slapped. She ignored him and shouted, "For Kageyama!"

It was as if the very structure of the air was changed when she came to the goal in a blink of an eye. Truth be told, it didn't scare me as much as it gave me dread. Instead I felt a wash of tranquility over me. I already knew I was a goner from the start, why should I panic now?

"We're done playing around, Endou. This is serious now!" she shouted and snapped her fingers, kicking the ball up.

"Come at me!" Endou shouted back, starting the charge up for Majin the Hand. Gold once again enveloped him. Not as magical this time, but still powerful.

Eris jumped up and the sky split open. From it, a single beam of light fell down on her, as if the very gods were choosing her themselves. She slammed her heel on the ball. "Judgement Day!"

The ball approached Endou at an alarming rate, so much faster than last time that Endou faltered. Still in that trance of peace, I saw the scene like an animation. I could anticipate every second, and time seemed to slow down for me. I knew what to do, and I knew that Endou wouldn't be able to stop this one. I was meant for this moment. I could feel the adrenaline pump blood in my ears, ringing like the voice of everything I had lost, sacrificed, hurt. I ran towards the ball.

But then I faltered too. For from my peripheral vision I could see Aphrodi's face looked like one of pure pain. Twisted so ungodly that it broke me of this moment. Too late though, and the ball charged into the net, burning the strings and forming a small crater behind Endou.

"Endou!" everyone shouted in panicked voices, but they all faded into the background. Again I was in another world by myself, and the only other person was Aphrodi. He saw me looking, but didn't harden his eyes or frown. Instead, his eyes were pleading and chaotic. Pleading of what though? That I couldn't understand. A second later, he glanced to the side and quickly morphed his face back into the haughty look that I knew only so well laughing at me in my nightmares. But before that there had been a flicker of horror in his eyes.

I look towards where his gaze had been, and I felt a cloud of Kageyama's strict glare drift over me, just like how it had always been at Teikoku Gakuen. Even after all this time, we were still being watched, just pawns playing on his board. With everything in my will, I tore myself out of this little world. We had a game to continue. A game to win, even if the chessboard we played on was controlled by a greater, darker power.