Tsurugi smirked. "He finally showed up."
Shindou stood out in front of the whole team had a serious look on his tanned face. "I'm Raimon Jr. High's captain, Shindou Takuto. And these are..."
Then more players in the same place as Shindou, began to appear and stood on either side of him.
"The Raimon Eleven!"
The brunette that got beaten up gasped in shock as he looked at the team. The team that he wanted to join so much since he enrolled into Raimon.
On the other side, Isla's mysterious smile turned into a a dark, mischievous one. 'So it begins...'
"What do you think you're doing on these sacred grounds?" Shindou asked as he looked at the Seed and the unknown female on the field.
"Football." Tsurugi shrugged with his eyes closed. "Can't you tell by looking?"
The goalkeeper beside Shindou glared.
Shindou looked to his right, seeing all the injured players that Tsurugi hurt with his hissatsu technique.
Shindou glared at Tsurugi with an angered face. "Show some manners, first-year." He, along with his teammates, walked down the stairs towards them. "Don't get high and mighty just because you beat the second team!"
At the same time, Isla began to do the same. She walked from the goalpost towards the others. Well, just until she reached the ball that was a little away from the Seed. When she looked at the first team's captain, she thought Shindou seemed to be quite confident that he could compare Tsurugi's football skills between there's.
'It appears he has not caught on that Tsurugi is a Seed.' Just thinking about it brought a mysterious smile to Isla's lips.
"Beat them?" Tsurugi smirked ever so 'innocently' as he crossed his arms. "I just played around with them a bit."
"Coach, who is this?" Shindou asked, stopping right beside his coach with the others behind.
"He's likely someone sent in from Fifth Sector." Coach Kudou replied.
Shindou's eyes widened.
"Fifth Sector?" Tenma was really lost.
"What did you come here to do?" Coach Kudou asked.
"I've been ordered to reform Raimon's football club." Tsurugi stated. "The whole lot of you are getting pitched with the rest of the rubbish."
"What?" Shindou questioned.
"Let me introduce you."
Then a group of players in black uniforms appeared behind the Seed.
"This is the new..." Tsurugi raised his hand and snapped his finger.
"Raimon Eleven."
Eveyone, beside Isla, was surprised.
"They're your replacements." Tsurugi announced.
Tenma was frantically glancing between the two teams, trying to process on what's happening. 'No way!'
"Our replacements?!" Shindou never heard anything so preposterous. "We're the true Raimon Eleven!"
"Yeah." Tsurugi smirked. "I've been waiting for you. Now let's get the real show started."
'He's challenging them to a match.' Isla thought, eyeing both of the teams. In order to make a point, Fifth Sector would go as far as to challenge the original team until they couldn't stand anymore.
"I don't see any reason for us to play against a gang that's just causing trouble." Shindou said, refusing the match. "Or are you telling me that you made the proper arrangements for an official match?"
Isla sighed. She hated to do this, but that's how time flows. She gently kicked the football towards the navy-haired Seed.
Tsurugi happily accepted it. He at least knows that Isla was on the same page as him. "You don't seem to understand the situation you're in." He picked the ball up and kicked it towards the old clubroom, destroying the door and splitting the sign in half.
Tsurugi's action stunned the players.
Isla then walked towards Shindou and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Accept the match." She whispered. Her expression then turned into a worry one. "Before things go too far."
Shindou was surprised. He thought she was with Tsurugi, but he was beginning to have second thoughts. He wasn't sure if she was caring or threatening him, but his hand clenched in anger from what Tsurugi did to the old clubroom.
Tsurugi then walked up to them and walked past them with a smirk. "Then shall we start?" He asked, not caring if he gets a reply or not. "Isla, lets go."
Sighing tiredly, Isla gave the first team an apologetic bow and ran after the Seed. It didn't take long for the others to follow into the indoor field in order for the match to proceed. Of course, the news of the match went unnoticed by the other students, who rushed over to watch the match. Including the chairman and the principal, who both were in a private area to watch.
Both teams stood opposite of each other. Isla was forced onto the 'new' Raimon Eleven, but she didn't care. As long as she gets paid, then she didn't care what happened. The brunette, who she learned was Tenma, was made to stay on the side of the field on the original Raimon's side with Haruna and the coach.
"Well, isn't this royal?" Tsurugi mocked, commenting how large the stadium was. "Just what you'd expect from a school famous for its football."
"Leave out the small talk." Shindou stated. He then turned to an old man wearing a red cap. "Furukabu-san, please handle the referee duties."
"Then we'll start the practice match." Furukabu said. "Raimon's football club vs..." He glanced at the other team, waiting for someone to tell him their team's name. "Um..."
"For the time being..." A voice suddenly spoke, earning everyone's attention. "Call them the Black Knights."
"Urm..."
The person who named the Black Knights, was a man dressed in a black suit with a tall hat. He had long reddish brown hair popping out of his had with grey, cold eyes.
"I'm Kuroki." The man introduced. "You can consider me as their coach."
Isla gave the man a side glare. She hated Kuroki with her very being. He was very loyal to Fifth Sector and always gets his job done. No matter the cost. Of course, Isla had her moments of getting what she wants from him. And today was one of those days.
"Now start the match." Kuroki ordered.
"Okay then." Furukabu nonchalantly said. He then raised his hand. "We will begin the match between Raimon's football club vs the Black Knights!" He announced. "May both sides fight fairly."
"Yes, sir!" Shindou said.
"Of course." Tsurugi casually said, smirking.
The teams then went to their position on the field; one side wanting to win, the other trying to ruin football for the remaining people of the original Raimon Eleven, but also having a hidden motive throughout the match. It wasn't only to ruin football for them.
All but one.
"What's happening here?" Tenma muttered, as he was confused.
Meanwhile, some of the players were wondering what's going on.
"Shindou." The Raimon's football club's goalkeeper spoke, jogging into his position with the said captain beside him. "Why do you think the syndicate is intervening with Raimon's Rank A team?"
"I'm not sure." Shindou replied before looking down. "But that guy insulted Raimon... and the team. I won't forgive him."
◇◇◇◇◇
In the spectator seats...
"The Black Knights. Looks like they're the members Fifth Sector sent in." Principal Fuyukai observed. "All but that girl."
Chairman Kinzan had a dark smirk with a chuckle to match it. "This'll be a shoo-in for Kudou's dismissal." He said, eyeing the said coach.
◇◇◇◇◇
Meanwhile...
"Huh? You want me to score?" Isla questioned, making sure she heard Kuroki right.
"Yes." The man said. "I want you to score the first 5 goals. Of course, I have prepared your payment." Kuroki glanced at the plastic bag on the bench behind him.
Isla glanced at the original team before eyeing the bag, then back at Kuroki. "Alright." She said. "5 goals and no more." She didn't even bother for his reply. She just walked to her position, which was a forward. "Kuroki told me to score the first 5." She informed, her face void of emotion.
"Understood." Tsurugi smirked.
Isla's sudden appearance on the field drew curious stares from the Raimon Eleven.
"Is she playing?" Minamisawa Atsushi wondered, raising a brow.
"Who?" Amagi Daichi asked.
"The girl from earlier."
"Well, she is a Seed..." Hayami Tsurumasa trailed off, getting nervous.
"I never heard of a female Seed." Minamisawa narrowed his eyes.
"She's wearing the second team's uniform..." Kirino Ranmaru murmured, just realising what uniform she was wearing. He wondered if she didn't have time to change or their coach won't let her.
Shindou glanced at Isla. He stared at her features and saw some hesitation in her ruby eyes. 'Hesitation?' Shindou thought he was seeing things. A Seed hesitating? He glanced back at her to make sure, only to see her looking into his direction. What caught Shindou off-guard was the friendly smile she gave him. But it also look like a guilty one.
Isla was internally giggling. She may not like the attention or the idea of hurting them, but she had a job to fulfil.
"Wow, this place is huge!"
The sudden voice caught Isla's attention. She looked at the seats and saw a girl in the Raimon Jr. High's uniform. She had navy-grey hair and matching eyes.
"I wonder if I'll be able to find him here." The girl wonderd.
"Are you a new student?" The redhead in the seat asked.
The new student turned to her. "Yes!" She then gazed back to the crowd. "Um, what's happening here?"
The redhead smirked, crossing her arms as her green eyes glanced at the field. "A family feud in the football club."
'Family feud?' Isla sweatdropped.
*Click!*Click!*Click!*
The sound of a camera made Isla look a little away to the next aisle to see a girl with grey hair and purple eyes. She had a pink camera and Isla could practically see flowers around her.
"Amazing." The girl said.
Isla began to feel uncomfortable with this. Her being in the field brought some unpleasant memories, but some good ones. However, the idea of playing after so long was nerve-racking.
"It's about to start!" A loud voice suddenly announced. "Raimon's first team vs the unknown team, the Black Knights!"
Isla looked over to see a short boy wearing the male's uniform, standing in the open aisles. She also saw her had a table strapped to him with a small microphone. The blue-haired girl was with him as well.
"It looks like this fight will determine which team gets to be Raimon's football club!" The boy announced. It was then he noticed the girl. "Oh, it seems we've got new students here as well, so I'll introduce myself."
The girl pointed to herself.
"I am the commentator here." The boy announced. "Kakuma Ayumu! I'm in charge of running all of the commentary for Raimon's matches!"
"I see." The girl said.
Everyone was already in position. They were just waiting for the whistle to start the match.
(Team formation.)
"The kickoff will begin soon!" Ayumu announced.
Tenma kept his gaze on the field. He was going to see the team he wanted to join play. He was so focused on them that he didn't even notice Coach Kudou was glancing at him.
Furukabu then blew the whistle.
It was Raimon's kick off.
"Let's do it, Minamisawa-san." Shindou said.
"Yeah." Minamisawa nodded.
Shindou passed the ball and began heading up.
"Let's see what they can do." Minamisawa dribbled the ball and passed it over to Shindou when a player came at them.
"Raimon makes the first attack!" Ayumu said.
Isla stood where she was and watched as player number 3 from the Black Knights did a slide tackle, but Shindou jumped and passed the ball.
"Minamisawa-san!" He exclaimed.
The ball was heading straight for the maroon purple-haired player, who was getting close to the goal.
"Shindou makes a centering!" Ayumu shouted.
A member of the Black Knights charged towards Minamisawa, letting out a roar.
The Raimon player noticed before smirking lightly, catching the enemy off-guard when he kicked the ball past the charging member towards the goal.
"Minamisawa makes a direct shoot!" Ayumu shouted. "Can the goalkeeper Tetsuoda catch it?"
The ball then curved to the large gap within the goal.
"They did it!" Tenma exclaimed.
Isla narrowed her eyes when she saw the pleased looks from Tenma, Shindou and Minamisawa.
The happy moment was broken when Tetsuoda easily caught the ball with one hand.
"He blocks it!" Ayumu exclaimed. "Tetsuoda firmly catches it!"
"What?!" Minamisawa exclaimed.
"Of course." Tetsuoda smirked.
Isla wasn't sure if she should be surprised or not by their shocked reactions. Black Knights are consisted of Seeds. Trained to be strong. Of course, she trained herself to match their power. The fact that the team had decided to shoot without a hissatsu technique, was a foolish idea to begin with.
Tsurugi smirked while Shindou glared back at him.
Tetsuoda then threw the ball towards Isla, who happened to already making her way to Raimon's goal.
"Block her!" Shindou yelled.
Tsurugi leaped into the air and caught the ball with his leg and passed it to a nearby player of his, who also happened to be in the air.
"Tsurugi makes a pass!" Ayumu conducted.
The player then passed to another.
"This is amazing! They keep making direct passes in mid-air!"
The player kicked the ball towards Isla, but it went too far. However, Isla surprised everyone when she picked up her speed, zooming past the forwards and caught the ball.
"Oh! Their forward, Isla Rune rushed over and caught the ball!She's fast!"
Isla wasn't sure how long she can take the yelling from the commentator. He was hurting her ears. She dribbled across the field until she was blocked by Hayami and Hamano Kaiji.
"You may be a girl, but don't expect us to go easy!" Hamano exclaimed.
"Oh my..." Isla blinked. She wondered if they're close. Hamano had water goggles on his head while Hayami wore large white glasses. Did Hamano wear goggles to match each other? But it wasn't her business. She quickly took a sharp turn to the free area they left, keeping the ball close to her, before zooming down towards their goal.
"What a fast sharp dribble!" Ayumu commented.
Isla smirked before she got marked by Kirino Ranmaru, one of the defenders of Raimon. In her personal opinion, he really does have a feminine appearance. Especially, with his long pink ponytails.
"I won't let you go!" Kirino exclaimed.
Isla hummed. "Is that so?" She shuffled the ball between her feet, which Kirino followed.
The two of them engaged in a fierce tussle over the ball. As much as he'd absolutely hate admitting it, Kirino was losing to her. He was starting to get disoriented by her irregular pacing. It was hard to keep up; She changed her rhythm frequently and easily.
Suddenly, Isla paused, which caused Kirino to stop. This was a chance, so Kirino charged while Isla remained still. That was a big mistake on his part.
"Be careful." Isla charged as well. She swiftly switched the ball between her legs.
Unfortunately, Kirino lost his balance while trying to steal the ball.
"Amazing! I've never seen such ball control!" Ayumu shouted. "It appears Isla is trying to loosen Kirino's defence! How will he stop her?!"
On the sidelines, Tenma and Haruna were amazed by Isla's ball control. Even Coach Kudou was surprised, but he didn't show it.
"Amazing." Tenma blurted out. He can't take his eyes off of the girl.
"What ball control." Haruna commented, watching the albino continuing playing with their defender. Ever since the two's heated scuffle, eyes drew towards them.
"Isla, stop playing with him!" Tsurugi shouted, snapping everyone from their stare.
"Yes, yes." Isla giggled before she skillfully leaped over the disoriented defender.
"What?!" Kirino gasped before he lost his balance. Again.
"Isla takes full control!" Ayumu shouted.
Isla sent him an apologetic glance as she dribbled her way to the goal. When she was in front of it, the goalkeeper, Sangoku Taichi, clapped his hands.
"Give me your best shot!" He shouted.
Isla gave him a nervous expression, letting out a nervous laugh. She kicked the ball up and went after it. She then shot the ball towards with little strength. But when it got close, the speed of the ball picked up until it became a blur.
Sangoku tried to block the shot with his hands, but it went straight in within seconds.
Furukabu blew his whistle and the scoreboard showed the Black Knights had earned one point.
"Goal!" Ayumu screamed. "The Black Knights take the leading point! Goalkeeper Sangoku couldn't even have time to stop it! It's a sudden upturn!"
"They have a fast and powerful forward..." Shindou couldn't believe it. How can a girl be that fast? And, yet, powerful?
"And she got the goal in the blink of an eye!" Kirino exclaimed, shocked as well.
Haruna was stunned even more. "What is this?"
Tenma was blown away by Isla's simple shoot. "A-Amazing..."
Isla rubbed her left arm with an uncomfortable expression. 'I should have lightened by kick.' She thought, feeling guilty that she might have hurt the goalkeeper.
"That was a powerful shot!"
"Huh?" Isla looked up to see Sangoku smiling up at her. "Ah... Well... thank you... But it was just a simple shoot, though..." She mentioned.
"Wait, that wasn't your full strength?!" Sangoku gasped in disbelief.
Isla just kept quiet before making her way towards Tsurugi. She knows he had questions for her.
"Why didn't you use your full strength?" He asked.
"Let's just say, I'd rather avoid anyone suffering from broken ribs." Isla simply shrugged, having her usual smile.
"Seriously?" Tsurugi raised a brow. He knows it was just a joke. There's no way a normal shot could break someone's ribs but a hissatsu technique, it just might.
Isla giggled and made her way back to her position. As she did, she saw Kirino making his way to the goalkeeper, who looked deep in thought.
Isla was right. Sangoku was thinking how powerful her shot was, even though it was a normal one. He found it odd how a Seed like her thanked him for the compliment, and that made him wonder if she was truly a Seed. Sangoku also wondered what Isla went through to get so strong.
"Sangoku-senpai!" Kirino called out.
Sangoku snapped out of it and got up, holding the ball in his hands. "I let my guard down. Sorry."
"Hear that?"
The duo turned around to see two players from the Black Knights smirking at them.
"'I let my guard down', he said." The orange-haired player mocked before they made their way back to their side of the field.
Shindou quickly made his way over to them.
"Now then." Tsurugi spoke, stopping the captain in his tracks. "What'll you do, Captain?"
Shindou ignored him and quickly went to the others, who gathered around the goal.
"These guys are tough." Minamisawa said.
"I can't believe they got a point off Sangoku-senpai that quickly..." Hayami shivered.
Amagi gritted his teeth.
It was then Shindou joined them. "Sangoku-senpai, are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine..." Sangoku assured before looking at the ball. "Her shot just now was so strong. Even though it's just a normal shot."
"That was a normal shot?!" Hayami shrieked.
"It was. She told me."
"That's bad..." Kurumada Gouichi muttered.
Shindou glanced over to see the said girl playing with her hair. "It means we should focus on her, but don't forget about the others." He told them.
"Right!" Everyone nodded.
The Raimon Eleven went back to their positions. And since Isla scored, they've got the kick off.
When he saw everyone was in position, Furukabu blew the whistle.
"The match resumes!" Ayumu announced.
Shindou passed the ball to Minamisawa and they began making their way to the Black Knights' goal.
"Raimon goes without the leading point, so what will they do?"
When they took their third step, Isla didn't waste any time taking the ball from Shindou, shocking him and Minamisawa. They didn't even saw her move. Isla ignored them and rapidly made her way to their goal. She did rabbit jumps to go over the players in mid-air, leaving them no time to make their own moves.
Tsurugi smirked. "Here it comes."
Appearing in front of the goal, Isla kicked the ball towards it.
Sangoku was about to stop it, but the ball unexpectedly curved and went into the net.
0:2
The Black Knights were in the lead.
Furukabu blew his whistle.
Isla then repeated her actions.
0:3
And again.
0:4
"Amazing!" Ayumu exclaimed. "Isla continued to score without giving Raimon a chance to counterattack!"
A player from the Black Knights passed the ball to Isla and the girl didn't waste any time jumping over the forward players.
"Isla Rune has the ball once more! Will Raimon be able to steal it?"
"Stop her!" Shindou yelled.
Isla swiftly made her way through the midfielders, being ever so careful not to do any rough plays on them. Of course, all she did was make them dizzy and did acrobatic tricks to get past them. She wondered if their defence was only weak or she was just too fast for them.
Isla stopped her train of thought when Amagi appeared in front of her.
"I won't let you through!" He exclaimed.
Isla smiled and casually passed the ball to Tsurugi, who was already beside them. She doesn't need to look to know where he was. The two can coordinate perfectly. When they wanted to.
"Oh no!" Amgi gasped, looking over his shoulders.
Isla took this chance to slip from his mark and accepted the ball from Tsurugi.
"With the help of Tsurugi Kyousuke, Isla dashed towards the goal!" Ayumu shouted.
Isla looked at the scoreboard and looked back where she was going. Three players, Minamisawa, Hamano, and Kurama Norihito, were blocking her. However, with her ball control, Isla managed to get the players to bump into each other by doing swift zigzag turns, leaving them in the dust.
"What a play by Rune! She got passed Minamisawa, Hamano, and Kurama in a blink of an eye!"
"What?!" The said players exclaimed in disbelief.
"She's fast!" Hamano said, watching Isla gradually getting away from them. She was too fast for them to catch up.
Soon, the albino was in front of four players; Kirino, Amagi, Kurumada, and Hayami.
"You're not getting past us!" Amagi yelled.
'So they think they're strong, huh...?' Isla thought, internally giggling. She used a side step to get past Hayami, she kicked the ball under Amagi, distracting him as she swiftly went around him, and finally shot the ball up in the air over Kirino and Kurumada. Then, Isla ran past them.
"No way..." Kurumada mumbled.
"You've got to be kidding me...!" Amagi muttered.
"How the-?!" Kirino gasped.
"This is bad!" Hayami grabbed his head. "We're doomed!"
It took no time for Isla and Sangoku to be face to face once more.
"Come on!" He shouted. "I'm ready for it!"
"Alright, then!" Isla kicked the ball high into the air and a giant gun appeared. She winked as she held it in her arms. Her wink set the little rope on fire, and mad the gun fire a large golden beam with the ball at the core.
"Tiro Finale!"
"You won't get the better of me!" Sangoku shouted as his left hand grabbed his right hand, that was clenched tightly into a fist. The fist came on fire before he jumped and spun along with his fiery hand and forced himself towards the ground, a hand extending to the ground, aiming for the ball.
"Burning Catch!" Sangoku tried to hold down the ball but the gold energy emitted brighter than ever and passed him and into the goal.
Furukabu blew his whistle.
0:5
"Goal!" Ayumu shouted. "A fifth goal by Isla Rune! What an amazing shot!"
Isla landed and took in a deep breath, not noticing Tsurugi walking up to her.
"Sangoku!" Kurumada ran to the goalkeeper.
Tsurugi smirked. "I have my doubts about this school's reputation. This is pathetic."
Shindou gritted his teeth.
"What was that just now?" Hamano wondered.
"Their movements are beyond what humans can do!" Kirino said.
"We haven't lost yet." Shindou murmured. "Get a grip, guys!" He told them.
"Um..."
The Raimon players turned to the albino behind them.
"Are you okay?" Isla awkwardly asked.
The sudden question caught everyone off-guard.
"Huh?" Sangoku blinked before understanding what she was talking about. "Ah... yes. Thank you for your concern."
Isla let out a relief smile. She bowed and walked back to her end of the field.
"Did that... just happen?" Hamano asked, trying to process what just happened.
"Yes." Kirino replied.
"A Seed asking about our condition?" Minamisawa questioned in suspicion.
"There's something off about her." Sangoku said.
"Huh?" Hamano turned to him. "What do you-"
Furukabu suddenly blew the whistle.
"Oh dear! It seems the coach of the Black Knights is substituting Rune out of the game!" Ayumu announced.
Everyone was shocked and glanced at the Black Knights' bench to see Isla walking off the field, and player number 9 was entering in her place.
"What?! Why?!" Sangoku asked.
Isla turned to them. "I've done my job."
"Job?" Kurama questioned.
"I have to score the first 5 goals."
"What...?" Shindou blinked.
Then, everyone looked at the scoreboard.
0:5
The Black Knights were in the lead.
"If she's out, we can score some goals." Minamisawa mentioned, crossing his arms.
"Right." The others agreed and went back to their positions.
'That's right.' Sangoku looked at the field. 'I can definitely defend the goal now. Right!' He slapped himself against the cheeks. 'I won't let anyone else score!'
Isla had a mysterious smile, thinking about the thoughts she overheard. She mindlessly took her payment and sat at the other end of the bench. Away from Kuroki. After she was subbed, the game resumed. She noticed Raimon was playing a bit more seriously after she left the field.
'That's a big mistake.' Isla thought, digging her hand into her payment bag and fished out a box of pocky. She opened the box as the game continued. Each and every member of Raimon was getting beaten. Isla closed her eyes and looked away, not liking the scene in her view as she heard yelps and groans of pain until they earned their 9th point.
"What a disaster!" Ayumu exclaimed. "Raimon is getting hit one-sidedly with goals!"
Isla opened her eyes when she heard the whistle. She looked at the scoreboard to see 0:10. The Black Knights were way ahead.
"Coach!"
"Hm?" Nibbling on a pocky, Isla glanced over to see Tenma running up to the coach.
"At this rate, everyone in the team will..." He trailed off. "Can't we do something? Coach!"
"It's not the coach's job to 'do something'." Coach Kudou told him.
This surprised the brunette.
"It's the player's job." Coach Kudou got up and made his way to the field.
"The player's?" Tenma murmured.
The whistle blew when the ball went out of bounds.
"Matsukaze Tenma." Coach Kudou called out.
"Yes, sir?" The said student said.
"Put on one of the spare uniforms."
"Huh?"
"I thought you were a candidate to join the club?" Coach Kudou questioned.
"Yes, sir, but..." Tenma trailed off.
Coach Kudou's head turned and he looked at Tenma. "I'm testing you." He then raised hid hand up. "Switch players!" He announced. "In place of Minamisawa Atsushi... is Matsukaze Tenma!"
Tenma took a minute to process what was happening. "EEEEHHH?!" He pointed at himself. He was going to play?!
'I thought so.' Isla watched as Tenma reappeared, after changing into a spare uniform of the first team, and went to the field. She could clearly see he was nervous. Very nervous.
"Oh, who's that wearing Raimon's uniform?" Ayumu took interest in the new player. "It looks like a new member candidate! What are Coach Kudou's intentions behind this?!"
"He's benching me?" Minamisawa was not impressed. He clicked his tongue but obliged.
"Minamisawa-san, I'm sure the coach has an ides about this." Shindou reasoned as their ace striker made his way to the bench.
"Sure, then you can handle the rest." Minamisawa went out of the field. But not before giving a small glare to his replacement.
Tenma was too nervous to notice and ran into the field. But one question kept popping into his head. 'Why me?' He thought. But he quickly shook it off when he went to his captain. "Um, thank you for helping me out earlier." He bowed. "I'll do my best!" Tenma stood back up straight and went to his position, not noticing how Shindou was watching him.
'Why did the coach bring him in?' The captain wondered.
Shindou wasn't the only one, Haruna was against this also. "What're you thinking?!" She yelled. "He hasn't even taken the steps to join the club yet!"
"Otonashi, didn't you sense anything from him when you watched him earlier?" The calm coach asked.
This confused the woman.
"Matsukaze's eyes when he stood up against Tsurugi..." Coach Kudou opened his eyes. "Somehow, they resembled that man."
Haruna glanced over to the brunette. "Endou-san, you mean?"
"There's also Rune." Coach Kudou mentioned.
"Rune-san?" Haruna gave him a confused look.
"Her kicks are just like his."
Her eyes widened. Haruna glanced over to the albino's direction, seeing the girl eating pocky without much care of the match. "Gouenji-san's, you mean?" She asked. Indeed her kicks were powerful. Powerful enough to go up against a Seed like Tsurugi. Plus... Isla reminded Haruna some old friends back in her junior days. It makes you wonder who Isla Rune was.
"The new player, Matsukaze Tenma, has entered the pitch!" Ayumu announced. "Just what does Coach Kudou have planned?"
'This is Raimon.' Tenma thought. 'I've always wanted to come here. I'm standing on its grounds right now.' He placed his hand over the logo on his shirt. 'I'm wearing the uniform I've always admired.' His eyes went from the ground to the Black Knights. 'At this rate, they'll take over the football club... and football itself! I've got to do something!'
Tsurugi opened his eyes and had an annoyed expression the moment he saw the brunette. "You again?"
Tenma took a deep breath. "It'll work out." He told himself. "It'll work out somehow!" He exclaimed.
The whistle blew, and the game continued. The Black Knights had the ball and was given to Tsurugi.
At the same time, Tenma charged at him. "I'll protect the football I love!"
Tsurugi frowned and easily evaded the brunette.
Stunned, Tenma looked behind him, seeing the Seed smirking before Tsurugi kicked the ball straight at Kirino's stomach. Tenma tried again, but Kurama fell victim to the next shot. "Damn it!" Tenma tried a slide tackle, but Tsurugi easily dodged him and hit Kosaka Motonari in the face.
"Protect football?" Tsurugi questioned. He kicked the ball straight at Mizumori Tatsuya's back.
Tenma tried again, only to get Kurumada hit in the face by Tsurugi. After that came Hamano in the stomach.
"Don't make me laugh." Tsurugi narrowed his eyes. He stopped when most of the players were down, leaving him face to face with the worn out Tenma. "What's wrong?" Tsurugi smirked. "Is that the extent of your love for football?" He taunted.
"Damn it...!" Tenma tried again, but Tsurugi easily evaded him. Tenma lost his balance and fell to the floor.
Then the whistle was blown, signalling the end of the first half.
"That's the end of the first half!" Ayumu shouted. "The first half ends with the Black Knights having a one-sided lead!"
The two teams went to their separate benches to get some water and rest. Raimon was getting worried about the match, while the Black Knights weren't even breaking a sweat.
"Hey, Tsurugi." Isla called out.
"What?" The said Seed turned to her.
"I want you to put more pressure on the captain." Isla said as she pulled out her water bottle from her bag.
"Sure thing, but why?" Tsurugi asked.
"You'll see."
"Will something interesting happen, Rune-sama?" Kuroki asked, interested in the topic.
The albino nodded. "The captain must be put in a lot of pressure. I suggested the entire team does it, but if that doesn't work..." Isla got up.
"Then what?" Tsurugi asked.
Isla walked up to him and smirked. "Put pressure on all the players. Especially..." Her ruby red eyes trailed over to the brunette on the other bench. "... Matsukaze Tenma."
"Oh?" Tsurugi smirked, eyeing the brunette also.
Kuroki mimicked their dark expressions. "You heard her boys. Let's see what happens."
"Yes, sir!" They all said.
Isla went back to her seat and sank into her own thoughts. She's only doing this to end the match quickly. Fifth Sector expects results. Kuroki wanted results from this match. If he wants that result, then Isla just helped him by speeding things up. That's how Fifth Sector does things. It all started when Japan became number one in the world for youth football ten years ago. Because of that, football's popularity increased, and the strength of the football team came to be what determined a school's reputation in society. The stronger it is, the more prestigious it gets. The weaker it is, the further it falls.
Football is what determines the value of school and people these days. Results are everything. If your football is weak, people will see you as worthless. The football management syndicate Fifth Sector was created to provide salvation from this situation.
'Even so, for Fifth Sector to go this far...' Isla's grip on her bottle tightened. 'They manipulate victory and defeat at will, under the name of management. Retribution awaits you if you try to retaliate. Right now, they manage every aspect of each school's teams and even the development of the players. The real question is...' Isla glanced back at the Raimon Eleven. 'Will they ever be able to bring back that passionate football Endou Mamoru and the others used to play? Wait, they can't even call this football now. Football is.. under someone's control.' Isla understood they get an honest match every now and then, but it was no fun holding back when you desperately wanting to try something new.
"The second half is starting!" Ayumu announced.
All the players went to their fielded position. The Black Knights had the kick off.
"What will Raimon do with the lead taken from them?!"
As soon as the whistle blew, Shindou dived in with a slide tackle in attempt to steal the ball from Tsurugi, but failed to do so, only to receive scratches.
"Captain!" Tenma exclaimed when Shindou fell.
"What's wrong?" Tsurugi asked. "Giving in so early?"
Shindou glared up at him and tried to get up. 'I can't let it end here.' He thought. "Damn it!" He sprung up and charged at Tsurugi once more.
But Tsurugi easily evaded him. "Why not give up?" He suggested, smirking. "You guys are going out with the rest of the rubbish."
Shindou glared before Tsurugi kicked the ball, sending it across Raimon's field. It hit Shindou, Kirino and Tatsuya before the ball sent Sangoku crashing into the net with it.
The whistle was blown.
0:11
The match continued with the Black Knights hurting the players. Kicking the ball into them, but making it look like a rough pass. It didn't take them long to earn their 12th point. Of course, Isla couldn't watch so she tried to focus her gaze on her payment.
"The Black Knights are overwhelming the second half too!" Ayumu shouted.
Isla knew the Black Knights were taking advantage with Raimon's exhaustion and injuries. It was an easier way to place more pressure on the captain by watching his teammates getting beaten down.
Shindou was panting, but still standing.
"You guys can't win against us." Tsurugi stated. "Your football club's finished!"
"Finished?" Shindou repeated.
"The football club's not finished!"
The two turned to the voice.
It was Tenma.
"I won't hand over Raimon's football club to anyone!" He declared. "Never!"
Isla's eyes widened. 'His eyes...' She can see Tenma won't give up. He was determined to strive despite the disadvantage. He would continue to believe what he sees was right no matter what others would think. 'He's just like...'
"Then I'll just take it from you!" Tsurugi snapped. He then dashed across the field and roughly injured the players, without mercy.
"How cruel..." Haruna whispered. She couldn't believe it. Why was he doing it?
After doing his round, Tsurugi circled back to where he started. "Do you understand now?" He asked the two remaining players. "This is all there is to the Raimon you admired."
"It's hopeless."
Eveyone turned to Tatsuya. He was staggering while holding his right arm in pain.
"They're going to take over the football club even if they have to injure us." He said. "Sorry, but I..." Tatsuya didn't even bother to finish his sentence.
"Wait, Mizumori!" Shindou called out.
The dirty blonde stopped.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm quitting." Tatsuya said before making his way out of the field.
"Don't go, Mizumori!" Shindou pleaded. "Mizumori!"
But the dirty blonde didn't listen.
Tenma was stunned.
"Damn it, at this rate..."
The brunette turned to his captain.
Shindou had a distressed expression. "They'll all break down..."
Isla had an unreadable expression.'Everyone will... break down... huh...' The plan was working. Shindou was gaining pressure from watching his teammates getting beaten down. Shindou was a lot more vulnerable than she thought. But Isla can't keep that thought because she knows he can toughen up and have the courage to face his fears.
"You can have it."
Isla opened her eyes to see Tenma having the ball. Tsurugi was taunting him into playing. Beside Shindou, Tenma was the other player standing. Watching him fall would do the trick.
"Now, bring it." Tsurugi challenged, smirking darkly at the brunette.
The brunette's eyes burned with determination. "Here I go!" He shouted, charging forward.
A player from the Black Knights tried a slide tackle, but Tenma avoided him. "What?"
Tenma continued. He avoided any slide tackles or ball attempts by dodging. However, when he got to the goal, instead of scoring, he turned back around and headed back to Raimon's side of the field.
Shindou's eyes widened. "That dribble...!"
From the aisles, the blue-haired girl turned to see the redhead upperclassman walking up to her. She looked impressed with Tenma's dribbling. "He's pretty good." She commented.
The blue-haired girl smiled. "He practices more than anyone else when it comes to dribbling. Even when he couldn't get in a team, he'd practice all by himself." She explained.
And the practice was paying off. Even though Tenma was getting tired, he continued to dribbling back towards his goal.
"Hey, pass it here!" Hamano raised his hand.
But Tenma ran past him.
"What?"
The others were confused as well.
"What's he doing?" Sangoku wondered.
"Pass it over here!" Kirino told the brunette. He then ran up, only to be followed by two Black Knights. But Kirino ignored them. "Here!"
But once again, Tenma ignored the calls and went into another direction.
"Hey!" Kurama was getting annoyed.
Hayami adjusted his glasses. What was Tenma doing?
"Why isn't he passing?" Shindou wondered.
"But he's kind of impressive!" Amagi commented.
Even those on Raimon's bench was confused.
"Tenma-kun, what're you doing?" Haruna muttered.
"He'll probably try to keep the ball until time's up." Coach Kudou voiced out.
Haruna's eyes widened at this.
"By not handing over the ball to anyone, none of his teammates will get attacked."
"Then Tenma-kun's doing it to protect everyone?" Haruna eyed the brunette, who's doing his best.
Even with the simple plan, it didn't take long for the Black Knights to figure it out.
"Think it'd work that easily?" Tsurugi smirked and clicked his fingers.
And in a matter of seconds, all ten players of the Black Knights surrounded Tenma, trapping him with a tight defence that had no escape.
"You've got nowhere to run now." The orange-haired player said.
Isla sighed at this. It was getting nowhere. She guessed it was time to take some drastic measures. "Kyou-kun." She ordered.
The said boy glanced at her and nodded. "Understood." Tsurugi turned to the brown-haired teen and walked into the circle. "Matsukaze Tenma." He called out. "Your face ticks me off." He glared at him.
Tenma glared back.
"Football is a waste of time!" Then shadows of fog appeared on Tsurugi's back, quickly taking shape of a body.
Tenma froze.
"What is that?" Haruna wondered, shocked at the sight.
But the goalkeeper of Raimon thought he had seen something like this before and was in shock. "Is that...?!" He gasped.
Shindou recognised the case also. "An Avatar!"
"W-What's this?" Ayumu exclaimed. "Appearing on the field is the big talk among football players, the Avatar?!"
The shadows dispersed and took upon a form. It had a long silver sword and had a silver shield. Overall, it had an armour of silver and also wears a helmet. It had a navy darkish aura and was based on a knight.
"This is my Avatar, Sword Saint Lancelot." Tsurugi stated.
Even from the bench, the sight of the navy-haired Seed's Avatar brought a smile to Isla's face. "This is it... The spiritual energy people create is usually invisible to the eye, but when that power is mastered, it reveals itself in a visible form. The Avatar." She murmured, giggling as she sticks another pocky in her mouth. 'Raimon's shocked faces are priceless. Some believed it was an urban legend, but seeing it with your own eyes is undeniable proof!'
Tenma looked at the knight in shock. "Amazing..."
"It's too early to be surprised!" With his hands in his pockets, Tsurugi lunged at the brunette with incredible speed. As he did a slide tackle, Lancelot raised its sword and attacked Tenma, sending him flying while Tsurugi stole the ball.
"Tenma-kun!" Haruna called out as she watched the poor boy harshly landing on his back, bouncing a few times. He might has well get more scratches than he already have. Haruna turned to Coach Kudou with a look of disgust. "This isn't football." She said. "Make them stop!" She begged.
Coach Kudou had a similar expression, but he held his tongue.
"No can do." Kuroki spoke, earning the adults' attention. He smiled creepily at them. "The match isn't over yet."
Isla, on the other hand, bit her bottom lip. Her eyes held disgust and it took everything she had not to lunge into the field, and take the ball away from Tsurugi. 'This isn't football...' She thought, as she watched Tenma getting hit again, rolling across the field towards Raimon's captain's feet. "That boy..." Isla murmured. She got up and saw the brunette struggling himself to stand.
"Coach..." Tenma weakly called out. "I'm fine." He glanced over his shoulders with plea in his eyes. "Let me play through to the end." He begged.
Coach Kudou was surprised. "Matsukaze..."
"Don't over do it, you won't last!" Shindou told him as he watch Tenma stagger to his feet.
"I want to play to the very end." Tenma declared.
Shindou was shocked.
"If... If I make it to the very end... I'm sure we'll find a way through!"
Lancelot's visor glowed red, signalling the Avatar user's anger. Letting out a cry, Tsurugi raised his foot. "Take this!" He shot the ball at Tenma without mercy, having it hit the boy right in the stomach.
Tenma landed harshly on his back.
"Matsukaze!" Shindou ran to him. "You're so reckless..." He got down and helped the boy up, not realising the ball had rolled back to the navy-haired Seed.
Tsurugi placed his foot on the ball. "Is that it?" He smirked.
"I want to play!" Tenma said, turning to his captain. "I want to play football with everyone!"
"You'd go so far for that...?" Shindou questioned.
"Please." Tenma begged. Turning around despite the pain, Tenma reached out and grabbed the Raimon insignia on Shindou's team uniform. "Captain... Don't give up on football." He was begging from the bottom of his heart to play with everyone.
Something hit Shindou hard. His eyes crystallised as he stared at his insignia Tenma was clutching. "Matsukaze..." He murmured.
"Captain, please."
The captain bit his bottom lip, removing the brunette's hand from the Raimon insignia on his uniform. Shindou stood up, his bangs covering his eyes that was shedding tears. "Even I..." His voice quivered as his tears became visible. "Why? Why?! I can't even protect my teammates." His hand reached over and grabbed the red captain band on his left forearm. "What makes me a captain?!"
Isla's eyes widened. 'This feeling...'
"This thing is just...!"
A faint breeze picked up.
"Captain..." Tenma stared at Shindou with wide eyes.
"Damn it!!" A strong aura emitted from the stressed captain, shadows already began to take form.
"What?" Tsurugi was not expecting this.
"That's...!" Kuroki smiled with craze.
The shadows took form of an orchestra's conductor with four arms, both of its right arms holding a baton each.
Isla smiled. 'Congratulations, Shindou Takuto.' She stuck another pocky in her mouth and munched on it. 'This match has just got a lot more interesting.'