Rumble rumble. It was the day of the match, and we were finally here. The bus skidded to a stop, and boys in uniforms and matching caps ran out and lined up. Then a red carpet rolled out. Teikoku was here.
Kidou walked out with me a step behind, followed by the rest of Teikoku. This "Raimon" really was a small school. I heard rumors that Teikoku destroyed any school they defeated. If that was true, then this supposingly weak team of Raimon's was going to be blamed for the destruction of their school. Well, I guess it can't be helped. But I was still slightly excited for the match since it had been so long since I had been at a soccer game in person.
We stopped in front of the group of boys that I guess was Raimon's soccer team. Their captain was wait, I know him! He was the baka brickhead I had met at the Steel Tower Plaza. He must have recognized me too, for his face looked shocked and taken back. If this was their captain, then the rest of the team must be even worse. I pitied the school a little, but then brushed the thought aside. But I was a little interested to see how the brickhead will attempt to defeat Teikoku.
"Kidou-san, why are we playing against this kind of team?" asked Henmi, "I don't think they'll improve our skill." I was wondering the same thing.
"We might be able to see something interesting here," Kidou said in an amused grin. Something interesting? What could a weak team like this be "interesting" to Kidou? As if reading my mind, Henmi asked, "Something interesting?" "Yeah," replied Kidou mysteriously, "Look foward to it." Oh you bet I will.
The brown haired boy with the orange headband ran up to us. "I'm the captain of Raimon's Soccer Club, Endou Mamoru," he greeted. Ah, so that was his name. He continued, "Thank you for asking for a practice match against us." Endou reached out his hand to shake Kidou's but Kidou kept his arms crossed and said, "This is our first time on the field. Mind letting us warm up first?" Endou looked like he didn't know how to respond, and finally said, "Sure, go ahead." What was Kidou planning? Kidou of all people should know that you don't reveal your moves to your opponent before the match.
Endou brought his team off the field, and the members of Teikoku scattered over it. I walked over to where a green haired girl who must be the manager of Raimon was sitting. I then stood next to her and patiently watched our players display their moves while trying to figure out what Kidou had in mind.
Well soon I had my answer. I saw the members of Raimon whisper nervously with each other, and a few even shuddered. "We're playing against guys like him?" a pink haired boy asked with fear in his voice after seeing one of our member's shoot. So Kidou wanted to psych the opponent out. But what was the point in it? Teikoku could already easily defeat Raimon, so why make it worse for them?
Then Kidou snapped his fingers, and Jimon kicked a soccer ball at Henmi, who passed it to Kidou, who then finally shot it with an easy punt at Endou. Caught by surprise, Endou reacted just in time to stop the shoot. Truthfully, I wouldn't call that a "shoot" but I could tell that it was Endou's limit. Endou stared at his hands in horror, but then shouted passionately, "Now it's getting interesting! I'm fired up!"
"Wait," said one of Raimon's members, a fat green haired boy, "I need to use the toilet!" Then he ran off to who knows where. "What are you going to do? Even with that guy, you only have ten members," asked Kidou, stiffling a laugh. I could tell that the rest of Teikoku was also trying not to break out into laughter. Was this what Kidou meant by something interesting?
I giggled quietly on the side, and the green haired manager stnading next to me shot me a dirty look. "Don't laugh at Raimon," she hissed angrily. This only made me want to laugh more. She thought they were so strong, and boy was she about to face a big disapointment when Teikoku squashes them.
"We do have eleven. Somebody get Megane!" shouted a boy with a teal colored ponytail. "I'll get him," said the girl next to me, and she ran off. A minute later she came back with a boy with glasses who didn't look like sports was his thing at all. Then the boy talked with Endou for a while, talking about all his "special conditions and requirements". When was the match going to start? If this really was the entertainment Kidou meant, then it was starting to get boring.
Something Jimon said to Henmi caught my attention. "It seems the Commander is interested in a newly transfered player in this school," he replied to Henmi's question. A newly transfered player, and good enough that the Commander would know about and be interested in...could it be him? After that incident, we both went our own ways and I've never heard about him ever since.
"He's not here yet," Kidou replied. When Henmi complained, Kidou just said, "I said he's not here yet."
Finally, Endou brought the boy who ran away back to the field, and the match began. I sat down on the bench next to the green haired manager to watch the game. Then a blue haired girl with red glasses who I payed no attention to joined the green haired girl. They conversed a little, all of which I blocked out as white noise. I was here for soccer, not a chat. Maybe that was why I couldn't make new friends and didn't have any old friends who were girls.
The whistle indicating the start was blown, and Raimon started the kickoff. The boy earlier with pink hair charged at the goal. Sakuma and Jimon slid to try to steal the ball, but was doged easily. I could tell that they were just pretending to miss to mock the other team since I saw their true soccer skills during practice.
Then the boy, who's name I learned from Kakuma was Someoka, shot at the goal. Genda jumped and let it graze his fingers, making it lose course and hit the goalpost. Then he grabbed it and rolled smoothly on the ground. Who do Raimon think we were. Such a weak shot was of course going to be stopped by the K.O.G.. Unless, this was the best Raimon has got? If so, then this really is the weakest team I've ever seen.
"Kidou, my job ends here," said Genda as he tossed the ball to the red-caped captain. "Yeah," Kidou answered, "It's time we showed them how Teikoku plays soccer." "Go," Kidou said quietly as he passed the ball to Jimon, who directly kicked it at Endou before Raimon's defenders had any time to react. Obviously, it went in. Endou was thrown backward to the ground by the impact even though this false shoot by Jimon was a little weaker than the one I shot at Endou a few days ago.
The game continued similarly, with Teikoku injuring the members of Raimon as they passed the ball around and scored again and again. Finally, the half time whistle was blown. The scoreboard read Teikoku 10, Raimon 0.
The members of Raimon gathered here at the bench and sprawled on the floor like Jimon did after practice two days ago. All of them were worn out and depressed. "It's not like we can win anyway," one of them said gloomily. Endou was the only one still determined to win, so he kept on trying to cheer up his teammates. "Give up before you can't play soccer anymore," I told them. "What is she doing on our side?" asked one of Raimon's players, looking at me halfheartedly. "Go back to your own kind," Someoka mustered to growl at me. "Hehehe, sure," I snickered then got up and walked to the other half where Teikoku was gathered.
Finally, the referee called out for them to come back and switch sides. Then the second half of the game began. Teikoku started the kickoff this time. "Let's go," said Kidou with a sudden change in aura, "Begin the Death Zone."
The whole atmostphere of the game changed after those words. Teikoku was serious now, and on the attack. "And force that guy to come out!" Kidou shouted as he passed the ball foward to his charging teammates. Doumen, Jimon, and Sakuma jumped up at the ball and started spinning in the air. Purple mist swirled around them as they formed a triangle crackling with electricity with the ball in the middle.
"Death...Zone!" the three cried when they kicked the ball at Endou. Finally a real shoot, not just a mock play. Endou stared at the incoming soccer ball in shock, too late to stop it. He got thrown backward into the net, then the soccer ball rolled back to the field. "Keep it up until that guy gets on the field," Kidou commanded with that evil grin of his. The score quickly rose from 10 to 14, then to 18. Teikoku's players laughed at how Raimon was collapsing one by one until only Endou was left. It was cruel, yet made my blood thirsty for more. I truly was one of them, wasn't I?
"Come out. Come out," Kidou called out, "If you don't then the last person standing...," he pointed at the brunette guarding the goal. "We'll destroy him!" Jimon shouted and kicked soccer ball towards him. It bounced off Endou's face and went back to Teikoku. Teikoku shot at him again, and this kept up for many times. They were aiming not for the goal, but for him on purpose.
The teal haired defender with the ponytail slowly crawled back up. "Don't joke with me," he muttered, then cried, "This is not soccer!" He jumped in front of Endou just in time to block one of Jimon's shoots.
He looked like he had never seen this type of play before. He must be an inexperienced newbie who had no idea how the world of soccer worked. A memory flashed through my mind.
I stood in front of the collapsed goalie with a soccer ball under one foot. "No please don't!" he shouted out at me desperately. "Gomensai. But I have to win," I replied, then my foot made contact with the ball. Then I walked away leaving the paralyzed goalie crying in despair.
The real world of soccer was cruel. I had learned that a long time ago. If you wanted to win, you have to be merciless even if it rips you apart inside.
By now, Teikoku had scored 19 points. Raimon's only player left was the glasses boy who's name was Megane. He looked around terrified at the bodies of his teamate lying around him, and ran away with tears in his eyes. He tossed his uniform on the ground on his way back to the main building, symbolizing that he gave up on the match. That was the smart choice. Admit defeat before you are destroyed completely and forever scarred that you can't play soccer anymore.
Teikoku laughed at the pitiful sight of Raimon all down for the count and only left with ten players. I heard some students watching on the side say they gave up hope on the team. From my peripheral vision, I noticed a tan hand grab up the abadoned jersey. Could it be him?
"Goal!" the referee shouted. Teikoku had scored it's 20th point. I looked away. There was no point in watching anymore. Teikoku was going to win, Raimon was going to lose, and Teikoku was going to destroy Raimon. Suddenly, I heard some students call out, "Who's that guy? I don't remember him being on our team!"
I jerked my head back to the game, and sure enough, I saw him walk over to the field wearing the jersey that had been abandoned earlier. That guy I would recognize no matter what. His spiky platinum hair was unique alright, but it was his distinct aura that I remembered most clearly. Gouenji Shuuya, ace striker of Kidowkawa Seishuu who disappeared from the soccer world after last year's Football Frontier, was back.