By the way, now you get why Shizumi liked to blend into the crowd in Teikoku. It was because she didn't want to attract attention to herself. Back to the main story!
Neutral POV, Time Skip to Tommorow
"Kantoku! Why can't we start the game?" Kazemaru asked. "But all of us are already here!" Somoeka complained, "Oh wait. Where's Kabeyama and Gouenji?" "Kabeyama's in the bathroom, but he'll be back soon. But where's Gouenji?" someone called out. Now everyone was in a frenzy. How could they play if their ace striker wasn't here?
"Sorry, I'm late. I hope you don't mind Inoue joining us," a deep voice interupted. Everyone turned to look, and saw their spiky haired striker with his hand on the back of a boy with shoulder length black hair and red eyes. The boy glared at Gouenji, and said menacingly, "Sakurai Shizumi." Gouenji scratched his head. "Uh right," he said, "Sakurai will be helping us if that's okay with you, Kantoku. She already transfered to Raimon before the match began, so it will be alright."
While Hibiki looked at the boy, he gasped as he recognized the face. Then he gained composure as replied, "Yes, she will be helpful for scoring a goal against such a tough defense." "Eh, he's a she?" everybody on the team exclaimed.
"Wait, I know this face! The same aura, the same eyes, it's Inoue, number 13 of Kidokawa Seishuu! After disapearing from the soccer world after the Football Frontier last year, he is back, officially on Raimon this time!" Kakuma exclaimed over the microphone. Then some person whispered something into the announcers ear, and he blushed. "Right, I mean she! This is Inoue's real gender, which was revealed in the Zeus versus Teikoku match. Please excuse me, it is my instinct to call this face Inoue's..."
Suddenly, Aki interupted us, "Wait, I think I've seen her before somewhere...." "I believe we met during the Raimon versus Teikoku practice match, Sakurai said. It took a second for everyone's brains to click. Finally, they all screeched, "You're Teikoku's manager!" "Kantoku, are you sure we should let her on the team? She wasn't there when Raimon won against Teikoku, so she could be working for Kageyama. And are you sure she even knows how to play soccer?" Somoeka shouted at Hibiki.
"Oh she knows, all right. She's on the same level as me, maybe even better. But she has a special requirement, is that okay, kantoku?" Gouenji replied for his coach. "Hai," Hibiki said, "You want to get your nickname back right? And you want to regain your lost reputation too?" Sakurai nodded. "Then you can start the first half on the bench," was Hibiki's final comment.
Shizumi's POV
I sat down between Endou and Gouenji. "Gouenji, stop draping an arm around my shoulder! I told you, just treat me the same as before!" I complained to the platinum haired striker. "But they're all staring suspiciously at you. If they know you have my approval, then they will accept you into the team," he replied, chuckling as he knew that I hated being touched by boys like this. I rolled my eyes. "I don't need approval from the team!" I hissed at him, "You told me if I go in and get enough goals for Raimon to win, then I can fight Zeus!" His expression turned solemn. "Do you really think you don't need the team?" he asked with a tone that surprised me, "It may be like that before at Kidokawa Seishuu, but here at Raimon, every person must be connected to form one force." "I don't need the others to pass to me much anyway, just a punt here and a kick there. I'm a libero, remember?" I answered, rolling my eyes again. "You'll see what I mean," Gouenji said, then stopped talking.
Endou turned to face me. "Pss!" he whispered. I glanced at him. "What?" I asked, annoyed by Gouenji. "I'm glad I can finally see you play! But what nickname was Hibiki-kantoku talking about?" he asked, still in a whisper. I froze up. If I told them, than they might hate me for using soccer to hurt people, even though I can't help it. "Death Bringer," Gouenji replied lazily for me. Endou's eyes lit up. "Really? Guys, the Death Bringer is playing on our team!"
They started crowding around me. I just shook my head and facepalmed. So much for being quiet, Endou. Thanks a lot. "Death Bringer, isn't that the joker of Kidokawa Seishuu?" a tall, lanky boy with aquamarine hair asked. I recognized him as Domon, the spy Teikoku sent to Raimon. Thankfully, Gouenji changed the topic to pull the attention away from me. "Hey, why aren't we starting yet? We're going to be eliminated if we don't start soon," he asked the coach. I gave him a small smile of gratitude, and he smiled back.
"We're waiting for one more person," was the coach's reply, and he refused to say anymore no matter how much the team complained and pestered him. "Ugh, should I go check on him? He probably got his cape stuck in the door or something," I asked Gouenji when no on was listening. "Do you think he might have chickened out?" Gouenji asked me with a worried tone. "No, Kidou wouldn't do that. I know he would come even if he is afraid. I saw in his eyes how much he wanted to get revenge for his friends," I replied, but deep down, I was worried too.
"Thirty seconds remaining!" the referee told us. My god, how slow does he have to be? Sure, I get the whole dramatic entrance concept, which is something I know Kidou would probably do, but does he have to do it with such a big risk? Imagine if he came out a second too late. Then Raimon would have to forfeit and his whole entrance would be useless. Stupid Kidou. Yet somehow, he's always on my mind. I hate him, hate him, hate him so much. Everything about him is annoying. The air he puts up, his controlling aura, that smirk I want to slap off every time, you name it.
Suddenly, Hibiki said, "He's here." I heard footsteps approach, those familiar clipping sounds as his cleats touched the floor. Even his footsteps annoy me, I would recognize them anywhere. Probably because he always walks with me to classes in Teikoku, which by the way was not my choice. That rhythmn was already burned into my head, I can detect him walking down the hallways even if I am digging in my locker.
A chorus of "Ehh?!" rang out through Raimon when they saw the goggle head with his cape blowing valiantly in the wind. "Told 'ya he'd come," I smirked at Gouenji. Whispers swept threw the audience, and Kakuma started fussing at something, which I completely blocked out. Come on, you barely make a deal when I show up, even though you did when I showed up the first time, but then you come and rouse up a gigantic deal when Kidou comes? Unfair. But it was true Kidou was a lot more famous than me this year since I became pretty much just a phantom striker when I left the soccer world, while Kidou's fame had been growing nonstop.
After a little more talking, the match against Senbayama finally started with me, a boy with long purple hair, a boy with puffy orange hair, and a boy who looked like a nerd on the bench. They sat a little distance away from me, probably scared or just shy, though I'm willing to bet it's the first. After watching for two minutes, I shook my head. Raimon sucked. Probably even more than when Teikoku fought them the first time. Their timing was totally off and the passes were plain horrible. Why did Gouenji join such a crappy team? After watching for a few more minutes, I noticed that their play was actually fine, decent even, but something was off. I couldn't pinpoint what, though. I knew it was the timing, but what was causing it?
Another minute passed, Raimon still dangling like a loose thread, and Senbayama scored a point. I heard it was impossible to get a ball into Senbayama's goal, so Raimon probably needed me. But could they last until the second half? I'm sure I could probably get two, or even three goals in, but if they let more pass, then Raimon would probably lose.
Then something weird caught my eyes. Kidou walked to different midfielders and said something to each of them quietly. They all looked like they didn't know what to do with Kidou's words. What was the idiot doing? Now isn't the time to spread his "wisdom", aka brag or insult, to his new teammates. Then he smiled, like he had just finished a job well done.
Gouenji started the kickoff, and soon it was stolen by Senbayama. But then a boy from Raimon stole it back. All of a sudden, it seemed like Kidou was a different person. He started shouting commands at them, not the bossy ones he usually directs to me, but ones as if he was a general going to war. It was so intriguing, I couldn't tear my eyes off the field. Raimon seemed completely different now too. They actually looked like a team worthy of the finals.
Raimon's pink haired foward shot, but it was blocked easily by the goalie. Of course, you can't expect a normal hissatsu to break through the best defense in Japan. A few moments later, Raimon tried again, this time with a combination shoot where Pink Hair used his hissatsu to pass to Gouenji, who then used Fire Tornado on it. I felt slightly offended that he had created a joint hissatsu with someone else, and that that someone else was a lot weaker at soccer than me or him. Back at Kidokawa Seishuu, it was always him and me. We were the only ones who could play on the same level and everybody trailed behind.
The ball didn't go in again. Pink Haired's shoot wasn't strong enough, even when combined with Gouenji's. I started stretching my arms, for I already knew that I would be called in to play for the second half. The problem with Senbayama's Infinite Wall was that it took time for the towers to rise up. Kuroi Hane Taifuu was fast enough to go in before the hisstatsu was complete. The advantage of Kuroi Hane Taifuu was that it was quick and often took people by surprise, but if you see it's real strength, it's a lot weaker one made for power like Fire Tornado, even though Fire Tornado wasn't as quick. I won't need Chi Sakurai Mai in this match, and I don't plan on using it again until facing Zeus again.
Finally, Kakuma calls out that the first half ends. Raimon came back to the bench, and Hibiki glanced at me. I nodded. Kidou went to talk to Endou about something, and Gouenji walked over to me. I handed him a towel and asked, "How 'bout I start it with a speed shoot? Or should we go all out with Phoenix Feather?" He took the towel, but stared at me with a small frown, "We aren't the only strikers anymore, you know? You shouldn't say things like that when there is another striker on our team around." I glanced at Pink Hair. "You mean him?" I asked, rolling my eyes, "And you call him a striker? I thought he was there to fill up space so it wasn't all spotlight on you." Gouenji wrinkled his eyebrows at my words, which I admit were not that nice if I was saying that in Pink Haired's face but I wasn't, and walked over to where Kidou was explaining something to Raimon. I followed him, since Hibiki was giving me a warning glare, but I was only half-heartedly listening to Kidou talking. "You'll be replacing Shouri as midfielder," Kidou told me before we went onto the field for the second half.
Yes, Shizumi is a little *cough* very *cough* arrogant when it comes to soccer if you haven't noticed (remember her during the Teikoku versus Raimon practice match?). But Gouenji will teach her that just because she's great at soccer doesn't mean that she'll always win. And no, it's not becoming Gouenji x OC. There was a good amount of Kidou x Shizumi in this chapter, though.