The stadium buzzed with anticipation. Raimon was moments away from facing Mikage Sennou, and the tension was so thick it could be cut with a blade. In the tunnel, Endou stood face to face with Sugimori.
"I've already calculated the odds," Sugimori said coolly, adjusting the sleek device on his temple. "Want to know Raimon's chance of victory?"
Endou grinned. "Sure. Hit me."
Sugimori looked away. "You better not ask."
With that, he turned and walked toward the pitch, his calm, calculating aura leaving behind a trail of unease.
Kickoff.
The whistle blew—and something was immediately off. Mikage Sennou's players stood completely still.
"Huh? They're not moving?" Sakuragi blinked.
"What kind of strategy is this...?" Kazemaru muttered.
"Defense Formation: Gamma 3," Sugimori commanded from the goal.
Suddenly, Mikage Sennou activated. Their formation shifted into a rigid, robotic wall.
Someoka, fired up as ever, charged forward.
"Let's bust through them—DRAGON CRASH!!"
The ball roared forward—but with each pass through their formation, its power dwindled. By the time it reached Sugimori, he caught it without flinching.
"Exactly as the data predicted."
Raimon gritted their teeth. This wasn't just defense—it was a chessboard.
Mikage Sennou countered with Attack Formation: Beta 2. Their players weaved in perfect sync. Kazemaru made a desperation slide tackle.
"Not so fast!"
He cut through, breaking the rhythm. Raimon stole the ball—briefly. Mikage reclaimed it almost instantly, slipping past defenders like ghosts.
Two rapid shots came in—Endou blocked them both, sweat trailing down his forehead.
"Not today! HOT-BLOODED PUNCH!!"
Even with saves, Raimon couldn't build a proper attack. Every pass was read, every pattern predicted. Mikage was reading them like a book.
Sakuragi ran, looking for options, frustrated. "They know where we're going before we do."
"Then we go where they don't expect," Endou shouted from the goal. "Let's shake it up!"
The ball found Kazemaru, who dashed down the flank and passed to Gouenji.
"FIRE TORNADO!!"
Sugimori activated a technique: Shoot Pocket.
The vortex of flame slammed against his defensive catch—but Sugimori held on. He winced, just slightly.
Someoka rushed in. "Take this! DRAGON TORNADO!!"
Another fusion shot. Gouenji and Someoka's strike curled with power—but Sugimori barely caught it.
"Inazuma Drop!" Kabeyama yelled, joining the attack.
Gouenji leapt alongside. The combined drop shook the ground. Sugimori's system flashed red—danger level max.
"ROCKET FIST!!"
He punched the ball away, barely.
Endou huffed. "Their defense is insane…"
And then—Mikage Sennou struck back.
PATRIOT SHOOT!
Endou blocked the powerful straight-line shot, but the ball rebounded. Arata rushed in, leaping above the crowd.
A precise header.
Goal.
0 - 1.
The referee blew the whistle for halftime.
In the hallway, Endou approached Sugimori again.
"You call this soccer? Just passing around and wasting time?"
Sugimori didn't even look up. "A 1-point win or a 10-point win. Statistically, the outcome is identical."
"But where's the fun in that?!" Endou burst out. "The Goddess of Victory smiles on those who believe they can win. That's real soccer!"
Sugimori flinched—just slightly. That smile… that absurd belief…
Endou turned, eyes gleaming. "We'll show you."
Second Half Begins
Mikage kept the ball in their own half, refusing to press forward.
Endou narrowed his eyes. "No point standing here anymore!"
He sprinted out of the goal.
"Huh!? Captain?!" Kurimatsu gawked.
Endou stole the ball in midfield.
Sugimori blinked. "Why did you—?"
"To score, of course! That's soccer!!"
The crowd erupted. Raimon surged forward. The field opened up.
A foul led to a corner kick. Endou lined up beside Gouenji.
"Let's finish this!"
Arata leapt, attempting Patriot Shoot again—
"INAZUMA NO. 1!!"
Gouenji and Endou combined their powers—the lightning from Inazuma Drop fused with flaming fury. The shot tore through the defense like a meteor.
Goal.
1 - 1.
Sugimori's systems glitched slightly. His eyes narrowed, fists clenched.
On the restart, Raimon went aggressive. Sakuragi dashed in, intercepting a pass.
"Whoa, he's playing midfield now?" Domon said.
He twisted and flicked it behind him to Someoka.
"Oi! Dragon Crash—but angle it toward me!"
"Got it!! DRAGON CRASH!!"
The shot thundered forward—Sakuragi caught it mid-run.
"LEO IMPACT!!"
His energy surged. The black dragon burst from his foot, trailing with black lightning. But he wasn't done.
He popped it upward and shouted, "Oye, pretty boy—finish it!"
Gouenji understood instantly.
"FIRE TORNADO!!!"
The flaming cyclone fused mid-air with Leo's power. A black flaming dragon erupted, spiraling violently toward the net.
BOOM.
Goal.
Sugimori had tried to block it—but it was overwhelming. His defense couldn't handle the sheer force.
2 - 1.
But then—Gouenji collapsed.
"Gouenji!!" Sakuragi and Endou ran over.
He clutched his leg, wincing. "I'm... fine…"
But he wasn't. The chain attack had pushed his body too far.
The last few minutes were a blur. Mikage Sennou tried to rally. Sugimori removed the wires from his head, eyes wide, fists clenched.
"We don't give up... not until the last second!"
Inspired, his team moved with real freedom. Their passes flowed. Their timing was fluid.
Sakuragi defended like a wild card, blocking passing lanes—doing his best to anticipate. But one ball slipped through.
PATRIOT SHOOT—AGAIN.
Endou's hand glowed.
"GOD HAND!!"
The ball stopped cold.
Final whistle.
Raimon 2 - 1 Mikage Sennou.
The team celebrated. Sakuragi helped Gouenji to the bench.
"Tch… looks like you carried us in the end, huh?" Sakuragi grinned.
Gouenji smirked. "Not alone."
From a distance, Onigawara watched as Fuyukai spoke quietly on the phone.
"…Talking to Kageyama again, huh?"
His voice was cold. "I won't forgive anyone who taints soccer."
As the dust settled, Raimon huddled around Gouenji. The win was theirs—but the cost was clear.
Endou's voice was steady, but the tension was real.
"Next match… we'll have to play without him."
The silence that followed hit harder than any final whistle.
Bonus Scene: Sakuragi vs. The Nurse (Hospital Hijinks)
Later that evening…
Raimon had gathered at the local hospital to check on Gouenji. The hallway was quiet. Too quiet.
"Room 203," Endou said, leading the group.
As they opened the door—
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!"
A pillow flew across the room like a homing missile. Sakuragi ducked with a loud "Yikes!"
Gouenji sat up in bed, glaring, his leg bandaged and elevated.
Sakuragi grinned sheepishly, holding a stolen tray of pudding cups. "I thought since you're injured, you wouldn't need dessert anymore!"
"That's not how recovery works," Aki sighed.
Haruna deadpanned. "You literally broke into the hospital kitchen."
"I call it a morale-boosting mission."
"You almost got tackled by a nurse."
"She was fast!" Sakuragi admitted. "Like, Kazemaru-level fast!"
Kazemaru chuckled. "No one dodges nurses with clipboards. They're lethal."
Domon and Kurimatsu were laughing as the nurse from earlier burst in, eyes glowing with rage.
"THERE YOU ARE! PUT THE JELLO DOWN!"
Sakuragi screamed, tossed the tray into Endou's hands, and dove under Gouenji's bed. "I REGRET NOTHING!"
The nurse marched straight to the bed. "Get out. Now."
"…I'm emotionally unstable."
"Do I look like I care?"
Gouenji just sighed and leaned back. "Can I please be injured in peace?"
Sakuragi crawled out, hands up. "Fine, fine. I'll return the jello… most of it."
The nurse glared.
"…Half?"
She cracked her knuckles.
"OKAY I'LL BUY MORE!!"
As the team finally settled around the bed, the laughter slowly died down. Gouenji looked around, and for the first time in a while, he smiled—not a smirk, but a real one.
"Thanks for coming, everyone."
Sakuragi patted his shoulder. "Rest up, hero. We'll handle the next one."
"Try not to get arrested before then," Gouenji muttered.
Sakuragi grinned. "No promises."
Bonus Chapter: Sakuragi's Hospital Heartbreak?!
Later that day… somewhere in the hospital cafeteria…
Sakuragi sat on a bench with a band-aid on his cheek (nurse damage), sulking and slurping orange juice from a tiny straw.
"Stealing jello, getting chased, and now Gouenji gets all the sympathy points," he mumbled. "Where's my fan club?"
Thud.
A tray dropped next to him. He looked up—
She had short hair, round glasses, and wore a white nurse trainee coat. She couldn't have been more than a year or two older. A clipboard was tucked under her arm, and she had that sparkly anime shine to her eyes.
"You're the idiot who tried to 'liberate' pudding from the kitchen, right?" she asked, deadpan.
Sakuragi choked on his juice. "Y-You saw that?!"
She nodded, unimpressed. "Twice."
"…You were watching?"
She was watching?!
"But…" she added, sitting beside him with a tired sigh, "you did it to cheer up your friend, right?"
Sakuragi blinked. "W-Well… yeah."
A small smile tugged at her lips. "That was kinda cool. Kinda dumb. But kinda cool."
His heart skipped a beat. Somewhere in his brain, fireworks exploded.
Was this… love?!
"I'm Sakuragi," he said, suddenly straightening up and posing with his fist under his chin. "Future soccer legend, current pudding outlaw."
"…I'm Miki. Nursing student. You owe the hospital three pudding cups and a mop."
He smirked. "You can bill me later. In the form of… dinner?"
She stood up without missing a beat. "No."
Sakuragi collapsed dramatically. "COLD…! Shot down like a clearance sale!"
But then—she stopped at the door.
"…You can try again when your friend wins the next match."
He blinked. "Wait, seriously?!"
"Maybe," she said, smirking. "If you don't get banned from the hospital before then."
Cue starry-eyed sparkle as she walked off, clipboard in hand.
Sakuragi turned to an imaginary camera and grinned.
"…Boys. I think I just found my new special move—Heartbreak Volley!!"