At an absolute loss for words, Mika and the others stood clumped around the entrance in silence until a voice was heard over the bustling sounds of the crowd.

"Yoohoo~Mimi-chan~~Over hereee!"

Mika turned her head upon hearing the familiar voice and in a stupor found herself walking over to the white-haired Hakuren captain. Not bothering to question how the older girl got here so fast despite also seeing her in attendance at the Raimon vs Zeus semifinal, the Raimon and Zeus members who had decided to come, both shuffled into the seats Tsukishiro had reserved for them.

"Surprised?" asked Tsukishiro knowingly towards the group. Then seeing no responses from the group she proceeded to grab a spotted blue handkerchief from seemingly thin air.

"Poor dragon-chan has been struggling so much today, I can almost feel the tears coming!" cried Tsukishiro while dabbing her eyes, which had no traces or signs of any tears.

However, not wanting to waste time on Tsukishiro's usual nonsense, Galahad directed a question towards the girl who was still wiping her eyes and feigning pity for the Eisei Gakuen team.

"How are they losing? Is Outei Tsukinomiya that good?"

"Good? That's fucking funny, If you're asking about their acting ability then yeah you could call them good, especially that motherfucking piece of trash." interrupted a gruff voice with clear indignance.

Looking to where the voice had come from, the Raimon members found themselves staring at a familiar set of venomous red eyes which belonged to the other Hakuren captain, who had made sure to sit two seats away from Tsukishiro so she wouldn't bother him while watching the match.

Realising who had spoken up, Galahad wasn't surprised the vicious assessment of the Outei Tsukinomiya team had come from Ryoga, considering the defender never had a particular inclination for mincing words.

"And who exactly would you be referring to Katata-san?" inquired Mika robotically, still not quite sure if she was currently suffering from a disease of some sorts that was causing visual hallucinations.

Snorting indignantly as if just saying the name would cause him physical pain, Ryoga instead tossed over his phone where he brought up the livestream of the match. Rewinding to where he pointed out, Mika's eyes widened with alarm after taking a few seconds to recognise the young boy who had joined Nosaka and Tamaka in the midfield.

"F-Fukunaga-kun??" she stuttered with disbelief.

Hmm?

Recognising that name, both Serika and Galahad leaned forward on opposite sides and checked the screen where indeed a boy of rather small stature, and now, slicked-back black hair and black eyes was running alongside the other Outei members in their signature grey kits.

"That useless servant?"

"Yuka?"

Unsure of who they were talking about, Leonidas grabbed Mika's sleeve and whispered into her ear,

"Who's that Mika-nee?"

Attempting to calm herself down, Mika grabbed her lower lip with her left hand while turning to face Leonidas and replied gently,

"This is...Yuka Fukunaga. He was...a member of the Raimon Soccer team with us until recently when we received news that he had submitted his resignation to Coach Afuro. I was not aware that he had joined Outei Tsukinomiya however..."

Bored by the useless jibber jabber happening behind him, Ryoga rolled his eyes before tapping the phone aggressively to skip ahead to later in the match for them.

"Yeah, yeah he was a member of the Raimon soccer team blah blah. All I can say is that I can see why you wanted to get rid of him. One of the most annoying little shits if I've ever seen one. If I was on the pitch right now I would have already killed the c—" spat Ryoga before having his mouth covered by Tsukishiro before he could finish his sentence.

Now even more curious as to how Yuka could've riled up the Hakuren captain to the point where he was listing pretty much every swear he knew, the six Raimon members who had joined Zeus on the bus all leaned in to look at the phone resting in Mika's hands.

"Oh my god. What is that idiot doing?" asked Serika, completely stupified by Yuka's strange actions during the first half.

"Is that–" asked Galahad with uncertainty.

"Wow! That's err...bold!" shouted Makoto as he tried to put a positive spin on Yuka's behaviour but Nariko began to laugh so much tears were forming at the corners of her eyes leading to Tsukishiro offering her a handkerchief which she grabbed clumsily.

"That brat's diving."

"Diving?"

Seeing that everyone else understood except him, Leonidas watched silently alongside Mika as Yuka fell to the ground and began to tumble over and over again until he finally stopped after looking like he was sent blasting by some sort of missile. This was then followed by the referee indicating a foul against Haruka who was red-faced and being prevented from cursing the referee by her teammates.

Wordlessly skipping ahead, Mika's eyes flitted across the screen as she followed Yuka's movements as he continued to flop like a dead fish anytime a member of Eisei got within two metres of him, delay his throw ins, free kicks and any other possible method he could think of to waste time after Tamaki successfully scored off of Yuka's first free indirect kick. Seeing the camera pan to Seiryuu, Mika could see the visible frustration on the striker's face and she was surprised he hadn't tried to murder Yuka. Though judging by his expression he was reaching that point quickly...

"Mika-nee...why is that boy pretending to fall over all the time?"

Mika clenched her fists such that her nails were digging into her palms while she accepted what she had just seen.

"I-It's a tactic used by certain professional soccer players Leo-kun. Players who 'dive' will attempt to feign or exaggerate injuries on the field in order to get the referee to call a foul or even penalty against the opposing team. Oftentimes this is rewarded with free kicks that can confer an advantage to their team and if they are in the lead, such time wasting tactics will help run down the clock. It's certainly a...decision to choose to partake in such a strategy..." Mika trailed off as she looked at the now empty field with both teams resting on their sides of the field.

This didn't seem like the Yuka she knew...

While diving and time-wasting were legitimate strategies used commonly in the Pro League, such strategies were generally frowned upon and the Association was currently trying to curtail such behaviour in hopes of eventually removing it completely. And despite knowing this, Yuka had decided to join Outei Tsukinomiya and participate in this kind of behaviour? Was this what Project Mars was all about? Was this the "true soccer" Nosaka was referencing in his speeches?

This...

"Soccer would be so sad!"

Yuka's immature and silly words popped into her mind. Though soccer obviously wasn't a living thing, it just seemed...fitting right now.

After Raimon's match with Zeus only a short while ago, Mika had finally begun to realise just how powerful soccer was.

It brought people together.

It could bring light to those who walked in the darkness.

It was a way of life!

And seeing Yuka and Outei Tsukinomiya play like this...

Though Mika was unable to verbally condemn their behaviour, she still felt a sickening emotion rise up in her chest.

It just felt...wrong.

This wasn't how soccer was meant to be played.

But why?

Why Yuka?

Surely he had to have a reason for such a drastic change in his behaviour and yet no matter how much Mika analysed the information she was unable to come to a conclusion.

It was simply too illogical.

Feeling unwell as she tried to feign indifference, Mika looked down at the field with confusion as the other members of their group discussed how the rest of the match would play out in a lively manner.

Moments Earlier, On the Field.

[GOAAAAALLL!! OUTEI TSUKINOMIYA IS SHOWING ABSOLUTE DOMINATION OVER THE FAN FAVOURITE EISEI GAKUEN! SHOCKINGLY, EISEI HAS YET TO SCORE DESPITE THE END OF THE FIRST HALF WHILE TAMAKI TAKASHIMA IS PROVING WHY HE EARNED HIS UNDISPUTED TITLE AS THE 'CHILD OF SOCCER' WITH HIS GENIUS PLAYS AND TECHNICAL SKILLS!]

"Aniki!"

"Seiryuu-nii!

"Captain!"

Rushing to both sides, Daigiichi and Haruka helped support Seiryuu's arms while Suzaku rushed them over to the bench so they could rest after the terrible first half.

"Captain!"

"Captain!!"

Gathering around Seiryuu with worried expressions the atmosphere on Eisei's side of the pitch was sombre as the usually lively team fell silent with mixed emotions.

"I-I'm sorry Captain! If I was better you wouldn't have had to cover for me..." whimpered Doi pathetically while Daigiichi patted his head comfortingly.

However, all concerned about their captain, each of the Eisei members began to speak up blaming themselves for the score right now.

"It's not Doi's fault! If I hadn't lost the ball in the first place then Doi wouldn't have needed to block Tamaki's shoot!" spoke Riku apologetically.

"No. I should've coordinated the defence better, Aniki, instead of leaving it to Hiroaki-nee like usual..." Daigiichi said regretfully.

Pushing up her glasses, Hiroaki concluded in a calm voice,

"I'm the one who's not working their paygrade today..."

Then slamming her fist into her palm frustratedly, she gritted her teeth angrily,

"I can't believe I let 4 goals in so quickly..."

"Stop."

Holding his hand up to end the clamorous, self-blame that was spreading through the circle, Seiryuu looked up from the bench while accepting the towel Suzaku had wrapped around his neck slowly.

"So noisy..."

Those annoying 'Dark Keshins' Outei was using were more of a pain than Seiryuu had thought they would be, not to mention that absolute pathetic excuse for a player Nosaka had hidden away. And even when that fish stopped flopping for a few seconds, the Eisei members could still barely move ahead before being stopped almost immediately by Outei's tight defence, with each of their members unleashing a 'Dark Keshin' that proved to be too great a challenge for most of their members.

Though Seiryuu had expected Outei Tsukinomiya would prove to be a troublesome opponent, it had been a long time since he had been backed up against a wall like this and unlike Outei, Eisei Gakuen lacked a unifying playmaker who could coordinate the team as well Nosaka.

While Seiryuu was doing his best to defend, lead and score, the situation was looking grim and exasperated by the lack of options, Seiryuu yanked on the collar of his kit with frustration. As the quick halftime passed by, Seiryuu continued to think while the tightness he felt in his throat continued to become more restrictive while the noise from the stands wasn't helping with the suffocation he was feeling at all.

Outei Tsukinomiya had them exactly where they wanted them and for once Seiryuu didn't have an answer. The only ones on their team who could fight on even terms with the 'Dark Keshins' were him, Daigiichi, Haruka and Suzaku but it was impossible for them to win by themselves considering Seiryuu already had his hands and feet tied with Tamaki. And though he had just guzzled down a bottle of water, as Seiryuu continued to analyse the state of the match away from the rest of his siblings, he began to feel parched once more and licked his lips agitatedly.

He needed to win but how...

Think. Think. Think!

There was absolutely no way he was going to lose to a bunch of pathetic wannabe soccer players like this. However, the more he tried to wrack his head for a solution the louder the voices in his head became.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Who are you again? You're still here?"

"I'm sorry...I wasn't strong enough..."

Those voices...

Those damn voices...

"So noisy."

Everything was so noisy...He needed to focus but with the threat of his first defeat in Holy Road looming upon him, the Outei Tsukinomiya players breathing on his neck and having to worry about where each of his teammates were at and whether they needed help or not, Seiryuu felt especially...

Alone this match.

Slowing down from a run into a jog as the second half began, Seiryuu looked on with lifeless eyes as Haizaki summoned 'Dark Keshin : Ankoku Shin Dark Exodus' to score Outei's fifth goal in the match.

[GOAAAAAAAALLLL! THE SECOND HALF RESUMES WITH A BANG AS RYOUHEI HAIZAKI SCORES WITH A POWERFUL 'MAOU NO ONO' THAT KEEPER HIROAKI IS COMPLETELY UNABLE TO REACT TO! IS THIS THE END FOR OUR CHAMPIONS??]

Seiryuu slowed down to a stop as his siblings looked at him worriedly.

He just felt...so tired.

He had tried enough, hadn't he?

Even if he lost today, no one could question his status as one of the best strikers in the world at his age but even the best player would find it impossible to win in a situation like this. So it was okay to lose–

"TATSUNORI!"

Eyes trembling with astonishment hearing the name he hadn't heard in so long, Seiryuu slowly turned around to where a girl was currently standing at the rails with ferocious amethyst eyes and indignanation permeating through her entire being.

"Mika..." he whispered so softly that no one could hear except the wind.

Holding up her pinky finger to the sky, Mika stared at him directly with a resolute look he wasn't accustomed to seeing on her. Opening her mouth slowly, she mouthed simply,

"You...promised."

Realising what she was referring to, Seiryuu let out a mixture of a sigh and a chuckle as he covered his eyes with embarrassment.

"Let us both make vows to each other to meet again in the finals"

Ha...

How humiliating.

Having to be saved by Mika...

Again.

It looks like he was the one being pathetic in this match after all.

When had he become so weak?

Mika had kept her side of their promise and now it was time for him to uphold his end and make the impossible, possible.

After becoming the best striker in the world, he had thought he had reached the peak, but there were still many more mountains to climb and Seiryuu couldn't rest until he stood at the absolute summit. Looking upwards with resolution he smirked to himself,

"A one vs eleven...I like it" Seiryuu said shortly before beginning to run towards Tamaki who was juggling the ball with boredom at the centre of the field.

"Hey! Captain! I hope you haven't forgotten about us!"

Frowning, Seiryuu looked over his shoulder where Suzaku was leading Haruka and Daigiichi behind him. While he trusted their capabilities, if they joined him they were only bound to get hurt considering a 4 vs 11 was hardly better than a 1 vs 11.

However, having been with him long enough to know what he was thinking, Suzaku sulked a little before slapping him on the back angrily.

"Hey! We're not that weak ya know, Captain!!"

"Suzu-nee is right, big bro! You're not the only one who's been training a crap ton this year!"

"Mmm! You can count on us Aniki, we won't let you down!"

Giving his siblings a hesitant gaze, Seiryuu looked at the resolute set of autumnal red, amber golden and heterochromatic eyes and sighed with resignation.

"We'll be using that then. Get into formation and if you can't handle it then just give up. I'll figure out another way...I always do."

However, not bothering to wait for his pessimism, Suzaku, Haruka and Daigiichi ran off as soon as they heard him give permission and Seiryuu watched with furrowed brows as Daigiichi ran to go help Doi.

Slurp Slurp

Licking his tongue with ecstatic delight as they continued to ruthlessly assault Eisei's goal, Senna looked at Okumi who smiled widely back and they both proceeded to roar in unison,

Dark Keshin : Titan of the Ocean, Yu-Kiang!

Dark Keshin : Nidhogg, the Avatar of Malice!

"Huh?"

About to slam his foot into the ground to initiate 'Deep Sea Call : DD', Senna felt his body begin to slow while beside him Okumi was floundering around wildly as if she forgot how to coordinate her body and her brain.

Tortoise Stomping Grounds!

"What the–"

Looking up, Senna looked as pieces of a black tortoise shell seemed to be floating around them in a dome-like pattern with a network of green and blue light connecting the fragments together. Then, slamming the full weight of his body into the ground, Daigiichi leaped into the air to retrieve the ball that had been tossed upwards by the quake and he smiled confidently.

It was time to show these guys why Eisei Gakuen was the best team in Japan!

Then, eyes lighting up with a brilliant light, the four Celestial Guardians shouted in unison.

HISSATSU TACTICS : HUANGLONG'S DEEP SLUMBER!

'Huanglong's Deep Slumber' was a hissatsu Suzaku had conceptualised but due to the perfect synchronisation and exponential power required as the ball was sent from each player to the next with the power equivalent to that of a 'hissatsu' shoot, it put an immense burden on the final executor of the tactic leading to Coach Saginuma forbidding them from attempting it before he deemed them ready. Despite their failure to execute it in practice before, for some reason, today, Daigiichi felt like there was absolutely no way they could fail!

Then tensing up to run, Daigiichi began to move while a shimmering, golden aura surrounded him and he shot the ball across the field to Haruka with all of his might. Receiving the powerful pass, Haruka struggled with it for a moment as the explosive power in the ball continued to grow but managed to shoot it across the field again with all of her force to Suzaku who kicked it upwards, sending it sky high into the stratosphere where Seiryuu was waiting. Spinning his body, Seiryuu grimaced strenuously as the now, completely golden ball was surrounded by mysterious symbols floating in the air. Ignoring the golden flecks of light that gathered around him, he finished slamming his foot against the ball, sending it straight down forcefully into the direct centre of the field. However, rather than land directly on the field, a golden lake emerged where the ball should have met the ground and swallowed the ball up completely.

Eyes wary, Nosaka felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, as the lake began to empty leaving a gaping abyss with a golden border in the middle of the field.

SLAM

Hearing an enormous echo as an immense, resplendent golden dragon claw emerged from the hole and hit the ground with a bang, Nosaka barked out to Tamaki who was running towards the dragon claw curiously,

"Run!"

Boom

Ground shaking, the earth crumbled underneath the dragon claw's weight and from underneath emerged luminous, energy chains which began to wrap themselves around the Outei members who struggled helplessly despite the chains tightening around them the more they struggled,

"Oh this is niceeeeeee." murmured Tamaki drowsily as he felt the sweet call of sleep take over.

Ignoring the now incapacitated midfielder, Nosaka thought sourly to himself.

So Eisei Gakuen still had a few tricks up their sleeve...

Wrinkling his nose, Nosaka grimaced as Seiryuu began to run forward with the ball again and attempted to struggle against the golden chains imprisoning him to no avail. Running past the trapped Outei captain, Seiryuu made sure to stick his tongue out mockingly before making his way easily through the immobile Outei members.

"OOH! You're finally going to shoot! I was getting so bored waiting—"

Boom

Uninterested in waiting for Umika to finish whatever ramblings she was saying, Seiryuu jumped into the air smoothly while turning his back to complete a swift bicycle kick that turned his body and the ball into blue lightning.

THUNDERCLAP!

"Ehhhhh?! That was so rude Seiryuu-san!!" pouted Umika with a cheek puffed out angrily as she stared at the ball that had appeared behind her before she could even finish speaking.

[GOAAAAAALLL! Seiryuu shows us why he's 'Japan's Blue Dragon!' as Eisei Gakuen get their first goal from Outei Tsukinomiya! It seems like this is the start of Eisei Gakuen's fierce counterattack!!]

"Aniki!! We did it! We're the besttttt!!!!" exclaimed Daigiichi excitedly as he climbed onto Seiruyu's back with elation.

Jumping atop him, Suzaku waved her straw hat into the air brightly while Haruka gave a small smile seeing the rest of their siblings celebrate the goal.

Things were looking up, just five more goals to go! No problem!

They had come back from worse before, but as long as they were together, they couldn't be stopped!

Hissatsu Tactics : Huanglong's Deep Slumber!

"I'm ready for you this time, so hit me with everything you got Seiryuu-san~~" screamed Umika hungrily as she saw the blue-haired striker from Eisei running towards her. Finally! A powerful shoot that she wanted to watch over and over again! If only she could trap it in a box forever in her room and never let it out, thought Umika ecstatically while Seiryuu began to clad himself in blue lightning once again.

THUNDERCLAP!

DARK KESHIN : Schneeweißchen, The Living Doll

Hina, Hina—

"What?!"

Already running forward, Umika's eyes began to swivel unsteadily as they followed the curve of the ball to where Haruka was waiting on the side.

WHITE TIGER DRIVE-SHOOT CHAIN!

Stomping her right foot into the ground with all of her weight, behind Haruka, emerged a menacing white tiger with golden eyes as the ball began to spin in front of the enormous tiger. Jumping up nimbly, Haruka sent the ball flying behind Umika as the white tiger chased the ball with ferocity, powering up the shoot with white energy.

[GOALLL! In mere minutes, after the kickoff Eisei turns it around and begins to close the gap!]

Tch.

Nosaka looked at the scoreboard with dissatisfaction written across his face.

Project Mars needed an absolute, complete victory if they wanted to change soccer for the better and as long as they could defeat them, then he was willing to do whatever it took to win.

That was his answer and that was the type of soccer this world needed.

"Yuka!" yelled Nosaka sharply to which he got a curt nod of understanding from the smaller boy.

Nosaka knew Eisei Gakuen would pose the biggest challenge to their plan and so he had prepared the perfect weapon to bring about their defeat because...

Outei Tsukinomiya wouldn't be the team leaving this stadium in defeat today.

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Separating away from Tamaki and Nosaka, Yuka followed further behind the other Outei members as they attempted to keep the Eisei Gakuen members off of them who were attacking with renewed strength.

This was his first match and even using every tactic that he had learned under Nosaka's tutelage, he was barely able to keep up with all the other players on the field. He hadn't expected to surpass the likes of Eisei Gakuen in such a short amount of time, but the gap between his abilities and theirs was obvious. And while he knew what Nosaka expected of him, he needed more speed, more power, more dexterity, if he wanted to stop 'Huanglong's Deep Slumber'.

Tortoise Stomping Grounds!

Shit. It was starting.

But Yuka wasn't going to allow them to stop him here.

Not after everything he had sacrificed to get here. No matter how much he suffered to stand where he was now he could endure it all because...

He despised them all.

He hated soccer and he hated the players who made him like this!

Did they think he wanted to play like this?

It was because of them that he had to do this! It was all their fault! If they hadn't been born with talent while he was given nothing, then he wouldn't have to do this...

That was what was wrong with this fucking sport.

This wasn't justice!

"And who are you to decide what justice is?" rang a smooth and low masculine voice inside of Yuka's head.

Yuka frowned at the sudden change in scenery and walked hesitantly on the road of yellowish-pink clouds that led upwards to a large figure draped in long, but simple white robes. Yuka didn't know what kind of place he was at but seeing no other options, he moved closer to the figure and with each step the clouds behind him began to disappear causing him to speed up until he was standing at the feet of the gigantic being.

Wanting an explanation, Yuka attempted to look upwards but the upper part of the figure was blocked by a light that was both soft yet scorching and he was forced to put his head down. Taking a closer look to the sides, Yuka could vaguely make out the lines of what appeared to be six pairs of wings which moved to block the upper portion of the being of light's body, allowing Yuka to look up fully at the being in front of him.

"And who are you to decide what justice is?" the being of light repeated.

Gritting his teeth together, Yuka started in a whisper but began to shout as his voice filled with conviction.

"I'm...I am the main character! As long as I know what my truth is, then my justice shall become the axis of the world and I will never waver from it! Never! Even if the entire world looks down on me for it, I know that I, alone, am right! This fucked up world...Divided into those with ability and those without..."

Yuka tightened his hand into a fist as he looked up at the impassive being viciously,

"I won't rest until I crush every last soccer player with my own two feet and finally prove what a shitty sport soccer is to the entire world."

"......"

Seeing the angelic figure refuse to reply to his response, Yuka hesitated for a moment. He didn't know what type of answer the being wanted from him but he had no intentions of changing his answer.

Thus, continuing to wait in silence, Yuka stared directly at the being's 'face' if it could be called such, until finally the wings blocking its face fluttered lightly, perhaps in acknowledgement of his answer. But though Yuka expected it to speak, it gave no other indication it had heard Yuka and instead turned its back to him. Then walking away slowly, the seraphic figure paused in front of a platinum gate and he heard a mellifluous, feminine voice ring in his ears,

"Your answer...has been heard."

Watching as the figure opened the gate with its wings, Yuka immediately felt himself falling as a cold wind sucked him beneath the clouds and found himself back on the field surrounded in a platinum aura that forced the other players on the field to shield their eyes away from him.

Feeling a surge of power course through him, Yuka smiled with satisfaction.

So even an otherworldly being had acknowledged that he was right!

Hissatsu Tactics : Huanglong's Deep—

"Daigiichi, watch out!"

LEGENDARY KESHIN : MICHAEL, SWORD OF JUSTICE!

Almost blown back by the explosion of light and wind that spread across the field, Nosaka watched with satisfaction as an enormous sword adorned with six extravagant wings at the hilt, mystical golden engravings, silver adornments, an ornate cross-guard decorated by a simple embedded opal shined with a platinum hue behind Yuka. While he had sensed a hidden power lying dormant in the boy, this was much more than he had imagined it to be...

"Ahhhh!" screamed a girl as she clutched her shin in pain.

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"Haruka!"

"Haruka!"

"Haruka!"

Seeing Haruka wince in pain, the Eisei members quickly gathered around the fallen midfielder while Daigiichi moved defensively in front of her and Suzaku began to examine her leg gingerly.

Daigiichi didn't know what happened.

One second he had been preparing to initiate 'Huanglong's Deep Slumber' and the next thing he knew, Haruka was in front of him while Yuka's leg was clearly colliding with her knee with as much force as he could muster.

Surely the Outei midfielder wasn't aiming for his leg on purpose right?

However, staring into Yuka's ominous black eyes, Daigiichi felt as if he was about to retch due to the malicious aura surrounding the boy's entire body. Appearing in the form of sticky, black tentacles, Daiigichi's skin began to crawl due to the potent malevolence that was being given off and he looked away in distress.

It was completely different compared to before...

Daigiich had met many people with wicked auras but this...

He couldn't believe someone was living with this much hatred inside of them.

"Ugh..." whimpered Haruka weakly.

Seeing Seiryuu pick up Haruka carefully, Daigichi followed closely behind while Suzaku's eyes were hidden by shadows beside him.

"Is she going to be all right, Aniki?" asked Daigiichi with worry laced into his words.

"O-Of course I'm going to be alright you stupid moron. You owe me—" Haruka managed to weakly get out before wincing from another wave of pain.

Then looking upwards at Seiryuu who had an unreadable expression on his face, Haruka began to apologise,

"Sorry big bro...I didn't think that stupid fish would have that much strength, I can still play! Just give me a few minutes and–"

Passing Haruka over to the medical staff who Saginuma had called over, Seiryuu closed her eyes gently and spoke while trying to suppress the anger in his voice,

"Leave the rest to us Haruka."

Nodding her head reluctantly, Haruka smiled weakly and gave him a thumbs up,

"Alright...You got it, big bro..."

[After a terrible collision, Eisei's 'White Tiger' is out for the rest of the match but Outei's Yuka Fukunaga has been awarded a yellow card for reckless behaviour and Eisei has been given an indirect free kick!]

Smirking with haughty contentment at the successful execution of his plan thanks to his newfound power, Yuka taunted Seiryuu arrogantly as they waited for Daigiichi to initiate the free kick.

"Real shame about what happened to that sister of yours, but you know what they say. Accidents happen. Who knew that her legs would be so weak—"

Yuka paused mid speech as he took a look at Seiryuu's face which had twisted with open hostility. Jaw tightly clenched, knuckles whitened due to tightness and eyes darkened with menacing fury, Yuka wondered for an instant whether he had awakened something truly terrible in the 'Blue Dragon'.

Taking a step back subconsciously, Yuka frowned realising what he was doing and Seiryuu smirked seeing the midfielder from Outei backing away from him cautiously. Then speeding past him to get to the ball Daigiichi sent to him, Seiryuu whispered viciously into the younger boy's ear,

"What's wrong? Not going to fall over this time?"

Staring daggers at the Eisei striker who was taunting him spitefully while skillfully juggling the ball, Yuka ran forward to steal the ball back to which Seiryuu executed a smooth heel flick leisurely that sent the ball arcing perfectly over Yuka's head and running past him once more, Seiryuu warned Yuka in a low voice.

"This match...is just beginning"