"Hey, Seiryuu..."
Unusually serious, Suzaku had taken off her straw hat and her red eyes flashed with a dangerous gleam as she ran alongside him. It had been a while since Seiryuu had seen that murderous gaze from the usually composed and carefree midfielder, but he understood why she was acting like this.
As the two elder siblings of the four, Suzaku and Seiryuu shared an implicit understanding between them that it was their responsibility to look after the prideful Haruka and naive Daigiichi. So the fact that Haruka had managed to get injured in front of them while they were unable to do anything filled both of them with vindictive fury. In particular, Suzaku, who valued her nakama above all else...even her legendary anime merchandise collection.
"Give me the ball, now." commanded Suzaku in an authoritative tone and Seiryuu nodded solemnly, seeing her heated expression.
Sigh.
Rolling her hair back with annoyance, Suzaku tied it up in a simple ponytail with one hand while she took off her cumbersome red overcoat and sandal coverings that she wore over her cleats with the other.
Surely that bastard didn't think he could just harm her little sister like that and expect her to sit around and watch from the sidelines while eating popcorn, did he?
If he wanted to mess with her family, then Suzaku would grant this death-seeker his wish.
And make it so Yuka regretted ever stepping on the field in the first place.
Keshin : Great Flame Emperor, Kagutsuchi!!
Turning her lips upward and putting her hands on her hip, Suzaku revealed a small smile while the field began to erupt into a blazing inferno of red-hot flames. Ashes spiralling outward, the wind blew smoke which hid Suzaku's face and she disappeared from the Outei members' sights in the billowing embers while giving the ball a sharp kick into the flames.
Coughing harshly due to the smoke, Yuka used his hands to wave away the residual ashes and sparks that were flying in the air but perceived an ominous figure rising from the hot wind. Sensing danger, Yuka summoned his Keshin but to no avail as the blazing flames forked and began to lick at his body as if in an attempt to devour him whole.
Legendary Keshin : Michael, Sword of Justice!
"What the hell—" cried Yuka angrily. Despite swatting the flames off his body with the platinum wings behind him, the flames continued to dance dangerously around him, encircling him in a ring of fire.
"We're not even in the same league you damn clown" Suzaku whispered in a magnetic voice behind him, resentment filled in every word.
HIGANBANA BLOOMING!!!
Transforming the ball into an orb of orange flames, Suzaku guided the orb into ribbons of fire which danced around her and then towards Yuka. Snapping her finger with particular hostility, the ribbons of fire decreased in size until they became compact orbs that exploded into a vivid display of red spider lilies.
Hmph.
Suzaku looked for Seiryuu's striking marine-blue hair while the flame flowers exploded dramatically behind her and reformed into the ball again in front of her. Ignoring the stupefied looks of both the opposing Outei members and her own teammates, she gave the ball a sharp kick upfield to the waiting Seiryuu.
"C-Could Suzu-oneesan always do that?" asked Doi with wonder in his eyes.
"Uhhh...." faltered Daigiichi, stumbling over his words due to his surprise.
Daigiichi knew that Suzaku was considered by many to be the best dribbler in Japan and only took a backseat to Seiryuu due to her unwillingness to get involved with the media and greater interest in anime but sometimes even he forgot that she was the one who had first taught him and Seiryuu how to play soccer...
It was times like this he was really glad she was on their side!
"You're so awesome Suzu-nee!!" Daiigichi yelled out supportively as Suzaku passed the ball to Seiryuu with deceptive ease.
Suzaku's ears perked up hearing Daigiichi call out to her and she turned around to give him a loud laugh with her mouth gaping and teeth shining brightly in the light.
"I know! Shishishishi."
Then, turning back around, she looked at Seiryuu who was facing the final defenders between him and the goal and sobered up immediately seeing them release their Dark Keshins in quick succession.
It would be all right though...
This was Seiryuu they were talking about! There was no way he would be stopped by a bunch of villains like them.
"It's all up to you now...Captain!" shouted Suzaku with all of her might.
Not able to hear Suzaku's cry due to his intense focus, Seiryuu gave a frenzied look as he felt the three Outei defenders converge upon him.
It seems like their 'Dark Keshins' had gotten to their heads and made them forget just how weak and miserable they actually were. Seiryuu and the other Eisei members had trained diligently for years under Saginuma and Hiroto's strict tutelage and Outei Tsukinomiya really thought that with just a year of half-hearted training and useless reliance on their 'Dark Keshins' alone they could catch up to them?
While Seiryuu hadn't minded particularly up to now, they had crossed a line by messing with one of his members and now he wouldn't be content with a simple victory.
Woosh
"So you've finally come..." grumbled a deep and gravelly voice that sounded as if a mountain itself were talking.
Standing calmly in front of the dark mountain he had been abruptly transported to, Seiryuu looked around trying to process the change in scenery. His eyes followed a rocky path that led to a dark forest which surrounded the mountain in an expansive circle. Attempting to look beyond, he noticed the forest extended far past the limits of his sight and he turned around to climb upwards for a better vantage point when he felt the rock underneath his hand begin to wriggle and vibrate upon sensing his touch.
Falling backwards with confusion, Seiryuu heard what sounded like rocks grinding together but still saw nothing until upon closer examination he observed the large blue gemstone that he had thought was some sort of sapphire, was staring directly at him.
"Aghhhhhh!! What the–!" shouted Seiryuu while the mountain began to stretch and move, with rocks continuing to fall from the serpentine-like creature, revealing a wave of scales that shined resplendently under the rising sun in a range of blue, green, and onyx black hues.
Awoooooogh!
Letting out a ferocious roar, the creature spread its noble wings to their full glory leading to Seiryuu scrambling to hold on to one of the scales of the creature that he now understood to be a dragon. While its talons and body struck an imposing figure, its intelligent eyes gave the dragon a more refined aura leading to a mix of regal and vicious power.
Picking up Seiryuu easily with one claw, it poked him, as if examining him, with its other. Unable to fight back, Seiryuu looked at the dragon bitterly while he heard a resonant voice in his head,
"Not quite what I was expecting...looks weaker than I thought it would be"
Ha...
So even an overgrown lizard was looking down on him now...
"Why don't you put me down and we'll see if you can say those words again." barked Seiryuu but he was so small inside of the dragon's palm that the dragon could only feel amusement at Seiryuu's provocation.
Seiryuu waited for a response from the multicoloured-dragon that was keeping him captive in its claw but instead he heard a loud rumble and looked around instinctively looking for a rock slide. Blushing angrily shortly after, he realised that the dragon was laughing at him and he was about to use some of his more flavourful vocabulary when he heard,
"I suppose if you're here...then it's finally begun."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Ignoring Seiryuu's words yet again, the dragon looked up at the clear blue sky which had begun to blacken at the edge of the horizon due to a large shadow that filled Seiryuu with an uncomfortable feeling.
Turning away from the creepy darkness and still awaiting an answer, Seiryuu spoke up crossly
"Hey! Ojii-san! Are you going to tell me how to get out of here or am I going to have to force an answer out of you?"[1]
"...."
This child wasn't just weaker than that woman had said he would be, but ruder too. Counting on its talons, the dragon thought indignantly that he was only...if he rounded down...four thousand years old! That was still relatively young by all accounts!! This human didn't know what he was talking about...
Hmph.
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If Seiryuu thought he was old then he should meet that old grandma who acted like she was still a young fae. Then, getting more riled up the more he thought about it, the dragon wondered for a second whether he could get a replacement candidate but seeing the encroaching darkness in the sky he sighed.
There wasn't enough time left to wait for another candidate to arrive so this boy would have to do for now.
"Take my power and inherit my will. After you may—"
"No."
"What?!" exclaimed the dragon with alarm.
Putting his hand up in a 'stop' motion, Seiryuu shook his head affirmatively.
"No thanks, why would I want help from someone weaker than me?" Seiryuu explained in a bored tone, not expecting such inane drivel from a mythological creature.
Ha...
"Unbelievable..." muttered the dragon with a slight trace of exasperation or possibly desperation.
"You...you do not have a choice in the matter!" he bellowed into Seiryuu's head before tapping his foremost claw against Seiryuu's forehead.
"Hey! Get your claws off me! Don't touch me! I don't need your help! Stop!"
Despite his struggle however, Seiryuu's eyes began to shine with a luminescent, electric-blue light as energy moved quickly from the dragon into his body.
Arghhhhhhh
Watching Seiryuu writhe in pain as the last remnant of his power entered the boy's body, the dragon opened a portal to send him back and took another curious look at the boy struggling to catch his breath. From the exterior, Seiryuu didn't look particularly remarkable to him but he was surprised to discover the boy crawling in front of him was able to endure the darkness contained in his inner soul for so long...
Perhaps this human wasn't quite as unsuitable as he had initially thought.
Pushing Seiryuu's body through the portal, the dragon thought contemplatively to himself as he saw the body become smaller and smaller until finally disappearing from his sights.
"I hope...you find what you're looking for, human...and do not lose yourself in the abyss of your own ambition."
Gasp
Taking in a quick breath, Seiryuu reopened his eyes and found himself back to where he had been before the strange hallucination and despite knowing it wasn't real he found himself in a strangely terrible mood.
"Hey! Don't get distracted! You need to pay attention to me while I steal the spotlight from you!!" shouted Yokunaba. Grinning beautifully, she ran in front of Seiryuu before he could approach the goal zone and proceeded to summon her Dark Keshin as the two battled for possession of the ball.
DARK KESHIN : Witch of Blood, Elizabeth Bathory~
"Background actors like you should know your place, Seiryuu-san! A simpleton like you wouldn't know how hard I worked to stand here. A young girl from a lower class family, with no connections...do you know how difficult it was for me to become the 'Nation's Little Sister'? I couldn't eat...couldn't go to school...couldn't make friends...I sacrificed everything for my fans but how do they repay me? I did everything they asked of me and yet the older I got, the more my fans dwindled. I wasn't cute anymore! I was—"
Not paying attention to the lemon haired girl's monologue, her voice became quieter and quieter in his head while his body began to heat up until he felt as if his entire body was burning.
Stronger and stronger!!
He could feel it.
Tremendous power was flowing within him!
"Hey! What! You can't just interrupt my backstory like that!! Pay attention to me! Seiryuu-san!"
Seeing Seiryuu evade Yokunaba with no difficulty, Kotarou frowned before moving in to stop him alongside Junpei. Unlike their previous matches, Kotarou couldn't afford to play around, if he wanted to create a perfect world.
DARK KESHIN : VAMPIRE PRIMO, NOSFERATU
"Sorry, but I'll be stopping you here for my perfect world Seiryuu-san! As long as I get a win for Nosaka-san...only a beautiful world of soccer awaits me! How I've suffered so long, being born in a world that's filled with so much ugliness but I managed to somehow make it through each day despite the pain. It was agonising to have to wake up each morning and know that I'd have to see the hideous faces of the commoners in all their terrible inelegance but Nosaka-sama saved me! He'll save us all! Hey! I'm not done with you Seiryuu-san! Heyyy!!!"
"Annoying..."
Breaking his way past Kotarou with an aggressive elastico dribble, Seiryuu brushed his hair back irately.
What was up with the Outei members and their never-ending monologues? He was starting to wonder if Nosaka was picking members based on who could talk the longest rather than their soccer ability.
DARK KESHIN : Yokai Ruler, Lord Enma!
Hellish Enma Blade!
Hmph.
Meeting the languid eyes of the last defender, Seiryuu smiled in a berserk state, to which Junpei gave no visible response.
"Not going to try and kill me with boredom like the rest of your teammates are you?"
"..."
Junpei gave no signal to the Eisei striker that he had heard him, and continued to execute his hissatsu technique with the red spirit behind him bringing his sword down on the approaching Seiryuu.
How weak.
Seiryuu now felt as if whole body had become an explosive ball of energy and releasing blue light through his mouth he let out a roar.
LEGENDARY KESHIN : ???
"Hmm?"
Though Seiryuu was clad in a lightning blue aura, he took a grumpy look at the shadowy, blue outline behind him that appeared to be in the shape of the dragon from his hallucination. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason just looking at it filled him with immense dissatisfaction.
Whatever it was though, it wasn't important enough for Seiryuu to care at the moment.
Right now, Seiryuu was going to show them why they should never have thought for even a single second they could win against his team!
"I'll show you...my true strength!"
DRACONIC SEA!
The instant Seiryuu called out the hissatsu technique, dark clouds obscured the sun casting the field in a sombre black. Starting slowly, the field began to ripple ominously until the transformation was complete and Outei's goal zone became a sea of crashing waves and frigid winds. Unable to keep her feet steady, Umika fell to her knees due to the pressure from the bitter tides and the instant she succumbed to the might of the sea, islands emerged from beneath the waves.
With this, Seiryuu began to run across the waves, eyes flashing a dangerous blue, and as if in response to his movement, the islands began to move. Their curvature and wave-like movements revealed to the horror and wonder of the observers that the islands were in fact the spines of an army of sea dragons, hidden by the dark waters.
Unafraid, Seiryuu kicked the ball upwards where it was grabbed by the hand of the largest of dragons which had risen above the waves and the ball began to glow like a silver moon. Jumping upwards, Seiryuu turned his body and gave the luminescent globe of light a strong overhead kick that sent it hurtling back to the goal.
Umika, who was unable to move from her spot as the ball headed straight for her, felt dread fill every crevice of her body and she realised for the first time in her life what 'terror' was.
[GOAAAAAAALLLLLLL! Seiryuu is on fire!!! Or should we say water haha...With his second goal this match, this brings Eisei only two goals from tying with Outei Tsukinomiya meaning hope is not lost! Let's hear it for Eisei everyone!]
Seiryuu looked over to the stands where he saw a pair of amethyst eyes watching him carefully and he let out a small chuckle.
He had no intention of losing until he had the opportunity to fight Mika in a match where they could give everything they got and crush her with all of his strength!
Tweet Tweet Tweet
Tortoise Stomping Grounds!
Tweet Tweet
Higanbana Blooming!
Tweet Tweet
"....."
Holding back some choice words that were coming to mind, Seiryuu clenched his fist as he watched his siblings struggle to send the ball up to him with Yuka falling over every 3 seconds.
Was the Outei midfielder made of straw?
Someone like him didn't belong on the field but he reminded himself that murdering Yuka would only get him kicked off the field with a red card.
However, with only 10 minutes remaining on the clock, it was getting to the point where every second mattered and the midfielder's actions were becoming unbearable and the situation was only looking worse with the rest of the Outei members becoming similarly desperate to maintain their lead.
Hup.
7 minutes.
Finally...
Thanks to some skillful footwork by Suzaku, he had the ball once more.
"Is this the desperation of a lizard's last moments?" asked Tamaki curiously into Seiryuu's ear.
"So he's finally here", thought Seiryuu breathlessly.
Unable to look away from the goal, Seiryuu gave the other boy a small laugh and jested back
"Let's just say...I was warming up in the first half."
Narrowly missing the timing to steal the ball back from Seiryuu, Tamaki widened his pupils with interest and fully awake for the first time in the tournament he opened his mouth to ask energetically,
"That hissatsu of yours looked pretty fun Seiryuu-sannnn. Why don't you show it to me again?"
"Didn't your mother teach you it's polite to say 'please' when you're asking for a favour, Takashima-san" quipped Seiryuu back.
Clapping his hands in a pleading gesture, Tamaki put a pitiful expression on his face and he whined,
"Pleaseeeeee Seiryuu-san"
Hmph.
"Let's see how long you can pretend to be relaxed 'Child of Soccer'!!" Seiryuu sneered cruelly and he put his foot on the ball with finality as the ground beneath them began to transform into cold sea water once more.
DRACONIC SEA!
Tamaki ran in front of the predicted trajectory of the ball based on his observations of Seiryuu's hissatsu the previous time, and correctly extrapolating the direction of the ball, his foot met the silver-blue moon in the sky.
"Oh...Not bad." mused Tamaki as his body was sent crashing into Umika's, with the two hitting the back of the net violently due to the force from 'Draconic Sea'.
[GOAL! GOAL! GOALLLLLL! EISEI ONLY NEEDS ONE MORE GOAL BUT WITH ONLY 4 MINUTES LEFT ON THE CLOCK IS IT POSSIBLE FOR EISEI TO MAKE A COMEBACK???
"Daigiichi! Suzaku!!"
"We're on it Aniki/Seiryuu!" the two yelled back in unison and they moved immediately upon hearing the whistle.
Dark Keshin : Ankoku Shin Dark Exodus!
Tortoise Stomping Grounds!
Flame Dance!
3 Minutes.
Legendary Keshin : Michael, Sword of Justice!
Keshin : Great Flame Emperor, Kagutsuchi!
An explosion of flame and golden light...
2 Minutes.
Dark Keshin : Witch of Blood, Elizabeth Bathory!
Ephemeral Path!
Daigiichi running along a rocky path in the sky as mist filled the field below him, surrounding the lemon haired defender from Outei.
He was moving faster than he even knew he could...
Because no one was allowed to touch his family and get away with it!
1 Minute.
"Seiryuu!"
"Captain!"
"Captain!!" the Eisei members shouted together from the opposite side of the field.
Seiryuu jumped to receive the ball with his chest and as it bounced off, it seemed to be heavier than usual...
He was sure...
He could break his limits again and again because he was the 'Blue Dragon!'.
DRACONIC...
SEA!!
"Kyaaaaaa"
[GOAAAAAAALLLLL! Eisei's Seiryuu scores his fourth goal of the match bringing the score to an even 5-5 with no time left on the clock, this means we'll be heading into overtime folks! This is sure to be a nailbiter for both teams with everything riding on these next 30 minutes...]
Hah...
Seiryuu took a succession of deep breaths through his nose while he attempted to slow down his racing heart.
He had done it.
Just a little more and...
"Wakey, wakey little lizard-san. Dreamtime is over."
Glimpse of Glory
Bewildered, Seiryuu looked around frantically and felt his heart drop seeing his siblings fallen on the field in despair.
It couldn't be...
[GOAAAAALLLLLL! IN AN UNBELIEVABLE UPSET, TAMAKI TAKASHIMA TURNS IT AROUND AND SCORES with 'My World' MEANING OUTEI TSUKINOMIYA WILL BE SAFELY MOVING ON TO THE FINALS WITH A 6-4 VICTORY OVER THE 'UNBEATABLE EISEI GAKUEN'!!! WE'LL SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEDNESDAY SO WE CAN SEE RAIMON BE DEFEATED–oops, excuse me, SO WE CAN SEE THESE TWO POWERFUL TEAMS DUKE IT OUT IN THE HOLY ROAD STADIUMMMMMM FOR THE TITLE OF JAPAN'S NUMBER ONE YOUTH SOCCER TEAM!!!]
It wasn't possible.
They had actually?
"You lostttt Seiryuu-san" Tamaki said sadly as he patted the fallen striker's back remorsefully.
It was a shame...
Tamaki had thought for the slightest sliver of a second that Eisei Gakuen would be able to surpass his expectations, but at the end of the day...a lizard is still a lizard no matter the size. Thinking back regretfully, Tamaki's memory of the match was tinged with annoyance as he remembered that new teammate Nosaka had recruited, Yuka was it? He had completely gone out of line and ruined all the fun by knocking Haruka out of the match.
The sleep he had gotten while under 'Huanglong's Deep Slumber' was some of the best he had gotten in years...
"How annoying..." yawned Tamaki.
He would just have to get rid of Yuka if he got in the way again but for now the pesky midfielder would have to wait.
After a good workout like this, Tamaki was in dire need of a blissful nap.