Catch Me If You Can 33

Hinami.

Ferry.

Mizushima.

Everything felt the same as last time they were there. MizuClo, the people, the island.

But despite the familiarity, there was something distinctly different too. The bus this time around was headed towards the black and yellow part of town. Thunder graffiti filled the streets on the way to the Inazuma stadium, and the fervor of the people could be felt rising with every new meter the bus swallowed.

Inazuma were the best team in the league for the last 10 years at the least. Hinami players knew that, and they also knew how difficult avoiding a loss to them away from home was. But even so, Reo…

Was strangely optimistic. He could feel it in his bones. Even when Shuna asked during the ferry ride…

“Hey, are you okay? You don’t have to feel pressured because of what happened last week, you know.” She touched the side of his face when they were left alone in the deck.

Reo chuckled, and gave her a kiss.

“We’re winning this, don’t you worry.”

“Heh, where did that all confidence come from, showoff?”

Maybe he sounded a little too cocky considering last Sunday they couldn’t even beat Hanazaki Sakura at home…

Yet his words weren’t empty. Hollow. They had truth in them. They were undoubtedly real for Reo. And that was because Gonda had told him.

He knew Kohei would be coming to the last game. He knew Inazuma would be looking at them before their game. That’s why he hid Hinami’s true potential. That’s why he left Reo on the bench.

Of course the fact they ended up drawing was unfortunate, but now Inazuma wouldn’t be expecting the style of play they were about to employ.

And Reo would be the key that would unlock their chances at victory.

During the briefing before the game, Gonda and Shuna helped the team understand for the umpteenth time who exactly it was they were facing.

Inazuma played a sort of slow tempo football that utilized their passers, and moved the ball around the field endlessly until they found a hole in their opponent’s defense. They monopolized possession of the ball, and struck when the opponent was left vulnerable.

But Gonda managed to find a loophole. Or at least a glimmer of hope. A reckless plan that if used correctly, could tip the scales to the underdogs’ favor, instead of the powerhouse that was Inazuma.

And that plan was almost simple. Since Inazuma were used to having the ball for the biggest part of the game, they didn’t have much experience defending properly. After all, if your opponent didn’t have the ball, they couldn’t attack. Thus you didn’t have to defend. It was like how someone who was the strongest, doesn’t know how to perform under pressure because he rarely if ever feels cornered in a matter of strength or skill.

Thus, all Hinami had to do was put them under pressure. Most teams defended deep inside their own territory when they played the mighty Inazuma. And that was because they could kill when you gave them the space to. But Hinami would press high up. They would throw a wrench at their plans, make them lose the ball. Make them second-guess themselves.

Gonda had analyzed their players. And he had put a marker on each one, depending on their qualities and movements. The fact the star man Aizawa Ryo had picked up a bump in the last game and his coach decided to leave him out was a good thing too.

That monster of a player missing was a huge blow for the Thunders.

Ryo was the most talented player in Shinrin. Shooting, heading, jumping, running, dribbling. He had it all.

Yet Inazuma thought they could beat half the teams easily without him. That’s what they thought.

“Everybody knows what they should be doing?”

“Aye, sir!”

“Great, now let’s give them hell!”

“Aye!”

The stage was set, the tactics were in, and everyone was ready.

As Hinami stepped out to the corridor leading to the pitch, they realized they were a little late, and the Inazuma players were already waiting.

Their opposition, wearing a half yellow half black attire with a vibrant yellow thunder on it, looked back at the Hinami players the likes of which they had never seen before. For them, the Pirates were just another relegation team, that came to their home ground hoping for something less than an out and out beating.

And that’s why they turned to look as if they were sitting high up on a throne, eyes turned down in fake pity and excessive pride.

The defender who was tasked with marking the Hinami 10, turned to Reo, and in a mocking manner asked “Who even are you?”

“…”

Reo merely smiled coldly, as the teams went out towards the pitch. Soon the fiery crowd roared to life, welcoming the two teams with black and yellow confetti pops all over the stadium. Certainly a hassle to everyone that would be cleaning that up later.

The stadium seemed recently renovated, parts of the outlines and bars painted a vibrant fresh yellow.

Reo knew why.

According to Totori, who today was starting instead of Toraichi, thanks to his pressing abilities, Inazuma were previously referred to with a different name, and used different colors.

They were a very mediocre side, mostly aiming to keep playing in the league rather than win it. Yet that all changed, when lightning struck their team’s flag, high up in the stadium during a storm.

After the lightning struck, the team won all their remaining games, and managed to leave last position behind despite having their worst run ever to date the season beforehand. That was when the school, and fans alike, decided to change their names and color. The Patriots became the Inazuma. The knights became the thunder, and with that strike of light, came a newfound luck and prosperity for the club.

The Inazuma soon became one of the biggest powerhouses in the league, and won more cups and league titles in a few years than they would dream of in a lifetime.

The energy had shifted. Instead of the Clovers, the Thunders were now the big deal in the island and in the whole of Shinrin.

The fans never left the club’s side in difficult times, and in the successful moments cheered even harder than most as a result.

That was the team Hinami would be facing. The team that took Hinami’s place in the top 4 of the league.

Some speculated that the thunder also struck Hinami, resulting in their bad luck ever since. A fallen heroic side, and a newfound powerhouse were both born in the same day, in the same storm.

And that’s why victory today meant something more than just 3 points for the pirates.

And that’s why Gonda’s plan had to work. That’s why Totori had to run, and Reo had to score.

That’s why ex and current number 10s of Hinami glared at each other before the whistle was blown, and why the 400 or so Hinami fans cheered so loudly when the ball was kicked off.

Hinami in their white and skeleton grey, and Inazuma in the thundery yellow and black.

The match had begun.

Cheers reverberated off the stands, as Inazuma moved the ball around their half, slowly, steadily and without a care in the world.

“That’s it, keep a level head.” A short middle aged man off to the side of the pitch, right in front of Inazuma’s bench spoke softly, probably to himself as he watched the thunders. He had plain black hair, and the suit he wore made him look like the typical salary man, however the way Inazuma played was all because of his influence.

Gonda recognized his as Manabu Moriyasu… Inazuma’s coach and probably one of the smartest pieces of work in the league.

The bespectacled coach hoped that this time, he had managed to outsmart him. Coaches like him typically believed in their style of play to the very end and made no changes even if his opponent tried to directly counter them. They believed in their plan’s tactical superiority no matter what.

That’s why Gonda, ever the versatile one, always changing things up to suit the situation, took the gamble today. Adapting, or staying true to your principles…

Which ideal would come out on top?

“GO!” Gonda shouted, as the time that had frozen was set into motion once more. Reo, Totori, Asano and Kaoru all ran forward, dead set on getting ahold of the ball before the Thunders could get it out with their short passing.

“WHA—“

The defender in possession, seeing white jerseys rushing towards him naturally seemed to panic for a moment, before Kohei emerged through the opposition ranks.

In a breath of relief, the defender passed to his teammate, who turned around to exploit the space the attackers had left at their back.

“!”

“RAAAH!”

Or at least Kohei thought he would. The pile driver Ayase Ishiguro was there to give him a piece of his mind, with a hard tackle on the ball. Kohei was a 10 and on occasions a 9, but during his Inazuma days he was mostly turned into a simple cog around the attacking midfield.

Gonda knew that, so he set him on the strong Ishiguro’s sights. He knew after all, what kind of player Kohei was first-hand.

As Kohei was tackled to the ground, the ball rolled towards the Pirates, and more specifically towards a certain blonde number 10.

“ATTACK!”

Gonda roared, and everyone on the bench rose to their feet. They had managed to catch them off guard and regain the ball in a dangerous area of the field, right before the opposition goal.

“Yuusaki!”

On the right, Mikki Asano called, and after Reo weaved around the baffled marker that came to intercept, he passed to his teammates and moved forward.

Mikki was quick, maybe far too quick for the defender that was supposed to take him on. With a flick of the ball, he struck it forward and past his man like some sort of Olympic sprinter.

“Mikki!”

Totori called for the pass, already having stepped into the opposition box. Baffled, anxious and completely taken aback, the Inazuma defenders all rushed the Pirates’ striker, hoping to stop him before he got the ball.

Asano passed strongly, the ball cutting into the danger area like a razor.

“AH!”

But Totori wasn’t the recipient of the pass. The away fans rose to their feet, as the ball dropped back for Reo, who had followed the play, and due to Totori’s move who had gathered every defender on him, was alone in front of goal.

Reo could afford to take a touch, and strike it home after, but instead knew how to put the stamp on it fairly easier. With a simple left strike of the inner side of his boot, he hit the ball first time towards goal.

The keeper stared at the attacker, and the ball that flew straight towards his net, way out of reach from where he stood. Amidst the momentarily silent crowd, the ball was heard loud and clear as it crashed into the top corner of the goal.

“GOAAAAAAAAL!”

And that was when the Hinami supporters at the far corner of the stadium jumped in the air with cheers that could be heard far and wide across the island. A dead silent island.

“GOAAAAAAAAL!”

“WHAT A COMBINATION GUYS!”

Totori and Kaoru embraced Reo who raised his fist in the air before their fans. Soon Asano joined them in the same fashion, and all the Hinami players found themselves celebrating the goal.

“Great shot.”

“Great pass.”

Asano and Reo exchanged a smile, before they went back to their own half.

Meanwhile, Kohei who had just gotten up from the field, looked back at his former teammates and then at his current ones, over and over.

What the hell?

Surely that was just luck. Surely that was just a fluke. They were Inazuma, and it was still early in the game.

They couldn’t lose this.

But the Hinami plan was working. Pressing, disrupting plays, fouling and kicking up a fuss. The Thunders’ polished, quality football was being shattered and thrown out of the window by the wild and violent Pirates’ way of playing.

The crowd got up and cheered, the thunders tried to play faster and more recklessly, but that broke their concentration and angered their coach.

“Calm down and use your heads! Your heads, damn it!”

It was evident his own calm façade was crumbling in the face of his team’s shocking behavior and performance.

That’s when it came.

Reo got the ball from Kaoru, as the Pirates stole yet another ball in the middle of the park. Reo dribbled past one, then two and looked up. Kohei who was sticking to his back like an annoying pest, clicked his tongue as the number 10 managed to break free from his grasp and sprinted forward.

His teammates surged forward, exploiting the space he had created, and Reo too managed to get a few uninterrupted touches ahead.

That’s when he saw the gap. Totori was waiting for the pass. He wasn’t in for a clear chance to score, but Reo knew what that position meant.

He passed between the defenders and towards his friend, whose eyes widened and his face split into a grin as he saw the 10’s run in behind the defenders.

With a flick of the side of his foot, Toto passed the ball towards goal, where Reo was already running. The Pirates stood up once more, as the attacking midfielder controlled the ball before the goalkeeper, and struck the ball hard and past the helpless last man of the Thunders.

Powering and strong, the ball crushed into the net, sending the Pirates up in the air to celebrate once again.

“GOOOAAAAAL!”

“WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!”

“I DON’T KNOWWW!”

“We’re winning that’s what!”

Housen who had come up to celebrate replied to Totori’s and Akihiko’s short exchange as the players all laughed, running towards the scorer bearing the 10.

“Damnit! Damnit!”

As the referee’s whistle for half time came, All Kohei could do was curse and ruffle his hair. His team, the unbeatable Inazuma were 2-0 down to Hinami Pirates…

A feat his teammates back then could never have achieved.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“Great performance, guys! Drink some water, relax and we go again in the second half!”

Despite winning 2-0 against the best team in the league at half-time, Gonda was still talking like a drill sergeant, the heat still etched to his face from that intense first half.

“We’re winning against Inazuma! We’re winning!”

“Toto! Keep it down! We haven’t won just yet!”

“Eeek!”

While Totori seemed to be over the moon, talking to Toraichi and Reo, Gonda wasn’t about to let complacency set in.

Inazuma were a good team. With a lot of quality and ability to hypnotize you before scoring one or even two past you. They all needed to keep their wits about them. They had succeeded in shutting down Kohei Hayashida, Atsushi Honma who was the substitute of the unavailable Ryo Aizawa, as well as their pacy wingers and smart midfielders.

Come the second half, Hinami had to be equally as powerful, if not more to stop their opponents. They were to still keep up the pressing, although they had to drop a tad bit lower to minimize the attacking spaces.

“Good luck out there.” Shuna smiled, as she passed Reo a water bottle before they were out to the dugout.

Reo simply smiled, and took a sip.

It was go time. 45 more minutes to go.

❖ ⚽ ❖

When the ball was kicked off for the second half, Inazuma were stronger, faster and more resilient. They had somewhat grown accustomed to the pressing, but it was still hard for them to play like they wanted to.

Hard tackles, strong challenges, constant fouling stops.

The clock ticked down, but Inazuma found some haphazard ways to attack.

Kohei got the ball outside the box, and resolutely took the shot, the ball just barely grazing the post.

“Damn it!”

Why was it so difficult?

But Hinami could not hold out forever. When Atsushi Honma stopped the ball inside the box, he opted to dribble past Junya Asagiri.

“ORAAAH!”

“HEEEEH?!”

But the defender’s challenge was a tad too reckless. Honma fell to the ground and the referee awarded the penalty.

“Come on! Calm down, no reckless tackles in the box!” Gonda sighed at how easily his players had awarded them a golden chance to score.

The crowd cheered when they saw their striker position the ball on the white dot, and fix his black hair back, with a hint of blue on the sides. His green eyes spoke volumes of his resolution.

“Atsushi…”

“Leave it to me.”

When Kohei came up to his teammate to let him take the penalty, the number 9 shook his head. He was the one who won the spot kick, and he would be the one to convert it to a goal.

Kyogo Haneda took a deep breath after Junya looked at him pleadingly.

Please save it, man.

His eyes screamed. Although such a request was far too crazy. Saving a penalty was incredibly difficult and the odds never were in favor of the keeper.

Atsushi Honma, who wanted to show that Ryo Aizawa wasn’t the only goal scorer in the team, stepped up as the referee blew the whistle. Everybody held their breath, for different reasons each.

Score, and Inazuma would have plenty of time to turn the game around, let alone equalize.

Miss, and morale would take a nosedive, and the game would be as good as dead.

The clock ticked down the 74th minute, when Atsushi Honma’s foot connected with the ball. The green-eyed striker chose the left side, while Kyogo…

Chose to dive left too.

Haneda the keeper, stretched his arm out, and despite the sheer power of the strike, he resolutely struck it up and out of bounds.

“YEAAAAAAAAAAH!”

The Hinami players rushed to their keeper to celebrate, the Thunders in response staying eerily quiet.

No.

Kohei’s eyes remained on the target. He couldn’t despair. His team had won a corner kick. If only they could score from that then—

With momentum on their side, Hinami managed to clear the cross fairly easily, and not only that but with their number 10 on the forefront…

They were on the counter.

No.

Kohei rushed to stop Reo who had controlled the ball and was running towards his team’s goal. Almost every Inazuma player had come up for the corner kick, and since Hinami had cleared, their defense was now too vulnerable.

That’s why Reo had to be stopped, no matter what. Kohei sild on the grass thrusting out his leg in an attempt to trip him.

No!

But he felt no impact.

Reo chipped the ball over the challenge and simply kept on running.

It can’t be…

The last defender, seeing that, ran towards Reo too trying to stop him by any means possible.

“GO REOOO!”

Totori shouted, as he tried to follow behind as fast as he could, his legs sore but his spirit unyielding.

It was now a mere one on one, the likes of which Reo rarely lost.

Sensing the momentum, the defender of Inazuma tried to tackle, to push, to stop Reo, by any way he could think of. But Reo was too fast. As a last resort, the defender who was tasked with marking him, the same one who asked Reo who he was, latched onto him, clutching at his shirt, and then grabbing his waist as he himself toppled to the ground.

I can’t be stopped.

Despite almost losing his balance and falling over, Reo continued, slipping out of his opponent’s grasp, as he fell face first on the grass.

Reo was through on goal. Despite having a little less than half the pitch to cross to get there.

But the keeper couldn’t wait for his opponent to come closer, he rushed out fast, hoping to catch the ball while it was away from Reo’s feet as he ran.

But the number 10 had glue on his feet, and a skill so magnetic the ball seemed to barely move away from him. Even despite that, the keeper rushed out.

For a different reason now, the crowd held its breath once more. The Pirates stood, both the bench and the stand, and time seemed to stop.

Reo had already made up his mind. Reaching the edges of the Inazuma box, and right before the keeper, the Hinami 10 used the tip of his boot, to chip the ball over the keeper’s head, and way off his grasp. The ball made a brilliant arc in the air as it flew, suspended and free.

In a matter of a few seconds, it began to drop and drop, hitting the goal line first and then bouncing into the net.

“GOAAAAAAL! GOAAAAAL! GOAAAAAL!”

The fans were going crazy and rightfully so. The underdogs were winning 3-0 away from their home, all thanks to their fighting spirit and their 10’s brilliant form.

As Reo rushed off to celebrate, he took his shirt off, tossing it before the fallen defender who was struck speechless and unmoving.

“I’m Yurei.”

Finally the Inazuma defender had gotten his answer.

Hinami Pirates celebrated once more by the corner flag, managing to catch up to Reo only when he had stopped running.

Kohei was down. Atsushi was down. Defenders, midfielders… Inazuma were down. And they were not getting up.

The whistle from the referee didn’t take long to come. Hinami Pirates had cruised to victory, and conquered the Thunders in their home ground for the first time in 10 years.