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墨書 Inktalez
"The score is now 1-0, with Raimon in the lead."
Watching Raimon score, Kurimatsu couldn't help but feel a bit buoyant. "Looks like they’re only at this level! I was so nervous for nothing."
Shaolin Temple replied, "Yeah! It seems we were too afraid of Oni Gari Middle School!"
The match resumed, with Oni Gari Dou kicking off.
Wuladu advanced with the ball but was blocked by Someoka and Shaolin Temple. He decided to pass to his captain, Gloomy Valley. Unfortunately, MAX noticed and intercepted the pass.
With the ball in their possession, Raimon charged towards Oni Gari Dou's goal once again. Meanwhile, Oni Gari Dou kept three players tightly marking Goenji, allowing MAX to pass the ball to the unguarded Someoka.
Someoka unleashed the Azure Dragon Roar once more, and this time the Oni Gari Dou goalkeeper failed to stop the shot.
As the soccer ball hit the net, the score rose to 2-0.
Gouma Keita excitedly reported from the sidelines, "Fantastic! The Azure Dragon Roar has once again broken through Oni Gari Dou's defense, moving so fast that their goalkeeper couldn’t react in time!"
The Oni Gari Dou goalkeeper glared fiercely at the scoring ball, his expression hidden behind a white mask but clearly not pleased.
Jimu Liu scoffed, "Damn it! There’s no record of this shot in Raimon Junior High School's data!"
"Awesome! We can win!"
While everyone from Raimon celebrated, two individuals wore serious expressions. One was Goenji on the field, and the other was Yae Shiki outside.
Goenji felt an inexplicable sense of unease. 'Things are going too smoothly.'
Shiki leaned against a tree, hands behind his head, muttering to himself, "Even though we have some advantage now, Raimon has already stepped into a trap..."
"I warned them to be careful, yet everyone except Goenji seems to have let their guard down."
Shiki pondered while stroking his chin, "Should I remind them?"
A voice came from behind him. "You can't do that!"
Shiki turned around to see Natsumi. "Ah! It's Lady Natsumi from Raimon."
Natsumi casually stood beside Shiki. "I’ve already pretended not to see you secretly teaching Someoka his special move and giving them pre-game advice. Helping them any further would be too much!"
Shiki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch!"
The two then quietly watched the match unfold.
Not long after, Natsumi spoke up. "Hey!"
"What is it? Rude guy," she replied.
"Did you bring back Goenji?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"Why would you do something that lowers our chances of winning?"
Natsumi fell silent for a moment before speaking up. "Do you know about the Inazuma Eleven Legend?"
Shiki asked, "What is that?"
Natsumi explained, "Forty years ago, the Raimon Football Team played nearly a hundred matches without a single defeat. They were truly Japan's Best and earned the legendary title of Inazuma Eleven."
Shiki expressed confusion, "If Raimon was so strong back then, why did the Raimon Football Club fall apart recently? They almost disbanded!"
Natsumi shook her head. "I’m not sure about that..."
"But..." she continued, "when you and Goenji faced off against Teikoku, I saw the shadow of that legend in you."
"And that seemingly clueless goalkeeper actually used the legendary move—Golden Palm."
Looking at Shiki beside her, Natsumi continued, "I believe it's been too long since that legend existed. I want to see it become reality again."
Shiki sighed, "So your bet with me was just a ruse to get me into Raimon, right?"
Natsumi smiled. "Because I think there should be a place for you in that legend."
Shiki said helplessly, "You really think highly of me..."
"I don't deserve such a title..."
Natsumi confidently replied, "I have a good eye for talent! Just trust me; time will prove I'm right."
Seeing Natsumi's unwavering confidence, Shiki remarked, "As expected... you're really annoying..."
At that moment, a voice interrupted their conversation. "You little brats, let’s show them what hell looks like!"
"Is it starting?" Shiki glanced toward Endou. "I hope you can break this deadlock..."
Chikamu began to chant, "Mare, mare, mare tomare..."
The five players from Oni Gari Dou surged into Raimon's backfield, but...
"What’s going on?"
"Why are their positions constantly changing?"
They were running straight toward the Raimon Goal, yet every few steps their positions shifted from the previous second.
While everyone was still bewildered, Kazemaru reacted first and issued commands.
"Shaolin Temple, mark number 9; Max, intercept number 11."
"Oh!"
Just as they perfectly executed their tasks, Kazemaru's anxious voice rang out. "What are you doing?!"
Shaolin Temple and Max snapped back to reality.
In front of Shaolin Temple stood not number 9 but Handa, while Max faced Shindo.
"What on earth is going on?"
The five players from Oni Gari Dou easily crossed Raimon's midfield.
Endou shouted, "Everyone! Stay calm and pay close attention to their movements."
Gloomy Valley snorted, "Hmph! It's useless."
"Watch this, Ghost Binding Technique!"
Oni Gari Dou's captain, Gloomy Valley, stopped and extended his left hand to unleash a shockwave.
Minoru, Bishan, and Endou were hit by the shockwave, their legs ensnared by purple mist, rendering them immobile.
Taking advantage of their inability to move, Gloomy Valley executed his ultimate move, "Phantom Kick."
"Damn it!"
Immobile, Endou desperately reached out his hand to touch the ball, but it was futile; he could only watch helplessly as the ball flew into the goal.
As the whistle for the score sounded, the purple mist binding their legs dissipated.
"The score is now 2-1; Oni Gari Middle School has pulled one back."
In front, Goenji asked in confusion, "What happened to Endou and the others?"
Someoka shrugged it off, "No matter what happened, as long as they scored on us, we just need to return the favor."
With that, he snatched the ball from under Goenji and ran toward the opponent's goal.
"Wait, Someoka! Don't be reckless; let's observe their actions a bit more."
Seeing that Someoka ignored him, Goenji had no choice but to follow. "Damn it!"
Someoka dribbled through the opponent's midfield and defense without anyone attempting to stop him.
He glared at the goalkeeper with anger and said, "Underestimating people has its limits!"
The goalkeeper remained unfazed, gesturing with his hands until a dark purple energy field appeared. "..."
Someoka's gaze gradually became dazed.
"Azure Dragon Roar!"
Someoka unleashed his ultimate technique directly toward the energy field, but the ball was gently caught by the goalkeeper.
Dyeing Tank exclaimed in confusion, "What happened?! My Shot..."
The goalkeeper explained in a raspy voice, "Distorted Space; any Shot becomes ineffective against this technique—even Goenji's Blazing Tornado."
As he explained, he booted the ball long to his captain, Gloomy Valley.
Kazemaru shouted anxiously, "Everyone hurry back on defense!"
"It's too late because you've already fallen into my curse!"
"Ghost Binding Technique!"
Oni Gari Dou's captain Gloomy Valley once again stopped and extended his left hand to unleash another shockwave.
However, this time it wasn't just three people affected; all the Raimon players found their legs ensnared by the purple mist. Just as Endou struggled desperately, Gloomy Valley scored a regular shot, leveling the score to 2-2.
The remainder of the first half was spent almost entirely under Gloomy Valley's Ghost Binding Technique. Endou still couldn't think of a way to counter this move, resulting in another goal for Gloomy Valley right before the half ended.
"Beep—beep—beep—" The whistle for halftime sounded, bringing the score to 3-2 in favor of Oni Gari Middle School.
During the break, the Raimon team gathered in their clubroom to devise a strategy for the second half, and Shiki and Natsumi joined them. Kurimatsu felt frightened. "Why can't I move my legs?" Bishan trembled as well. "It must be because of a curse!"
MAX countered, "There’s no such thing as curses in this world!"
"Then why can't we move our legs?"
MAX was at a loss for words. "It's because..."
Seeing that the group was on the verge of an argument, Shiki stepped in to calm everyone down. "Alright! Alright! Everyone, stop fighting!"
Shaolin Temple looked at Shiki, believing that she must have a way to help them. "Senior Yae must know how to break their curse! Please save us!"
Shiki declined Shaolin Temple's request. "No way! I've been threatened not to help you anymore."
Kurimatsu angrily asked, "Who threatened you?!"
Four pointed at Natsumi with a gesture.
The first-year students looked at Natsumi with pitiful eyes, hoping she would soften her heart. Unfortunately, their strategy failed.
Natsumi looked at their expressions and even doubted her own judgment, sighing as she said, "You guys are just a useless club!"
The first-year students exclaimed, "Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh?!"
"If you need someone else's help to win, then you shouldn't participate in the Tomorrow's Star Tournament."
Shiki nodded in agreement. "This time I agree with the young lady; Oni Gari Dou is tough to deal with, but they aren't that strong either!"
"After all, their best result in the Tomorrow's Star Tournament was just getting eliminated in the first round."
Shaolin Temple was shocked. "They got eliminated in the first round?!"
Bishan trembled even more than before. "Are all the teams in Tomorrow's Star that strong?"
Shiki made a peace sign and playfully said, "Yeah, they were sent packing by my old team."
"..."
Noticing that the atmosphere was improving, Shiki began to address serious matters. "But someone should have noticed something by now." She then looked towards Endou and Goenji.
Endou thought for a moment before speaking, "Well... the culprit might be their coach. Their strange behavior all started after the coach recited that incantation."
Miki Akira chimed in, "So the secret of the curse is that incantation, right?"
"Maybe, but we still don't have a way to break it," Endou replied.
At that moment, Goenji turned to Shiki and asked, "Hmm... I'm curious about what you said earlier: 'If we only focus on the curse and ignore their strength, we'll lose.' What do you mean by that?"
"What other tricks do they have up their sleeves?"
Everyone's gaze shifted to Shiki.
Shiki quietly glanced at Natsumi, confirming once more that she had no intention of stopping him before he spoke up, "The ace technique of Oni Gari Dou—Ghostly Binding. It's even stronger than the Ghost Binding Technique."
"I've fallen victim to that move before," Shiki admitted with a shrug. "But the original user should have graduated by now. I’m not sure if this group will use it."
Noticing the time, Shiki said, "Time's almost up; I need to train one last person!"
He then flicked Someoka hard on the forehead.
Someoka covered his forehead with both hands and cried out, "That hurts! What are you doing?"
"I should be asking you what you're doing! Why are you getting more reckless? Just because the opponent isn’t defending doesn’t mean you should rush in. That’s the simplest baiting tactic; how did you fall for it?"
"And Someoka, you need to trust your teammates more."
Shiki looked at the Raimon team, "Not just Someoka; all of you."
"Football has never been a one-person sport."
Listening to these words, Someoka seemed to ponder deeply.
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-(Author Gulu's note)-
I realized while finishing this chapter that it reached six thousand words, so I had to split it into two chapters!
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