Match day.
Our match today is against Mikage Sennou Academy. The school—and especially its soccer field—is covered in antennas. It looks nothing like a typical pitch.
According to the information gathered by Haruna and Aki during our training, this school hasn't conceded a single goal so far. Based on the data Natsumi hacked, it's a school that wins through information and statistics, running holographic simulations based on the data collected.
They win by always being prepared. But that won't work so well against us today. Our training was held behind closed doors. Any data the spy tried to send was intercepted and altered by Natsumi. Which means, all their training based on that data will be useless.
Our tactical formation for this match has changed to a 4-4-2. I'm still the goalkeeper. On defense, we have Kazemaru on the left, Shishido and Kageno at center, and Domon on the right. In midfield, Handa is on the left, Kabeyama and Shourinji in the center, and Max on the right. On offense, we have Gouenji and Someoka. As substitutes, we brought Kurimatsu and Megane.
The opposing team also stepped onto the field with a 4-4-2 formation, but that won't be a problem.
In the locker room, I ran into Mikage Academy's captain, Sugimori.
"I know your chances of winning," Mikage said as he stared at me.
"Oh? And what would those chances be, cyborg?" I replied, since Mikage Academy is known for playing 'perfect' football, like machines.
"It's better if you don't know."
Maybe it was a tactic to shake our confidence.
"That stat-based football of yours is going to fail today, Mikage Sennou. The way you play has no emotion. Did you know Hissatsu techniques grow stronger through feelings? With robotic football like yours, there's no room for growth." I said before walking away.
Out of all the teams, Mikage is the one that excites me the least. Their emotionless, tech-driven football with uninspired Hissatsu moves doesn't motivate me at all.
Kickoff.
Raimon versus Mikage Sennou.
The first touch goes to Mikage Academy.
They start as expected, with clean and precise passes. But our marking is solid. We don't let them find any gaps.
"Offensive Formation, Beta 2!" Soon, they activate one of their preset formations. According to Haruna, these formations are Mikage's main offensive weapon.
Thanks to our training at Raimon's secret facility, the Inabikari, we were ready. Kazemaru intercepted with a well-timed slide.
But that's when the headache began. While Natsumi managed to intercept all data sent after our training started, everything sent before that was still in their possession.
So even with our improved passing and ability to reach the goal, Mikage Sennou still managed to respond effectively.
"Defensive Formation, Gamma 3!"
Their defense was like nothing I'd seen before. Someoka fired off his Dragon Crash, but their defenders weakened the shot enough to completely neutralize it.
The training at Inabikari had strengthened our stats, but our movement patterns hadn't changed. And with the help of the antennas and holographic systems, Mikage could predict our attacks.
The first half continued with neither side managing to score.
"Patriot Shoot!" A rather questionable special move—it looked more like a modified ball than a real Hissatsu.
"Nekketsu Punch!" I used a Hissatsu I had never tried before in a match. It wasn't hard—just gathering energy and punching the ball with full strength.
I blocked it with ease, barely using any energy.
"Let's go, Kazemaru!" Despite Mikage's tight marking, our speed helped us shake them off.
Kazemaru passed to Gouenji.
"Fire Tornado!" As soon as he found an opening, Gouenji unleashed his Hissatsu.
"Shoot Pocket!" Sugimori's technique was impressive. A barrier of energy surrounding the goal entirely. Unlike anything I'd seen before.
Even Gouenji's Fire Tornado couldn't break through.
"Quick Draw!" Mikage launched a counterattack, but Max shut it down with his own Hissatsu, stealing the ball cleanly.
He quickly passed to Someoka, who exchanged a look with Gouenji. The two activated their combined technique.
"Dragon Tornado!"
But once again, Sugimori blocked it.
We tried another attack with Inazuma Otoshi, but Sugimori answered with a new technique: Rocket Kobushi. It was similar to my Heavenly Hand, but instead of a giant hand, it was a floating fist.
They launched another counterattack.
As dull as their style might be, Mikage Sennou is technically incredible. They react to commands with mechanical precision. No wonder they're called cyborgs.
Even their dribbling was flawless.
A defensive lapse from Domon gave Mikage a clear shot.
"Heavenly Capture!" I stopped it using my Hissatsu.
End of the first half. No goals from either side.
On the bench during halftime.
"All of our Hissatsu moves failed..." Kurimatsu said with a downcast tone.
"This game is tougher than we thought." Someoka added, sipping water.
"We still have one last Hissatsu we haven't tried," Gouenji said suddenly.
"No! Gouenji, that's a forbidden Hissatsu. You could seriously injure yourself." I cut him off before the idea could take root. Dragon Crash Otoshi was too dangerous.
We returned to the field with heavy hearts. No one had a clear idea of how we were going to score.
"Gouenji, there's a Hissatsu described in my grandfather's book that we might be able to try." I whispered to him before we stepped back onto the pitch. It wasn't a hard technique, and since one of the strikers didn't have much power in his shot, we could make up for it with synchronization.
The second half began with our team in possession.
This time, Mikage Sennou shifted to a more offensive strategy. Even with our good passing, their aggression was clear. They were trying to steal the ball at all costs.
"Did they figure out a way to score?" I wondered, watching their relentless pressure.
At one point, they intercepted a pass. A quick touch to their forwards left them face-to-face with our goal.
"Fire Tornado!" The Hissatsu they used caught me off guard. It was Gouenji's move.
But that didn't stop me from sprinting toward the ball.
"Come on, Gouenji. We can't let this go unanswered. Let's strike back." Seeing me charge forward snapped Gouenji out of his shock, and he ran alongside me.
If we couldn't score from directly in front of the goal, then we'd use a shot they couldn't predict.
"Inazuma 1Gou!" Facing Mikage's shot, Gouenji and I struck the ball at the same time, launching it at high speed toward their goal.
Sugimori was startled but reacted quickly.
"Rocket Kobushi!"
Tch! Sugimori managed to block our attack. The force of our combined shot wasn't enough. We had expected them to use Patriot Shoot, which has less power. Instead, they went with Fire Tornado, which weakened the impact of our counter.
The game returned to a stalemate. Neither team could score.
Mikage Sennou became noticeably more cautious about the Inazuma 1Gou. They stopped using weak shots and relied only on Fire Tornado. To stop those, I had to use Heavenly Hand multiple times.
Because of that, everyone on the field was clearly exhausted—on both sides.
"This match is harder than we thought," Aki murmured, worried.
"Mikage's team might be called cyborgs, but their will to win is just as strong as ours," Haruna agreed.
"Maybe we misjudged them. They're different than we expected," Natsumi sighed. "But their coach... he's exactly what we thought he'd be." She glanced at the Mikage coach, who was visibly panicking as he watched his team fail to score.
Statistically, Raimon had taken more shots on goal. That meant Sugimori was more fatigued than I was. We had the advantage.
Sensing this, Mikage Sennou stopped attacking and shifted to a defensive formation, doing everything they could to keep us from taking more shots.
As the end of the second half approached, Gouenji was the first to rise with a look of determination.
"We can't lose this game. I made a promise to my sister. SOMEOKA!" Gouenji raised his hand, calling for the ball.
"No... you idiots, you're not really doing this." Realizing what they planned, I rushed forward to stop them.
"If this is our only option, then let's do it, Gouenji! Dragon Crash!" Someoka shouted as he launched his Hissatsu.
Gouenji jumped and used Kabeyama's back to gain height. But as he rose, he noticed a shadow beside him—it was me, sprinting from the goal.
"YOU IDIOTS!" Gouenji just smiled when he saw the angry look on my face. Then, syncing with the rhythm of Inazuma 1Gou, we kicked the ball together.
"Dragon 1Gou Otoshi!" The ball flew forward with all the strength we had.
"Rocket Kobushi!" Sugimori used his Hissatsu once again, but this shot was different from all the others. And Sugimori was clearly at his limit.
The impact between the floating fist and the ball was explosive. But the shot was too powerful. The punch was pushed back, and the technique was shattered.
Gouenji and I hit the ground and looked up together to see the result.
"Go... GOAL FOR RAIMON!"
"YES!"
"We finally scored!"
"That was amazing, Endou! Gouenji!"
With that goal, everyone on our team was fired up. All the tension and doubt disappeared.
Raimon 1 - 0 Mikage Sennou.
"No... this match isn't over yet. There's still time. We're going to score!" a desperate voice cried out from the opposing side.
Sugimori removed the device from his head, grabbed the ball, and ran to the center of the field, determined to make the most of the time left.
I felt his burning spirit—and that emotion spread through the entire team. Yes... football is nothing without emotion.
As we returned to our positions, Mikage Sennou resumed play with all the energy they had left.
Even Sugimori joined the attack. It didn't matter what defensive Hissatsu we used—they kept advancing, overcoming everything, even stepping over their fallen teammates if it meant getting a chance to score.
In the end, their efforts paid off. Sugimori stood face-to-face with the goal and fired with all his might.
But it wasn't a Hissatsu.
"Heavenly Hand!" I activated my technique and blocked the shot.
The final whistle blew right after.
As the entire Mikage Sennou team dropped to their knees, overwhelmed by the weight of defeat, I walked over to Sugimori.
"Thanks for the game. I had a lot of fun. I didn't expect such a tough match. I was wrong about you, Sugimori. Your team is incredible. I could feel your spirit out there."
"I hope we get to play together again someday."
With a handshake between captains, this round of the Football Frontier came to a close.
End of the match. Raimon wins and advances to the semi-finals of the Football Frontier preliminaries.