I woke up the next day, feeling nervous as ever. I haven't felt like this before, but I guess because it's the finals, it was a natural feeling. 

I checked my drawer; That penguin necklace I got from Koujirou was still there.

"What's this for?"

"You can have it! It was supposed to be for lovers, but you love penguins! Jirou has the other half, make sure you wear it, OK?"

I chuckled at the memory. I wore it on my neck before grabbing my duffle bag and running down the stairs. No one was home. Mom said she'll just watch the match while my dad will check the stadium with a friend back in college. 

Taken, I had to visit the hospital first; Jirou and Koujirou are my first priorities. They have to know that I'm playing already against them. Then again, I never really told them about what happened in the semi-finals...

"Kanashimi no umi mitsutsunda watashi
Me o akeru no mo oku
Kono mama doko made de ochite yuuki
Dare ni mo, mitsukerenai no kana---"

"Jirou." I muttered, answering my phone. "Yeah?"

"Hey uh, good luck, alright?" He said.

"Oh..." I was expecting something else from him. "Thanks."

"Love you, sis." 

He ended the call. It's been a long time since he said those words to me. The last time he said that was... well, when we were kids. 

"Love you too, bro."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"The tournament's headquarters said that there was a sudden change of the location for the finals." Natsumi said.

I arrived there late while everyone else came in the caravan. My dad was there as well, along with a man in his late twenties. He had dark brown hair with a white fringe at the side, and he was wearing a checkered polo, green pants and office shoes. I'm guessing that must be his friend in college.

"How did... but... fine." My dad closed his phone.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"The stadium changed." Kuroi answered.

"To where?" I asked again.

All of us then heard a noise, and then we looked up.

All of us saw a floating stadium that had statues of angels with wings. "T-That's the stadium?!" I heard Asuka ask in shock.

"I think it is." Kuroi muttered.

When all of us entered inside, there was a large monitor where the scoreboard will be, a lot of bleachers, and a door that led to the locker rooms. It was all... god-like, to be honest.

"Wow. Zeus really kept their title." I heard Kuroi mutter.

"Rena, we need to talk." My dad suddenly said. "It's important that you know, and you have to promise to not get angry at me and Hokago."

Right... Fudou Hokago. Man I hope he's not angry at me for copying his technique in front of his nephew. Please I hope he's not mad.

"We'll talk in the locker rooms. Come on."

Dad and Fudou-san had led me into a locker room, which was similar to Teikoku's. I sat down on one of the benches while dad was looking at me with a perplexed look. "Dad? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Rena... It's about your ability." Fudou-san answered.

"Why? What about it?" I asked again.

"Kageyama Reji is after it." Fudou-san ssaid grimly. 

"Why? If he was after it, he would've done something by now." I mumbled.

"He had Hernandez working for him. He was hoping that you'd get so down and change your personality because of your ability. Now that you've changed back into your old personality, Kageyama will use all of his means to make you bow down." My dad said.

I can't believe it. All this time, Nina was making fun of me, Kidou removing me at Teikoku... now the pieces of the puzzle were getting together. Did he have to go that far to injure my friends?!

"Why he...."

"Rena, don't get angry." Fudou-san said.

I took deep breaths. 

"That ability of yours is cursed. After this match, you're moving in with your Aunt Suzumi in Cho-Tokyo and study in Aibo Gakuen." My dad said. "No more soccer for you."

"Dad." I stood up. "Soccer is the only thing that connects me, my brother, and my friends. If you think that my ability is a curse, then... then don't even bother!" 

"Rena!"

I had run out of the locker rooms and back on to the pitch. I'm not a curse, I'm not a curse.... My ability is not a curse... 

"Sakuma."

I flinched; It was Coach Hibiki. "Your dad and Hokago must've said the news."

I nodded. I don't want to leave Jirou, Koujirou, and all my other friends... 

"Prove it to them." Coach Hibiki advised. "Prove that you can overcome yourself."

Prove that I can overcome myself...?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone had arrived at the pitch. I didn't join in the encouragement huddle with Endou and Kuroi, and just sat on the bench. Me and Kuroi wouldn't be playing yet, so we had time to warm up.

"Rena, your dad wants you leave?" Kuroi asked.

"Yeah..." I muttered.

Everyone had got on the field, but I just sat down, glaring at Afuro. Oh, he is lucky that I wasn't on the field. If I was, he'd be dead by now.

After the usual handshake of the teams, everyone had got into their positions. I grabbed my phone out and started the video. If any case that I would be placed in, I'll ask Otonashi... or anyone else available. 

"Oh, and your dad handed me this."

Kuroi showed an empty bottle that was supposed to have the Aqua of the Gods. "What?! How?!" I asked furiously.

"Fudou Hokago-san saw this in your bag. Then two men showed up and emptied the bottle." Kuroi said. "Let's just start."

And... I heard the whistle blow. Hera passed the ball to Demete, and he did a back pass to Afuro. He wasn't moving as Shuuya and Someoka started running forward.

"Heaven's Time."

He snapped his fingers, and everything froze. When he snapped his fingers again, he was already past the two, and a gust of wind had blown them away.

"A time manipulation technique." I said.

"Huh? How can that technique manipulate time?" Kino asked.

"If you freeze time, you'll be able to move forward at a different path. If it's not time, it's speed." I said.

"So he just froze time, moved forward, then unfroze time?" Kuroi asked. 

"Exactly." I nodded.

The same thing happened to Ichinose, Kidou, Kabeyama, and Asuka. The four of them were blown away by the gusts of wind that was behind Afuro every time he would unfreeze time. 

"Bring it on! I'll stop you with everything I've got!" I heard Endou shout.

'No. This isn't good....' I thought.

"God Knows!"

Angel wings appeared out of Afuro's back and flew in the air with the ball in his possession. The ball was soon surrounded by white lightning followed by a white aura, and kicked the ball with a tremendous amount of speed. Endou used God Hand, but it broke through. 

"He went right off the bat..." I heard Kuroi mutter.

"That shot is another problem." I said.

"Look, as much as you would like to use your dad's tactics, it wouldn't----"

I cut off Kuroi's sentence when I shoved him a paper. He read it, then looked at me with a look of disbelief. "Are you crazy?! Your mom and dad didn't even manage to complete this! How will we be able to complete it?!"

"We'll never know." I said. "Besides, it's the last shot we have."

The match started again with our kickoff. Zeus wasn't even moving when Shuuya and Someoka were already near the goal. When they were, they used Dragon Tornado, but was stopped by their goalkeeper, Posei, used his technique called "Tsunami Wall".

"It was stopped?!" Kuroi looked at the field in disbelief.

"Yep." I muttered.

What really angered me was that he just threw the ball plainly at Shuuya, and provoking him to make a shoot. Kidou, he and Ichinose used Emperor Penguin #2, (they practiced it over some time) but was stopped again by Tsunami Wall. Posei tossed the ball at Ichinose this time, and he, Asuka and Endou used The Phoenix, but was blocked by another move called, "Giganto Wall".

Those were already powerful techniques and yet they managed to block it. Come to think of it, they did drink the Aqua of the Gods. So much for proof when a detective, police, or inspector show up to question him. 

The ball was thrown to Demete. Kazemaru, Shourinji, and Kabeyama tried blocking him, but he used Dash Storm to get passed them, followed by a huge amount of wind. When Demete was near the goal, he used Reflect Buster. God Hand was used again, but it went through again.

"Were 2 points behind..." I heard Megane mutter.

"This is humiliating..." I muttered.

"Hey! Shourinji!" 

Kuroi was running up to him, along with Otonashi. He wouldn't be able to play for the rest of the match so that meant Handa was going to sub him. Kuroi and Otonashi had helped him back to the bench. And again, there was a cold feeling at the pit of my stomach. It was worry. I was getting worried. I didn't want Endou and the others to get injured like everyone else in Teikoku. I was not going to let them suffer the same fate.

Demete had the ball again. Asuka, Matsuno, and Kurimatsu tried blocking him but he used Dash Storm again. He passed it to Hera, who used Divine Arrow. Even using Bakuretsu Punch wasn't enough to stop that shoot.

Matsuno and Kurimatsu were injured as well, so Kageno and Shishido were going to be subbing. If this keeps up, Megane will be next, then me and Kuroi. And to be honest, I think I'm fine on the bench instead of being off the bench.

Someoka was running forward with the ball, but their defender, Deio, used Mega Quake on him, making Someoka have his shoulder injured. Megane went out on the field but was immediately out of the field right after Mega Quake was used again.

"Wish me luck." Kuroi said, gulping before going out on the field.

'Kuroi... everyone... don't make me see that again...'

But I was seeing it.

Everyone was getting brutally injured like the match with Teikoku. I couldn't stand it, it was painful to watch. It was like a scene replaying over and over and over again until your mind would break into pieces.

"We're doomed.... We're going to lose..." I muttered.

Let's hope this match will have turned tables, because I'm wishing for a miracle.