****

“Now, for the starting lineup.” Coach Travis announced. He could see the team tense up a bit as he made his following statements. “Forwards: Blaze, Foster, Frost. Midfielders: Sharp, Swift, Green.”

Caleb was stunned to find out that his name wasn’t called. He was about to ask why, when Alexi shot him a look that said, “I know what I’m doing.” Her eyes then shimmered from blue to violet then back to blue. With that, Caleb understood that the starting lineup was Alexi’s idea and judging from the shimmer in her eyes, it must mean that she has everything planned out already.

“Defenders:” the Coach continued, “Wallside, Kane, Stoutburg, Bunyan. And the goalkeeper and Captain for today is Evans.”

The crowd cheered their hearts out as both teams got into positions, signaling the official opening of the FFI Asia Preliminaries.

“The match between Inazuma Japan and Australia’s Big Waves will now begin.” The commentator jeered. “The game starts off with Japan’s kickoff!”

“Frost passes the ball to Sharp who is now running on the frontline with Blaze! How will Inazuma Japan’s play maker and strategist, Jude Sharp make his move?”

Jude was heading up with the ball in possession when suddenly, four players from Australia cuts him off and blocks him; then bombards him with attacks all at once! The unbreakable formation was giving Jude a hard time to keep the ball in his possession.

By the benches, Alexi was recording or rather predicting the events of the game in high-speed. In a matter of moments, she was able to finish her predictions and showed them to Coach who immediately studied it. Afterwards, he gave the notebook back to Alexi and gave her an approving nod.

“Consider it done.” He said. Then his attention went back to the game were Jude is still struggling with the four defenders who were also blocking his pass course.

“There it is folks!” the announcer informed, “Australia’s infamous hissatsu-tactic, Box-Lock Defense!”

Australia finally managed to steal the ball from Jude, and the outcome went horrible as the Japan’s other players struggle to keep their heads on the game.

“Damn it; if only we practiced our positioning.” Jude said as doubt started to arise and form once again.

One of the Big Wave’s players managed to get the ball and was heading towards the goal.

“Megalodon!” he said as he kicked the ball with the force of a great-white shark. The ball came speeding in so fast that not even “Fist of Justice G2” was enough to block it off.

“Big Waves takes the lead!” the commentator jeered, “The Football Frontier International, Asia Preliminaries first match; Australia’s Big Waves brought in the first point of the game!”

“I didn’t know the world level is this strong!” Darren said with a gulp. From the benches, the team of Inazuma Japan stared in awe as how fast the pace of the game was and how the other team managed to steal a point from them so quickly.

Next to Coach Travis, Alexi sighed and tried to look strong and determined for the team. She had done her part and it all falls on how the team manages the situation on their own for now.

On the pitch, Jude was trying to figure out a way to counter the strong defense tactics their opponents had, “If we had practiced together, we might’ve avoided loosing that point. If only Alexi allowed us to play on the fields.”

He immediately looked at Alexi whose gaze was darting off of one player to another. Jude noticed that she wasn’t writing anymore and could’ve only guessed that she was done planning everything out. How she did that remained a total mystery to him.

From the goal post, Marc caught the team’s attention as he mentioned how amazing the world level is and how excited he is to play with such great players! Of course, the whole team’s mood lightened up a bit but nonetheless, they were still a bit intimidated by the other team’s strength.

The continuation of the game started off with Inazuma Japan’s kick off. Axel and Shawn made their way up to Big Wave’s goal when suddenly, Axel managed to get caught in the opponent’s trap. He was starting to feel cramped and had trouble finding a pass course in the said predicament. He tries jumping out of it but the other team instantly took over and stole the ball from him.

“The other side of Japan’s field remains open!” the commentator announced, “Australia uses that opening to score another goal!”

The enemy player tried to shoot the ball but was stopped by Marc’s fast reflex. After that, Marc made a long pass which Shawn managed to catch. But as soon as he received it, he too was caught in Australia’s Box-Lock-Defense.

“Oh no! It seems Inazuma Japan is caught in Australia’s hissatsu tactic once again! All openings are now closed and Frost seems to be having a hard time keeping the ball in possession.”

Shawn was struggling to keep the ball from being stolen, and Australia kept showering him with attempts to take the ball. Each player tried to pry the ball off of him and was really giving him a hard time, even more so as they started to attack all at once.

Finally, he sees a pass course leading to Xavier. Without any hesitation, he kicked the ball towards him but unfortunately, the opposing team managed to intercept the ball.

“Australia now pushes Japan to its limits as they bombard the goal with one attack to another. Looks like Inazuma Japan is caught in a one-sided battle!” jeered the commentator.

“This is looking bad.” Caleb said from the benches.

“The team’s in a pretty scary situation. That hissatsu tactic is too hard to escape in and everyone’s plays are in pieces. We just might lose this game.” Darren unconsciously blurts out earning mortified looks from the managers and the other players.

“Not if I have anything to do about it.” Alexi valiantly said as she got closer to the field. She then looked at Coach Travis for permission which he easily granted with a nod. With a deep breath she yelled out to the team: “The key to the box is inside you. You have to find it!”

The players were curious as to what Alexi was talking about. Only Caleb and Coach Travis were able to find out what it meant.

As the game continued on, Jude got possession of the ball and was unluckily caught in Australia’s hissatsu tactic. The four players were starting to pressure him with attacks that Jude could barely withstand.

“No matter where I go, two of them will always block my way. Its like being trapped in a box!” Jude said.

“The key to the box is inside you. You have to find it!” Alexi’s voice resonated inside him and at once, he finally understood what it meant.

Just as one of the players attempted to steal the ball from him, he quickly regrouped and remembered the training he had inside his room back at the training compound. His training was mostly made up of intricate ball control and quick movements, which seemed to do the trick against Australia’s tactic.

Australia’s players were now pushing him deeper and deeper into the trap but Jude managed to keep the ball in steady possession. Finally, two of the players tumbled on to each other because of the tight space. Jude saw this as an opening and made a pass to Axel, who was just in time to receive it.

“Box-Lock-Defense was broken past thanks to Japan’s genius playmaker, Jude Sharp!” said the announcer as the crowd cheered on for Inazuma Japan.

“Good work Jude!” Marc said from the goal post.

“Forbidding practice and limiting us to small and narrow spaces,” Jude said loud enough for Axel to hear, “Coach Travis and Alexi knew they were necessary for us to break through Australia’s tactic.”

“Seeing you control the ball back there made us all realize that.” Axel said as he continued to move up. “What really amazes me is how Alexi knew that. She was the one who asked coach to not let us play on the field, right? She was the one who made the effort of taking the soccer balls up to our rooms because she knew we’d need them. By now everyone on the team are probably wondering about the same thing.”

“She really does live up to her title: ‘The Oracle of the Field’.” Jude answered back as Axel smirked in return.

“Don’t get so cocky just because you broke through us once!” one of the players from Australia yelled as he got into position and trapped Axel in their Box-Lock-Defense.

Axel easily avoided the opponent’s attacks and cleanly broke through them once again. On the bench, Alexi saw Austin eyes go wide in amazement as he watches his all-time idol on the pitch. She smiled seeing her brother so happy, she knew how much effort Austin puts in his training just to be strong enough to play with Japan’s number one team, but inside she knew there was still a lot of things they had to go through for him to truly play at his best.

“Start warming up, I plan to switch players in later on.” Coach Travis told them. Darren couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“How could the coach switch players? They just learned how to get through Box-Lock-Defense, why now of all times?” he asked to no one in particular.

“After receiving the pass from Blaze, Frost runs up the goal and tries to shoot with his ‘Wolf Legend’. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to penetrate Australia’s keeper move, ‘Great Barrier Reef’! The goal keeper now makes a long pass to one of team mates, but what’s this?! Blaze intercepts the pass course and fires off ‘Fireball Storm’! It was a close shot, but it wasn’t enough to get through ‘Great Barrier Reef’.”

“Australia’s keeper, Jean Baker, blocked both Blaze and Frost’s shots, looks like things will be heating up between the two countries!” the announcer jeered once more.

The ball was then passed to one of Australia’s players who let out a miskick to give their team a chance to switch players, one defender and one midfielder.

Jordan now takes possession of the ball and moves up to enemy territory. He was then greeted by one of the switched players who used a hissatsu technique on him to steal the ball, “Gravestone!”

Tremors of rocks appeared out of nowhere, sending Jordan flying as Australia takes the ball once again.

“Fitness, speed, techniques and the rate they change their strategies,” Willy Glass said from the sidelines, “they’re all superb. I’m wondering how Japan will ever win against them. I don’t even know if we’ll stand a chance.”

“We will.” Coach Travis said as he looked back at them. He then made his way to the benches and motioned to Alexi who was observing the game more closely and calmly than the others, “Inazuma Japan stands a chance against the world as long as we have her on our side. By now, I think you managed to figure out what she can do. If not, then you better start thinking.”

He then went back to his original position next to Alexi leaving Darren speechless. But even if he didn’t say anything, Darren and the others already knew the abilities that Alexi had within her, and just like that, their doubt began to disappear.

On the field, Scotty planned to stop Australia’s other switched players but was sent off with a technique called “Kangaroo kick”

“Both teams are relentlessly attacking, bringing the match to a dead-lock! Jude struggles to move the ball up and gets himself injured with the opposing team’s tackles!”

Coach Travis saw the whole thing and immediately turned to Alexi, just in time to see her eyes change from blue to red to blue. He quickly understood what it meant and scanned the notebook for possible countermeasures, only a few moments before the whistle signaling the end of the first half blew.

“And there’s the whistle folks! With the score 0-1, Inazuma Japan meets half-time with a one-point lag!”

Marc hurriedly carried Jude off the pitch where Celia and Alexi were ready with a first-aid kit. While they were treating Jude’s leg, Alexi told the coach that it was impossible for him to play for the next half. Despite his objections, Coach decided to switch him out with Austin.

Caleb was surprised at the same time worried and instantly turned to Alexi for answers. Their eyes met and Alexi gave him a look that assures him that she knows what she’s doing. Caleb trusted her and turned to Austin and nodded at him.

Axel noticed how nervous Austin was as he was having a small conversation with his sister. After a few moments, Alexi held Austin’s shoulders and kissed him on the forehead which ultimately made Austin feel more relaxed.

“Here are the orders for the second half. Shawn, you hang in the lower middle and trim off the opponent’s attacks. Austin, you take over Jude’s position, help bring the ball up as much as possible.” Said the Coach.

“I-Is it alright for me to take such an important position?” Austin asked.

“You can do it Tiger. Just do your best.” Alexi answered with a smile. “Oh and by the way, Hurley its time for you to bring out that new hissatsu technique of yours.”

“She’s right.” Coach Travis agreed, “I didn’t let you sneak off just so you could come back empty handed. Hurley, we need that new shoot.”

Hurley paled and swallowed hard, “Y-you knew about it? H-How? It’s not even complete yet.”

Alexi smiled and said, “It’s not complete yet because you haven’t envision it in your head. Know the kind of technique you’ll need to defeat them. Score the goal. Remember Hurley, the hint is on the field.”

****

“The second half is finally starting and Inazuma Japan starts if off by switching in Austin Knight for Jude Sharp! With no prior experience in the Football Frontier, he’s a player with unknown abilities. I’m curious to know what kind of play he’s got tucked in his sleeve?”

Hearing this made Austin a nervous. He instinctively turned to Alexi who gave him a reassuring smile. He took in a deep breath and started to focus on the match.

“I have to do my best for nee-san, I can’t afford to slack off.” He whispered to himself.

Axel noticed the way Alexi looked at Austin when he wasn’t looking at her anymore. She looked so worried for Austin for some reason. He made a mental note to ask Alexi about it later on, assuming they’ll win this match.

“Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you win.” Axel’s thoughts immediately remembered the way Alexi said those words and it made him believe her. What can he say? There’s something in her eyes that made him feel certain that she wasn’t lying nor just boosting their morale.

“Her eyes hold a kind of certainty in them that makes anyone believe her.” He said to himself with a smile.

His thoughts were disrupted as the game started with Australia’s kick off. Inazuma Japan goes in for the attack while Australia’s Jones and Reef kept up the offense with quick pass. Austin, who joined the defense line intercepted one of their pass with a back-upper kick. Jones and Reef were shocked at how fast he was able to steal the ball from them.

The crowd cheered for Austin’s brilliant plays, but the person who cheered the most was Alexi as she internally hoped that this might bring out Austin’s real plays.

“Austin’s play changed the flow of the game.” Jude said to himself. “Who would’ve thought that a player with that kind of talent was trained by a single person.”

Austin passes the ball to Axel who then tries to make the shot using “Fireball Storm” from a narrow-side angle. He thought it might break through the defense’s range. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to get through the goal keeper’s “Great Barrier Reef”.

Although it missed, the shot did gave Hurley an idea for his hissatsu technique.

“The second-half is full of back-and-forth plays. Time keeps passing as the unending attacks continue!” said the commentator.

After another quick and clean steal by Austin, Hurley, who just finished visualizing his hissatsu shoot, asked Austin to pass the ball to him.

Once Hurley got hold of the ball, he then started to ride it in huge wave that’s heading straight for Australia’s goal. The ball’s rotation wasn’t strong enough to get pass “Great Barrier Reef”, but the failed attempt gave Axel an idea on how to get through the goal keepers move.

Australia now has the ball and is beginning their counterattack with “Megalodon”. Marc then closed his eyes so that he can match-point the place where the shot might be weakest. He then used “Fist of Justice G3” which managed to deflect the ball back midcourt.

Hurley tries to recover the ball and when he did he used the same hissatsu shoot he used earlier, only now with a more powerful rotation that managed to get through the goal keepers defense, earning Japan’s first goal against the world. Willy later on named that shot, “The Typhoon”.

Australia then switches in another player for a midfielder who fervently placed his mark on Hurley, making it impossible for him to score another goal.

“The match might be ending at a tie folks! There’s not enough time on the board and Japan’s stroke of luck has been firmly marked by the opposing team. How will this heated match end?”

Hurley manages to get out of his current state, only to be blocked by four enemy players. He then passed the ball to Jack, unfortunately, all of the other players were heavily marked by the other team. His instincts then took over and he ran up ahead with the ball.

With another Australian player in hot pursuit, Jack remembered his training with Coach Travis and Alexi and brought the ball up himself. He then got passed the other player and passed the ball to Austin who quickly feints a shot and dodges the opponent’s side tackle.

He then made the last pass to Axel who now had a clear shot of the goal. He made his way up with the ball and when he was close enough, he made a new hissatsu shot which is almost similar to “Fire Tornado”, except for the difference in height and the way his body turned.

The ball was cloaked in a fiery blast that broke through “Great Barrier Reef” because of its immense rotation. “We’ll call that one ‘Fireball Screw’!”  Willy pointed out as the crowd cheered for Japan while the long whistle signaling the end of the game, blew.

“There you have it folks! Japan wins the first match, 2-1! And will continue on to the next stage!”

****

Yes! I finally updated and OH MY GOD THAT FELT GOOD!!! Now that I’m finally graduating high school, I can finally focus on my stories whooohoooo!!!!

And I’m sorry in advance for every single mistake I made. I know I’m not good in action plays but I hope you managed to like this one. By the way, I hope you don’t get messed up by this symbol (~) and this (*)

Remember, (~)- this symbol is for a specific characters POV and (*)-this symbol is for the 3rd person’s POV.

Are we good? Alright, so how’s the chapter? I know this may not be interesting for some of you, but I intend to continue this story because of the increasing number of readers! I mean seriously, I never thought it would actually reach a thousand plus reads!!! I’m seriously freaking out now!!! Kyaa~ I love you all!

Thank you sooooo much for your support and I hope you’ll continue to be patient with me. You guys are the best!

You know the drill! READ, LIKE, COMMENT, VOTE AND SHARE THE INAZUMA LOVE!!!