Pre-Match Atmosphere
"He will be another one to get crushed by me, don't worry."
Up until Fuse finally spoke, there was a deafening silence between us that almost felt awkward.
"Ooh, how scary~, you're so cool and cold Arata-chan~. I bet if girls heard this they'd be all over you."
His sentence was notable for its sarcastic undertone and overt mockery, especially after he burst into hysterical laughter, which made my face flush with embarrassment.
"Aw shut up, Fuse. People are looking at us you dork."
"Alright alright, my apologies your highness."
*Tsk*
Tsuji eventually became peaceful. We were already getting close to the stadium where the match will take place, and it would be terrible for my reputation if any of our competitors overheard this argument.
Despite my outward display of irritation, I actually really enjoyed being around Fuse. There was never a dull moment when he was around, and our friendship has shown me the beauty of the connections fostered by football. United in joy, sorrow, aspirations, and ambitions.
I spoke to my friend in a for once solemn and collected tone while looking at the stadium's reflection in my eyes.
"Tsuji."
"Hm?"
Surprised by the yet another change of mood, Fuse turned his attention towards me whilst I was still eye-balling the pitch we will have to fight on.
"We will win today, right?"
Tsuji paused briefly before responding, since serious discussions like these weren't really his cup of tea. Eventually he looked in the same direction I was eyeing and exclaimed
"With your addition to the team, I don't think that's impossible."
I agreed with a simple nod and was already getting mentally ready for this 80 minute clash I am about to partake in.
"Let's hurry up a bit, Arata. They must be waiting for us."
"Yeah, let's go."
Our locker room was vacant when we arrived around five minutes late for warm-ups, which suggested that the players were outside performing modest workouts to reduce the risk of injury.
Me and Fuse ran to the field after donning our clothes and putting on our boots. The dazzling light at the entrance tunnel's end has never appeared so bright, yet so welcoming and thrilling.
'It is time to shine again.'
I was watching a group of recognizable people racing around the field in light blue uniforms as I was mindful to go onto the field with my right foot. They moved in unison under the leadership of the squad captain, who stood out in a crowd thanks to his tall stature and expressionless face. This person was my second close friend - Akiyama Takahashi.
We raced over to them, expecting to hear a lot from Coach and uptight Takahashi. We met our drill sergeant of a coach first so that we wouldn't be harshly punished the following day with tremendously strenuous drills.
"GOOD MORNING, KUNO KICHIROU SENSEI. WE'RE SORRY FOR BEING LATE!" x2
Shouted out in tandem because we weren't late for practice or even game warm-ups for the first time. It was actually somewhat shocking how the normally vocal coach held back this time. This shows just how much of a serious matter this Match was.
Our Captain was the one who didn't hold back when it came to lecturing us. Takahashi came over to us after leaving a running circle and slapped me in the back of the head before berating us.
"WHAT THE FUCK why would you slap only me?!"
"Why the hell are you two late, huh? And I slapped you because I'm 90% sure you are the reason Fuse is late as well."
'So much prejudice in this cold world...'
The club guys were obviously amused by the situation and were trying their hardest not to laugh because they knew the harsh exercises they would do as punishment were not worth it. Tsuji didn't give a damn about it and made the most of his time.
*Clap* "Enough of chit-chat, go do your routines, you two. The guys on the other side of the pitch have come way before us, we need to catch up."
"Roger that, chan-Aki."
I turned to face our opposition as I went through my warm-up stretches. They were hard at work exercising while dressed in black uniforms. Actually, the guys seemed big from a distance. Although few of them were my height, they were nonetheless somewhat frightening physically. Their haircuts were the thing that caught the most attention though.
*Pfft* "Oi, chan-Tsu, take a look at those guys' cuts."
"Hm? BHAHHAHA NO WAY ALMOST ALL OF THEM HAVE IT HAHAHA"
Most of those guys had Punch Perm, in the big ol' 21st century. Couldn't make this up if I tried to.
After a brief period of light exercise, we returned to the locker room to review the strategy we had previously discussed. There was a white magnetic board with oddly arranged dots on it. The entire club sat silently waiting for someone to approach and start a conversation.
Kichirou-Sensei was never a part of the discussion simply due to the fact that he wasn't a huge fan of Football in any sort, we just convinced him to train us after his PE classes. So most of the tactical responsibility fell on my shoulders since I was the biggest footy nerd here.
"As we established yesterday, we will be playing a 4-4-2 formation. We decided to change our 4-2-3-1 up because of the overly defensive and physical way our opponents tend to play."
I looked around the room to make sure everyone pays attention.
"We are deploying our traditional Starting lineup with only one crucial change. Teruo-kun will sit and leave the LCB role for Takahashi, the DM. The reasoning behind this decision is fairly simple, those guys out there run and press like maniacs, so we need a technical security in a backline to execute our ideas close to perfection."
#18 - Oka Ken, second year Midfielder, raised his hand, clearly having some sort of question. Without a word, I signalled him to speak up.
"But, Lierde-senpai, if Teruo sits and Takahashi-senpai takes his position, who do we put on Captain's previous spot?"
"That's a very logical question, Ken-kun and our decision might surprise some of you, so we decided to avoid this topic to minimize the unnecessary talk. The one who-"
I was abruptly interrupted by a rightful leader of this room, Akiyama took the talking responsibilities with his low and commanding voice.
"I decided it will be Kazuki. It is a final decision that will not be changed no matter how many objections I'll hear, so save yourself a breath for screaming at the ref during a game. End of this topic. Continue, Arata."
It will be an understatement to say that the team was shocked to hear these news.
"K-Kazuki?! He's a first year and has been played like 5 times at most!"
"How can you two deploy him in the most important game of the year, are you out of your damn minds?"
"Isn't he afraid of holding the ball too? What are you guys even thinking?"
My calm demeanor didn't waver while Aki closed his eyes to double down on his firmness.
"Hey, calm down, everybody. Sit and let Arata finish, I think he earned at least this much with everything he's helped this club with."
As expected, Fuse's crowd control is on another level. I thanked him and addressed the only person in the room who hasn't said a word, the main man himself Kurokawa Kazuki. Although, notified about the decision yesterday, he still looks nervous and shocked.
"Kazuki-kun, I want you to follow Takahashi, he will explain to you everything you need to know. Don't worry about the things we will say here while you're outside, you were there when we demonstrated it all yesterday, there'll be nothing new."
"O-okay, I understand, Senpai."
Once the two of them left, I turned back to the 15 boys that have gone through a lot alongside me. They had worried expressions on their faces, a mix of nervousness in front of a strong opponent and a fear of failure.
"I understand how you guys feel. I really do. But please understand us as well. We're doing everything possible to increase our chances of victory. And in our opinion, this is the most optimal way of doing so, given the tools we have."
Their faces gained a little bit of color and relaxed, the tension in their bodies started to fade away.
"We've come to this point through our sheer determination and ability to do everything in our power to defeat the other team. 'Just some unknown school' they say, 'bunch of lucky nobodies', 'they don't deserve to be here' they say."
Silence filled the room after these hurtful sentences were said, these words stabbed the entire beings of the players present here.
"I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!" I hit the board with an open palm of my head after the exclamation. The pain was noticable, but only second-rate in the current situation.
"We - you and me - have come to this point because we pushed ourselves, our bodies and our limits EVERY SINGLE DAY."
"We have reached this stage because we bled for it and dreamed of it EVERY SINGLE DAY."
"We are here today because we're strong enough to power through every obstacle in our way and prove that the Gods of Football have chosen us and deemed us worthy."
"I BELIEVE IN YOU SAKAGUCHI FC. Try believing in yourself and me, too. GO OUT THERE AND SHOW THE WORLD YOUR WORTH!!!"
"YEAH!"