Chapter 1: Ren and Ashina! The Third Stage Matches Begin!

FYI

: Speech

(Tone/Context):

- Thoughts

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Midfielder Team A enters walking out onto the field.

Announcer: Here we have it, everyone! Midfielder Team A with Tanaka Sudou as their Left Forward and Captain. Meanwhile, Suzuki Ren is the Right Forward and Oriyamaru Ashina is their Center Midfielder and Augmenter.

Winger Team A enters walking out onto the field next.

Sudou (smirking confidently)- Don't underestimate them! That Tasogare Haruto guy has more than double the votes of Ashina has which means he's only slightly worse than me.

Ren- This guy is so damn full of himself!

Ren starts with the ball at Kick-Off and when the whistle blows, he passes to Ashina who dribbles up the field and swerves past opponents with ease by using various dribbling skills like step-overs and air elasticos as he pushes forward. Still, Ichiro moves into position blocking his path.

Ichiro- This guy... he made it past everyone so easily? His dribbling is off the charts too.

Ichiro: Who the hell do you think you are anyway?

Ashina doesn't answer as he rolls the ball onto his right foot and then pulls his foot up chipping the ball over Ichiro as he dashes towards the left to receive his own pass.

Ichiro: What the...?

Ichiro uses his arm to stop Ashina in his tracks.

Ichiro: Did you seriously think I'd let you?

Ichiro- I've shut him down but what about his teammates?

Ren appears on the scene grabbing the ball, but Haruto appears out of nowhere sporting Dark Blue Aura to put a stop to his advance.

Ren- Where did he come from? Wasn't he back at the Kick-Off line? How did he get here so fast? That speed isn't human!

Ren tries to move to the right to get past but Haruto appears there as well blocking his path completely.

Ren- What exactly is this guy even?

Haruto- This one is no good but the other...

Sudou pushes forward stealing the ball from Ren as two defenders block him preventing his passing routes as he goes for the shot. However, Haruto appears where the shot was being taken from right outside the Penalty box blocking it and then he rushes forward with the ball. A Defender from Midfielder Team A pushes in the block off Haruto as Ren stays in this position keeping an eye on possible passing routes and hoping to intercept any passes over the head while Ashina rushes in support of the Defender.

Pretty soon they have Haruto boxed in, but he suddenly disappears as he reappears followed by a gust of wind further down the field. Ren rushes forward but trips over.

Ren- No! This can't be happening!

Ren holds out his hand in desperation as Haruto shoots the ball and scores as the whistle blows.

Announcer: Goal! An amazing goal from Tasogare Haruto at the 3 minutes and 37 second mark!

Haruto- Huh... How trivial.

The score is then shown as Midfielder Team A (0) : Winger Team A (1).

Ren: Damn it! How did he do that?

Ashina walks up to Ren and squats down holding out his hand.

Ashina: Get up. It's not over yet.

Ren is shocked at hearing his voice. His voice was quiet, soft, and reserved. It was the opposite of what he expected from a Football Player.

Ren- He spoke, that's right this guy...

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Ren falls to his knees.

Ren- I promised that I would win all our matches until Kousuke could get back. How could this happen to us?

Sudou (chuckling): Good job Ashina. Just keep passing to me so I can show off.

Sudou looks away to the crowd as he waves to them while Ashina glares at him with contempt.

Ren- What's with that look? I see. He wants to be the one in the spotlight. He wants to be the one to score... wait... Isn't this how I've been feeling this entire time? Isn't this the reason I always try to score for myself and yet screw it up? I've known it for a while now. I'm an inferior version of Kousuke. No, we're not even in the same league. He's a genius and I'm... I'm just some average idiot hoping his dreams will come true.

Ashina walks away towards a door exiting the field.

Ren- But if that's so then why would a genius like him feel that way?

Ren watches Ashina's back as he walks away in wonder.

Ren- What's with this guy? He's...

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Ashina (sweating): Hurry up already. We have a match to play and I'm not losing this match.

Ren: Ashina... You spoke... I can't believe... that you can speak!

Ashina (dumbfounded): Huh? Of course, I can speak.

Ren: Then why?... all this time!

Ashina (quietly while feeling awkward): I'm just not very sociable.

Ashina turns his head as a hurt expression covers his face.

Ren- What's with that look?

Ren: So, you weren't ignoring me out of contempt!?

Ashina (surprised): Of course not.

Ren walks up to Ashina and whispers in his ear.

Ren: As long as you don't pass to Sudou, we'll be fine.

Ashina: I can't do that.

Ren: Just trust me. I'll have your back.

Ashina: But I...

Ren: It'll be fine. We'll score way more goals than he can. He might be talented, but he'll never be able to bring this team together. That's something only you can do.

Ashina: Okay.

Ren: Then are you ready?

Ashina: Yeah.

Ren starts with the ball as the whistle goes off and he passes to Ashina who sprints forwards dribbling past multiple opponents.

Ren and Sudou open themselves up to a pass and Haruto is marking Sudou who doesn't realize this.

Haruto- He's good but in the end he's just a slave to this trash's whims. Such a waste.

Suddenly Ashina passes to Ren. Ashina sweats from excitement and fear from this.

Haruto- Huh? Damn it! I underestimated him!

Haruto dashes over to stop Ren when Ren due to Ichiro putting pressure on him passes to Ashina who receives the ball only to find Haruto waiting there.

Haruto: So, you're not just some slave huh?

Ashina then kicks the ball to Haruto's right side who looks at it confused.

Haruto- There's no one on his team there. In fact, there are only guys from my team there. What is he thinking?

Suddenly the ball curves 180 degrees to Sudou who kicks the ball into the goal as whistle blows and the crowd cheers resulting in Sudou celebrating and blowing kisses to the crowd.

Announcer: Goal! A beautiful assist from Oriyamaru Ashina for Tanaka Sudou to score the equalizer at the 6 minutes and 43 second mark!

Sudou (smirking but clearly irritated): Good job Ashina. Just don't pass to Ren like you did before.

Ashina (sweating): Yeah alright.

Ashina walks back to Team Red's half. Ren notices this and walks up to him.

Ren: Why do you let him talk to you like that?

Ashina: I don't have any idea what you're talking about.

Ashina- You all don't understand.

Ren- What is going on? Is he being bullied? But he has Augmentation. Who would mess with someone like him? That doesn't make any sense.

Haru walks up to Ashina.

Haru: You passed to him again. I expected as much but I'm disappointed that you would pass to trash like him. I thought you would be the one to challenge me but in the end whenever things get desperate you end up being a slave to him again.

Ashina falls back onto his behind just from the way Haru towers over him in that moment.

Ashina- None of you get it at all! All you want to do is blame me.

Ren walks up to Ashina and looks to him.

Ren: Look. I have no idea why you follow him like that. But that doesn't matter to me right now.

Ashina- He's even worse than the rest of them. He doesn't care at all.

Ren: Right now all I care about is winning. I want to beat Kousuke. I want to destroy him completely so that we can be friends again. Playing Football together just like old times.

Ashina- He's... not like I thought at all.

Ashina (a bit more confidently): That's truly a disgusting way of thinking.

Ren: Huh?...

Ashina: But I suppose we're alike in that regard.

Ren- Alike?

Ashina: So I'll lend you my passes and we'll win this match together!

Ren: That's more like it!

Sudou: What the hell are you saying? Don't you dare pass to that loser! And don't even think about shooting it yourself! Pass to me! I'm the one that's gonna get all the spotlight! And you know what happens when I don't.

Ashina sweats for a second.

Ren: Just shut your trap. If you wanna be in the limelight than earn it for yourself.

Sudou begins boiling with anger.

Sudou- This brat! Who does he think he is? If only this was in high school. It would've been so easy to teach people like him a lesson back then.

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Two families meet together each with a son. Each boy is about 6 years old. One of the boys is Sudou and the other is Ashina who is wearing glasses.

Ashina's Mother: Well go on Ashina. Say hello.

Ashina (loudly): Hello! My name is Oriyamaru Ashina. It's vey nice to meet you.

Ashina bows and extends his hand doing this as Sudou begrudgingly shakes it.

Sudou's Mother: Oh my. Your boy is so polite. He really is adorable.

Sudou's Father: He seems like quite the well mannered boy. You must be proud.

Ashina's Mother: Well, we do our best.

Sudou's Mother: I hope the 2 of you become the best of friends.

Ashina's Mother: Now you get along with Sudou. Alright?

Ashina: Yes mother!

Ashina's Father: Let's leave the the two of them the get to know each other.

The parents leave the room.

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Sudou's Mother: Ah Yuki, Sudou's always been quite the troublemaker. I have no Idea how you do it.

Yuki: I think Ashina has just always been like that. Maki, it seems your son got his looks from you, he looks so cool even now when he's so young.

Sudou's Father: Honestly, I don't know what to do with him Hiroshi.

Hiroshi: I wouldn't really know what to tell you. I've never really experienced problems like that with Ashina. I'm afraid you'll have figure out something yourself President.

Sudou's Father: Hiroshi. It's been 18 years since I was Student Council President and you still call me that. How many times must I tell you. Just call me Kaito. We are friends after all.

Hiroshi (chuckling): Funny, cause I remember the times you would try so hard to get me to call you Lord President Kaito.

Kaito (blushing from embarrassment): I really wish you would forget about that. I mean I was just a stupid kid back then who'd gotten a bit too full of himself. Ugh. What a fool I was back then.

Hiroshi begins to laugh while the parents reminisce about their Highschool Days together.

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At the school Sudou and Ashina Sudou who is 14 at this point is standing over Ashina who has been badly beaten with blood dripping from his fists.

Sudou (threatening tone): If you tell anyone about this...!

Ashina had tears flowing from his eyes and a terrified look on his face but it was obvious he would never speak of this to anyone out of fear.

Ashina: It hurts...

Sudou- None of this would've happened if you had just...

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To Be Continued

Next Chapter: The Top 2 Face Off! Haruto Vs Ashina! The Match Comes To An End!