"Enough playing around! Now we'll show you what we're really made of!" shouted a Hamburg player.
"The Hamburg team has completely changed their attitude!" said the commentator, as the German side surged forward. "They're storming toward the goal, chaining precise passes at full speed!"
"Yes! That's our football!" roared the crowd.
"Damn… this isn't the same team anymore." Ishizaki muttered to Jito.
"What the hell got into them?" added Soda.
"Listen up! I warned you already!" shouted Wakabayashi from his goal. "Without Shin, Tsubasa, and even Misugi—you have no chance of beating us! Until now, we let you attack just to test your strength!"
"What!?"
"Seriously?!"
"No way!" several Japanese players exclaimed in shock.
"What do you mean… it was just to test us?" growled Kojiro Hyuga. Then, bursting with fury, he sprinted toward the Hamburg player with the ball and slid in with a fierce tackle.
"Hyuga explodes with rage!" said the commentator. "He recovers the ball and launches a counterattack. Hyuga the Tiger charges forward with unmatched intensity and determination!"
'You were mocking us, Wakabayashi…' Hyuga thought, his eyes locked on the goal, fire burning in his chest.
'This time, my Tiger Shot will rip through your net.'
"Hmm, come on then, Hyuga." murmured Wakabayashi as he took his position, calm and focused.
"What!?" Hyuga exclaimed. In front of him stood Schneider. Unlike earlier in the match, this time Schneider moved. With perfect timing, he slid the ball away from Hyuga's feet, taking control. Without missing a beat, he followed up with a powerful shot—straight into Hyuga's stomach—launching him into the air as the ball bounced and landed back at Schneider's feet.
"The Kaiser is known for plays like this!" said the commentator, just as Hyuga crashed to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. "Now he charges forward with the ball again!"
"Stop him!" shouted Kazuo Tachibana to Nitta, but both were easily bypassed by Schneider.
"He's so fast—it feels like we were just dribbled past by..." Kazuo started.
"Tsubasa..." Nitta finished grimly.
"We'll stop him, Sawada!" yelled Matsuyama. But before either could act, Schneider was already gone.
"He's charging straight like Hyuga!" Ishizaki shouted. "I can't catch him!"
"Schneider is keeping his top speed!" the commentator said excitedly. "Only Jito and Takasugi remain—the two giants!"Just then, Schneider passed the ball back to Kaltz, who immediately sent in a perfect cross.
Schneider followed through with an acrobatic volley.
"Goooaaal!" the commentator shouted. The ball hit the net before Wakashimazu could even react. "Hamburg takes the lead!"The crowd erupted in wild cheers.
"Krr... We were dominating, and in just seconds, they flipped the game." Ishizaki said through clenched teeth.
"Wakabayashi, you'll have to forgive me, but I want to give everything I've got before saying goodbye." Schneider said calmly. "I'll destroy Japanese football all by myself." Determination burned in his eyes.
He turned around and jogged back into position.
'Mom, Dad—you're not here... but Hamburg is watching, and soon, the whole world will be.' Schneider thought.
The match resumed—and without delay, Schneider scored a second goal with a Fire Shot.
Meanwhile, inside a car on the way to the Hamburg vs Japan match...
"At this pace, we'll make it just in time for the second half." Munemasa Katagiri said to the young man beside him, who was silently watching the game.
"I can't wait to defeat Wakabayashi with my Falling Leaf Shot." said none other than Tsubasa. "But I think... something's happening right now." he added, eyes fixed on the action.
Back on the field...
[Shin's POV]
"Well, it was nice meeting you guys." I said to Juan and Pascual.
"You're leaving too? Have you seen enough?" Juan asked.
"No... it's just getting started." I replied, stepping away.
"Excuse me, sorry, thank you—" I weaved through the crowd, heading toward Coach Mikami.
"You can't enter the field like that!" he called out.
I pulled down my hood.
"Oh! Orochi!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Shin." Misugi said softly.
"Coach." I nodded in greeting, then stood upright. "Jun. Mind if I join in too?" I asked.
"Schneider snatches the ball from Kojiro Hyuga again—this time with even more aggression!" said the commentator.
"Hyuga!" the Japanese players shouted on the field.
"Another missed opportunity for Japan." the commentator added grimly.
"Well, Coach? I'm waiting for your answer." I said, as he turned his head from the action on the pitch.
"Orochi Shin, get your jersey on." he said.
The ball went out of bounds after a powerful shot from midfield by Schneider. Wakashimazu barely managed to deflect it at the last moment—but it hurt his hand in the process.
"There's a substitution on the Japanese side, Kazuo Tachibana is coming off and... wait a second... it's... it's Shin Orochi! The Japanese forward currently playing for Chelsea! Just like Schneider, he's considered the best striker of his generation!" the commentator exclaimed.
'What's Shin doing here?' thought all the Japanese players—and even Wakabayashi.
'Shin Orochi... my father told me he's my true rival, just like Gino Hernandez is to Wakabayashi.' Schneider thought to himself.
"Well, it's been a while." I said to my teammates on the national team.
"You could've told us you were coming." Soda said. "Is it just me, or did you get even taller?" he added.
"I did Makoto. Anyway—just get me the ball." I gave them my simple instruction before jogging into position.
Off the pitch...
"Now I understand what he meant when he said Japan was missing a few key pieces." Juan Diaz said to Pascual.
Elsewhere...
"Marie, hurry up or we'll miss your brother's match!" a little girl said to Marie, Karl-Heinz's sister.
"Yes, I'm right behind y—" Marie tripped and fell into the street mid-response. A car was speeding toward her when a boy rushed in and pulled her to safety.
"Are you all right?!" asked the driver, who had slammed the brakes and gotten out of the car.
"No injuries, sir." said the young man calmly.
"I'm fine." Marie added.
"Should I take you to the hospital just to be safe?" the driver insisted. From the back seat of the car, Tsubasa and Munemasa Katagiri stepped out.
"That won't be necessary. I've got a flight to catch." the young man said.
After a few seconds Munemasa recognized who was in front of them.
"I recognize you... You're Gino Hernandez, goalkeeper for the Italian junior team."