"Coach, take Wakashimazu out too, if he keeps playing, he'll injure himself." I said firmly.
"No, I'm fine." Wakashimazu insisted.
"Let me see your wrist," said Coach Mikami, concerned by my tone. Wakashimazu reluctantly removed his gloves.The coach's expression hardened. "Wakashimazu, you're coming off. Morisaki, you're in."
"Understood!" said Morisaki, quickly getting ready.
"Wait! I can keep playing, the match isn't over, Hyuga's right!" Wakashimazu protested.
"I know it's hard to accept, but you're too hurt to continue."added Ishizaki.
"You don't want it getting worse." I told him calmly.
"Take him to the doctor, Misugi." ordered Coach Mikami.
"I'll handle it." said Munemasa, stepping forward from nearby.
"But—!"
"Wakashimazu, your hand's too damaged. It's better to take care of it now." Hyuga interrupted him, his tone steady."Trust us to handle the rest."
"Tch… fine." he finally conceded, frustration in his voice.
"The match resumes with Morisaki now guarding Japan's goal." said the commentator as we all got back into position.
The game started again.
On the bench, Misugi turned to Tsubasa."Now you know how I feel, that burning desire to play, but being unable to," he said quietly."But I won't give up. Someday, I'll wear Japan's colors."
He looked toward the field, where Shin was dribbling through defenders with fierce determination, the ball glued to his feet.
[ Shin's POV ]
I weaved through the defenders.This time, instead of shooting from outside the box, I decided to secure the goal with a closer strike, after all, the score was 3–1.
I unleashed my Snake Shot, but this time along the ground.
Wakabayashi tried to predict the ball's movement, but even he couldn't react in time.
"GOAL! Japan are back in the match thanks to this player's brilliance! It's 3–2!" said the commentator.
Hamburg wasted no time restarting play.
Kaltz played a quick one-two with Karl-Heinz, who then unleashed a powerful long-range Fire Shot. Morisaki tried to reach it, but the ball flew past him before he could even dive.
"Karl-Heinz Schneider answers immediately! 4–2!"
Without hesitation, I ran to the center spot for the kickoff. While Hamburg's players were still repositioning, I pushed forward through their confusion, breaking into the box again.I took my shot, and the ball blasted into the net.
"Damn it… I thought I had improved so much." Wakabayashi muttered under his breath.
"A hat-trick for Shin Orochi! It's 4–3! The goals just keep coming but there are only five minutes left in this friendly match!" shouted the commentator.
"Is the gap really that big…?" murmured Hyuga, watching Shin and Karl-Heinz — two prodigies clashing at a level beyond everyone else on the pitch.
The match resumed, and the duel between Karl-Heinz and me continued relentlessly.
For the remaining five minutes, we intercepted each other again and again, neither willing to back down.
When the final whistle blew, the score stood at 4–3 — a narrow loss for Japan.
"Without him, we probably would've lost six–nil… so this is the level of Japan's U15 team, huh." Hyuga muttered to himself.
"It was pathetic, Hyuga." said Wakabayashi bluntly.
"Don't start, Wakabayashi." I said firmly, making him turn toward me.
Later that day, around a dinner table, the mood was heavy.
"Even with a close score, it still feels like we got destroyed." said Kazuo Tachibana.
"And Wakashimazu's injury doesn't help… that's not a good sign for the next games." Ishizaki added.
"Don't throw in the towel over one defeat!" Matsuyama said, slamming his fist lightly on the table.
"He's right." I said calmly. "That match just exposed the gaps you need to fill."
"Our gaps." corrected Tsubasa. "We're a team, remember? Matsuyama's right — we just have to give everything in the next match."
"Still the same old optimistic Tsubasa." said Morisaki, and the tension slowly eased, replaced by faint smiles.
On the third day of the tour, the Japanese team headed to the Bremen Stadium, where their second match was scheduled.
"I have an announcement," said Coach Mikami once they arrived. "You'll be playing two matches today as part of the tournament preparations. Italy's youth team will also be playing here in Germany."
"So each of the three teams will face the other two."
"Let's show them our football!" shouted Ishizaki, followed by a loud, collective "Yeah!" from the team.
"I thought they'd still be shaken after the last game, but they seem fine now." one assistant coach said to another.
"True, but it looks like Matsuyama and Hyuga haven't fully recovered yet." the other replied.
"That's not because of the match." Misugi cut in. "They trained late last night, right, Tsubasa?"
"Oh—uh, yeah." said Tsubasa, caught off guard.
Standing next to Jun, I overheard their conversation but wasn't surprised.Hyuga must have been training with that triple-weighted ball his old Meiwa coach gave him to develop his Neo Tiger Shot.
Matsuyama, with his warrior's mindset, probably pushed himself to the limit after our loss.
And Tsubasa… knowing him, he'd be back to training too, frustrated he couldn't play last time.
"We've arrived." said Coach Mikami as the bus came to a stop. "This is Bremen Stadium."
"It's a beautiful arena." said Makoto Soda, looking around.
"Look at all those pretty German girls—bet they're talking about me." Ishizaki boasted.
"Idiot, they can't even see you." Wakabayashi shot back.
"Oh, Wakabayashi…" Ishizaki started, then blinked.
"Wait what's he doing here?" said Soda.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Ishizaki." Wakabayashi smirked, pointing ahead, "but they're not here for you… they're here for him."
"Ah! Schester!!" the fans cried out.
"That's Franz Schester, Bremen's star midfielder and vice-champion of Germany." explained Wakabayashi. "He's also on the national team with my friends Schneider and Kaltz."
"He's coming this way." murmured Ishizaki.
He approached, followed by his coach.
"Welcome, gentlemen. I'm Dremmler, Bremen's coach." said the man, shaking Coach Mikami's hand.
Schester greeted him as well, then walked straight toward us, or rather, straight toward me.
He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"I'm the captain." said Hyuga firmly, stepping between us.
"Oh—my mistake, I thought…" Schester started, but before things could get awkward, the Italian team's bus pulled up.
"The first match will be Bremen versus Japan, kickoff at 10 sharp. In the meantime, feel free to use one of our training fields." said Coach Dremmler before walking off with Schester.
A little farther away…
"What's wrong with you, Franz?" said Coach Dremmler.
"Nothing, I was just convinced Shin Orochi was the captain."