Disclaimer: I don't own Inazuma Eleven or Level-5. All I own are my OCs and their hissatsu techniques.
This is my first time writing a fanfiction like this, so I hope it turns out well. Before the story officially starts, I'd like to mention how I included a past OC of mine into the story. Some of you may recognize her from Eternal Snow, a romance fanfiction that I wrote. For those of you who have not read that fanfiction of mine, I've included some information on my female OC, Azumi, into the story so readers will not feel lost. Also, for those of you who do not know Japanese well, "kantoku" is the equivalent for "coach".
Two teams on a single field, playing to win the chance to be the world's best. The second FFI has come around, with Japan's national team, Neo Inazuma Japan, drastically changing its usual lineup. Keep on your toes and expect the unexpected. This tournament is much more than you'll ever bargain for.
Friday, June 2. 10:29 AM. Private Landing Area. Inazuma, Japan.
A lone man with dark violet hair stood waiting at a private landing area. He watched as an airplane finally swooped down from the sky and came to a stop on the ground, only opening his mouth to speak when two figures came out of the airplane and moved towards him. The figure to the right was that of a fifteen-year-old girl with vivid purple-gray eyes and dark raspberry red hair that came down to her waist. She wore a loose t-shirt with shorts. Her companion was a boy of the same age with gray hair and bluish-gray eyes who had on similar clothing. Both were carrying light luggage.
"It's nice to see you again, Kudou-kantoku! Can you believe that it's been three months already?" the girl greeted cheerfully as the man walked forward to meet with them. Known as Azumi Izuna, she used to be Raimon Junior High's ace soccer player before she graduated. Her wealthy parents had died in an accident when she was five, leaving behind an enormous fortune and the duty of taking over the family enterprise when she grew older.
Azumi was ten when she left Japan for America to oversee the companies her parents had used to own. Four years later, she returned to her home country to expand the Izuna business empire even further and enrolled herself into Raimon Junior High, where she met her childhood friend. Fubuki Shirou, the boy beside her and said childhood friend, offered a smile as a greeting to the coach. To be more exact, he had gone from being a childhood friend to her boyfriend within the past year.
"Yes, welcome back, Azumi, Fubuki. I hope you two thoroughly enjoyed your trip around the world because things are going to be busy for the both of you from here on out," Kudou told them. Azumi looked puzzled, as did her boyfriend.
"What do you mean, kantoku? I hope you didn't come to personally greet us just so you could give us some bad news," Shirou looked a little nervous.
"It's about the second Football Frontier International tournament," Kudou explained. "I want you two to come for a meeting tomorrow at Raimon Junior High's auditorium. Be there by eight in the morning." Understanding dawned on the couple's faces and they nodded. They had heard rumors of a second FFI while abroad, which had been confirmed just now by their coach.
"You could have just said so earlier then, kantoku! Will Endou and the others be there too?" Azumi hopefully asked. She was eager to see her friends after so long. Kudou's face darkened a little.
"No," he answered, a hint of regret in his voice. Azumi and Fubuki stared at him in confusion. "Endou and most of the others unfortunately got injured in a traffic accident a few days ago as they were all walking home together. Although their wounds aren't life endangering, their injuries will need at least a month or so to heal. They won't be able to participate in this year's FFI." Silence descended over the group at the news, but it was quickly broken as Shirou's bag dropped to the ground with a loud thud. He bent down to pick it up with shaking hands while his girlfriend's face paled.
"No way..." she whispered. Kudou stared back at her with sympathetic eyes. "How could that have happened right before we came back? Are... Are they okay? How do they feel about not being able to play in the upcoming tournament?"
"They were quite depressed the day after the accident occurred, but thanks to Endou's unwavering enthusiasm, they're feeling a lot better. They were also disappointed that they wouldn't be able to play in the FFI this year, but they told me to tell you two to play and win in their places," Kudou informed her. Azumi let out a sigh of relief. Everyone sounded like they were doing fine even with their new injuries.
"Kudou-kantoku, is anyone from Inazuma Japan able to come to the meeting? You said that most of them got injured, not all," Shirou had long since retrieved his fallen bag from the ground and was in higher spirits after hearing that Endou had managed to cheer everyone up.
"Yes, I did say that. Tachimukai and Kogure were among the few who came out of the accident unscathed, and I planned on inviting them to the meeting," Kudou nodded. "At any rate, don't forget to show up for the meeting tomorrow, all right?"
"Understood," Azumi and Shirou replied.
At exactly two in the afternoon that same day, twenty kids in the country of Japan received the same message via phone or otherwise: "This is Kudou Michiya. Come to Raimon Junior High's auditorium tomorrow at eight in the morning. Do not be late."
Inazuma General Hospital. Inazuma, Japan.
A familiar brown haired boy and his friend, a prankster with golden eyes, stared at their cellphones while their teammates peered at the glowing screens from behind their shoulders. Some of them stayed in their hospital beds, waiting patiently for the others to announce what the text message said.
"See? Kudou-kantoku invited you guys to the meeting for the second FFI after all," one of his friends grinned. "Congratulations, Tachimukai, Kogure!"
"Thanks, Endou! Kogure and I will make sure to pass the tryouts when they come around!" Tachimukai beamed in happiness as one by one, his friends called out encouraging words to the lucky duo.
Courtyard. Inazuma General Hospital. Inazuma, Japan.
Kabeyama Heigorou had never been happier. Tears sprang from his eyes as he clutched his cellphone with thick hands, almost breaking the fragile device by accident in his joy.
"S-Sakuma! W-We got invited this year too!" Kabeyama sobbed. The boy with cyan hair beside him bobbed his head up and down in a nod as he patted the larger boy's back.
"There, there, Kabeyama. There's no need to cry," Sakuma smiled a little. Despite his calm exterior, the boy was secretly feeling pleased about receiving an invitation to the meeting, though he did his best not to show it. A passion silently burned within him. It was the passion to fight in Kidou Yuuto's place and take the title of world's best again.
The hard work that Kidou and the rest of Inazuma Japan had put in for the possibility of a second FFI would not go in vain.
Rairaiken. Inazuma, Japan.
Cheering in a small noodle shop was a group of friends and acquaintances from a wide variety of schools. They had all met up for a get-together. Each of them was holding their own cell phone as they turned to hug and high-five each other with their free hands.
"Shadow, Kazuto, Kurimatsu, Mukata, Genda! We all made it!" a boy wearing a striped hat cried. A part of Raimon Junior High's soccer club, Matsuno Kuusuke was the one who had arranged the meeting between everyone. He jumped up and down with a grin as his friends started to cheer even louder.
"All right, enough cheering. Get over here and eat the ramen I made. It tastes best when it's nice and warm," a man wearing a purple bandanna appeared from behind the counter of the shop, beckoning the boys over with a chuckle.
"Okay, Hibiki-san!" the teenagers cried in unison. Hibiki watched them with a fond expression as they clambered back into their seats and talked excitedly among themselves. Seeing them so full of energy lifted his own spirits, and he found himself looking forward to the day of the representative match. Yet as he smiled to himself, he couldn't help but feel as if something terrible was going to happen sooner or later. Hibiki shook his head a little, trying to clear such troubling thoughts from his head. Kageyama was gone and so was Garshield. There was no more evil to taint soccer.
Still, he could not shake the heavy feeling of doubt from his heart.
Inazuma Cemetary. Inazuma, Japan.
In another area of the same town, a fifteen-year-old boy stood in front of a gravestone with a bouquet of cypress flowers clenched tightly in his right hand. His one visible eye was a stormy gray while his other eye, his left one, was covered by a black eye patch. The boy's light skin was framed by sleek light brown hair that reached the bottom of his neck.
Himura Aoi was a soccer player fresh from America. He had moved back to his native country only the day before, but was already fitting right back into his hometown. He had not been surprised to see that little had changed in his absence.
Aoi stared at the gravestone in front of him with an expressionless face. The only sign of any emotion the boy might have felt was the visible shaking of the hand that held the flowers as he silently read the gravestone's inscription:
Himura Yukito - The Blue Seer - Rest In Peace.
Eight years ago, his parents and brother had died in a fatal subway accident. Himura Yukito had been a talented soccer player with a promising future ahead of him before his untimely death. He had always been by Aoi's side to protect and guide him, yet he had died and left him alone in the end.
Aoi then moved to America to be placed under the care of his grandparents, but not before making a vow to carry on his older brother's wish of playing soccer with the world's best. It was a few days after his arrival in America when it happened. By 'it', he meant the curse. Sometimes he tried to trick himself into believing it was a gift and nothing more, but he continued to doubt himself. So he chose to call it both a gift and a curse until he could finally decide which it was.
On that fateful day in America, his left eye had gained the startling azure blue properties of his deceased brother's own eyes. The doctors never gave a reason for the odd phenomenon's occurrence, but he never cared to ask for a real answer. All that mattered was that his brother was with him, and even though his right eye had its benefits, he kept it covered at all times unless there was a rare day when he needed it. His right eye came with risks as well, and the effects of using it for too long were dangerous.
He forced his hand to stop shaking before leaning down to place the bouquet of flowers on the earth by the grave. As he straightened up from bending down, his phone rang. Aoi dug it out of his pocket and checked the text message he had received with an impassive face. After reading its contents, he put it back in its place before walking away. There was the slightest trace of a smile on his face. Himura Aoi understood what the text message meant. He could finally fulfill his brother's dream.
I should have brought flowers of hope instead of mourning.
Marketplace. Inazuma, Japan.
"This is the life!" fifteen-year-old Akiyama Shou grinned. His dark purple eyes glowed with joy as he rode his bicycle through the streets of Inazuma Town, enjoying the feel of the wind against his tanned skin. His dark chocolate colored hair had been pulled back into a short ponytail like usual, trailing out several inches behind him in the air as he continued to pedal his bike. There was nothing the teenager liked more than to feel the wind.
Born and raised in Inazuma Town, Shou was a soccer player who had moved to America for a few years and returned the week after Raimon Junior High released its students to an extremely early, not to mention extended, summer vacation. His childhood friend, Himura Aoi, had also decided to come back to Japan much to Shou's delight, and he had eagerly gone over to greet him once he heard the news. The two had promised to hang out together sometime later in the day after Aoi finished some business in town. However, being too impatient to wait for Aoi any longer, Shou had decided to go out and look for him while at the same time enjoy his daily pedaling trip around the neighborhood. After riding on his bike and even going out for runs day after day, Shou had become accustomed to the wind and air, earning himself two nicknames as a proud soccer player: the Messenger of the Wind and the Tengu.
Shou almost looked like he was flying at the speed he was biking. One would think that it would be dangerous to ride so quickly through the narrow streets of the town marketplace, but not Shou. He somehow managed to zip along at a fast pace while controlling his bike so that he didn't bump into anyone or anything. As he went on his way through town, he called out cheerful greetings to the townspeople who warmly welcomed him back. A pleased smile worked his way onto his face at the sight of all the familiar faces. Man, I really missed Inazuma Town and everyone in it. He almost couldn't believe that three years had already passed.
Shou came to a stop by the end of the street, promptly hopping off of his bike for a short rest. He was stretching his arms out when he felt a sudden change in the air. In a single fluid-like motion, Shou quickly turned and plucked a paper airplane out of the air without batting an eye. He raised an eyebrow and stared at the object he held with puzzlement.
"Where did this come from?" Shou muttered. He looked up for a moment to find the person who had thrown it at him, but saw no one and looked back down. His eyebrows furrowed as he proceeded to examine the airplane some more, finally noticing pencil marks hidden by the folds. His curiosity piqued, he opened the paper airplane up and gazed at the message written on it. Shou's eyes scanned the scribbled words on the creased sheet of paper, only narrowing even further in confusion by the time he had finished. The mysterious message made no sense to him.
His eyes widened as it finally dawned on him.
Not too long ago, on the day of his flight back to Japan, his old soccer coach had told him about a possible upcoming tournament. He hadn't paid much attention to him back then, but his former coach's words now rang in his ears, capturing his full interest. Shou grinned to himself as he jumped back onto his bike and started to pedal, his lips curving into a broad smile. If it was as big of a tournament as he suspected, then there was a high chance that they would be there.
He would finally get to see that person again.
Sun Garden. Inazuma, Japan.
"Kurosawa Sai, get back here!" a fifteen-year-old boy with light skin and purple hair yelled. With vivid matching eyes that darkened in anger, he ran after another boy of the same age. Sai looked behind his shoulder to stick his tongue out at the boy behind him. He had called the other boy a brute just minutes before.
"Not happening, Shiki! You'll have to come and catch me yourself!" Sai playfully winked at the purple-haired boy, laughing as he shook a fist at him with a red face. Sai continued to run from him, easily making sure that the gap between them was always more than a few yards wide. His black hair tickled the back of his neck as he ran, his equally black eyes twinkling with amusement. Things were always so much more fun whenever Shiki was around.
Kurosawa Sai and Okamura Shiki were childhood friends - enemies, depending on whose view you looked at their relationship from - who had grown up in Inazuma Town's Sun Garden together. Neither of them could remember the parents who had abandoned them, nor did they want to. After all, their so-called parents had just left them behind without a second thought. If they had any parent figure in their lives, it was the manager of Sun Garden, a woman named Kira Hitomiko.
From the moment they had met as young children, Shiki and Sai had undeniably felt a hatred growing in their hearts for the other. Whereas Shiki chose to openly display his hatred in violent manners that were normal to him, Sai disguised his own hatred under the pretense of actually liking the other boy, while at the same making sure he let Shiki know how much he hated him by ruffling his feathers with witty comments. Their relationship had always been very strained. Even now the two still hated each other, though Sai was slowly beginning to have a better opinion of Shiki.
Despite their conflicting feelings, there were rare occasions when the two actually got along with each other as friends or mere rivals. It had only been a year and a half since Sai had started playing soccer, showing that he was a genius with a lot of potential. Shiki had quickly followed suit and taken up soccer himself in order to get stronger than Sai, also displaying amazing skills for the sport. Since then, the two had had countless matches, nearly all of them ending in draws. Each refused to give in to the other.
There was a unison of ringing as two cellphones beeped at the same time. Coming to a halt, Sai took out his phone and flipped it open, casually stepping to the side just as Shiki came up to punch his back. Sai smiled as his enemy swung his fist at empty air and lost his balance, landing face down on the ground as a result.
"You'll have to try better next time, Shiki!" Sai smirked and took off again, his eyes never leaving his cellphone screen as he ran. The text message he had received was strange, but he understood what it meant. Hitomiko had been saying something earlier that day about some big competition. Shiki had also finished reading what his own text message said, and got up to run after Sai once more. Both were thinking the same thing.
It's another chance to outdo him.
Seraph of Divinity: That was the end of the first chapter, but it's only part one of the two chapters that will introduce the main characters. After the next chapter, it will get a lot more exciting, so please bear with all the introductions for now. Keep an eye out for future OC submission forms too, as I will be including more OC characters later on in the story. You'll get a chance to feature your very own OCs when the forms pop up.
Thanks for reading! c: