Author's Note: The result of me screwing up my entry in a writing competition… a one-shot that's been kicking around in my brain for a while. Retsuto from Hakuren can do Eternal Blizzard in the games… here's a take on that.
Hakuren's soccer field was coated in a light flurry of white, the snowfall of the previous night not quite gone as the sun crept over the horizon. A single boy stood at the edge of the penalty box, the light glinting off the goggles resting on his forehead near the piles of snow lodged in his hair.
He quickly grazed his legs over the ball to send it spinning upwards with blistering frost gathering around it. His own spin tried to match the ball as he turned to deliver a kick but the ball's momentum collapsed and the edge of his ankle only lightly tapped it before he lost control and landed in a heap on the field.
Hyoujyou Retsuto groaned as he picked himself off the ground, his hand reaching up to pull his goggles off his nose and readjust them comfortably atop his forehead. He'd been at this for over two hours at that point, since before the sun had risen.
It was Sunday, so there was no school or practice on that day and Retsuto had the soccer field all to himself. At least it saved him the embarrassment of having his constant failures shown.
"What you doing, Retsuto?!" a high-pitched female voice shouted from the top of the stairs adjacent to the field, Retuto's now red face turning upwards to catch the eye of one of his teammates.
Matoro Juka was quickly jogging down to meet him, the tail on her fur cap bouncing about appropriately in the way it mixed with her bright smile. She was on the field before Retsuto could come up with a decent reply, taking the soccer ball in her hands before glancing curiously at him.
"You got more snow in your hair," she noted absently with a giggle, Retsuto subconsciously running his hand through his locks in a futile effort to knock the white powder away. "So why are you out practicing so early?"
Retsuto blinked before sighing and admitting, "Failing."
"Failing to what?" Juka asked with a cocked eyebrow, concern melding with confusion.
"To be a good striker," Retsuto said with another depressed sigh. "I've been trying to do Eternal Blizzard ever since Fubuki left a few weeks ago but I'm not getting much better."
"Eternal Blizzard… you never wanted to do that move before," Juka noted while dropping the ball and kicking it up before it hit the ground.
Retsuto crossed his arms and looked up at the sky before asking, "Do you remember when Raimon first came here to take Fubuki onto that caravan?"
On receiving a nod, Retsuto continued, "Megane said that we were a team built around one player but that didn't sit right with me. We're not a team playing around one player; we're a one player team with ten props."
"Hey, that's not true," Juka objected before Retsuto cut her off.
"How many matches went by where Fubuki made every steal and scored every point?!" Retsuto shouted frustratedly while Juka stared at him with widened, surprised eyes. Feeling guilty at his outburst, Retsuto averted his gaze, "Sorry… I just want there to be a team worth coming back to for Fubuki."
Juka rubbed her chin before beaming and passing the ball to Retsuto, "Why didn't you just say so?"
Realising Retsuto was blinking uncertainly, Juka laughed aloud before saying, "It's always better to practice with a partner. Atsuya figured out that move with Shirou, right?"
Shaking his head with a grin, Retsuto responded, "I guess he did."
Fuka nodded once more excitedly before a mischievous smirk crossed her features. Retsuto could barely react before she'd already stolen the ball and dribbled passed him, her laughter floating through the air.
"Then let's get started, I won't make it easy for you!"
Retsuto couldn't supress his own chuckles as he gave chase, "Then I won't hold back either!"
The match seemed pretty even, the two constantly trading possession and trying to score into the opposite goal, running up and down the field without a care in the world. Eventually the score was tied at two a piece, both Hakuren players having agreed to end the match when one scored a third point.
Juka rolled the ball back into her half, darting back and forth as Retsuto tried to block her with his body. Juka spun away and jumped in the air, green lights dancing through the air in long lines above both players, blinding Retsuto as Juka shouted, "Aurora Dribble!"
Blinking away the spots in his vision, Retsuto quickly gave chase as Juka readied herself to kick for the goal.
"Ice Ground!" Retsuto yelled as his foot crashed into the ground after a graceful spin, a block of ice temporarily encasing Juka as the ball rolled forward into Retsuto's own penalty box.
Darting passed Juka and looping around, Retsuto had barely put any space between the two by the time Juka was again giving chase. Realising she was about to jump, Retsuto's body seemed to react on its own.
He once again twisted the ball into the air with a graceful flick of his ankles, a cold air gathering intensely around the sphere as if being pulled in by its spin.
Retsuto's heart leapt as his body twisted itself through the air and his foot made contact with the ball, his mind registering little else as his eyes glazed over in wonderment.
The shot was straight and true, flying forwards with the force of a mighty blizzard towards the goal. Juka's gasp was heard in the background as she realised what had happened.
A moment passed… both held their breath.
The spell that seemed to have overtaken the area was dispelled as the ball struck the post and rebounded back over Retsuto's head. Juka recovered first and chested the ball before it hit the ground to bring it under control.
Retsuto tried to stop her but it proved futile, Juka scoring the winning point with an excited whoop while he gripped his knees tightly in a vain effort to abate his exhaustion.
"Good game," Retsuto said with a smile after a moment, oxygen not quite making it into his lungs right.
Juka's cheeks were tinged pink with the same effort but she gave a bright smile before throwing her arms up and jumping up and down like an excited rabbit.
"I won! I won!"
"Yeah, good job," Retsuto said with a bemused chuckle, finally bringing Juka's movement to a halt as she examined him curiously.
"You're not disappointed about missing?" she asked, causing Retsuto to shake his head and send some more droplets of snow scurrying to the ground.
"I've fallen over myself every time I've tried to do that move for the last three weeks. Just getting the hissatsu to work is a victory. At least, I figure it is," Retsuto answered with a tiny grin. "Fubuki always seemed really excited whenever he got a little better, or as excited as that guy got, anyway."
Juka nodded, familiar with Hakuren's ace striker/ defender's famously laid back demeanour.
Retsuto seemed to be thinking something over for a moment before extending a hand to Juka. "I really owe you one. Thanks."
Juka moved his hand upwards so that his arm bent at the elbow before clasping it in her own with a teeth-baring grin, "Don't mention it, we should do this more often."
Retsuto nodded. "Fubuki's going to have a real team to come back to," he swore, "and I think us working together might be the best way to do that."
"We should bring the others along as well. They won't want to be left behind," Juka suggested enthusiastically.
Retsuto was about to agree before hesitating, looking up at the sky questioningly before nodding once to himself to confirm his thoughts.
"You're right but… how about we keep Sunday mornings to ourselves? Our own private practice time?"
Juka snickered teasingly before agreeing, "Fine, it'll be our weekly date then."
"I didn't…" Retsuto began before Juka lilting laughter drowned him out, thankfully distracting her from the red that had conquered his cheeks.
"This girl," he muttered with a smile he couldn't repress.
"Watch us, Fubuki. You won't even recognise Hakuren's team by the time you get back. Who knows… we might even have a new ace striker."
Author's Notes: Done.