Disclaimer: Any original characters are property of myself and myself only. Eyeshield 21 is a series created by Riichigo Inagaki and Yusuke Murata. All characters of Eyeshield 21 are property of the original creators, Shounen Jump and Viz Media. Any references to the NFL and it's players are copyrighted by the NFL and credited to their respective teams.

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Monsters of Deimon

by Bud

Chapter 11: Challenges

BANG!

POW!!

ZAP!!

BOOM!

Riku dusted off his hands, standing triumphantly over his defeated opponents. "And that will teach you three for messing with these lovely ladies, right, Ryokan?"

Kurita nodded. "And for nearly ruining the props and decorations for the culture festival."

Normally not a violent person, there was very little that could set Kurita off. Such a rare occasion happened to have been their discovery of two foreign girls being harassed by a trio of delinquents trying to make a score with the two beautiful vixens. Their attitudes toward the girls and their complete disregard for the festival property and those whom placed hard work into making such an event occur really set him off the wrong way. With Riku's help, who was more than eager to help damsels in distress, laid one hell of an ass-whooping upon the candy-assed juveniles.

"You my hero!"

Kurita blushed as the platinum haired girl latched onto his arm. "My... my... it was nothing, really!" He nearly fainted when she kissed his cheek.

"Never expected to find an American boy here in Japan," said the English-speaking blonde in the short skirt and boots. "At least there is something about Japan that I like so far. You're so big and strong; no wonder you beat those hoodlums so quickly." She hugged his arm, running one hand up and down his shirt-clad chest.

"Ah ha ha..." He shifted, using his laugh to hide his nervousness. "All in a day's work, I always say. Just glad that you're alright." She tucked a slip of paper into his pocket before walking off. "What's this?"

She looked back at him, winking. "Give me a call someday, sugah. I'll show you how we gals treat our heroes in Texas."

"You give me call, also, Japanese boy. I like big strong men like you. Very rare in this part of world."

The two girls disappeared leaving a blushing Riku and Kurita behind. The linebacker turned to the lineman, both of them nodding to each other before breaking out into wide smiles and slapping their hands together.

"YES!!"

-----

A small party is what Riku walked into when he arrived at the clubhouse. He was at first startled by the appearance of a new addition to the building which included a large sign displaying the team name, logo and the type of club. Very flashy for just a high school football team, but this was most likely Hiruma's doing so it was somewhat acceptable. Even Cerberus had a new dog house! There had been construction around the old club house, which acted as the front office and entrance to the addition, so now he knew why they couldn't use the club house for the past few days.

Poor school principle. This had to have come out of the school budget.

"What? You don't invite me?" He said with as much venom as he could. A front to hide his amusement of seeing everyone, excluding the Ha-Ha Brothers, stuffing their faces with pies, creams and cakes. "Okay, I see how it is. Let the guy play for you but don't associate with him. I guess I'm not needed here after all!"

Kurita freaked. "Riku-kun! No it's not like that at all!"

Souta dashed to block Riku's exit. "You miss understand. We tried to call you but you didn't pick up your phone. Your family said you were out, also. We're really sorry!"

"It's true, Ayasegawa-kun. We really did try to contact you."

Hiruma merely smirked. He received his text message earlier.

"Alright, you better not try anything funny like exchanging the whip cream on that pie for shaving cream." He laughed inside, enjoying every second of torturing his teammates. "So, how was that game yesterday between Seibu and Ouju?" he asked, referring to a trip the team took to see the regional semi-finals for the spring tournament after a practice session he had opted out of.

Monta spoke up, excitement etched in his visage as he recalled his memories' of that game. "Riku-san, you missed a really good match! This guy from the Seibu Wild Gunman stole all our meat in a challenge, and then we saw him play in that same game we watch along with his cowboy friend who played quarterback. It was really cool how these guys from Seibu run their routes and catch the ball. I want to be just like them!" Sena covered his month before the monkey boy could start another triad.

"Ha ha," Sena chuckled nervously. "I think he means he was really impressed with the game."

Kurita nodded. "It was exciting. Seibu was leading thanks to the throwing arm of Kid and Jo Tetsuma's receiving. Not even Shin could cover the whole field. But then Tetsuma got sick during the game and Seibu lost almost all of their offensive power and Oujo caught up to win the game."

"Sounds interesting. I really wish I could have been there to see it," Riku said. "But I had to catch up on this week's homework assignment and a few reports that were due."

Sena blinked. Reports? This WEEK'S homework?

"So, Hiruma. What plans do you have for the team? I mean, we can't just practice the rest of the semester and summer before the fall tournament." Subconsciously, Riku sat with mostly the defensive players of the team, segregating himself from the others. The closest offensive player was Sena who occasionally glanced at him.

A paper landed in front of Sena. "Damn secretary. Read the page I folded down."

The true identity of Eyeshield 21 opened the magazine. "Monthly American Football Magazine," said read from the cover page. The magazine was one third in popularity among sports lovers in Japan trailing behind baseball and soccer - two of the more popular sports. It covered both American and Japanese professional football along with Japanese college teams. Monthly American Football was more known for covering the high school level football, especially dedicated to the Tokyo, Kansai and Kantou regions along with the road to the Christmas Bowl. "We are accepting applications for high school teams to represent Japan against the number one ranked American high school football champions North Arlington Senior Academy, NASA Aliens."

Riku narrowed his eyes. No one noticed his change in demeanor.

"It says here that the match will happen during the Kantou Tournament," Mamori said after looking at the article.

"That way they won't be able to play the best teams," said Kurita.

Monta made an observation. "So, one of the weaker teams will have to play against them?"

"I doubt anyone would be that reckless." Yukimitsu added.

Hiruma looked at them with a calmed expression. "What if I told you that I applied two days ago?"

While half of the team spoke about football games and tournaments, Riku conversed with his defensive teammates on what they overheard. It was the former volleyball player that saw the change in his team captain's attitude, again. "Riku-kun? Is something the matter?"

"Not really," he said at first, wishing to completely drop whatever they were referring to. But as Hiruma, Kurita and other others spoke about the NASA Aliens and a potential game, he had to let himself out. "During my freshman year of high school back in the states, my team was selected to participate in a tournament to determine the top high school football team in the country despite not winning our state division championship. Hell, we didn't even get past the semi-finals, yet they picked us as a wild card team out of all the others. To make a long story short, we played against the Aliens in the quarter finals and were humiliated."

"Woah..." Itachi and Sasuke both gasped. "That must have been very rough for you, Riku-san." Itachi finished.

"Very. They scored two times on us before their star running back was suddenly benched by their coach for the rest of the game for some unknown reason, so their whole game strategy centered around the deep passing game. We lost the game 56 to zero and were the laughing stock of the whole tournament. Even when they had the game in hand they just kept running up the score no matter how we tried to stop them. And it wasn't for lack of effort either on my part or the defense. The offense just couldn't hold onto the ball and manage the game."

Kenta felt for him. Yohei and himself lost bad in a basketball tournament last year in middle school against a much weaker opponent. They both lost their acceptance letters to better schools, like Shinryuuji and Furinkan and had to settle for Deimon. "Ouch. I know how that feels."

"The worse part about the whole thing is that their coach named our quarterback their most valuable player for fumbling the ball so many times, so you could say there is some bad blood between them and I." He leaned back in his chair, his mood suddenly sour after remembering a game that happen just a few months previous at the beginning of the year, right before he transferred to Deimon High.

"By the sound of things," Souta said as he listened in on the conversation across the room. "It seems we won't be playing them anyway. The Taiyo Sphinx from the Kansai region has been selected to play against them, but Hiruma-san doesn't like it."

"The guy doesn't like anything that gets in his way." Riku sighed, glancing at the three teens sitting away from everyone else. They looked annoyed and bored. "What's with them?"

"The Ha-Ha Brothers? I don't know. They refuse to eat or talk with anyone else. They don't look like they want to be here, really." Yohei set down his cake. "I mean, Hiruma only gave them one locker to share. I'd be upset too."

No, it probably goes deeper than that. "I'll talk to them tomorrow. Let's just forget about it for now."

-----

Practice the following day was nothing one would call productive. While Hiruma and Kurita were off taking care of business with that sports magazine - more likely trying to threaten the Devil Bats into a game against the NASA Aliens – the other majority of the team were training to perfect their technique for the fall tournament. That majority did not include the three Ha-Ha Brother's as Hiruma had dubbed them, much to the disappointment of Riku and Komusubi.

Riku had this feeling about the three, that like the previous volunteers for their game against Koigahama, Oujo and Zokugaku, they were threatened or blackmailed into playing. Only a few such as Souta, Shiro, Kenta and Yohei stayed with the team while others pursued anything else not related to Yoichi Hiruma. Those three, however, stuck around but were not at all interested in playing. The only times when they seemed somewhat motivated was when Hiruma was around glaring or whispering something to them to get their motors running. That alone was a big disappointment to the young American-born Japanese as he would not force someone to play when their true desire was elsewhere, which would explain why he did not bother to ask the three to participate. A somewhat sad sigh escaped him when they walked off the field toward the club house.

Komusubi followed them.

Sena was running the perimeter pulling tires tied into a harness that he wore over his shoulder pads, a training technique that Riku had explained would help build his leg strength which would greatly supplement his speed. The young boy known as Eyeshield 21 enjoyed anything that would help better himself, as long as it did not involve Cerberus chomping down on his behind because of some random meat product Hiruma strapped to him. Pumping his legs as he passed the group for the umpteenth time was when he realized that one of their latest additions was gone for several minutes along with the three Ha-Ha Brothers. He made a decision to vocally point this out as he came to a breathless stop.

"Komusubi-kun and the others have been gone for a while."

"You're right, I just noticed that…" Riku glanced where the three linemen previously sat, his head shaking after a few moments. Not worth it. Poor Ryokan and he had a full line to help him out.

"Riku-kun! We have a big problem!" A panting Mamori stopped in front of the remaining Devil Bats gasping for air. She propped herself up on her knees and looked up at her fellow half-breed Japanese. "Juumonji, Kuroki and Togano all quit the team!"

Various gasps and exclamations of surprise collectively came from the group, though the two Kiribashi brothers's seemed the most vocal. "What do you mean they quit?! This can't be possible!" Itachi nearly shouted out loud. His brother was not that far behind him.

"Yeah! Oniichan is right! Why would they leave the team when there is still so much more to do in improving ourselves?! I just cannot fathom it." He shook his head. "They played so hard against Zokugaku and seemed really interested in the game…"

Riku sighed. "What about Daikichi-kun?"

The auburn haired school girl frowned. "I think Komusubi-kun and the others had an argument and then they decided to up and leave. I told them they're welcome back anytime they wished to return, but they didn't look like they had that on their minds."

"I don't want to say it is all Komusubi-kun's fault," Shiro interjected into the conversation. "But he has been a little insulting to those three ever since he joined the team. It is clear that the little guy is strong as hell, but he's been flaunting his prowess in front of those three every chance he had." Such a fact was true that it was hard for anyone to miss it. Such examples would be during the team try-out at Tokyo Tower, during practice and during weight training where the little porker displayed his strength for all to see. A few, such as the Kiribashi brothers and Souta, believe it to be beneficial as it creates a sort of rivalry. Yet, realistically, such thoughts were a complete bust.

"I'm going to talk to Hiruma about this. I don't know how he got those guys on his list, but I bet it was some sort of blackmail."

"What about Komusubi?" asked Monta.

"I'll deal with him when—" Said person just happened walk onto the field as Riku spoke. "Hey!"

Daikichi felt like he had done something completely wrong. He had, in fact, segregated a small group from his Master's team and done so in a way that was unbefitting of a teammate. Yes, it was true that he was raised to show his strength and that even those bigger than him could not match his strength born from great genetics, but the situations did not in any way require the type of attitude he had used. Because of him Juumonji, Kuroki and Togano quit the team leaving the Devil Bats with three less players.

Now he had to face the music.

"Hey!" Riku shouted, forcing the short linemen to look up at the Defensive Team Captain. The look in his eyes reminded Komusubi of his father when he was upset with him. "What the hell is your problem, Daikichi? Do you have some sort of problem or a chip on your shoulder?"

He shook his head.

"Then why did you make those guys quit?!" His voice rose, his temper reaching its boiling point before he really exploded. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, once again locking a hard stare upon the short linemen. "You know what, don't answer that. I don't want to hear whatever dumb reason you have. Get off the field and get out."

Komusubi and everyone stared at Riku as if he grew a second head. "Muh?"

"I said get off the field! NOW!" He threw off his helmet and kicked from dirt in the direction of the club house. "If you want to be on this team, you better learn to respect everyone on this team no matter how much you don't like them, or you just better get used to it and deal with them. Just remember this, fucking shrimp – those guys may have only played one game, but they played a damn game unlike you who thinks he's mister superman because Kurita is training you."

"Shape up or ship out!"

Mamori stared at the enraged freshman, shocked at his harsh words. "Riku-san…"

"Komusubi-kun…" Sena watched as the tears fell from the short lineman's eyes as he turned and ran toward the club house. He could not believe his classmate could treat someone so harshly, yet at the same time he knew that he was right in scolding Daikichi Komusubi in that manner. The team was already small and losing the Ha-Ha brothers hurt them.

"And don't come back until you apologized to those guys!!" He spat on the ground, glaring death toward the little porker's retreating back. He ripped his helmet off his own head, his teeth grimacing as he reared back in preparation to slam the protective gear upon the ground. For a second he paused, shaking his head as he calmed himself down and took deep breathes. In a single motion he tucked his helmet under his arm and addressed the rest of the team. "And that goes for the rest of you. A team is about working together for a single goal, but it is also about respecting each other both as a person and as athletes. We may joke around, talk trash to each other, to say things that would push our buttons both emotionally and physically, but we do not do so to hurt each other, understand."

"Yes." It was a collective agreement from the whole team, including the new player Manabu Yukimitsu. He nodded to them.

"And I to apologize to you guys for having to see me like that. I've had to deal with situations like this a few times last year at my American high school and it really hits a nerve."

"We sort of understand, Riku-san," Yohei said. "We can't go to the Christmas Bowl if we're losing people left and right."

Souta agreed. "The team won't survive on just replacements…"

"What about Komusubi?" Monta inquired. A few of the other players questioned about the little lineman's status. Riku sighed.

"It's like a suspension from the team by not letting him finish today's practice. But he has to apologize to those guys no matter what their attitudes are. I don't care if their delinquents or not, what he did was uncalled for." He squeezed back on his helmet, stretching his neck to and fro to get comfortable. "He can practice tomorrow, but believe me when I say that he'll learn a lesson from this."

-----

Things were different the following morning at practice with the lack of the three Ha-Ha Brothers and Komusubi. The situation was explained to both Hiruma and Kurita with both young men understanding – yet Hiruma was pissed off for general reasons while the hulking center was sad at hearing of Komusubi's suspension at the hands of Riku. Despite the distraction practice continued as usual and included a special announcement by the devil quarterback, one which gave Riku one hell of a headache and made a few others nervous.

The Devil Bats will face off against the Taiyou Sphynx in a football game which will decided who shall become the Japanese representatives to face the NASA Aliens. The game will be hosted next week at Taiyou High School in the Kanagawa Prefecture near Shonan Beach.

With such an important game lined up for the upstart Devil Bats, it was furthest thing from Riku's mind as he stood at the gates of the high school after classes ended. His mind was more focused on yesterday's altercation with Komusubi and the loss of three potential players for the Devil Bats. After conversing with Hiruma he had decided that it was not worth losing those guys, people who Kurita would depend on when it comes to protecting the quarterback and blocking for Eyeshield 21. Right now Deimon needed depth in any position and they could not afford to lose those guys.

A group of footsteps could be heard around the corner he was hiding. Looking at his watch, he knew they three Ha-Ha Brothers were on time. Before he could round the corner and address them personally, a pair of footsteps joined theirs. He was surprised to hear the new voice.

"Hun! Come back to the team," came the voice of Komusubi. The three young boys turned and gave him the eye.

"You…"

"This guy…"

"Are you half-asleep or something?" Togano glared beyond his sunglasses. "We've already quit the team. Quit – The – Team." The three struggled when the young man tried to grab them.

"P-please!"

"Komusubi-kun!" came Sena's voice, kneeling down to help the shorter boy. "Are you alright?" He looked up at the trio. "Isn't there anything that could make you reconsider?"

"What's this? First the fat-ass, now the damn secretary?"

Sena looked up at them. "We're playing the Taiyou Sphynx in a Japan Representative Decision Match," Sena began to explain. "The Devil Bats will need a powerful line. Please, play American Football with us again!"

"Do you think we'll play for your convenience?" Juumonji shot back. Sena looked down.

"Ah… Sorry, that's not it." He sighed. "It just seemed like you guys liked playing American Football."

Kuroki shot him a weird look. "What the hell are you talking about? We like American football?" Togano laughed as if it was a big joke.

"During the Zokugaku game, you looked like you were really enjoying yourselves." The three seemed to pause at those words, memories being recalled from a few weeks ago when they first played American Football. Juumonji was the first to turn away.

"Let's go."

Kuroki snickered. "Idiots."

"Don't show your faces again," Togano threatened.

The trio turned the corner, giving the foreign linebacker a glance but mostly ignored him. If the Gaijin was not going to say a word then they were better off keeping it that way. However, their desires did not match the wished of said person, giving the three delinquents a few words that caught their attention. "I don't like prying into the business of others, but I couldn't help myself since it involved the team," he began, watching their departed backs. "Hiruma put you up to playing that day, right?" He was referring to the Zokugaku game.

The three stopped. "And what of it?" Juumonji shot back at the bespectacled student. Three pairs of eyebrows raised as an envelope touched down at their feet. Kuroki gave him a confused look.

"I wouldn't be too happy if I was blackmailed into doing something either," Riku explained as he shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes looking anywhere other than at those three. "I somehow got Hiruma to lay off, so there."

"Why? What do you want, Gaijin?"

"Nothing at all, Juumonji-kun." He started walking away. "I just don't want players who aren't playing on their own accord, that's all. If you don't want to be there, then don't. If you don't want to play, then don't. No one is forcing anyone to be on that team. That's how football works."

"You heard us already, Ayasegawa! We're not interested in coming back. We already quit the team!" shouted Kuroki. Togano nodded his agreement. The brown-haired delinquent prepared to shout again at the bespectacled student but Juumonji stopped him with a few words.

"Forget it. Let's go," Juumonji said as he turned away. Yet, neither of the Ha-Ha Brother's could forget the words of the Gaijin.

-----

"Che, that guy looks like Kurita," Togano said under his breath as the trio passed up another trio of students from another school.

I was nearly a whole hour since they had encountered Riku after school and each young man had a lot to think over. The collected agreement was their dislike of Hiruma and their unwillingness to play for the Deimon Devil Bats, or football, period. Yet it was Riku's words and his mysterious ability to get Hiruma off their backs and had the trio curious and thinking of ways to pay him back. While they were considered delinquents, they followed the code of the streets. When someone does you a major favor, be it good or bad, you had to repay them somehow. Neither one enjoyed owing someone a favor, which was why they were all considered loners and delinquents by the older generations, especially the adults. They sat down at a table in the far corner with these exact thoughts on their minds. Before they could openly speak about it, each of them could not help but overhear the conversation being exchanged by the students they had passed earlier.

"Congressman Habashira is close to our company," said the dark-skinned young man with the pretty face. Togano and Kuroki looked back at him while Juumonji raised a suspicious eyebrow at hearing the familiar name.

"Habashira?"

"His son recently had a game against the Devil Bats," the young man continued. "It seems that the Devil Bat's linemen numbers 51, 52 and 53 are worthless." Those words did not sit well with the Ha-Ha Brothers.

"Huh?"

"HUH?!"

"HUUUUUH?!"

Of the trio, one of the two large individuals with the bowl style hair-cut and wide body snickered in a hyena-like manner. "They even hang onto scum like that."

"It does not matter," said the stoic young man, the largest of the bunch. "We will win without strength."

"However, Habashira-san said to watch out for their new linebacker. He's—" A hand grabbed the bowl-cut boy's shoulder. Three pairs of eyes locked onto the hand's origin.

"Sorry to disturb your conversation, but that number 51 would be me. Who are you calling scum, you black kappa?" A cloud of silence washed over the six young men, each one eying the other carefully waiting for the first to make a move. An intimidating look came directly from the largest young man, his arms akimbo as if he was glaring and running thoughts through his mind at once, appraising the three young men from Deimon. Togano broke the silence.

"You wanna step outside?" Kuroki reached for the back tucked in his bag.

"We won't need that," Juumonji said before it could be drawn out. "We'll screw this guy up without own strength."

The dark-skinned young man with purple hair addressed the largest of them. "Banba, you have one minute to sort them out." He smirked.

"Hmph, one minute is too long."

At this same moment Sena was walking down the street with Riku in tow, searching around for Juumonji, Kuroki and Togano. As team secretary, he had to find some way to keep the team together and have those guys return. For some odd reason, practice was not the same when they weren't around even though they didn't really do much practicing. They had already made a huge impact on Kurita who was devastated to learn of their loss. The hulking lineman was so ecstatic knowing that he had a full five-man line instead of replacements. To the porker, something as small as that was like winning the lottery. His mood stayed the same even with their loss, but anyone with a keen eye would be able to tell that Ryokan was hurting inside. So he had to get them back, if not for the team, then for Kurita. He brought Riku along because he knew that his classmate could relate to those guys somehow.

"Sena-kun, why don't you just drop it and leave it alone? They don't want to play."

"Because, Riku-kun. I can't leave it how it is," said the running back. "They played so well during the Zokugaku game, it's not right that they just walk away like that. Besides there is something else that I feel about this whole situation, that their reason for leaving was not their real reason." Riku gave him a look the spoke more than words. He didn't want any part of it. "Fine, but I'll try to convince them tomorrow."

"Just leave me out of it next time."

"Sorry…" Sena looked down the street when a family uniform cross his vision. "Isn't that…?"

"Yeah, it is." He jogged forward. "Let's check this out."

The sight that they came upon was not something either of them expected. The three delinquents were sprawled upon the ground and various broken boxes, their bodies scratched up and swollen, bleeding from several cuts along their arms and face. One could easily assume that the three dark-skinned Egyptian-looking boys were the ones responsible for the Ha-Ha Brother's current predicament, yet that was only half the truth. In actuality, it was only the largest and most intimidating boy who had the right to claim such a feat of strength. Riku recognized him from photographs and images provided by Hiruma on the Taiyou Sphynx.

His name is Mamoru Banba, a third year student at Taiyou Academy and Team Captain of the Taiyou Sphynx. From Hiruma's information he was not only Captain of the Sphynx, but their best linemen. To match the Sphynx's claim of being the biggest and strongest line in Japan, Banba currently held the Japanese High School record for the squat followed by all four other Taiyou linemen, including the shorter young man with the kappa-like visage and bowl-style hair cut that was with him, Niinobu Kasamatsu. The pretty boy with purple hair whom looked down upon the Ha-Ha Brother's and seemed more important than he should be was Kiminari Harou, the quarterback of the Sphynx and a third year along with Banba. The shorter linemen and quarterback merely watched from a few feet away as Banba single-handedly man-handled the Ha-Ha Brother's in a few seconds, taunting the trio with snobbish jabs at their egos and promoting the strength of the Taiyou Sphynx. Of the three, Banba was the only one not using words to taunt the three, his mind occupied with other thoughts after a second round with Juumonji that confused him.

"Let's just go," Harou commanded in his snobbish tone as if he was some sort of Pharaoh. Kasamatsu snickered.

"Trash should just remain with the trash."

"Are you guys alright?" Sena asked, moving closer to the injured Deimon students. Riku glanced over the delinquents though his main focus was on the trio of Taiyou students that left those three in their current condition. He didn't miss the trio of glanced back toward him as he glared at their departing backs.

"Bastards."

"Stay away!" came the shout that stopped Sena in his tracks. "Shut up!" Juumonji snapped before the words left the running back's mouth.

The trio struggled to regain their foot, their bodies protesting as their demands were met. They looked exactly how each of them felt – pathetic. To be insulted by the father of that asshole Rui Habashira, then underestimated and called trash by a trio of football players from the Taiyou Sphynx. They had dealt with being called trash, useless, bums and other derogatory pronouns and adjectives all their lives, especially in middle school due to their association with each other. They had never had another person their own age purposely insult them in their face and get away with it. Yet, neither of them, especially together as a group felt the ultimate insult in being destroyed by a single person in a back alleyway.

Pathetic hardly described their true feelings.

"We must look pitiful," said Togano.

"Shut up."

Riku frowned, somewhat understanding their feelings. "I'm going to say this one time," he began with a quiet, somewhat whispered tone as they passed him. Juumonji shot him a look that spoke more words than his own voice could ever duplicate. Despite the warning he continued. "If you want to get back at them, I'll help you in any way I can."

"Whatever."

Sena felt sorry for them. "Juumonji-kun…"

-----

It seemed that their locale had become their new meeting spot. By no means was this location their normal choice of congregation, not by a long shot was that correct. Their normal haunts consisted of rooftops, bridges and a tree somewhere on campus. Unfortunately a certain blonde demon quarterback deemed that those locations were not available to them, which pissed them off to no ends especially when those photos and negatives were in Hiruma's hands. Embarrassing was just being kind when referring to that ordeal. Thankfully that wasn't the case anymore until recently. So they used a hidden spot underneath a second floor overpass between two of the many buildings that made up Deimon High. It was secluded and very rarely, especially now with their presence, did anyone pass through. It was at this locale did the trio of Juumonji, Kuroki and Togano sat as thoughts ran through their minds.

"That was pathetic," Kuroki grumbled under his breath, breaking the long bout of silence that existed between the three. "I can't believe we got beat by just that one guy."

"He was from the Taiyou Sphynx, right?" Togano asked. His mood was so sour not even his manga could bring him out of his funk. "Bastards…"

"Shut up," Juumonji growled, glaring at the wall in front of him. Togano continued.

"We have to get back at them."

Kuroki agreed. "This can't end like this."

"I've never been so embarrassed in my life. It's one thing being dissed by the adults, but some Kappa and pretty boy? Definitely can't let them get away with that."

"And what do you expect us to do about it, huh?" Juumonji asked in a hot tone. "That one bastard screwed us up by himself. Next time we won't be so lucky if that over-sized midget decides to have a go at us."

"Why not jump them after their football practice?" Kuroki suggest, indicating his metal bat in his bag. The blonde-haired Juumonji glared at him.

Togano answered. "And get arrested or expelled from school? You know we have our limits, man."

"Well what do you think we should do, huh?! Nothing?! Absolutely nothing at all?! The only way we can get back at them is by going back to the American Football team. Do you know what we'll look like when we come back? A bunch of fucking fools!"

"Maybe that's what we should do."

Kuroki and Togano whirled on Juumonji. "What the hell?!" His eyes did not meet theirs.

"It's exactly what I said," he began to explain. "The only way we can get back at them is through American Football. Did you hear what they said about us when we played against Zokugaku? We're nothing but pieces of shit to them and the way they looked down on us because of that explains it all. They think their strength is all they need, they respect strength. The only way we can show them our strength is by learning how to be linemen and beating them at their own game. I don't know about you two, but I'm not in the habit of losing."

"You're serious, aren't you Juumonji." A statement by the blonde wearing sunglasses.

"If you got any better ideas, I'm waiting to hear them." Nothing. "Then that's what we're going to do."

"Aren't you the one that wanted to quit in the first place?" Koji ran a hand through his hair as he stood up looking down at the bleach blonde. "You need to make up your damn mind."

"Tell me the truth, you guys," Kazuki demanded. "Do you really like playing that damn sport?" The others looked confused at his question. He looked at Shozo. "You said you got stronger because of practicing, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"What about you?" He looked at Togano.

"A little more attention from the girls, but I don't really know." He shrugged his shoulders. "What are you trying to get at?"

Juumonji stared down at his hands. "I've probably been denying it myself, but I kinda like that sport." They listened in. "I mean, it pissed me off that we had to do anything and everything that bastard Hiruma asked of us because he had those negatives, but other than that it was pretty cool. Shit, maybe it was because of that gaijin, I don't know."

"You mean Ayasegawa? The one in our class?"

"Yeah. Look what he did for us, and all because we played on the football team. He had us in the palm of his hand and what does he do? Absolutely nothing at all." He scratched his head. "I don't understand him. He even asks us if there was anything he could help us with after the fact." He shook his head. "I really don't understand him at all."

"We owe him," Shozo stated. A pure and simple fact that each one of them understood quite clearly.

Juumonji stood and began walking in the direction of the practice field. "Where are you going?" asked the yellow-haired blonde.

"To talk with that damn foreigner."

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So say that practice was somber was an understatement. It was clear to everyone that there was something missing from practice and it centered around the two remaining offensive linemen. Kurita was still devastated by the loss of the delinquent trio and it showed in his work ethic and persona. It seemed as if his heart was not fully into practice and who could blame the big lug? After a few years of middle school and his freshman year of football he had a full offensive line – excluding the Kiribashi Brother's and Omosadake. That in turn effected everyone around him, something neither Hiruma or Riku could do anything to counter. Not even Hiruma's threatening nature could lift their spirits.

The team had a little switch in regime this afternoon and worked on offense individual drills. After giving instructions to Mamori on certain drills, the team manager ran offensive line drills with the Kurita and the other linemen while Hiruma worked with the receivers and backs on route running. Riku stood next to the devil quarterback as he repeatedly dropped back and threw footballs out to each player, one of which includes the Sena Kobayakawa. The linebacker was only in physical education uniform like Sena and had a whistle in his mouth that he occasionally chewed on. He chatted with the blonde quarterback.

"So, that's what happened," Riku finished. The bespectacled American had spent the last few minutes explaining what had happened to the Ha-Ha Brothers to Hiruma, not really going into as much detail since he did not see the full encounter. His story just seemed to amuse the 2nd year student. "Something funny that I'm missing?"

"Yeah baldie. Look over to your right." Hiruma said with an amused cackle.

"We'll I'll be…"

A loud, booming voice fills the practice field. "How do we win the line battle?" Practice stopped and eyes focused on the origin. There stood Juumonji, Kuroki and Togano. Dirty and disheveled, their visages portrayed not only a group that was humble, but their eyes spoke of their serious request. Their eyes focused solely on Riku whom their question was directed toward, something which Hiruma had noticed after a short while. "We're not in the habit of losing."

"They're back!" Kurita cried tears of joy at seeing the Ha-Ha Brothers. Once again he had a line.

Everyone from Sena and Monta, to Mamori and the Kiribashi brothers were ecstatic. Even Komusubi was excited at their return, especially since it made his master happy. His scolding at the hands of the defensive Captain was a huge reality check to the gut and put a new perspective on how he saw the strength of others. Not everyone was as strong as himself or Kurita and looking down upon someone weaker, even if there were bigger than you, was not appropriate especially when those people were fellow teammates.

Ayasegawa spat out his whistle and approached the trio. "So, you want to come back to the team, huh?" He looked over each of them. "You quit once, what makes me believe you won't do it again? I have a particular dislike for quitters so if you think I'm gonna give you guys a second chance, you got another thing coming. You don't even like playing, so what's the catch?"

"We've got something to prove," Juumonji began to explain as he stepped right into Riku's face. "We're not weak. We're not losers. There are people out there that think that we three can't make it anywhere and look down upon us."

"What does that have to do with the Devil Bats?"

"Since you're going to be ignorant about it like you're a regular American tourist, I'll keep it short and sweet. We have a bone to pick with Taiyou and some little street fight isn't going to cut it. We need to kick their ass on the field to show them and everyone else what we're made of." Kuroki and Togano moved next to Juumonji to circle the linebacker. "So basically, we want a shot at the Taiyou Sphynx linemen and if we have to permanently join the team, then that's fine, we owe you anyway. If we have to go through you and force our way in, then that's even better, because I'm not really in the mood to be arguing and beating around the bush."

"So what is it, Ayasegawa; Are you going to help us or not?"

He looked back at Hiruma who listened in, receiving a sinister smile and not from the devil boy. Riku turned back, picking up his whistle and blowing it several times to gain everyone's attention. "Everyone back to practice. Linemen with the damn manager and skilled players with Hiruma. Move it!" He turned to the trio and addressed them personally without anyone listening in.

"You want help to beat the Sphynx line? It'll take you about a year of training to beat those guys at their own game," he stated with a no-bullshit expression that gained their undivided attention. He cut them off before either of them could raise a question. "But that's where you got it all wrong. The only way to beat them is to use the one thing that only someone of your size possesses."

"And what's that?" Kuroki inquired. Riku dodged the question.

"Every day for the next week and a half until the day before the game I'm gonna run your asses through the ground. You want to beat the Banba and the Sphynx? I'll train you. I'm gonna train you until you bastards are sucking buttermilk out of your assholes. I'll train you so hard you'll hate me and the ground I walk on. And the more you hate me, the more you'll learn. When I'm done with you three, maybe… just maybe you'll be ready to take on the Sphynx and their Pyramid Line." He shoved all three of them back out of his face and turned his back to them. "Until then you have to earn your place on his team. You want the Sphynx, you'll have to beat out the Kiribashi Brother's and Futoshi-kun for their jobs on the offensive line."

"Like I said," Juumonji repeated. "We're not into the habit of losing."

"And my patience is running thin. We've been practicing for the past fifteen minutes and you're still not dressed. You have ten minutes to get your asses in line or you can forget about playing against the Sphynx."

They were gone before he knew it.

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End of Chapter 11

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Author's Notes:

Finally, a chapter done and away with. Non-game relate writing is somewhat difficult, especially when you mixing scenes and trying to add a new element to existing scenes to fit your vision. I made a change in some names, like Cerberus. In the anime translation that I have, Hiruma's dog is named Cerberos mainly due to how the VA pronounces his name. The manga translates it to Cerberus which will also be the same as the upcoming Viz Media translation.

Prepare for the Taiyou Sphynx experience.