Pieces of Childhood Memories

Chapter 14 - Let's Play Soccer (Again)!

It's... getting... more... confusing...! Yoko thought. She didn't understand a tiny bit of her memories. She knew all along that the one that gave her the swan-shaped pendant was a boy. But now she was very confused because now the one who appeared in her memories was a girl! Is it really a boy who gave me the pendant? Or is it a girl? Yoko thought, still confused. While she was thinking, someone called her. "Yoko, stop spacing out," the person said. It was Sakuma.

"Ah, onii-chan... Gomenasai," Yoko replied.

"It's okay," Sakuma said to Yoko. "Anyways, come down here and watch us practice. Don't space out all the time."

Yoko chuckled. Yeah, why am I was always thinking about those memories in the past? I must focus in the present once in a while, she thought. Then she ran towards the large pitch and sat on the bench there. "GO EVERYONE! GANBATTE NE!" Yoko shouted to them as loud as ever.

"Akiyama, could you lower your voice a bit?" Doumen Shuuichirou, the shortest player of Teikoku said.

Yoko sweatdropped. "O-Okay... Shuuichirou-kun..." she said. "I'll try to lower my voice... if I can, though."

"GO! GO, EVERYONE! GANBATTE NE!" Yoko shouted to the Teikoku soccer team players, with a voice louder than before.

Everyone in Teikoku soccer team except Sakuma just sighed. "It's no use," Sakuma said to them. "When it comes to soccer, she can't lower her voice."

"Yes that's true, onii-chan!" Yoko said as she grinned. Then she had this idea on her head. Hmm... that MIGHT be a very good idea! she thought. Then she took her mobile and text a certain someone. As she waited for the reply, she watched Teikoku practiced. They improved a lot, she thought as she smiled. That's great... Then the reply came. When Yoko have finished reading it, her eyes widened. "YES! WOOHOO!" she shouted, making all of the Teikoku's soccer players silent.

"What's wrong, Yoko?" Sakuma asked.

"Okay everyone, split Teikoku into Teikoku A and B!" Yoko shouted. She looks very happy.

"What's wrong, why are you splitting Teikoku into two?" Kidou asked.

"Because... I'm going to play with you guys! Even though I am just a manager!" Yoko shouted happily. Just like the way I did in Raimon, she thought. "That way, we can practice better, right?"

"But why are you playing with us?" Genda asked.

"It's a H-I-M-I-T-S-U!" Yoko replied. "Now... let's start!"

Teikoku was split into two, Teikoku A and Teikoku B. Teikoku A consists of Genda, Oono, Banjou, Narukami, Masaru, and Wataru (In short, the players whose jerseys are no. 1-6). Teikoku B consists of Sakiyama, Doumen, Jimon, Kidou, Sakuma and Yoko (The players whose jerseys are no. 7-11 plus Yoko). All of the members of Teikoku B except Sakuma and Yoko sighed. "Why are you splitting the team from their jersey's number?" Jimon asked. The others except Sakuma and Yoko nodded. "We will lose... because we have someone who can't play soccer here."

Yoko was a bit angry. "Watch out what you're saying, Jimon! You will soon find out the power of Teikoku's ace striker!" she said as she frowned.

"You're not Teikoku's ace striker, Yoko," Sakuma said to Yoko.

"I know that I am not," Yoko replied as she grinned. "But I always imagined that I'm Teikoku's ace striker! Hee hee."

Then the match started. First, it's Teikoku A's kickoff. Wataru (jersey no. 6) passed the ball to Narukami (jersey no. 4), but then Kidou blocked him and steal the ball using a sliding tackle. Then he passed the ball to Sakuma. Sakuma was ready to shoot, but then suddenly Oono stealed the ball using a hissatsu technique, Earthquake.

"Earthquake!" he said. Then he jumped and landed on the ground creating an earthquake. After that he stealed the ball and passed it to Banjou so he can shoot the ball. As Yoko saw Teikoku A and B playing, she was furious. Why did everyone forget about me? Did they think I can't play soccer? Yoko thought as her veins popped out. I'll show all of you what I've got!

"Quick Draw!" she said. She quickly rushes to Banjou then steals the ball and slides away. It was a hissatsu technique. Everyone in Teikoku soccer team remained silent except Sakuma.

"Hmph," Genda said. "I guess we underestimated her."

Yoko then ran towards Genda to shoot. But then the defenders blocked her way so she couldn't shoot. "Don't think you could stop me!" Yoko said as she grinned. She then made a clone. "Now it's time for my ultimate move: Second Ghost Lock!"

"Ma re ma re to ma re!" Yoko's clone that was sitting on the bench chanted. Suddenly, Teikoku A players' legs AND hands couldn't move!

"Damn!" Genda said. "I can't use the Power Shield if it is like this!"

Hmph! Yoko thought. Of course you can't. I asked Hiroyuki-kun to tell me how to do the Ghost Lock that can stop the opponent to move their legs, then I developed it so the opponent also can't move their hands! Mwahahahaha! "Okay, it's time for me to shine!" Yoko shouted. "Gushin Penguin!" (English: Clone Penguin).

Yoko made two clones of herself. Then, she whistled and penguins emerged out of the ground. As Yoko kicked the ball, the penguins soared among the ball. Then, two of Yoko's clones kicked the ball together towards the goal. And GOAL! The ball went to the net. Everyone including Sakuma was stunned by Yoko's excellent skills.

After the practice...

"That's a very great hissatsu technique, Yoko," Sakuma said to Yoko. Yoko grinned.

"Hee hee, thanks very much," she replied.

"How did you do that?" Kidou asked.

"Well... I... I made two clones of myself. I whistled and then the penguins emerged out of the ground. As I kicked the ball, the penguins soared among the ball, then my clones kicked the ball towards the goal!" Yoko explained.

"Could you teach us how to do it?" Sakuma asked Yoko. Yoko laughed.

"Hahahaha! An older brother asked his younger sister to TEACH him! Hahaha!" Yoko laughed.

"Akiyama-san, be serious," Kidou said as he sighed.

"Okay, okay! But I guess you should do the Emperor Penguin No. 2, not the Gushin Penguin, because it's easier," Yoko explained. "It's the same as Gushin Penguin, but the two clones are replaced by two players. Easy, right? I made that two hissatsus so that you can break through God Hand! The penguins will help you to break the God Hand!"

After practicing, Yoko and Sakuma went home together. "Yoko... I'm sorry," Sakuma apologized.

"For what, onii-chan?" Yoko asked. She didn't understand what Sakuma meant.

"I thought you support Raimon more than your own school... but in fact you support Teikoku more..."

Yoko smiled. It's true, she thought. "How do you know, onii-chan?" Yoko asked.

"Well, you made a hissatsu technique that can help us break through the God Hand," Sakuma replied. "And as a reward, I will let you watch Raimon's match against Mikage Sennou at the FF Qualifiers with Kidou."

Yoko's eyes widened. "Hontouni, onii-chan? Arigatou!" she thanked Sakuma. Sakuma just smiled.

-Short Flashback-

"Arigatou for stopping Hitotsuji-kun from bullying me," Yoko said to her boy of her dreams as she smiled.

"You're wel-"

-End of Flashback-

"You're welcome, Yoko," Sakuma said. Yoko smiled.

The sentence that onii-chan had just said, Yoko thought, is the same sentence that the boy said to me in my flashback just now...