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, Shonen Jump and Viz Media. Any references to the NFL and its players are copyrighted by the NFL and credited to their respective teams.

A few weeks had passed and the Enma ligers had gotten a few team practices under their belts. However given the fact that they had only enough players to play one side of the ball in full form, their practices were split into half on half. Kurita mostly worked with Suitokku simply because of their similar sized builds. However Mizumachi did work with the fellow tall man in order to help teach him some various techniques, particularly the swim which would be beneficial to the behemoth given his height and reach. Even Chuubou was able to give the big man some pointers on shorter lineman techniques.

Meanwhile like Dante had advised, Sena was working on hands drills with Monta to learn to be a better receiver. It was difficult for him to at first and Monta was trying his best to explain his techniques but it wasn't easy to teach something that came so natural for him.

"WHOOOOEEEEE! You're trying too hard!" Monta groaned as Sena dropped another perfectly thrown pass from Unsui.

"ACK!" Sena yelped as his friend screeched. "I-I'm sorry! I just can't catch anything as easy as you."

Monta groaned once more and cupped his chin in thought. "I don't get it. I've taught you how to place your hands. What do to get in a better position to catch. WHOOEEE!"

"I'm trying!" Sena replied with angst. He was stammering and starting to clench up when Unsui approached them with an explanation.

The nearly bald quarterback came up next to the pair and said, "Sena you'll get better with practice, but Monta he's never going to be able to catch the football like you. Your hands are bigger and stronger than Sena's. We'll just have to continue practicing and hope for the best on Sena's improvement. Hopefully in an in game situation Sena will pull through. Even more hopefully we won't be in a position for Sena to need to play catch for us to win."

Sena and Monta turned to regard their quarterback. Monta frowned at the explanation and crossed his arms in disappointment and said, "Still…"

Meanwhile the running back nodded with a bit of relief. He sighed softly at the simian receiver's reaction and said, "Don't worry Monta. I'll keep practicing but… like Unsui said, hopefully we won't have to worry about it. After all we have you and Dante right?"

Monta snorted and replied, "True but three receiving threats would be better then two…"

The wild haired brunette only sighed at his friends words and hung his head slightly, "I'll try harder…"

Unsui patted the running back's shoulder with a chuckle and said, "You'll get better. Just be patient." The balding quarterback looked back toward the line group who were still smashing into each other. As much as it pained him to say it, Suitokku looked very raw. The maritime giant needed a lot of practice or he was going to get schooled on the field in technique and experience alone. He winced as he watched the big man fall forward onto his face when Mizumachi got the better of him with his favorite move, the swim.

Suitokku pounded his hands into the ground and cursed in English, "Dammit!" He quickly pushed himself back up onto his feet angrily and let out a huff of air in grump. "You sneaky bastard! How do you keep doing that?" He was easily the low man on the totem pole when it came to hand techniques, and although Kurita and the others were teaching him as much as they could; he still only had a month's experience compared to their years and years' worth.

Mizumachi simply shrugged and said, "I dunno, just doing what I do man. You just don't have the skills yet I guess?" The gangly blonde stuck a pinky in his ear and made a fishy face before flicking away the wax he dug out.

Kakei stood nearby and added, "Even so, Suitokku… your reach and strength should beat Mizumachi sometimes…" He took off his helmet and further explained. "When someone like Mizumachi uses his reach and height to swim… someone like you should use your strength and push him back when the move gets executed… Like when Komusubi did it in our first game years ago."

The gangly former Poseidon's eyes lit up at the name. "HEY yeah! I remember little Omusubi! I definitely didn't think he'd get the better of me that game with his rip move." Mizumachi then turned to Kurita and asked, "How is he by the way? Do you still keep in contact with him?"

The rotund center removed his helmet and nodded saying. "Oh yes! He and his father work together with his delivery company." The chubby cherub faced lineman was about to continue talking about his former teammate when Suitokku interrupted.

The colossal teen held up his hands asking, "Whoa whoa slow down. I get the swim, what's the rip and who's this Komusubi guy?" He was quickly getting lost once more.

Kurita quickly explained, "Oh Komusubi was a teammate of ours back at Deimon when we won the Christmas Bowl. He was one of the lineman."

Mizumachi chuckled and added, "And he was about this tall." He then held his hand at around his waist to indicate the lineman's height.

Suitokku's face quickly twisted with confusion and disbelief, "Wait a minute… you mean to tell me someone that short beat you and your reach when you're mopping the floor with me?"

At this question the stripping prone lineman huffed and crossed his arms, a pout forming on his face. Beside him Kakei sighed and explained, "Komusubi had more upper body strength then Mizumachi. Nowhere near you or Kurita granted, but still stronger than us. He used that and a quick snap off the ball as well as a technique called the rip to beat Mizumachi. But… the rip won't really be quite up your alley unless you're playing someone near your height. It's a technique better suited for shorter lineman to use to get under a taller one… Um Chuubou can demonstrate I think?"

Upon hearing his name Chuubou finally joined the conversation saying, "Oh sure! Granted it's not my preferred technique but I can do it well enough." He put back on his helmet and asked, "Mizumachi care to be my opponent?" The taller lineman nodded and popped his helmet back on before getting into his stance. Chuubou lined up opposite of Mizumachi and spoke as he went through the motions of the technique. "The rip requires the use of one's upper body strength, mostly the arms." He tucked his elbow in next to his torso and pressed around the side of Mizumachi and as the taller lineman jabbed his arm downwards to 'counter' the move Chuubou exerted his force upwards and into the former Poseidon, effectively pushing him aside as the shorter male executed the rip. "Just like that." He finished before taking his helmet off again to face the giant teen.

Suitokku nodded with keen interest as he watched and said, "And that's something you think wouldn't be suited for me?"

Kakei quickly rose his hands and said, "Not necessarily no. Anything is possible. Hell even Gao was able to execute the delta dynamite. But even then it was against probably the best lineman in our age group in the world, he didn't have much of a choice. But for you it just might be difficult to execute given your height is all. You could probably easily do it against someone who was tall enough where you could get under them and do what Chuubou just did. But since you're pretty much the tallest lineman in Japan now since you've got an inch on Mizumachi and I that's not likely something that will happen often. Actually the swim would probably suit you better, but that's a bit more complicated as you have seen…"

The blonde behemoth crossed his massive brick pillar arms and grumbled under his breath. "Great so basically I'm going to get my ass beat by anyone who has good technique." He shook his head with a frown and sighed.

Again Kakei interceded saying, "Not necessarily. Gao was a rookie much like you and he overwhelmed his competition simply with strength alone. But keep in mind he became all the more deadly when he began to learn lineman techniques as he went. He was intelligent and fierce. You may very well take a similar path."

Suitokku nodded and said, "So what's the difference between Gao and I starting off then?" he was still trying to figure something out to give him something to fight better with.

Mizumachi laughed and joked, "His hair!" this only drew a swat to the back of the head from Chuubou. "OWWW!" whined the lineman.

Chuubou explained further, "Gao was ruthless in his pursuit… he literally injured almost every quarterback he played against… and on the offensive side of the ball he simply pushed ahead and Marco followed him. It was very straight forward. They literally just used his strength to win. He was stronger then everyone, the only lineman that could stop him was Kurita here."

At this Suitokku looked over to Kurita with more respect before turning back to the others and asking, "So… is that the plan with me then?" He hadn't really had the opportunity to 'kill' a quarterback yet because they didn't want to hurt Unsui and he only had a few linemen to go up against at any one time.

Mizumachi and Kakei exchanged glances that said they weren't sure of an answer. Kurita however did butt in and said, "For the time being that's probably what we will do. In the meanwhile we'll keep teaching you what we know to get you ready with the more experience that you get." The big jolly puff ball rested his hands on his sides and nodded confidently with his words.

Chuubou added quickly, "And get mean! Lineman are the big nasties in the middle! We control the line of scrimmage and dictate the game! So don't hesitate!"

The large mariner looked between them all and simply nodded. He still had a lot to learn, but until then he'd have to rely on his muscle. "Alright then… come on Mizumachi, let's go again."

His gangly tutor grinned devilishly and said, "You got it fish head," and popped his helmet back on before lowering into a three point stance. They stood in their stances like stone gargoyles until Chuubou blew the whistle, and then they both exploded forward.

Mizumachi quickly side stepped as Suitokku erupted towards him and brought his long arms up around the larger lineman's head planting his arm against the giant's shoulder. Suitokku could already feel the swim turning into a reality and growled surging forward with his forearm into Mizumachi's chest. When he felt his elbow connect to the former Poseidon he grunted and gave a hearty shove, extending his arm and sending Mizumachi onto his ass a few feet backwards through the air and rolling onto the ground in backwards circles.

As the lean lineman was rolling around in a daze to get to his feet, Suitokku was standing still staring at his arms. A slow semi smile grew on the big man's face until it enveloped his jaw, "I did it!" he pumped his fist in victory, "Finally! Yes!" He shook a bit when a massive hand planted onto his shoulder in congratulations.

"I knew you could do it Suitokku!" Kurita laughed jovially as the bubbly fellow bounce up and down in joy upon Suitokku's success. Around his group of teammates were similar calls of congratulatory nature and the big man nodded confidently at this point. Meanwhile Mizumachi was sitting up and shaking his head woozily.

"Holy crap… you pack a wallop…" the former Poseidon wheezed as Suitokku came over to help him to his feet. "You do that in a game and the other lineman are gonna cower in fear…" he continued hesitantly with a weak laugh.

Once his fellow teammate was on his feet Suitokku apologized saying, "Heh sorry about that…" The large mariner rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

Kakei however was the first to say, "Don't be, if you can do that on the field it's going to help us tremendously… and don't worry about hurting anyone, accidents happen. So long as you're not purposely targeting someone I don't think you should hold back because of that fear."

"Plus if you are the one that strikes fear in the opponent then you have the upper hand!" Chuubou was quick to add.

Suitokku padded the air replying, "No no I get that… I just meant here and with Mizumachi… won't help us if I hurt my own teammates in practice right."

A still woozy Mizumachi jolted his arm upward in agreement, "Here here!" before swaying off to the side to be caught by Kakei. This drew an awkward laugh from the guy who knocked him on his ass.

Over on the sidelines a joyful squeal broke the silence. Juri cocked and eyebrow at the source of the noise, which was of course Suzuna. "What? What's so exciting?" asked the team manager curiously.

The squealing cheer captain was wiggling over some text message she had just received and she swiveled to look squarely at Juri and blurted, "Why didn't you tell me your sister got accepted to Enma?"

Juri rolled her eyes and said nonchalantly, "Oh that. I just found out yesterday myself, it must have slipped my mind this morning to tell you."

Suzuna pouted and rolled over to the team manager, bapping her on the arm as she did so. "How could that slip your mind? Aren't you excited about your sister coming here?"

The blue bell of a girl sighed and looked to Suzuna replying, "Of course I am… I'm just worried she's coming here for the wrong reasons. With her grades she could have gone anywhere she wanted but she chose here. And I'm pretty sure I know why." She then nodded to the field where Monta and Sena were still running receiving routes while Unsui tossed them balls.

Suzuna's blue eyes followed her friend's to the field and she frowned. "What's wrong with that?" she turned her attention back to Juri and added, "Isn't it romantic?" Her voice was sweet and filled with love as she clasped her hands over her heart.

The elder Sawai sister shook her head and said, "It's stupid is what it is! Sure she has a crush on him and they agreed to get to know each other better but what then? What if Monta decides he doesn't like her like she likes him? What if he breaks her heart?"

"Monta wouldn't do that!" Suzuna was quick to defend.

"Well no maybe not on purpose! But you guys can't force them to like each other!" Juri retorted before calming herself and explaining, "Look I'm not saying I hope everything works out for them and all that. I'm just worried my sister is getting way too ahead of herself here. Seriously think about is Suzuna… they've known each other for a few weeks and she's basing her education on it."

The navy haired cheerleader was about to argue but, she couldn't against that logic. Instead she turned a worried glace towards Monta and said, "I guess I never thought of it that way… but I… I just can't see Monta doing something like that to her."

Juri sighed slowly and said, "I don't either but it wouldn't surprise me either. Some things just happen like that. He may mean no harm at all by it but if he rejects her she would be crushed. I'm just worried about her. But I know I can't convince her otherwise."

Suzuna nodded slowly and replied, "And it may work out for the best anyway, like it did for me and Sena." The girl's voice was hopeful now, she really did want it to work out for Shidao's sake. However, something was poking at the back of her mind, and it had been for a little bit now. She shook the thoughts of Shidao out of her mind and glanced around. "Hey-. Where's Dante? I haven't seen him yet today?"

Glad for the change of subject Juri looked to her friend and shrugged, "I'm not sure. He's never late for practice. I hope he's ok…"

The cheer captain nodded in agreement adding, "Yeah… and he hasn't been answering my texts or calls… not that he usually does right away but still…" Her eyes took to her phone once more to check for a reply from the hairy lug but there were none. "You don't think he got into an accident or anything did you?"

"I hope not!" Juri replied before adding, "Is there any other way to reach him?"

Suzuna wracked her brain to think if there was and she said, "Sena said he has a butler but I don't think either of us has his number. OH DOY!" she smacked her forehead, "Suitokku lives with him he would know!" She skated onto the field a bit and blew her whistle loudly before shouting, "SUITOKKUN GET OVER HERE!"

Out on the field the line group flinched at the verbal outburst and Suitokku stood up straight, opening his mouth in surprise before blowing out a huff of air. He turned to his teammates and said, "Uh… ok… Be right back." He then jogged over to the sidelines, his pads making soft audible noises at he moved; his already foreboding size only made bigger by the form of the enormous shoulder pads. The maritime giant completely dwarfed Suzuna's slight frame as he plodded up beside her on the sidelines. "Yeah?"

Completely undaunted by his immense size she looked up at him and asked, "Where is Dante? Is he not coming to practice today?"

Suitokku tilted his head at the question and when it registered that he had forgotten to tell them his face illuminated with embarrassment, "Awww I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys why he isn't here. He was puking his guts out this morning we think it was food poisoning from some nasty thing he ate yesterday…"

Suzuna gasped as her hands covered her mouth in shock, "Is he ok?"

The colossal youth frowned and said, "I'm sure he'll be fine… but he can't very well practice when he's spewing from both ends."

She cringed at that and waved her hands stopping him from going into further detail, "Got it… No more details… please…" She shuddered at the nasty details once more and shushed him away, "Go… just… go hit people now."

He nodded, shutting up at the girls reaction and turned to return to the field to indeed hit people, breathing under his breath, "You owe me for this gingerbread man…"

And some miles away said gingerbread man was sitting in a leather chair, in a suit across from a table that was lined with other gentlemen in suits. At the head of the table was a man with a strong jaw and a face that shouted power. His eyes were grey and clear full of confidence and the wrinkles that creased his brow were ones aged with wisdom. The edges of his hair were greying by the ears and he spoke with authority.

Dante sat with his arms crossed, an eternal frown on his face as he listened to the man blather. His normally wild lion's mane of a hair do was pulled back and slicked into a well-kept pony tail. He hated this, getting all dressed up and being forced to sit in on this meeting. The fiery foreigner's lips began to twitch into a sneer the more he heard the man speak.

The authoritative man at the head of the table noticed this and stated, "Is there a problem Dante…?" his voice was deep and solid.

Dante snapped out of it and focused his eyes on the man, an underlying hatred seething from them. "No… father…" he snorted grumpily as the eyes of all the other businessmen at the table were drawn to him.

The head man paused for a few moments simply staring at his son before continuing, "I apologize for my son's lack of enthusiasm for the quarterly reviews, but as one of the majority shareholders he does have to sit in on the meetings." This statement seemed to be aimed more directly at Dante himself rather than the men around the table. And the fiery linebacker knew it.

As the meeting finally let out the father and son waited by the door as the other executives left. Dante's father shook each of their hands as they left and respectively wished them well. Dante himself on the other hand had his arms shoved deep into his pockets as he defiantly ignored them. When they had all left his father turned to him with a scowl.

"Are you proud of yourself?" he demanded in an even and strong tone.

Dante replied with a sneer, "Proud of what I didn't say a damn word…" the aggravated athlete took the pony tail out of his hair and shook his head from side to side, once more freeing his lion's mane.

"You could have at least pretended to not hate this. This is going to be your company someday." His father retorted harshly.

Dante jammed his hands back into his pockets and grumbled, "Oh joy… I cannot wait…" and stuck out his tongue in disgust. He wanted nothing to do with this damn company. All these hotels and the like could shove it for all he cared. All he wanted to do was play football and more than that, not deal with his father. "Are we done now? You made me miss practice for this fucking crap."

"It is not crap Dante, and watch your mouth." He scolded as he smacked the back of his head. "You need to start taking this seriously Dante, you can't always play football and you can't always get what you want. One of these days you're going to have to grow up and get on with your life."

He angrily swatted his father's hands away and pointed a finger into his face. "I don't want to fucking hear it god dammit! You and this company can shove it!"

"Dante!" his father barked angrily.

"NO! You don't get to be a father anymore, you missed your own daughter's funeral because of this fucking company so just shove it old man!" Dante shouted back. The trembling teen was raging inside and out, his fists clenched tightly at his sides as his teeth grinded together. He lowered his head frowning deeply before pushing past his father and taking off down the hall.

In the room Dante's father was similarly raging. He punched the wall out of anger leaving a hole in it. Slowly he brought his other hand over his face and let out a shaky sigh. What was he going to do?