DISCLAIMER: I am not the intellectual author of Eyeshield 21, nor of the characters in the homonymous work. All rights reserved to Riichiro Inagaki and Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump
FOOTBALL.
Strength, intelligence, speed ... but above all, power. The High School League prepares students for Japan's number one football competition, the most hectic and exciting... The Rice Bowl is the game of the college league champion against the semi-professional league champion. A battle in which you play to be the best team in Japan. Even more important than the Christmas Bowl! It's the biggest and most difficult event in American football !
That's where we're going, gentlemen!
...
Two years after the American Football World Cup and the final between Japan and the United States ...
It was a quiet day at the Narita airport, many families were reunited in warm hugs and there was no shortage of tired passengers who waited for their endless flights. Amid the hubbub, a young man with spiky brown hair and a heavy suitcase divided the aisle at top speed.
"Hiiiiiii!" I'm late. The thin boy recognized very quickly, but slightly marked "I hope you have not arrived very late to welcome the new generation, what a shame ~", he thought quite sadly, it was not a very good impression to arrive at that time on his first day in University.
He would have to see the access results, he hoped with great optimism to have passed the test. That time he was admitted to Deimon, there were no students turned away, so it was a half-done feat.
"Oh no, there are a lot of people, at this rate I'm not going to get there," he reflected in front of crowd barriers as if they were defensive lines. "That's it!"
He braced himself by imagining he was on a football field and fired up his gear at 4.2 seconds, the speed of light, dodging passersby as if they were rival defenses. With a jump he crossed half a station in a few seconds, his visit to Notre Dame was beginning to bear fruit in Japan.
Enma University - Accepted Students
Suzuna waited excitedly by the main doors, she had arrived first and first she had found out that everyone had entered, even Sena. She genuinely smiled, it had been a long time since she had seen him. A man with spiky white hair plus another boy with black strands and a cute monkey face were rushing through the doorway.
"Kh, as fast as ever." The Devil Bats catcher said, not at all surprised.
The blue-haired young woman wearing a leather jacket and skirt greeted both individuals enthusiastically, her arm fluttering in the sky like a flag.
"Yeah! Here! You've all entered Enma's university! Well, they don't really have many students. So apparently they all passed."
"Like Deimon?! Ooooooh, so why did I study max so desperately?" the boy with the thick eyebrows asked disappointed.
A large shadow watched from a corner."
"Hmm?"
"I feel something suspicious... watching us from there."
"I've found a good candidate!" he announced in the same devilish voice.
"There's a weird guy over there!" shouted Suzuna.
He and Unsui were finally discovered to have landed three targets for their soccer team.
"Do you really think it's a good method?" questioned the Shinryuuji quarterback accompanying his colleague, hopelessly.
"I-I-I-I learned it from Hiruma! When we were in Deimon..." he explained confident that he could form a good team in the same way.
As soon as he reached the group he sent the first one he saw flying through the air, as if he was congratulating him for passing the test, although from the force he used he rather seemed to want to leave him on the roof.
"You passed! Emm, what was coming now? Ah, yes! You can use this cell phone to call your parents and tell them what you've accomplished." he offered pausing to catch his memory every few words.
"Hm?" (Unsui)
The Seibu Wild Gunmen runner landed from the top smoothly, a spectacular entrance.
"So this is your plan to get the phone number and invite the person to the club, huh? That trick is long gone, you know? All college students have their own cell phones, Kurita-san." Riku reported, showing his own phone as proof.
Thus Kurita recognized Monta and Suzuna as well, and didn't hold back from giving them a big reunion hug that literally took the air out of them. The girl in blue managed to sneak away smartly to maintain her integrity.
"Awesome, with you guys on the team... Beating Saikyodai is not a dream!" Unsui proclaimed excitedly "But... right now these two will die before they join.
The monkey managed to escape and share the news: "And Sena! He also entered Enma!"
"Eeeeeeeeh? Sena too? He's back from America?!" asked the big line in shock.
"He said she would be late because... he forgot something on the plane. Typical Sena, I guess." added the cheerleading captain quietly.
Everyone smiled, he was finally coming back from his junior year at Notre Dame as the star running back. Suzuna turned red at the thought of how much he must have grown up... not in that way, of course.
"We won't lose!" Monta declared confidently.
"Yes. Now that we've teamed up with Enma, I'm looking forward to our first game." dreamed Riku for a few seconds.
"Yes! I'll come to cheer you on! By the way, when is the first game?" asked Suzuna.
"Right now." replied Kurita putting on his helmet to complete Enma's uniform, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"WHAAAATEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
...
"Ah, they just kissed, they're all too cloying! " stressed Mizumachi looking with a blush at the opponents, Koigahama University.
"What's wrong with them, they're not ready yet, that's not smart!" echoed Kotaro with a comb in his accusing hand.
"Oooooooh! Mizumachi, you're here too." acknowledged Monta, greeting Kyoshin's line as if he were a lifelong friend.
They even clapped their palms together like schoolgirls, it was missing that they started jumping up and down with excitement.
"I knew I could get in without studying." he explained unabashedly, in fact he wasn't wearing pants.
"What a perverse reason..." Suzuna muttered.
"Wait, Kotaro, was it you? The one who has planned a match without permission?" inquired Unsui, the voice of reason "Our senpais know nothing about this."
The kicker looked at Kurita, passing the blame to him, but he shook his head in denial. The culprit did not seem to be present.
"Someone hacked our website and added the match to the schedule." said the center.
"The only one capable of that, Unsui, had nothing to do with it." reminded Monta.
"It was too well done." excused Kotaro.
"Planning a match against another team without permission, just to spy on them?
"Such a far-fetched thing to do, only one person in the world could have done it!" deduced the receiver looking behind his back.
...
. . .
"YA-HA!" Hiruma made himself heard, driving a jeep with a giant scaffolding attached to the back "KEKEKEKEKEKEKE! Make room! The tower car custom-made by Takekura's engineers, designed to collect data!" he laughed as he made a sharp turn to get to the fotball field.
On top of the scaffolding, Mamori held on as if his life hung in the balance.
"Hiruma-kun, drive carefully, don't forget I'm here, jeez!" shouted in annoyance.
"Hey, does our club have the budget to afford that?" asked Banba, sitting in the stands next to other players from the favorite among college teams, Saikyodai.
"I think he blackmailed the director?" surmised Ikkyu, perhaps jokingly, perhaps seriously.
(I think he controls Saikyodai from the shadows) mused Juumonji, knowing his former captain.
"Tsk, I'll have a serious talk with Hiruma after this." Unsui sentenced, he didn't want his team to turn into chaos because of the blond demon.
"Woah, woah! Aren't those the Saikyodai aces?" consulted Mizumachi as excited as usual.
"I swear if I hear 'Saikyodai' again I'm leaving." thought Suzuna.
In the stands could be seen Kongo Agon, Honjou Taka, Yamato Takeru and Akaba Hayato, those who made up the so-called "Lightning" of Saikyodai. The terror of the university and probably the biggest group to beat in the league.
"I didn't know there were so many big names in that school... It will be really hard to beat them." Monta mused seriously, they had already had trouble beating them individually, if they were united... it would be a massacre.
"Where's Mizumachi?" Suzuna asked as he couldn't find him around.
"Not only that! Oujo University has also appeared! That's Shin! Oh! Also Takami and Yukimitsu from Shuuei Medical School!" commented the swimmer.
"Why did you start broadcasting live?" questioned Unsui embarrassed, unable to stop his partner.
"Oh my." thought Kurita looking at the bleachers.
"And now the "worst" team of the semi-pro's! From the X league, the Takekura Construction Babels!"
Deimon's big guy watched his kicker friend along with his teammates, if they won every game they would find themselves in the Rice Bowl... Musashi, Kid, Gao, Onihei, Tetsuma, Togano and Kuroki on one team. The three friends were saying goodbye outside Deimon, on their last day of school.
"Kekeke, from now on the three of us will go to different teams." spoke Hiruma.
"Yes... Our second act will be as opponents, like the three kingdoms."
They really wanted to join the same team, but this time Musashi had to continue his father's work.
"And join the same university as Hiruma, leaving Musashi aside? Impossible, it was better to go our separate ways" Kurita thought.
"I'll kill you if you lose to the idiots in the semi-pro league, you old fuck. No matter what... you've got to make it to the Rice Bowl!" warned the quarterback before walking away.
"We're definitely going to the Rice Bowl!" shouted the big guy with all fervor, seconded by his teammates.
"Yessssss!"
Riku would come in at runningback and was already mentally preparing himself.
"We're going 100% from the start. We can't show a pitiful game against Saikyodai."
Unsui was thinking behind him. After a while he decided to share his questions:
"Riku... Why didn't you join Saikyodai? With your grades, it wouldn't have been difficult for you."
The runner made a silence to give a proper answer.
"You know, Sena told me: 'I've been thinking, but... after I graduate it looks like I'll go against Hiruma-san. I'd like to beat him someday. I just realized how horrifying he is, but...' I think I'm just like you, that you joined a different team, a real soccer player and not just Agon's brother Unsui-san." he confessed entering the field with a smile.
The quarterback granted him that in a nod.
...
Two young ladies, one redhead and one blonde, were walking on their way to Enma University for the friendly match against Koigahama. The first one wasn't very willing, but she was accompanying her friend because it seemed odd to let her go alone, it clashed with her friend status.
"Karin... why did we suddenly come here to watch a football game? What does it have to do with you wanting to become a mangaka?"
"The publisher... told me to draw an American soccer manga with Eyeshield-kun as the main character..." she explained ruefully, that wasn't her intention in the first place.
A flash passed at high speed between the two of them.
"C-could it be...?"
...
Then, onto the field fell with a trail of dust the star of Notre Dame, Kobayakawa Sena. Cameras caught him at every turn, his popularity was undeniable.
"I'm back..." announced panting.
"Uooooo! Why are you late?" greeted Monta to his best friend.
"No, well... I forgot my backpack on the plane with something important inside... the visor I wore in my Devil Bats days. "he said taking the visor in his hands.
"Sena, it looks like... you have the face of an adult now. "Suzuna opined proudly.
"Kekekekeke! Will it be okay if we don't go protect Sena, "Mamori-neechan"? "Hiruma asked without malice to the fucking manager.
" ... Of course, he's the enemy now! Even if it's Sena, we have to win. "he decided after a moment's thought, he didn't need her anymore.
"And he's not an easy opponent, I'll use all my traps and tricks to win... And I will destroy him. "assured the blond with sharp teeth between laughs.
(I'm sure I'll catch up to you, Panther-kun. Someday I'll definitely fight in the world of professionals like you! And I'll become the real number one in Japan!) thought Sena.
He entered the playing field even though the match had already started. It was Enma's turn to attack and they would not miss the opportunity for their star running back to score a couple of points. The other team didn't recognize and considered him a random substitute.
"Heh, heh, heh, Emi-chan, watch me sink it!" His girlfriend was watching him from the stands.
The defender didn't even have time to react when Sena, Eyeshield 21, used his entire arsenal in a single run to TouchDown.
Koigahama 0 - 6 Enma
"He is the best runner of this era." Shin said.
"Kukuku, you scumbags aren't capable of touching that speed." spoke Agon.
"Kekekekeke, he's..." added Hiruma.
EYESHIELD 21