The day before the final match of the preliminaries with the Italian team Orpheus, the Japanese team were all sitting in a room where Kino told them that only two teams will go onto the final. Haruna then showed the team the current rankings and explained that if they lose and the Unicorns' beat the Empire then they will advance, but if they were to draw and the Unicorns' win then both teams will have the same number of points, meaning that an extra game will be played to determine who goes through

Kazemaru then pointed out that the best way to confirm their next round entry is to win against Orpheus tomorrow. Endou then stood up from his chair and said that they should practise for their match against Orpheus, which everyone agreed with

During practice, everyone was giving it their all as they knew how important tomorrow's match is, no one wanted to slow down or hold back. Coach Kudou paid a lot more of his attention to Naruto than the others as he wanted to see how much he improved during his time with Teres

Naruto passed the ball to Fubuki who passed it to Someoka who took a shot at Genda who saved the shot. Naruto and the others continued to train their attacking before taking a break. Coach Kudou told Naruto to join the defending team now as he wanted to see how he could do and how the others do against him. Naruto nodded and walked onto the field and got ready for practice to start back up again

When practice started back up Naruto began instructing his teammates on their positioning, the defending team had now closed down the attacking team and were able to force mistakes out of them which allowed the defending team to easily get possession of the ball. Coach Kudou was quite happy with the results of the defenders vs attacks game but was looking at Kidou with an unreadable look as he could see that Kidou was still thinking of Kageyama which made all his plays become self-centred and he knew he would have to deal with it

Later at dinner the team where all feeling pumped for the game with Orpheus and were quite pleased with how far they have gotten with their training, all tho they knew they could be stronger they were happy that they grew in strength since the Unicorn game

On the day of the game, the Japanese team was in the changing room and waited for their coach after they had gotten changed. Endou told the team "We've come this far and all that's left is to go for it. If we face them with everything we've got, we'll definitely win! Well then… Let's go!" The others couldn't agree more with his statement

Once going to the field coach Kudou announced the starting eleven

Goalkeeper - Endou

Defenders - Fubuki, Kabeyama, Naruto, Tsunami

Midfielders - Kidou, Kazemaru and Sakuma

Forwards - Gouenji, Someoka and Hiroto

Japan kicked off with Hiroto running forwards before passing to Someoka who got past one of Orpheus' midfielders. Fidio then yelled out "Catenaccio Counter" which made the Japanese players stop what they were doing and try and figure out what was going to happen

Someoka stopped running and stood completely still, Fidio seeing this ran forwards to take the ball off him but stopped when one of his teammates took the ball from Someoka instead, shocking him

The game then became a back and forth with both teams advancing and retreating but never giving an inch away to the opposing team. Fidio tried to get his teammates to pass the ball to him but it seemed like they didn't want to pass to him and instead passed it to their other teammates

Orpheus was once again on the attack and was running down the field but was stopped by Kidou, once receiving the ball Kidou tried to find a forward to pass to but was unable in doing so as the Orpheus defenders were man-marking them and refusing to give them any space to get away. Kidou didn't know what to do with the ball which allowed an Orpheus player to tackle him

The Japanese players tried to pass the ball forwards but the Orpheus defenders were able to stop them from reaching the forward. Seeing this Fubuki made a charge down the field to help with the offence. Sakuma then passed the ball to Fubuki, upon receiving the ball Fidio once again called out for "Catenaccio Counter" which scared the Japanese team again but this time Fubuki didn't let it stop him

An Orpheus midfielder tried to stop Fubuki but Fubuki was just too fast for him to stop, seeing his teammate fail to stop Fubuki's charge he broke his mark on Gouenji and realised it too late which allowed Fubuki to easily get past him and used Crossfire with Goeunji. The Orpheus goalkeeper tried to stop it with his hissatsu technique but the shot was too fast for him to complete the hissatsu technique, which allowed the Japan team to score the first goal in the match

1-0

The Japanese players congratulated both Fubuki and Gouenji for scoring the goal. Orpheus then got ready to resume the game again with their forward Raffaele running down the field alone seeing this the Japanese players waited for him to get close before using Angel Robe and taking the ball off him

Fidio, seeing this, called his team back to help with the defence but Orpheus was in pieces and was not functioning as a team. Some of the Orpheus players tried to stop Sakuma from bringing the ball up but couldn't as he played a quick one-two with Kidou which allowed him to get past them before passing the ball to Gouenji who was unmarked. But before Gouenji could get to the ball Fidio was able to clear the ball out for a throw-in

Fidio tried to talk to his teammates but they all were ignoring him, Fidio begged them to listen to him as he didn't think they could beat Inazuma Japan as they were now but with the help from Catenaccio Counter then they would be able to win against Inazuma Japan. The Orpheus team decided to trust him on the matter and give him five minutes in charge before going back to what they were doing which Fidio accepted

Sakuma took the throw-in and threw it to Kidou who gave it to Someoka who had the ball taken off him by Angelo who gave the ball to Fidio. Fidio brought the ball forwards with him being the centre point as his teammates ran alongside him, Fidio was so busy giving orders to his teammates that he didn't see Kazemaru running him and tackling him and making the ball go out of play

Orpheus took the throw-in and continued with how they lined up before the ball went out of play, Fidio saw Raffaele in space and tried to pass the ball to him but overshot the pass which allowed Tsunami to collect the ball before passing it to Kidou. Kidou brought the ball down the pitch with Fidio and the others behind him and did not break formation

Raffaele started to run towards Japan's goal while the others started moving to cover the Japanese players, sensing something bad was going to happen Naruto called out to Kidou to pass the ball quickly to Kazemaru but it was too late as Fidio did a quick spin around Kidou so his back was now facing his own goal and forcing Kidou to slow his approach down. Seeing what just happened Kageyama run towards the touchline and told Fidio to stop using those plays as it was the exact same plays his father use to make

Fidio told him he wouldn't as the football that he was pursuing would only be complete when his father Kageyama Tougo was at the core of it which shocked Kageyama as he finally understood what he was searching for. Soon Kidou found himself surrounded by the Orpheus players in a circle with Fidio in front of him, his passing options were blocked off by the surrounding players. Kidou didn't know what to do which made him lower his guard and allow Fidio to spin and take the ball off him Catenaccio Counter

Fidio then kicked the ball far down the field to an open Raffaele which shocked the whole Inazuma Japan team, managers and coaches as Orpheus was able to go from defence to offence in a blink of an eye. Endou started to run towards him to stop him but Naruto yelled for him to stop but it was already too late as Raffaele used Freeze shot(Raffaele stood with the ball looking off to the side as an ice path was formed that leads to the Japanese goal. Raffaele then kicked the ball as hard as he could, the ball then digs into the ground making it covered in ice and heading towards the goal) Endou tried to grab the ball but the power behind the shot was too much for him to handle and to make matters worse he was losing his balance from running on the ice which allowed the ball to go into the Japanese goal, tying the game up

1-1

Everyone other than Orpheus was shocked at what just happened as it was a blink and you miss it moment. The whole of Orpheus went towards Kageyama and had a team talk with him before the game restarted, while the Japanese players shook their heads and tried to figure out a way through the Catenaccio Counter. Naruto walked towards Endou and told him "If he shoots again make sure that you are standing as that shot is not only powerful but makes you lose your balance as you are standing on ice"

Endou nodded at Naruto and thanked him for the help and got ready for the game to continue. They then kicked off and gave the ball to Kidou who tried to bring the ball forward but was stopped by Fidio who was able to read Kidou's fake. Fidio then charged forwards and took a shot towards goal, Naruto quickly got in front of the shot and lifted his foot upwards and waited for the shot to come and when it arrived he brought his foot down which created a wind slash that slowed the ball down but didn't stop it as it continued to go towards Endou with no power behind it(Opposing Force - If you have a better name for it please let me know)

Endou caught the ball in confusion but was snapped out of it as Naruto called for the ball, Endou obliged and gave him the ball. Naruto got past one Italian midfielder but another one was able to kick the ball out for a Japan throw-in. Before Japan could take the throw-in, substitution was made Hiroto off for Aphrodi, while the change was happening Kageyama called over Fidio and gave him some quick orders

Japan took the throw-in and gave it to Kidou who saw nowhere to go and who stood still. Aphrodi then ran past him which snapped Kidou out of his thoughts before passing the ball to him, Orpheus was quick to react to this and caught him in the Catenaccio Counter, Aphrodi tried to use his speed to help manoeuvre out of the tactic but it was no use as Fidio took the ball off him before kicking the ball to Raffaele again. Fubuki was there to intercept it but Raffaele started to run in a different direction, seeing this Naruto called out to Fubuki to tell him that the ball is going to curl

By the time Fubuki realised that it was curling it was too late as Raffaele now had the ball and used Freeze Shot, Kabeyama tried to stop it with The Mountain but couldn't, Naruto then tried to use Chain Lock to stop it but the shot still had a lot of power behind it that blew past him. With the help of Kabeyama and Naruto, Endou was able to stop the shot with no issues with Ijigen the Hand which sent the ball out for a goal kick

Before Endou could take the goal kick Naruto called over the Fubuki, Endou, Tsunami and Someoka and told them "There might be a way to get past them but it is risky" The four of them looked at one another before nodding and told Naruto that they are willing to try. Naruto then explained his plan which made him gain a crazy smirk before telling them the plan

Endou took the goal kick and passed it short to Naruto who started to run towards Fidio, Seeing that the Italian players were getting into position for Catenaccio Counter made Naruto smirk as everything was going to plan. Before the Italian players got into position Naruto alongside Tsunami, Fubuki and Endou used the hissatsu tactic Soft and Hard and passed the ball to Someoka who used Dragon Slayer. The Italian players were shocked at this but they were bailed out by Blasi who charged up his hands with a blue energy before crossing his arms, he then uncrossed his arms which summons a replica of a colosseum. Blasi then brings his arms together which closes the colosseum and blocking the shot(Colosseo Guard)

The Italian players all sighed in relief as they were just caught off guard. Blasi then passed the ball out to a midfielder but his pass was intercepted by Kidou who gave the ball to Gouenji. Gouenji was now the next victim of the Catenaccio Counter but when he saw the way Fidio moved he realised that it was similar to the way Kidou moves

Fidio again passed the ball downfield to Raffaele who was forced to run towards the corner flag to shield the ball by Kazemaru, Sakuma and Tsunami but Raffaele proved to be resourceful by lifting the ball up before kicking the ball over his shoulders towards Fidio who ran up to the ball and lifting his heel high up in the air. The ball then shines with ancient runes, Fidio then kicks the ball as a golden energy sword surrounds the ball(Odin's Sword), Endou used Ijigen the Hand to stop the shot but it blasted straight past it as if it was nothing.

1-2

Endou congratulated Fidio on the shot and promised that he would stop the next one. The game resumed with Japan taking the kick-off, Japan again tried to attack but Orpheus proved too much for them as they closed down any hopes for them to use Soft and Hard while also forcing them into the Catenaccio Counter. Soon enough the ball went out for a throw-in for Japan, coach Kudou then made a substitution, Someoka off for Fudou

Fudou then told everyone that the coach wanted Kidou to bring the ball forward which made Kidou say that he couldn't as Fidio can read him like a book. Fudou then told him that he should be able to do the same as they play like one another which shocked Kidou, Kidou didn't say anything else before nodding. Japan took the throw-in and gave it to Kidou who ran straight into the Catenaccio Counter but this time he was able to break free of the tactic before passing the ball to Aphrodi who used God Break and scored past Colosseo Guard to level the scores up again

2-2

The Japanese players celebrated the goal and congratulated Aphrodi and Kidou for what they did before going back into their positions. Orpheus then resumed the game but there wasn't much time left in the first half for either team to gain the lead, as the first half came to an end. Both teams walked off to their respective dugouts with determined looks plastered on their faces

The Japanese players were ecstatic about how well they've done and could see the momentum moving in their favour. Kidou then cut in by saying he wasn't sure about that as the Catenaccio Counter is a high-level tactic that Orpheus pulled off in the middle of the game and that they might still have more plays that were hidden from them

The Japanese players then all turned and looked at Orpheus who was talking with Kageyama, but their attention was then averted towards a lone figure walking towards Orpheus who all except one of them knew. When the Orpheus players noticed the person walking toward them they called out to him by yelling "Captain" which confused Inazuma Japan

Endou then remembered something from the first day on the island and turned towards Naruto who had a small smile on his face and asked him "Naruto do you know him?"

Everyone looked at Naruto who said "Yes, I do. His name is Nakata Hidetoshi, Italy's true captain and my other mentor"

This got everyone to look in shock before Kidou said "If that's the case then I believe the next half will be much more difficult than the first half"

Naruto nodded and said "You have no idea, he was the one who helped me understand and break down hissatsu techniques and tactics. This game has just become ten times harder, now that he is back"

They then turned back and looked towards Orpheus but this time they saw a little girl with them by the name of Rushe who got caught up in one of Kageyama's schemes and ended up going blind but Kageyama had been funding her medical care and today was the first time in ages she was able to see again. Kidou and the others were shocked at this as they all thought Kageyama was someone who didn't care about who got hurt but they could see now that Kageyama was not the man they thought he was. Coach Kudou then told them that he was substitution Tsunami for Tobikata as he wanted more defenders out there with defensive hissatsu techniques to either stop or help slow down Orpheus' shots

They soon went back onto the field, Naruto, Endou and Fidio stood together as Nakata joined them soon after. Nakata told Endou that he waited a long time to play against him as he's been watching them play throughout the Asia preliminaries as well as how Naruto used to speak about him when they were together. Endou smiled and told him he was also looking forward to it as he was someone that Naruto speaks highly of.

Naruto and Nakata then looked at each other and smiled before shaking hands with one another and saying at the same time "We'll be the winners today" and laughing at one another. They then greeted one another and said they'd catch up after the game

Orpheus then took the Kick-off and started doing one-touch passing to each other as if they knew where each of the others was. They moved the ball so well that it looked like Inazuma Japan were playing a different team, the quick passes caught Inazuma Japan off guard which allowed Fidio to get in behind their defence and score with Odin Sword

2-3

The Japanese players were shocked at how quickly they had conceded a goal and quickly got themselves out of the funk and restarted the game with Kidou bringing the ball forward and getting caught in the Catenaccio Counter. Just like before Kidou managed to get past Fidio but before he could do anything else Nakata was there and took the ball off him

Nakata gave the ball to Raffaele who gave it to Fidio. The Japanese defence then quickly blocked his path at goal. Naruto then saw Nakata make a move and quickly shouted that the ball was going to be passed to Nakata. But before anyone could intercept the pass, it was already at Nakata who flicked the ball into the air and performed a bicycle quick as the ball gained a blue-like energy surrounding it(Brave Shot)

Endou tried to stop it with Ijigen the Hand but again the power that Orpheus had proved too much for Endou and the others as the ball went in and doubling their lead in a quick succession which devastated Inazuma Japan

2-4

Endou grabbed the ball out of the net and saw the down faces of his teammates and told them "Keep your heads up! The second half has just begun. Now let's go and show them our strengths and get back the two goals they scored against us!"

The Japanese players all agreed and gained a determined look on their faces with them each promising that they would not let any more goals in and to score as many goals as they could to win the game

Inazuma Japan then restarted the game and pushed forwards again but this time they played the ball around and didn't hold onto it for too long as they wanted to work around the Catenaccio Counter which worked in their favour allowing them to take a shot at goal

Naruto now had the ball and was bringing it forwards but got caught in the Catenaccio Counter, he then smirked and said this won't work on me before using the Flying Raijin to get past the Catenaccio Counter. The Japanese players were confident that he could get out that they started to run down the field but to their shock, Orpheus managed to take the ball off him without the help from Nakata as they closed him down as soon as he got past Fidio leaving no alternative way to get past them

Fidio then passed the ball to Nakata who used Brave Shot again but this time Endou had help from Kageyama and Tobikata who used The Mountain and Shinkuuma which allowed him to send the ball out for a goal kick with Ijigen the Hand. Naruto hadn't moved from his spot as he had a shocked facial expression and doesn't know what to do

Naruto then slowly turned to Fidio and looked him in the eyes, Fidio seeing this answered the unspoken question and said "We were able to stop you thanks to Mr K's instructions. He explained to us that for you to perform the move you have to have the ball go a certain distance away and have enough room for you to appear in, which means that if we cut your options down we can cause you to get surrounded and take the ball off you without any issues. I must admit if we didn't have Mr K's help we never would have stopped you"

Everyone looked to Kageyama who smiled at how well Fidio and the others did in stopping their biggest threat to their Catenaccio Counter besides Kidou. The whole of Inazuma Japan now fully realised how tough this battle was going to be for them.

Kidou on the other hand was just thinking about how they had to win this game as it wouldn't have any meaning for separating from Kageyama's ways of playing football. He then started to remember the time he played under Kageyama in Royal Academy and his time with Raimon and how different he had become. He then remembered Sakuma's words from the time when he and the others from Raimon went back to Royal Academy to study the Death Zone "I'm really glad you've found a place where you can use your talents to their best"

Everything then came to Kidou as he finally realised that the answer he was looking for was right in front of him the whole time, it was the friends he made along the way and the football they played. He felt connected by the feelings that each of them put into each of their plays and how it was because of all of their feelings that communicated in the style they played as it was a way for each of them to be free in their own ways and play how they want to play instead of following one man's ways without any question. Upon realising this fact Kidou began to smile and slowly breathe in and out as his demeanour changed into a more relaxed one

Endou then took the goal kick by passing it to Kidou who ran head first into the Orpheus players and got caught in the Catenaccio Counter. Kidou didn't even seem worried as he got past Fidio with ease again and was face to face with Nakata but this time he had help from Sakuma and Fudou. Kidou then made quick passes with them which helped him get past Nakata before the three of them jumped into the air with Kidou lifting the ball with them. Kidou then whistled as purple penguins flew towards them and began circling around the three players as purple energy formed around the ball. The three players then gained some height before falling down and connecting their heels on the ball which sent the ball and the penguins towards the goal (Koutei Penguin 3)

Blasi used Colosseo Guard to stop the shot but was unsuccessful in doing so. Seeing the shot go in, the Japanese players celebrated their goal and were happy that Kidou, Sakuma and Fudou were able to get past the Catenaccio Counter.

3-4

Orpheus then kicked off again and was immediately on the back pedal as the Japanese players were quick to react and rushed them trying to take the ball off them. Nakata and Fidio tried to help the team by giving out instructions that could help them but they were finding it difficult to get past the ferocious Japan team

The Japanese players managed to get the ball from Orpheus but the chance at goal was hindered as Nakata had put in a sliding tackle on Aphrodi which allowed Blasi to grab hold of the ball with no problem. Blasi then kicked the ball long to Raffaele who gave the ball to Fidio who used Odin's Sword, Naruto ran towards the shot and told Endou to get ready before using Opposing Force which made the shot lose some of its power but enough for Endou to stop it with Ijigen the Hand Remastered and making it hit off the crossbar before catching it

Endou then looked over at his team as they all charged towards Orpheus' goal without looking back as they knew time was running out and they needed to win to guarantee their entry into the next stage of the tournament. He then said "Let's go everyone! Let's give everything we have and show everyone our football!" before kicking the ball to Fubuki

The Japanese players all agreed and charged the goal with everything they had. Fubuki brought the ball forward and saw that Orpheus was closing in on him and passed the ball to Tobikata who passed it to Kabeyama. Kabeyama then gave it to Naruto who used Flying Raijin to get past an Orpheus midfielder before giving it to Gouenji who got past one defender but lost the ball to another defender who committed a sliding tackle

The ball was now heading towards Fidio, the Japanese players cursed and tried to stop Fidio from getting the ball. But just before Fidio could receive the ball Sakuma used the last of his energy to head the ball to Fudou who passed it to Kidou. Everyone from Inazuma Japan besides coach Kudou yelled at Kidou to score

Kidou felt a wave of energy wash over him and thought to himself 'This is the ball, is the ball that my friends worked so hard for. I feel each and everyone's feelings and powers right now and I know I can't let them down!' Kidou then gained a more determined look than ever before screaming with all his might before jumping up into the air with the ball and crossing his arms before uncrossing them as eight penguins fly towards the ball that is above Kidou's head. This caused the ball to glow golden and enlarge. Kidou then spins around and volleys the ball, creating a purple shock wave that sends the ball towards the goal. The Penguins then follow the ball behind and tear up the ground and leaving a trail of dust and chunks of dirt in its wake. (Perfect Penguin)*

Everyone was shocked as they hadn't seen Kidou use a shot like this before and could only watch on, everyone from Japan was also screaming for the shot to go in as their hopes of progressing relied on whether this shot goes in or not. Blasi used Colosseo Guard to stop it and it looked like it was able to but the suddenly the shot was able to get through as if it had gained more power behind it from the Japanese players yelling for it to go in

4-4

The Japanese players seeing the ball go in ran towards Kidou and tackled him to the ground and celebrated with him for using a new move which they haven't seen before and rescuing their hopes of going into the next round of the tournament.

Both teams were back on their sides and waited for the game to resume, Orpheus took the kick-off and passed it to Nakata but before Orpheus could launch a quick attack at the stamina reprieve Japan team the final whistle had blown.

Both teams felt exhausted and fell to their knees and started to catch their breaths, the Japanese players were feeling down as they wanted to win for Midorikawa and Hijikata, to show that their sacrifices to the team weren't in vain as well as beating Kageyama

They looked down as their time in the tournament could be over but they were quickly snapped out of their funk by Endou who told them to "Be proud, guys! We did what we could with everything we had" The Japanese players then all stood up with smiles on their faces before walking towards the centre circle to thank Orpheus for the game. Both teams shared an exchange with one another before walking off to their respective dugouts

They then looked at the scoreboard and knew that time would tell what would happen for them. They again didn't feel good and they all knew that there was still more for them to grow before they could challenge the top teams confidently and to the best of their abilities. Coach Kudou then walked towards them and told them "We couldn't win a match that we had to win, that's the reality for now. But it's nothing to be ashamed about. You could call it your most ideal play. All that's left is to wait for the results" The team then nodded at his words

Kidou then walked up to Kageyama to talk to him, but soon enough police sirens were heard which shocked him as Kageyama had decided to turn himself in. Kageyama then told Kidou that today was his last match and he had fun coaching Orpheus against them which shocked him. Kidou then took off his goggles and stared into Kageyama's eyes

Kageyama told Kidou that it was quite some time since he saw his eyes before saying he supposes Kidou won't need them any more which made Kidou shake his head and tell him it was his trademark so he will keep them. As soon as their conversation ended the police came to take Kageyama away. Before leaving the stadium Rushe tried to talk to Kageyama but Kageyama told her he would send a letter which made her smile.

The next day a breaking news came in about a horrible accident which killed Kageyama. The Japanese players were all shocked at the news as they thought that Kageyama was on his way to redemption. Moments later Kidou, Endou and Naruto meet up with Rushe, Nakata and a friend of Nakata named Luca down by the beach. The detective then appeared and handed Rushe a present from Kageyama

The present was a wooden box with a letter inside that tells her that he wishes for her to look out into the world of football and see how amazing it is. Rushe smiled at the gift and started thinking about giving him a thank you letter which made those there with her gained a pained look on her face as neither of them had the heart to tell her what happened to Kageyama

Shortly enough Luca and Rushe started kicking the ball while in the sand while the others talked amongst themselves. "What do you plan to do with Rushe now Nakata?" Naruto asked

"We'll I plan on teaching her the wonders of football and how much fun it is, just like I did to you" Nakata replayed

Naruto laughed and said "If you need any help then don't be afraid to ask"

Endou and Kidou agreed as they wanted to help Rushe as they wanted to show that anyone could change and remember the new Kageyama, the one who valued others and enjoyed the game of football

Nakata thanked them for the help before they soon joined in with Rushe and Luca. The group were smiling and having fun with one another, feeling happy that they are playing the game they love. But what they didn't know was there was a man in a dark room smiling about what had happened to Kageyama and was planning his next move to control football.


AN1 - Sorry it took so long for the next chapter. There were things in my life that took my time away from me

AN2 - Opposing Force - I was given a suggestion by Ninjafang1331 for a move that just slows down the short which I thought was a cool idea and decided to incorporate it so I hope you guys like it. I couldn't think of a name for it so if you have one please let me know

AN3 - Perfect Penguin - I know it's not like the one from Ares or Orion and the reason why I did that is because I didn't think the merging penguins worked for the original series but I can change it to match it if you guys want or just have it be one giant penguin which I considered

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and have a good day