AN: i was supposed to work on WDUSAMT but it was WOMEN'S WORLD CUP SEASON so i made this instead

yeah i don't own captain tsubasa

Chapter 23: Start of the Second Round

The team was in the changing rooms, doing whatever they want before the match starts. They already had their warm ups a while ago. Now, they were just waiting for the game to start.

She was sitting by the lockers, listening to one of those American songs Ayame introduced to her. Sure, there were lots of American pop songs that's being played over Japanese radio, but her cousin usually listen to those bands that weren't really that popular. You know, indie, punk, alternative, the likes. Hipster music. Hey, she's not complaining, she liked them.

"Ready?"

She looked up to see Tsubasa in front of her. She felt her lips curl into a smile and she took off her earbuds, turning the music from her phone off.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she answered while letting out a breath. She didn't even know if she was ever ready to do match. She's more of a "go with a flow" kind of person, and so far she's surviving.

He chuckled and offered his hand, and she took it to help herself up.

"Which means you are ready," he said as he pushed back stray strands of her hair out of her face, putting some of them behind her ear. She leaned into his hand, reveling his touch. "You always say that. Then you go and dominate the whole time."

"I don't do that," she denied, puffing her cheeks. "That's awful. You make it sound like I'm going to eat them alive."

He chuckled once more, "That's basically what's going to happen anyway. They won't even have a chance of scoring a goal."

She huffed irritably and crossed her arms. "How do you even know that? Lots of things can happen in a soccer match. Nothing is definite."

"Because it's you," he answered simply, playing with her hair.

She felt herself flush, and immediately looked down. She didn't think she would be able to get used to Tsubasa saying these kinds of things. "Why do you have so much trust in me?" she whispered softly.

She felt his hand move under her chin and directed her to face him. "Like I said," he smiled, "Because it's you. I know what you're capable of, Sanae. Don't underestimate yourself." He gave her forehead a lingering kiss, and she closed her eyes to savor the touch of his lips on her. "And besides, even if Uzbeskistan even thinks of underestimating and hurting us, you'll get so mad you're going to turn into Mama Bear and destroy them."

She opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow towards him? "'Mama Bear?' Seriously?"

He laughed wrapped his arms around her waist. "Yes, Mama Bear. I figured since you always call me 'Eagle' I should have an animal-based nickname for you too. It's just fair."

"But why Mama Bear of all things to call me?" she said in exasperation. "I don't get it. At least calling you 'Eagle' has some sort of reason, but 'Mama Bear?' It doesn't make any sense."

"Because you have this motherly instincts for everyone," Tsubasa explained patiently. "You get really angry and protective when people try to hurt those important to you, like a mother bear protecting her cubs."

She knitted her eyebrows with her arms crossed, tilting her head to the side. She wasn't exactly happy with his answer, but she wasn't angry with it either.

"And this way, you can be my 'Teddy Bear,'" he added while pulling her tight against him and lifting her off the floor.

She giggled and circled his neck with her arms. "God, you're so cheesy," she said once he set her down. "I don't know how I have such a cheesy guy for a boyfriend."

"You bring out the best of me," he answered while kissing her cheek.

She giggled once more and squeezed him close. They released each other when they heard the coaches call for their attentions.

Natsukawa-san coughed, "So," she said loudly, stopping all the conversations going on, "Round 2. I hope everyone knows what this means."

"We win this, we get in," they all answered. They've drilled it in their heads since the beginning of the second camp. And all of them are pumped to grab the victory in this round.

"Good," Gamo-san nodded with his arms crossed. "I trust you all know what we have to do in this game. We gotta win this match, and keep the ball rolling."

"All of you are in perfect condition for this match," Natsukawa-san continued, "and once we get pass this round, we're going to make you improve so much to reach your highest potential, just in time for the tournament."

"You're the best Japan has to offer," Coach Gamo told them. "And it's time to prove to them why we deserve that spot to be the best in the world."

All of them cheered in agreement, excitement and pride coursing through their veins. They knew that they could prove it, to show the whole universe that Japan had what it takes to be considered the best.

"Nakazawa," Coach Gamo called for her loudly. She stood up straight and gave him her attention. He threw something at her, catching her off guard. She caught it perfectly with her hands, despite her lack of her hand-eye coordination.

She opened her hands and was surprised to see what it was.

"We trust you know what to do, Captain Nakazawa?" Natsuko-san asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Sanae stared at the two coaches in bewilderment, then looked down towards the captain's armband in her hands.

Why her? Noriko-chan would have been a good choice, since she's been in more matches that she did. And she's not exactly the best captain out there (don't listen to anyone from Nankatsu. They're biased). Even Hyuuga-kun would have been a better option! So why her?

She felt someone's hand on her shoulder, and she turned to her side to see Tsubasa giving her an encouraging smile.

She felt her lips form into a grin. Right, she could do this. They trust her, and it would be rude if she didn't trust their judgement. They know what they are doing.

She closed her eyes and released a deep breath.

"You can count on me," she answered with a confident smile.

"Good," Coach Gamo said. "Come on then. Let's get this show on the road."

"Hai!"

They all started to follow after their coaches, the eleven starting members went towards the entrance to the field, preparing for the match.

She was about to follow them when she suddenly felt someone pull her by her elbow. Before she knew it, her lips was locked against Tsubasa's.

Immediately, she melted against him and returned his kiss, closing her eyes to soak in his presence. After a few moments, they both separated.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "What was that about?" she breathed out.

"For good luck," he replied nonchalantly. "Not that you need it. But hey, it doesn't hurt to try."

She gave out a merry laugh. "Don't even deny it, you just wanted to kiss me."

"I don't hear you complaining," he retorted.

She laughed yet again and this time it was her that pulled him in for a kiss. "No I'm not," she agreed once they separated.

He smiled once more and pushed her towards their waiting teammates. "Go get them, babe. Make us proud."

"Yes, sir," she answered with giving him a smile and a salute. He saluted her back, and she finally turned away from him to run to their teammates.

"Here we are the Japan-Uzbekistan kick off for the Second Round of the Asian Qualifiers in the first ever Mixed Gendered U-18 FIFA World Cup."

"You know, we've been talking about how controversial this tournament was ever since it was announced last summer. The U-18 Men's World Cup was something everyone was looking forward too."

"It was, wasn't it? It was a surprise when FIFA announced the change. After all, that would have been the second clash of Japan's Golden Generation against world players the likes of Karl Heinz Schneider and Pierre Elle Sid."

"Not to mention the girls would have faced their opponents from three years ago as well in the year after."

"But wouldn't you agree that this tournament have proven to be a delight to watch. It's entertaining to watch our boys and girls play together as a team on the field."

"Agreed! This World Cup have showcased many players with their unique individuality as well as their superb teamwork, considering that they only started practicing last September."

"You have to commend Oozora Tsubasa, the captain for all the matches last round. Seeing him on the field leading the team has to be one of the best qualitis of the Japanese team."

"That I couldn't deny. His only been back from Brazil for two –almost three- years and already he's not only winning National Titles for his school Nankatsu High, but he won the U-16 division with most of the boys on the team. Not to mention, all the championships he won with his Youth team in Brazil. I guess that's just how much of a genius he is. Ever since he was young, he's been leading his teams to win."

"Speaking of Oozora Tsubasa, it seems like he's not starting for today's match. He's replaced by Nakazawa Sanae, also from Nankatsu. This will be her first match ever since the start of the tournament. Do you think this is a right choice?"

"You know, I can't really say. I mean, yes this is her first game, but look at her achievements. She helped her team in Junior High achieve three straight National Titles, captaining one of them. Just like Nankatsu's Boys team, they have back-to-back National Championships in their name. Not to mention she was part of the U-16 team that won the U-15 World Title right after Nadeshiko won the Women's World Cup the year before. It's hard to think of this as a wrong move from Gamo-san and Natsukawa-san."

"So it seems like. Hopefully, this turns out to be a wonderful decision."

"Anyway, Nakazawa isn't the only one who's having their first appearance today. If you look at the Japanese starting line-up today, there's only about four people who have been on previous matches, and the rest are just playing for the first time. Granted, Jito and Misaki were injured last round, and thus was out of commission. The others weren't even put to play in match against Thailand."

"But bringing back to Soda along with Jito to the defense was a good move. Japan needs their defense to be solid in the next matches, and along with Asaki and Matsumoto, defense is getting stronger."

"Plus, we all know Misaki's prowess when it comes to the midfield. Although we usually see him partnered up with Oozora, maybe his combination with Nakazawa will be just as good. And even if Hiyazawa's the defensive midfielder for the game today, it's not going to be surprise if she comes up and help offense once in a while."

"And speaking of offense, although Fukawa have given us spectacular goals in the past matches, having Nitta and Hyuuga with her up top would be a great advantage to our team. Hopefully, we get to see more goals in this match than before."

"Agreed."

She wiped the sweat off her head with her shirt, panting softly as the whistle rang signifying the opening goal of the match. The Uzbekistan players started celebrating immediately, hugging and cheering for their first point.

She knew that most of the people were probably criticizing them for conceding a goal early in the match. Even the Uzbekistan captain was looking down on her, probably trying to point out how stupid it was for their team to not put Tsubasa in. (Okay, it was a little bit intimidating to see him glower at her while they were exchanging flags since he was towering over her by what, a foot and a half? But she didn't really mind it.)

But that's what she wanted. She specifically asked Wakashimazu-kun to let them score one point in the first 20 minutes of the match. Of course all of them looked at her like she was crazy, but Shiori-chan and Rika-chan seemed to realize what she wanted to do. After that, Noriko-chan and Saya-chan figured out easily and proceeded to smirk mischievously.

"You are one evil bitch, Nakazawa," she remembered her saying. She only rolled her eyes and told the rest of their teammates her plan. She needed to observe how they play exactly in person before making a move. Even though she did already watch some of their matches on video, it's still different. This way, she could actually see the holes in their formation and find the ways she could make goal chances.

She looked at the time beside the scoreboard, inhaling deeply. 15 minutes has just passed since the beginning of the match. Good. Just five minutes away from her self-inflicted time limit. She didn't need to use those remaining minutes. She already saw what she needed to see. To be honest, for a team who has a ton of advantages over them, they were pretty unorganized. It wasn't hard to find all their holes.

"Hey, Hyuuga-kun!" she called out to their center forward. He turned to her with his eternal glare.

"What?" he scowled unhappily. He was one of the people who didn't approve of her plan after all. Well, he just had to suck it up. Besides, he should be a little less grumpy with what she tells him next.

She gave him a grin. "How would you like to score the equalizer?"

He blinked at her in surprise, seemingly caught off guard by her question, but his glare returned right away.

"You better make sure that we're going to get that goal."

She giggled while proceeding to the center circle to do the kick-off with Misaki-kun. "Don't worry, we're going to be on the offensive from now on. That's not the only goal you're going to get. Stay open for my pass!"

She didn't turn around to see his reaction, opting to smile while she arrived beside Misaki-kun. Her fellow midfielder looked confused for a moment, but she immediately told him what they were going to be doing. She didn't mind they had two Uzbekistan players beside them. They didn't understand what they were saying, no worries.

She explained what she wanted Misaki-kun to do, giving discreet glances to Saya-chan, who noticed her immediately and gave a slow nod while Sanae glanced occasionally towards Zangiev, the Uzbekistan captain. Sanae knew she understood she wanted her to mark him and get her the ball.

"Got it?" she asked with a smile towards Misaki-kun.

"I think so," Misaki-kun answered uncertainly. "I'm still not convinced how you're going to be able to pull this off. It sounds a little risky, even for you."

"Don't worry, it's going to work," she assured him. "Saya-chan knows what to do, I trust her. In fact, I trust in every single one of you. I know we can pull this off."

She offered her fist to him, "So what do you say? Want to upstage Ayame and Tsubasa for their combination last round?"

He gave out a soft laugh met his fist with hers. "Let's do it."

She gave him a soft smile, and before they knew it the referee blew the whistle to start off the match again. She kicked the ball towards him, and he kicked it back to her. She started dribbling right away once the ball reached her feet, Misaki-kun trailing beside her. They started a series of passes between her, him, and Shiori-chan to get rid of the opposing midfield players.

But once they encountered Zangiev, she looked towards Misaki-kun and he gave her a nod. She then directed a "pass" towards him, easy enough for Zangiev to intercept it. Sure enough, he did, and he started dribbling pass them. Misaki-kun immediately chasing him, Sanae close behind.

Once Zangiev passed the halfway line, with Misaki-kun still a few feet behind as per plan, but Saya-chan was there to block to him. Zangiev gave a smirk, thinking it was easy to get pass her. Saya-chan, who hated anyone that underestimated her, only narrowed her eyes and proceeded to prove him wrong.

Saya-chan kicked the ball from under him and pass him, catching him off guard. Realizing what happened, Zangiev swore and followed after her. Before he could even reach her, Saya-chan kicked the ball to Misaki-kun, and he wasted no time passing to her.

Good, let's get this show on the road.

"Hyuuga-kun!" she screamed towards the forward who was already sprinting towards the penalty box. Once she was sure he wasn't going to be flagged off side, she kicked the ball towards him.

Hyuuga-kun and the two defenders marking him jumped up into the air, battling for the ball. But, as she expected Hyuuga-kun proved to be better than them and scored their equalizer with an amazing header just two minutes after Uzbekistan had theirs

The whistle blew to signify their goal, and the Japanese team celebrated right away. Hyuuga-kun ran towards her as she and the rest of the team ran towards her. When they all reached each other, Hyuuga-kun immediately hugged her and lifted her off the ground.

"You sly woman!" he shouted while bringing her down. "Now I know why Asaki called you evil. You made them believe they have a chance to win."

"Technically they do," she answered but he only gave her a dry look. "But we're not going to let them. I told you, that's not going to be the only goal you're getting."

True enough, it wasn't. They scored five more goals in the first half. One from Shiori-chan in the 21st minute when their opponent was heavily marking Hyuuga-kun they didn't notice her slip past the defenders while Misaki-kun did and gave her the ball instead. In the 28th, Nitta-kun managed to do a Falcon Shot from outside of the penalty box. In the 33rd and 36th minutes, Hyuuga-kun managed to do back-to-back Tiger Shots, giving him a hat trick. And in the 44th minute, Misaki-kun, in the spur of the moment decided that he wanted to score a goal as well with a header.

The second half only gave them four goals, but they didn't complain. A goal's a goal after all. Nitta-kun scored another goal by the 55th minute with another Falcon Shot with an assist from her. He showed off how much he improved doing it with no volleying. Overlapping in the 64th minute, Saya-chan shot a long kick towards the cage, which as she predicted, was a real weakness of the Uzbekistan goalie. Misaki-kun scored another goal by the 86th minute, totally cementing their victory. And the last goal made during the last few seconds of the match, was accidental on Sanae's part. She was thinking that since they were going to win anyway, fuck it and kicked it deep in midfield, a few meters away from the goal. And in a weird twist of fate and physics, it ended up in the back of the net.

In the end, they won 10-1, and damn did it feel good.

End Chapter

AN: i hope you guys liked the italicized part. it was supposed to be two commentators like the one you hear when watching a watch on tv. i dunno what made me write that part, but i guess i just thought what if i made it like how they do it real life, to make it more life like? idk. also, we kind of see the difference between Sanae's and Tsubasa's play style. Tsubasa's more of a instinct kind of play while Sanae has many plans in her head from her observations. like she already knows what she needed to do and adapt quickly. idk

well, i guess that's it for right now. thanks for reading and tell me what you think!

cya