AN: hey thanks for getting FOLW to 10,000 hits! i'm so happy that you guys liked reading my stories so much!

Thao Nhi- sorry yeah, summer is here but i've been busy. and sometimes i just dont have any motivation to write, like i have the idea but i would rather read it ya know? like that's why i haven't updated WDUSAMT since im too lazy to write the chapter and im debating some stuff to move it. concerning the lack of hot scenes between Sanae and Tsubasa, don't worry after the second round, they'll be coming back, i hope. i mean, they do have a long break before the start of the real tournament. besides they'll be third year high schoolers soon. hehehehehe. anyway, like i said before, this is my version of World Youth, and although this story is already far from canon, i still want to incorporate some parts of it in here because one i feel like its the least that i can do for butchering Captain Tsubasa, and two im unoriginal and lazy. so yeah, thanks for reading always and love you too 3

yeah i dont own captain tsubasa

Chapter 25: Versus China

Damn it!

Sanae cried in her head. That was the fifth corner China was able to clear away. Someone might think that having a five corners in the first 40 minutes of the match was good, but when they've been having these great goal chances since the beginning but they can never finish them. Not only that, but China's offense have been hell to defend against. It was a good thing they had Matsuyama-kun and Yumi-chan helping in defense while she and Misaki-kun were trying to find goal chances as much as possible.

It was just frustrating that they knew they had so many chances to score a point but for some reason, the ball just wouldn't find the back of China's net. It was really aggravating her.

No, she shouldn't get frustrated. Things go bad when she gets like this. Okay, she needed to calm down and figure things out. She was the game maker, she needed to keep a cool head.

Since the Chinese defenders managed to head the ball away from their goal, it gave them another corner, the sixth for them. Immediately a ball boy threw her another ball and she caught it easily. She set it down on the grass and looked up.

She scanned the penalty area, thinking of the ways she could deliver this corner. She could kick it high up in the box so Hyuuga-kun could head it towards the goal, but China's giant of a forward was there to defend so that seemed like put of the question. Which also meant that most of her plans wouldn't work either. As much as everyone was trying to say that she should pass it to them, it would be a lost cause because Hi Sho will probably reach it before them.

She could try and kick it directly into the net, but unfortunately she didn't have her boyfriend's accurate foot. Give her a break, she's not that talented nor as obsess in soccer as her boys are.

The referee blew the whistle for her to give the corner, and she took a few seconds to look back at the ball. She took a deep breath and released it with a huff. She didn't really know what she was going to do but she's hoping for the best.

She started a slow run to the ball, ready to strike it to the penalty area to find out of her teammates when something caught her eye.

Wait, yes! That could work!

Scrapping her original idea, she directed her kick to the side where Misugi-kun overlapped and sprinted close to her. Everyone was surprised by her decision, even Misugi-kun, but as expected of the Prince, he kept a level head and dribbled the ball closer to the penalty area as Sanae rushed towards the box as well.

Misugi-kun was blocked by two Chinese defenders and they tried to steal the ball from him. Fortunately, Hoshi-chan was free and he passed the ball to her, to which she passed right away to Misaki-kun right before Go Shunjin got closer to her. Misaki-kun then gave it to Hyuuga-kun. Their center forward was finally free of any marking from the Chinese for the first time, and he could easily- oh, just kidding, there was already two people shoving him.

"Hyuuga-kun!" she screamed as she shook off from the defender marking her, running as close to the goal line as possible. Hyuuga saw and immediately kicked the ball towards her, but it was a little too strong for her liking so without any choice, she stretched her leg as far as possible, enough for the tip of her foot to touch the ball and she flicked it pass the goalie.

Sanae managed to put her foot on the ground, but she still stumbled to the ground and fell on her butt just as the referee whistled their goal.

Yes!

She cheered in her mind. Thank god, they finally had a point. It would have been terrible if they managed to miss this.

She heard everyone's excited cheers and screams and before she knew it, the crowd became wild while she saw her team running towards her while huge smiles on their faces.

"Sanae-chan!" she heard Hoshi-chan squeal as she jumped on her from behind, hugging the life out of her. Her other teammates finally came to her, all congratulating him on such a great goal.

"How the hell did you manage to do that?" Hyuuga-kun asked. "I thought for sure it was going to miss you. And I would have had to beat you right after I beat myself."

"Frankly, I have no idea," she admitted as she took Yumi-chan's hand to help her up. China was already in their places, waiting for them to start the kick off.

"Well, keep at it Anego," Misaki-kun told her as he patted her shoulder. "'Cause whatever it is, it's finally working. We just have about three minutes until the first half ends. If we can keep it until then, I'm sure the second half would be better."

She nodded and they all went back to their places. Right, if they keep at it until the end of the first half, they'll be fine. They have the opening goal, the first goal from either team. It should bring the momentum to them in the second half.

They just have to keep at until the end of the first half.

Well, Misaki-kun was right about one thing. They could only keep doing what they were doing once the first half ended. Once the second half began, China's pressure on their team was so strong, she and Misaki-kun had to help defend. And that's with them already having two defensive midfielders and four defenders. Hoshi-chan and Hyuuga-kun kept waiting for the ball to come to them, but the ball just wouldn't pass their side of the field.

It didn't help that Wu Xiu Mei scored a goal right in the 48th minute. She caught Wakabayashi-kun off guard when Go Shunjin passed it low towards her instead of giving it towards Hi Sho. Damn it, she hated it when their opponents used the same tactic as her.

Misaki-kun managed to kick the ball out of play from O Chumei's feet, earning China a throw-in.

It's fine. It's good. They were still far from their goal and they're still in the midfield. It's all good.

The referee blew on his whistle and immediately they turned to the benches where China was apparently making a substitution.

Oh shit. She did not like what she was feeling in her gut right now. Besides, the guy's smirk looked like it was bad news, he was bad news. Plus, Wu Xie Mei released an annoyed huff, but she still looked relieved for some reason.

The guy, Sho Shunko, finally made his way to the field, and the referee whistled again for them to continue. O Chumei threw it towards Go Shunjin, but fortunately, she expected this and she intercepted it right away, kicking it pass the half line towards Hoshi-chan.

Finally! This could be their chance to counter. Immediately she rallied behind her teammate, as she dribbled pass Chinese defenders. But surprising all of them, Sho Shunko managed to catch up with her. Panicking, Hoshi-chan kicked it away from her and gave it to Misaki-kun, who was left unmarked. Misaki-kun trapped the ball with his chest and immediately ran with it across the midfield while finally being chased by a Chinese player, which was Sho Shunko yet again. Man, how fast was this guy?

Misaki-kun ended up on the right flank by the end line, and he tried to keep the ball to him. With a final roulette, Misaki-kun finally got passed Sho Shunko and made a cross towards Hyuuga-kun. Hyuuga-kun was ready for this cross and kicked it towards the goal without trapping it.

A whistle sounded in the air.

The team cheered yet again and they immediately ran towards their ace striker, praising him for giving them another goal. This was good. They have the momentum yet again. Now, they just needed to keep it and score another point (maybe two) so that they could cement their victory. They needed to be real careful this time around. One mistake could change everything.

Kick off started once more and China was already in the attack once more, Wu Xie Mei leading the offense. Yumi-chan immediately went to work and blocked her, trying to steal the ball under the foot of the Chinese. Yumi-chan managed to kick it to the side where Soda-kun pass it to Misaki-kun. Go Shunjin intercepted it and ran towards the penalty area where Matsuyama-kun tried to block him, but he passed it towards O Chumei in the middle.

Sanae sprinted towards where the ball was headed and managed to catch it before O Chumei in the nick of time. She ignored the gasps and sounds around her and tried to make a long pass towards the front. But before the ball could fly in the sky, someone blocked her from passing.

She looked up and saw Sho Shunko, a smirk on his face. He put more force on the ball and knitting her eyebrows in aggravation (she wanted to punch his face really), she retaliated by applying force as well. In return, his smirk only grew wider, and his foot became stronger.

Suddenly, she started to feel an intense amount of pain from her foot. Holy shit, he was this powerful too?

Again, there was another bout of pressure coming from him. Sanae cried out in pain and let the ball go as she stumbled backwards, landing on her back painfully.

She ignored the pain and sat up quickly, hoping that the ball was still in play. Before she could even turn around to watch what was going on and try to think of another plan, a whistle reached her ears.

Sanae turned to their goal and couldn't believe her eyes. There was a hole. There was a fucking hole on the net. What the hell? What kind of foot did he have? And it broke the LED panel!

Damn it! How was she supposed to counter that? Not only do they have a giant man, the legend of female Chinese strikers, a little guy who could run 40 yards in eight seconds, and now this monster of a player who could destroy things. She was only one girl with limited moments. She wanted to live damn it.

Oh who was she to make excuses, it was her fault they conceded a goal. She should have kicked it earlier.

Huffing out a breath, she stood up from her the ground, applying pressure on her right foot, the foot she just used against Sho Shunko. She wasn't even standing straight when she suddenly fell to the ground yet again with a pained cry.

Oh shit, she might be injured. Her foot suddenly hurt so bad she felt like she could cry.

"Sanae-chan!" Rika-chan exclaimed as she rushed to her. "Are you okay?"

She tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth. She only felt her foot and applied the lightest bit of pressure to it with her hand, before she produced another cry of pain, this time a lot louder than before.

She blinked her tears away. This was not the time. She needed to get back to playing. They needed to win this match. For Hyuuga-kun. For everyone.

"I-I'm fine," she hissed through gritted teeth. She stood up again, this time putting less pressure on her injured foot. Rika-chan had a look that said that she didn't believe Sanae, but her friend was already moving away from her, preparing for the kick-off.

If she ignored the pain, she could run. Right just ignore the pain. She could do this.

She jogged to the center circle, where Misaki-kun was waiting for her. He had a worried look on his face, but she pretended she didn't see it.

"Are you alright, Anego?" he asked in concern.

"I'm fine," she repeated what she told Rika-chan.

"Are you sure? You look really pale," Misaki-kun tried again.

"I'm really fine," she said again, but she was trying so hard to ignore the pain even though all she wanted to do was curl up in ball and cry.

"Wait," Misaki-kun exclaimed in realization. Please not now. "You- you got injured didn't you? With that confrontation with Sho Shunko."

Yes. "No."

"Anego! You gotta have that checked out! Don't be stubbo-"

"I am fine!" she stressed.

"No you're not!"

"Drop it Misaki," she growled. He jumped in shocked, surprised by her tone. "We have a game to play. Stop thinking about trivial things."

He didn't say anything back. He couldn't. The referee already blew the whistle and the game resumed.

She was injured, Tsubasa knew. He noticed it when she fell on the ground right when she was trying to stand again right after Sho Shunko's powerful goal. It was probably what injured her anyway. He was almost relieved when Sanae didn't continue trying to fight back the Chinese's kick and took her foot away. It might have led them giving China a goal, but she would have broken her ankle if she tried to block it even a second longer. Sanae didn't have the strength to return such a powerful shot. It was proven to be even more powerful when Sho Shunko matched Hyuuga-kun's new shot, the Raijuu-shot in the 52nd minute.

Already knowing how devastating Sho Shunko's shot, Sanae should have gotten her foot check just to make sure she didn't break anything. But being the stubborn girl that she was, of course she would only continue playing. And he was making her angry. Damn it, she should have been substituted right then.

He could see he was in deep pain every step she took. Her face was so pale and she wasn't running as fast as she could. And whenever she had a chance to walk, she was limping horribly, dragging her right foot.

She managed to trap the ball with her chest, catching it from Yumi-chan. Sho Shunko and Go Shunjin was already marking her while stayed rooted on her spot. A few pacing back and forth, she managed to feint to the right before sprinting towards the left and running past them. She managed to pass the halfway line and before she could even face the Chinese defender, she kicked the ball towards Misaki-kun just as Sho Shunko slid to tackle her.

The ball left her feet, and Sho Shunko tackled her leg instead, her right leg, her injured leg.

Tsubasa jumped from his seat on the bench as she fell on the ground. He could hear her cry all the way from where he was and it tore his heart out. He wasn't used seeing her like this. It was usually him that was getting injured. Not her. And it was hell.

Damn you, Sho Shunko.

The referee blew the whistle and ran to her. Sanae wasn't getting up and she was curled up to herself, cradling her right leg close to her. She had her eyes closed as she bit her lip Tsubasa was sure she was going to make herself bleed.

The referee signaled for the trainers to come in and they immediately rushed to where she was. Every one of their teammates on the field ran to her, concern and worry on their faces. Even Sho Shunko looked to be in worry.

That made him a little less angry at him, but it still wasn't enough for him to forgive him. He was lucky he was just given a yellow card.

"Oozora," Coach Gamo called to him. He turned his attention to their coach, albeit reluctantly. He needed to see if she was okay. "Go warm up."

Tsubasa nodded stiffly and quickly followed his orders. Even as he did his warm-ups, he watched as the trainers treated her. At least she was sitting up, but even as if she looked towards her foot while she watched as the other trainer poured water on it as she nodded while listening to the other trainer, she was still so pale.

She stood up from the ground slowly as he finished warming up. Everyone clapped for her as she hobbled along with the trainer, trying not to put any pressure on her foot.

Coach Natsukawa was giving him last minute orders to deal with China when Sanae finally arrived.

He walked to her quickly. "You okay?" he asked in concern.

"Sort of," she answered with a strained smile. "They said I sprained my ankle. So I'll be out of commission for the rest of the round."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god. You almost gave me a heart attack when you fell."

She gave him a grin, "Now you know what I feel."

He gave out a grimace. "That I do, and I hate it." She only chuckled in reply.

The assistant referee signaled him to get ready. He was coming going in a few seconds. He nodded and turned back to face Sanae.

"I'll take care of them," he told her while she slipped the captain's armband on his arm.

"I'm not expecting anything less," she said with a smile. She gave him a hug and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Go get them, Eagle. Kick their ass for me," she whispered.

Dropping an inconspicuous kiss on her cheek, he answered, "I will." As the crowd cheered for him, he went into the field

He let go of her and immediately ran to the field, giving out the coaches' orders to those near him. Then he looked at Sho Shunko from the corner of his eyes and gave him a glare. The guy jumped back a step in fright. Yeah, you better be afraid. No one gets away with hurting his girlfriend like that. That and his kick was going to be quite a challenge to beat. It's going to be glorious destroying it.

Tsubasa smirked to himself. He was going to win this match definitely. For everyone, for Hyuuga-kun, for her.

End Chapter

AN: so, if any of you guys read the WY manga, you might have noticed i didn't put in the Saudi Arabia game, which i did not because i dont like them. I do, god knows how much like Mark Owairan, but because of current political policies in the middle eastern country, they don't have an official Women's team right now so i figured they wouldn't have a team for teenage girls too? I'm sure they have clubs and the likes in there, and I really wish the country would allow a women's team soon. i even had a story and backstories prepared for the main girl in the team. i was already in love with her too. i was prepared to write them, but for reasons, i just didn't go through with it. I'm sorry Saudi Arabian readers. I feel like I failed you.

anyway, hopefully you guys liked how i did the match against China. Like always, i didn't know what i was doing so please be gentle. i mean, since tsubasa always made Sanae worry, i think it's about time he was one who worried. the only time i made him worry was back in FOLW when she and Ayame had some people wrap athletic tape on their feet (cookies for you if you know what i mean, bonus for the chapter) and that wasnt even serious. this one was awful (mostly because i couldn't find anymore synonyms with pain) and more serious. i did like the last part about tsubasa's "revenge" lol i was cackling when i was writing that part

so, that's it for this chapter. thanks for reading and please review!

c u soon