The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 119: The Tournament Begins!

"And with this, the Albirex Niigata High School Cup 2018 officially begins!"

After the head of the organizer announced the last part, cheers erupted, and although not loud, they were still enough to show people’s enthusiasm.

It was the day after the Hakodate Nishi team arrived in Niigata, and they were currently at the Denka Big Swan Stadium, the home base of the J-League team Albirex Niigata. It was a massive stadium with a bigger capacity than Sapporo Dome, around enough to fill around 42.300 people, and it was also a historical place since it held three of the World Cup matches in 2002.

Unfortunately, that was just the stadium’s glory in the past. Right now, it looked slightly dilapidated, and due to Albirex Niigata’s weak performance in the league, it was a super rare occasion for the stadium to be full of people. That was why the team was trying hard to attract more people, and this was also one of their efforts.

Currently, though, everyone had just listened to the opening ceremony of the tournament. While it was still morning here, the temperature was already quite high, with some of Hakodate’s players whining around while fanning themselves secretly.

"Good, gosh... Are we going to play in such hot weather like this?"

"Worse, because it is still the opening. Later, the temperature will rise again, you know?"

"Goddamnit, don’t remind me of that!"

Kumiko hissed immediately, enough to shut them up in a second. However, she also glanced at her players, somehow feeling concerned more than ever.

"After we are allowed to go to the locker room, make sure that you guys are drinking enough water. Don’t let yourself suffer from dehydration and heatstroke, okay?"

The others just nodded secretly. "Sure, Senpai! We will do so."

Yeah, after the opening ceremony was over, they would’ve just entered the tournament immediately. There was no professional conduct, like testing the pitch a day before the game or something like that, as they were plunged into the deep, dark forest right after arriving at the scene.

Fortunately enough, on the first day, Hakodate Nishi got the opening game, so they didn’t have to suffer too much once the sun was straight above their heads. Their opponent would be Echigo Central Academy, the local team that was just one step closer to getting the ticket to the national tournament in this prefecture.

Based on the first impression, the opponent’s team seemed to be fit for a game under the scorching sun. Those guys with the bright yellow jerseys didn’t even sweat, standing so leisurely while waiting for the opening ceremony to be over.

Fortunately, fifteen minutes later, all the formality was over, and it was time for the real action to begin.

The other two teams went to the stands instantly, waiting until it was their turn to play while also gathering more information about their opponent. While it was unlikely for them to meet in any formal tournament, it was still good to gather more experience in playing against opponents with different kinds of strategies.

The moment the team entered the locker room, though, almost one of them fell onto the long bench there, with some even trying to lie down on the floor to enjoy the coldness of the tiles. They all were groaning madly, somehow cursing that this kind of place existed.

"Damn, this is not normal, I tell you that!"

"The weather report says that today’s temperature is only 28 degrees Celcius, and it hasn’t even reached the peak yet."

"Fuck it, don’t kill our spirit like that!"

Kumiko just shook her head in exasperation when she saw her players’ antics. However, Makino was not amused here. He crossed his hands in front of his chest with a big frown on his face, feeling dissatisfied with their attitude.

"Come on, you brats! You have even planned to go to the beach and have fun, and yet, the moment you have to work, you wilt?! Show a little bit of shame here!" He scolded them all mercilessly.

Coincidentally enough, besides the three Saitama dudes, the only players who weren’t bothered by the heat were Kuroki and Higo. Well, not that they weren’t affected, but more like they wanted to maintain their dignity as the seniors of the team.

Higo himself was suffering inwardly, and yet, he took everything in silence. The boy just drank the bottle of water provided by the team more, filling his body with liquid so that he won’t suffer from dehydration.

The goalkeeper also started to prepare for the game. He wore his gloves quickly, punching them against each other several times to make sure that everything was right. Then, his glance fell to Kumiko, waiting for the girl’s instruction.

"Well, honestly, no one really knows about each other’s intelligence right now. Everyone treats this tournament as a way to prepare their new team for the next winter tournament. So, the tempo will be quite slow, and the opponent might not try to attack for the first fifteen minutes of the game."

Hearing what Kumiko said, some frowned, feeling like this was going to be a troublesome game. "A patience battle in such hot weather like this? Against the home team that is used to this environment? We are at a massive disadvantage, you know?" Higo couldn’t help but point out that problem.

"Indeed, and that’s why we are going for our new blitzkrieg attack." Kumiko smiled knowingly, enough to excite them all. "Okay, since this is going to be our first match with the new members, let me announce our starting lineup today!"

Everyone perked up, no matter who they were, waiting while also staring at Kumiko intently.

"First, goalkeeper, Ryukkun!" She glanced at her best friend with a smile.

"Yes, Ma’am!"

"Then, defenders, Ishinori-kun, Jun-kun, Makino-kun, and Denji-kun!"

This time, it surprised everyone, as Denji was going to replace Hori. All eyes turned to the reckless right back, and it seemed the boy wasn’t really that bothered by this. It was clear that Kumiko had already talked to him about this change beforehand.

Also, it was quite interesting that Denji, the right winger, was being put on the bench. However, after training with the twins for so long, everyone knew that their defensive discipline was top-notch, at least better than the average."

"Then, midfielders!" Kumiko raised her voice once again to gain their attention. "We have our usual quartet, Fuji-kun, Takaaki-kun, Usami-kun, and Hiroshi-kun. You guys are ready?"

This time, no surprise for the team, as every one of them nodded firmly. "We got it, Ma’am!"

"And lastly, for our two tops... We will have Yuji-kun and Kenji-kun supporting our frontline. Any question?"

This time, a pin-drop silence fell, before all the jaws dropped instantly.

"SAY, WHAAAT?!"