Rise Inazuma Eleven

Thanks to our victory against Okaruto Academy, we were granted the chance to participate in the Football Frontier. The team's excitement is at its peak—especially when it comes to training.

Our last match revealed a weak point: our defense. Since then, I've been thinking of ways to improve our defensive abilities. In the end, it all comes back to one thing: Hissatsu.

Hissatsu techniques are the most straightforward way to boost our performance. I did have some inspiration during the last match, but nothing concrete enough to develop new moves for positions other than the goalkeeper.

So, as usual, I went back to my old idea generator: my grandfather's notebook of special techniques.

Right now, I'm at the Rairaiken ramen restaurant with Gouenji and Kazemaru. It's one of my favorite spots—cheap and close to home.

"I don't get how you can read that notebook, Endou." Kazemaru glanced over my shoulder, trying to make sense of the handwriting—worse than a doctor's—and the out-of-context scribbles.

"I couldn't at first either, but the more I study it, the more I start to understand." I stayed focused on the notebook while we waited for our food.

As soon as the chef brought the ramen, I carefully put the notebook away in my bag. It's already hard enough to read—if it gets smudged, it's useless.

"I always wonder what kind of Hissatsu the team my grandpa trained used. My mom once told me they were called 'Inazuma Eleven', a legendary team from Raimon who played about forty years ago." I said, slurping my ramen.

"You're Endou Daisuke's grandson?" The question came suddenly—from the chef himself. When I looked at him, I noticed a surprised expression fixed on me.

I nodded while sipping the noodles.

"I see! Daisuke-san's grandson!" The chef burst out laughing, and I had no idea why.

"If you're that curious about the Hissatsu used by the Inazuma Eleven, your grandfather left behind a manual of those secret techniques." After laughing for a while, he dropped that bomb.

"Ehh?! A secret manual?! I thought this notebook was the manual!" I looked at my grandfather's notebook, shocked.

The chef stared at it with a nostalgic expression, as if he were looking at something from long ago.

"The notebook is only part of the true secret manual. But I'll warn you… that manual could put your life at risk. Do you still want to see it?" The Rairaiken chef smiled ominously as he made the offer.

The next day, in the clubroom.

"Everyone, the Football Frontier officially begins today." I called for attention with an excited smile.

"Captain, who are we up against?" Shishido raised his hand curiously.

"Our opponent?... I have no idea." I answered seriously, which left everyone silent and stunned.

The clubroom door suddenly burst open.

"You really are a terrible captain, aren't you, Endou-kun?" Natsumi stepped in, smiling as if enjoying the scene.

"Fuyukai-sensei went to the Football Frontier team draw. He asked me to let you know that Raimon's first opponent will be Nosei Academy." Natsumi finally revealed our next match.

"Nosei Academy?" Even as Raimon's captain, I didn't know much about our rival schools. So, naturally, I turned to our team's information expert—Haruna-chan.

Haruna and Aki were seated at the managers' desk—the only one with a chair in the room. The rest of the team was sitting on the floor or on training tires.

"If I'm not mistaken, Nosei Academy faced Teikoku in the regional preliminaries last year." Haruna flipped through her notebook while recalling the info.

"Oh? If they faced Teikoku in a tournament, they must be strong." I got excited at the idea of seeing new Hissatsu techniques.

"They are strong. I've played against them once." Gouenji, always quiet, suddenly dropped the news, leaving everyone shocked.

"Nosei's strength lies in aerial play. In that area, they're even better than Teikoku." Gouenji finished with a serious expression.

"But we're not weak in the air either. We've got Fire Tornado, Dragon Tornado… and if that's not enough, there's my Dragon Crash for ground attacks." Someoka couldn't stand being underestimated and spoke with confidence, in his technique and in the duo move with Gouenji.

"It's not that simple. Sure, Fire Tornado and Dragon Tornado are aerial techniques, but they can be blocked if the opponent has better jumping ability. And Nosei is far ahead of us in that." Gouenji replied, clearly aware of the flaws in our strategy.

"I'm not saying Dragon Crash is weak, but every Hissatsu has a weakness. And since Nosei specializes in aerial play, of course they'll have a counter for it." His words brought a heavy silence over the room.

"Don't worry, everyone. That's why we've got this—A secret techniques manual!" I raised the book Natsumi had given me with enthusiasm.

Yesterday at Rairaiken, the chef told me about a special manual left by my grandfather—a collection of the Inazuma Eleven's techniques from forty years ago.

So as soon as I got to school, I spoke with Natsumi-chan since the book was stored in the principal's office. And now, here it was.

"A secret manual?" Everyone asked at once, shocked.

"I wouldn't put too much faith in that 'secret manual', Endou-kun. I took a peek, and… I couldn't read a thing." Natsumi chuckled, trying to ease the team's excitement.

I could imagine her shocked face as she opened the book. It was the same reaction I had when I received the notebook from my mom.

I opened the book and began trying to decode the meanings my grandfather had left behind.

My teammates gathered behind me but quickly grew discouraged—no one could understand a single word.

"Endou-kun, I remember at the start of the year you complained a lot about your grandfather's notebook, but you never gave up trying to understand it. Maybe now you can read it?" Aki asked with a fond smile.

"Yeah. I can understand some parts now." Excitement returned to the group.

"And I found the perfect technique to take on Nosei Academy. It's called Inazuma Otoshi." It was one of the first Hissatsu listed in the book.

"Inazuma Otoshi!" "That sounds awesome!"

"One person jumps—'Boing!' Then another jumps onto that one—'Bang!' And in the air, they spin and—'Zubam!' That's the secret to Inazuma Otoshi!" I explained with a serious face like it all made perfect sense.

Everyone—even Aki, Haruna, and Natsumi—was speechless.

"Endou… are you sure your grandfather knew how to write properly?" Kazemaru asked beside me, skeptical.

"Maybe it sounds cryptic, but I've learned to treat my grandfather's notebook like a puzzle. Inazuma Otoshi isn't that hard to understand." The team lit up with renewed energy.

"The move is basically: one person jumps, another uses them for a boost, and in midair they spin to kick the ball." I sketched out the concept on the club's tactics board to help them visualize it.

"So it's like the idea behind Dragon Tornado—if one person can't do it alone, two or more can." Handa commented after understanding the plan.

"Exactly. And we have two perfect people for this. Gouenji, with his exceptional aerial skill, and..." Everyone nodded at the first name and waited curiously for the second.

"Kageyama." I didn't keep them waiting.

"Hehhh? Me?! No way! I'm not skilled enough to use a Hissatsu!" Kageyama turned pale as soon as he heard his name.

"Haha, don't worry, Kageyama. I'll help train you." I gave his shoulder a reassuring pat—he's huge for his age.

"Besides Inazuma Otoshi, I managed to understand two more Hissatsu from my grandfather's book. Both are pretty simple." The entire team focused up—especially those who didn't have their own Hissatsu yet.

"The first one is called Quick Draw. It lets you gain a burst of speed, perfect for instant ball steals. The second is called Coil Turn, where the user spins around the opponent multiple times, creating a gust of wind that stops them from moving or lets you steal the ball." Those without techniques looked at me eagerly, hungry for more.

But this time, I didn't pick anyone. I let everyone learn and train together—as a team.

After wrapping up our training plans, I said goodbye to Natsumi and headed to the nearby park with the whole Raimon soccer club, including Aki and Haruna, to begin practice at my secret training spot.

We're fired up for the next match.