THE PAIN - Inazuma Eleven Go Fanfic

CHAPTER 72: BENEATH THE MASK

The next morning arrived crisp and bright, the clock striking nine in the morning just as both teams converged at the Shizen Arena. Sunlight spilled across the field in sharp, clean lines, catching on the metal rails of the bleachers and the fresh green of the ground. It was the kind of morning that promised intensity-clear, sharp, impossible to hide in.

Raimon took the bench on the left side while Shizen's second team mirrored them on the right, already moving with practiced coordination.

Warm-ups began almost immediately.

Raimon moved through their stretches with discipline, but there was a tightness in their motions-shoulders a little stiff, breaths a little shallow. They had trained these past few days, yet the pressure lingered like a weight around their chests. Today wasn't just another practice match. It was a test of progress, of resolve, of whether the cracks they'd been ignoring were finally mending.

Across the field, Shizen's second team was the complete opposite.

Their players stretched with easy fluidity, chatting among themselves with bright, unrestrained energy. A few laughed at some inside joke; another pair debated over a warm-up routine, nudging each other playfully. A third group was doing synchronized leg work with perfect unity-still talking, still relaxed, as if the match ahead was a simple morning exercise.

It was unsettling.

Not because they were strong-Raimon already knew that. But because Shizen's calm wasn't the calm of confidence.

It was the calm of people who have nothing to be afraid of.

It bothered some of the Raimon players more than they wanted to admit.

Kuramada's eyes kept drifting to the right side of the field, his warm-up halfway abandoned. "Look at them..." he muttered, voice dropping as if the air itself might crack if he spoke too loudly. "They're not even tense. Not a single one."

His stretch faltered, hands hovering above the ground. "It's... weird. Really weird."

Kurama pressed his palms to the ground, leaning forward in his stretch as he muttered, "They don't look stressed at all..." His tone wasn't just surprised-it carried an edge, a tiny tremor of unease. "Like they already know how this'll go."

Beside him, Hikaru hesitated mid-motion, fingers brushing his knee as he looked up anxiously. "M-Maybe... maybe they're just naturally like that...?" The tremor in his voice said he didn't believe a word of it.

Shinsuke puffed out his cheeks, whispering, "Why're they so... cheerful?" His eyes darted between Shizen's players and his own teammates. "We trained so hard yesterday, and we still look more nervous than they do..."

Even the breeze seemed to agree, fluttering uneasily through Raimon's jerseys.

Kariya clicked his tongue, trying-failing-to sound dismissive. "Relaxed or not, they're second string. We can handle this." He swallowed, eyes darting back toward Shizen's bright, lively circle. "...Probably."

Even Shindou, poised and collected as always, found his gaze drawn to Shizen's steady composure. He stretched his arms behind his back, posture straight, but there was a flicker of tension in his eyes. "They're disciplined... but not rigid. Focused... but not tight." His gaze hardened. "That balance only comes from players who know exactly what they're capable of."

Kirino nodded slightly beside him, eyes narrowed in thought. "Their training must be... different," he murmured. "Or maybe... It's because of their mentor."

That last line made the group quiet down. A beat of heavy silence settled over the team.

Ichino's voice cut through it, soft but uneasy. "You think Celestine told them something?" he asked. "Like... a plan? Or-something we don't know?"