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"Please! Oh, please! You have got to be our coach! You know my grandfather, right? And you were trained by him! So, you've got to teach us those ways!" Hibiki remembers the sourness on his tongue when the young goalkeeper pleaded those words to him. All his life, he believed he had lost his mentor----the reason why he ever played soccer. Hibiki's perspective towards the team sport has changed since then. In light of Daizuke's memory, he promised himself that he wouldn't ever kick the ball again.
Something about the kid in front of him lulled him. "Give me three of your best shots, and if I block all three of them, you have to be our coach!" The young face of an Endou Daisuke flashes before his eyes. Hibiki sensed something in him. It was close to the Endou he knew. Maybe, I'll give this Endou a chance. Hibiki folds his newspaper and sets it to the side. "All right. I'll see what you got." There they were, facing each other in the soccer field by the riverbank.
Endou caught it once, blocked it twice with Nekketsu Punch, and for the third...
"God Hand!" Endou exclaimed as a giant yellow hand emerged from his palm. The heartstrings tugged at Hibiki's chest. "It's the real deal," he says. Endou looks at him with a cocky grin, firmly holding the ball in his hands.
Maybe, promises are meant to be broken after all. Hibiki thinks to himself, hope filling his chest. Endou Mamoru was the spitting image of his lost friend. The very spirit why he loved soccer. "All right," Hibiki says, giving his hand out to shake. "Let's see what you got," Endou's eyes brimmed with tears as he lunges himself to hug Hibiki.
He remembers it all. Stepping into Teikoku Gakuen for the first time in years with the Raimon kids, the arrest of Kageyama, finally breaking the Teikoku's winning streaks of 40 years. His days began to seem brighter and brighter. Look at us, Daisuke. He'd say. Your grandson will bring this nation to the Internationals.
And, he was right. Although Hibiki wasn't their coach for the tournament, he was supporting them from his TV screen in his little restaurant as he shakes the noodles above the boiling water. Oh, Daisuke. If you could only see this.
And he has been. Daisuke has been watching everything since the start. Hibiki couldn't believe it as mixed emotions bubbled up inside him: joy, relief, and sadness. He was able to meet up with his old man in a cafe shop at Licott Island.
"Hibiki!" Daisuke waved, a pearl of boisterous laughter erupted, his chest wavering. Hibiki stood up too quickly from his seat as the chair toppled over. "Oh! Be careful, there, my man!" Daisuke chuckled, taking the spot in front of the ramen chef. Hibiki didn't know what was speechless, his mind racing. He's here. He's right in front of me. Hibiki's plan was to start a casual 'hey-it's been-so-long-since-we-last-saw-each-other', but he couldnt,--- he just couldn't. His initial plans failed as he broke down into sobs, removing his sunglasses and wiping his tears, revealing the scar on his left eye.
"Aw, come on, Hibiki! Let's not be sappy!" Daisuke cooed, as he rubbed the guy's shoulders over the table. "How have you been?" Daisuke asked, doing Hibiki's plans for him. Hibiki laughed through his tears at the casual tone his friend brought. Hey, how have you been? I faked my death to hide from Kageyama, but now I'm here! All ecstatic and energetic! Is what Hibiki heard from the casual chirp.
On the day of the match, both of them met up behind the scenes. "Good luck to you, Daisuke," Hibiki said through his coarse voice, giving out a hand to shake. "Eh? Not gonna cry this time, Seigou?" His former coach joked as he accepted his palm. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" He laughed, firmly grasping it. "Good luck to you, too, Hibiki. Little Gigant puts up a good fight." He lowered his shades and threw Hibiki a playful wink.
And he wasn't wrong. You could even say that both teams were on par with each other's strengths.
"Who will pick up this loose ball?!" The shrieks and yells of anticipation, everyone was on their feet as the timer dangerously ticked. It was the final battle. The fate to determine the number one youth soccer team in the world. Inazuma Japan and Little Gigant were both tied both parties refusing to give the title up. With a match so intense, you could never tell who would bring the bacon home.
Gouenji and Kidou dashed towards the stray ball, but someone quickly zoomed past them. They saw that it was Little Gigant's goalkeeper, Rococo. Hibiki, in the benches, with his arms crossed, turned his gaze from the intense battle to see Cotarl's goalpost unguarded. He knew that it was risky, especially in a crucial moment like this, but for the title, Hibiki knew that it was a risk to take. He bounced his leg, his heart pounding as Rococo continues up the field, passing through Sakuma, Fudou, and the defenders.
Hibiki looks at Endou, who had a stern determined look on his face. "Rococo goes one-on-one with Endou!" The commentator's voice echoed, overlapping the roars of the audience.
Rococo jumps into the air with the ball between his legs. He flips in midair as he kicks the ball with his heels. The soccer ball glows red and shoots towards Endou. "X Blast V3!" Hibiki doesn't hear the crowd anymore. All he hears is his breathing and Endou's war cry. Endou crossed his arm as lightning emerges from him. A giant golden figure appears from behind as it leans backward and thrusts its arms out to catch the ball. Hibiki's grip on his biceps tighten. Endou succeeds.
"Oto! He stopped it! Endou stopped Rococo's risky shot, and their goalpost is wide open!" Rococo kissed his teeth and looked back.
"And now, we're entering into that extra time. Only a few minutes left!"
"Everyone! Move back!" He looked to see Kidou commanding his teammates on the pitch as Inazuma Japan invaded Little Gigant's territory. Rococo desperately makes his way back to the goalpost.
Endou glances at the benches to see the managers and the reserve players on their feet with their fists clenched in hope and discernment. Hibiki's leg furiously bounced. He couldn't help it: this is what he dreamed. "Go! Endou!" He yelled, standing up from his seat. Coach Kudou looked behind him with a small smile resting on his face. This old man. He chuckled.
Endou kicked the ball with all his might over the field. It made its way towards Fudou, and the midfielder instinctively jumped to catch it with his chest. Too focused to even notice that the opponent jumped with him and bumped into each other. The ball was loose again, but thankfully, Sakuma was fast to pass it toward Gouenji. Little Gigant wasn't giving up the fight as a defender ran back and blocked the firm past with his head, making him lose his balance and fall flat on the ground.
"Just who will steal the ball and make the goal?"
Fubuki and Ryuu Skell fought over the ball. The force that they put on pressing the ball against each other's calves made its escape from both of their grasps. The ball went loose again.
But, Rococo's not only taking the risk as Endou leaves the goalpost and possesses the ball. His teammates run with him. "Endou!" Kidou called out, calling for a pass. The libero kicks the ball towards the midfielder as they both zoom their way towards Rococo. "Get back! Get back!" Maxi Kuu cried as he followed the enemy opponents. They all desperately made their way towards Endou. He could hear his teammates calling him. He could feel all his friends around the world cheering him, too. "Endou!"
Toramaru and Gouenji joined him in front of the goal as they start to run as fast around the ball, surrounding it in a hurricane. They kicked the ball in the air, its course directed by the strong winds. "Jet Stream!" The three of them exclaimed.
"Rococo!" The Little Gigant players cried. "I'll stop it! Little Gigant will be the winners!" Rococo crosses his arms over his chest as red energy emits from him, releasing a lightning red palm. He directs the hand towards the incoming three-men powered shot. The ball spins in his palm. "Tamashii the Hand V2!"
Maxi lets out the breath he was holding. "He d-did it! He's stopping it!" He cried. Rococo struggles to push it back. "The force..." He ground his teeth. The power overwhelms him, but he pushes himself to catch it. Before his eyes, it breaks through, the ball passing beside him.
The whistle blows. "It's in! Inazuma Japan finally takes the lead!" The referee looks at his watch to check that the additional time was up and blew out three long whistles.
The stadium is silent. Hibiki feels his eyes brimming with tears. Overwhelmed, Aki doesn't even remember bringing herself to the sidelines, clasping her hands over her mouth.
"Did we win?" Endou asks breathlessly to himself. The crowd goes wild as fireworks and confetti blasted into the air. "What an intense match! Spectacular! Fantastic! Written in the history of youth soccer!"
Hibiki watches the kids surround Endou. All of them hugging each other as they cried. Hibiki begins to recall everything that had made them into what they are now: their struggles, their lapses, and all their despairs.
He tells himself that he wasn't going to cry. Not in front of the kids, not in front of Kudou, and definitely not in front of Daisuke again.
But, he fails. He fails as Endou, and everyone else bows at Kudou and him. "Thank you very much!!" They cried. Kudou, with his arms crossed, turned behind him to look at Hibiki. The older man understood what the younger one meant. He breaks down into tears, removing his shades as he covers his face with his forearms. Endou lunges himself towards Hibiki and hugs him tightly, Hibiki's body shaking from the sobs.
And he's happy. He's happy that he relied on a kid to fulfill his lifelong dream.