Ryo looked out towards the pitch from under the canopy set up on the sideline.
Rain fell steadily from the sky, pattering against the covering overhead and dripping off its sides, softly sizzling as it landed on the grass.
At least the water is draining properly.
November wasn't known for its heavy rainfall in the prefecture, but it wasn't uncommon to experience it either. And it just so happened to fall without restraint on the day of the finals.
Still, the weather wasn't deemed to be dangerous, so it was decided that the match would go on as scheduled. Postponing or rescheduling the game altogether would have been a logistical nightmare, so the JFA did their best to accommodate the weather—after all, football didn't stop because of a little bit of rain.
Every ticket holder was given a waterproof poncho to aid them in watching the game comfortably.
Looking out at the sea of yellow ponchos in the stands, Ryo mentally prepared himself to step into the rain to start his warm-up and practice. By mid-November, the mornings had already dropped close to freezing, and with rain added on top, the cold was only intensified.
Ryo extended his hand past the edge of the canopy, and the cold rain immediately impacted his skin. Instantly, he pulled his hand back as a chill shot up his arm.
Shit, that's freezing…
Drying off his hand against his shorts, Ryo couldn't help but praise himself.
I'm glad I wore a long-sleeved undershirt today.
Grabbing a few practice balls, Ryo finally steeled himself and stepped out into the rain. Within seconds, he could feel the frigid water soak into every article of clothing he had, weighing him down considerably.
"At least we've got some dry towels for later," Ryo muttered under his breath. He walked towards the goal, his cleats slightly sinking into the ground with each step. As Ryo began stretching, his teammates followed onto the pitch one by one, each of them wincing as they stepped into the rain.
Once he was done, Ryo began practicing his shots on goal. He took his time for each shot. Focusing on his technique, Ryo made sure to set an imaginary target and strike the ball properly each time to hit that mark in the goal.
But each shot required a lot more effort than usual. Not only did the rain weigh down on the ball, making it harder to hit and impeding its trajectory, but it also made the ground slippery. Luckily, though, since the field was well-maintained and his cleats could grip the ground properly, Ryo wasn't too worried about slipping on the grass.
If I'm careless, though… I'll go flying like a cartoon character on a banana peel.
Ryo set up another ball near the edge of the penalty box, and as he straightened back up, he heard the dampened sound of footsteps approaching. He glanced toward the person out of the corner of his eye and immediately flashed a smile.
"Ah, Ren-nii, how are you feeling?"
"Cold," Ren replied.
"Yeah, I think we all are," Ryo chuckled at his brother's curt response. He shifted his weight slightly, wiggling his toes inside his cleats.
"How are your socks?" He grimaced uncomfortably. "Mine are already soaked."
"Hmm, it's alright… I think. It's hard to tell when I can't even feel my toes."
It wasn't going to be long before Ryo also got cold feet, but he especially wanted something to distract him from the feeling of wearing wet socks.
"Here," he said, passing the ball to Ren. "Let's practice our long passes—it'll warm us up a bit."
With a quick agreement from Ren, the two of them distanced themselves from each other, careful not to encroach onto the opponent's half. For a while, the two of them lobbed the ball to each other and controlled it as it landed, doing their best to keep themselves warm.
—————————————————————————————————
"How dumb. They are out practicing in the rain."
A player in an orange jersey stood with his arms crossed, watching Ryusei with a smirk.
"They'll be frozen by the time we start playing."
"Oh, really? Then that's good news for us," another player replied, his tone carrying a slight edge of amusement, "This will be an easy win."
"Haha, right? I can't believe they're throwing away the finals after making it all the way here."
Most of the players nearby shared the same sentiment. Unlike Ryusei, they decided to remain ensconced beneath their team's canopy, avoiding the rain altogether.
Still, their attitude was not completely unfounded. The bright orange jerseys they wore belonged to a very prominent football club in the southern quadrant of the prefecture—Suwa Cono FC. Despite being based in a rather small city, their reach was incredible. From their professional team participating in the J1 League all the way down to their U-12 team, prospective players were willing to uproot their entire lives just for a chance to join.
There was a reason for their prestige. Suwa Cono was a team that performed consistently well. Not only was their professional team well-ranked in the country, but their youth teams all regularly made it to their respective National Tournaments.
So it was no surprise that the U-12 team, having won the regional tournament finals the last two years, was expecting to win again this year.
"It looks like this game will be easier than last year," one of the strikers added casually.
"Last year?" The second player racked his brain. "Oh, right! This is the same team that we beat last year in the finals."
"Huh, that team?" The last player continued while shrugging his shoulders. "They were pretty good, but the only players that gave us trouble were 6th years, so they already graduated…"
"In that case," the striker scoffed, "we should have no problem winning."
Not far from the three players, the rest of their team sat in silence. They had already received instructions from their coach and were simply waiting for the game to start. But at that last comment, one of the younger, more timid players stood up from his seat. He slowly approached his three clearly older teammates and stopped right behind them.
"A-Are you sure?" The thought of speaking up to his seniors frightened him, but he continued anyway. "They made it to the finals… They have to be strong, right?"
The three older players turned their heads simultaneously, and the one in the middle was the first to respond.
"Huh? What are you saying?" His tone sharpened. "Do you think they're better than us?"
"N-No, that's not what I mean, but—"
"Listen," the player cut him off. "Since you're a new player on the bench, I'll let you in on a secret. None of the other teams had a chance against us, and these players," he motioned to the figures on the other side of the pitch, "are already wearing themselves out. There's no way we'll lose."
The younger player fell silent. As they said, he was only a reserve player who had been inducted into the team shortly before the tournament started. If his seniors said something, who was he to doubt them? And yet, he couldn't help but question the validity of their words.
Does the other team really not have a chance?
Before he could think further, his thoughts were cut off.
Fweeet
The referee's sharp whistle cut through the air, silencing both the teams and the spectators in one breath.
"Will the captains from both teams please come forward for the coin toss?"
—————————————————————————————————
At long last, the finals had begun. Beneath a heavy blanket of clouds and constant rainfall, the sky remained dim, illuminating the ground barely more than during the night. Along the circumference of the field, cameras, spectators, and staff endured the weather, all focused on the same moment.
In the middle of the pitch, the two captains stood face to face. They scrutinized each other's expressions and maintained eye contact despite the rainwater sliding down their cheeks and dripping from their eyelashes.
Next to them, the referee went on with the usual introduction before finally initiating the coin toss. The Suwa Cono captain called out tails as the coin reached its apex, and when the referee caught the coin, he showed it to both players.
The slightest smirk appeared on the captain's face as the referee's hand passed in front of him.
"We'll give up possession and start with this goal," he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.
The referee acknowledged the captain's decision and relayed the result to the rest of the arena.
"Suwa Cono FC won the coin toss and elected to give up possession for the first half!"
Within moments, both teams took the field under the cheers of their family, friends, and fans in the crowd. On one side, the bright orange jerseys of Suwa Cono littered the field, and opposite to them, the calm, white jerseys of Ryusei Elementary stood unyieldingly.
Among them, Ryo placed himself near the halfway line, his hands relaxed by his side, but his mind remained fully concentrated on the opposing players. When Ryo saw the referee bring the whistle to his mouth, he exhaled one last time, his heavy breath condensing in the air in front of him.
Fweeet.
The whistle echoed through the arena, and everyone held their breath.
Tomoya tapped the ball backwards.
And the final began.