On The Side Of The Pitch With You

Ratoniik V

Seeing as it was a tie so far, the team was in a good mood. It also helped that their opponents weren't treating them with all that much hostility. It was almost just like a regular tournament, if they could only ignore the weights of their own planet's survival while playing in it.

Surprisingly, Kimiko found that it was Kusaka of all people who seemed to be under so much pressure this time around. She had always seen him as a somewhat carefree type, always ready to lift other people up, similarly to Tenma, only with a tendency to hop on his anger at times. She thought about confronting him, but then she saw Konoha was staring at him too.

She remembered the preliminaries semi-finals well.

Hiding a smile, she decided to leave the two to themselves. Instead, she cast her attention on Manuuba, who was, as usual, standing a bit further away from the group. He noticed her glance and gave a single-shoulder shrug. She rolled her eyes.

The act was definitely going well for once.

Images of her latest escapade with her brother crossed her mind. As of this moment, her best friend was imprisoned and, based on what Zanark told her, would not be out until they reached the planet. Manuuba's task was also to be his replacement until the finals, so it made her curious.

How was his client going to swap them back without anyone noticing?

~~~~~

The second half started with Ratoniik's kick-off. And right off the bat, the captain uses a Soul to get through Manuuba (not that he really had to put in that much effort to).

"It's a Soul!"

"These guys have Souls too?"

Kimiko couldn't help sweatdropping at that. "Why wouldn't they have Souls, you guys? I thought we've all come to the conclusion that every planet with intelligent life in the universe has them?"

"Shut up!" Matatagi called from where he was running, earning a sweatdrop.

He then passed it to a teammate high in the air, who connected the pass with another member to Banda. Konoha called out her Fox to stop him just in time. She passed it to Kusaka, who unfortunately got it stolen. While they could manage to keep them away from the goal, they were unable to go into offense completely, which started getting frustrating.

"What amazing physicality!" Manabe's voice came. "This must be the power they've acquired by evolving from bugs!"

That's not all. There's one other factor. Kusaka's strong thoughts made their way into her own. They have short lifespans. Like Banda, this could be the last match for them. That's why they're fighting as if it's the last thing they do! It's what's driving them to make such amazing plays!

The last match, huh... She kept her face as neutral as she could, but her thoughts were in a whirlwind worse than the ones she had physically encountered. Feida was the same. And Zanark... She clasped her pendant tightly. Doing anything and everything you can for what you want without any fear... How lucky.

"Damn it!" Kusaka's sudden yell brought her back to reality.

In the field, no one other than Matatagi and Konoha seemed to have noticed. She didn't need to read minds to know that Matatagi was likely the one to cause his frustrations. Konoha, however, seemed to be doing her best to encourage him.

"Kusaka, you have to accept this level of who you are now. You need to understand the parts that make you weak. Then, only after you understand, can you conquer them. Kusaka, you aren't inferior to the others. Your flaw is right here." With a small smile, she placed a hand on her heart. "What makes you weak is your heart. But it also makes you strong."