*September 22nd, Kuoh Field, 2002*

Now a week removed from their heartbreaking but expected loss at Teikoku the Higitsunes were back on their feet. September 15th's game featured a decent, if a little one sided, skinning of the Suzuki wildcats at home. Their record now sitting at a comfortable 2-1-0 the Higitsunes continue their march through the Football world, and now find themselves at the roadblock of Kuoh Academy's vaunted team, the Kuoh Devils.

Kuoh had traditionally been an all girls school, however with the recent decision to become co-ed, they yearned for a stage in the wide world of sports. With money that came out of seemingly nowhere Kuoh had bought up a super talented offense and was looking to put themselves on the map with it. Despite all of the talent in the world, they've come up to a 1-2-0 start to the season, and now more than ever they needed this win.

---

Haru, Jun, and Keiji all gathered up in the center of the field staring down the opposing team captains of the Kuoh Devils as they waited for the ref to come with the coin.

"This team, for a quarterback of your talents." Kuoh's star cornerback #21 asks Haru.

"Musashi?" Haru asks recognizing him immediately

"The one and only." He says proudly, "Now, how did MY quarterback end up on a team like this?"

"Well YOUR quarterback decided to keep his goddamn promise." Haru shoots back.

"Look man, they just saw that I'm, like, better." Musashi replies.

"We promised we'd all play on the same team." Haru says.

"Well, promises get broken, and things change, hey, while you're here why don't you pass me a few, for auld lang syne, pad out my numbers a little bit more." He replies snootily.

A ref come in and breaks up the argument, but the two former teammates stared at each other angrily.

"Higitsunes, you are the visiting team, you choose the coin toss." The referee says intentionally wedging himself between Haru and Musashi.

"We choose heads." Keiji says.

The coin flips, but as it hits the grass it bounces up and flicks over to tail side.

'Bounce? on grass?' Haru thinks looking at the coin.

"It is tails." The ref says before looking over Kuoh's captains. "What would you like?"

"We choose to receive." Musashi says.

"We would like to defend against the wind." Haru adds.

The ref nods and the captains run back to their respective sideline getting ready for the game to begin.

---

"And here comes the opening kick!" The announcer says over the speaker to the crowd.

Arata kicks the ball deep into Kuoh territory, and receiving the kick was none other than #21. Snagging the ball he dashes ahead down the field.

Susumu had proven too shifty for his blockers and comes in from the side with an open shot, however just as he was about the seal the deal the ground from beneath him seemingly had shifted and he stumbles down the ground embarrassingly.

Shou was on his opposite end and he intended to pick up where his teammate had left off, however he too was brought to his knees by the ground.

It wasn't much longer before the entirety of the Higitsunes were on their backs, tripped up not by blockers but by the ground, and this let Musashi run the touchdown in for a quick, and easy 6 points.

"The shifting sod from yesterday's rain really made a fool out of the Higitsunes." The announcer says over speaker.

Upon hearing this still laying down on the grass Susumu ran his fingers over the grass and, to his surprise, didn't feel a single moist spot whatsoever.

'What is going on here?' He thinks as he picks himself back up.

---

The odd kick return would set the tone for the day. After the strange touchdown Kuoh lined up their kicking unit and they kick the ball out of the back of the endzone for a touchback which places the Higitsunes on their own 20.

Shaking off the embarrassing start the Higitsunes get to work marching downfield; their ground pound tough guy offense a staunch contrast to Kuoh's air raid offense. Unready for such a contact heavy game, Kuoh's defense had to relent as Yuu and Susumu dashed their way towards paydirt off the back of some excellent blocking by the O-line.

---

It's 2nd down and goal, and the Higitsunes line up in their now iconic power I formation.

"Purple 23, Purple 23." Haru shouts taking up his position. "Down set hut! hut!"

Jun snaps the ball and immediately springs into action.

The O-line quickly gets to bullying Kuoh's 4 front and Haru runs back and fakes a handoff to Susumu and then Hands it off to Hada. Seeing a hole in between the Jun and Tetsuo. #67, Kuoh's middle linebacker blitzes ahead and tackles Susumu who was running up that hole, the other linebackers move to help, and the now open space left clear lanes for Hada to run it in for a quick score.

A whistle is blown and Haru runs over and hands the ball to the ref, however he sees that the refs are all huddled together discussing something.

"What's going on?" Hada asks.

"Not quite sure." Haru responds just as confused.

Eventually the refs finished their talk and one stood in the center.

"Holding, #55, 10 yard penalty, 3rd down." The ref says before walking away.

"WHAT?" Susumu says, "Bro needs to get his eyes checked."

They all go back and huddle up on the field while Haru runs over Hamasaki to get the play.

Lining back up now in a pistol formation, there wasn't any trying to fool the defense. They were going to the air, and the shifted their team around as needed.

"Down, Set, Hut, Hut!" Haru yells.

The ball is snapped back and he looks down the field, quickly glancing back to his pocket he sees he is in no danger as the O-line was making fools out of Kuoh's front four. Looking back down field he sees Seiichi wide open and uncorks one to him, and sure enough the pass soared through the air and right into his hands. Only a quick stride lead him to a quick first down where he was tackled, but just like last time the refs threw up their penalty flag.

"Offensive pass interference, #77, 10 yard penalty, 4th down." The ref says before walking away once again.

"How?" Seiichi asks frustrated.

---

After the two penalties, the Higitsunes were forced to settle for a field goal that Meyada punched in for a quick little 3 points. The game went on, and on the oncoming drive the Higitsunes were forced to brutally fight against two teams, the Kuoh Devils, and the referees. On the back of a DPI the Devils ran their way in for a quick touchdown which would cut out the game's score to 14-3

The Higitsunes would try everything in the book, but nothing was safe from the wrath of the yellow flag. Not a single good play would stand, whether it be a tough nosed run by Susumu or an athletic diving catch by Yuji, the referees would go through great lengths to find something wrong with it. As expected, Hamasaki was tearing his hair out on the sidelines, but had to keep up his façade of icy coolness as to not get another penalty.

The drives, stalled, all of them, the Higitsunes were not able to put any more points on the board, and while they did this the Devils were racking up the score against the newly neutered flame curtain, and by the end of the painful half the scoreboard showed 28-3.

Now, with stone faces, the Higitsunes walk their way to the locker rooms while the Devils leave with a stride in their step confident that the game was already done.

*Higitsunes locker room*

Everyone took a seat on benches in the locker room and waited for coach to file in. The emotions they felt were an unholy mix of anger and desperation as the game felt like trying to shove toothpaste back into the tube with soup ladle. They were all silent, however they all looked up as coach walked into the room.

"I talked with the refs, as I'm sure you wanted me to." He says with an undertone of boiling anger. "They said they're being fair and you guys aren't disciplined enough."

As he said this he gripped down on the waterbottle in his hands, and he squeezed down so hard it cracked the plastic and the little water inside came rushing out onto the floor.

"I'm going to be honest, you guys are playing some good football, but it seems not everyone thinks so." He says, "I think we can still win this game, and here's how."

He pulls out a playbook and starts pulling them aside and drawing on a whiteboard his new plan to make a 25 point comeback.

*Kuoh Devils locker room*

The entire team was sitting down on their benches minding their own business, however they all looked up in dread as a red haired girl walked in with an extremely disappointed look on her face.

"Do you know how much it costs for one to attend Kuoh Academy?" She asks everyone in the room.

One of the lineman opens his mouth to try to answer before he's cut off.

"No, no, no you don't, you don't because you got in on a deal. You play football good, and you get to stick here free." She says with seething anger. "I don't know what I just saw, but that wasn't good football."

"We're up 25." Musashi quickly points out.

"Yes, yes, you're up 25 because we handpicked biased refs, modified the turf, and have literally tipped the scales of the universe in your favor." She replies. "But, fair enough, it's 28-3, you guys can lay down on the field and still win."

She begins on her way out not wanting to argue anymore, but remembers one more thing before she leaves.

"We're done helping you, start acting like a super team." she says before leaving the locker room.

---

Coming back out of their respective locker rooms with the Higitsunes receive the ball. Now unhindered by the 'shifting sod' Isamu comes in with a large return which puts them on 32 yard line.

Uncharacteristic for the Higitsunes, they ditch their reliable power I formation in favor a new shotgun formation with 4 wideouts. In response the Devils try to scramble out a dime package, but Haru speeds up the snap count and is able to draw out a penalty, an unnecessary penalty as the play goes on and Haru is able to complete to Komatsu, and he's able to rumble until he's stopped at midfield on the 50.

This play would set the tone for the rest of the game. Sato, Kamiya, Komatsu, and Kon would start racking up the yards as the Higitsunes started going to the air, though wisely doing everything in their power to avoid Musashi, and despite not being their speciality the sudden change was enough to catch the Devils flatfooted and result in a swift touchdown, however Musashi is just barely quick enough to block the PAT, however regardless the score was now 28-9. Still, with such a monstrous lead it was Kuoh's game to lose.

It's 3rd and 6 and the Higitsunes lined up in a dime package. With the type of game that they were now forced to play every 3rd down became a crucial one, and this was no different.

The Devils snap the ball and the flame curtain goes to work, now unhindered the Devil's O-line proved inadequate to stop their furious forward rush and provided little resistance. Kishi and Ozawa both beat their man on the outside and rush ahead to the quarterback. Kishi knocks the ball out of their hands and Ozawa's there to pick it up and start dashing in the other direction.

A wall of Higitsunes jerseys quickly formed protecting Ozawa, and their superb blocking and game sense allowed them to score 6 + PAT and further cut down their deficit, the score now being 28-16. Victory was no longer certain for the Devils, however with only 9 minute left in the 4th the Higitsunes still had to score 2 more times to even drag it into extra innings.

The Devils, now shaken up by the scoop and score, started to become defensive with their offense, and this timid play was beginning to cost them against the relentless flame curtain, and renders them unable to put anymore points on the board. Capitalizing on their ineptitude the Yuji goes ahead and scores an excellent passing touchdown further cutting down their lead making the score now 28-23.

- - -

Now with only 36 seconds left on the block the Higitsunes were on the 14 yard line it's 2nd and 7. The Higitsunes line up in their now normal shotgun formation, however with all the wide outs on the left side behind the line of scrimmage.

"Number 26 is eligible." The referee reminds.

Jun snaps the ball and Haru drops back. Keiji fakes a block, and gets down field on a drag, looking up at him Haru threads the needle past the linebackers and is able to perfectly pass it to him. Now toting the rock he turns up the corner and starts heading toward the end zone. A wall of Higitsunes quickly run down to keep away any defenders from their friend, however one Devil was able to slip by, #21.

Seeing he was the only one there to make the tackle he tries to slip away from Keiji, however he charged ahead and made sure to lay him out on the grass and stumble his way into the end zone. It didn't take a genius to see it, that hit was personal.

- - -

After such a charged touchdown run, Arata kicks it in for the PAT and the score was now 30-28. And with such little time left on the clock the Devils attempt a Hail Mary but fail. The Higitsunes left the field with their heads held high, as they felt they had just achieved the impossible.

*LCSPN*

A flashy intro plays and with the text 'LUCKY CHANNEL SPORTS CENTRE' on a logo. It cuts away to Akira and Minoru sitting at a table.

"I'm Minoru Shiraishi and It's week four and, boy, what a season it's looking to be." He says as he points to the standings.

"The perennial dominators are still doing their thing blazing ahead the Alexanders and White Knights continue their dominations of their respective conferences." Akira says pointing to both of their undefeated records.

"But, that's to be expected, no, this season has been characterized by big shocks. The Kansai conference has seen the all freshmen Higitsunes come out to a shockingly hot start, beating the Veteran vikings, skinning the wildcats, and nearly ending Teikoku's undefeated streak." Minoru adds as clips of some of their games show up on screen.

"Meanwhile in the Kanto conference the Devilbats have been on a roll, beating out the Sphinx and the Scorpions, leading them to a clean 3-1 record. The talk of the town right now is their mysterious runningback who wear number 21." Akira says while the screen shows some clips of #21 blazing past defenders.

They go onto describe the rest of the activity around the league. Finally after a bit they call it quits, and the TV program shuts off oddly abruptly.

---

-Save?-

-Yes-   -No-