Except for the goalie, everyone's playing a position they've never played before.
Okay, you've got ten minutes left. Give it everything you've got.
What the hell...
You've gotta be kidding.
They're playing in unfamiliar positions... and they're still walking all over us?
They're high school first-years... Just one year above us...
So what does that say?
You want us to be like them in a year?
Impossible.
There's absolutely no way.
Thinking about it...
How did Shun save up all that money he gave me?
It still hurts where Akutsu ran into me.
My legs are spent, too.
Thanks, Mom!
Now I can keep playing soccer in junior high!
I didn't realize how expensive cleats were...
Don't worry!
I'll pay you back tenfold!
I'll become a world-class pro player so you can live a life of luxury, Mom!
What a pity.
The people around you.
Dammit.
Is this it?
Is this... as far as I go?
All the candidates seem to have lost their fighting spirit.
It's not just that the other team's way too strong for them.
Finding out they're all playing out of position was a real gut punch.
What the heck is their manager thinking?
Kaneda!
What are you doing?! Run!
Kaneda!
How? How'd you get the ball to stop right there as if you'd told it to and it obeyed?
Their fundamental skills are at a level that's way above ours.
Their skill at translating their vision of soccer to the field is phenomenal.
I'm pathetic.
I... I simply...
...have no talent at all!
Nakano Junnosuke
Kaneda Akinori
Corner kick.
I wanna go home and soak in the bath.
I just wanna play regular soccer with my friends at home.
I mean, what can I really do here?
What are you, a shambling zombie?
I'm done.
I did everything I could today, didn't I?
So I'll just...
You giving up?
Giving up... on what?
I give up!
Oh, you're home, Ashito.
I failed. But what can you do, huh?
So what are you gonna do now?
Ah, I'll just play soccer like everyone else.
I see.
But not as a pro. As long as I get to play regular old soccer...
Wow! Nice clearing!
Who said I'm giving up?!
The average annual income for a J2 player is about the same as a regular office worker's.
I-I was just curious!
Plus, it's unlikely Ashito will get signed, right?
Yeah, that's true.
Tokyo City Esperion is basically the model of what a soccer club should be.
(For parents and guardians)
Tokyo City Esperion FC Youth Tryouts Details
The tryouts are July 15th
The registration fee is 3,000 yen
They have a few select elite players and staff,
but their top players came through their youth setup.
So they're a top club, huh?
Normally, Ashito wouldn't stand a chance.
And if he doesn't get signed, you don't have to worry about it.
Right?
I don't really like that outcome, either.
Do your best, Ashito. Be true to who you are to the very end.
Have it!
I cleared that second corner kick to safety!
Nice play, me!
You're praising yourself?
I won't think about anything other than this match.
That's not who I am.
If the other team's too strong, that's all the more reason to play my own game.
Th-That No. 10 sure is something.
He still has the strength to run.
It's not just in this game... You've been doing great all day.
Keep it up.
The old man's little sis is real kind.
Okay! Less than three minutes to go!
Candidates, give it your all!
Got it!
Tachibana, stick by me!
Maybe we can break through down the wing.
Aoi Ashito.
Honestly, he's not that good.
But he's tough, and it gives you courage.
Or maybe... that's just me.
Gotcha.
I'm off to the tryouts now. Thanks for letting me do this.
No worries.
Do your best.
I will.
I'm moving on to the final stage.
Good luck, Tachibana.
All of us on the team know how serious you are about this.
I...
Give it everything you've got.
...won't give up.
I've come this far at the expense of my home team.
How can I possibly give up now?!
Foul! Handball!
Awesome! The perfect spot!
Aw, man.
What are you doing, Yuma?
Full back's a tough position, ain't it?
Aoi! Tachibana!
Can I take the free kick?
Right.
Hey, Ohtomo. You're kinda...
Hm?
Well, you're totally different before a game and during it.
Yeah, I get real nervous before a game, thinking about what might happen.
But once that whistle blows, I'm able to calm down and focus.
That's a pretty extreme mood shift. How are you able to do that?
Well, it's probably because...
I like soccer, y'know?
We don't have much time left.
My all-time favorite player said he never stopped thinking about soccer.
Good luck.
"A man is but a thinking reed."
That's it. I need to think.
With the limited time we have left, what should my final play look like?
Calm down and think.
It's going in! I can feel it!
H-How high can that guy jump?!
Push up! Let's go!
O-Oh no! They're counterattacking!
Aoi, let's get back—
Huh?
Give me...
Huh?
...the ball!
Ah! He miscontrolled it?
Asari! One-touch passing it all the way to the goal should've been a piece of cake!
What the hell? What's the deal with this Aoi guy?
He tracks back so fast.
He was standing in front of the goal, next to the kicker.
He must've started running the moment I cleared the ball to cover that distance.
Even if that's what he did, it doesn't explain how he knew to run toward Asari.
How did he know the ball would go to him?
Dammit.
Aw, man!
He finally caught up to him, but...
If they get the ball deep into our half...
...we'll be outta time!
Is this it?!
Nakano!
Aoi-kun...
You can still run around like that? You really are something else.
I wish I could keep going, too, but I'm no good.
I've lost my fighting spirit.
This is it for me.
Dammit!
If we can just get one goal...
He went out wide?
Send it back! They're gonna swamp you!
Idiots! Stay back!
Close in.
The other wing.
It got through!
The No. 5, their attacking mid, drifted out to the right?
Did he go out there by choice to fill in for the immobile No. 8?
Now's the moment. Shoot!
Close in.
He's totally free!
Get in!
Clear it! If we do, the game ends!
Close in.
Wh-What on earth are you doing there?!
I have to close in.
Nice goal.
Soccer's all about what you do off the ball, when it's not at your feet.
It was an exemplary attack that showed how to do it with just three players.
And he was the one pulling the strings.
Aoi Ashito...
He sure is something.
Next person, please. Aoi-kun.
This is the final interview, but the questions will be simple.
You don't have to think too much. Just say whatever comes into your head.
So, what did you think of our youth team?
They're strong.
No, "strong" doesn't cover it.
Aside from that last goal, I couldn't do a thing.
Them playing out of position was a shock,
but it was more than that.
It was like they had everything I wanted, but had given up in playing soccer.
Oh, yeah. By the way, old man, why'd you make 'em all play out of position?
It wasn't just to handicap them, right?
Are you asking me a question?
Yes.
First off, it's part of their training.
A week ago, I told them they'd be playing the tryout candidates,
and that I expected them to trounce you guys despite all of them playing out of position.
It must've put them under a lot of pressure.
This last week, they've been thinking it over and discussing it at length.
They'd never put so much thought into positions that weren't their own before.
But the real end goal was to find out more about the candidates.
And answer questions like: "How do they react when backed into a corner?"
We needed to know about your mental strength.
Mental strength?
It's the most important trait for J-Youth.
Fukuda.
Ask him about the goal.
Ask him yourself.
Fine. What was going through your mind in the run-up to that last goal? Tell us.
I don't really remember...
I'm not totally sure how I pulled it off.
"A man is but a thinking reed."
Oh, but I was thinking. Or at least, trying to think, out there on the field.
That's when it hit me that I should go to the left.
Did you see something?
Um...
Yeah, I did. I saw Ohtomo running towards the goal out the corner of my eye.
I felt like Ohtomo knew what I was trying to do,
even though I wasn't sure myself.
Then, I closed in on the goal, just in case Ohtomo missed...
Excellent. He is able to verbalize it.
What else did you think about?
My mom and my brother.
Huh?
I was thinking about my mom and my brother.
I was able to score thanks to them.
Up till today, I've only ever played soccer the way I like to play.
I took it for granted that I'd go pro without considering what that actually entails.
I've caused them nothing but trouble, so I need to pay them back somehow.
And all I've got is soccer. So to pay them back, I have to go pro.
That's what I realized after seeing the grit of all those guys striving to go pro.
Thank you, old man Fukuda.
For bringing me here.
Whether I pass these tryouts or not...
I'm definitely gonna become a pro player!
But man, Ashito, you're something else.
You're the only one who scored against the youth team, right?
That's so true.
See? I might really get signed!
I am a genius, after all!
But if you don't hear from them, it means you didn't get in, correct?
They said it'd take three weeks, right? So you hear back soon.
And if you do get in, what are you gonna do?
Will you really move to Tokyo?
Okay, Shun.
I'm heading home to rest up until my night shift.
Right.
And you guys...
I'll give you a discount on the shaved ice, so tell your dads to come drink at my bar, 'kay?
Yes, ma'am!
Mom hasn't said a word about me going to Tokyo for the tryouts without telling her.
Ashito.
You pretend you don't care about the outcome, but I know you haven't been sleeping well.
Well, I mean...
I guess I do care about it...
But I did everything I could, and I've mentally prepared myself in case I failed.
And even if I do pass, there's no way I can move to Tokyo by myself.
But even so... I want to pass.
I wanna get signed.
Hey, Ashito, what's that sticking out of your pocket?
A letter?
Oh, this?
I got this from...
Don't read it till you're back in Ehime.
Promise me you won't!
W-Wait a second!
The manager's sister?
She wrote you a love letter?!
N-No! It's not like that!
It doesn't really make sense, anyways...
Simmered chicken and dried daikon, Caesar salad, rice Cod meunière Grapefruit
Simmered miso salmon Stir-fried burdock, milk Salad with cod roe Seaweed rice
Chicken curry Yogurt Radish salad with bonito flakes, banana
Pork over rice Simmered seaweed, yogurt Broccoli and tomato salad Spinach with sauce
Udon noodles with starchy sauce, Caesar salad Simmered meat + potatoes Pineapple
Tuna fish, spinach with sesame sauce Simmered pork + veggies Rice, grated yam, milk
Pasta with meat sauce European-style mushroom soup Salad with meat shavings Milk, banana
Vinegared seaweed and cucumber, tofu Pork miso soup Fried chicken Rice, milk
Sweet and sour pork Egg drop soup Lettuce shumai Broccoli salad Rice, orange, milk
Simmered Chinese veggies Milk, rice, sautéed liver Mushroom soup Kiwi fruit
Rice, soup dumplings Seaweed + tofu miso soup Steamed veggies Teriyaki yellowtail Strawberries
Chicken and egg over rice Salad, clam miso soup Tomato with ponzu Grapefruit
Rolled cabbage Egg salad, mustard green with crunchy fish Rice, kiwi fruit Yogurt
Tofu with meat Stir-fried veggies Fish ball soup, rice Yogurt Tangerine
Mon
Tues
Weds
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Rice with small fish + eggs Yogurt, banana Miso soup with mushrooms Natto Sliced tomatoes
Potato potage Grapes Hot dogs x2 Bacon, cabbage, eggs
Eggs, rice balls Spicy cod roe Pork miso soup, milk tangerine
Lettuce and ham sandwich Scrambled eggs, milk Veggie soup Banana
Rice, natto Grilled horse mackerel Stir-fried veggies Mushroom miso Soup, yogurt
Toast, salad, broth Baked chicken wings Banana Orange juice
Grilled salmon, miso soup Egg omelet with crab meat Rice, natto
A meal plan?
I-Is she trying to be a nutritionist or something?
I've got no idea.
But it was partly thanks to her that I was able to show my worth at the tryouts.
If you find any of this is unclear, feel free to ask
Hana
Hey, if she's the manager's sister,
maybe she knows the results of the tryouts.
Hello?
Ashito.
This came in the mail.
Aoi Ashito
To: Mr. Aoi Ashito
Tokyo City Esperion FC President Kubo
Notice of the result of the Tokyo City Esperion FC Youth Tryouts
Accepted
I'm sorry. I went ahead and opened it.
Congratulations.
Ashito!
I knew you'd do it!
So, Esperion, huh?
Mom!
It sort of feels like soccer's taking you away from me.
Next Episode
Orange Scenery
This is a work of fiction, and bears no relation to any actual persons, organizations, or names.
The next episode of Aoashi is: "Orange Scenery."