Gridiron Titan: The Rise of Deimon - eyeshield 21 fanfic

Third Quarter

The second half began with the score at 22-21 in favor of the Deimon Devil Bats. The tension in the air was palpable as both teams lined up for the second half kickoff. Ojo was looking to regain the lead, but Deimon had momentum on their side after a flurry of plays in the first half.

Ojo's Drive:

The whistle blew, and Ojo took the ball at the 20-yard line to start their drive. Hiruma's defense was looking to adjust, hoping to keep the White Knights at bay. The ball was handed off to their running back, a fast but powerful player, who immediately found a hole and burst through the line for a decent 7-yard gain.

On the next play, Shin took over at running back. His explosiveness and speed were a serious threat as he dodged a diving tackle and gained another 10 yards. The Ojo offense continued to push forward, mixing runs from Shin with a few short passes to their receivers. Their offensive line was solid, giving Ojo plenty of time to set up plays.

At the Deimon 25-yard line, Ojo had a chance to finish strong, but as the running back took the handoff to run up the middle, TJ was ready. The linebacker saw the hole opening up and met the running back head-on. With a forceful collision, TJ's shoulder connected with the running back's chest, and the ball popped loose. TJ dove onto the ball, securing the recovery as the Deimon sideline erupted in cheers.

Hiruma, watching from the sideline, gave a sly smirk. "That's the way to do it," he muttered, glad to see his linebacker read the play perfectly.

Deimon's Offense:

The Devil Bats offense wasted no time capitalizing on Ojo's misstep. With a 1st and 10 at the Ojo 47-yard line, Sena lined up as Eyeshield 21, ready for a quick strike. The ball was snapped, and Sena immediately sent a short pass to TJ, who was lined up tight. TJ caught it in stride, juked a defender, and turned upfield.

TJ's legs churning like a machine, he ran through a few more short gains, mixing it up with a quick, powerful burst from Eyeshield, who sprinted for 15 yards on a run around the outside. The Ojo defense wasn't sure how to react. Hiruma had them off balance with quick hits all over the field.

The drive seemed to stall for a moment, but then it came down to the big play. On a 3rd and 3, Hiruma threw a quick pass to TJ in the flat. TJ made the catch, took one step, and then the defense collapsed on him. But TJ wasn't done.

With a violent stiff arm, he pushed the first defender off, shedding the tackler like a ragdoll. Then, on the next defender, TJ squared up with him—Shin, the beastly linebacker of Ojo, coming in for a spear tackle. It was no ordinary tackle. Shin aimed for TJ's midsection, trying to drop him with sheer force.

But TJ wasn't having any of it. With a Tomahawk chop to Shin's arm mid-tackle, he broke free. Then came the cherry on top. TJ planted his foot, and launched a stiff arm right into the top of Shin's helmet, sending the linebacker sprawling. It was a devastating move, and Shin landed with a heavy thud.

TJ bolted the rest of the way for a massive 45-yard touchdown, the crowd roaring in disbelief as he broke through the defense with pure physicality and strength.

With the two-point conversion, Eyeshield 21 was handed the ball. The play was simple, a quick dive to the right side, and Sena sped through the line with pure speed, crossing the goal line easily.

Score: Deimon 30 - Ojo 21

Ojo's Offense:

Ojo was reeling, but they weren't out yet. They quickly got their offense back on the field. Takami, their quarterback, took command, running an efficient offense with a mixture of short passes and runs to Shin. Deimon's defense, though strong on the line, was struggling against the precision of Ojo's offense. Takami fired a couple of well-timed passes to his receivers, and Shin made a few tough runs to keep the chains moving.

With a 1st and 10 at the Deimon 35-yard line, Ojo's passing game was clicking. Takami stepped back, scanned the field, and let one rip. His target was Sakuraba, Ojo's tallest receiver, who had been dominant in the air. Deimon's coverage was tight, but not tight enough.

Sakuraba leapt high above his defender, who was simply too short and too slow to challenge him in the air. With his height advantage and insane vertical leap, Sakuraba snatched the ball out of the air, pinning it against his chest as he came back down. The defender could do little as Sakuraba secured the catch and ran it into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown.

The crowd was buzzing, and Ojo had closed the gap. Their extra point was good, bringing the score to 30-28, with Deimon holding onto a slim two-point lead.

Deimon's Offense:

The Devil Bats weren't about to let their lead slip away. With just a few minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Deimon's offense took the field again. Sena, showing confidence, lined up behind center with his teammates. The pace was quick, a series of short passes and handoffs to Sena and TJ—two players who had become Deimon's go-to playmakers in the absence of a solid pass rush from Ojo.

However, they had to be careful. With Shin now fully focused on Sena, the runs weren't as easy. But TJ wasn't slowing down. He caught another pass from Hiruma, broke through a couple of tackles, and rumbled forward for another big gain—setting up Hiruma for another quick pass play to keep Ojo's defense guessing.

With the clock winding down in the quarter, Deimon was near the Ojo 40-yard line. Hiruma pulled the ball back and threw it to TJ again, but this time, the pass was slightly off—forcing the Tight end to make a leaping attempt for the ball. Tj's height worked in his favor as he high-pointed the ball, securing another impressive 35-yard reception, which set up a 1st and goal.

End of the Third Quarter: Deimon 30 - Ojo 28

Ojo's Locker Room: Third Quarter Analysis

The sound of heavy breathing filled the locker room as the players gathered around, catching their breath after the intense back-and-forth in the third quarter. The game was still close, but Deimon had a narrow lead, and number 22's explosive run had put them on top once again. Ojo knew that to stay in this game, they needed to find a way to contain number 22—a challenge that was proving to be much harder than they had anticipated.

Shin sat on the bench, his face a mixture of frustration and determination. He had tried everything to stop number 22, but the sheer strength and power of the Deimon linebacker were overwhelming. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he muttered to himself.

Shin: "That guy's a monster… No one should be able to break that many tackles like it's nothing."

Takami, the Ojo quarterback, leaned over to Shin, still scanning the field and mentally replaying the plays they had just seen. The passing game was working, but their defense—particularly against number 22—was falling apart. Takami looked at Shin with a grim expression.

Takami: "It's like he's impossible to bring down. Every time we think we've got him, he bulldozes through. He's tired, but that only makes him more dangerous. What are we going to do?"

Shin clenched his fists, staring at the floor. He had been trying to get a clean hit on number 22 for most of the game, but his spear tackles weren't landing. Instead, he was getting out-muscled and outpaced, especially after number 22's brutal stiff arm on his helmet in the last drive. The linebacker was an absolute freight train.

Shin: "We need to wear him down. I'm not sure how much longer we can keep up with him. We've rotated players in and out to take him on, but it's not enough. He's still running over everyone."

At that moment, Coach Gunpei walked into the locker room, a determined look on his face. The team fell quiet as the coach began to address them, his voice sharp and focused.

Coach Gunpei: "Alright, we're not out of this, but we've got to be smarter about how we handle number 22. We've been rotating players to take him on, and it's helped a little, but he's still breaking through every time. If we don't get a handle on him, this game is going to slip away."

Shin stood up and paced a bit, clearly frustrated.

Shin: "I've tried everything. I've met him head-on, but every time, it feels like he's just getting stronger. The only thing that seems to slow him down is when we put two guys on him. But even then, he's shaking us off with that stiff arm. I can't get a clean hit on him!"

Takami: "The key isn't just trying to stop him with one guy, it's trying to wear him down. He's strong, but even he's showing signs of fatigue. You saw it in the last drive—he's not moving as fast as he was in the first half. The trick is to rotate more guys on him and force him to tire out. He's getting slow, but only if we keep pushing him."

Coach Gunpei: "That's right. We need to focus on breaking him down. If we keep hitting him hard with fresh bodies, he'll wear down eventually. But don't forget, while we're trying to take down number 22, we need to watch out for EyeShield and their other weapons. This isn't just about stopping one guy—it's about stopping their whole team."

Takami nodded, understanding the dual threat. Number 22 might be the centerpiece of the Deimon offense, but eyeshield had shown time and again that he was capable of making huge plays on the ground. They couldn't afford to let up on him, either.

Takami: "Yeah, I know. eyeshield has been killing us with Runs. We've got to keep an eye on him too. But if we can stop number 22, we're one step closer to putting this game away."

Shin: "I'll keep hitting him with everything I've got. But we need more pressure on him. More bodies. I can't keep doing this by myself."

Coach Gunpei: "Good. We'll double-team him if we have to. Shin, you'll keep at it with the direct hits, but we'll rotate players in to hit him with a mix of speed and power. Keep him guessing. He's starting to tire. We've seen it."

Takami's eyes narrowed as he thought about their next move.

Takami: "We need to hit him in waves. If we can get him to take a couple of hard hits and get him winded, we might be able to get the advantage. But we need to make sure we're not leaving open passing lanes for the others."

Coach Gunpei: "Exactly. We'll keep rotating defenders and pressuring him from different angles. We can't let him break through again. And you're right, we'll have to stay on number 22. We can't afford to give up another touchdown like that."

As the players huddled together, the strategy began to take shape. The game was far from over, but if they could outlast number 22's sheer physicality, they'd have a chance. Their defense would need to be relentless and strategic, working as a team to wear him down while staying aware of the other threats on Deimon's offense.

The players stood up, each of them locking eyes with one another, a silent understanding passing between them. They were in this together, and they weren't going down without a fight.

Shin: "Let's get him. We're not letting him run over us again."

Takami: "Let's show him what Ojo's made of."

With renewed determination, the players broke from the huddle, ready to take on the second half with a new game plan. They had a lot of work to do, but if they could execute, they knew they could stop number 22 and take control of the game.