Football Frenzy

by Alex Ko

  Josh scanned the room. Two big men in black. Three slick Yakuza. And there was a commotion from the stairs as the two Chinese bouncers burst into the room, flexing their muscles.

  Seven against two. I’ve seen better odds...

  Granny and Yoshida spun into the room, ducking and parrying each other’s blows.

  Eight against three. Not much better... Granny hit one of the men in black in the back of the neck, and he crumpled at once. Except one of our three is Granny!

  With special thanks to Rosie Best

  For Mum, Dad and Lizzie

  First published in the UK in 2011 by Usborne Publishing Ltd., Usborne House,

  83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, England. www.usborne.com

  Series created by Working Partners Limited.

  Text copyright © Working Partners Limited, 2011

  Illustrations copyright © Usborne Publishing Ltd., 2011

  Illustrations by Kanako and Yuzuru.

  The name Usborne and the devices are Trade Marks of Usborne Publishing Ltd.

  All rights reserved. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or used in any way except as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or loaned or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Epub ISBN 9781409538332

  Kindle ISBN 9781409538349

  Batch no. 00504-02

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Josh Murata ducked to avoid another punch. I’m done for, he thought.

  The black-clad figure in front of him twisted, one foot slicing towards Josh’s legs. Josh threw himself into a backflip and, for a moment, the world tipped upside down. He landed perfectly – and just in time to see his opponent’s other foot soaring towards his nose. He fell back onto his hands as the kick scythed through the empty air where his head had just been.

  Then, springing back up, Josh launched a spinning heel kick, giving a triumphant shout of “Hai!” But the fighter’s arms were a blur and, suddenly, Josh’s foot was trapped in the grip of his opponent’s hands! The next thing he knew, he’d been lifted off the floor and was spinning through the air. He just had time to tuck his arms in and roll as he hit the tatami mat.

  How can I defeat such a master? Josh thought, scrambling to his feet. I haven’t landed a single blow! He gasped in a few breaths and planted himself in a fighting stance, ready for his opponent’s next move.

  But the figure had turned its back, as if the fight was over. Josh readied himself, his heart racing – now was his chance...

  He hesitated.

  Should I strike my opponent in the back?

  The fighter turned a stern, wrinkled face to look at him. Her grey eyes glinted. “You hesitate to strike me?” she asked.

  “Well...yes, Granny,” Josh said.

  “Never hesitate.” Granny Murata gave him a severe look. “Do not think of this as merely training in the dojo – you must treat each lesson as though it’s a fight to the death. The ninja is not without honour, but he or she must be practical in all things.”

  Josh bowed. “Yes, obaasan.”

  Granny returned the bow, then straightened her black ninja training outfit. Josh was sweating right through his white martial arts uniform, but she didn’t have a single silver hair out of place. She might have been demonstrating the slow, graceful movements of the tea ceremony instead of how to defeat an opponent in close combat.

  They crossed the huge dojo, walking along polished wooden paths between large squares of tatami matting. On some of the mats, fighters dressed in black or white were sparring, using smooth wrestling moves, high-tech riot gear or gleaming silver swords.

  Josh still couldn’t quite believe that this place was hidden underneath a central Tokyo park, around the back of his granny’s retirement home. And what’s more, the dojo was only a small part of the top-secret government facility!

  His twin sister Jessica was stretching out her muscles at the edge of the dojo, below a large painting of a tiger stalking through the undergrowth.

  Josh’s heart gave a twist as he saw the painting. It reminded him of his parents, who were far away in Africa, travelling as emergency surgeons with Médecins sans Frontières. They emailed whenever they could, but internet access was a luxury. He missed them, but felt proud that they were out there, battling against war and disease. When they’d extended their trip, Josh and Jessica had been only too happy to stay with their granny for a few more weeks.

  And why wouldn’t they? The twins were already having an unbelievable time in Japan. On their very first day, a mysterious, black-clad figure had rescued them from an attacker on the streets of Tokyo. They’d unmasked the figure, and discovered it was none other than their own 65-year-old granny! Once the secret was out, Granny ended up telling them all sorts of things even their parents didn’t know about; like the hidden buttons and passages that led from Granny’s apartment to the entrance of Team O’s underground headquarters. Team Obaasan, to give it its full title, was a group of crack crime-fighters who all turned out to be...geriatrics! And Granny, it seemed, was their leader.

  After that, Granny had had a hard time keeping them away from the action. The twins were soon embroiled in a mission to rescue a Japanese pop star from the clutches of the Yakuza, a ruthless gang of organized criminals led by 78-year-old Yoshida Noburu, an old enemy of Granny’s. It had all worked out well in the end, though – and now they couldn’t wait to put their new and improved ninja skills into action again!

  Jessica and Josh both bowed to Granny and then walked back to the changing rooms together to swap their white training uniforms for their normal clothes.

  “Nice one,” Jessica grinned. “That was a great backflip. You’ve really got the hang of safe falling, too. I thought you were going to end up with concussion at least.”

  “Yeah,” Josh replied, rubbing the side of his cheek. He could still feel the ridged pattern of the tatami mats printed on his skin. “Thanks. You did pretty well against her too. That scissor kick was awesome. I think we lost less badly today than yesterday, right?”

  “Oh yeah,” Jessica laughed. “We’re definitely losing less badly every day. And just think, if someone had told you a few weeks ago that you’d be really happy to be fighting your granny and only getting pummelled a little bit...”

  “I would’ve told them they were mad,” Josh said.

  “I’m having a pretty good summer, how about you?” Jessica asked.

  “Best summer ever,” Josh agreed.

  The polished metal elevator doors slid open with a beep and a swish, to reveal the gleaming headquarters of Team Obaasan.

  Josh and Jessica exchanged grins. When they’d first been introduced to Granny Murata’s secret team of elderly ninjas, this place had taken Josh’s breath away with its banks of monitors, the control panel covered in hundreds of buttons and dials, the wall of polished weapons, and the high-tech grappling hooks and harnesses that hung from an
old-fashioned hatstand in one corner.

  But as Josh looked around now, it felt kind of like home, even though the scene could easily have belonged to a mad sci-fi anime film.

  Granny nodded at two people standing beside the racks of weaponry. “Sachiko-san, Mimasu-san,” she said, using the polite, proper Japanese address.

  Josh’s eyebrows twitched. He recognized Sachiko, the Team O mistress of disguises, smiling at the twins with a pair of sparkling dentures. But the other one looked nothing like Mimasu, the team’s elderly, female technology expert. This was a middle-aged man. How could Granny have mistaken him for Mimasu?

  Sachiko adjusted the man’s collar and smoothed down his sideburns, then frowned. She folded her arms and her collection of faded tattoos wrinkled up around her elbows.

  “Hmm. This prosthetic isn’t sticking right. Let me put a little more glue around the edge.”

  She bent over a little table covered in pots and tubes and brushes. The man turned to smile at the twins, and Josh gasped. It was Mimasu! He could just about recognize the glint in her eye, but the rest of her face was totally different.

  Sachiko winked at the twins as she straightened up, holding a pot of glue and a tiny spatula. “Do you like my latest masterpiece?” she asked. “Mimasu-san, give us a twirl and let the kids see what a little latex and paint can do.”

  Josh and Jessica approached as Mimasu turned slowly on the spot. Josh could hardly believe it was her. She was still the tallest of Team O, but she’d lost at least twenty-five years and gained a jutting chin and a moustache.

  “Mostly prosthetics,” Sachiko explained. Josh cringed as she appeared to dig a scalpel into part of Mimasu’s skin, underneath one of the sideburns, but when he looked closer he saw that it was just latex, painted to match the flesh around it perfectly. “I wish I could sell my de-aging technique in Hollywood,” she added, a little wistfully. “Unfortunately, it’s a Japanese state secret.”

  “I should be going,” Mimasu said. It was a shock to hear her old lady’s voice coming from the lips of a younger man. “I need to be at the embassy before two o’clock.”

  “A mission?” Jessica asked Granny. Granny pursed her lips in an “It’s confidential” way. “Oh...right. Top secret. I guess we’re not needed on this one.”

  Not needed? No way! Josh was determined to find out how he and his twin could help. What else were they going to do? Another day’s training at the dojo sounded so tame when they could be getting involved in some real ninja action.

  Mimasu and Sachiko walked out through the heavy metal door that led to Team O’s workshops, passing Mr. Yamamoto on his way in. The tanned old weapons expert grinned and waved to Josh. “Hi there,” he said. “How was your training today?”

  “It was great—” Josh began. Granny coughed pointedly. “Er – I mean – jisshuu yokatta...desu?”

  “Very good.” Mr. Yamamoto smiled, the skin on his face wrinkling up like a raisin. “And your Japanese is improving as well! So, what do you have planned for the rest of your stay in Tokyo? When you’re not helping us fight crime, that is.”

  Josh grinned. “Football! We’re going to the big match tomorrow.”

  “Japan versus Portugal,” Jessica added, excitedly. “It’s going to be awesome. Apparently all the tickets have sold out!”

  Mr. Yamamoto raised an eyebrow. “How did you manage to get hold of some?” he asked.

  “You remember Kiki?” Jessica said. Kiki was the pop star Team O had rescued from the Yakuza – she and the twins had become good friends.

  “Indeed,” said Mr. Yamamoto. “Who could forget such a stunning young lady?”

  “Yamamoto-san,” Granny snapped. “Please act your age.”

  Mr. Yamamoto winked at Josh.

  Josh remembered Mr. Yamamoto’s tales of his various wives and tried not to snigger. “Anyway,” he said, “Kiki is friends with Shinichiro Hanzo – he’s the best goalkeeper in the J League, maybe in the world – and she got us tickets to watch the match and I...” Josh finally had to pause for breath. “...can’t wait.”

  “If he’s as good as you say, I should put some money on Japan winning their match against England this Saturday!” Mr. Yamamoto said.

  “Gambling is a filthy habit,” said Granny sternly.

  “Well...if everybody’s putting bets on Japan, the odds won’t be very good anyway.” Mr. Yamamoto smiled. “Have fun at the game, you two – it’ll be more exciting than hanging around with us old people, eh?”

  “Yeah, right!” Josh said, as he watched Mr. Yamamoto pick up a pair of long, gleaming katanas from the weapons rack and head for the Team O combat practice room.

  “Now,” said Granny, “wait here while I fetch my equipment, then we can return to the apartment and I shall make you a nice healthy lunch.”

  She left through another of the heavy doors.

  “Nice healthy lunch...” Jessica repeated after their granny had gone. “I can’t wait.”

  “Yeah, tofu...” Josh deadpanned. “It’s my favourite, right after salad.”

  Jessica gave him a lopsided grin. This was “old normal” Granny for you – the way she had always been before they’d discovered her secret. But now they knew about her other side, they could forgive her the healthy-eating obsession.

  Granny walked back in and Josh glanced around the headquarters again while they waited for the elevator. Excitement was building in his chest, and it wasn’t just about the football. Life with “secret ninja” Granny was so much more interesting than before. You never knew what to expect next. Any day now they could be off on another mission, fighting crime and saving Tokyo. He had to make it happen. It’s what we were meant to do, he thought, drawing in a deep breath. I’m ready!

  The crowd filled the Ajinomoto Stadium with waves of noise that echoed between the huge screens advertising fizzy drinks. One of the screens flashed up the score: EXTRA TIME: JAPAN 1 – PORTUGAL 0.

  It was hot and humid, and even though it was a Tuesday afternoon, the stadium was crammed to the roof with supporters from both teams. Josh leaned forward, his heart in his mouth, as out on the pitch a Portuguese striker turned on his heel and managed to get the ball past the Japanese defenders.

  “No!” Kiki squealed, hunched down in the seat next to Josh, half-hiding behind her Japan scarf. The striker barrelled towards the goal with the defenders in his wake. Josh could feel the crowd around him breathing in, clutching their flags, all eyes on the white figure in goal.

  “Save it, Shini...” Josh muttered.

  The striker feinted right, then sent the ball arcing towards the left side of the goal. Shini leaped like a cat, snatching the ball just before it crossed the goal line. He landed and rolled, the ball safely cradled to his chest.

  The crowd went crazy, leaping out of their seats and roaring, as he stood up and booted the ball down the pitch to the waiting feet of a Japanese midfielder. He turned to the home fans and raised both hands in triumph.

  “Go Shini! Hai, hai, hai!” Kiki shrieked happily, leaping out of her seat. Josh could hear the triumph in the singing of the Japanese fans, even though he couldn’t catch any of the words.

  “It’s not quite over yet...” Jessica said. She was glancing from the action to her watch, to her reporter’s pad full of scrawled notes and back to the pitch, her face full of tension. “Come on, ref, blow the whistle!”

  The Portuguese and Japanese players were scrapping over the ball in the centre circle, fighting for control...

  Then the huge speakers hanging over the crowd relayed the piercing shriek of a whistle, and down on the pitch, the referee held up his hand.

  The crowd roared again. Kiki screamed for joy, the strength of her pop-star lungs making Josh’s ears ache.

  “Come on!” she said, flinging her scarf over her shoulder. “Let’s go down and congratulate him.”

  “Congratulate who?” asked Jessica.

  “Shini, of course!”

  The twins shared a glance. “Erm...okay!�
�

  Josh tried to look cool and casual – but it was hard when he was being waved through a VIP door and into the backstage corridors of an international stadium. The place was massive. It probably wasn’t any bigger than the football stadiums back home, but these bare, harshly-lit corridors felt like an endless labyrinth. Finally, they came to a lift, which took them down to another corridor.

  As they walked, Jessica put a hand over her nose. “What’s that smell?”

  Josh grimaced. “I think it’s...feet.”

  “This is more like the PE changing room at school than an international stadium,” Jessica sniffed.

  “I suppose feet smell the same pretty much anywhere...” Josh said.

  “Ah, here,” said Kiki. “Locker rooms.” She pushed open a swinging door, and the twins followed her through into a large area full of wide wooden benches, lockers, and walls lined with hooks. The room was empty. Josh felt his heart sink. Had Shini already left?

  “We did take a while to get here,” Kiki said, “I guess they’ve all changed. Maybe he’s waiting upstairs...”

  “Wait,” said Jessica. “Did you hear that?” She walked over to an archway in the wall. An identical room lay on the other side, and as Josh walked up behind her he heard it too – voices.

  “No,” one of them said. “No. I will not.”

  Josh peered round the archway, and saw a man standing between two rows of wooden benches. It was him. Shini. He’d obviously showered and changed – his hair was wet and he was wearing clean tracksuit bottoms and a blue Team Japan jacket. Josh couldn’t believe he was so close to a genuine football legend...but there was something wrong. Shini didn’t look happy. His arms were folded and his shoulders hunched, and he was glaring at a man wearing a large overcoat, a hat and a scarf wrapped high around his neck. That’s odd, thought Josh. What’s he doing bundled up like that in this heat?

  Shini looked up and saw Kiki and the twins. The other man moved, raising his head as if glancing at them too, but the hat and scarf meant that Josh couldn’t see his face. Then he strode off through a door, slamming it behind him.