Chapter Text
It was a beautiful spring day, the sun was shining, the cherry trees were in bloom, and the new first-year students were marveling at the legendary Raimon, where half of the players of Inazuma Japan, the team that won the Football Frontier International ten years ago, came from. Quite an impressive track record for a school that didn’t even have a football team for forty years before that.
Tsurugi Kyousuke looked at the building with a nostalgic smile. He hadn’t been here in years, but this place looked exactly like he remembered, the field, the trees, the students walking around, a lot of them looking in awe at everything around them.
“I wasn’t like them the first time I came here.” he thought with shame, “I just went straight to the Second Team and beat them up.”
That wasn’t a pleasant memory, and a part of him was glad that no one but him remembered it, while another part felt like it was unfair, like he got away with it.
He had been back in the past for six years now. He didn’t know why or how it happened, he didn’t remember what was going on right before he was sent back, he remembered winning the match against Ixal Fleet with Galaxy Eleven, and suddenly he was waking up in the hospital as a seven year old, with doctors telling him he hit his head after falling off a tree and landing on his brother. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember what happened between these two events, but there must have been something, time travel didn’t just happen out of nowhere.
Those six years had been very confusing, especially for someone like him who had actually time traveled before, because he knew that was not how it worked. Something had happened after that match that sent his mind back in the past in his old, or rather young body. He just couldn’t remember what. For years he had tried to figure it out, coming up with a lot of theories, but none of them explained why he had been the only one sent back.
His best explanation for now was a spontaneous unstable wormhole. He wasn’t an expert so he didn’t know if that was even a thing, but after time traveling, playing football with aliens and dinosaurs, and having the real King Arthur as his coach while a talking teddy bear was sulking about it, it took a lot for him to dismiss something as impossible just because it hadn’t been scientifically proven yet.
Kyousuke took a deep breath, and walked into the “sacred grounds of football” like Shindou once called it. Or something like that. It had been a while.
A smile appeared on his face at the thought of seeing his old friend again after so long. He would never admit it out loud, but he had missed his team, all of them. It felt weird playing without a tiny goalkeeper, bickering defenders, overexcited midfielders, and exasperated forwards. And today, he was going to see them again, after all that time.
Today was his “first” day at Raimon, and this time, he was here as a normal student, with a normal but unbuttoned uniform, a bag with pencils and notebooks, and no intention of causing trouble if he could avoid it. He had a second chance, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
His smile faltered. As he walked around the school, his eyes observed the students, looking for any old vaguely familiar faces, looking for an evil smirk on someone lips, looking for the one Fifth Sector would have inevitably sent instead of him.
He didn’t become a SEED this time, he knew their recruitment methods and how to avoid them so he never had any contact whatsoever with them, but he wasn’t naive enough to think his absence would make a difference for the organization that controlled football across the country. They would just send someone else with similar aptitudes.
It was his decision to not join Fifth Sector that had led to the situation becoming unpredictable, so it was his duty to make sure everything went alright today, with as little changes to the main events as possible.
“They wanted Raimon under their control, and they wanted coach Kudou out of the picture this year. And whoever they’ll send might not be as merciful as I was.”
A laugh escape from his mouth. Merciful, him, what a joke. He had been horrible to them, and if it hadn’t been for Tenma’s insistence and his brother knocking some sense into him, he wouldn’t have changed.
“I’ll do better this time. I’ll be better this time. I won’t waste that second chanc-…”
“Watch out!”
Kyousuke was suddenly taken out of his thoughts when another student almost ran into him. Fortunately, years of training taught him to easily dodge the boy at the last second with a spinning motion without losing his balance.
The boy wasn’t as agile though, and almost fell on his face while trying to dodge him.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” Kyousuke coldly said, ready to walk away. He was trying to make sure the football club didn’t close and that his friends didn’t end up with shattered dreams and broken bones, he didn’t have time to deal with another annoying first-year who couldn’t even bother to look up when run-…
“I’m really sorry!” the boy panicked, bowing in apology, “I was so excited to be in Raimon that I forgot to look in front of me! I’m so sorry!”
Kyousuke just blinked. All of his frustration against the clumsy boy who distracted him during his very important mission had completely disappeared by the time the first “sorry” had reached his ears.
The bright brown gravity defying whirls of hair, the big innocent greyish dark blue eyes… The bright smile wasn’t there right now because of the embarrassing situation, but it would probably be back the second football was mentioned, as it always had been.
So many memories coming back at once.
“It’s… It’s fine.” he stuttered, before quickly regaining his composure, “I should’ve been careful about my surroundings too.”
The boy straightened up and opened his mouth, probably to give another apology, but Kyousuke didn’t give him the chance.
“Where were you running like that? The opening ceremony isn’t about to start.”
“Oh, I’m actually looking for the football club!” the boy said with a radiant smile that could bring out the sun in the darkest rainy days.
The old Kyousuke would have raised an eyebrow at so much enthusiasm, or maybe even be annoyed.
He tried to keep a straight face. He really tried. But in front of that smile, that pure childish joy, even he could not help but let out a chuckle.
The boy blushed in embarrassment, “W-What?! I was just hoping to see them train! Raimon has incredible players you know!”
And now he was straight up laughing. Nothing really funny was said, but it had been so long since he heard that voice, since his saw that smile… He thought he was ready for this. He wasn’t.
“Sorry.” Kyousuke apologized easily, calming his laughter, “It’s just that I actually plan on joining the club.”
The boy who was pouting a second ago lit up like a child on Christmas morning.
“Really?!” he almost screamed while getting way to close to Kyousuke’s face, “So you like football too?!”
“Yes.” he answered, not too bothered by the boy’s closeness. He was used to it, even if it had been a while, “I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember.” he added with a smirk.
The boy’s eyes looked like they had a whole galaxy shinning inside of them.
“I thought I already knew how much he loves football, but that’s a whole new level.” Kyousuke thought with nostalgia.
“So, you were looking for the football club?”
“Oh that’s right! Do you want to come with me?”
Kyousuke didn’t even hesitate. Because even though he needed to keep an eye on the outside field and be ready to intervene if the SEED took things further than he did the first time, when dealing with time travel, timing was key, and not just for him.
“Sure, why not?” he answered, “I’m Tsurugi Kyousuke by the way, and you?”
The boy smiled at him at his new football-loving friend.
“I’m Matsukaze Tenma! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
The old club room, if it could even be called a room, looked pretty much like Kyousuke remembered it. Like it could crumble any second.
“We’re at the wrong place.” he said flatly. Even if he didn’t already know what the actual building looked like, it didn’t take a genius to realize they weren’t at the right place.
“But it does say ‘Football Club’ on the doorplate.” Tenma insisted.
Kyousuke felt sweat dripping on the side of his forehead. As much as he had missed his friend, he had also forgotten how dumb he could be sometimes.
If it had been anyone else, he would have already left them to find the building on their own. He had a mission that the future of the football club, potentially all football across the country and maybe even the fabric of time itself, depended on, he didn’t have time to play tour guide for some lost first-year.
Except the first-year was Tenma. The boy who, the first time, arrived on the field before the first team did and kept the SEED from hurting the players until then. By staying by his side, Kyousuke could get to the scene right in time.
And he had to admit, he wanted to spend time with Tenma after not seeing him for years. His friend, his captain, the one who never gave up on him despite how cruel he had been in the beginning and got the whole team to give him a chance as well, the one who stood up to a corrupted system without hesitation and with barely any support, the one who traveled through time and space to save football from being erased from history, the one who led their team to victory in a tournament meant to decide the fate of the universe.
“Maybe we should ask around. I’m ready to bet everyone here knows where the club is.” Kyousuke suggested.
“And you’d be correct. The football club is the pride of the school after all.” a feminine voice said behind them, startling both of the boys. The woman chuckled and adjusted the glasses on her head, “Oh, did I scare you two? I’m sorry.”
Behind them was a woman with dark blue hair and a pair of red glasses on her head, smiling politely. Otonashi Haruna wasn’t someone Kyousuke was close to, as much as he appreciated her work for the club, she hadn’t really been an important adult figure in his life like the coaches or Endou Daisuke.
But it was still nice to see her again. It was reassuring to see that nothing had changed yet.
“Hello! Is this the football club?” Tenma asked.
“This is the old club room, we left it here as a relic.” the advisor explained with a nostalgic smile, “It’s not used anymore.”
Kyousuke turned to look at the old club room, and he couldn’t help but feel shame grow again as he remembered what he had done. He had destroyed this room that was so important to the history of the school without any remorse.
No, he didn’t have time to think about it now, he could find a way to make up for it later.
“Then, could you show us the way to the current club room, please?” Kyousuke asked politely, and Tenma gave a big nod beside him.
“Sure. Just follow me.”
As they walked away from the outside field, Kyousuke could see a few girls in tracksuit bring balls and cones, probably to set them up before the Second Team arrived. The SEED would be here soon and Tenma was walking away.
His fist clenched in his pocket. Did he threw the timing off? Were they going to be late? Should he find an excuse to stay around? The first time…
The first time, when Tenma arrived, the Second Team had already been beaten up pretty bad, he just bought time for the First Team to get there. And once again, timing was key today. The most prudent way of doing this was to follow his former captain, so they could both arrive at the right time. That was the plan he came up with after thinking of all the possibilities.
But, now that he was here, now that he could see the field, the place, the atmosphere, the students peacefully walking around… He said he would make things right, but could he really do so if he let the Second Team get hurt on the very first day again? Or would it be selfish of him to intervene? After all, the more he changed things, the more unpredictable the future became, and the upcoming Holy Road was too important to risk messing it up just to appease his own guilt.
Kyousuke looked at his friend, walking by his side with an excited grin on his face, and let out a sigh. If Tenma had been in his place, he would not have hesitated one second, but Kyousuke wasn’t Tenma, he didn’t have that capacity to make everything work out no matter how dire it seemed at first. He would stick to his plan and stay near his friend. It was safer for everyone. Beside, he didn’t want to steal his spotlight.
“There. This is the current club room.” Otonashi-sensei proudly said while gesturing towards the gigantic building.
Unsurprisingly, Tenma was absolutely floored, and Kyousuke had to admit, despite all the time he had spent here, even he was impressed by the size after all those years.
A nostalgic smile appeared on his face. After all the wait, he was finally home, where he belonged, with his friends.
And they… wouldn’t remember him. They wouldn’t remember anything of all the time they had spent together, all the adventures they went on, all the challenges they overcame, all of his wrongdoings and all he had done to make up for them…
Kyousuke shook his head. The lack of trust would probably hurt a bit at first, he knew that, but whether they remembered or not, they were still his team, they were still his friends, they might not know what they had been through but he did, just because they didn’t know him yet didn’t mean he stopped caring. Just like when El Dorado had brainwashed them to hate football, he wouldn’t give up on them, he would still fight for them. He owed it to them.
“-… have been admiring for so long!” Tenma’s voice took him out of his thoughts.
Otonashi-sensei smiled at him, “I see. Good luck then.” she then turned to Kyousuke, as if she noticed him for the first time, “What about you? You’ve been very quiet.”
“This guy seemed like he had a lot to say, I didn’t want to interrupt him.” he answered with a smirk while Tenma blushed in embarrassment, which made the teacher laugh, “I’m Tsurugi Kyousuke, I also want to join the club.”
“That’s great, I’ll be cheering for you two then.”
“Oh! By the way, can we go watch the morning practice?” Tenma asked excitedly.
“Sure, practice on the outside field should start soon.”
Kyousuke felt a cold chill run down his spine. Maybe the timing wasn’t off, but that meant the confrontation would happen soon.
“Bring it on.” he thought, clenching his fists with determination in his pockets while Tenma and Otonashi-sensei walked ahead of him, “I’m ready.”
The field was covered by a cloud of dust, the members of the Second Team were all lying on the ground with bruises all over their body, shaking either in pain or in fear, probably both, while the managers were trying to help them, but in these conditions there wasn’t much they could do.
It was a massacre.
Kyousuke stood in shock on the side of the field with Tenma, while Otonashi-sensei ran to the few people standing in the middle of this mess.
“I take it back. I’m not ready.”
In every scenario he had thought of, every plan he had made, every way this could have gone, he had always thought the SEED would be a stranger, just another player at a similar level to his, or maybe someone he would have met once or twice, at most a SEED he had fought in another school during the Holy Road.
But the person standing on this field, smirking with an unfortunately justified look of superiority, wasn’t just some new guy. It was someone Kyousuke knew almost as well as his own team, even though he hadn’t even met him yet in this timeline.
The platinum white hair, the silver ponytail, the sharp reddish brown eyes, the proud posture, the confident smile, the aura around him that irradiated strength and power.
Of all the people he expected to meet again today, Hakuryuu was definitely not on the list.
And it wasn’t a good thing. It was the worse thing.
“Pathetic.” Hakuryuu said with disdain dripping in his voice, looking at the injured players lying at his feet as if their mere existence offended him. Knowing him, it probably did.
Otonashi-sensei angrily walked up to him, “You! Fights are not tolerated in this school!”
“Fight? That wasn’t a fight. That wasn’t even a warm-up. If this is what you weaklings call football…” he walked to the ball and put his foot on it with a dangerous spark in his eyes that made Kyousuke’s blood run cold, “Then it was about time someone came and did some clean up here!”
Before he could even register what happened, Kyousuke pushed Tenma out of the way just in time to avoid the ball, which continued its course like a cannonball until it reached its target. The old club room.
They couldn’t fully see from where they were, but they could guess what happened by the sound of metal and wood falling and breaking and people gasping in fear.
“It’s okay.” Kyousuke told himself when the guilt of letting things repeat started to appear, “We’ll just fix it, just like the first time.”
“You have pretty good reflexes.” Hakuryuu said, and Kyousuke was probably the only one to catch that remark wasn’t completely sarcastic. He knew his old rival better than anyone after all.
“And you have a pretty strong kick. Too bad you lack the ability to aim at the goal rather than the players.”
The SEED smiled dangerously, his full attention now on the unknown first-year that wasn’t even part of the football club, but still dared to talk back to him, staring at him straight in the eyes without showing any fear.
To be honest, Kyousuke was a little scared, but not for the same reason as everyone around him. They were scared because of the power and cruelty Hakuryuu had demonstrated and they feared what else he could do. But Kyousuke knew exactly what his rival was capable of, he knew how strong, ruthless and competitive he was, how far he was ready to go, and most importantly, Kyousuke knew that in his current state, he didn’t stand a chance…
“But it should be fine.” he thought, “Tenma didn’t stand a chance against me either, and I’m stronger now than he was then.”
“You talk a lot for someone who hasn’t even touched the ball.” Hakuryuu said without sounding offended or even annoyed like people probably expected from someone so arrogant. He respected strength. It was weakness that he hated. Standing up to him was the right move in this situation. “Do you think you can do better than these losers?”
Kyousuke maintained eye contact while he helped Tenma get up. “Do you really want to find out?”
“Enough of this!” Otonashi-sensei intervened, “I told you fights aren’t allowed! What makes you think you can-…!”
“I already told you there was no fight.” he cut her off coldly, “As I said, I am only here to do some clean up in this club.” he explained, slowly walking towards another ball, “Throw away some trash.”
The Second Team watch with fearful eyes as the one who had brought them to their knees lifted his foot to shoot again, probably at them. But unlike the shoot that almost hit Tenma a few minutes ago, the leg movement was slow enough for people to see it and register what was about to happen, almost like an invitation to try and stop him.
Kyousuke gladly obliged.
Almost by reflex, he took one big step to the closest ball and kicked it towards Hakuryuu’s with all his strength.
The two balls hit at full speed mid-air, creating a shock-wave that rose some dust at the face of every player still on the ground, before bouncing back, Kyousuke’s ball coming back at his feet while Hakuryuu’s landed way outside of the field, not causing any damage this time, but still far enough for people to see that his shoot was stronger than Kyousuke’s.
Hakuryuu smirked. Kyousuke frowned. Everyone else was silent.
“Wow… That was incredible!”
Kyousuke almost facepalmed. Everyone except Tenma of course.
“I have to admit, I didn’t expect anyone here to match my strength. You must be a pretty good striker.” His old rival said, before shaking his head in fake disappointment, “It’s a shame there’s no more football club for you to join. Such a waste of potential.”
“No more football club? What do you mean?” Tenma asked worriedly.
“I mean that from today, the football club is disbanded.” Hakuryuu clarified, “People as pathetically weak as those don’t deserve to call themselves football players, let alone for a school as prestigious as Raimon.”
Tenma opened his mouth to protest, but Kyousuke stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
Originally, he did plan on letting him do the talking to the SEED and only intervening when things got too bad, but that plan went out the window when the SEED turned out to be Hakuryuu. With him as their opponent, things were bad from the get-go, and Kyousuke knew he was the only one who could handle him.
Unfortunately, that meant stealing Tenma’s spotlight for a while and potentially setting back his progress in the club, but it should be fine, they could catch up on that later. Against Hakuryuu, his future captain wouldn’t last more than a minute, and they needed to hold on until the First Team arrived. They didn’t need to win, but Tenma didn’t need to end up in the hospital either…
“And why would you get to decide of that? You don’t even look like you’re a student here.” Kyousuke asked.
“Of course I’m not. Why would I ever affiliate with people who can’t even take the ball from someone who’s not even on a team? With that level, the football world would be better off without them.”
Not on a team? Not even Unlimited Shining? Maybe the team hadn’t be formed yet. But most importantly, was he not going to join Raimon’s team just like Kyousuke had? There was no reason for them to get different orders. Use different methods, sure, but orders?
Kyousuke was about to reply, when Otonashi-sensei’s voice got there attention.
“Chairman Kinzan!” she called in panic, and everyone turned to see the Chairman walked onto the field with Mr. Fuyukai, “Sir, you have to do something!”
“I don’t see any problem here.” the Chairman said, “This young man is right, if our players are so easily beaten by a simple passerby then why should they have the privilege of representing our establishment?”
Kyousuke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, and he could see the annoyance on Hakuryuu’s face as well.
The old man was just a greedy coward who went along with whatever Fifth Sector wanted to preserve his position and reputation. If Hakuryuu had started an actual fist fight, he would have found a bullshit reason to let it happen as well.
“What?! But that’s not fair!” Tenma jumped in the conversation, “Everyone worked so hard to get on Raimon’s team! How can you all say things like that and disregard all the efforts they made?!”
Kyousuke was split between facepalming and applauding. Applauding because some of the Second Team’s players seemed slightly relieved that someone was defending them, and facepalming because this idiot was getting himself in trouble. Not that it was unusual…
“If that’s the result of their efforts, then they really shouldn’t have bothered.” Hakuryuu said without even looking at Tenma, until a scary smile appeared on his face, “But you know what? You’re right, it isn’t fair that my victory on them decides the fate of the club when they didn’t know what the stakes actually were, so I will give you one last chance.”
He walked to Kyousuke, who pressed his foot on the ball a little harder while holding his gaze without any hesitation.
“You against me. The first one to score wins. What do you think?”
That wasn’t at all how Tenma thought his first day at Raimon would go. He thought he would watch the morning practice, go to the opening ceremony, go to class, watch after-school practice, and apply for the football team like he always dreamed of!
Instead, he hadn’t even been here for an hour, and he was on the bench helping the managers patch up the team’s injuries.
“Thank you.” a player with short brown hair said when Tenma put a bag of ice on his shoulder.
“Sorry you two got caught up in this on the first day.” the one beside him with the captain armband added with embarrassment.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s not your fault.” Tenma gave him a reassuring smile, “The least I can do is help! I know you all did the best you could, and I know Tsurugi will as well!”
The captain returned a weak smile, then turned his attention to the field.
Tsurugi, who Tenma had met thirty minutes ago at best, had taken off his jacket and was now standing in the middle of the field, a few feet away from a guy with white hair and a casual white and grey outfit that clearly wasn’t the school uniform. Apparently he wasn’t a student? Why was he here then? Why did he want to disband the club? Why did he attack the football team for it? What reason could anyone possibly have to do something so horrible? That wasn’t what football was for!
And most importantly, why did the Chairman go along with it?! Even the coach didn’t protest, he just looked at Tsurugi and agreed!
“Matsukaze-kun, right?” the captain asked, and Tenma turned his attention to him again, “Do you think your friend stands a chance against him?”
Did Tsurugi stand a chance? Hard to tell, he only met him today and he hadn’t seen him play yet, and while he hadn’t seen the white-haired guy play either, he saw what he had done to the football team, and his shoots were very powerful… But Tsurugi had been able to see them coming and react in time to get out of the way and even block the second shoot with his own! And the sheer strength that emanated when the two balls clashed had even reminded him of the shoot that saved his life when he was a child! And even earlier when Tenma almost ran into him from behind he had dodge perfectly without even looking at him! Surely he must be a great player!
“I’m sure he does! I believe in him!” Tenma concluded with a confidant smile, “It’ll work out somehow!”
The team didn’t seem as confidant as he was despite Tsurugi’s earlier show of strength, but said nothing and focused their attention on the upcoming battle.
“I didn’t introduced myself, my name is Hakuryuu.” the white-haired guy said, a foot already on the ball.
“Tsurugi Kyousuke. Now how about we get started?”
The white-haired guy, Hakuryuu, smirked, and dashed at Tsurugi with the ball.
From then, things were so fast it was hard to even follow the ball. One second Hakuryuu had it on the ground and was about shoot, and the next Tsurugi was in the air trying to keep it from his opponent. Hakuryuu shot but Tsurugi deviated the ball toward the pole. Tsurugi ran to the goal but Hakuryuu stole the ball from him with a slide. Each action from one of them was stopped by the other, each attempt was met with resistance, and no shoot had reached the net yet but several attempts had been made on both sides.
There was sweat dripping down Tsurugi face as he was trying to keep up, and yet he was moving faster and faster, never giving up, forcing his opponent to take him seriously despite the fact Hakuryuu was clearly stronger and had more stamina than him!
“Wow! He can actually keep up!” a player with orange hair said.
“I can’t believe he’s a first-year!” another with green hair added.
“Maybe he does have a chance after all.” the goalkeeper said.
Tenma smiled seeing hope appear on the team’s faces. He knew they could count on Tsurugi! Someone who loves football could never lose to someone who used it to hurt people!
Hakuryuu stole the ball from Tsurugi and his smile grew as he shot even harder than all the previous time, so much that it looked like a Hissatsu, as if he had been holding back from the start, but Tsurugi didn’t even flinch and managed to jump in front of the ball, ready to block it without hesitation.
Everyone held their breath as the first-year was the only thing standing between the ball and the disbanding of the football club.
As the ball approached, Tsurugi closed his eyes and took a stance that resembled a samurai about to draw his sword. And just like a samurai, his kick was fast and precise, hitting the ball with his left foot at the perfect angle to stop it’s course. But Hakuryuu’s shoot was strong, and Tsurugi was struggling to hold against it.
Tenma clenched his fists in front of him. He could do it! He could stop this shoot!
“You can do it Tsurugi!” he shouted, and some of the players joined him.
“Don’t give up now!”
“Show him!”
“Go first-year!”
As if their voices had reached his heart, Tsurugi let out a loud battle cry before finally sending the ball high in the air with a vague blue light following it for a second, almost falling backward because of the shock, until the ball fell down and he put his foot on it to regain his balance.
The Chairman and the man that came with him were completely dumbfounded.
The club advisor’s face was a mix of shock and joy.
The coach let the tiniest grin show on the corner of his lips.
Tenma and the players on the bench erupted in cheers. Even though he hadn’t won the challenge yet, everyone could tell that stopping that shoot was already a victory.
Hakuryuu wanted to laugh.
When he had been given his orders, he thought it would be a piece of cake, and he had been right at first, those so-called ‘players’, even if they were only the Second Team, were so weak it was ridiculous, they were slow, clumsy, couldn’t shoot to save their lives, and after just one hit they were on the ground crying for their mothers like cowards. And the football world didn’t need cowards. These poor babies wouldn’t survive a day of training in God Eden.
Then, that guy arrived. Tsurugi Kyousuke, apparently a first-year student who hadn’t even joined the club yet. And unlike the weaklings from the club, he was actually strong. First he reacted in time to dodge Hakuryuu’s shoot, then he had the guts to talk back to him, then he countered his second shoot with almost equal force, then he actually managed to keep up with a first-class SEED’s speed, deviated his shoots and took the ball from him, and even dribbled past him by anticipating his movements! And if that wasn’t enough, he had stopped, completely stopped, one of Hakuryuu’s most powerful non-Hissatsu shoots with what looked like an incomplete Hissatsu of his own!
Hakuryuu’s smile darkened and his shoulders started shaking as he stared down Tsurugi, who despite his heavy breathing was still standing proudly against him, with a fire in his eyes as if he could see through his soul.
It had been so long since he had a worthy opponent. Granted, he wasn’t giving it his all yet, but for someone who didn’t receive a special training from Fifth Sector, that level was impressive, and the determination he showed was the proof of his potential. Such a shame a player like that decided to join a regular club, as a SEED he would have been terrifying.
“Well, he stopped my shoot, why not return the favor?” Hakuryuu thought as he spread his arms as an invitation for his opponent.
After all, he was curious to see what this guy’s full power was like.
Tsurugi wiped some sweat off his chin and took a deep breath before putting his hands in his pockets and balancing the ball on the foot of his raised right leg, before giving it one strong kick.
“Death Sword!”
The ball dashed towards the goal and the player in front of it surrounded by a dark blue aura. That shoot was powerful. Tsurugi did not disappoint!
But just as Hakuryuu was about to block it, a tiny bit of bright yellow appeared on the corner of his field of vision.
So, to everyone’s shock, instead of blocking the ball like Tsurugi had done, he took a step out of the way and let it end its course in the net.
He knew this technically meant he lost, and he didn’t like it either, but he had orders, and the First Team of Raimon Jr. High was now standing on the side of the field, their captain demanding to know what was going on. Might as well end this challenge on his terms rather than being rudely interrupted.
“Alright, fun’s over, now back to work.”
“That shoot was incredible! How are you so strong? Do you have a secret training regiment? We should train together someday!”
Kyousuke sighed, sitting on the bench inside Raimon Stadium with a water bottle while Tenma kept asking him questions and complimenting his play. The Second Team had been taken to the infirmary, while the First Team and Kuro no Kishidan with Hakuryuu as their captain were getting in positions on the field, and the two first-years had been allowed to stick around due to their involvement earlier.
Things were going fine so far. No one had been hurt more than the first time, the SEED had been stopped by a first-year, and the match between Raimon and Kuro no Kishidan was happening just as planned. Now all that was left to do was for Shindou to awaken his Keshin and they would be good.
For the first day.
And there was a full tournament coming soon to defeat Fifth Sector.
And a time-traveling adventure to save football.
And a trip to space to save the universe.
All within the next few months.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Tsurugi? You look very pale all of a sudden.” Tenma asked, completely oblivious to his friend’s distress.
“Maybe you should go see the nurse too.” Otonashi-sensei said worriedly.
“Thank you but I’m fine, just a bit tired.” he replied.
It was the truth, despite how intense his battle with his old rival had been, Hakuryuu had surprisingly not tried to beat him up like the Second Team or like Kyousuke had done to Tenma, so he had gotten out of it completely fine.
He had been lucky in a way, even if Hakuryuu was a more dangerous SEED than most, Kyousuke knew exactly how to deal with him, he knew he wouldn’t resist a challenge against someone actually worth his time, and he knew his play enough to anticipate his moves and compensate for his lack of strength. Because Kyousuke was weaker right now and they both knew it.
As harsh as God Eden was, no one could deny how strong the players who completed their training were, and getting back to his old level without that training had been a self-inflicted years-long torture. Thankfully he had a partner in crime for that.
The matched started, taking him out of his thoughts. Shindou passed to Minamisawa, who passed to…
Kyousuke almost chocked on his water before doing a double take.
Was that…? Why was…? Was he so tired that he started hallucinating? Did he have an eye problem he never knew about? Those were the only explanation for what he was seeing right now, because even if he didn’t remember every action of the game by heart, there was something he knew for a fact!
“Kirino is a fucking defender! Why the hell is he a forward?!”
The normally-a-defender-but-now-a-forward-for-some-reason exchanged a few passes with Shindou and together they passed through the enemy’s defense, before passing to Minamisawa who tried to score with his Sonic Shot, but it was easily caught by the goalkeeper whose name Kyousuke had long forgotten.
The match continued with Kuro no Kishidan dominating the game without any effort just like the first time, and as much as Kyousuke tried to pay attention, his mind kept coming back to the one big difference with his memory other than Hakuryuu’s presence, a misplaced defender.
It didn’t make sense. Yes he had changed things by not joining Fifth Sector, but that couldn’t have influenced Kirino’s position. They had never interacted in any way before being on the same team, and even then, Kyousuke could count on one hand the number of time they even just spoke to each other outside of the field. The time Kirino suspected Kariya of being a SEED was probably the only one on one conversation they ever had.
Maybe it was the butterfly effect? No, if that was the case there would be other changes, not just this tiny one specifically.
“Why Kirino? Why only him? Why only his position?”
As if on cue, probably feeling someone staring at him, the defender-now-forward turned to look at Kyousuke while going back to his position after Raimon took their third goal. For a moment, their eyes met, and even from that distance, Kyousuke could see the slight annoyed frown on his old teammate’s face, and although it was normal to be upset in this situation, it felt like he was annoyed at the ex-SEED specifically for some reason, even thought he didn’t do anything wrong this time.
The match continued, and just like the first time, the SEEDs wasted no time in giving Raimon’s players the same treatment as the Second Team. Or rather the same treatment Raimon received every time they fought a team much stronger than them. Unlimited Shining had been one of the worst, and their captain and best player was on the field right now, enjoying aiming at his moving targets.
“Still not as bad as El Dorado though.” Kyousuke remarked bluntly as Kurumada received a powerful shoot from Hakuryuu right in his chest, making him fall and choke for air.
Kuro no Kishidan were brutal, but they were not the worst Kyousuke had seen. That prize went to Protocol Omega 2.0 the first time they fought, when they were trying to make people fear football by playing violently on purpose. They even shot at the referee for fu-…!
“Goal!” the commentator shouted in his mic, taking him out of his thoughts, “Kuro no Kishidan score their fifteenth goal against Raimon!”
Damn, fifteen already? Did the score even go that high the first time?
“At this rate the team…!” Tenma said, mostly to himself, “There must be something we can do to help them! Right?” he turned to ask Kyousuke with clear worry in his voice.
From the corner of his eye, the ex-SEED noticed coach Kudou slightly turn to him as well.
What could they do? Things had become unpredictable, just like Kyousuke feared. Following the original events was going to be difficult since Tenma didn’t get to show his determination to the coach, and if he didn’t show that same determination on the field, Shindou might not awaken his Keshin, which was the only way to make Kuro no Kishidan forfeit.
How ironic that the situation needed to be desperate for them to get out of it.
Fortunately, their opponent was Hakuryuu, and even if his motivation and way of doing things were different, he was still someone Kyousuke knew very well, and so was Shindou.
“I might not be a tactical genius, but I can probably find a way to make those two react the way I need.” he thought, and looked at Hakuryuu on the field, “Let’s see. How do I make you angry?”
Hakuryuu at that time was someone who looked down on those he considered weak, which right now meant basically everyone on Raimon’s team, but he… well, not respected, more like showed interest in people who were strong and had the potential to become stronger. He was competitive, arrogant, and a terrible team player, and Kyousuke could use that to his advantage.
Then there was Shindou and his Keshin. That was the most problematic part. He needed his former captain to feel desperate, but to also still have this last spark of courage and will to save his team that Tenma’s words would ignite, letting Shindou unleash his new power. Making him desperate wasn’t that hard, at that time he was under a lot of pressure, and the stakes of the match were just adding to it at every goal Raimon took. But how to give him the courage for one last push? Could Kyousuke do it? He wasn’t Tenma…
The first time, it had been Tenma’s will to protect players that weren’t even his teammates yet, even if it meant painting a target on his back, and his determination to fight despite the odds for the sport he loved so much that had pushed Shindou to do the same and unleash his Keshin for the first time.
If only he still had his own Keshin… Unfortunately, Lancelot hadn’t traveled back with him, and he hadn’t managed to summon him yet, despite all of his training. But it wasn’t surprising. Unlike his teammates, he had been forced to awaken his Keshin through what was basically torture, instead of doing it through his will and determination. He couldn’t try and reproduce the feeling of his first summoning because there was none, just pure instinct and need for survival. He had been the oldest Keshin user in his team, but he was the only one who didn’t know, who didn’t understand, how to actually awaken one naturally.
The referee signaled it was the half-time, and the Raimon players slowly walked to the bench, some supporting each other to walk. They were in bad shape.
Kyousuke’s heart ached at the sight. Was it that bad when he was their enemy? They had taken a lot of beating over the course of their adventures, but he couldn’t forget that it all started with him…
As the players sat on the grass to catch their breath, Tenma, who seemed to have assigned himself manager duty today, started running among them, quickly distributing towels and water bottles to everyone, asking if they were injured or needed anything else, and surprisingly, everyone seemed okay with it. Weird, Kyousuke expected them to be in too much of a bad mood to accept help from a random new student, but maybe his memories of them being cold to Tenma when he joined the club were clouding his judgment.
Speaking of his memories, wasn’t Tenma supposed to already be on the field before the half-time? Great, the timing was off again… Years and years of preparation for this…
His eyes wondered towards the scoreboard and its glorious 15-0. Raimon would never win this match the normal way, it was painfully obvious. Their only chance was for Kuro no Kishidan to forfeit, and for that they needed-… No, Kuroki needed to see something in the team worth keeping the club as it was. The first time it was Shindou’s Keshin. Maybe someone else could show sign of a Keshin? Shinsuke and Nishiki weren’t here yet, and the only players to later have one that were present right now were Kyousuke himself, Tenma, and…
Kyousuke locked eyes with Kirino, who was sitting among the others and didn’t even pretend he wasn’t staring back at him. What was up with him? Playing in a different position was one thing, but why did he pay so much attention to him? That was something Kyousuke would have to seriously investigate as soon as today’s events were over.
Kirino finally looked away, only to do it with a slight move of the head that said “look over there” while drinking his water. And when Kyousuke looked in the direction he had been shown, he found his two closest friends talking, Shindou explaining something to a very worried Tenma.
Then he had an idea. Tenma would probably not get on the field today, but Kyousuke could, he had shown his level to the coach already. He didn’t have time lamenting about all the skills he didn’t have, and instead should use the ones he did have. His speed, his strong shoot, his knowledge of everyone’s play, and his extensive experience with desperate situations and unwinnable matches. He was a member of Raimon, Chrono Storm, and Earth Eleven, he couldn’t give up that easily.
With a firm resolve, Kyousuke stood up from the bench and walked towards his friends.
“Captain.” he called and the whole team turned their attention towards him, “I might have an idea to get past their defense.”
Shindou frowned suspiciously. Raimon had only reached the goal once in the beginning because the other team allowed them to, and after that they couldn’t even get close to the defense line for the whole first half of the match, getting crushed by the enemy instead. But somehow, an unknown first-year had figured out a way? From the bench? Kyousuke would have been suspicious too.
“Go on.” the captain said prudently.
“Their captain, Hakuryuu, seems to have taken interest in me for some reason.” Kyousuke explained, knowing full well what that reason was, “If I’m on the field, he’ll focus on me, and I think we can turn that to our advantage.”
“You want us to use you as a decoy?” Shindou clarified, and Kyousuke nodded.
Tenma’s eyes were sparkling in admiration, while Shindou looked at the other team and sure enough, Hakuryuu was watching them talk, and even smirked at them before turning back to his team.
“No.” Shindou said firmly, “I appreciate the offer, but these guys aren’t normal players, and I can’t let more people than necessary get caught up in our problems and potentially hurt.”
Right, Shindou used to take all the responsibility for pretty much anything that happened to the club, of course he wouldn’t let an innocent bystander fight a team of SEED, let alone be used as a decoy.
“Meanwhile Tenma invited practically everyone he met to play with us against El Dorado, be it a bunch of kids, a samurai or a boy raised by dinosaurs.”
“Not to sound arrogant, but I held on pretty well against him until you guys arrived.” Kyousuke pointed out.
“That’s true!” Tenma exclaimed, “He had a one-on-one battle with Hakuryuu and he was fast enough to keep up with him and steal the ball several times! He even blocked his shoot! He took this samurai pose, and then he kicked the ball super fast and it went high in the air and-…”
“Matsukaze, I think they get it.” Kyousuke stopped him as politely as he could. It felt weird, wrong even, to call his friend by his last name, but it would be weird to call someone he just met by his first name.
There were several shocked stares coming from the rest of the team, which wasn’t surprising considering how much they struggled until now.
The captain, however, just shook his head, “Sorry but you can’t-…”
“We should let him play.”
Everyone’s attention turned to the person who had just spoken with varying levels of shock, while Kyousuke just frowned.
“Kirino?” Shindou asked dumbfounded, “Are you serious? He’s not even on the team! Why would you agree with his plan?”
“Because despite the risk, it’s actually a solid plan, and we don’t exactly have the luxury to refuse help right now.” the new forward explained.
The captain was about to protest, but was cut off by his best friend again.
“I’ll give him my spot for the second half.” he said confidently, leaving no place to argue, before turning to the coach, “Is that alright?”
Coach Kudou, who had been frustratingly silent until now, finally spoke.
“Very well.” he agreed, earning a few complaints from his players, especially the captain, before turning to his advisor, “Otonashi, go get a spare uniforms, he’ll play the second half.”
Otonashi-sensei seemed taken aback but eventually obeyed.
“Coach, you can’t be serious, you’re really gonna let that guy play?” Kurama asked with his usual annoyed tone.
“You never know what might happen during the match.” the coach answered cryptically, and Kyousuke couldn’t help but briefly look at Tenma, who was completely unaware of the role he should be having.
“I’ll do my best for both of us.” Kyousuke told himself as he walked on the familiar field alongside his teammates.
The team wasn’t exactly the one he remembered yet. Minamisawa hadn’t left yet, there were still those two members who quit along with the whole Second Team, Nishiki was overseas, Tenma was on the bench, Shinsuke hadn’t showed up yet, Kariya and Hikaru weren’t even in the school, and even among the rest, they weren’t the same as his memories yet, still playing under Fifth Sector’s orders out of fear of repercussion. They didn’t have the courage to fight evil organization after evil organization without ever giving up. At least not yet.
Kyousuke positioned himself where Kirino had been in the first half, from where he felt someone staring at him, and when he turned, he was surprised to meet Kirino’s hard stare again. He didn’t look annoyed this time, but there was still something unusually cold in his eyes, as if he was suspicious of Kyousuke despite being the one who insisted that he should play.
That was another key difference, but this one couldn’t be explained by the early timing.
The referee signaled the beginning of the match, and soon enough, the ball was in Kyousuke’s feet.
“I believe in you Tsurugi!” Tenma shouted from the bench, and Kyousuke couldn’t help but smile at that. Tenma only met him today but he already believed in him wholeheartedly.
Just as planned, Hakuryuu jumped in front of him, his full attention already on him.
“It seems like we already face again!” his rival said with a smirk, but Kyousuke didn’t waste time answering and tried to dribble past him.
Which was easier said than done. Just like during their one-on-one earlier, Kyousuke had to give his all just to keep the ball, counting mostly on his speed, while Hakuryuu seemed to not make any effort. Key word being “seemed”. Sure he wasn’t struggling, but he still focused on the ball and Kyousuke’s movements.
Around them, the other members of Kuro no Kishidan stopped moving to watch the duel, probably waiting for their captain to put the newcomer in his place like the rest of Raimon.
That was the problem with this type of team, where one exceptionally strong player was given the right to do whatever they wanted, and the rest of their team would let them, not bothering to actually play because their incredible player was doing all the work just fine anyway.
What was the point of supporting people like Beta, Zanark or Ozrock after all? They could play entire matches by themselves if they wanted to, their teammates were only there to pass the ball to them and enjoy the show.
Kyousuke had been that player at some point, and so had been Hakuryuu. The difference was that Kyousuke had also been on the receiving end, he had the perspective from both sides.
“Are you really giving it your all?” Hakuryuu asked while attempting to steal the ball, but Kyousuke dodged by spinning with the ball on his left foot, the same motion he had done earlier today to dodge Tenma.
“Always!” he answered as he ran towards the goal, but his rival jumped, almost teleported, back in front of him.
“Good! Show me what you’ve got!” he shouted with excitement.
Kyousuke ran faster. No one tried to stop him. He locked eyes with Hakuryuu, and as he was just in front of him, about to start another altercation, without any hesitation and without looking away for one second…
… Passed the ball.
Takuto was genuinely surprised to get the ball.
The plan, made by a first-year who wasn’t even part of the club, had actually worked. The SEED, Hakuryuu, had actually given him all of his attention, allowing Raimon’s forwards to advance without any resistance. For someone who didn’t know anything about Fifth Sector and had never seen either team play before, predicting the behavior of a SEED during a match was impressive.
And what was even more impressive was his level. The brown-haired boy, Matsukaze, was right, Tsurugi could keep up with Hakuryuu and not lose the ball, at least long enough for Raimon’s players to get in position.
Another surprising thing was his pass. A lot of people in his position would have taken the opportunity to show their strength, try to score on their own, plan or not. People nowadays played football for their grades, their image, their reputation, and for a moment, Takuto had thought that Tsurugi was one of those people. After all, despite the lack of arrogance in his tone, he was an outsider who asked to play with the First Team against a bunch of strong opponents, and to be left to face their strongest player alone. Many would have used this situation as an opportunity to try to show off.
But when they expected it the least, when they were all distracted by him and his intense battle for the ball, when the plan was working too well, Tsurugi passed.
Without even looking in his direction, he sent the ball right in Takuto’s feet with a fluid movement and perfect timing, as if he had done that same pass hundreds of times before, even though it was the first time they ever played together.
“What?!” the SEED exclaimed with a mix of surprise and anger.
Tsurugi ignored him, “Do it captain!”
His voice echoed through the stadium. Takuto didn’t think twice. Something was burning inside of him, an energy he didn’t even know he had. It made his heart beat louder and louder in his ears, and his blood boil in his veins. It was all he could feel, all he could focus on, and instinctively, he put all of that energy into the ball.
There was no one between him and the goal except the goalkeeper. He couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste! The future of the club depended on this match! He was their captain! Everyone was counting on him! He had to score!
He couldn’t explain how, but the flame inside of him kept growing bigger and bigger, so much that it was burning his body from the inside! A fire fueled by anger, frustration, fear, guilt, but also courage, determination, passion, and hope!
“Fortissimo!”
His shoot was stronger than it had ever been, the little tune it made echoing through the stadium as loud as a whole orchestra. At that moment, it felt like they actually had a chance! No, not just a chance! It was a certitude! They could win this! They had to!
The ball dashed straight towards the goal surrounded by a strong white light and leaving blue particles behind.
From the corner of his eye, Takuto could see Tsurugi placing himself in front of Hakuryuu to keep him from trying to block the shoot. The goalkeeper grabbed the ball with both hands, trying his best to stop it, but the shoot was clearly too strong for him, the light shone brighter and brighter, as if it was about to explode any second. And explode it did. Right in the net.
The whistle blew, and Takuto let out the biggest sigh of relief. The fire inside of him died down, leaving him feeling cold, numb and tired.
He did it. He scored.
“I cannot believe that worked.” Kyousuke thought.
He almost laughed, sitting on the ground after being pushed by Hakuryuu when he tried to go stop Shindou’s shoot.
One goal, that was his plan, all they needed was one goal. It was a match they couldn’t win, just like the match against Zan during Ragnarok, or Inazuma Japan’s matches against Teikoku Gakuen and Resistance Japan, and just like those matches, the best they could do was score one goal, to show them, to prove to both team and everyone watching, that it was possible.
Kyousuke hadn’t been a good captain during the match against Zan, he didn’t even know why he had been chosen, but he clearly remembered how that one goal they scored had proven to everyone present that they had a chance against FEIDA, that there was hope.
“Why?!” Hakuryuu asked him with a mix of rage and pure incomprehension, “Why did you pass to him?! You could’ve scored if you’d shot yourself! Or were you scared of losing against me?!”
The look of utter frustration on the SEED’s face was priceless.
“Not everything is about you.” Kyousuke answered confidently, almost defiantly, despite being on the ground with his enraged white-haired friend towering over him, “This is a football match. It doesn’t matter who scores, as long as the ball ends up in the net, the point is for the whole team. And I had complete faith in our captain.”
Hakuryuu was speechless, but you could see the anger rising in his eyes. Around them, everyone was silent as well, as if waiting for his reaction, or maybe they were afraid of it.
Kyousuke wasn’t.
He smirked, “It’s called teamwork, Hakuryuu. Maybe you should try it sometimes.”
His snarky comment seemed to have taken the SEED out of his stupor, because he grabbed Kyousuke by his collar and lifted him off the ground.
“Now listen you little-…!”
“Hakuryuu! That’s enough!” Kuroki called from the bench, getting everyone’s attention, “The match is over.”
“What?!”
“We are withdrawing.” the coach clarified as he walked toward the rest of Kuro no Kishidan that was already gathering, unbothered by their captain’s anger, “A team composed entirely of first-class SEEDs conceded a goal to such a weak opponent. This is unacceptable.”
Hakuryuu clearly wanted to protest, but eventually obeyed. He threw Kyousuke back on the ground and joined his team to leave, but not without shooting him one last deadly glare. A promise that their fight was not over. And Kyousuke returned that glare with just as much passion.
He had saved his rival from the darkness once, he could do it a second time.
“Are you alright?”
Kyousuke looked up to see Shindou in front of him, holding out his hand. He wasn’t too hurt or unconscious, he just looked tired, but was still trying to be strong in front of everyone after the challenge they had just faced. Classic captain Shindou behavior.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kyousuke answered, accepting the help to get up, “Thanks.”
“I should be the one thanking you.” the captain said, “We probably wouldn’t have been able to score without your help.”
“I’m glad I could be of use.”
“‘Be of use’? Did you even see yourself play?” Hamano said, practically jumping in the conversation, “You kept up with a guy who took on the entire team on his own!”
“It was impressive, especially for a first-year.” Kurumada added, also joining in.
Kyousuke didn’t know what to answer to that. As much as he had planed to help the team if needed, things had been so negative the first time, with Shindou passing out, Tenma getting beaten up, and the team only surviving due to basically luck, he didn’t actually plan that he would make a good impression on them.
Fortunately, he found an escape in the form of a panicked voice calling his name.
“Tsurugi! We’re going to be late for the opening ceremony!” Tenma called with Aoi standing beside him. When did she join him? It didn’t matter.
“I’m sorry but I have to go, I can’t be late on the first day.” he quickly said to his older classmates and ran towards his friends. He could swear he heard someone call him shy among the laughter… Great, he wasn’t on the team yet and he was already getting teased.
The school day went by in a blur, a mix of teachers explaining their classes and students whispering about Kyousuke and his actions in the match this morning, thinking he couldn’t hear them. Did people do that with Tenma the first time? If they did, he definitely didn’t notice, except for those who came to talk to him directly like Shinsuke.
Speaking of which.
“You were incredible! You’re just a first-year but you can already play at the same level as the First Team!” the tiny defender wouldn’t stop talking as their little group was walking towards the club.
“You’re so good, maybe they’ll make you skip the Second Team and put you in the First Team directly!” Tenma added with just as much enthusiasm.
“Would that be even allowed?” Aoi asked.
Those three had come to find him as soon as classes ended to go to the football club together, and who was Kyousuke to refuse?
It felt nice being around them again, even if he didn’t participate a lot to the conversation, his silence didn’t seem to bother them, if they even noticed.
“Just because I’m good doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed to be taken.” he pointed out, “There are other things they take into account like the ability to work well with others. And I never trained with a team until now.”
After all, he had stubbornly refused to join his elementary school’s football team, partly to stay under Fifth Sector’s radar, but also because he simply didn’t want to be anywhere other than Raimon. He only ever accepted one training partner until now, and that wasn’t really enough to develop true teamwork skills, he was going mostly with his memories on that part. But he was back in Raimon now, and his perfectly-timed pass to Shindou this morning was the proof that he was adapting quickly.
And despite what he just said, he knew he would easily get on the team, he just wasn’t arrogant enough to say it out loud.
“But you are a good team player! Your pass to the captain helped the team score!” Shinsuke insisted.
“That’s right! It’s just like you told that guy, ‘as long as the ball ends up in the net, the point is for the whole team’. Someone who can’t play collectively wouldn’t say something like that.” Tenma reminded him.
Kyousuke simply rolled his eyes with a small smile. He couldn’t exactly explain that even though he knew the importance of teamwork, he had to relearn to be with other people on the field.
However, their happy chatting was interrupted by two members of the Second Team leaving the building with a defeated look on their face. And Kyousuke knew exactly what that meant. It seemed like one first-year standing up to a SEED wasn’t enough to convince the Second Team to stay.
“Where are you going?” he still asked.
“Oh, it’s you guys.” the one with a star in his hair said, “You… You still want to join the club?”
“Of course we do!” Tenma said, as optimistic as always. It seemed he hadn’t realize the situation yet.
“Now more than ever after the incredible match this morning!” Shinsuke added, “The First Team is so cool! They didn’t give up despite the odds and that shoot was so strong! You could see the fire in the captain’s eyes!”
“I know right! He had that ‘nothing can stop me’ look on his face, and his Fortissimo was so loud!”
While the two were fanboying on the side, Kyousuke got closer to the two players. He could see the shame in their eyes, and with all the efforts he had made for them earlier today, it would be easy for him to twist the knife even more, maybe even guilt trip them into staying if he really tried. But he wasn’t like that. He knew how scary Fifth Sector could be, and the fight to come was going to be even harder. Nobody should be forced to take part in it.
“Can you tell us where to go?” he simply asked.
“First door on the left.” the one with a mohawk said.
Kyousuke nodded and walked away, quickly followed by the other first-years.
He hadn’t seen the fallout of his intervention the first time, he just knew that in the end, only nine members of the First Team had stayed. But things weren’t as bad this time, Hakuryuu didn’t beat him up in front of the Second Team, Shindou had actually scored against Kuro no Kishidan, and most importantly, no Keshin was used to terrorize people, so maybe there would be a bit more players left? That would probably mean the first-years would spend quite some time on the bench at first, and it might make rebelling harder.
“Well, so much for trying to get the timing right.”
With confidence, and admittedly a bit of impatience, Kyousuke opened the door to the meeting room.
Only to be faced with more than half the people in the room in the process of leaving.
“Where are you all going?” Tenma asked, now with some worry in his voice.
“We’re leaving. Don’t get in the way.” someone said.
The group tried to walk out, but their future captain put himself between the group and the door.
Kyousuke stood on the side, silently observing the situation.
“You can’t just leave! Just because you had a rough match this morning doesn’t mean you should give up!” he insisted, “I know you’re all incredible players, and I really want to play with all of you!”
“You don’t get it, do you?” one of the quitters from the First Team said, “Didn’t you see what happen this morning? It wasn’t a ‘rough match’, it was what awaits us again and again if we keep playing this god forsaken sport.”
“Football has become straight up scary, it’s just not worth it anymore.” the other one said.
“Football has become scary? No, football’s supposed to be fun! If you don’t have fun when you play, it’ll make football sad!”
In the future, Kyousuke and Shindou would have proudly stood by Tenma’s side as he confidently told an intergalactic terrorist that using football for his own evil plan was making football angry.
Because those were the words of the boy who started a revolution, of one of the Strongest Eleven in History, of the captain of the best team in the galaxy, someone who had fallen down many times but always stood back up, who had faced impossible odds to get where he was and whose unconditional love for football had reached the coldest hearts through time and space. Someone who knew what football was truly about and who had proven it times and times again, to others and to himself.
Someone who had earned the right to speak in football’s name.
The Tenma in front of him, however, as much as he loved this sport, didn’t know what he was talking about. His words had no weight. His naive passion against the harsh reality.
There was a few seconds of silence before the room erupted into laughter, while Kyousuke sighed and fought the urge to facepalm for at least the third time today.
“Make football sad? What, like it’s a person?” Kurama said mockingly, even though he was one of those that stayed.
“W-Well that’s how I see it!” Tenma tried to defend himself with the fervor of a five-year-old telling teenagers that Santa was real, “And if you have fun when you play, football will be happy too!”
More laughter. Kyousuke was starting to wonder if he should intervene. Tenma did need a good dose of reality and it wasn’t like he could convince them to stay, but letting him be made fun of like that seemed cruel.
“Cut him some slack guys, he doesn’t know what’s going on.” Kirino intervened coldly, too coldly compared to Kyousuke’s memories, and the laughter died down, “Run if you want but don’t take it out on a first-year.”
The word “cowards” hadn’t been used, but everyone heard it clearly, and the quitters didn’t seem to like it. Most of them looked down in shame, and a few just glared at the defend-… forward, who glared back until they gave up.
It wasn’t like Kirino at all. Kirino was patient, encouraging, a bit strict, and very direct sometimes, but straight up antagonizing the members who left in fear of Fifth Sector? That was definitely out of character. It was something Kyousuke would have done.
“Kirino’s right.” Shindou said, standing at the front of the room. He looked tired, but was still firm with his words. “You’re all free to leave if you want, but please leave the other students out of this. You’re second-years, show some maturity.”
That… was also out of character for Shindou at that time. Wasn’t he supposed to be all bitter and pessimistic and barely keeping it together? Or maybe it was a bit later? After he scored when he wasn’t supposed to?
Or maybe it was because things weren’t as bad this time, no Keshin had been summoned on either side and Raimon had scored against a team of SEEDs after all.
The group angrily walked towards the door, and this time Kyousuke grabbed Tenma’s arm and dragged him out of the way. His friend looked at him with worry, but Kyousuke just shook his head. The managers left as well, and soon after, the coach and his advisor walked in.
“Is that all that’s left?” coach Kudou asked while scanning the room, his eyes pausing on the first-years who were waiting patiently on the side.
“Yes, nine from the First Team and Aoyama and Ichino. That’s it.” Shindou answered.
Kyousuke quickly looked around the room until he found the two players. He was used to having them in the team so he didn’t notice at first, but they weren’t supposed to still be here. Didn’t they leave and come back later the first time? Did his actions somehow convinced them to stay? They did encourage him during his battle against Hakuryuu. That was a good change right?
“I see.” the coach nodded.
“It’s like rats abandoning a sinking ship.” Hamano asked sarcastically.
“Then does that make us something other than rats?” Kurumada wondered.
“It makes us members of the football team.” Amagi answered, and Tenma nodded at that. Of course he did.
The remaining members started to chat among themselves, while Shindou walked up to the first-years.
“Tsurugi Kyousuke and Matsukaze Tenma, right? Thank you two for your help this morning, especially you Tsurugi, you really saved us there.” he said politely, and Tenma nodded energetically, “But in the end, this is all that’s left of the club. I would understand if you’d changed your mind about joining.” he added sadly, almost looking down in shame but still trying to keep face in front of them.
Kyousuke looked around at everyone in the room, the chatter had stopped to listen to their conversation.
There were eleven people and their coach left, enough for a whole operational team.
When he had been the SEED sent to Raimon, there were only nine people left who were too scared to really play, and the two that joined were practically beginners.
When Beta brainwashed almost two thirds of the team into hating football, there were only six people left, they had to recruit five random kids and teach them football in a matter of days to get by.
When coach Kuroiwa formed the national team, only three people could play, the rest of the team had never touched a football before and didn’t even want to be there.
Kyousuke shrugged, “I’ve seen worse.”
He had. He really had.
Shindou looked taken aback, a few members let out small gasps of shock, probably more because of his nonchalance than the implication of his words, and there was even a suppressed laughter somewhere.
“Seriously? What type of team have you been on?” Kurama asked, half mockingly and half thinking he was joking.
“Only three of us knew how to play and the others were all beginners, our gamemaker was at war with the goalkeeper, our captain barely had any authority, and our coach only showed his face like once a week at best.” Kyousuke thought, looking back at Inazuma Japan’s first days, “I’d pick your sinking ship over that ticking timebomb any day.”
“None.” In this timeline.
A cough caught their attention, and everyone turned to the coach and his advisor.
“If you three really want to join the club-…” Coach Kudou started.
“Of course we’re still joining!” Shinsuke interrupted.
“We won’t let anything stop us!” Tenma joined in.
“Don’t shout in my ear.” Kyousuke reminded him.
“Sorry Tsurugi!”
“… You’ll have to pass the entrance test.” The coach finished, “Come back tomorrow after school.”
There it was. Kyousuke didn’t have to pass the test the first time but he had watched it. If Tenma and Shinsuke passed it then even though Shindou had been dead set on making them fail, they would have no problem this time either. And if they did, he would be here to help them. He owed them after all.
“Tomorrow. Just one test and I’ll be back home.”
After the first-years left, only the eleven members who didn’t quit were left in the room, all looking defeated and uncertain. It was understandable, and it was honestly a miracle they had that many people left.
It reminded Haruna of the fight against Aliea Gakuen, when their friends were leaving one by one, either due to their injuries or because they had given up hope to ever defeat an enemy way too strong for them. Even Endou had lost hope at some point. She still wondered how her brother had managed to keep the team together during that time… If only she could ask him what to do. She was the team’s advisor, she was supposed to guide them and protect them. But she was an adult, she couldn’t keep relying on her brother for advice.
“Hmm, coach? What about us?” Ichino asked shyly and all eyes turned to him and Aoyama.
They were the only two left from the Second Team and the First Team was missing two players to be complete, the answer seemed obvious. But going from the Second Team to the First Team was a big deal, and getting there only because there was no other option probably felt like cheating.
But it was also proof that they cared, that they respected the efforts it would normally take, and that they weren’t here just for their grades like too many others.
“From now on you two will be part of the First Team.” coach Kudou told them, as enthusiastic as usual, “Congratulation.”
Ichino and Aoyama looked at each other, then stood up and bowed, uncertain, “Thank you coach.”
There was a moment of awkward silence, before it was broken by the sound of someone clapping.
“Congratulation you two.” Kirino said with a genuine smile, “I’ll bring candies tomorrow to celebrate.”
“Yeah! Kirino’s welcome-on-the-team candies!” Hamano exclaimed, a bit too loud to be fully genuine, but heartwarming nonetheless, at least enough to help the two new First Team members relax a little.
Haruna smiled. Kirino had always been good at lifting everyone’s spirit when things looked bad.
“Alright everyone, we’ll start today’s training. Since we don’t have anymore managers, you’ll have to set up the training ground yourself and clean it up after so hurry up.” she told the team with what she hoped was an encouraging tone.
Some players groaned at the extra work as they left, while Shindou walked up to the adults.
“Coach, are we really going to accept new members after what happened this morning?” he asked with worry.
“Don’t worry, I won’t take anyone that I don’t think deserves a place on the team.” coach Kudou answered. It clearly wasn’t the answer the captain was waiting for but he didn’t question it and left, leaving the adults alone in the room.
Poor Shindou, he was too young for so much responsibilities. Why was it always the children that had to deal with the adults’ problems?
“All of that just on the first day? Raimon sounds very energetic.”
Kyousuke rolled his eyes, “You don’t know the half of it.”
Laughter filled the hospital room.
In the past, visiting Yuuichi was stressful, more than Kyousuke wanted to admit. He loved his brother, but being reminded of his state, the state he had put him in himself, while knowing he was actively harming the football his brother loved so much was not a pleasant experience. It was hard to see the pride in his eyes when he told him he got on Raimon’s team, the same team he had tried to destroy the day before. But at the time, he would repeat himself that giving his brother a chance to walk again, to play again, was worth everything he was doing, that it was worth selling his soul to the devil that was Fifth Sector.
Even now it still hurt, but not for the same reason. The first time, his brother did get the operation he needed, paid for by his idol Gouenji Shuuya of all people. But now that Kyousuke was back and not in Fifth Sector, that had almost no chance to happen. He might have just actually taken his brother’s only chance at ever playing football again…
“It’s fine.” he told himself, “I got in the national team the first time. I can do it again. I can take the same path as Gouenji-san and pay for the operation myself. It will take longer but I know it’s the right way to do it.”
It was still a hard pill to swallow though…
“You got to play with the First Team against super strong opponents on your first day! I’m jealous now!” the third person in the room complained, sitting cross-leg at the end of the bed with a chocolate bar in his hand.
“Don’t worry Taiyou, you will get your chance too.” Yuuichi reassured him with a smile, “If you follow the doctor’s instructions and give yourself time to heal properly, that is.”
Taiyou didn’t answer and instead munched on his snack.
Kyousuke still remembered his “first” encounter with Amemiya Taiyou. It was the day of Yuuichi’s accident, right after waking up in the past, the “back in time” situation and its implications hadn’t really sunk in yet, and while his parents were busy with his brother, he had stepped out on the balcony to get some fresh air and try to clear his thoughts.
But while he was busy hopelessly looking at the sky in hope of seeing a flying caravan pass by, the familiar noise of a football being kicked caught his attention.
“You look sad. Wanna play with me?”
Kyousuke smiled at the memory. Maybe if he had met Taiyou like this the first time, things would have been different…
“And the other first-years you met? Are they joining the club as well?” Yuuichi asked.
“Yes, or at least they’ll try, I haven’t seen them play yet and there’s a test to get in.” Kyousuke explained.
“I’m sure you guys will be fine.” Taiyou said waving his hand, “You’re a super talented striker coming out of nowhere to save the day and they’re your sidekicks. They’ve got plot armor.”
Hearing a guy who nearly died during a match talking about plot armor was way too ironic.
“What type of logic is that…?” the younger brother sighed.
“The logic of a genius!”
“The logic of an idiot.”
“Yuuichi-nii! Kyousuke’s bullying me!”
Yuuichi just laughed.
In the past, Yuuichi didn’t really have any friends, his room was empty, often filled with silence. Now it had pictures of the three of them over the years, birthday gifts, posters of famous players, and Taiyou visited almost everyday, bringing snacks and a ball with him.
When Kyousuke finally left the hospital, it was almost dark outside. Telling his eventful day to two chatty and curious people took more time than telling the bare minimum to someone who didn’t want to be pushy. But he didn’t mind, spending time with these two was never a chore.
In the end, his first day back in Raimon had been okay, safe for the jumpscare that had been Hakuryuu’s presence, but he managed. Now he had to focus on tomorrow’s entrance test. Even though he was certain he would pass, it was still an important event for Tenma and Shinsuke.
He also had to think about the consequences of Shindou not awakening his Keshin. In term of strength, he should be very close and would likely do so when confronted to someone else’s Keshin, but depending on when it happens, it could slow down the revolution a lot, and Lancelot wasn’t an option yet either. How far could they go without any Keshin on the team?
He also had to worry about starting the revolution in the first place since Tenma would probably start off on the bench this time. That was already a lot, was there anything else?
Kyousuke was taken out of his thoughts when his phone rang, signaling he had received a message. Did he forget something at the hospital? He had his bag with him and he didn’t take anything out of it.
Curious, he looked at the sender, only to see an unknown number.
For some reason, his first thought was Hakuryuu. After what he pulled today, it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise. But it wasn’t his style. If he wanted a rematch or anything like that, he would appear in person like a stalker.
His second guess was Tenma, or Shinsuke or Aoi, but he couldn’t see how they would have gotten his number. And he doubted Taiyou or Yuuichi had changed number in the last five minutes.
There was only one way to know.
He opened the message.
Unknown Number: Hi Okita
Kyousuke stopped in the middle of the street, staring at his phone, all the noises around him had disappeared, and he barely noticed the people walking around him. All he could hear was his own heartbeat and all he could see was the two words on the bright screen.
He typed with a trembling hand, suddenly filled with both fear and hope.
Kyousuke: Who are you?
The answer was almost immediate.
Unknown Number: Jeanne d’Arc
This time he nearly dropped his phone, and he answered before his brain could fully process it.
Kyousuke: That explains so fucking much
Unknown Number: You’re telling me
Unknown Number: Wait a sec
Just a few seconds later, Kyousuke felt someone tap his shoulder, startling him, and when he turned around, he was faced with none other than Raimon’s Ace Defender, Kirino Ranmaru.
“I think we need to talk.” the defender, definitely defender, said.
Kyousuke blinked a few times, looked his old friend up and down, letting the load of information sink in, before finally being able to speak.
“Right. Because I have questions.” he said, awkwardly pointing at his friend’s uniform.
Raimon’s girl uniform.