On The Side Of The Pitch With You

Ambushed

"He was caught off guard in a five on one battle and lost. Yuuka was with him at the time, and she told me about how he changed right after the battle."

"Masato-san lost?" Tenma repeated, not believing his ears. "But how can that be...?"

"Was he attacked by other beaten veterans?" Shindou asked. "Since he's Gouenji-san's cousin, and Kimiko's older brother, he's―"

She shook her head. "He's not that strong. He stopped playing in matches a long time ago, and took more interest in becoming a trainer than a player. Compared to Shuuya-nii, Masato-nii's.... rather weak."

Gouenji nodded, confirming her words. "For your own sake, Kimiko, it's best you stay here in Inazuma Town until we've defeated El Dorado and snap him back to his senses." He turned to the navy haired boy. "Sorry for the inconvenience, Tsurugi. I would have her live with us instead, but she's already..."

Made her decision to stay at his place instead. He knew.

"N-No, I don't mind really..." If anything, after hearing that, he would've been more worried if he couldn't check on her directly.

She couldn't help but feel bad. Rather than escaping from confinement, it now felt more like she was burdening others... more than she already was. "... What about mom and dad? How are they dealing with him?"

"They aren't. They went to work abroad a few days ago. They don't know anything." Seeing her becoming even more uneasy, he placed a hand on her head. "Yuuka's taking care of him. He'll be fine."

"...Right." Taking in a deep breath, she decided to focus on the more immediate tasks ahead. Namely, finding and getting Kinako to MixiMax with Jeanne d'Arc.

"Now, I will announce the members who will be participating in this time jump." Daisuke said, floating above them all. "This is the player list that does not include managers. Matsukaze, Shindou, Tsurugi, Fei, Nishizono, Nishiki, Kariya, Hamano, Kageyama, Hayami, and Nanobana! That is all."

"Alright! I'll do my best!" Kinako exclaimed happily.

"We'll be time jumping in one hour. Pack up whatever things you need. You're only allowed 3000 Yen to buy snacks!"

"That joke is so last century!"

"I don't think 3000 Yen is enough..."

"It sure is a problem."

"Guys, geez..."

"Wait!" Kirino suddenly yelled. "Take me with you! I want to go too!"

"But this is my final decision..."

"Excuse me..." Kariya lifted his hand up from where he was sitting. His other hand was holding on to his stomach. "My stomach's been hurting since this morning. It would help me out a good deal if Kirino-senpai took my place instead..."

"Kariya..."

"Okay then. In that case, Kirino will join instead!"

"Thank you so much!" The pink haired boy bowed.

Kimiko stared between the two. Something was up.

~~~~~

Elsewhere, a flying bike was being chased by guards of a facility. The boy who rode it had dark green hair and was wearing riding goggles. He made a turn and reached a dead end, allowing the guards to corner him.

"You can't run!" They moved to attack and restrain him, but he only laughed.

With a single yell, a dark aura was released, and all the guards were down. Walking up to one of their vehicles, he accessed their systems easily.

"Oh, so this is the mission that El Dorado is executing right now... Hm?"

The list of targets, or rather, a certain blonde in particular caught his eye. Is she...?

A smirk made its way to his lips. "Looks interesting."

He hopped back on to his bike before disappearing into a wormhole.

~~~~~

"Kimiko, are you alright?" Kinako asked, peering over her seat to face the younger girl.

She felt herself almost instinctively saying 'yes'. After a moment of thought, she shook her head. "Not really." She sighed. "Thinking about how Masato-nii hates soccer... even though he's the one who's been training me for so long... It's unnerving." And ironic.

"You're close, aren't you?" Kirino said, being on the seat aisle beside her.

She could only give a sad smile. "They wouldn't even consider taking me in if it weren't for him."

They all turned to her with a look that said they were willing to listen. With a small sigh, she began.

"They found me covered in wounds in front of Shuuya-nii's apartment. Since his dad's a doctor, they took care of me until I was mostly healed up. It was a coincidence that Masato-nii was staying over at their place for the holidays that time... Anyway, when they started talking about sending me to Sun Garden Orphanage, Masato-nii was the one to convince them to take me in."

"She's been talking, eating, and kicking the ball together with us! I can't just leave her alone after that!"

"... He also said he's always wanted a sibling, so it was a perfect arrangement." She chuckled. "I'm twelve years younger than him, but that gap never seemed to be a problem. He always prioritized helping me before anything else, and he kept talking to me and playing with me until I was comfortable enough to really consider them family."

"How old were you?" Tsurugi asked.

"Five, actually. It was a couple of months before I met you."

His eyes widened. "That close?"

"That's why I didn't tell you my surname at first. I didn't feel like I could call myself a 'Gouenji' just yet." Her sad smile was replaced by a smirk. "Though everything became much more interesting when I found out you―"

He immediately covered her mouth. "Alright, shut up. I don't wanna hear it."

She's mocked him enough about being a fanboy of her relative.

The air becoming lighter, Tenma turned back to the blonde. "Kimiko, we'll definitely bring soccer back to your brother. You can count on it!"

Removing her friend's hand, she gave the boy a smile. "I know. And I'll support you guys as much as I can."

"We're here!" Wondeba's voice suddenly called from the front.

The captain looked out the window, finding the whole scenery had changed. "This is... Jeanne d'Arc's world?"

"It's the year 1427 in Vaucouleurs, France." Fei stated.

"That's the battlefield..." The brunette muttered, eying a cloud of smoke in the distance.

Kimiko suddenly jolted, a strange but familiar feeling running through her. An image flashed before her eyes, too fast for her to fully process it.

Red.

That was all she managed.

... What was that?