"Shinsuke!" As soon as Tenma was up, he immediately ran to a familiar tree.
The small boy caught up with him. "This statue..."
"Yeah!"
Aoi blinked. "What is that?"
"It's the soccer god of this island. We found it the last time we were here."
Fei turned to him to ask, but his eyes caught sight of a figure leaning against another tree. The figure was a boy with black hair, with red and white on the tips. He had black irises and wore a uniform with the same color.
"Hey there."
"Shuu! I knew it was you!" Tenma said, running over to him. "It's been a while. Thanks for saving us!"
"I'm glad I made it in time." The black-haired boy smiled. "So, soccer is in trouble again. I couldn't sit still after I heard about it."
"It sounds like you haven't felt the effects of the soccer ban here." Shindou said.
"Of course not. I'm okay."
"This island is cut off from the rest of the world." Kimiko stated. "After Fifth Sector shut it down, no one's really come to visit, so that makes sense."
"Tenma, is he a friend of yours?" Fei asked.
"Yeah. This is Shuu, a soccer pal I met when I first came to this island."
The green haired boy immediately turned to said boy with a smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fei Rune."
"Nice to meet you too."
"That keshin that rescued us is Shuu's! Ankoku Shin Dark Exodus!" Shinsuke stated.
"Oh, really? It felt incredibly powerful."
"Fei is a friend who is fighting with us right now." Tenma explained. "There's also Wondeba―"
The blue bear pushed his way to the front of the group. "I am the great coach of this time, Clark Wonderbot! Call me Wondeba-sama!"
"It's... a bear?"
"Who are you calling a bear?!"
"Shuu, do you live on this island?"
"Yes, I guess you could say that."
They took their seats around the staircase below the tree as Tenma began to recall what they went through. "Fifth Sector coerced us into coming to this island, saying that it was a camping trip. We had a match with Shuu and even trained with him. Fighting with Shuu at God Eden Stadium was one of the fiercest I'd ever played. That match made me feel as if I'd gotten stronger."
"A lot happened to us on this island." Shindou added.
"Yeah." Tsurugi nodded. "Though a certain someone wasn't here for it."
"Correction. I was here, but not with you." Kimiko nudged his side. She turned to Fei to explain. "I spent most of my time during Holy Road on this island, due to... reasons. Needless to say, I wasn't much use to Raimon in their fight against Fifth Sector."
Aoi nodded. "That's right. We only became proper friends with Kimiko after Holy Road and even then, we only had a few weeks before she flew off to America."
"Aoi! You remembered!" The blonde jumped over the rest and tackled her into a hug. "That's right! And as soon as I finished my business there, soccer just had to be in trouble again. All the stuff you guys wanted me to buy is back at my place by the way, so when we can come back, I'll bring them over to Raimon."
"Shuu, how have you been doing since then?" Tenma asked.
Shuu gave him a mysterious smile. "Nevermind that, Tenma. I came because I wanted to tell you guys something."
"Tell us something?"
"About Keshin Armed."
"You know about it?!"
"Yeah. You'll definitely need Keshin Armed to fight these guys. Fortunately, all of you are keshin users. I want you to get an understanding of Keshin Armed on this island. The soccer god here will definitely help you."
Tenma stood up, already excited. "Amazing, Shuu! You know everything!"
Shinsuke beamed. "Maybe it's you who's actually the soccer god!"
No one noticed Kimiko nearly choking.
The black haired boy gave a laugh. "No way!"
Tenma turned to the rest. "Okay then, everyone! Let's do it! Keshin Armed!"
"Yeah! I'm all fired up!" Nishiki grinned.
"So, we're holding a training camp here again, huh?" Shindou chuckled.
"Then, let's get started!"
But before he could go anywhere, Aoi and the other girls stood in their way. "Wait!"
"W-What?"
"You've gotten too much damage from that previous battle. You should take it easy today and rest."
"Yep. Keshin Armed uses up a lot of energy, doesn't it?" Midori added.
"Yes..."
"Then, listen to your managers. Keeping you in your top physical form is a part of our jobs."
Nishiki jumped down and sneered. "Oh? Look who's talking all mature and responsible!"
"O-Of course I am!"
"Oh, now she's mad!"
"Nishiki! Hold it right there!"
~~~~~
Late at night, after most of the others had already gone to sleep, Shindou spoke up to the boy beside him. "Hey, Tsurugi."
He turned away from the ball he was holding. "Yes?"
"About what those guys said this afternoon... They mentioned anger."
"Yes."
"I was a bit surprised when I heard that." He sat up. "They attacked us because they were angry for their captain. Until now, I thought that maybe people from the future didn't have emotions like that... But they care about the people they're close to too. They're humans, just like us."
"Fei is from the future too... isn't he...?"
They contemplated the thought for a while before hearing footsteps coming from the mouth of the cave. "Hm? Oh, you two are still up? And Fei and Wondeba are gone..."
"Kimiko?" Shindou blinked. "Where did you go off to? You disappeared after dinner."
She shrugged. "I was checking out my old sleeping spot, but it got nested by animals so it looks like I'm staying here too." She gave the room a quick scan. "But... It looks like there's no more space. Guess I'll find a pocket near the entrance―"
"Hey." Tsurugi patted on a space between him and the wall. "You're tiny. You can fit."
"Excuse you, I am taller than Tenma!"
He'll just ignore that. "You'd take up more time setting up the sheet and blanket." His head gestured at the space. "Come on."
She stared at him for a while before nodding. Her eyes glowed as an aura formed around her. She slowly lifted into the air and quietly floated above the others who were asleep on the floor, landing beside the blue haired boy. While the two arranged themselves, Shindou bid them good night with a smile.
~~~~~
The next day, Shuu brought them to a cliff. He asked them to copy what he's doing, which was simply standing still and breathing. They were confused, but went along.
"Everyone, keep your eyes closed and listen to me. Quiet down your heart. Think about what you want to protect and wish to gain even greater strength. The force of those feelings will draw you and your keshin closer."
Soon, they felt a strong gust of wind.
"Imagine your keshin surrounding your whole body, much like a wind that wraps around you. The wind on this island wants to be one with you."
"I feel it..." Tenma began muttering. "I feel something getting closer to me. It's the same feeling I had when I first brought out my keshin. That hot feeling like it's about to burst open..."
"Yeah..."
"Do you feel that, Tsurugi?"
"Yes."
The rest could only watch in shock as a light wrapped itself around them. When they opened their eyes, the light was gone.
"I'm really close to soccer right now!"
"Could this feeling be it?"
"Yeah. It feels different from anything I've ever experienced."
"I feel it too!"
"Me too!"
"Let's keep it in mind and go train on the grounds!"
"Yeah!"
Just as they were about to head out, a ball came flying their way. Fei and Shuu deflected it together, sending it back to the top of the cliffs, where Einam caught it. Needless to say, they were there to continue where they left off.
Shuu granted them permission to use Ancient Dark's forest pitch. Since it was a soccer battle, the first team to score would win. It was a stalemate. They could get past Team A5 with their techniques, but none were able to use Keshin Armed. Suddenly, Shuu asked to MixiMax Tenma with himself.
MixiMax is the transfer of a person's aura to another using two guns that Wondeba has. The ability for that person to make use of the other's aura is called Mixi Trans. None of them knew how Shuu knew about that, but there was no time to ask.
Wondeba pointed the gun with the minus symbol at Shuu and the one with the plus symbol to Tenma. Within a couple of seconds, the transfer of auras was completed and Tenma got a makeover. His hair was no longer brown, but grey with the same tips as Shuu.
Once he got through the field players of Team A5, he broke out of the MixiMax form and called out his keshin. "Majin Pegasus Arc! Armed!"
With his newly earned armor, he scored the winning goal.
Team A5 disappeared in their UFO-like time machine. However, their victory was short-lived. Aoi got a call from Haruna, stating that the soccer building will soon be demolished. Tenma invited Shuu to come along, knowing full well his strength would come in handy, but he was turned down. Kimiko, knowing the true reason why he couldn't leave the island, kept her mouth shut.
With Shuu making a last note to come visit anytime they want to train, they all bid each other goodbye.