"Now you realize how weak you are?" Beta smirked at them, before turning to their bench. "Master D. You need to disappear!" She threw a red disc into the air and it turned into a ball with multiple colored discs around it. Stepping on the purple one, a robotic voice came.
"Lock-in Mode."
It glowed purple and she kicked it into the air, right above Daisuke. A light began to suck him in.
"I won't give in to this!" Some kind of energy sphere formed around the man, protecting him.
The clash between energies caused a shock wave that caught them all off guard, and the old man was reduced to an orange stone with the letter 'C' engraved on it.
"Now, soccer is dead." Beta said, holding up a familiar book. The shockwave must've flung it out of Aoi's hands.
A UFO appeared above them and their enemy disappeared.
They were all disappointed with the result of the battle, but there was a much more urgent matter at hand.
Shindou turned to the stone on the ground. "What happened to him?"
Fei watched as Tenma picked it up. "This is the Chrono Stone Phenomenon."
"Most likely." Wondeba agreed.
"Chrono Stone Phenomenon?"
"Yes, a very rare occurrence." Professor Aruno suddenly appeared. "Endou Daisuke's resolve to not disappear clashed with the power trying to erase him. From the energy caused by that collision, Endou Daisuke's very existence became a point of contradiction in the timeline."
"A contradiction... in the timeline..."
"Yes. Because his existence no longer could be made consistent with time, he was compressed and made into a stone called the Chrono Stone."
"A person got turned into a stone?! We have to change him back now!" But just as he said this, the brunette's eyes widened. "Professor Aruno?!"
Kidou seemed to not be as well informed as Gouenji, as he was surprised to see him gone so quickly.
"He always disappears right when we need him most." Midori groaned.
"Honestly!"
"Huh?"
"What an irresponsible professor."
"Ah!" Surprised, Tenma dropped the stone by accident, but it flew up before it could hit the ground.
"Hey! Treat your elders with respect!"
"Y-You can talk?"
"It's a weird feeling, though."
"This must be a technique that is only made possible through Master D's willpower." Wondeba concluded.
"But he can't stay like this forever..."
"First, we need to beat them." Fei stated. "Everything should go back to the way it was when that happens."
Tenma nodded before facing the stone-turned old man. "Please tell us about the invincible eleven you wrote about in the Holy Book of Champions."
"Sure I can do that... But this is just an ultimate dream of mine that I fantasized about for soccer. It would be virtually impossible for you to gather its members. Do you still want to hear it anyway?"
"Yes!"
"I see. Then, let me begin." The stone seemed to shine as he explained. "First, power number one. A game-maker of truth who can appraise people and the general situation, while combining both stillness and motion."
"Power number two. A charismatic defender who rouses up his team's courage, changing it into an iron-wall defense."
"Power number three. A midfielder of unparalleled accuracy, who can see into the future and attack the enemy's weak spots with his analytical reasoning."
"Power number four. An iron-wall goalkeeper with the power to control a major country, along with the tenacity and will to carry out his actions."
"Power number five. A super tricky midfielder with a heart as big as the sea and who acts as the bridge between offense and defense."
"Power number six. A speedy striker as quick as lightning, who cuts up the field like a lightning bolt."
"Power number seven. A flying defender who controls the skies and makes the best use of his mastery with the air."
"Power number eight. A dynamic midfielder who wields the power of ancient times and can split the ocean apart with his fangs."
"Power number nine. A fantastic libero with the ferocity of a beast and the wisdom of a sage."
"Power number ten. A king of midfielders who makes even the earth his friend with his absolute courage and unwavering ability to get things done."
"Power number eleven. An all-rounder who pierces through all with the powers of the scorching hot wind and earth-shattering thunder."
"Those are the conditions I have come up with for the strongest eleven in history."
"The contents itself are like a code." Wondeba muttered.
"I can't even imagine what sort of players they are." Fei nodded.
"But we still have to try!" Shindou said. "Let's find eleven players that fit those conditions!"
"But where should we start?" Tenma asked.
"Let me see... If there was someone who fit the condition for power number one..." The stone moved back and forth in thought before getting up close again. "Yes, Nobunaga! Oda Nobunaga would be perfect!"
"Oda Nobunaga?! From the Sengoku Period?!"
"He's not a soccer player!" Midori argued.
"No, if Nobunaga's abilities were put into soccer, he would make an invincible play-maker."
"I see..." Shindou nodded slowly. "Nobunaga is the strongest military commander ever known, whose strategies were both bold and cunning."
"So we take Nobunaga out of the Sengoku Era and make him play soccer?" Midori asked sarcastically.
"See, I told you it was impossible. It's a dream that is impossible to implement."
"No way..." Tenma fell to his knees, hope fleeting away.
"We can do it." Fei assured. "We can use the MixiMax gun. We'll go to the past to see him. Then, we'll take his power."
"What? Can you really do that?"
"Yes."
"I see!" Shindou gave a smile. "By going to the time period of that person and taking their abilities, we can make ourselves the invincible eleven!"
"We can do it!" Immediately, Tenma was on his feet and grinning. "Things will work out!"
"Tenma!"
"You finally said it."
With Tsurugi's comment, that was probably the first time the brunette realized that he hadn't said his favorite words of encouragement in a while.
Wondeba yelled and turned pink. "This is interesting! Let's travel through time to assemble the eleven players who can never be assembled!"
"I see. With you guys, it might just be possible! So, the strongest eleven in history will be realized, eh? I'm getting excited!"
Kimiko smiled. "It's nice that you'll see your ultimate dream come true."
"Okay, let's do it!" Shindou called, earning nods from everyone.
They returned to their original timeline and parked at the Steel Tower Plaza, dropping Kidou off. The goggles-wearing coach said that he'd look into other ways of saving Endou, so he'll leave assembling the eleven to the children.
"First, we need to find an artifact that connects us to Nobunaga." Fei stated.
"Just a quick question." Kimiko said, holding a hand up. "Fei, are we back to the exact same time we left?"
"Well, no." He stated. "It's nearly two hours since. Wondeba and I will try to keep track of the time we're gone and synchronize it with the time we get back. That way, none of you would have a different sense of time with the present."
"Okay, but... Let's say that we may have to be gone for like a week." She pointed at those wearing the Raimon tracksuits. "These guys have school. If we have to be absent like that multiple times, then... I can't imagine how they'd be able to explain it to the teachers. What'll we do then?"
"... No one here minds aging a few weeks earlier than your actual birthdays, right?"
They all sweatdropped.
"Let's try to keep lengthy trips to a minimum." Shindou suggested. "We'll time travel right after school, and, if possible, get back by the next morning's practice time. We can be more lenient on weekends, though."
"We should carry our homework and keep them in the caravan too." Tsurugi added. "That way, none of us will fall behind in classes."
"And in a scenario where you do have to be absent for a week..." Kimiko had meant to say it questioningly, but thought up an answer of her own. "I'll talk to Shuuya-nii and see if we can convince your new principal and headmaster to help make cover-ups for you guys. Though, knowing Hirai-san and Raimon-san, I'm sure they'll help out."
"Oh, wait, what about your parents?" Tenma asked. "I'm fine since I'm living with Aki-nee and she knows about everything, but the rest of you guys... How would you explain being at school but not coming home? Or coming home, but really late at night?"
"That's true..." Aoi nodded. "Not everyone's going to believe we're time travelling."
Shinsuke hummed. "Sleepover maybe? Or a special project we're working on together to get soccer back."
"It's fine, it's fine. We'll each figure something out."
"Of course you'd be so laid back, Nishiki." A redhead rolled her eyes.
"But Nishiki is right." Wondeba piped in. "There's no use over-worrying about it now. Let's just focus on the task at hand."
With that agreement, they split up.