Far away from the stadium, the castle, and the train station all together, the sound of gunfire resounded through the streets. The planet continues its slow rotation, shrouding the area in the darkness. The only light that remained came from burning buildings or the split-second glow of lasers being shot about. It almost seemed as if the terrified screams of the people were being swallowed by the black hole itself.
"Someone! Anyone! Please!"
Cries for help echoed from all over. Many were trapped under rubble, or had their escape routes blocked by fire.
The mysterious group of black-clad raiders only stopped their advancement when an arrow, made purely of light, landed in front of them. While it disappeared as if it was nothing, the crater it left on the ground made them sure it was no illusion.
Looking up at where it came from, they spotted a figure standing atop a highrise. Had nothing seemed off about the person, everyone present was sure that the raiders wouldn't hesitate to shoot them down. But anyone with eyes can see that the figure was not normal.
Not with the giant they seem to control aiming its bow.
A single shot made a dozen arrows rain. The raiders all dodged the attack, hopping several feet away. Once the barrage stopped, they aimed their guns up, only to find that the figure had disappeared.
~~~~~
"Yay! Grand Celesta Galaxy! The tournament that decides who will survive in the galaxy has reached its final round!"
"Kimiko-san was right. The helpers are all from Faram Orbius." None of them had doubted her theory, but they could only confirm it with their own eyes when they saw Ichikawa pointing at the opposite team.
"Yeah..."
"This is a big game being watched by Queen Lalaya and Princess Katora! It'll decide the fate of the planets, this dead or alive final game! Don't miss a second of it!"
"Potomuri-san!" Konoha smiled when she saw the man standing by the princess' side.
Tetsukado was equally glad. "He's okay!"
But the atmosphere quickly depleted when their attention was caught by the enemy captain. Their friend... that betrayed them.
"Why...?!"
"We worked so hard together all this time..."
"Someone must be controlling him."
"That's just what I was thinking."
"Yeah. It doesn't make sense otherwise."
"Whatever the case, we have to accept this situation for what it is now." Shindou's level-headedness was what snapped them out of it. "We need to focus on the game alone."
"Yeah! We'll just have to do it!" Ibuki backed him up.
"Right." Sakura nodded. "We came all this way to protect the galaxy!"
"Yes. We can't afford to lose." Ichikawa added.
Even so, their own captain's expression was cast down. The air remained heavy even after the striker's return, especially with how he seemed to ignore their existence since they all entered the stadium.
Suddenly, there was clapping. The main monitor turned to a stage above the queen's VIP booth, where she appeared with a microphone ready.
At the sight of her, the goalkeeper moved to stand beside their captain. The rest of the members quickly followed suit. Now, the soccer team was lined up like soldiers about to be sent out to war.
"Team members of Faram Orbius. You must protect this country, even if it means trading your own life for that cause. You are now the last stronghold of this country. Through your utmost efforts, bring victory to Faram Orbius! I want to protect this country. And by my hand, I want to make this country even better. But for that to happen, this country must survive this plight and continue to live! Everyone! I am expecting greatness from you! Answer to my expectations! Win and protect this country's future!"
Cheers erupt from all over. If one strained their ears, they could hear it coming from outside the stadium walls as well.
"Thank you for your words!" The goalkeeper stepped forward and called out to her. "We take them to heart!"
He kneeled, and immediately the rest of the team followed suit. Their captain included.
"Tsurugi..."
Almost as if he heard his call, the navy haired boy turned to the brunette with a glare.
"Impressive. She united the feelings of her team and the crowd in an instant." Minaho muttered.
"I feel far, far away from home..." Manabe sighed.
Tetsukado scoffed. "It burns me up instead! Let's do this! Right, captain?"
He jolted out of his thoughts, giving him the best smile he could muster. "R-Right..."
He turned to the other VIP box, where the princess sat. As if she sensed his stare, she turned to their team with a kind smile.
That's right. I swore to Katora that we'll fight with everything we have at risk! To save this galaxy. So... So no matter what happens...!
"T-Tenma!" Shinsuke's call snapped him out of his thoughts.
Out the tunnel came a familiar man wearing a white suit.
"Coach Kuroiwa!"
"Has he come back to us?"
The dark spectacled man only gave them a look before walking towards the other team.
"Huh?"
"Why?"
"You're kidding me..."
When the human captain saw him, he only gave a nod. And like that, the man sat on their bench without a care in the world.
"Does this mean Coach Kuroiwa is being controlled too?" Minaho's theory was what they were all begging for it to be, but―
"No." That was the first word Tsurugi has said to them since their... reunion. "He is not being controlled. Of course, neither am I."
"Tsurugi..."
"Tenma! Earth will lose. Faram Orbius will be the one who will continue to live in this galaxy!"
"Are you serious? Are you really going to fight us...?" Tenma wouldn't accept that glare as an answer. "Tsurugi! Say something!"
"Coming to this planet, I realized that beating Earth is what's best for the galaxy." But the words that came out of his friend's mouth weren't any better.
"No way. Tsurugi..." He shook his head, trying again. "Tsurugi! Aren't we friends?!"
"I chose voluntarily to join Faram Orbius. Stop making me repeat myself."
"Tsurugi!"
He walked off, not paying heeds to his call.
~~~~~
In the final minutes before they were meant to go on the field, their final manager, trainer, and friend returned from wherever she had gone, not looking the slightest bit bothered by all that was happening.
"Kimiko!" He tried to call out to her, but his voice was weaker than he thought.
Still, her head turned and she gave him a smile. "Hey. Sorry, I'm late. I was wandering around. Have you guys tried the drinks in the vending machine yet? Everything in it is so sweet―"
"Kimiko, not to burst your bubble, but... uh..." Kusaka pointed at the enemy bench, where Faram's team were still huddled up. They can clearly see both their ex-ace striker and ex-coach as part of the collective.
"Oh, yeah." To everyone's surprise, her smile remained the same. She just pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. "Kyou looks good in purple, doesn't he?"
"T-That is not the point!"
"I'm just a bit mad that the special rules of the tournament prohibited the use of auras. Like how fitting would it be if he could use his MixiMax while in that thing?"
"For someone who just got betrayed by her best friend, you're awfully calm." Matatagi said, a smirk present on his face.
She only shrugged. "I saw him in the tunnels earlier. We talked, and now, we're here."
"Wha― Even you couldn't convince him, Kimiko?!" Shinsuke's eyes were wide as saucers.
"I have no control over him, just like how he has no control over me." She shrugged again. "Besides, you know full well how he gets once he sets his mind to something. He won't let anyone stop him from achieving his goal, so the only thing you can do is beat him back to his senses."
"I... I guess it wouldn't be the first time we have to fight him, but..."
Tetsukado blinked. "Eh? What do you mean by that?"
"We'll just have to do it." Shindou's eyes were narrow as he glanced at the other captain. "Whatever Tsurugi's reasons are, he's chosen his side. And by the look on his face, he's not going to hold back."
"Leave it to me!" Ibuki caught his own fist with a smirk. "I've practiced with him a ton. I'll block all of his shots!"
With the air heavy yet burning, they headed into the pitch.
~~~~~
"Alright! Faram Orbius' Shitennou are all gathered here! How will Earth Eleven fight against this collective? Don't miss it!"
"They're basically Faram's top players... You probably know this already, but Zachs is their leading defender, while Flail takes command of the midfield. Gasgus, and the two others, are their best strikers."
Kimiko inwardly clicked her tongue as Mannuba's words came back to her mind. Even though he was an ass, I can't deny that the information he gave let me make a training menu to prepare everyone for this match. Her eyes trailed to her best friend, who was about to lead the enemy team. And with Kyou as their captain now, their offensive power has definitely multiplied.
"TENMA! DON'T LOSE!" Shinsuke's sudden yell brought her back to reality.
"YOU CAN DO IT!" Aoi joined in.
The two gave their captain firm nods. The brunette looked up at their opponents one last time before turning back to the team, his hand tight around the captain's mark. "Let's go, everyone!"
"Yeah!"
A whistle resounded.
"Now, kickoff!"
Tenma had just barely passed to Matatagi before the ball was stolen off of him.
"Tsurugi!"
The navy haired boy paid him no mind as he passed to Rodan. The little alien got through the brunette easily too, before passing to Hilary. She got through Sakura with Jack Knife and passed the ball over to Gandales. After dodging Manabe, he passed to his older brother, but finally, Tetsukado was able to take it back and passed it back to Tenma.
"Selen!"
After a single call, one of Faram's other players took it from him. "Tsurugi!"
The ball went back to Earth Eleven's side of the pitch, where he was waiting. Upon catching the ball with his leg, Tenma appeared before him. Still, with how distracted he is, there was barely even a fight. He got through and passed the ball to Hilary and Rodan.
They both jumped to try and make a feint, or so they thought.
Ibuki jumped after them to catch the ball, but Rodan pushed it down with both his legs, sending Ibuki back to the ground. The keeper was just barely able to land on his feet, but he clearly twisted his leg while doing so.
"Ibuki, are you okay?!"
"Nothing's wrong." He was lying through gritted teeth, however... "Stop coming to me for every little thing."
"... Okay."
He still had some fight in him.
Turning to the bench, she found Shinsuke clenching his fists. But they knew that the white haired boy wouldn't accept being switched out this early into the game. So everything proceeded as normal.
"Hey, hey! It's cool! Faram Dite won't give Earth Eleven any openings for attack!"
What's worse is that Tenma keeps getting distracted by Kyou... She started tapping impatiently when she saw him letting another one through. I can't blame him, but everyone is doing their best out there. The team won't advance any further if the captain is shrinking in on himself.
Minaho and Konoha covered for him, kicking the ball out of bounds. The match was put to a time-out as Faram got into position for the throw-in.
"Hey, captain." Sakura suddenly called out. "You once told me that I looked miserable playing soccer. That I wasn't enjoying soccer from the heart. That's how you look to me right now."
"Me?"
Kimiko couldn't help being surprised by that too, though for a different reason. Sakura's being genuinely kind right now... Who would've thought...
"Hey, hey, we can't talk about enjoying ourselves in this situation!" Tetsukado interrupted.
Manabe placed his hands behind his back as he reminded them of the fact that, "This is a match that we can't afford to lose."
"I know that, but..." The pink haired girl turned back towards their captain, who balled his hands into fists.
Without giving a reply, he went to his position, waiting for the throw-in.
"Neol!" Ryugel passed it to one of his teammates near the brunette, perhaps expecting her to lose him easily.
But this time, Tenma moved with much more vigor and determination than ever.
~~~~~
It is a match that we can't afford to lose. But I forgot to have fun. I was so caught up with winning that I...!
Tenma's thoughts were cut short when three of Faram Dite ganged up on him. Hilary passed the ball to their captain, but this time...
I was making soccer into something that made me feel miserable.
He didn't hesitate to catch up to him.
"Tenma! Is that all you've got?" He didn't expect him to suddenly start talking to him. "Did you think that I was your best friend? Do your feelings for soccer vanish just because you were betrayed by your best friend?!"
One small opening was all it took for him to escape. Figures. Tsurugi had always been the faster one. Still―
The other captain didn't even need to see him to know he had caught up. "Not me! Playing soccer is when I am most true to myself. That's why I will fight you!"
Just as he thought he had gotten through,
"I won't let you!"
Shindou managed to kick the ball away, going out of bounds once again.
Tsurugi didn't say another word and went back to his team.
Even so, Tenma couldn't help but notice how much lighter his heart felt upon his realization that, "Tsurugi hasn't changed at all."
"Huh?"
"I finally get it. Tsurugi has some reason for why he needs to fight this match with everything he has." He felt the smile forming on his face. "Shindou-san. Let's enjoy ourselves! Enjoy soccer!" Then, he turned to everyone else, who had gathered by them. "The rest of you too."
"Huh?"
"Our enemy is Tsurugi. For us, he's the strongest opponent there is." the more he thought about it now, the more excited he felt. "Isn't that interesting?"
"The future of the Earth... No, the entire galaxy is on the line." Shindou stated.
Of course, he understood where he's coming from, but... "To be honest, I'm not sure if I even really understand the weight of the match. But Tsurugi's words helped me to remember something important. This battle... This encounter... They only exist at this very moment. That's why we must throw everything we have at each other, and make it the best match ever! That's the soccer we love! Right?"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Alright! Let's keep trekking!"
"Right!"
"This is our last battle." He felt like everything was about to burst. "Guys, let's enjoy it with all our might and play soccer to our fullest!"
"Yeah!"
As he returned to his position to wait for the whistle, his eyes met with the blonde manager's.
She was smiling.