Previously on Corruption...
They stare at it for a few moments.
With the energy and strength and effort that they found within themselves - which is critically, extremely, utterly low - they pick up their forks and start eating the pancakes that are present on their plate, albeit slowly.
Still taking a lot of energy and effort.
'0'
"Breakfast was...interesting."
The 4 coaches are currently making their way towards the soccer field, talking to eachother on the way.
They were first discussing about the players training menu and strategies for the upcoming match tommorow with the SSC.
Pretty normal adult things. Correction, normal adult coaching things.
Then came the topic of the players. To be more specific, their actions from earlier this morning.
The fact the players, well Raimon players - except the first years and girls - just flipped them off and swore at their faces.
A moment of silence passes the four men.
And then,
"Ya think?"
They turn to the source of the voice.
Which was Sakamaki-san
They stare at him blankly.
Blink.
Blink, blink.
Blink, blink, blink.
"I guess." Answers the coach of Teikoku, which was Kidou.
"They aren't normally like that to be honest." The coach of Raimon Jr High comments as he remembers the second and third years swear at his face.
Those kids were nice, caring, determined and always help each other when needed. The senpai's would also help their first years when they thought it was necessary. Like he said nice and caring. Atleast thats what he believed before this morning. Their actions made him question some things and also began to re-think his life choices. Don't get him wrong, he loves Raimon and the team and being their coach. He was proud of his team. Standing up for eachother, when one had fallen they'd always help the other up, always goes forward when the going gets rough. It was admirable, reminds him of his own team when he was captain.
But he never saw the bad side of them, well he sorta did, when he was first coach of the team.
When Fifth Sector still ruled the soccer world.
Good thing that was over with.
But you get the point.
"Yeah, I guess they were still a bit bitter about their training yesterday." The ex- emperor responds as Kidou smirks.
The three being Endou, Gouenji and Sakamaki shares a dry look at the resident sadist coach.
'What a sadist...' They thought - with the exception of Kidou - as they hold a grimace at Kidou's proud look.
They swear that they can see sparkles with this unsettling aura around him.
Endou and Gouenji takes a step away from their friend.
"Is he always like this?" Whispers Sakamaki to the two coaches.
"Yes." They both answer drly at the same time.
The resident worker of El Dorado proceeds to sweatdrop.
A moment of awkward silence falls upon the group.
And then...
Endou clears his throat as the others attention snap to him.
The brunet stares at the coach of the 2nd team right in the eye.
"Uh, Sakamaki-san." He adresses rather nervously.
He raises an eyebrow, silently questioning the other's sudden adress towards him and his nervousness.
"Well, I've been meaning to ask you something."
Sakamaki crosses his arms as the other two coaches gestures him to continue.
The brunet's friends can feel his hesitance and nervousness from here and it was slightly worrying them.
Endou averts his gaze towards the ground.
"W-where is Tenma?"
'0'
"Are you guys gonna be alright?"
On the soccer field, a cluster of teenagers can be seen, some standing, some sitting and some laying on their stomach, face flat on the floor unmoving.
The girls who asked the question are worrying about their teams health. Slightly questioning if they should let the players continue their practice or just beg the coaches to let them rest for the day.
Sadly, they can't.
They have to finish their practice since they have an important match tommorow.
The match that will decide the future of the human and soccer world.
So, they will continue their practice whether they liked it or not.
Not like that can stop the worrying.
They're managers for god's sake!
They are supposed to worry about the condition of their team.
Anyway...
No one responds.
The blue-haired manager's eyes narrows in concern.
Silence...
"...guys?"
Silence...
And then,
"No..." All of the players say in unison.
Another moment of silence.
"...do you think you guys can continue practice?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...no."
The managers' eyes narrows once more.
"Then you guys can go back to bed-"
"...but we have to"
The girls' eyes widen.
"W-what?" Akane asks, stuttering while the other two managers shares a look with wide eyes.
The teens that were sitting and on the floor get up on their feet, wobbling a little but manages to balance themselves.
One of them takes a breath.
"We have to." Someone - which was Kirino - repeats.
"The match is tommorow, so were gonna prepare and practice."
"You guys can't! You can barely stand up straight! You guys need rest. You won't be able to play with your bodies in that condition."
The teen sigh in exhaustion and frustration while the others just shook their head slowly.
"We know." Shindou answers the managers, touched by their concern (actually he was proud very proud), continuing for his friend because he was too tired and couldn't utter another word.
"We'll only practice for a little while, then we all will be of to bed, alright?"
They observe him for a moment.
"..."
"..."
"...fine."
Midori nods, agreeing rather reluctantly.
The captain of the 2nd El Dorado team smiles tiredly.
'0'
'Where is Tenma.'
A moment of uncomfortable silence falls upon the group of adults.
The Teikoku's coach eyes are wide behind his goggles, the ex emperor pales drastically,
While the assistant of Todou just seems to stare at Raimon's coach with an emotionless expression, shocked by his question.
Endou bites his lower lip, nervous about his answer.
His palms are sweaty as he hides them behind his back, both hands trembling slightly.
The tension between the four men is so thick that the human eye seems to see it.
No one moves as if time had stopped, freezing them on the spot they were currently standing on.
The silence was killing him.
Anticipated yet nervous of the grey-haired man's answer.
'Just answer already...'
Endou stares at Sakamaki in the eye rather fearfully, his lips trembling slightly.
And then,
A sigh comes out of the assistant's mouth as he closes his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose with his right hand.
The other three releases a breath to which they didn't know they were holding.
He stares at the brunet with a blank expression meanwhile Endou seems frozen under his hard, expressionless gaze.
"You want to know?"
Sakamaki asks, his tone rather calm and steady but dead serious.
Its quite a stupid question if you asked him but he needs to know whether if the brunet was ready to know or not.
'Of course I do!'
"Y-yes." He says instead.
His respose wasn't very convincing.
He tried to sound confident but with the pressure on his shoulders he seems to have lost it.
With his chest heavy.
Maybe he wasn't ready.
But still, he has to know.
The brunet clears his throat and tries again.
"Yes."
And then, silence.
The grey-haired man observes the brunet closely.
He sounds much more confident and serious than before. His voice eeriely calm and steady. Expressionless but the look in his eye you could see his determination to find out where his player was.
His eyes softens at what he finds.
He sighs.
"Alright."
The coach of El Dorado team 02 explains the situation.
'0'
He opens his eyes slowly, slightly wincing at the light hitting him in the face. He blinks a couple of times trying to focus on whats in front of him.
With his vision clearing, he is greeted with a white plain wall ahead of him.
The man squints, slightly confused at the scenery in front of him.
He looks around, inspecting his surroundings.
The walls are plain white, with a dresser beside him. A window indicating that it was morning, not that the clock on the dresser expains that - he was still to confused to focus on the clock - with builidings found outside and flying cars passing by.
The man stares at his surroundings blankly, a bit confused.
And then he remembers something.
This was the medical wing.
What the hell was he doing in the medical wing?
All he remebers was that he was in the lab, testing the prototypes that they've create to cure the SSC on the kid and then-
Memories start flowing back-
Injection, kid, explosion, gun, pain, excruiciating, unbearable, agonizing pain, blood- crimson red blood-
Then black-
His eyes widen in total shock and panic.
He sits up or at least tries to but immediately falls back on the mattress when he feels agonizing pain on his chest.
He looks down to see his upper body bandaged.
With crimson blood slightly staining it.
The man groans as he puts a hand over his eyes.
He got shot.
On the fucking chest.
Near his freaking heart and lungs.
To which he both needs to breathe and live.
And who shot him?
A motherfucking thirteen year old.
A kid.
Great!
A good story to tell his kids and family.
(Well that thirteen year old is the leader of Feida, you know, the one who declared war at Todou, the leader of El Dorado, so there's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of!)
He can already imagine the look on his wife's face when she hears about this.
("What happened to you?"
The man stares at his wife blankly.
"I got shot in the chest by a thirteen year old." He says bluntly.
His wife's eyes widens
"WHAT?!")
The man smiles at that thought.
He lays there silently for a few moments.
And then-
His eyes widen once more.
Luckily he was much more aware of his injuries that he doesn't bother to sit up again.
Or maybe because he just frozen of shock.
Yeah, definelty shock.
'Oh god.' He thought.
'Oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgod-!'
His breathing gets abnormally fast and shallow. His heart beating fast, too fast to be healthy. The machines beside him are beeping rapidly.
He's hyperventilating.
Oh god oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgod-
Where was the other man- his friend?!
His eyes are searching for something- anything, indicating if his friend was alive or not.
Oh my fucking god, what was he going to tell his family?!
'No- no, just calm down, you don't know anything yet, don't think of anything bad, so calm down.' The man thought as he forces himself to calm down, taking deep deep breaths closing his eyes.
In and out. In and out. In and out.
He manages to calm his breathing to the point he isn't hyperventilating anymore, heartbeats slowing down bit by bit 'till its back to normal.
He opens his eyes and takes a good look around the room again.
He stops when he sees something beside him.
Another bed.
That was occupied with another person.
The man sits up ever so slowly so he doesn't hurt his chest again and leans his back on the wall behind him.
He looks at the stranger occupying the other hospital bed.
Thats no stranger.
Its him, his friend, unconscious.
He turns to look at the machines hooked up to him to.
His heart was beating in a normal rate.
He's alive.
The other seems to sigh heavily in relief of his friend alive and well and breathing.
Not removing his watery eyes on his friend's hospital bed.
He looks as if he was sleeping, but with the heart monitor beside him and bandages around his abdominal area it was a big no.
Heck, the other man was even drooling in his sleep, snoring softly like there's no tomorrow.
He felt like laughing really.
And he did.
Big mistake.
A burning sensation takes over his lungs and starts coughing, blood and mucus staining the white sheet blanket over him.
His friend stirrs.
Opens an eye and repeats his exact same actions from earlier.
But instead of panicing because of getting shot,
He starts panicing because his friend was coughing blood.
The man screams on the top of his lungs could handle.
'0'
Why am I giving these two scientist more screen time even though they experimented on our beloved brunet?
Good question!
I have no idea.
Just thought it would be fun and it might give valuable information to the next step of finding Tenma.
Anyway,
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
It is quite longer than the others.
And let me tell you, it was a challenge.
See y'all in the next chapter~!