'Sup guys?
I'm back early! Don't expect chapters to come this regularly, by the way, because I still have no updating schedule. I'm just really bored right now.
Coco Baldwin: welcome back, I hope you enjoy this arc!
seshhxkagii99: I'm glad you like my stories so much! I hope you keep enjoying them!
Aquila Aqua: sorry for the wait! It's just kind of hard to write so much regularly, so I'd rather take a few months off in order to write than force myself to do so when I don't actually have time! Anyway, more about Keshin will come in Arc 3, since this arc mostly focuses on Souls.
NoLife-sama: Thank you for the compliment, I try XD I'm glad to be back! Yeah, Tenma's still in trouble and will continue to be in trouble, so look forward to it!
Kuro Oji-sama: I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, I hope that you will also be entertained by future ones.
R: I'm glad you liked it!
Sonia Kumar: no, I don't mind updating. I admit, getting reviews saying 'update' only is kind of annoying, but hey, reviews are reviews! XD Thank you, my imagination keeps surprising me as well~ and nope, I won't spoil about Souls and Keshin! I hope you will enjoy this chapter and future ones as well!
shichi19: I'm very glad you enjoy it so much~
Psalome: sorry, nope, can't read it. Don't speak Spanish, unfortunately! I don't mind if you use a translator, I have to use it anyway to understand your message (which is kind of confusing, to be honest)! So I think you said something about loving the story? Anyway, I'm glad you like it so much! That's a nice app, I'm sure! I'm very honoured that, even though you don't speak English, you left a review, so thank you!
IeGBestfriend: Hello Athena, still going with the drama I see. I swear, you get that from Tieg XD Well, about Zanark's Keshin, I don't really know what that was about so I created the 'chained Keshin' without including that, but if you want to see it that way, that's fine with me! Oh, you have no idea. I've started on Arc 3 and man is it crazy! Wow... who knows, maybe Someoka did meet Kuroiwa XD In my opinion, Sangoku is kind of the mother hen of the group, so I always write him like that! And Tenma is stubborn, he still won't tell anyone the full story... Ath, no, nice idea about someone reading the notebook, but a little too cliché in my opinion, so that won't happen! And besides, Sangoku doesn't know the truth about Tenma being a time traveler, only about his Keshin. I'm not spoiling, you'll just have to wait and see what happens to Aoi and Ishido~ anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
2ndOutOf7: You're welcome, I enjoy writing this too~! I'm very glad you enjoy this so much!
Disclaimer: don't own
Anywya, onto the story!
Accidental Reverse Arc 2
Training and school the next day seem to drag on forever. The brunet can barely keep up a calm façade, impatiently waiting for the moment he can flee from school and start practicing with his Soul.
He already has thought up a plan for training, and the things he has written down in his reverse notebook certainly help. After three years, the future Raimon has also started to experiment with Souls, just like they did with Keshin. In the end, they figured out that there were more forms of Souls as well.
The 'Animal Soul' is the form of energy use where the user takes on the form of an animal. But 'Souls' are more than just the animal of one's core – they are a whole new form of energy. A better description would be the visible manifestation of someone's mental power.
The Energy of one's Heart. Soul energy, when controlled enough, can lift all the boundaries on the user's body and so give them complete control over their full, unrestrained abilities. Reaching this point acquires hours of intense training, but if the user can pull it off, they reach the state that Raimon has dubbed a 'Soul Trance'.
As long as the user is mentally strong enough, they have the ability of controlling the Soul energy and reach their Soul Trance. That doesn't mean everyone can, though.
There are two things that make a strong Soul user. Mental strength and willpower. While all Soul users are mentally strong, the stronger their willpower and resolve, the stronger their Soul abilities.
Luckily for Tenma, he's always been unbeatable when it comes to willpower.
He's taken to Soul energy like a fish to water.
However, for Soul Trance, something else counts. Because it lifts the boundaries and brings the user to their maximum potential, it puts an incredible strain on the body.
Soul Trance is mostly a mental state, in which the user is so focused and in tune with their Soul energy that the usual boundaries on the body's abilities are lifted. The secret behind it is focus and balance – as long as the user can focus enough and is balanced perfectly with the energy, they can surpass their usual limits and reach their full potential, their 100%.
When someone usually reaches their 100% they can't hold it for more than a few seconds, because the amount of focus and harmony quickly slips through their fingers. The Soul energy helps to prevent that – it is almost like some sort of meditation, that allows the user to be completely focused, as if in a trance.
Even though it's mostly a mental effort, physically it's also not easy. To reach one's 100% means to be the fastest and the strongest they can be. To take everything out of their body. Because of this, one has to be physically fit to use a Soul Trance, because otherwise the body will collapse.
There is only so long someone can give their all. If they go on too long, the overexertion will injure their bodies gravely.
It is for that reason that there is a time limit on Soul Trance. Once the user reaches the point of endangering themselves, the Soul energy starts to dissipate. It's possible to hold on to it and push even farther, but only for a little while. If the user reaches the point of seriously injuring themselves, the Soul energy completely disappears, which often leads to the user blacking out.
Soul Trance doesn't only strain one physically, but also mentally. The amount of focus acquired is insane, and it takes time and practice for someone to get used to it. The more they practice, the longer they can hold the Soul Trance. This practice is both physically and mentally – physically so that the body won't collapse under the strain, and mentally to deal with the hyper awareness that comes with Soul Trance.
When soccer practice finally ends, Tenma races to the clubroom and changes in record time. He's just stuffing his shoes in his bag when the others enter the changing room, looking at him in curiosity and amusement.
''What's got you in such a hurry?'' asks Sangoku with a smile.
The brunet grins mischievously. ''I finally have the chance to cause chaos on a national scale! The sooner I leave, the more time I have before dinner!'' at the stunned expressions from his teammates, he cackles. Then he grabs his bag and races out of the clubroom with a shout of ''see you tomorrow!''
He's once again thankful for his dribble skills, for it means he can run at top speed and easily evade anything and anyone that might be in his way without slowing down. He reaches his house within minutes and, with a quick shout to Aki, flees to his room. There he changes out of his school uniform and more comfortable clothing.
Then he sits down on his bed, folding his legs and resting his hands on top of his knees. He lets the tension flow out of his body and closes his eyes.
He slows down his breathing and allows himself to relax completely. It takes a few minutes, but soon the familiar calm settles over his mind and he can feel energy flowing through his veins. The Keshin energy settles down for the first time since it awakened, lulled into a dazed calm by the other energy stream.
The 'other' energy is as familiar to the time traveler as the Keshin energy. He can feel it tingling in his fingertips, begging to be released. But Tenma holds it back, not wanting to overwhelm himself on his first try.
The calm mindset that comes with meditation is comfortable and relaxing, but the brunet knows that he can't stop here. He concentrates, focusing all his attention on one point, and dives deeper into his own mind. His frown deepens as the world behind his eyelids turns completely black.
All his senses are dulled to the point of almost nonexistence. This is the first part of Soul Trance – diving deep enough to reach the source of the slumbering Soul energy inside him. His physical body is trying to pull him back, the pressure making it hard to breathe, but he can't give up now. He has to reach his Soul.
The only way to get there is willpower and control. Willpower to replace the senses he has lost, the only thing that can break through the barrier that separates him from the deepest part inside himself, and control to stay there, to not be overwhelmed by what lays behind and torn from the meditation.
He concentrates, forcing his body to listen to him, and ever so slowly he gets the feeling that he's moving. Despite not having a physical body to feel it with, he can sense that he's diving deeper, getting closer to his goal.
The pressure increases to an almost unbearable level and just when he believes that his body will pull him back, he breaks through the barrier.
Color fills his vision.
He is standing on the shore of a large azure lake, its color so vibrant that it would be impossible to find in the material world. The water is literally glowing, soft light coming from the perfectly still lake.
Tenma walks forward and crouches down at the end of the shore. Having done this many times before, he reaches out. The moment his fingertips touch the water, his world turns blue and energy races down his spine like electricity.
He is roughly pulled back to his physical body and glowing blue eyes snap open. Mentally he begins counting the seconds as he slowly lifts his hands.
They are shaking under the pressure of the energy and he can feel beads of sweat drip down his face, but that's not what he's focused on. His eyes fall on the bright blue glow that surrounds his hands, the confirmation that he has successfully entered Soul Trance.
His eyes drift up to the rest of his room. The setting sun visible through his window would usually bathe it in a golden light, but that's completely drowned out by the bright blue glow that surrounds him. Azure waves of light dance on the walls, giving the room a surreal feeling.
What catches his attention even more, though, are the objects. Pencils, books, papers, even the soccer ball that saved him so many years ago. Random objects are floating in the air, a few inches above whatever surface they first laid on.
(This is something both Shindou and Tsurugi couldn't do. While Tenma has amazing mental control and willpower, it shouldn't be enough to be able to do what he can. His best friends are able to enhance their abilities until their speed is increased so much that they can cross the field in a matter of seconds and their strongest shot can destroy a wall, but moving objects without touching them has never worked for them. None of the other Earth Eleven players could, either.
Fei eventually told them he'd figured it out. It all came down to one, small detail – Second Stage Powers.
When Raimon heard this, they immediately became worried for their captain's health, knowing the risk. The green-haired rabbit reassured them that Tenma's potential as Second Stage Child never awakened, but that that same potential made him stronger. While dormant, the genes were still there – strong enough to be noticed centuries before any others appeared.
Second Stage Powers and Soul energy are very much alike. Both make use of mental power and both are dependent on one's genetic code. But while Second Stage Powers are dangerous, Soul energy is more like the 'safer' version. Both are created from the same roots, but one developed violently, bringing danger to the host, while the other is part of humankind's normal evolution.
The fact that Soul energy is personalized, created from more than just a mutant gene, is probably the reason for the difference. While Second Stage Genes force the body to change in ways that is impossible to keep up for a lifetime, Soul Genes have adapted to the host itself instead of trying to change the body.
Even so, despite the difference between the two, due to the close relation and roots they share, anyone with fully developed Second Stage Children is much more powerful with Soul energy. While there are more people in their timeline with the mutant gene of Second Stage Powers, Tenma is the only they managed to find whose genes were fully
He can pinpoint the exact moment his control starts to slip. In less than a second, his Soul energy completely dissipates, snapping back in its usual hiding space in his body and leaving him empty and drained.
Tenma lets himself fall backwards on his bed, breathing in slowly. The blue glow disappeared faster than he could blink and now the golden light of the setting sun lights up his room. It won't be long before Aki calls him for dinner now.
''Seven seconds, huh…'' he muses. 'Seven seconds on my first try. That's better than expected – when I did this for the first time in the future, I could barely hold it for four seconds. Still, it's not as much as I want it to be for the match. I have two days… so I'll have to make use of the time I have left.'
The energy manipulation has exhausted him, but even so he feels satisfied. Maybe his Keshin is not working with him, but he still has a trump card. With two days left until the match and considering how far he has come today, his worries about the coming game have been settled.
Tenma continues practicing his Soul Trance every single chance he gets. He trains for the rest of the evening, while taking regular breaks to give his body some relief, of course, and mostly for the next day.
Luckily for Tenma, it seems that his experience with Soul Trance has prepared him enough to not be majorly overwhelmed by the effects. The first few tries end up with seven seconds again, but from there on, it slowly starts to increase.
The last day, he keeps on practicing until he's fully satisfied. His time limit is nowhere close to be as long as it used to be, but the progress he's made would've been impossible if this was his first time doing this. In two days, he has improved the same amount as he did in two weeks the first time 'round.
At the end of his training, not only an azure aura surrounds him, but raging blue gusts of wind circle around him. The sight surprises him and he quickly lets go of his Soul Trance. The objects that were picked up and caught in the tornado-like wind drop to the ground.
''External energy?'' he whispers, shocked. He certainly hadn't expected that.
Soul Trance has both internal and external energy. The internal energy is the one that lifts the boundaries on his body, giving him the power to surpass his own limits.
External energy, however, is different. While in Soul Trance, Soul energy gathers up in the body to be used as a catalyst between the boundaries on the user's body and the focus it takes to lift them. The better someone is with their Soul Trance, the faster they can gather this energy and the longer they can hold on to it.
Sometimes, though, so much energy gathers that it can't be used and then it leaves the body. This is then called external energy. The external energy, unlike the internal, doesn't disappear the moment someone leaves Soul Trance, for it has already left the body. Without a source, though, it dies down quickly enough, depending on the amount of energy that is released.
The external energy takes a different shape for everybody. Strong, raging winds for Tenma, blazing fire for Tsurugi and almost wave-like music pulses for Shindou. The users themselves aren't hindered by this, but the same can't be said for the onlookers.
Apparently, his experience with Soul Trance doesn't only give the brunet extra knowledge on how to deal with it, but also an advantage on actually using it.
Satisfied with the answer, he practices a little longer and then goes home to get some rest before the match the next day. Training is important, but if he's exhausted before the match even starts, it won't do much good.
''So… you're up against Kaiou next, huh?''
Tenma nods in answer. ''Hai.''
''Do you think you can win?'' his friend asks curiously, shooting a look at the TV which shows some of the sports news anchors talking about the upcoming match between the two Jr. High teams.
Raimon's time traveler doesn't hesitate in his answer. ''No, I don't think we can win. I know we will,'' he says it calmly, a cocky answer yet no arrogance seen in his eyes or expression. Like he truly believes that to be a fact – which he does.
Taiyou raises his eyebrows in surprise. ''You're surprisingly sure about that. Care to elaborate?'' asks the hospital patient, the curiosity still clear in his voice.
The brunet simply lets his eyes move towards the window, staring absentmindedly at the world beyond the hospital room. ''Hmm… Kaiou's strong. Really strong. But they can't win against Raimon.''
Arakumo's captain doesn't seem satisfied with that answer. ''Why not? Is it because their soccer can't win against yours?''
Grey eyes flash blue as Tenma looks at his friend again. ''Please, I might be confident, but I'm not stupid. I might believe our soccer is better, but that doesn't guarantee that we'll win.'' Taiyou raises a single eyebrow, still not satisfied with his words. The time traveler sighs and looks at the TV as well, watching as a video of Kaiou's amazing ball control is showed. ''Kaiou really is strong, but they have their weaknesses.''
''Weaknesses?'' surprise is evident in the patient's voice. ''They're one of the teams likely to end up in the top ten. What kind of weaknesses could they possibly have?''
Tenma's eyes meet his again, not a trace of doubt in them as he answers. ''Oh, they have a lot. Their skills are amazing. Their teamwork is even better. Outside of soccer, they seem to get along greatly as well. Their team style is very hard to break, and they've got the Keshin to back them up.''
''Continue,'' says Taiyou, still not knowing where this will go.
The brunet tilts his head in thought. ''Well, to be frank… they can't win because they don't believe they can lose.''
''What?'' the orange-haired player furrows his eyebrows in confusion. ''What do you mean?''
Tenma shrugs and his eyes get a distant look in them as he thinks. ''I'm not saying they're cocky – they are, really, but not cocky enough to really underestimate their opponents. They take them seriously. But they still don't think they can lose – they believe there are strong opponents who might give them a hard time, but they believe they'll come out on top regardless. Subconsciously, that's what they think. Some kind of naivety, you could say.''
Arakumo's captain frowns. ''Naivety? Tenma, I really don't get what you mean. I think Raimon is worse with this 'naivety' than Kaiou. How can you speak of naivety when you're still pretty naïve yourself? No offense.''
The brunet stills, his back uncomfortably straight as he looks at Taiyou with unreadable eyes. It freaks the other out, really.
''Oh, you are completely wrong, Taiyou. You see, Raimon has believed all along that they could lose.''
Taiyou raises an eyebrow and the brunet continues talking.
''You don't know how long it took for them to go against Fifth Sector. Or how scared they were, or how much they doubted their ability to win – still doubt it. Raimon has never, ever thought that a win was secured. Not like Kaiou, not like Teikoku, not even like Arakumo.''
Taiyou's eyes narrow at that last comment, but Tenma pays no heed to it. ''Raimon has been beaten down and crawled up from the dust. We have taken every expectation of us and thrown it back where it came from. We have started a revolution, Taiyou,'' he says calmly, yet something in his voice sends shivers down the orange's spine. ''Why do you think we did that? Just because we don't like losing?''
Soul blue fire lights his eyes and the tension in the room is so thick it can almost be cut with a knife. ''Think about it. Why do humans start revolutions? Because they're fed up with the way they're treated. Because they want to stand up for their own rights. How much do you think should happen before we, a team of teenagers, start a real revolution? Because it's a lot, trust me.
''My team has been beaten up for no reason, just because a Seed was send to our school to join the team. He beat one of the teams so badly they all quit – and for what? Orders? No, certainly not. His orders were to join the team. And then, when the current senpai of the team didn't accept his behavior, they were forced to play a match against a team of Fifth Sector for no reason other than being made to quit the team.''
Blue seems to turn darker, a different shade from before. ''For god's sake, Taiyou! This is a school club! And Raimon's second team was beaten up so badly that they quit? It's a club, it's not supposed to be like this – children, teenagers, are not supposed to quit because some kind of crazy organization decides it's okay for them to hurt them so badly that they can't even stand up again!
''And you think Raimon is naïve? You think we don't have a reason for our revolution? You really think what Fifth Sector does is right?! Have you even thought about the training Seeds have to go through?! Because I have seen it, Taiyou! I have seen the medical records of Seeds-in-training and you don't want to know how bad it was!
His eyes are glowing a dark, cold purple now, all signs of the warm blue gone. ''Because I disagree with you. I think that saving mere children from destruction by something they're supposed to love is a legit reason to resist. There were people, kids of the same age as you and me, who were hurt so badly that they could never run again. Kids who were forced to push their bodies past the limits every single day because they were talented in a sport.
''And anyone who might try to stand up to Fifth Sector would be beaten down forcefully. Anyone in the press who had something to say about it disappeared mysteriously. Teams that have disagreed with Fifth Sector have never been heard of again. Players who didn't follow orders were send to rehab and came out a different person. You don't know how much Fifth Sector has covered up, how much pain they have caused.
''You call me naïve, but how can I be when I've seen so many broken people? How can I be when I've helped those same people find their way again, having to pierce every piece of them together myself? When I've seen people at their lowest, darkest point, and still decided to help them simply because it's the humane thing to do? People have called me too kind before. They've called my kindness a weakness. And maybe that's true,'' he spats, his purple eyes glowing even more intense, ''but I won't ever get rid of that weakness if it means changing into the kind of person I despise the most.
''How can I be naïve, Taiyou, when I've seen my friends and family break down around me and I couldn't do anything to help? When I've been forced to carry the burden of more than you can ever understand, without anyone to rely on?''
The purple glow in the brunet's grey orbs dies down, the thick pressure that made it hard to breathe only a moment before disappearing. When Tenma talks again, his voice is soft, but somehow still firm. ''People have called me naïve before. I don't call it naivety. I call it the ability to take every single hit thrown at me and still be able to stand up and look at the bright side.''
Softly glowing eyes, blue this time, focus on the patient's orbs. ''I'm not naïve,'' says Tenma, the softness of his voice replaced by a steely resolve. ''I'm not weak, or stupid, or selfish for wanting to bring real soccer back and end this suffering. I'm none of those things, at least, that's what I believe.''
Taiyou stares at him in shaky awe. He swallows nervously, his friend's words slowly registering in his mind. Meanwhile, Tenma slumps in his seat and averts his eyes. ''Sorry for going off like that, I…''
The orange shakes his head immediately. ''No- no, it's fine,'' he protests weakly, his voice noticeable trembling and Tenma shrinks back further. Seeing this, Taiyou forces his voice to stop shaking. ''It's just- what you said about Fifth Sector, was that- was that true?'' despite his intentions, it ends in a horrified whisper.
The brunet glances up, seeing the horror in his eyes and finally understanding it's not aimed at him. He gives a quick nod, keeping his gaze on Arakumo's captain.
The orange-haired teen swallows thickly and lets himself fall back against his pillows, his eyes directed at his blanket yet not seeing it. ''I- I never realized…''
''What exactly they did?'' finishes the time traveler quietly. The patient shoots him a surprised look and nods. Tenma smiles ruefully. ''Fifth Sector is horrible, Taiyou,'' he says quietly. ''You don't want to know the stuff I've seen. Only the upper layers of the organization are horrible enough to give me nightmares – the training of their Seeds is… indescribable,'' he whispers in an even softer voice. ''And then there are the other things they do. The secret parts. What's even worse are the top secret experiments they do. How do you think knowledge of Keshin came to be?''
Taiyou averts his eyes, shivering slightly but not from the cold. He can feel Tenma's eyes on him but doesn't dare to look up and meet his gaze. ''How… how do you know all of this?'' he asks finally, trying to distract himself from his imagination that started going wild when he heard the other's words.
The time traveler's lips twitch upwards. ''I know a lot of stuff I'm not supposed to,'' he says, somehow able to sound cheeky even in the serious atmosphere. ''Like the fact that all the interesting things I tell you will go immediately to the Holy Emperor.'' He smirks when Taiyou's head whips up, his eyes wide with shock as Arakumo's captain gapes at the brunet.
(Taiyou had eventually confessed, ashamed and very nervous, that he'd told Gouenji all about their meetings in the hospital and informed him of anything important he said. Tenma had been hurt and betrayed at first, not talking to the orange for two days, until his logical mind took over and he had seen the reasoning behind his friend's actions. The fact that Taiyou knew Ishido was Gouenji helped as well (and maybe the constant bugging of his other friends, but just a little bit.))
''T-Tenma, I-''
The brunet cuts him off with a casual wave of his hands. ''Nah, don't try to apologize,'' he says, already knowing what his friend was planning to do. ''I'm sure you have a good reason, so it's fine. Besides, it's not like I told you anything worth mentioning.''
At the widening of Taiyou's eyes, his smirk grows and he stands up. ''What? I just told you I knew about you being a spy. You really think anything of what I told you is relevant? I trust you, Taiyou, but I don't want all my secrets spilled – not that anyone's ever learning of my secrets, if I have anything to say about it. Which I do, since I'm the only one who knows them.''
Tenma grabs his bag and slings it over his shoulder. He shoots Taiyou a smile, kind instead of the smirk he wore only moments before. ''Anyway, I have to go. Practice and stuff. See you later, okay? And please tell Ishido I said hi~''
Taiyou's eyes widen in shock, if it's because of Tenma's casual behavior, the lack of suffix when mentioning the Holy Emperor or because of the request of telling one of the most powerful men in the current soccer world – who also happens to be the one the brunet's rebelling against – 'hi', obviously taunting said Emperor, the time traveler is not sure.
Tenma can barely keep himself from cackling as he leaves the orange's hospital room. Once he's walking through the empty halls of the hospital, a devious grin grows on his face.
'Why should I simply keep to annoying my teammates when I can go for his Holiness the Emperor himself?'
Oh, this will be fun.
The day of the match is the same day Aoyama and Ichino return to the team. There's not much Tenma could've done to change that and he already knew that Shindou would deal with those two.
Now the teams are standing in the stadium, only minutes before the match starts. ''The Holy Road's district prelims will finally be wrapping up!'' calls the commentator, his voice echoing over the field. ''Today, at the full-seated Holy Road Stadium, Kanto's district prelim finals of Kaiou Academy versus Raimon Jr. High, will be presented by yours truly, Kakuma Ayumu! Which team will be the one to win and proceed to Holy Road's Nationals tournament? The victor of A Block, Raimon Jr. High, or the victor of B Block, Kaiou Academy?!''
Tenma shoots a look at Kaiou and then glances at his own team, his eyes flickering to the nervous form of Hayami. The maroon-haired boy is not the only one who seems to be nervous for this match.
''We really can't lose now, can we?'' mutters Kirino, unconsciously balling his fists. His friends nod in agreement, grim looks on their faces.
The time traveler glances at Shindou and Endou, who are both looking at the team seriously. Then the brunet glances at his first-year friends. Shinsuke seems nervous as well and Tsurugi looks as collected as always, though Tenma can make out the slight downwards tilt of his lips.
The brunet sighs at the sight of his tense teammates and, after risking another look at his friends, decides to just do what he does best and go with the flow.
''Ever wonder what a vegetable thinks about?''
Everyone stares at him. Kurumada, who was previously taking a sip from his water bottle, chokes and Shindou gives him a look that basically screams 'seriously?!'
The brunet blinks innocently. ''What?''
Then Hamano snorts in amusement. ''Not particularly, but I'm sure you have,'' he responds jokingly. ''How did you even get that thought?''
Tenma shrugs. ''I was trying to imagine what life would be like if I was a vegetable. Or rather, I was wondering what it would be like if Tsu-chan changed into a vegetable.''
Tsurugi weakly glares at him. ''Again with the vegetable thing? What did I do to give you that thought?'' he asks the brunet and Tenma mentally cheers at the lack of hostility.
(Well, kind of…)
Raimon's time traveler shrugs again and grins brightly. ''Well, it's like this-''
And that's when they're called for the start of the match. They take their positions and only a few minutes later, the whistle blows. Kaiou starts with their kickoff, immediately moving forward.
They pass Raimon's forwards quickly, surprising them with their speed. Then they start a series of passes, connecting it to one of their midfielders, a boy with dreadlocks who's called 'Wanda' by his teammates.
Tsurugi races backwards to Raimon's half, starting a fight for the ball once he reaches Wanda. After a few moments, he manages to steal the ball away and turn around to head for Kaiou's half.
The ball is stolen, however, by a tackle from one of Kaiou's players. The ball moves into the path of one of the forwards, called Yoshimine by his teammates. The forward jumps up, accompanied on both sides by waves of water. He makes a backwards summersault, fish jumping from the waves, and then kicks the ball with both feet. ''Flying Fish!''
The ball shoots towards the goal, Sangoku moving in the position for his own hissatsu technique. ''Burning Catch!'' unsurprisingly though, the ball breaks through and hits the net behind the keeper.
Tenma frowns in thought. 'Hmm… just like I'm used to, their ball control is amazing. It's even better in the future, but that's probably because they're older and more experienced. However, it's still amazing right now.' He doesn't listen to Kaiou's captain's words or Shindou's encouragement, instead focusing on what he knows of Kaiou's team and what he remembers of the match.
'Soul Trance should change the momentum, but the time limit doesn't give me much to work with. I only have 34 seconds to use it, with a resting period of two hours. I can only use it for barely half a minute in this whole match. It's basically a trump card… I can only use it when I absolutely have to.'
Before he can reach a decision, the whistle sounds, announcing that the match is continuing. ''The match between Kaiou Academy versus Raimon Jr. High opens with Kaiou immediately scoring 1-0!'' yells the commentator. ''Raimon is abruptly pulled behind!''
And that's chapter I-Lost-Count!
Next chapter is gonna be fun... for me XD
It may or may not end with a horrible cliffhanger. Sorry not sorry.
Anyway, until next time!
- Yara
PS: I'll repeat it again, just to be sure: don't expect chapters to come this regularly, I still don't have an updating schedule!