Episode 25: Sazanara: Betrayal, Trust and Acceptance
"What do you mean by 'true colours', Alsius?" Tenma gasped.
Alsius smiled, "You know, captain. I know you noticed his strange behaviour."
"Yeah, but…"
"Better think quick, game's resuming."
"That didn't go quite as planned…" Powai pouted, "Well I guess it'll eventually happen… Knowing who that striker really is will definitely cause the team to slowly fall apart."
"Huh?" Hilary frowned, "Why go through all the trouble if we can just crush them?"
The Sazanaran Captain chuckled, "Watching the slow grueling pain is much more satisfying, don't you agree?"
Matatagi snorted as Alsius took her position next to him, "As long as I am here getting the points, no one else here is necessary. Even you Melfen aren't useful as you say."
"Hmm…" Alsius mumbled.
"What? Do you think you know everything about me cause you saw my past? Give me a break!"
Alsius frowned, "You talk a lot?"
Sazanara resumed the game, however the ball was easily taken my Matatagi.
"Tch, again?"
"I'll just help myself to another point." The dark striker sneered. The Sazanarans didn't let him though. Their captain, Powai, unleashed her soul, transforming into a dolphin-like creature and successful stole the ball back from Matatagi.
They tried passing it up, however, Zephyr intercepted it kicking it to his captain.
To Tenma's surprise, it wasn't a Sazanaran who marked him, but Matatagi. The captain tried desperately to keep the ball away.
"Matatagi, what are you doing? We have to work as a team!"
"Team, team. I don't give a crap. I can't rely on you people to save Yuuta or Shun." Matatagi growled as he took the ball and started dribbling it up himself.
Tenma quickly ran up next to his team's striker.
"Ooh, keeping up with me, impressive, captain."
"We can't win without working together," Tenma argued.
Matatagi gave a look of disgust, "I find people like you so annoying. You say 'team' and 'friends' but that's only when the situation is in your own favour."
"No, that's not it!"
"You're no different from everyone else. You'll just betray me. Someone drowning in the illusion of friendship will never understand!" the striker tried to get Tenma off his tail.
"Matatagi!"
Right as Matatagi was about to respond, Alsius came in between them and kicked the ball out of the field.
"Huh?" the two gasped.
"Hey, what are you doing!?" Powai yelled, "It was getting to the good part!"
Ignoring the Sazanaran captain, Alsius glared at the two, "Cut it out! We're in a middle of a game with your planet on the line!"
"Hmf," Matatagi snorted, "I'm playing, captain's keeps getting in my way."
"We need to work together, like we always have." Tenma said.
"Captain, I've had enough of tagging along with you guys. I don't need any of your 'friendship' and 'teamwork' stuff." Without waiting for Tenma's reply, the striker walked off to take his position.
"Is there anything we can do…" Tenma clenched his fist.
Alsius sighed, "I wonder if I sounded that ridiculous… Captain, I have a plan."
"What?" Matatagi sighed angrily.
"Well, I still kinda feel bad about seeing your memory…" Alsius started.
Matatagi twitched irritably, "Now, you're going to apologize? And what are you going to do? Show me your dark memory?"
Alsius grinned as her left arm transformed into a large beast claw, "Yup!" She smiled as she slashed at the striker.
"Wha-?"
"Sweet dreams."
"What?" Matatagi gasped as he watched a memory being played before him. It was like he was transported to another place, but he couldn't physically touch anything around him and his presence was a mere shadow.
He was in a dark cell filled with young kids, all cuffed up and in rags. It seemed they were discussing something.
"Escape?" a long navy haired girl asked.
A boy about her age, 8, nodded, "We've been planning this for a while. Before you came, actually. You know how cruel it is here. We can finally get outside!" he smiled raising his arms up.
"Han… I can meet Han again?" the girl perked up.
"Of course, Haku!" the boy held out a hand to the girl, "Are you up for it?"
"But if we get caught…"
"Don't worry, we won't. And even if we do, I have a plan." The boy grinned. "Trust me."
Finally, Haku took his hand, "Un. I want to get out, Nacht!"
The boy grinned, "Together, as friends, let's all get out!"
The others in the cell cheered softly along with the boy.
"Stupid kids, trying to run…" an armed man grunted as he and some others kicked the kids back into their cell. "I'm a nice guy, and it'd be a shame if we lost so many experiments… so we'll only punish one of you. Who's the one who came up with this ridiculous plan?"
Matatagi snorted as he watched the scene. What are you trying to show, Alsius? That your friend is so loyal that he's going to be a hero and take responsibility? Stupid, that's not going to change anything about me.
However, the entire group's eyes moved to Haku. Even Nacht's.
"Huh?" she whispered.
"She's the one." One of the boys mumbled.
"She persuaded us to." Another said.
"Nacht?" Haku turned to her 'friend' next to her, desperately demanding an answer. "What are you doing… aren't we… "
The boy leaned over and whispered, "Friends? You always need to keep a pawn handy, someone we can throw away in situations like this…"
"What do you…"
"Okay, girl…" the man grunted as he picked her up by the arm, dragging her out of the cell, "Enough excuses…"
"You did your job, Haku." The boy grinned.
Matatagi gasped to see Alsius still standing in front of him. No time had passed since she attacked him.
"Was that your…"
"Yup!"
"Why did you show me?" Matatagi gasped, "Just to prove that you've been betray… wait, then why do you even still trust others? Or are you just acting?"
"I wonder…" Alsius grinned, "The continuation will come later."
The ball was thown in and Alsius quickly intercepted the pass.
The Sazanaran went to steal it back, but before he could, Alsius unleashed her soul.
Konoha immediately recognized it. "That kitty…!"
"So cute, how can that help at all?" Matatagi laughed.
Bumping the ball up with its head Alsius flipped over the Sazanara's defenders easily. She was right up in front of the net. Instead of shooting, she passed the ball up, a centering.
"What's she doing?"
Zephyr leaped up right to where the ball was kicked up. Spinning the ball between his feet, he created a great twister around the ball, forming it in a shape of a dragonic beast, it rocketed down towards the net.
"Cyclone Beast!"
"Aqua Breath!" though unable to stop it completely, the keeper was able to change the ball's course, causing it to fly behind the net.
"What was that? You missed!" Matatagi groaned.
"You think?" Zephyr grinned, "We're just getting started.
"Huh?"
Before the corner kick, Manabe was put in for Konoha. He was to kick it.
"Hmm… so that's what you're doing…" Manabe smiled as he put his hands in a square in front of this eye, calculating what angle he should kick the ball. When he did finally kick it, it went towards the half-line.
Kusaka was right there passing it to Sakura.
"Beautiful Hoop!" conjuring up a hoola hoop, Sakura dribbled past the opposing Sazanaran, "Shindou-san!"
"Fortissimo V3!"
"Aqua Breath!"
"Still no goal? Give the damn ball to me already!" Matatagi yelled, "Only I can score for you guys!"
"They'll never pass to you, a selfish, self-centered person like you…" Hilary, the Shitenou cackled, "I can see what these Sazanaran's were thinking. You are a riot."
"Hey!" Matatagi growled.
"You'll never make teammates…" The alien sneered.
"No!" Alsius yelled, "The team needs you, Matatagi."
"What!?"
"She's right," Tenma nodded as he received the ball, "All people have a good and bad side, that's what makes us individuals. No matter what, Matatagi's still Matatagi."
"Yeah," the team nodded.
Alsius smiled and started to run up, "Shindou-san!"
"Kami no Takuto FI!
…Matatagi!"
"Huh?" the striker gasped as Tenma kicked the ball towards him. "Why, why me?" Matatagi clenched his teeth.
We don't expect us to trust us right away… Tenma's voice seemed to resonate from the ball as the striker received the ball, But we trust you, cause we're teammates… let's win… with everyone!
Matatagi trapped the ball and slowly formed a small smile; a smile from the bottom of his heart. "Yeah… I really hate people like you… captain…"
"Hmf, enough drama! We won't let you play around any longer!" Sazanara's capatain unleashed her soul once more. As if the entire field was an ocean, the dolphin swam in the air heading towards Matatagi.
Matatagi jumped to face the beast, a blue light enveloped the striker, transforming him to the Hayabusa.
The two souls clashed.
"Are you going to fall for the illusion of friendship again? Stupid child." Powai growled.
"I am…" Matatagi sneered, "I don't know what the hell I am doing." But somewhere... I longed for this... someone I can truely trust.
Matatagi flew past Powai, winning the battle and only the keeper stood in his way of the goal. It was then he realized how tired the opposing team's keeper looked. All the previous shoots the team had attempted, slowly took his strength making it easier for Matatagi to fulfil his job as a forward.
"Hmf…" he smiled as he threw the ball into the net ending the game with a 2-1 win for Earth Eleven.
"Hey, Alsius!" Matatagi called as the team was preparing to leave for the next planet.
"What? Ah, you want to know continuation?"
"No… that's not it…" the striker sighed, "I think… I kind of understand what you were saying anyways…"
Alsius grinned, "Great, I wasn't going to tell you anyways."
"Haah?"
"It's impossible to be friends with everyone, but it's also just as impossible to be enemies with everyone. There are those you can lean on; and those you can't." Alsius started to walk away, "Good luck, Matatagi Hayato. Don't be blind to the existence of your true friends."
Liberta observed each of the faces of the aliens before him. Half-human, half-bird creatures in uniforms stood nervously in front of the tanned boy. He was sent to this planet to help them win against Earth Eleven in their next match as a Shintenou. However this boy had other plans…
"Is that true? Is something that ideal possible?" the captain of the team gasped.
Nodding in response, Liberta added, "Are you willing to work with me?"
"W-we want to… but our people are horrible at this sport, soccer, we won't be any challenge at all…"
"It's alright… I'll teach you." Liberta grinned, "A soccer only your people will be capable of; a way to utilize the third dimension of this field."
The birds exchanged questioning glances, mumbling to one another.
Liberta looked up at the sky, "I'm waiting for you guys, Earth Eleven."
Episode 26 preview (it's going to exceed the number of episodes in actual series :0)
A new team was suddenly added to the tournament, Kudaan, the planet inhabited with Human-Bird hybrids. The Earth Eleven start making their way to the planet when suddenly half the team fall ill. And the only way to cure them is to defeat the virus hidden within the Black Room program!? Episode 26: Space Virus