Episode 26: Space Virus

"Our next opponents have been decided." Mizukawa said scrolling down a list on her ipad, "Planet Kudaan."

"Hm? Really?" Han frowned.

The manager nodded, "There has been a slight change in the tournament."

"What kind of people are they?" Tenma asked.

"Nothing is known about them. They weren't even participating in the tournament originally, so their abilities in soccer are a mystery."

"Interesting…" Minaho smiled along with Manabe.

"The meeting is over," Kuroiwa Coach wrapped up, "Start your practice."

Shindou frowned as he looked around, not everyone had arrived inside the virtual world of the Black Room for practice yet. "Hey Tenma, we're missing some people."

"Huh?" After checking who was here, the captain realized 4 players were missing; Zephyr, Narukami, Konoha and Tsurugi. "That's strange, I'll go look for them."

"Um… Captain…!" Komori blurted out, "I-I-I will help look….um too!"

"Okay." The two exited the program.

"The rest of us will start practice then." Shindou instructed.

"Ah, sorry Shindou-san." Matatagi gasped, "I left something in my room, so I'll go get it quickly." Without waiting for his response, the striker too, left the Black Room.

After a long, heavy sigh, Shindou separated the rest of the team to offense and defense. Before they begun, the entire room went completely dark, but immediately returned to normal.

"What was that?"

"Zephyr! What are you doing here? We have practice, remember?" Komori scolded at the boy who was casually sitting alone in the cafeteria.

"I don't like the Black Room…" Zephyr sighed.

"Why? You were perfectly fin the last time."

Zephyr turned away, "I can see… when I'm in there…"

"Really?" Komori gasped, "But i-isn't that a good thing?"

"Even if I can see in there, I know I can't here; in the real world." Zephyr shook his head, "It just makes it harder for me to accept the reality, the fact I will never see again."

"I see…" Komori mumbled.

Zephyr smiled, "And I like to keep the last scene I saw the way it is."

Komori frowned not understanding, but continued, "Even if you don't want to go in, I think you should still at least tell Captain…"

"I guess you're right."

Komori took the boy's large mitted hands causing him to blush, "Let's go then, to tell Captain!"

Zephyr looked like he was trying to respond, but it only came out as a mumble.

"Tsurugi! What's the matter? It's not like you to forget about practice." Tenma said.

"…sorry," Tsurugi mumbled.

"And Narukami, you too! We have practice now."

It seemd the two were talking before Tenma arrived, however the captain was oblivious to the uneasiness between them.

"Sure… captain…" the one-eyed boy muttered before making his way to the Black Room.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"No…" the ace striker answered before heading out himself.

"Huh? It won't open." Matatagi frowned as he tried to re-enter the Black Room after retrieving his forgotten item.

"I'm s-so sorry… for b-b-being late…!" Konoha ran up to the entrance and then noticed Matatagi, "a-re? W-what ha-"

"We're locked out…"

"Eh!?" Konoha gasped, "B-but isn't there people i-inside?"

Matatagi let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah… but…"

"Hm…? What's the matter?"

Soon the other members returned to get started back to practice, but the reason to the locked Black Room remained unsolved. No one was able to go in or get out.

"They're not coming back are they…" Han said as he took a fulp of the water he had. The first practice session ended, so the room had returned back to normal.

"Maybe we should go out of here for a bit?" Sakura suggested.

"That's strange…" Manabe frowned as he clicked some buttons of the Black Room control panel, "The program seems to be not working…"

"Broken?" Alsius asked.

"Well then, I guess we have to go out." Tetsukado sighed and made his way to the door, "Huh? It doesn't open…"

"No way… does that mean we're stuck!?" Sakura gasped.

But as she said those words, the door was suddenly kicked down from the outside. The little girl, Komori was responsible for it.

"Yaho!" she smiled cheerfully.

"So we can't use the Black Room for now?" Tenma repeated.

"Precisely," Manabe nodded, "Until either the machine is fixed, or we arrived the next planet, soccer would be very difficult."

"But its not impossible." Tenma smiled.

The other members exchanged confused glances while Shindou nodded in agreement with the captain.

"I heard that the previous Inazuma Japan practiced within their own rooms before their first match." Shindou explained, "It is possible for us to do the same."

"That kinda sounds fun," Sakura smiled.

"Its worth trying," Minaho nodded.

Kusaka rubbed his head, "Well, there isn't really any other better options…"

The players started to head over to their rooms and begin their individual practice menus.

Narukami, however, instead went to the broken Black Room to examine what the problem was. After tapping the panel for a while he seemed to find something, "Shit… this is bad."

He quickly ran out of the room, to tell his teammates of his discovery.

Shindou wrapped his arms around himself, suddenlu felling cold, he tried to warm himself up. However when he thought he warmed up, he felt the need to cool down.

His legs started to wobble and he slumped against the wall to support himself.

"Ugh…" Han walked by winging his arm as if something was irritating him, "My shoulders feel so heavy… huh? Shindou?"

The boy ran up to the ill midfielder, and quickly led him to his room.

"H-Han…?" Shindou managed to mumble.

"Sh… rest…" Han said, "You're burning up! Did you sit in the middle of a blizzard all day or something?" he joked.

"You're… not funny…" Shindou wheezed, "You don't look completely well either…"

Han grinned, "Haha, was it obvious? Mu entire body's suddenly feeling stiff… like I rapidly aged… haha!"

"How can you sound so happy even in your condition." The midfielder grunted.

"I've gotten good at tolerating this kind of pain…" Han sighed, "But I think I'll go get some rest too…" and walked out of Shindou's room.

Tenma placed a second stone inside his drawer. Pixie flew around excitedly. Tenma pet the creature with his finger and it let out a happy chirp.

"Ding dong!" the door chime of Tenma's room rang and he immediately went to answer it. It was Narukami.

"What's the matter?"

"Black Room… I figured out what was… wrong with it…" he wheezed.

"Really? Can you fix it?"

Narukami swallowed nervously, "Well, the problem's bigger than that…"

Tenma didn't like the sound of that.

Alsius sighed as she sipped the not cocoa to warm herself up. Sakura sat next to her, blowing her runny nose.

Manabe came into the cafeteria, wrapped in a large blanket. "Huh?" he groaned, "Are you two sick as well?"

"You, too? Isn't that kinda weird?" Sakura sniveled.

"Minaho-kun is sick too…" Manabe sighed, "This is a very strange occurance… this many people suddenly falling ill…"

"Everyone, are you all okay!?" Tenma ran into the room and yelled.

"At least someone's healthy, captain…" Manabe sniffed getting himself a warm beverage.

"Haku!? You're sick!?" Narukami gasped walking up from behind the captain, "We have to get everyone who didn't practice in the Black Room today."

"So you're saying that we need to enter the infected Black Room to get rid of everyone else's sickness?" Komori repeated.

Narukami nodded, "It's going to be a soccer battle and since Han and Ibuki are both down, I'll take keeper.

Tenma looked at the remaining members, "Zephyr, Konoha, Matatagi, are you three comfortable with entering?"

"Ah, Captain, Zephyr can't…" Komori started.

But Zephyr interrupted, "Got it, captain."

The players found themselves on a stadium atop a tall tower. Water ran down the sides of building like a waterfall. Nets appeared on either side of the field and along with it, 5 opposing avatars appeared; Shindou, Alsius, Minaho, Manabe and Ibuki.

"Wha-… I thought they're s-sick…" Konoha whimpered.

Zephyr had his eyes closed, "The Black Room is able to save a player's data and create avatars with their abilities completely copied.

"So its like we're actually playing against them!?" Tenma gasped.

"Well, we have to beat them to get rid of the virus," Narukami took his position in front of the net, "Let's get started."

Matatagi went forward, dribbling the ball, however, Shindou stole it from the striker with ease. He then quickly passed it to Alsius.

"Uh oh…" Konoha mumbled.

Alsius transformed into her soul, the nekomata and brought the past Tenma.

"Konoha!"

"Yeah," the small girl also unleashed her soul, Fox. Running at a high speed around the white cat, stopping her movements, Konoha tackled Alsius stealing the ball form the Melfen.

"Captain!"

"God Wind!"

Shindou went in the path of the shoot, using his hissatsu, Einzatz. The ball wasn't stopped and contineed towards the net.

Ibuki jumped up into the air and slammed his hand onto the ground. His hissatsu, Wild Dunk easily stopped the ball.

Zephyr jumped up and intercepted the pass, "Matatagi!"

"Hmf, Leave it to me!" the striker sneered as he unleashed his soul. He caught the ball in his mighty talons. "This is too easy!"

Matatagi spoke to soon, MInaho leaped up, transforming into an owl. Zooming past Matatagi, he stole the ball form the Hayabusa.

"What!?" without giving up, Matatagi swooped down at the owl, trying to get the ball back. After a harsh battle, the ball was flung out, being in neither bird's possession.

It was Narukami who the ball.

Without a second to waste, the boy unleashed his soul, Anubis, and shot the ball.

"GOAL!"

"Yes!" Tenma cheered. The 5 were transported back to the regular room.

Narukami quickly checked the panel, "The virus is gone…" he sighed with relief.

Tenma fell to his knees, "Phew, will everyone be healthy now?"

"Eventually, just a normal cold, so if they rest it should heal."

"That's a relief." Konoha smiled.

A young black-haired boy with blue streaks observed the scenery around him. Floating islands inhabited with Bird-Human hybrid aliens were everywhere. He was in Kudaan.

"Finally…" he smiled, "I can see Al-nee again!"

Episode 27 preview

The next opponents are the sky people of Kudaan. Of course, this team also had a Shitenou sent, but this time someone they all know well. How will Earth Eleven fight against the enemies in the air? Episode 27: Kudaan: Planet of the Skies.