Hello darkness my old friend~!

Welcome to the last chapter of Arc 1. I hope you like it and  continue to enjoy the story!

~'0'~

Accidental Reverse Arc 1

  ~'0'~  

In the end, Tenma manages to drag everyone along for ramen. Including Tsurugi.

Honestly, he's kind of the only one who protested because the rest has already resigned to their fate after the Mannouzaka match. Tenma's bribery methods are devious.

And that's the reason the whole Raimon team (well, not in Tenma's eyes, because they're still missing Nishiki, Kariya and Hikaru, but, well, details) is now gathered in Rairaiken, chatting away about the match.

''2-1 was actually better than expected,'' says Amagi, the mood serious yet relaxed. ''I mean, Teikoku was our opponent. I thought they'd get at least two points in.''

Shindou nods, a thoughtful frown on his face. ''Yes, they definitely have the skill to score goals. Two Keshin and that Penguin technique, not to mention, I'm sure they have more hissatsu in store. Still, they only scored once...''

''It's obvious, isn't it?'' asks Tenma quietly as he stares at his ramen, lost in thought. At the silence and the feeling of eyes on him, he lifts his gaze and answers Shindou's gaze that asks him to explain. ''They definitely could have scored more points. The thing is, they didn't start playing offensive for real until somewhere in the middle of the first half. Not to mention, once Tsurugi showed up they were surprised and lost their momentum.''

Shindou nods in agreement. ''That sounds right, but why?'' he muses.

The time traveler sighs, already used to Teikoku's playing style after having played many matches against them in the future. ''Simple. They underestimated us.'' He shrugs at the questioning gazes. ''Look, when we play against another team, especially in this tournament, we need to take our opponent serious. Even more so, we need to be wary of their Seeds. However much I hate to admit it, Fifth Sector trains them well and they're all very skilled. More importantly, they're not scared of foul play.

''Just think about Mannouzaka. They all hurt us, but when I kept standing up there were three players who really kept shooting. Isozaki, Busujima, and another guy whose name I forgot. Anyway, Isozaki was a Seed and both Busujima and the other guy are – or rather, were – training to be Seeds as well.

''My point is, while we have to take all the players of our opponents seriously, we really need to be wary of the Seeds. Looking back on the match against Teikoku, the Seeds were talking badly about us the whole time. In other words, their offense wasn't as skilled as it could've been because one, they looked down on us and didn't take us seriously, and two, their coach only ordered them later to really attack. If they had attacked seriously from the beginning, the point difference would've been different – especially because they have enough stamina to keep up that offensive play for most of the match.

''Furthermore, they were taken off guard when Tsu-chan showed up and betrayed Fifth Sector. Then, we managed to complete Ultimate Thunder and they were too shocked by that so they lost their momentum. Had they recovered immediately, the threat would've been a lot greater. But, since they believe they're kings and amazing and unbeatable and have huge egos in general, they didn't, so they lost their chance to fight back.'' Tenma's greyish blue eyes pin his teammates down, no trace of humor in them. ''Simply said, they were cocky.''

The others stare at him in speechlessness, trying to process what he just said. The brunet simply returns his attention to his ramen, blowing to cool it down before contently continuing with eating.

(Since his teammates still seem to be in shock, he might as well make himself comfortable while he waits for the questions that are sure to come.)

Sangoku is the first to find his voice again. ''That... is impressive,'' he says finally. ''So it would've been a lot harder if Teikoku had gone all out from the start. But they didn't.''

Tenma nods. ''Because they underestimated us,'' he agrees. ''But other teams are probably going to be more careful from now on. Not much, though, because Raimon is still holding back a few cards, but they'll probably don't take us so lightly anymore.''

Tsurugi raises an eyebrow. ''What do you mean with 'a few cards'?'' he asks, curious despite himself. ''Last time I checked, we didn't have any secret aces that could help us.''

The brunet rolls his eyes. ''That's because you,'' he points at the forward with his chopsticks, ''skipped practice ever since joining the team and I don't think anyone really told you what was going on. Unless your stalkerish tendencies took over again and you do know what was going on. Anyway, as far as I know we don't have any secret hissatsu tactics or something like that. Still, Raimon definitely has room for improvement.''

Shindou looks at him curiously. ''What do you mean with that?'' he asks and Tenma is (once again) surprised that the game maker seems to want to listen to his advice.

''Well, to be frank, we suck.'' Seeing as his teammates look ready to protest, the time traveler quickly continues. ''First point. Hissatsu techniques. I have one. Shinsuke has one. Shindou-senpai, Hamano-senpai, Amagi-senpai, Kirino-senpai and Kurumada-senpai have one. San-san has one, and he's our keeper. Tsurugi has two. We have three- two Keshin, one trained and one untrained. Our teamwork is basically dead. We don't know each other's weak and strong fortes, we can't predict where the others will go or what they will do and we basically don't have a mutual playing style. In other words, we should work on hissatsu, Keshin, teamwork, playing style, individual abilities, and maybe most important of all, we should work on not hating each other's guts anymore.''

Well, at least that shut them up. The brunet scans his teammates, his body language and expression not giving any of his thoughts away. The others seem to take his words seriously (and they don't seem to notice his slip up on their Keshin. That could lead to... nasty questions) and are all lost in thought.

''One thing, though,'' says Sangoku quietly. Everyone looks at him yet the keeper keeps his gaze firmly on their time traveler. ''We don't hate each other's guts.''

The brunet blinks. ''We don't?'' he asks, honestly surprised. At the looks the others send him, he shrugs. ''Okay, maybe not, but it's not like we're actually friends. And as far as I'm aware, most of us don't even like each other.''

''That's not true,'' protests Sangoku immediately. ''We-''

Tenma cuts him off. ''You senpai are friends, yes. But that's where the positive feelings end, I believe.''

''Tenma...'' the time traveler locks eyes with Shindou, surprised to find feelings of hurt in his brown orbs. ''I don't know what made you believe that, but you're wrong,'' he says calmly. ''I, for one, consider everyone here my friend – even Tsurugi, though he's more of an acquaintance. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that.''

The others nod. ''Yeah,'' agrees Shinsuke. ''I don't dislike the senpai, and I don't think they dislike me either.''

Tenma directs his gaze to the window. 'Well, that's different. 'Hating' might've been an exaggeration, but from what I've seen so far, the only senpai who like me are Sangoku and Shindou. And I'm not even sure about that last one. Kirino-senpai seems to be neutral to me, just like Hamano-senpai – what's up with him, anyway? We were never this close the first time 'round – anyway, the rest don't really bother with me. Considering they haven't really talked to me outside of soccer related stuff, I think it's fair to believe they don't like me. But, apparently, I'm the only one with common sense around here – which would make me the weird one – so I'm probably in the wrong.'

''Well then, that's nice,'' he says finally, no trace of emotion in his tone. Then he lowers his voice. ''Certainly not the way I treat my friends.''

He's not sure if anyone heard it, but it came out louder than he meant it to so it's possible.

''How did you know about those two Mannouzaka players training to be Seeds?'' asks Tsurugi suddenly.

Tenma glances at him and answers. ''Well, I read their team information on Mannouzaka Jr. High's school website. It was written in there. Only, they weren't called Seeds there but 'Fifth Sector's Reinforcement Students in Training' with the job of making sure no one misbehaves. It listed their three Seeds and the two Seeds-in-training.'' At the shocked looks, he does a double take. ''Wait. Are you actually telling me that you did not even research our opponents before playing them?''

(Technically, he can't complain because he didn't do that the first time 'round either, but he was just a first-year then (well, he still is, but mentally he's a first-year in High School [there's a difference between High School and Jr. High, people]) who only learned about Fifth Sector three weeks before. And it would actually be the senpai's job to find out stuff about their opponents.)

At the hesitant and sheepish looks he receives, he groans. ''Seriously guys? Maybe researching our opponents would be a good idea? It's called common sense, you know!''

Shindou chuckles sheepishly. ''Okay, you do have a point,'' he admits. ''And about how we could improve... I think you're right. More, not to mention stronger, hissatsu would be nice. My Keshin definitely needs work. We're not used to each other's plays yet and team bonding could help with that, I suppose.''

The time traveler nods. ''Why do you think I've been dragging you off to eat ramen with me?'' he asks.

His teammates look at him dryly. ''Because you're hungry?'' remarks Sangoku.

Tenma rolls his eyes. ''Oh yes, San-san, because I am definitely incapable of going to a ramen stall by myself,'' he answers sarcastically. ''Technically speaking, I didn't have to invite any of you along, you know.''

(The team bonding stuff only came after they had more free time the first time 'round, meaning after the Grand Celesta Galaxy. Seriously! They didn't even have a training camp [except that one organized by Fifth Sector, but that one doesn't count.])

''Again, you have a point,'' acknowledges Shindou firmly. ''So, we're going to work harder to increase our individual and teamwork abilities, on and off the field. Everyone okay with that?''

There are no objections.

  ~'0'~  

As expected, the next day coach Endou takes them to Teikoku.

''Why... are we assembling here at Teikoku again the day after?'' asks Shindou uncertainly.

''Maybe they're going to do something to us...'' that's Hayami.

''Like what?'' asks Amagi.

''I don't know...'' answers Hayami. ''But Teikoku has four Seeds on their team.''

''Yes, and Seeds are known for luring other teams out and killing them where no one can see them,'' agrees Tenma seriously. ''Will they drink our blood too, or is that just you, Tsu-chan?''

The forward looks at him emotionlessly. ''I'm not a vampire.''

(Seems like he managed to find his composure again after yesterday. Pessimistic emo.)

The brunet nods seriously. ''Yes, you don't sparkle.''

Everyone stares at him. He ignores them.

Just then they step off the automatic moving path and in front of a pair of double doors. Said doors slide open to reveal Sakuma and Teikoku's keeper, the latter smiling kindly at them.

''Raimon Eleven, we've been waiting for you,'' says Sakuma. ''Come on in.'' He starts to turn around but then stops. ''But what you witness past this point must be kept top secret. You there.''

Akane looks up at him.

''That means no photography.''

The girl frowns sadly. ''Okay...'' she mutters.

They continue on their way and Endou explains about his talk with Kidou the day before, where the latter revealed that he was part of the Resistance. ''I didn't know our match against Teikoku was for that objective...'' muses Shindou.

Suddenly an unfamiliar voice speaks up. ''I'm grateful to you guys.'' Everyone turns around to look at Teikoku's keeper, who watches them with a smile. ''That passion that you had... that's what real soccer is.''

Sakuma smiles at his words and turns around. A yellow hologram appears in front of him and he types something on it. A moment later, another pair of double doors slide open, revealing a glowing elevator.

They all enter the elevator. ''The person you'll be meeting with now is our leader for the Resistance. We're thinking of bringing about a revolution in the current soccer world with this man,'' explains Sakuma once they're on their way.

''Revolution?'' asks Shindou in surprise.

''That's a pretty mind-blowing feat,'' agrees Kurumada with the captain.

''Why are you so taken aback?'' asks Sakuma, his voice kinder than before. ''Your team has already begun to fight for the revolution.''

Suddenly a 'ding' sounds through the glowing elevator. It stops moving and the doors open slowly. As they open, the Raimon Eleven can see a familiar figure. In front of the doors that lead to the headquarters of the Resistance is none other than Kidou. Tenma blinks, a bit surprised because he remembers Kudou being there as well the first time 'round, but then decides it doesn't really matter.

''Kidou. What is this place?'' asks Endou, looking at his friend.

Said friend turns to look at the doors behind him. ''The headquarters for the Resistance is up ahead.''

The doors behind the goggled game maker open, showing the 'leader' of the Resistance, Hibiki Seigou, together with the other important members- Raimon Souichirou, Hirai Shinzou and, surprisingly, Kudou.

'Ah. So that's where he was.'

Hibiki grins as he sees the Raimon Eleven, and Endou and Haruna run forward in surprise. ''Hibiki-san!''

''Chairman Raimon! And Prinicipal Hirai!'' adds Haruna, smiling brightly.

Chairman Raimon speaks up first. ''It's good to see you in good health, Otonashi-kun,'' he says, smiling at the woman. ''I've been waiting for this moment to come.'' Principal Hirai nods in agreement.

''Long time no see, Endou,'' says Hibiki.

Raimon's coach grins. ''Yes, it's been awhile, Hibiki-san,'' he agrees.

Kudou then looks at the Raimon Eleven. ''I'm glad you made it, everyone. I've been watching you play this whole time.''

Suddenly, Tenma's mind comes up with another plan.

(If he'd been the real thirteen-year-old Matsukaze Tenma, he wouldn't even dream of doing something like it. But hey - he's reliving the whole revolution, which is an absolute pain in the ass excuse-the-language, so having a little bit of fun is not doing anyone harm.)

(Hopefully.)

[Alright, it's not doing him any harm. And it's not harming anyone else either, at least not physically! For their mental health... well, that's a whole story in itself...]

Hiding a smirk, he perks up. ''Coach Kudou! It's been so long!'' he surprises about everyone in the room with his sudden outburst. He can already see the horrified and exasperated looks from his teammates.

''Oh no Tenma, you don't!'' exclaims Shindou, racing forward to grab the time traveler by his arm and pull him back.

Said time traveler already anticipated this and easily dodges Shindou's outstretched hand. He pouts sadly, the complete opposite of his mental expression. ''But DQE-senpai!'' the game maker's eye twitches at the nickname, and Tenma's mental smirk widens. ''I just wanted to tell coach Rainbow how much I'd missed him!''

As he dodges another one of Shindou's attempts to catch him, he can see some of his teammates facepalm at his words. ''Coach Rainbow?'' repeats Kudou, and the brunet shoots a look at him. The older man is still mostly emotionless, except for his eyes which show stunned disbelief at the scene in front of him.

The brunet turns to him with a bright, innocent smile on his face. ''Hai! That's my nickname for you, I hope you like- mmphm!'' his sentence is cut off suddenly when Shindou finally gets a hold of him, covering his mouth with one hand and pulling him back towards the Raimon team with the other hand.

Seeing as the captain has it under control, Endou turns to face the stunned leaders of the Resistance, sweatdropping at the sound of struggling from behind him and smiling sheepishly. ''I am so, so sorry about him,'' apologizes the coach furiously. ''He does that-''

''OUCH!'' his apology is cut off by a sudden shout, and Endou turns around in confusion. Apparently Shindou is the one who shouted. The game maker has let go of the brunet – who is looking innocently at him – and is instead holding his hand while staring at the younger boy in disbelief. ''He- you- you bit me!''

''He did?'' asks Kirino curiously, staring at Shindou's hand.

Hamano suddenly breaks out into laughter. ''Oh my god, he did! This is priceless!''

Tenma blinks as he looks at the two senpai and then back at the captain, still with an innocent expression on his face. ''Hai. Is there a problem, DQE-senpai?'' he asks with wide, blueish grey eyes.

The onlookers can swear that flames rise up behind Shindou, a tick mark on his forehead. ''You bit me!'' he exclaims again, obviously pissed off. ''Of course there's a problem!''

The time traveler shrugs. ''Be glad I know you, then! If you'd been a stranger...'' he trails off with big, pure, angel eyes that fool none of his teammates.

Said teammates share a horrified look at the implication. Sangoku decides to speak for all of them. ''What would you have done if it had been a stranger?''

The brunet looks at him- and why are his eyes so big and sparkly and pure and looking so much like puppy eyes –and smiles brightly. ''I would've screamed bloody murder~!'' he sings happily, making about everyone in the room sweatdrop.

''Why?'' deadpans Kurama, sweatdropping even more when those sparkling puppy eyes focus on him.

Tenma blinks, a bit confused. ''Well, if a stranger suddenly grabbed me and covered my mouth, I'd think I was being kidnapped,'' he says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. ''And I'm quite sure I don't want to get kidnapped, so I'd scream. Loudly.''

Cue to even more sweatdrops.

The brunet huffs indignantly at their expressions. ''Hey! It's how everyone would react!'' he defends himself, crossing his arms and turning his head away with another huff. ''It's called-''

''-common sense, we know,'' chorus the other Raimon players.

Tenma blinks at them in surprise, and for a moment all is silent, but then-

''Oh my!'' he exclaims as he grabs his heart, wiping at an imaginary tear. ''They grow up so fast!'' he sniffs a bit. ''I'm so proud of you, guys!''

Everyone stares at him- though that is nothing unusual –and Tsurugi groans in exasperation while Shindou slowly lifts his hand and facepalms.

Tenma does a double take.

Shindou Takuto just facepalmed.

''Did you just... facepalm?'' he asks disbelievingly.

The captain blinks, not expecting this, and then huffs quietly. ''Well, you certainly give me enough reason to.''

The brunet stares at him for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face, before surprising everyone by leaning against the wall and looking at the ground. ''Wow. I've really done it now,'' he mutters to himself. ''I actually managed to make Shindou Takuto facepalm. Wow, just... wow. I'm in shock.''

(Because the first time this happened in the future was in his third year at Raimon, two years after the Grand Celesta Galaxy. The game maker had become so aggravated that he, to everyone's shock, actually facepalmed. Even after that first time, it was a rarity for the brunet to be able to get his favorite ex-captain [to Taiyou's loud protest] so far.)

Tenma can feel the stares of his teammates on him, but he's too caught up in his thoughts to care. 'It's official. I managed to mess this timeline up completely.'

While the time traveler is trying to process the situation, the other Raimon players share surprised looks. ''Wow,'' says Tsurugi eventually, looking at the wavy-haired captain. ''You actually managed to shut him up.''

The game maker looks at the silent brunet in stunned surprise. ''I did,'' he agrees, shock evident in his voice.

For a moment all is silent, which is broken by Hamano's voice. ''...Maybe you should facepalm more often.''

Meanwhile, Endou turns to the leaders of the Resistance again and bows deeply. When he straightens, he has an apologetic expression on his face. ''I am so sorry for this,'' he apologizes genuinely, a sheepish smile crossing his face. ''As you just witnessed, Raimon's team is quite unique.'' He glances at his team, chuckling sheepishly. ''Tenma... somehow gets it in his head to mess with people-''

''Not my fault! The voices tell me what to do!'' protests a voice from where the Raimon team stands. A moment later, there is a commotion at the back of the group, followed by a muffled shout and a hiss off 'don't you dare bite me again!'

Endou's sheepish chuckle slowly trails off and he sweatdrops. ''Ehehehe... I'm really sorry,'' he mumbles again.

''Is he always like that?'' asks chairman Raimon, staring at the soccer team, though the brunet is now being hidden by his teammates who smile apologetically.

''He's gotten worse since I left,'' says Kudou, and the other Resistance members look at him. ''He introduced himself as 'Wasure Teta' when he first came to Raimon, for no apparent reason other than to mock the Seed that was send to destroy the team.''

''That's...'' principal Hirai searches for what to say and settles for the words Endou used earlier. ''...quite unique,'' he finishes finally.

Endou nods, still sheepishly, but then turns serious as he looks at the leader of the Resistance. ''Hibiki-san. Why didn't any of you say something earlier?'' he questions them.

''I apologize for that, Endou,'' says Hibiki. ''We couldn't make careless moves until all traces of Fifth Sector where completely gone from Teikoku,'' he explains.

(Tenma's quite surprised by how fast they managed to turn serious. Mood swings, anyone? [Not that he can really do anything about it since someone is still covering his mouth.])

''One mistake and they would be sure to notice our presence and obliterate us from the soccer world,'' continues the ex-Raimon coach. ''If that were to happen, the revolution of the youth soccer association would be virtually impossible.''

Endou frowns slightly. ''So, about this revolution...''

(Yes, Tenma actually wonders about that too. That little 'Resistance' of theirs actually... doesn't do all that much. If he has to sum up what he knows they did, it would be Kidou's appointment as Teikoku's coach, Endou's appointment as Raimon's coach, searching for information on Kaiou, searching for information on Dragon Link [which came, like, an hour or so too late, since they were already playing against them when the Resistance finally told them about it] and making Hibiki the new Holy Emperor. Which didn't do all that much, either.

(-because seriously, the Holy Emperor before Hibiki was Gouenji himself and he couldn't stop Fifth Sector... okay, that was mostly due to that pink-haired coach of Dragon Link, Senguuji Daigo, but still! Not even ten minutes after he became Emperor, Hibiki dissolved Fifth Sector which was, like, totally illogical because all schools were in disarray from it! What he should have done, in Tenma's opinion at least, was change Fifth Sector and order them to restore balance to the schools- judge the coaches, the (Seed) players, replace them if there was no other choice and otherwise give them a strict lesson about fun soccer –and then slowly retract Fifth Sector's influence when everything seemed to be stable. And when that was done, then they could dissolve Fifth Sector.)

But again, no one really seems to care about logic these days.)

(And everyone told Tenma the only thing he did was being all like 'soccer, soccer' but hey, he seemed to be the only one in this whole group of pretty smart game makers and coaches who thought that they might not have been the smartest with their whole revolution-)

[But hey, who's he to talk when no one wants to listen?]

When Tenma's attention goes back to the conversation between Endou and Hibiki (which doesn't only involve Endou and Hibiki anymore), he realizes he missed quite a lot of it. And that Shindou has finally let him go.

''You must win the final coming up and enter the National tournament at any cost,'' states Kudou grimly. ''Losing is no longer an option.''

'Wow, that's so reassuring.'

Shindou's face hardens in determination. ''We aren't thinking of losing anymore,'' he answers equally.

'Not true! Hayami-senpai is!'

''In fact, this is quite reassuring,'' states Sangoku with a smile. ''Now we know we weren't the only ones raising the signal for rebellion.''

'...well, we certainly were the only ones to actually do something productive.'

Kurumada slams his fist in his palm and Kirino shows a strained smile. ''This is getting big,'' mutters the pink-haired defender, slightly anticipating.

'How so? What exactly changed from two hours ago? We were also doing this rebellion then, and we couldn't lose then either. So... what exactly changed in the twenty minutes that we've been here?''

''Could we be witnessing an important turning point in history?'' questions Midori softly.

Akane, who is standing next to the red-haired girl, smiles. ''We sure are, full-on,'' she says and Midori nods.

'Yes, because soccer is oh so important in human history.' Tenma blinks, suddenly remembering the future. '...oh wait, it actually is. I think. It will be. Since all kind of important stuff was- is going to be -decided through soccer, like the fight between Feida and El Dorado... Fei actually never really stated when the 'soccer era' began... but when coach Endou created Raimon's soccer team sounds quite logical,' he muses silently.

He nods to himself, quite happy with that answer, but still making (another!) mental note to ask Fei about that later on.

'You know... now that I think about it, I wonder why they actually invited us over here,' he continues to muse, this time on another topic. 'I mean, it's not like we really needed to know about this. Coach Endou would've been enough. Actually, this gives us even more pressure, since all those smart grown-ups are depending on a bunch of children to solve their problems... how pathetic, actually. If they really love soccer that much, why didn't they stop Fifth Sector before it grew in power? All of them are pretty influential in the soccer world...' he shakes his head in confusion. ''I don't understand this at all,'' he says to himself.

Apparently, he didn't say it as quietly as he thought he did.

''What don't you understand?'' asks Kidou, and everyone looks at him when they're realizing who Teikoku's coach is talking to.

Tenma blinks. ''Why we're here.'' He gestures to his teammates, who stare at him like he's grown another head (actually, everyone is staring at him like that). ''I mean, we're basically hearing that we cannot lose, otherwise all our hopes and dreams will be crushed.''

(Okay, that's might be a bit exaggerated, but everyone's using drama so why can't he?)

''That puts a lot of pressure on us- and our ages range from thirteen to fifteen, and we're still in school –so that might make our performances worse. Furthermore, the stress could have a bad effect on out mental state, thus making us do worse in our school studies, which will basically have an effect on us for the rest of our lives,'' states the young brunet calmly.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he continues. ''Then I was wondering why this is actually happening. Here we have the so-called 'Resistance', who are depending on mere children to solve their problems. That also leads to my next thought. Everyone knows who you are. You are all very famous and not to mention influential in the soccer world. Why did you let Fifth Sector get so far? It must not have had many followers when it started out and, judging from the organization it is now, it must have grown quite a lot. Why didn't any of you do something about it when it started to become clear that Fifth Sector was a bigger threat than it first seemed?''

The time traveler narrows his eyes at the elderly men and then gestures to Endou, Kidou and Haruna. ''I can understand that coach Endou, Kidou-san and Otonashi-san were busy with finishing school and later college when Fifth Sector started to grow in influence, but that doesn't mean they weren't paying attention to the soccer world. If they really are the 'soccer freaks' everyone claims them to be, they, or at least one of their ex-teammates, should've noticed that something was wrong and warned the others about it. And while they all might've been busy with their personal lives, they must've had at least a little bit of free time that they could spend on saving their favorite sport.''

The adults all seem to be shocked by his (accurate) suspicions, and Raimon's team is getting distressed looks. Still, Tenma isn't done yet.

(He isn't going to be used as a mere tool this time. Not by Fifth Sector and not by the Resistance.)

''Then I am also wondering about how exactly Fifth Sector managed to grow this big. Forgetting about the lack of action from coach's generation and everyone to do with them, it is also really strange. Fifth Sector is not exactly known for their nice methods. What kind of training have the Seeds to go through before becoming soldiers of the Holy Emperor? Not to mention, how come they can beat up anyone who resists Fifth Sector without getting in trouble? Has no one paid attention to that? Because, if I'm correct, that should be another way to attack them. Why only go for the way through soccer? Of course, this would show anyone who supports the Holy Emperor how much fun real soccer is, so it is necessary. But why not attack Fifth Sector in court? That would make them lose face real fast, once their dirty little secrets come out into the open, one by one. This would make people wonder about their fairness and push them to doubt Fifth Sector's methods, thus making it easier for us to get them on our side.''

Tenma pauses, hearing the silence around him, and decides to take one more step. His greyish blue eyes narrow as he stares at the members of the Resistance. ''I absolutely mean no disrespect with my words. Just ask any of my teammates. I absolutely love soccer and would do anything to save it, and I do hold quite some respect for the soccer heroes, if I say so myself,'' he says calmly. ''But I can't help but wonder, if I, a thirteen-year-old boy who is not even the smartest in his class, manages to think up all these questions and weak points, from both the Resistance and Fifth Sector, why can't you? I know for a fact that some of your people are qualified as 'geniuses'. I am in no way a genius, but I did manage to think this up in the short time since I've heard about the Resistance and its goals, while you didn't in all the time you've had. Why is that? Is it because everyone is too stuck up on the fact that they messed up these past ten years? Is it because they are panicking due to Fifth Sector? Maybe afraid?''

His next words are spoken harshly but not accusingly. ''Why is it, gentlemen, that you cannot answer these questions of mine? Believe me when I say that I will fight to bring down Fifth Sector. Just know that I'm not doing this for you.

''I am a part of the new generation. I fight for them, for the children who wish to play soccer freely but can't because their predecessors messed up. I fight for my teammates,'' he throws a look at said teammates and smiles, ''for my friends, for myself, and most importantly, for soccer. I will fight this revolution and show everyone how much fun real soccer is, no matter what.'' Determination burns as bright as stars in his grey orbs, his whole posture screaming confidence and resolve.

With that he finishes his little rant. His eyes widen slightly when he realizes what he just said- it's become such a habit to point out the illogical flaws now that he does so without thinking.

Immediately after, he calms down. 'I have every right to question them.' Still, he hopes he hasn't done too much damage with his short moment of lack of self-control. 'Hopefully this doesn't mean that they won't trust me anymore... or, even worse, that Raimon won't fight anymore.'

Realizing the importance of this moment, he carefully chooses his next actions. He bows deeply and after a few seconds straightens again slowly. ''I apologize if my words were disrespectful. I realize that I probably don't have all the information and that my words might have been wrong,'' he mutters, avoiding any eye contact and stepping to the back of the group, hiding behind his teammates.

'Damn it! Couldn't I really keep my stupid mouth shut? Stupid, stupid, stupid! You idiot!' he refrains from groaning, not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention.

No one reacts to his little rant. Instead, everyone uncomfortably says goodbye, the anticipating mood having completely disappeared. They can almost taste the tension in the air, and Tenma mentally scolds himself again. 'You stupid idiot!'

Kidou and Kudou escort them out. The whole time during their walk back to Raimon's bus, Tenma keeps his head down and hides behind his teammates, not speaking a word. Once they reach the bus, Endou and Haruna shortly say goodbye to the other two adults. Some of the Raimon members also talk with Kudou for a bit, but soon they all make their way inside the bus and settle down.

Tenma falls down in his seat next to Shinsuke. The moment the bus leaves Teikoku's school grounds, he groans and rests his head in his hands. ''I am a complete idiot,'' he states in the silence of the bus.

''Tenma?'' questions Shindou hesitantly.

'And again, I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut.'

The brunet sighs and decides to just get it over with, slowly lifting his head to see everyone looking at him. ''Yes?'' he asks tiredly.

Shindou raises an eyebrow. ''Why are you an idiot?''

The brunet leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. ''I just questioned some of the most influential figures in the modern soccer world. How am I not an idiot?'' he responds dryly. ''Furthermore, I was quite disrespectful while doing so. Again, not very smart. I could've destroyed the revolution before it even started for all we know.'' When he once again realizes how stupid he just was, he groans again. ''So yes, I am very, very stupid.''

His teammates share hesitant looks. ''It sounded logical though...'' Shinsuke trails off.

Tenma opens his eyes, staring at the ceiling of the bus. ''Another reason why I'm stupid. I basically questioned the roots of this whole revolution. The worst part? I did it in your presence.''

''What's so bad about that?'' asks Kurama, narrowing his eyes as the beginnings of anger start to build up. ''Are you saying we're not allowed to hear the truth?''

The time traveler shakes his head. ''That's not the point. The point is that I just made you guys question this revolution as well. You saw what everyone was like – all fired up. And then I just had to open my stupid mouth and destroy that.'' He glances at his teammates. ''Tell me, who is still as fired up for this as twenty minutes ago?''

At the hesitant looks, he chuckles humorlessly. ''Exactly. Which shows once again that I am an idiot.'' He sighs, knowing that he'll have to try and convince everyone that this revolution is, in fact, a good idea.

'How did I manage to do this all the time when I was younger?'

Discarding the thought for now, he just decides to go with it. How bad could it possibly be?

''Guys, you should know that despite everything I just said, I am still fired up for this revolution. I questioned the previous generation and, dare I say it, accused them for letting it come this far. Even so, I am not angry with this generation.'' He looks at all of them one for one, trying to show how sincere and serious he is about this. ''I am going to do everything I can to make this revolution succeed. I'm just not doing it to solve the mess that the previous generation created. I'm doing it for the future of this generation.

''Do you understand what I mean?'' he asks quietly. ''I'm trying to tell the previous generation that they should take responsibility for the faults they've made. This is no longer their time – it's ours, and we're the ones who decide how it goes from now on,'' he states. ''Their time is in the past. Ours is just beginning.''

'That... went surprisingly well,' he realizes, slightly surprised.

(Because Takuto-san had forced him to learn the art of speech making after his first year as Raimon's captain – which absolutely sucked. No more true words from the heart, no, now he had to prepare his speeches... which probably was not that bad, since Raimon High School had a total of four teams (the same system that had been created in Jr. High was used for the High school teams) and he and his friends were all in the first team (no surprise there, though). Tenma was the captain of those four teams (the other three all had their own 'assistant-captain', since this idea worked out pretty well) and while the members of the first team were used to his inspiring, heartfelt speeches, the other teams weren't. Thus, the reason Takuto-san forced him to prepare speeches for when he addressed the club... to his absolute horror.)

Sadly, with the whole 'prepare-speeches' thing, he'd kind of forgotten how to... well, how to 'just wing it'. 'Huh. I really thought I couldn't do that anymore. Guess I was mistaken... ha! Beat that, Takuto-san!'

While these thoughts race through his head, the brunet scans his fellow soccer players. They all seem captivated by his words and in deep thought. The brunet bites his lip. 'I just hope it was enough...'

''You're right.''

Tenma, along with his teammates, look up at the source of the sound. His eyes immediately fall on coach Endou, who has his arms crossed and is sitting with an unreadable expression on his face. ''Coach...?'' asks Kirino quietly. ''What... what do you mean?''

The man looks up grimly. ''Tenma is right,'' he states again. ''We did mess up.''

The time traveler can feel his mouth fall open in shock and one look at his teammates shows that they're also gaping at their coach.

Endou sighs and adjust his headband tiredly. ''We let Fifth Sector get too far. No matter how much we want to deny it, it's the hard truth.'' He smiles ruefully. ''I don't even know why we didn't act earlier. Of course, when they were created, I was in High School, and later, when they started to grow in power, college. I knew what they were doing, yet I... we all turned a blind eye.''

He chuckles softly, but it's easy to notice that's it's not a happy one. ''We didn't believe that people would actually listen to them. We didn't think Fifth Sector would grow this strong, and when we realized the truth, we were too late.'' He breathes in slowly to calm himself, dark eyes keeping the students captive with the mix of emotions that can be seen. ''You have all the right in the world to blame us for letting it get so far. If we like it or not, we were the ones who let it get out of hand.''

The coach looks at the brunet and smiles gently. ''Tenma. What you said in there was right, and so is what you said just now. Our time as the main characters is over. You're the ones to take the stage now.''

(The theatre-related talk convinces Tenma, once again, that this is the wrong club. Or that Kudou, Endou and Shindou are related. Not to mention, their names end with the same three letters (maybe he should worry about himself just a little bit). But wait... Tsurugi's also part of the Drama Family, but his name doesn't end with 'dou'. Shame...)

Endou sighs and directs a smile at all the soccer players. ''My generation has been far too... controlling for the last few years, I'll be the first one to admit that. But that's wrong. This is your time, and since my generation won't give it up so easily...'' his dark eyes are filled with a determined fire. ''This revolution is not only against Fifth Sector. It's against all those who want to control soccer, in whatever way. This revolution is for your generation, and I will help you the best I can,'' he promises them sincerely.

Raimon's members are silent for a long while, but eventually Shindou speaks up in a steady and confident voice. ''Like I said before, we're not thinking of losing anymore.''

Tenma's eyes widen slightly in surprise. 'I... wasn't sure what to expect, actually. Seeing as this didn't happen the first time 'round, it's hard to predict what will happen, but...' his surprised expression is replaced by a smile. 'But it seems I can count on them, no matter what timeline I'm in.'

''Shindou-senpai...''

Said game maker turns around in his seat to face Tenma and smiles encouragingly. ''You're right,'' he says, not minding that everyone can listen in to their conversation. ''We're not doing this for Hibiki-san and the other Resistance members. We're doing this for us and all those who love soccer.''

Sangoku nods, pleased with his kohai's words. ''Shindou's right.''

Shinsuke beams. ''We're not going down without a fight!'' seems like the future keeper is all fired up as well.

Kurama smirks. ''What do you take us for? We're Raimon, and we're starting a revolution!''

(Hm. Perhaps another member of the drama family revealed.)

Watching as his friends become fired up again, Tenma allows a small smile to grace his lips. Almost all the pieces are in position now.

Raimon is becoming the core of the revolution.

They have caught Fifth Sector's attention.

The public is keeping their eye on them.

Everything is ready. And this time 'round, the soccer world won't get away so easily. The time traveler's smile turns into a wicked grin.

He'll show them. He'll make a mess of all their beliefs of 'managed' soccer. There's a reason you should not piss off a time traveler who knows everything about the future.

And he's pissed, alright. He's sick of everything and everyone around him.

He has a chance to do it all over again and he's going to use it.

The soccer world better watch out.

  ~'0'~  

End of Arc 1

  ~'0'~  

And that's the end of Arc 1! Thanks for sticking with me all this time~! So, did anyone notice that the whole confrontation between Tenma and the Resistance was written earlier than the rest of the story? I hope it wasn't too out of place, since I had to write around it...

And now I'll mass-upload the chapters of Arc 2 that are currently on fanfiction.net!

- Yara Meijer