Hello my fellow humans. Here is chapter 4 of Accidental Reverse~ Please enjoy!

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Accidental Reverse Arc 1

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Saturday morning comes too fast for Tenma's liking.

He groans and looks at his alarm clock, which reads 5:12. 'Great. For some reason I woke up three hours early.'

Knowing training will only start in four hours, he tries to get some more sleep, but it doesn't work. After ten minutes he gives up and instead stares at the ceiling of his room.

'Has it really only been five days? It seems much longer.' The brunet's thoughts stray in the direction of his friends in the future. 'How are they doing? Have the first-years caused trouble yet, or are the senpai keeping them in line?'

He turns to face the wall, curling up in a ball as he thinks about his friends. ''I miss them,'' he whispers softly. 'It's so hard, being here... they don't know me. They don't even like me, yet they look so much like my teammates...'

Tenma shakes his head and turns on his other side, trying to think of something else. Eventually his thoughts return to the events from yesterday.

He went to Shindou's house (and no he did not stalk the captain. He still remembered where Shindou's house was from the many times he's been there in the future, when he was invited over by Takuto-san himself) and convinced said game maker to train with him and Shinsuke at the riverbank.

From there on, he finally managed to master Soyokaze Step and, with a little help of coach Endou, stopped Shindou from quitting the soccer club.

'Okay, so... two things are done. One: Endou Mamoru became Raimon's coach, and two: Shindou Takuto has been stopped from quitting the club. All in all, not bad... but what now?'

Tenma rolls on his back and stares at the ceiling again. ''Shindou isn't going to quit,'' he whispers softly to himself. ''But that does not mean he has warmed up to me. I'm not sure when he actually starts to see me as a friend... but I do know that things with the other players, especially Kurama-senpai, will get worse now.''

He groans. 'Oh gosh, this is too much. The only one who is really on my side is Shinsuke, and maybe coach Endou. Of course I shouldn't forget Aoi, Akane-senpai and Mirdori-senpai, but... between the other players, they're probably the worst. Shinsuke's in basically the same situation as me, being a new first-year, and the managers are not players, so the senpai will feel a certain distance to them. Lastly coach Endou... Shindou would probably go along with him now, but further than that he doesn't have much influence yet either...'

With a sigh, realizing he probably won't get any more sleep anyway, the brunet sits up and looks out of the window at the dark sky. 'I don't want them to get hurt. I'll protect them, if it's the last thing I do,' he tells himself. 'I promise.'

But even to his endless determination comes an end and his resolve falters. 'That's what I want to do.' His thoughts return to the impossibility of his task.

'I can't do this...'

''But I don't have a choice,'' he whispers sadly. ''I have to do this, I have to protect everyone, but...''

He lets himself fall back on his bed, finally allowing some of his weakness to seep through.

''I just want to go home.''

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Luckily, he manages to get a few hours more of sleep. Later that morning, he's getting dressed and almost ready to head out to Raimon. The sun is shining outside and the TV is on.

''The opening ceremony for the JHS soccer tournament, Holy Road, in Kanto, will take place in one week, as preparations for it are moving along.'' Tenma pulls his shirt over his head, listening quietly to the TV. ''In Kanto's A Block, Raimon Jr. High, who won second place in last year's Nationals, will be up against Mannouzaka Jr. High, Tengawara Jr. High, and Aoba Academy, all aiming for the Nationals championship.'' The brunet looks at the TV as he zips up his jacket. ''Which two of these teams will take the lead in this tournament and proceed to the Nationals?''

Grey eyes narrow. ''Which one indeed?''

Soon after Tenma makes his way to school. He's early for morning practice but he doesn't mind, since he's used to it. He started the habit of getting to practice early when he started at Raimon- most of the time anyway –because he could never wait to play soccer- except for those far in between times he accidentally overslept, which... weren't as far in between as he likes to think –but that changed after his second year as Raimon's captain.

After the third-years graduated, things changed. A lot. As Fifth Sector was gone and Raimon's reputation started to grow a bit-

(Well, not exactly 'a bit'. Tenma is proud to say that his team was the strongest Jr. High team in Japan for all three years that he was captain. After seeing again how much they struggled in the beginning, it only intensified- they'd come so far from when they started out!)

-so did the soccer club. Due to an excess of club registrations, the second team was reintroduced because there was no way that all those people could join the first team! Still, it was different from before. Tenma had started to take his captain duty really serious after returning from the Grand Celesta Galaxy, and had put hours of work into finding out all he could about the club.

He'd discussed plans, ideas and speculations with Shindou, coach Endou, Sangoku and some of the other second and third-years. They'd given advice about the way the club was run before, and Endou had a lot to say about his own time in high school.

They'd known a lot of people would join the soccer club next year, because... well, they were the best of the best, champions of Japan and with four players who joined Japan's National team and won, two of which didn't have any real experience before joining Raimon.

Tenma had been dead-set on making sure the next year would go smoothly. Everyone deserved the chance to play soccer, but they couldn't just very well let everyone join on their own devices! Coach Endou had (reluctantly) agreed with his ideals and the captain had decided to think of a whole new system to deal with all the new players.

And eventually, after putting hour after hour into it for weeks on end, he finally figured it out. Raimon's soccer club would reintroduce the old team-system, depending on how many new players there would be. Said players could join the club if they liked soccer (Tenma had agreed with Endou's ideals that they should like the sport- no reason being there against their will!) and there was a big tournament on the first Friday of the schoolyear to test their skills and sort them into the team they belonged. That way, new students had a week to join the club before the tournament.

Of course, anyone who joined the club later could do so easily. They would be personally questioned about their own opinion on their talents, and then tested by more experienced players to see if they were right.

This is where the big change came in. Tenma had not been happy with the old system, which existed out of letting the second team train under orders of their captain and sometimes the coach, and let them notify the coach when they thought they were ready to move onto the next team, for which they would be tested.

He had seen a lot of problems with this. Since the coach was very busy with the first team, who played in matches the most, the second team had been left on their own to train. First mistake. This way, they didn't get the help of the coach who could give them advice and point out what they should work on. Then there was the fact that, due to the lack of a coach, they were completely dependent on each other and could be training completely useless things for all they knew – that way, they'd never improve. Second mistake. Without a coach, they didn't know the flaws that only a professional player could see and would never get better. Then lastly, by letting them depend on each other- which could be great or drastic for the teamwork, depending on the players –and letting them decide for themselves when they thought to be ready for the first team, there were no clear standards for said team, except for the believe that they were like gods (which they weren't, as Tenma pointed out to his senpai after they explained the system (they had chuckled sheepishly and agreed that their system had quite a few flaws)). Third mistake. They wouldn't be able to estimate when they were really ready to play on a higher level.

So, he'd come up with a new system to deal with the teams. Every month, a tournament would be held. During this tournament, there would be matches and other team activities, but also individual ones. The tournaments were a lot of fun and were organized by the soccer club themselves, so didn't cost any money for the school, since they basically used everything they already had and just used them in a different, creative way.

These tournaments improved Raimon's team spirit – between senpai and kohai, between player and player, between team and team. It was the perfect way to let the players from all teams get to know each other. This way, the 'god' believes about the first team were stopped before they even started, players from the second team wouldn't mind asking for help from those of the first team, and the most important: players of the second team got to know the first team. They learned about their talents and flaws, they learned that the first team was human and that it was possible to reach their level if they really wanted to.

Furthermore, these tournaments served to test the skills of every player, second and first team. If a player was ready to move onto the higher team, or if a player had some hidden potential, the more experienced players could point it out to the coach, who didn't have to do everything on his own anymore.

Another change was the 'assistant-coaches'. Since coach Endou was busy with keeping the first team in check, there was less time for the second team. Tenma had a nice and long talk with the chairman about this problem, and since said chairman wanted to make up for everything that happened with Fifth Sector (because Raimon had become so influential, they could get him removed from his position within the course of a few days) he generously agreed to the captain's plans.

The second team had a personal coach, chosen by the real coach, who was just for them and could easily help them (Tachimukai had been pleasantly surprised to be asked as assistant-coach and had immediately accepted). Furthermore, Tenma became the 'real' captain of the club, who dealt with the personal issues of the players. The second team got an 'assistant-captain', who had basically the same tasks as a normal captain- representative of the team, keeping the peace –but also answered to Tenma. During the tournaments, there would be a short meeting between the captain and the assistant-captain(s), in which the assistant-captain(s) could inform the captain about anything that might be relevant. The captain could then give advice or discuss the topic with the coaches, leading to faster, smarter and easier ways to solve any problem that might arise.

It was a constant circle which kept itself in balance. To say it took long to come up with this is an understatement. To say that the senpai and the coach were impressed with Tenma's new ideas is an even bigger understatement.

All in all, when the new schoolyear came around, the soccer club was the most successful club of all (to the anger of the tennis club).

''This is going well.'' Tenma is sitting on one of the stairs that lead to the outside field, looking out over the second 'tournament', and looks over his shoulder when he hears a voice suddenly talk to him. ''If it'd been anyone else who came up with the idea, I would've called them crazy. With you, however, I was sure it'd 'work out somehow'.''

Tsurugi smiles at his friend as he sits down next to him, looking at the mix of second and first players. Said friend answers the smile with one of his own, not like his usual bright ones but a relaxed one instead. ''Yep, it's going pretty well,'' he agrees. ''Anything interesting happened yet?''

The navy-haired forward chuckles. ''Other than Shinsuke being overrun by first-years who want to ask 'Nishizono-senpai' about the world tournament? Nope, not really.''

The brunet laughs. ''I wonder why they always ask him. I mean, we were there too, and so was Shi- I mean, Takuto-san,'' he says, correcting himself when he almost calls his favorite ex-captain 'Shindou-san' as always.

Tsurugi's chuckles die down, but he can't keep the calm smile from his face. Not that Tenma minds it – it's a beautiful day, everyone's happy, and there's just that mood that makes you want to laugh. And, of course, the fact that his best friend doesn't smile all that often, though it's getting better. ''Well, it's probably because Takuto-san is a bit... regal, I suppose,'' states Raimon's forward eventually.

The brunet blinks. ''Regal?'' he repeats questioningly.

His friend nods. ''Yeah. Takuto-san is nice, and he's really popular with the first-years, but he's just got this aura... he's confident, calm and always in control. I guess the first-years are just a bit awed by him,'' he explains.

''Hm.'' The captain smiles when he sees Hikaru, surrounded by a bunch of new players, who seems to be in the middle of telling a story. He's doing it quite good as well, since they're all watching with wide eyes.

The purple-haired boy must've felt eyes on him, for he looks up and their eyes meet. The slightly younger boy blinks in surprise but then a bright smile spreads over his face and he waves cheerfully. Tenma laughs softly as he waves back, amused by the awed expressions from the first-years who are now looking at him as well. Hikaru says something to them, and, after a bit of hesitation, the first-years wave timidly. The brunet chuckles again and responds with a bright grin and thumbs-up.

''I guess I can understand what you mean,'' he says as Hikaru continues with his story. ''He's nice and kind and all... but I suppose they'd feel a bit nervous about disappointing him, right?'' he glances at Tsurugi, who nods, still with a content smile on his face.

''Exactly,'' agrees the navy-haired boy. ''Then you have me. As you probably know, I'm not very social.'' Tenma smiles when he hears his best friend admit that so easily, something he wouldn't have done only half a year ago. ''I guess I look kind of intimidating sometimes, and while they know I wouldn't hurt them, they're not comfortable enough with me to ask for stories.''

Tenma can't keep himself from teasing the forward. ''Really? But you're such a good story-teller~ maybe I should create an event for the next tournament? 'Tsurugi Kyousuke's supernova stories'?''

The other rolls his eyes. ''We're still all wondering where you got that attitude from,'' he mutters, referring to their other friends. ''You used to be so innocent.''

The brunet laughs cheerfully, his voice echoing over the field. ''Oh Kyou, I was never innocent,'' he chuckles.

Tsurugi rolls his eyes. ''Of course not,'' he mutters disbelievingly. ''Anyway, the first-years. They don't easily talk to me or Takuto-san, and while you're obviously the most open of us three... you're still 'Captain Matsukaze'.'' He puts up a high-pitched, awed voice at the title and Tenma tries to slap him, but the forward easily dodges. ''He's so amazing and busy and we mustn't disturb Captain!'' he continues, still using the high-pitched voice.

The brunet rolls his eyes and shakes his head good-naturally. ''Hai, hai,'' he smiles. ''And I was so looking forward to being called Matsukaze-senpai! But no, even students who aren't from the soccer club call me Captain,'' he complains, still with an amused smile decorating his face.

The navy-haired player sighs and smiles at his best friend's behavior. ''You're famous. Deal with it.''

Tenma grabs the shirt above his heart, gasping in fake hurt. ''So cold!''

''What's cold?'' asks a voice from behind them and the two second-years turn around. The new arrival smiles warmly at them, wearing the familiar yellow-blue jersey, his wavy hair slightly longer than the year before and now hold up in a short ponytail.

''Takuto-san!'' the brunet smiles as the third-year sits down as well, but then pouts. ''Kyousuke's being a real meany.''

The older boy raises an eyebrow in amusement. ''How so?''

Tenma huffs, but Tsurugi cuts him off before he can say something. ''Oh, we really can't disturb Captain Matsukaze!'' he continues in the overly-peppy voice, smirking at his brunet friend. ''He's just so amazing and fantastic! We mustn't disturb him with our questions for stories!''

Shindou snorts in amusement as Tenma crosses his arms stubbornly. ''Oh, then what about Tsurugi-senpai?'' returns the captain equally, using the same high voice as the forward. ''He's so scary and intimidating! I'm afraid he'll skin us alive if we don't kiss the ground he walks on!''

The navy-haired player shakes his head in amusement and the game maker chuckles. ''So that's what this is about,'' he says amusedly. ''You're acting like little kids.''

The two younger teenagers look insulted for a moment but then share a devious look, making Takuto regret what he just said as Tsurugi smirks and speaks up, still using the peppy voice. ''Speaking of the senpai, what about Shindou-sama? He's just so calm and collected! He's so cool!''

Tenma grins and continues. ''He's always so confident and regal! Shindou-sama is just soooo great!'' he fake-swoons, high-fiving Kyousuke.

Shindou blinks. ''Regal?'' he repeats.

Tsurugi nods. ''Yeah. You always seem in control of what you do, so I suppose the first-years would be nervous about disappointing you,'' he explains.

The brunet nods in agreement. ''Yep. Kyou's a bit too intimidating and I'm... well, I'm the captain and apparently I'm too amazing to be bothered. So sadly, that leaves Shinsuke to tell about our adventures in space.''

Takuto laughs quietly and looks out over the field. ''Aha. I was wondering how you got onto this topic,'' he mutters. ''Let me guess, Shinsuke was being chased by first-years again?'' he hums, obviously amused at the nods he receives.

''And then Tenma started to complain about his fame,'' comments Kyousuke dryly, once again narrowly avoiding the slap that would've hit the back of his head otherwise.

Tenma huffs at the second failed attempt to hit his best friend and pointedly turns his head away. Takuto laughs at their antics, content with the currently relaxed mood. ''You know, these new plans are really working out well,'' he says after a moment of silence.

The brunet grins. ''I told you it would work out somehow!''

''You did?'' asks Tsurugi, faking surprise. He grins at the glare send his way. ''Don't blame me if I'm getting a little forgetful. You always say things will work out, and I'm not keeping track,'' he teases.

The brunet returns the grin. ''Or maybe you're just getting old.''

Kyousuke rolls his eyes. ''Tenma, I am two months older than you are,'' he states dryly.

The three friends continue to tease each other for a while longer, until it's time for them to go down and join the other players.

Tenma blinks when he realizes he's already reached the school. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice he is already at the field.

Shaking his head in hopes of clearing his mind from the memories, he makes his way to the clubroom. When he enters the room, he looks at the clock and does a double take when he realizes he's almost forty minutes early for practice.

'How did I not notice how early I left?! How did Aki-nee not notice how early I left?!'

He sighs. ''Guess I can use this time to train,'' he mutters to himself, discarding his bag in one of the lockers and quickly changing into his uniform. The brunet grabs a ball and makes his way to the field, the fresh air sharpening his mind.

''What to do, what to do...'' he wonders out loud. ''Shoots? Dribbling? Speed?'' then another idea comes to mind, and the first-year frowns thoughtfully. ''...Keshin?'' he whispers. ''Now's probably the only time I've got to see how far it actually goes.''

The time traveler groans. ''Ugh, I'm going to get a headache before the day is over. Fei, I blame you for this,'' he says even though he knows no one is there to hear him.

Deciding to just go with whatever feels right, Tenma stretches to make sure he won't injure himself and then closes his eyes, slowing his breath as he completely relaxes.

(Guess those meditation lessons Sangoku-san wanted everyone to attend did work out after all (Sangoku had forced the entire team to sit through meditation lessons after they got into a huge fight which eventually involved snakes, music, explosions and raining chickens [some were even forced to go through therapy [the players, not the chickens]] and they all dutifully went, because no one wants to deal with an aggravated Sangoku). It was funny seeing how much the keeper could influence his friends even though one half was in High School and the other was still in Jr. High.)

(Tenma still remembers what happened when his teammates who were forced to go to therapy tried to refuse- (''Shut up, Kurumada! You are going and you are going to work out your issues! Or so help me, for I will show you why they're calling me the Flaming Rock Keeper!'') –because it was one of the rare times that Sangoku showed his dark side (and according to his teammates, the captain enjoyed it way too much [but only because they'd managed to slip some alcohol in the drinks at the joint school party and got half of the school population drunk] and his evil cackles could be heard in the background through the whole ideal.)

His breathing starts to even out and the sounds become distant, replaced by his own heartbeat echoing through his ears. His body is starting to feel warm, a familiar warmth yet different at the same time.

Not a slow and calming heat flow, like he normally feels when he uses his Keshin, bending the heat to his will and letting it follow his commands.

No, instead it is a raging, quickly spreading forest fire, devouring everything in its path. Tenma recoils at the hurtful energy. The amount of destruction it could cause if it was left to run free...

'Is this what happened to Zanark's Keshin?' he wonders. 'Yet this feels... different, almost. Zanark's Keshin was 'locked' and fighting against the shackles that kept it in place. It couldn't settle because it wanted to be free, and so it fought.'

An image of Zanark's shackled Keshin flashes through his mind, and he shivers as he remembers the rampaging power radiating off of it before Nishiki freed it.

'But this... it's like it's not fighting against something, more like something is forcefully keeping it awake, while my Keshin should still be mostly dormant at this point in time. But what? What is interfering, what is keeping the energy from settling down like it should've after being awakened for small periods of time?'

Slowly he reaches out to the energy, cautiously looking for any sign that it will attack and overpower him like it did before.

Suddenly it lashes out and he flinches back, his eyes snapping open. He's panting heavily, sweat covering his forehead even though he hasn't even done anything yet.

Still a bit shocked from the strange experience, the brunet slowly starts to dribble in hopes of taking his mind off of what happened only minutes ago, a frown decorating his face. ''This... is going to be harder than expected,'' he whispers softly.

He has almost reached the goal now, and the brunet waits for the right moment to shoot- after all, his shooting skills are still pathetically low –and then kicks the ball with all his mind- because his shooting power is pathetically low as well.

The ball cuts through the air like an arrow, faster than Tenma can blink, and hits the net where it stays for a few seconds, spinning harshly, before bouncing back and lying on the ground. Smoke rises up from it.

The brunet gapes at the shot he just made. It might not have been the most accurate, but heck that's a shot worthy of an ace striker like Tsurugi!

''How...?'' he trails off, his mouth suddenly dry. 'That shot shouldn't have been so powerful... even in my real body, that would've been one of my strongest shots. So how can I possibly make it now...?'

His eyes widen in realization.

''It can't be...''

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Not long after, other players start to show up as well. Tenma greets the senpai politely yet a little absentmindedly, still trying to work out the details of his theory. 'It's no use. I need more information if I want to confirm it...'

When Shindou arrives, he's soon approached by Sangoku, a few surprised looks being thrown in their direction. After all, only yesterday everyone seemed to be certain that the captain would resign.

Soon after, they all gather in the clubroom, waiting for their coach to arrive. Soon after said coach arrives, walking through the door without his usual smile. ''Our match-up for the first match in Holy Road has been decided,'' he decides as he makes his way to the front and faces the team. ''Raimon is up against Tengawara Jr. High.''

''Those guys are well known for playing dirty,'' comments Agami.

''More like they use a lot of rough plays,'' says Hamano.

Hayami uncomfortably shifts in his seat. ''They're strong already as it is, so that just makes them ridiculously scary,'' he complains.

The screen behind Endou flickers on, showing Tengawara's match formation. ''Tengawara's team uses a very solid defense formation,'' he tells them, continuing on giving them information about their opponent. ''Shindou, your judgment as captain will be the key to this match.''

Shindou's mouth falls open as he stares at the coach, and then whips his head around to look at Tsurugi, who smirks. The captain looks back at the coach. ''Coach, weren't you notified of the order from Fifth Sector?''

Tenma watches silently how his teammates start to freak out. ''What is it? Who wins?'' demands Agami.

''2-0, Tengawara's win,'' says Tsurugi suddenly, still smirking.

(Tenma wants to wipe that smirk off his face. It doesn't suit him at all.)

The brunet listens without any expression to the careless reactions. ''Hey now, we came second to the championship last year,'' says Hamano, not seeming to be really bothered by it. ''Wouldn't it be strange to suddenly lose on the first round?''

''It's all because we went against their orders for the Eito Academy match,'' exclaims Hayami, hanging his shoulders. ''What else could it be?''

Kurama, who is sitting next to Hayami, glares at Tenma who is sitting behind the three. ''This is what we get when you do whatever you please without thinking.''

Tenma has to keep from reacting and instead just looks back blankly. 'On the contrary. Fifth Sector is probably one of the things I've been thinking about most since I got here.'

Meanwhile, Sangoku looks at Endou. ''Coach, why didn't you tell us?''

''Because there was no need to tell you,'' responds Endou without a moment of doubt. ''We're going to win this match.''

'Yay~'

Tsurugi chuckles coldly, a mirthful smile on his face. ''Now this is a surprise. So you're going to ignore Fifth Sector's order, coach?'' the mocking tone as he speaks the last word is impossible to miss.

''Who would ever want a match where you intend to lose from the start?'' returns Endou, not fazed in the slightest by the striker's behavior.

Sangoku stands up. ''If you do that, the soccer club will be finished for sure this time!'' he protests.

The time traveler hides a smile. 'Time to interfere~'

Endou smiles, about to respond when another voice cuts him off. ''That's not true.''

Everyone looks at the brunet who's sitting without any expression, his posture not giving anything away. Even the burning confidence is hidden from his eyes. ''Huh?'' asks Sangoku.

The future captain mentally smirks as he starts to talk. ''If we were to go against Fifth Sector, hypothetically speaking, they wouldn't be able to do anything to us.'' He continues before anyone can react. ''Raimon was second last year, correct?''

He directs his question as Sangoku, who nods uncertainly, not sure where this is going.

''Well, people will keep an eye out for Raimon,'' says Tenma confidently. ''That's a given. If we were to win the next match, the attention would focus even more on us. It's natural.'' He pauses to rearrange his thoughts for a moment, and then continues speaking. ''Because of this, Fifth Sector can't use their dirty little tactics to get rid of us, they can't force us to quit. I mean, in the middle of the biggest tournament in the Japanese youth soccer world, wouldn't it be really suspicious if one team suddenly lost a lot, if not all, of its members? They can't possibly create a reason that would explain why so many players would suddenly quit at the same time.''

The time traveler lets his words sink in for a moment and then starts talking again. ''From the inside out, that's basically the only thing they could do to us – get us suspended from the team in some way, but again, they can't create a good enough reason to tell the public to get away with it. Again, same goes for pulling Raimon out of the tournament – without real, solid proof, it won't work. So getting rid of us in secret is already ruled out.

''Then you have the possibility of confronting us head-on. Beating us up... again, the public would find it suspicious to suddenly find the whole Raimon team covered in bruises. They could try to beat us by using a team that doesn't have any open connections to Fifth Sector and then step in to save the day, but they probably don't have many secret teams at their disposal. And even if they do, we are not forced to accept a match from a strange team, and while it might be a bit suspicious on our part, we could use the excuse that we want to focus on Holy Road without any distractions. Fifth Sector can't force us, since it would look like the team doesn't have any connections to them, so forcing us to play would be suspicious as well. Teams that are known to be working with Fifth Sector wouldn't work either, since people would wonder why Fifth Sector wouldn't step in if they were to beat us up.''

Tenma scans the hesitating looks on the faces of his teammates, deciding to give one more push. ''So this basically rules out any actions they could take in secret or in public. Outside of soccer, they can't do much either. They might be influential in the soccer world, but even Fifth Sector can't win against the authorities.'' He hides a wicked grin and instead closes his eyes in satisfaction. ''In other words, they can't do anything to us. Because they've hidden their bad side from the public, they basically dug their own grave. Showing it now would cause such an uproar that the whole organization would collapse within a matter of weeks.''

When the time traveler opens his eyes, his teammates can swear his grey orbs are glowing with blue light. ''Fifth Sector has ruled by using fear for years now, and because of that constantly instilled fear, people won't rebel easily. And that's Fifth Sector's downfall.'' His lips twitch upwards. ''They've become careless and now they've been driven into a corner, without any possible way to get out except for beating us fair and square.''

His teammates gape at him, and Tenma mentally smiles. 'Say hello to logic. You're gonna get a lot of it this time 'round~'

''How- how do you know that?'' asks Sangoku with wide, shocked eyes.

The brunet shrugs. ''Well, I gave it a lot of thought,'' he answers. ''And honestly, it's not that hard to think up. Just think logically, and everyone can figure it out,'' he says, hinting silently. ''It's called common sense, you know.''

(Because, honestly, everyone here can use some common sense in the near future.)

The keeper bites his lip and clenches his fists. ''It's not like I want to lose on purpose,'' he says finally, frustration blazing in his eyes. ''But right now, we can't just play soccer for fun. There is no proof that what you say is true-''

'Then why do I see a spark of hesitation in your eyes, Sangoku-san?'

''-and coach, you should understand it as well.'' He focuses on Endou. ''How we're all putting up with it for our future...''

''No, I don't get it,'' disagrees Endou. ''I don't even want to try. If that kind of soccer is useful for your future, then it's not even soccer anymore.''

Sangoku slumps forward slightly. ''I can't agree with you on this,'' he says, shooting a look at Tenma, ''and I can't agree with you either. Even if you're speaking the truth, I don't want to take the risk. I'll follow Fifth Sector's orders.''

Kurumada stands up. ''I'm with Sangoku,'' he agrees grimly.

Tenma closes his eyes and clenches his fists in his lap as he hears his teammates agree with the keeper. It physically hurts him to see them like this, to see them so lost and hopeless. 'And even with all my knowledge of the future, I can't do anything.' He smiles ruefully. 'What kind of captain, what kind of friend, am I, if I can't even stop them from hurting?'

Something inside him stirs, and his eyes snap open. His chest burns and he hears the rushing of his blood through his ears, his vision becoming blurry. He gasps soundlessly and grasps the shirt above his heart.

For a moment he can't think clearly, weakness overtaking his whole body, and he fights the exhaustion that threatens to overtake him. The energy inside him goes wild, searching for an exit. After a few tense seconds, he finally manages to push it down forcefully, and his senses return.

'What the- not again!' his thoughts immediately go back to his short moment of weakness when he forgot his bag after practice.

Then the future captain glances around, seeing how everyone's attention is on the leaving members.

(He's not sure if he should count himself lucky or not – he doesn't need any unwanted attention, but he can't fight the hurt in his heart when his teammates don't notice his pain, even though his rational mind tells him they have no reason to be worried.)

He slowly lets go of his shirt and sighs, too tired to try and convince his teammates to come to practice – and he just can't deal with the hurt that their cold eyes give them right now.

Not long after, he and Shinsuke make their way to the outside field to practice, but he can't really focus. Too many thoughts spook through his head, and the exhaustion from his little episode earlier is weighing down on him heavily.

'How can I help my teammates?'

'Is there anything major I've changed in my short time here?'

'...what's wrong with me?'

Tenma winces slightly as he barely manages to stop the ball Shinsuke passes to him. The small boy runs forward to stop the ball from bouncing back, frowning worriedly at the brunet. ''Tenma, are you okay?''

The time traveler looks down and smiles reassuringly. ''Yeah, fine, just... just got a lot on my mind.''

    ~'0'~    

End of chapter four~

I'll keep this short, I don't really have anything to say. Except for one thing:

Arc 1 covers the episodes 1-18 of the first season. Just so you guys know ;)

- Yara Meijer