Chapter Text
Arc 1: The First Light of God Eden
He didn’t think Raimon would lose.
He wasn’t blind to the dangers that Unlimited Shining and Ancient Dark posed — Hakuryuu alone wiped the floor with them, it’s hard to forget something like that — yet even after Shuu’s speech, about how that match would seal his fate, he still thought things would work out in their favor.
So what's left to do when they don't?
The final whistle pieces his ears through and through, but Tenma can barely register it.
Screams erupt from the stands, though they aren’t joyful cheers — they sound fake to him, mechanical; they carry none of the excitement that fires up a crowd from a real stadium, none of its warmth. But that doesn’t change the numbers on the scoreboard.
The match they played was real and so is Raimon’s loss.
Zero defeated them. The Fifth Sector defeated them.
5 - 4
The weight of the situation finally sets in and Tenma crumbles beneath it.
One goal. They lost by one goal.
Is that all their revolution was worth? That one goal they couldn’t stop, that one goal they couldn’t score back in time.
No, that’s not right. Tenma knows his teammates, he knows how hard they fought to get to where they are today. One goal shouldn’t be enough to snuff out their spirits. It shouldn’t be—
Suddenly, Tenma raises his head.
He sees Shindou rushing to Kariya’s side, as the latter sits on the ground, holding onto his side. Diligent as ever, the captain promptly goes to check on his teammates’ conditions. Worry clouds his gaze, leaving little to no room for any disappointment to settle in.
Kariya finds his doting amusing, he moves to give him a slight push on the shoulder, likely accompanied by a snide comment that Tenma can't hear, but stops with a flinch before he can. Shindou answers with a small smile, glad his teammate hasn’t lost his usual edge.
In a similar display, Kirino and Amagi are helping Sangoku up, letting him lean on the both of them as the goalkeeper himself can barely stand. Tanking Zero's monstrous shots has taken quite the toll on him, the fact he's on his own two feet is a testament to his skill, thinks Tenma. Shinsuke watches them close by, likely too shaken (or admittedly, too small) to be of any help, but he makes it his point to shower them with words of encouragement.
—and it’s not.
Tenma sees it before his very eyes. He’s down on his knees, his chest is heaving from the strain of the game, his clothes are dirty, sweaty, his skin is scratched and bruised — but he still wants to fight. They all do. That’s what his Raimon is.
Gathering all the strength he has left, he pushes himself up. His head is spinning and his limbs ache, but he grits his teeth and gets back on his feet. He turns around, looking for someone.
And his eyes meet Shuu's.
He’s alone, not celebrating with the rest of Zero. He stands to the side in perfect silence, with his gaze fixed on him. He's expecting something.
Tenma runs an arm against his face, wiping away the dirt and sweat that stained it. And he smiles. He gives Shuu a big grin, the biggest one he can muster.
“Hey, Shuu!” He yells from across the field. He raises his finger and points it right at his friend, an action that makes him flinch. “Next time,” he says, “I’ll beat you for sure!”
Zero might have beaten Raimon, but Tenma knows they're far from finished. Whatever comes next, this will not be the last the Fifth Sector hears of them. Of that they can both be sure.
Shuu frowns. He seems angry but those dark eyes of his are riddled with confusion too. Clearly, that wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.
He must’ve thought this match would’ve ended things, Tenma thinks. But that's not how soccer works. I hope next time we play, he’ll finally learn that.
“Well, well, well.”
Hakuryuu’s voice slices through their silent conversation, ringing loud and clear over the ruckus of the stadium. He's standing before Tsurugi, one foot on the ball that gave him the win he craved for so long.
“Don’t tell me you’re surprised,” he rasps, each word dripping with venom. “I told you I would have destroyed you. And now, here we are.”
Tsurugi doesn’t answer. Tenma grows worried. He’s down on the ground, a sorry sight next to his rival, sweaty and battered all the same but beaming from ear to ear like a true winner. But Raimon’s ace doesn’t meet his eye. His gaze wanders to the side, to his teammates, and just for a moment, it meets Tenma’s.
His look softens — barely, but plenty more than the brunette has ever seen from him. And his words flash into Tenma,s mind the ones about his time on God Eden — hell on Earth. He's giving him the same look from back then. It makes Tenma’s blood boil.
“Look at me, damn you!” Yells Hakuryuu as he yanks him by the collar. “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” he insists, “I know you do, so just spit it out already. Tell me I’m the Ultimate Forward. Tell me you regret—”
All he can tear out of him is a look.
Hakuryuu scoffs, shoving Tsurugi away with enough force to make Tenma flinch. “Fine,” he says. “Have it your way, weakling.” He moves his foot off the ball and a furious wind begins whirling around him.
Tenma’s eyes widen. Is he going to—?
He can’t finish the thought that he’s already walking, then running.
His body dashes forward, uncaring of the weakness in his knees, as if another force is pushing him. A familiar aura flickers from his steps.
His foot meets the ball at the same time Hakuryuu’s does, locking the two in an inflamed clash as sparks of gold and purple go flaring in all directions.
“M-Matsukaze!?” Tsurugi gasps.
The other forward glares at him, bewildered. “What the—!?” he exclaims, “What do you think you’re doing!?”
"Tsurugi isn't weak…” Tenma utters through gritted teeth. “And football—is supposed to be fun!"
“What are you on about?” Hakuryuu bites back. His eyes flick between the ball and his adversary.
“It's not a matter of who’s stronger or weaker. It shouldn’t be,” he continues. “Football is supposed to be fun and—and treating it like this…it's making soccer cry!”
Hakuryuu looks anything but convinced, but he pales when he sees a familiar shape emerge from the purple mist on Tenma’s back. A burst of energy from his foe’s Keshin is all it takes to overpower Zero’s champion, losing him the power struggle.
The ball hits him square in the face. The sheer power of the blow is enough to keep it spinning for a few good seconds before it falls to the side, coloring Hakuryuu's face red with a rash and leaving him with a vacant stare. He stumbles backwards before toppling over like a sack of potatoes.
And then every sound goes silent.
Zero’s cheering screeches to a halt as they gawk at their teammate in horror. “C-Captain-!?” A red-headed boy exclaims. He steps towards him but quickly stops himself. The others shift in their places uncomfortably, sending each other quick glances. But Tenma pays little mind to them.
Not a moment goes by from Hakuryuu’s unceremonious fall that he's already turned his back from him, fully focused on his friend. “Tsurugi!” he says, “Are you alright?”
Tsurugi can’t help but share Zero’s reaction. He looks at Tenma, then at his former rival sprawled on the grass, then back at Tenma, then back at Hakuryuu.
Tenma blinks. Maybe that shove was worse than he thought. He repeats himself, “Are you—?”
The forward chuckles. Then, it turns into a cackle. Tsurugi sits back, laughing like a drain and creeping the everloving daylights out of the brunette. “I can’t believe you—” he spits out between laughs, “You actually—!”
"Woohoo! Attaboy, Tenma!” Kurumada yells, making Tenma jump. The entirety of Raimon begins gathering around him, filled with an enthusiasm that quickly spreads like wildfire.
“That’s how you do it!” cheers Sangoku.
“Ah, take that, dragon boy!” Amagi cackles.
“Tenma, that was amazing!” exclaims Shinsuke, “What a powerful shot! How’d you do that?”
“…I’m not sure,” he replies, running a hand through his hair, “It was like—like my body moved on its own. I saw Tsurugi—Wait, Tsurugi are—”
“I’m fine Matsukaze. Now quit worrying,” Tsurugi cuts in, brushing himself off. “Thanks to you, anyway.”
“Well, I hate to be the partypooper here but—” Kariya speaks up, “you guys seem awfully cheery considering we lost.”
“So what?” Midori bites back, “Do you expect us to just bow to the Sector because we’ve lost a match? It’s not even an official one.”
“O-Of course not! I’m not that spineless!” he hastily replies.
Kirino shakes his head, a serious expression on his face. “I don’t think that’s what he meant. Didn’t their coach say something would’ve happened to us if we lost?”
The light-hearted atmosphere is snuffed out as quickly as it was born. They share confused glances trying to remember what the terms of the match were. Kageyama is the first that does.
“They’re gonna keep us on the island,” he breathes out wide-eyed.
Some seconds of stunned silence go by. Then Raimon breaks loose.
“B-But we never agreed to it!” protests Amagi.
“You really think the Sector’s gonna care about that?” replies Nishiki, visibly nervous.
“They can’t just keep us all here…can they?” Kurumada turns to Raimon’s ace. “Tsurugi?”
“I…don’t know.” He frowns. “I don’t know the lengths the Sector is willing to go, none of us do.”
Akane clutches her camera. “Are they gonna throw us in a cell again?”
“Now, now,” Sangoku tries to comfort her. “We should try to stay positive. We don’t know what they want from us yet.”
Kariya half-heartedly scoffs. “Yes, we do know. They wanna turn us into SEEDs,” he says. “Unless they just said it to scare us.”
“Y-Yes, I bet they would!” Amagi jumps in. “The Sector’s full of schemers. Maybe they wanted to scare us so we’d play worse.”
Kirino sighs. “I doubt that.”
“Why doesn’t Coach Endou do anything?” Aoyama interjects.
“What can he do?” Ichino replies. “As long as we’re on the island, we’re at the Sector’s mercy.”
Raimon’s chatter doesn’t stop. They ask each other questions, throw out some unsure answers, but the more the conversation continues the more a feeling of dread settles into their stomachs.
“So,” Nishiki eventually says, “this is it, uh? No final plan, no chance for a comeback. It’s the end of the road.”
And it was a foregone conclusion, one they couldn’t help in any way. Yet, hearing it said out loud in Nishiki’s defeated words, it awakens something in Raimon’s players.
“No way!”
They exclaim in unison.
Nishiki jumps back, raising his hands. “W-Woah, okay then. So what do we do?”
Tenma opens his mouth to speak but Shindou beats him to it.
“We fight,” he says, turning to face his whole team. “We keep pushing back against the Fifth Sector, no matter what they throw our way.”
“I know things might seem hopeless right now,” adds Sangoku, moving to Shindou’s side. “But we’re in this together. Whatever’s gonna happen next, we’ll support each other through it, as a team.”
One by one, Tenma can see the fire return in his teammates’ eyes.
“That’s right, no matter what they do, they’ll never break Raimon’s spirit!” Amagi exclaims, wrapping his arm around Kageyama, who replies with a determined “Yeah!” of his own.
“What is it that Tenma always says?” Kariya asks, turning to Shinsuke.
He replies with stars in his eyes. “It’ll work out someho—!”
“Raimon Eleven.”
The booming voice of Kibayama Douzan — Zero’s coach — shuts them all up. “It’s time you face the consequences of your own weakness.”
He walks to the middle of the field with a resolute step, head held high. Zero’s players have quieted down, they merely look at their rivals, some with bored expressions, others holding back snickers. Raimon huddles together.
“As of today, you are officially property of the Fifth Sector. Of course, it takes more than that to become a fully-fledged SEED though.” He begins describing the imperial training regime with sadistic glee. “Only the best of the best can make it out of God Eden and you’ll soon find our trainings aren’t for the weak of heart. Here we make use of cannons and robots, created specifically with the purpose of destroying weaklings such as yourself—”
As he continues to ramble, a young man approaches him. “Uh, sir…?”
“You will learn the true meaning of despair. All of your days will be taken over by your training — every day, night and the following day; always in search of that spit of potential you may possess—”
“Sir, if I may—”
“What?” Kibayama snarls. “How many times have I told you not to interrupt me while I talk to new recruits?”
“M-Many, sir. But–!”
“But nothing. Now, stay put until I'm done." He clears his throat. “As I was saying, you’ll suffer through—”
“Now, now, Mr Kibayama–” a voice speaks from behind his hulking figure. Shuu is quick to turn to it and Hakuryuu stiffens at the sound. From one of the dark tunnels emerges a man in a white suit. “Is that any way to treat his Majesty’s word?”
Kibayama pales. “H-H-His Majesty-!?” He turns to the young man with bulging eyes. “Gimme that!” He exclaims, tearing the paper out of his hands and reading it with avidity. “U-Uh? But why would he–?”
“The Holy Emperor’s orders aren’t meant to be questioned, Kibayama,” the other man retorts. “They’re meant to be followed.”
“Y-Y—Yes, absolutely!” He exclaims, hastily shoving the letter into one of his pockets.
“Well then, there seems to have been a…change of plans. You see, the Holy Emperor has—uh, he wants you to—” He stammers through his words, scratching the back of his head. The members of Raimon exchange some perplexed glances. “Ugh, to think I practiced that speech for so long, and now—”
The man in the white suit rolls his eyes. “The Emperor honors you for a job well done, Kibayama.” He makes his way in front of Zero’s coach. The team members bend their heads as he passes, even Hakuryuu falls in line for the greeting. “I will take it from here.”
Kibayama’s posture stiffens. “Of course, M-Mr Senguuji.” He turns to his team. “Men, it’s time to fall back. Maaaaarch–!”
“Actually,” Senguuji interjects, “I want Zero to stay. You and the rest of your collaborators, however, are free to go.”
Tenma tilts his head. Is Kibayama really going to step back so easily? Zero’s coach seemed tough as nails up to this point, with his booming voice and huge stature — hell, he crushed a rock with his bare hands before their very eyes — he stood tall, towering over Raimon like an impenetrable wall, and now—?
“C-Certainly, sir. We’ll get out of your hair now. MEN!” This time, his tone sounds erratic. He and the rest of his crew tiptoe away in the darkness of the tunnel.
And now he and his men scatter like mice. A chill runs down Tenma’s spine as Senguuji turns to address Raimon with a sinister grin. Just who is this guy?
“Raimon Eleven, rejoice. For the Holy Emperor takes pity on you and has decided to offer you a deal.”
Tenma’s not the only one with questions, he can see the same look of confusion cloud both of Hakuryuu and Shuu’s faces. They remain silent though. Zero’s captain doesn’t even turn to look at Senguuji, as if meeting his eyes would kill him on the spot.
“A deal?” Nishiki repeats. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“It’ll probably be something awful,” adds Kariya. He slicks back his hair with his hand to mimic Senguuji’s hairstyle. “Yes, Raimon, you may leave with your lives, but only, yes ONLY, if your filthy peasant feet never-EVER touch a soccer ball again. Got it?”
“Maybe if you don’t talk over him,” hisses Kirino, “we’ll actually find out what this is about, mh?”
Kariya raises his hands. “Okay, jeez, I was just trying to lighten the mood. Don’t get your ponytails in a twist.”
“Fine.” Coach Endou answers. He steps forward and puts himself between Senguuji and Raimon. “We’re willing to talk it over.”
Senguuji chuckles. Tenma’s chest tightens.
“Unfortunately, it’s not up to you to decide.”
“Some deal he’s gonna offer.” Kidou comments from Endou’s side. “It's expected he’ll give it to us with all sorts of strings attached.”
“You might not believe me, but it’s actually a very simple matter," he explains. “Zero has thoroughly overpowered you, Raimon Eleven, just as we had expected… except for one of you.”
“Oh no…” Amagi murmurs. “You don’t think he wants—”
“As if!” Midori exclaims. “Don’t even say it as a joke. There’s no way.”
“What’s going on?” Asks Shinsuke, though his question falls on the deaf ears of the 2nd and 3rd years.
“No, no, that—that wouldn’t make sense, not when they have us at their mercy…right?” Shindou asks, his voice almost quivering.
The youngest of the group share weary glances among themselves.
“As if suit and tie over there wasn’t enough,” groans Kariya, “now our teammates are being cryptic.” His tone isn’t humorous anymore, just frustrated.
“I don’t like this.” Kageyama shakes his head. “I really don’t like this.”
Aoi, noticing something off with Tsurugi's gaze, puts a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”
The forward shakes his head. “This place...isn’t just a training facility,” he hesitantly replies. “It’s also a research center. For Keshins.”
“For…” Aoi pales. She looks at Tenma, then back at Tsurugi. “Oh no.”
“Oh, come on Aoi, you too?” Tenma sighs. “What’s so bad that you can’t even—”
“Matsukaze Tenma,” says Senguuji, “please step forward.”
Tenma’s blood freezes in his veins. The entirety of Raimon, coach included, express their built-up confusion in unison.
“What?”
Senguuji seems to find their incredulousness amusing. “Don’t act so surprised. Why should I want to talk it over with the coach of such a half-baked team?”
“Half-baked-!?” Fudou exclaims. “Now listen here you–!”
“No, stop,” Kazemaru is quick to hush him. “Don’t make it worse.”
“I assure you, your outbursts won’t change his proposal. He’s a merciful man, our Emperor.” Senguuji remarks, tone dripping with contempt. “However I am nowhere near as patient .”
With a snap of his fingers, he calls attention from his players. “You two,” he orders, “bring him to me.”
In a blink, Hakuryuu and Shuu surround him from both sides and grab hold of his arms.
“H-Hey!” Tenma cries. “Let me go—Shuu-!”
“I’m sorry Tenma, but you’ve lost.” He murmurs — and Tenma can see the honesty in his eyes — but his grip doesn’t waver. It makes it sting all the more. “You’ve lost.”
“Stop right there!” Sangoku grabs onto Hakuryuu’s shoulder. “You’re not taking him anywhere, you hear?”
Kurumada joins in. “Yeah, don’t think you can push us around just because you won!”
Hakuryuu scoffs. “It’s not up to you to decide,” he says. “You’re losers, Raimon Eleven, a waste of space, so—” A vicious gust of wind and energy throws them into the ground, “—you will be disposed of as such.”
“Don’t hurt them!” Tenma tries to step in, but he’s trapped between the iron clasps of Zero’s forwards.
“Ugh, don’t you join them. You’re lucky his Majesty wants you, because if I had it my way—”
“Hakuryuu.”
Zero’s captain falls silent at Shuu’s reprimand. He looks at him with fire in his eyes, one his teammate shares. They stare at each other for some excruciatingly long seconds and Tenma swears he can feel the static electricity traveling back and forth in their glares.
Eventually, Hakuryuu concedes. “Whatever,” he mutters. Then he turns to Tenma. “Well, what are you looking at? You don’t want to keep the Emperor waiting, do you?” Without waiting for an answer he shoves him forward, making poor Tenma stumble right at Senguuji’s feet.
“Good afternoon, Matsukaze,” he simply says, but his tone makes the poor boy jump. “It’s a shame we have to meet like this, really.”
Tenma scrambles to get away but as soon as he turns he finds his way blocked by the rest of Zero’s players. Finding no way out, he addresses the man with what little courage he can grasp.
“W-Who are you?”
“My name is Senguuji Daigo, and you might consider me…” He trails off to think his words through, then his lips curve into a tight smile. “The Emperor's right hand.”
That explains Kibayama’s behaviour, Tenma thinks to himself. The Emperor’s right hand man, this is probably the closest he’s ever gotten to meeting the man himself.
“I’ll keep this simple. You will be given a choice: keep fighting by Raimon’s side and suffer the consequences with the rest of them,” he says, “or join the Fifth Sector, become a SEED of your own volition and Raimon will be free to leave.
Tenma blinks. “…T-That’s it?”
“This is the Emperor’s offer.”
Raimon’s members voice their confusion from the back, but Tenma remains quiet. He gulps, then he speaks up. “But why?” He asks in the steadiest voice he can muster. “Why let them go now?”
It might seem like he’s looking a gifted horse in the mouth — who cares why? Just take the offer and let your friends go free! But Tenma knows better than trusting the Sector, especially with such a too-good-to-be-true offer.
Senguuji isn’t bothered by his prying. On the contrary, he seems amused. “A fair question, I asked it myself when the Emperor first told me his intentions,” he muses. “Unfortunately I can only answer your question with a guess. I say the Emperor sees promise in you and you alone, and would rather not waste resources on…the rest.”
It’s not a bad offer. Sure, he’s stuck on the island either way, but if the rest of Raimon can return to Inazuma Town, then—
“Tenma! Tenma, can you hear me?” Shindou yells, stepping forward. “Don’t listen to him. Don’t take his offer, no matter what he tells you!”
“But captain—”
Tsurugi is next, he speaks up from Shindou’s side. “It doesn’t matter. Don’t even think about it, Matsukaze!”
Senguuji sighs. “Now this isn’t any way to do business, is it?” His tone shifts. “Take care of it.”
Obedient as ever, Hakuryuu and Shuu intervene. They summon their Keshin and, with a flick of Seijuu Shining Dragon’s tail and a slash from Ankoku Shin Dark Exodus’ sword, most of Raimon is knocked to the ground.
“That is enough,” Shuu scolds them. “Know your place.”
“Or the next one will be even worse,” Hakuryuu adds.
Just when Tenma is about to step in, he feels a hand on his shoulder. “You see it, don’t you?” Senguuji whispers, his hot breath against his cheek. He takes a step back, but the man follows. “You see how weak your friends are in front of a single one of my players.” He leans forward, each of his words sharp as a blade.
“How long do you think they’ll last on this island?”
Tenma’s gaze goes back to his teammates, now seeing things he didn’t notice before. He sees their bruises, the scratches and the rashes that color their skin, the result of a single match played against God Eden’s SEEDs. Compared to them, he got off with a couple of itches. Compared to them, he could withstand the brutality of imperial training.
“I—I–” Tenma stammers.
“I want to talk to my friends.”
For the first time in their interaction, Senguuji looks annoyed. Nonetheless, he steps back and snaps his fingers once again to call back Hakuryuu and Shuu. The two comply, recalling their Keshins. “Five minutes,” is all he says.
He doesn’t have to be told twice. Tenma runs past Zero’s ranks and over to his team. The entirety of Raimon quickly wraps around him.
“Tenma!” Aoi and Shinsuke exclaim in unison as they both hug him.
“I was so worried!” Says Aoi.
“Yeah, I thought he was gonna eat you!” Shinsuke follows up.
Eat me? Tenma finds it silly but he doesn’t find it in him to question it, far too relieved to be surrounded by friends once again.
“It must’ve been so scary, being in front of that ugly mug…” says Akane.
“He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Sangoku asks, leaning closer to check on him.
“I’m fine, everyone.” Tenma smiles. As fine as I can be given the situation…
“That’s great and all, but—” Nishiki scratches his chin awkwardly, “what do we do now?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Midori replies, annoyed. “There’s no way we’re taking this. We’re not leaving you here, Tenma,” she proudly declares, squeezing his shoulder.
“Damn right!” Kurumada exclaims, patting him over the head with too much strength for his liking. “No one’s getting left behind, no sir!”
“Actually–”
“Well I can’t say I’m looking forward to trying out their training regime,” Kariya comments, “but I think I’ll survive.”
“Guys, no, I—”
“I wonder what kind of training SEEDs have to go through…” muses Ichino, before adding in a much lower voice, “I wonder if it’ll help me improve…”
“No, enough!” exclaims Tenma. “I’m taking the Emperor’s deal.”
His outburst surprises them, but worry quickly replaces any sense of astonishment.
“Tenma, no,” says Shindou. “You don’t have to do this!”
“I do actually,” retorts the boy. “And you won’t be able to change my mind either, so—” His vision starts getting blurry, still he perseveres. “So give up!”
His friends exchange glances hoping one of them will find some objection, but they all seem to be equally speechless. Until Aoyama speaks up.
“Coach Endou!” He calls out. “Please say something.”
The adults were talking among themselves up to this point, finishing their conversation as soon as the team turns to their coach for guidance. They shift around, leaving him room to get to Tenma. He gulps as Endou walks towards him in complete silence, a clenched expression on his face.
“C-Coach?”
“Tenma,” he says, “are you willing to stay here on your own?”
Their gazes were locked together. Seeing his reflection in his coach’s dark eyes, Tenma told him the only answer his heart allowed him.
“Yes.”
Endou gives him a warm smile. “Well then, that settles it.”
Needless to say, that wasn’t the coach interjection the rest of Raimon was hoping for.
“Coach, listen,” Shindou speaks up, “if we all stay here, they won’t be able to keep us for long. They can’t just make an entire team disappear, it’ll look suspicious.”
“Maybe,” answers Fudou, “but they can definitely hold you here until the next match. So what then?”
“Then–Then—” The captain stammers. Once he’s collected his thoughts, his tone isn’t nearly as determined. “…Then we’ll be disqualified from the Holy Road—”
“And everything we’ve done so far will be for nothing,” Endou finishes his thought. “I know it’s hard to accept, and rightfully so. But this is exactly why we must take down the Fifth Sector.”
“…I suppose.”
“Tenma,” Tsurugi suddenly calls.
“No, stop that.” Kariya grabs him by the shirt. “There’s no reason to tell him, you won’t change his mind anyway.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he insists, yanking himself away. “Tenma, the reason they want to keep you here is your Keshin. I bet they’ve never seen one like yours.”
Tenma tilts his head. “Okay…?”
Tsurugi sighs. “Your Keshin evolved during this match. They’ll want to study it,” he explains hesitantly, choosing his words carefully. “…Test its limits.”
Suddenly it dawns on him. Tsurugi is expressing his worry, in his own way — under the guise of a warning.
“Back then I didn’t have anything special going on for me, and the training was grueling enough. So I’ve no clue what they’ll do to you, and—” His eyes meet Tenma’s. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Tenma can’t help but smile at him.
“Yes. I’m sure.”
And that’s that.
The team stays quiet. It’s clear no further complaint will be raised, but Tenma can read their disappointment on their faces. If this is the last time he’ll see them in a while, he doesn’t want to remember them like this.
He takes a deep breath and then speaks up.
“Senguuji thinks you’re weak, but I know better than that,” he says. “He thinks that without me you’ll give up, that taking me out of the team will be enough to make you lose your next match.”
“So prove him wrong!” He exclaims. “And things will work out somehow. I just know it.”
It’s hard to describe Raimon’s final moments with their beloved Wind of Revolution. Many words are shared, some pants on the back, some warning, a couple of hugs and two thank yous that Tenma would be eager to give back. But their time runs out.
“Five minutes have passed,” declares Senguuji. “So, have you made your choice?”
Slowly, Tenma tears himself away from his team. He walks up to Senguuji, each step heavier than the other, under the curious eyes of Zero. He reaches for his hand but it takes him a moment to speak those words he never thought he’d say.
“I’ll join the Fifth Sector.”
Senguuji smiles, grabbing onto Tenma’s hand and shaking it energetically. “Wonderful! I knew you could be reasoned with,” he says. “Now, there’s just some minor paperwork we need to take care of. If you were so kind as to follow me.” He turns around and heads towards one of the tunnels.
After a moment’s hesitation, and a final, hopeful smile directed at his friends, Tenma trails after him and disappears into the darkness of the tunnels.
What's next?
Now that he's officially a Seed, it's time for Tenma to find out what he's really gotten himself into. As Shuu takes him on a tour of God Eden, our hero will properly meet the members of Zero and get to watch their...peculiar training.
Is it just his impression or is the team acting completely different? And where has their captain gone?
Find out in the next chapter: