The momentum of the whole game had changed. Kirino and Torb managed to accomplish Keshin Armed amidst the scuffle, and she was told that Taiyou had too at the beginning of the match.

"Fei... He looks in so much pain..."

Kinako's muttering entered her ears. Fei?

She turned to find the green haired boy looking down. She had been so focused on Zanark that she barely noticed him throughout the match.

The two captains charged at each other straight on, with Tenma managing to get through. He passed to Reiza, who gave it to Zanark.

"Don't make me repeat myself! I'm a member of the lower middle class without a name, Super Zanark!"

"And yet you keep on slipping up my name." She muttered.

She felt Tsurugi's shoulder shook once under her chin. Looking up, he had his usual expression on as he watched the match. But he couldn't fool her.

"You laughed at me, didn't you?"

"You're imagining things."

"The threat of a supergiant hurricane, I'll pierce through your bodies until you feel it in your bones!" Zanark let out a war cry as he charged for the enemy goal once again. "I resurrect it right here and now! Great Max na Ore! SUPER!"

"Goal! Zanark― No, Super Zanark makes the second tying goal! El Dorado Team 03 versus Feida's third Team Garu! El Dorado Team 03 has caught up after Super Zanark Joined them in the second half, and the score is currently a tie of 2-2!"

"That commentator's really serious about calling him 'Super' Zanark, huh?" Midori sweatdropped.

"I want to go down there and beg him not to feed his ego." Kimiko sighed.

With the momentum they were on, they expected the rest of the game to go well. In reality, it went rather terribly.

"Oh? What's wrong with Garu's captain, Fei? He's still as stone and won't move!"

"Ever since his scuffle with Tenma, he's been standing there like a statue..." Tsurugi muttered.

"It's him." They turned to find Kinako, more worried than they've ever seen her. "Feida's leader did something to Fei."

"What?"

And right then, Fei broke the Second Stage Children's promise and used his telekinetic powers on the whole El Dorado Team 03. Specifically on their brains, delivering pressure and causing them to spasm. The only one unaffected was Rei Rukh, given how he was a robot. Still, one player wasn't enough to fight a team. Despite using his armed Plasma Shadow, he wasn't able to get them the goal. Instead, he was beaten to the ground until he stopped functioning.

Fei was by their goal, increasing the power he's using on them. All he needed to do was kick the ball and Garu would've won.

But he hesitated.

"Fei!" A voice called from the audience. By the pillar where Saru's VIP booth was, a person clad in full white appeared. It was the one that took Endou's Chrono Stone back in the Edo Period. "Fei! Don't listen to him!"

Just as he turned to him, El Dorado Team 03 were able to stand back up again.

"Fei! You don't have to do these things anymore! Fei! Don't listen to him!"

Saru's using telepathy, while that person is calling out verbally...

"Fei!"

Then... there's Tenma.

"There's barely enough time to make another goal, so I don't know which side's going to win today, but... Either way, Fei's the one who'll suffer the most because of it." Kimiko muttered. She only got a nod in response.

No one realized when Torb had stolen the ball, but the match continued on. Just as Tenma and one of Garu's players jumped up to take it, the final whistle blew.

This game was a tie.

And then, Fei fainted. Tenma tried to check on him, but he was held back by the rest of Garu. Instead, it was the white clad person who picked him up.

"Everyone, I want you to listen." Saru's voice rang throughout the stadium. "With the acknowledgement of Assembly Chairman Toudou, Ragnarok will be holding another final round! This will be a fight with each side fought by its strongest members. Feida will be represented by my team, The Lagoon. The match will be tomorrow, held here at Ragnarok Stadium. We'll settle this once and for all tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it!"

With that out of the way, there was only one matter left to be discussed.

Fei.

~~~~~

They all headed to the lounge area right outside their team's changing rooms. They got there just in time to see the man pulling off his hood, showing his pale green hair, and Fei opening his eyes.

"Who are you?" Fei asked.

"I am Asurei Rune. Your father."

"Father?!"

"Supporter X?!"

Kimiko blinked. He's Supporter X?

Out of all of them, Fei seemed the most shocked.

"Fei, is he really your father?" Tenma asked.

That was when shock was replaced with anger. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to watch over you. That is why I joined Feida..."

"Now that you're here, what do you want me to do about it?" He turned away before letting out a mocking smile. "You just felt like helping me today. Is that it?"

"N-No!"

"Aren't you the one who left me?"

Left?

"You left me because you were scared of me!"

"You're wrong. It wasn't you I was scared of."

"Then what? Why did you abandon me?"

"I... was afraid of losing my position as one of El Dorado's directors. It was a position I had built up for almost my entire life. If El Dorado found out about you, they would tear you to pieces. It was the only way to protect both you and me."

... That's some shitty parenting.

It took everything Tsurugi had in him not to react. He glanced at his friend, who was glaring at the man with glowing purple eyes.

Hell, my parents actually were scared of my powers, but they prioritized protecting me, and even training me! This guy... Ugh, I can't believe I ever wanted help from him.

Help? With what?

... Supporter X is Fifth Sector's main source of funding.

... Nii-san.

"But I could not turn my back on you completely. I grew worried about you and joined Feida. I became Supporter X and approached Saru in order to look after you..."

He couldn't have just erased Fei's existence from El Dorado's database or something? Since he's in such a high position, I think that is very possible.

Kimiko, just leave it alone. He held back a sigh. This is for them to settle as a family. It doesn't matter what we think, it only matters what Fei thinks.

Well... yeah...

"... You're too late."

"Huh?"

"You're too late! Everything is too late!"

"It's never too late! You must leave Feida now." The man reached for him, but he stepped back.

"You're all selfish... Saru... And also..." He didn't have to continue that sentence. His glare was enough.

"Listen to me, Fei. If you continue to stay in Feida, your soul will be consumed by Saru's evil heart."

"My feelings won't change."

"Fei!" Tenma called. "In any case, let's hear what your father has to say."

Ten―

"Tenma, you be quiet!" Only then did tears begin to gather. He was that close to breaking.

Kimiko wanted to drag the brunette back, but before she could, another brunette stepped up.

"Fei!"

"K-Kinako!"

"Don't act so unreasonably!"

"What's with you, Kinako?"

"Listen to your father!"

"Mind your own business! Why do you keep butting into my affairs anyway? None of this concerns you!"

"It does! Fei is... Fei is my son!"

"Eh..."

"EHHH?!"

"S-Son?!"

"Well, I did not expect that." She heard Zanark mutter from the very back of the group.

"I'm... Kinako's son? Don't be silly..."

"Kinako is speaking the truth." Asurei stated.

"But Kinako and Fei are the same age." Aoi pointed out.

"They can't be mother and son!" Shinsuke said.

"No..." Wondeba interjected. "It's possible."

"This Kinako is the one I brought through time jump from the year she was the same age as Fei. She is, without any doubt, Fei's mother."

"I thought so."

"I debated over who would fit the role of watching over Fei while I was in Feida. That's when I decided to ask his mother, Kinako."

The explanation that they got was that he travelled to the time period when his wife was still their age to watch over their son. Of course, that Kinako would be confused, but when she asked why he didn't just ask the 'her' who was already his wife, it almost took a depressing turn. Kinako herself didn't want to know, so after some thought, she agreed.

"So the reason Nanobana suddenly was a member of the soccer club is because Fei's father made an interruption modification." Shindou summed.

Out of everyone across all the timelines we've travelled through... I really should've tried to read Kinako's mind.

To be fair, since she was integrated with our timeline and all the people we know, there was no way to tell how different she really was from us...

Kinako nodded before addressing Fei again. "Your father wasn't okay with leaving you either. He was always worried about you. That's why he became Supporter X and came to me for help. You were never alone. Your father and mother were there watching over you."

"I see..." Fei looked down. "That's why Kinako knew so much about me..." When he looked up again, his frown deepened. "What's the point of telling me this now? I can't go back anymore. Everyone trusted me and I betrayed them! Even if I leave Feida now, I have nowhere else to go!"

"Fei..."

"You do, Fei!" Tenma said with a smile. "Your home is here."

"Here?"

"Of course! We're friends who played soccer with each other all this time! When you said you loved soccer, that definitely wasn't a lie. That's why you tried to protect soccer along with us, right? Your home is here. No matter what happens, this is your home!"

"Tenma..."

"Tenma is right." Shindou smiled, joining in. "We know how Fei was more serious than any of us about protecting soccer."

"Come back."

"Fei!"

"Fei!"

"Guys..."

Seeing his son finally return, Asurei turned to them. "Thank you, Tenma. Everyone."

The boy then began to walk away.

"Fei!" Tenma called. "We'll be waiting for you!"

He nodded.