In the next round, Tenma and Ozrock were constantly on each other's heels after the ball. However, unlike previous times, Tenma was taking the lead.

Until he was tackled.

The ball went out of the field, but the brunette fell hard on his back. When Shindou and the others saw he wasn't moving, they rushed towards him, Aoi close behind with a medical kit.

"Tenma? Tenma!" She continued to call out to him, not too soft and not too loud, just enough for him to hear and not hurt.

Slowly, his eyes began to open.

"Tenma, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." He got up almost immediately, showing that he really was fine.

Doesn't seem like there's a concussion either. Passed out because the air got knocked out of him, I guess. Only then did Shindou let himself sigh out in relief.

After Aoi made absolutely sure he was fine, he got up with a look that held even more determination than he has ever seen. "I'm alright, so let's go, everyone!"

Standing tall, just as a captain should.

Shindou couldn't help a proud smile, but it disappeared as soon as he saw Matatagi's sour expression. He hasn't been able to get a read on him at all since they got to this planet.

In the next round, Tenma was once again the center of the attack. He passed to Sakura, who got the ball to Matatagi. The latter called out his Soul, but it was stopped by the keeper's.

"Guys! We still have a chance! Brace yourselves!"

"Yeah!"

"Matatagi! We'll make it in the next one!"

"I know that."

Seriously, just what is wrong― His thoughts were cut off by the whistle.

The game was in session again. Tetsukado managed to intercept the keeper's pass and sent it over to Minaho. However, when he passed to Kohona, she was knocked over and the ball was stolen from her. Tenma fell back and tackled the opponent, sending the ball out of the line.

In the next round, Tenma came face to face with Ozrock again. He couldn't pass with both forwards being marked, so Kusaka had advanced instead. However, his Kyoubou Head was stopped with a catch.

It's not looking good. The enemy knows only Tsurugi and Matatagi have the strength and speed to score, and they're constantly keeping them marked. His eyes went to the rest of the field. As if to make the situation worse, all the others were reaching their limits. Tenma's doing his best to keep their spirits up, but...

"You have no hope." Ozrock suddenly declared. "Through your skin, you will learn this!"

He got through Tenma, so Shindou went to face him next. However, even with the other midfielder's support, they weren't able to stop him. He charged past the defense just as easily and called out his Soul to go against Ibuki...

"Gekirin Dunk!"

... And it went in.

After checking up on him, Tenma turned back to the field, his voice still full of hope. "Guys! We still have plenty of time! We can turn that one-point difference around real soon! Don't give up! That's what we've always done, isn't it? We can do this! We can! It's what we've always done! We can do it again!"

The doubts in their expressions faded, slowly, but surely.

"Alright, everyone! Let's rally!"

"Yeah!"

As everyone got back to their spots, Shindou noticed a certain forward lagging behind. "Matatagi, get into position."

He didn't seem to even acknowledge him, so he was a little surprised to see him start walking. But suddenly, he stopped after only a couple of steps.

"MATSUKAZE TENMA!!!"

That call definitely rang throughout the stadium.

"I'm sick of you acting like a captain all the time!"

"Huh?"

Wha...?!

"Your kind words make me want to barf! It's you that I want to see! You, Matsukaze Tenma! Show me an awesome play! Pull everyone forward with your plays! Matsukaze Tenma! A wind like you becoming a storm, a tornado, a hurricane... Show that to me!"

Safe to say, that stunned the entire team.

The next words that came were from the brunette himself.

"I see... Matatagi, switch your position with me for this round."

An almost evil smirk donned his face when he heard them. "It's all yours."

~~~~~

"Whoa?! Matsukaze is in the center circle? Will this change the rhythm of their offense?!"

Tsurugi stood beside the brunette, his eyes facing straight ahead, but his mind swirling. He knew he was the one that pushed Matatagi to say what he did, but he didn't think it would be about that. But he supposed he agreed.

The kickoff whistle came and the ball was passed to him. He returned it just before the enemy could steal it. Tenma charged ahead with all his might and glory, making passes only to avoid those he couldn't. He stayed on his tail alongside Matatagi, who was probably having fun for the first time since this match started.

He finally understood why.

Tenma's specialty had always been dribbling. And yet, he had been holding himself back to make sure those new to the sport could keep up with him, which was precisely what a good captain would do. But in a match like this?

...

They can't win like that.

The brunette continued to advance, with only him, Shindou, and Matatagi able to keep up. And yet, no matter how slow they may be, Tenma's spirit's were higher than ever.

"Guys, what's wrong? Follow me! Follow my soccer!"

Ishigashi called out his Soul, but Tenma's horse suddenly sprouted wings and flew high above him.

"A pegasus?!"

"His Soul evolved?!"

Just like his keshin...

When he landed back on his feet, Ozrock was in front of the goal, ready to stop him.

"Arashi, Tatsumaki, Hurricane!"

Wind gathered around the ball, and as he kicked it, it got even stronger. The power felt similar to, if not stronger than, even Zanark's Great Max na Ore. A true typhoon.

Ozrock called out his Soul, but even he couldn't stop it.

The score was once again tied, 7-7.

"You sure showed me your soccer!"

"Yeah!"

As Tenma and Matatagi high fived, he approached Shindou, who had a wry smile on his face. "It's been a long time since I last saw him dribble like that."

"At some point, without realizing it, Tenma being the captain went without saying. But, by being our captain, we were limiting his soccer..." The senior let out a small chuckle. "We need to get ourselves to keep up with his dribbling."

"Mmhm."

"Guys!" Tenma called out to them all, eyes shining brighter than ever. "This is soccer! Our soccer! Let's play soccer!"

"Yeah!"

~~~~~

In the last minute of the game, the captain led his team to form one giant attack.

He stood at the center of the field with Tsurugi and Shindou by his side. The remaining eight surrounded them, all of them emitting a bright blue light akin to their Souls. The light converged at the center as the first three shot up into space, the ball engulfed in the energy.

"The Earth Infinity!"

Ozrock was in front of the goal once more, aiming to stop it with his Soul. As they clashed, the stadium could only shield their eyes from the brightness. Upon opening them again...

"GOAL!!!" Whistles came. "And the great game ends here! The ultimate shot that can break through Souls brings victory to Galaxy Eleven! This fierce fight ends here! The match to decide the fate of the galaxy ends at 8-7, with victory to Galaxy Eleven!"

"We did it! We're the best in the universe!"

"The best... We really, really are the best!"

As everyone on the field...

"Ah... My reason for being born was right here! I feel as if I could ascend to the heavens."

"Don't die here though. Hehe!"

And the sidelines all celebrated their victory, a group of soldiers led by the queen's aide entered the field, surrounding Ixal Fleet with their arms.

"Ozrock. You will be taken to court as an S-rank criminal. I doubt that you will be able to escape the death penalty."

Ozrock, who was sitting on his knees, scoffed at them. "Just a little further and the galaxy would have been in my grasp..."

"It was." Both teams were surprised to find Tenma walking towards him, meeting his eye level. "Both you and us... We all grabbed the future. From here on, all of us can start over."

"Start over? We have lost everything. Everything was taken from us and we swore revenge. What would you, who was raised comfortably on a peaceful planet, know about that?!"

"You're right. I don't know. But what would vengeance achieve? All it does is chain you to the past. It doesn't change anything. You have to move on."

"I cannot. Revenge was what gave our lives meaning!"

"No matter what the reason, your criminal acts must be brought to justice." The queen's aide raised his hand as a signal.

But before the brunette could stop him, another voice chimed into the conversation.

"Wait!"

"Queen Lalaya..."

"Minel."

"Yes!"

"What are we, then, to do about the criminal acts of Faram Orbius?"

"... Y-Yes?"

"Faram Orbius attacked and destroyed Ozrock's planet. How do we serve justice for that crime?"

"But that... was in the past..."

"That's right! It's in the past. Both that, and this. So... Let's call it even."

"Wha...?!"

As if to make matters even more surprising, the queen sat on the ground to address Ixal Fleet's leader directly. "Ozrock. I am very sorry. I am unsure of what I could say to apologize for the actions of my ancestors... But won't you forget about the past and walk with the rest of us towards the future? This Faram Orbius is a big country. It takes a lot of work to govern such a big country. Ozrock, I need your help as well!"

"W-Wh... Don't be foolish..."

"Ozrock." Tenma had his usual smile as he held a hand out to him. "Come on, let's go. To the future!"

The stadium resounded with a standing ovation. Ixal Fleet's crimes were heavy, they will not escape punishment. But with the queen's forgiveness and Galaxy Eleven's voices, they were guaranteed a future.

Just as the rest of the galaxy was.

After they had been escorted, they watched as Potomuri walked to the center of the field, holding out a pendant that was glowing. The inner circle disappeared to give way for a large machine that held the four stones that Earth eleven had collected throughout their journey. As he took control of the panels, the machine activated and the large lyre-like contraption built around the stadium lit up, playing a beautiful sound.

A strange-looking ball suddenly appeared above the machine.

"What is that?"

"That is the Life Energy absorption device. This will be fired into the black hole after it absorbs the Life Energy that is charged around the lyre."

"It looks like a soccer ball."

"Yeah."

"Tenma, make a shot with this device."

And just like that, and with extra encouragement from his surroundings, the captain got ready to shoot.

"I'll make it in! The best shoot you'll ever see!"

The timing was perfect. The kick strength was perfect. And even the absorption device itself was perfect.

However, too much Life Energy had accumulated in the lyre, and it couldn't handle the amount stored up in the device. Just as it reached the top, it began to fall. Rallying one last time, Galaxy Eleven gathered and kicked it together, sending it into space.

And in 3...

2...

1...

A light as bright as a supernova appeared in the center of the black hole before it all disappeared. The sky was no longer a reminder of impending doom, just an endless stretch of bright purple with fluffy white clouds.

"It worked. The disintegration of the black hole is complete."

And once again, a standing ovation from the entire planet.

~~~~~

Ichikawa didn't say a word as he watched Tsurugi slip away from the crowd and into the tunnels, perhaps to see the queen.

He didn't say a word as Potomuri and Katora said their goodbyes before the former disappeared, leaving Mizukawa's body behind.

He didn't say a word as Queen Lalaya invited all of Galaxy Eleven to the castle for a victory celebration, with members including those from other planets eagerly awaiting it.

He felt a number of emotions coursing through him all at once, rendering him unable to express a single one. The joy of victory, the relief of the black hole erased, and...

"Kusaka-san."

"Y-Yeah?" The brunette turned around slowly, making sure to not wake Mizukawa, who's sleeping form he was tasked to carry on his back. "What is it, Junior?"

"I've been wondering since before, but where is Kimiko-san?"

The entire Earth team froze in the middle of the hallway, earning worried glances from the rest.

"She's... Um... Uh..." Kusaka's head hung low, his lips zipping shut.

"She should be back soon." Shindou spoke up, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Kimiko is... Ah! I remember!" Arbega suddenly exclaimed. "Gouenji Kimiko! The one that destroyed our field during the match with her hissatsu shoot!"

"I watched that match. I was surprised to find out she's a player." Kazelma added. "And a very strong one at that."

"Yeah?" Hilary turned to them with a strange look. "Then, why didn't she join the fight this time? If she's as strong as you say, she could've helped."

"It's a long... story..." Tsurugi tried to wave the matter off for another time, only for a familiar face to round the corner and appear before them.

"Hm? Has everyone packed up already? That was fast." Bright purple eyes blinked at them. "Well, that's good. And Kusaka, I thought I told you that I'll carry Mizukawa-san? I need to head back to the train first anyway, so―"

Tsurugi was the first to tackle her, of course.

Next were Aoi, Tenma, and Shinsuke. Then, Sakura and Konoha, and him. The rest of the team stood around them with relieved smiles or tears in their eyes or, in the other aliens' case, looks of confusion.

One by one, they peeled off of her surprised state like an onion. Only Tsurugi remained, his hold seeming to get tighter as the seconds went by.

"K-Kyou, I can't breathe...!"

"Then, suffocate, dumbass!"

"W-What the fuck did I even do?!"

That was when he finally let go, but he kept his hands firm on her shoulders. "The fuck do you mean 'what'?! You nearly got erased from existence! And you didn't tell anybody until it started happening!"

"Wha...? What are you talking about? I've been here the whole time! I literally just left for the toilet after you guys erased the black hole!"

...?

"Mismatched memories?" Minaho theorized out loud.

"Oh, this is exactly like what happened to the soccer club back then!" Aoi said.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Shinsuke nodded. "And then Kimiko was the one to make all our memories match with Tenma's!"

"Stop with the timeline bullshit. Please. I'm begging you, stop with the timeline bullshit." Ibuki repeated his words like it was a magic spell... One that ultimately didn't work.

"Timeline what...?" And now, all their alien friends, aside those who were present for the girl's disappearance the day before, were all confused as well.

Kimiko blinked. "Wait... A distortion happened? During the match against Ozrock?"

"Distortion?"

"That's what we started calling this sort of thing ever since the whole Chrono Stone incident. Every once in a while, due to circumstances and tricky events, the future would get distorted― hence the name― but ultimately, it fixes itself. It didn't used to be this way, but let's just say that the whole war we had with El Dorado back then left us with some consequences. It's fine though, since nothing ever actually gets erased permanently."

"... WHAT?!"

"Yeah. I mean, who knows? We might be distorting right now because of some other weird, end-of-the-world crap that happened in the past, but none of us are aware of it because we're the ones living in the future of that event. The only reason you're aware of a distortion happening in your present is because I was here. Or uh... I guess, because I wasn't here."

"Wait, wait, wait..." Tetsukado held his hands up to stop her explanation from going further. "So that means... That... Okay, I give up, what the hell does all that mean?"

"It means that, because Kimiko has been with us from the start of our journey, there was never any real danger of her disappearing from existence." Manabe stated. "Just her being here was already an indication that the galaxy would've been saved."

"I made a whole show about it when it happened, didn't I?" She smiled sheepishly. "Well, I can't really speak for that version of me since, to the me that's here right now, that never happened, but... If her... Or, I guess, my disappearance pressured you all even more into winning, then I guess that's a good thing. Distortions happen because of uncertainties. Once the uncertain becomes certain, everything returns to as they should be."

"So that's why you said that, no matter what happens, as long as we win this match, you're guaranteed to live." Minaho pointed out.

"Yeah! I think... I don't know. Again, whatever I said to you guys to cause, uh... this whole reaction... never happened in my perspective― Whoa!"

In one swift motion, Tsurugi had her form over his shoulder. Then, his pace sped up, heading for the outside of the stadium.

"Wha― Kyou! Put me down!"

"No."

"Where are you even taking me?!"

"The nearest dumpster."

"Wh― Why?!"

"Because that's where you belong, you shitty piece of trash!"

"It's not my fault that other-me decided to be a dramatic bitch!"

"Are you even hearing yourself right now?!"

The rest of them had wry smiles on their faces as they tried their best to explain as much as they could to their alien friends, who were, understandably, beyond puzzled. Those from Raimon, along with Minaho and Manabe, were especially questioned by all the rest.

And amidst it all, Ichikawa found himself lagging behind, smiling silently as he watched his favorite person get whisked away by hers.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Galaxy Arc is officially over! This one was definitely my favorite of the three, as it's of my favorite season. I think you can tell that my writing style kind of changed too after Chrono Stone, and rather than putting in a general perspective, I've started getting used to writing in a character's perspective instead, which I'm personally liking a lot more.

"But wait! Where's the afterparty scene? What about Kyousuke and Kimiko's relationship? What of all the loose ends that have yet to be tied?" You may be asking.

Fear not, as this story still isn't over yet! I have more chapters ready for an 'Aftermath Arc' that will last quite a few chapters! It's going to have less soccer unfortunately, but it's because we've got a lot of lore to explore.

"And what of the SIDE stories?" I hear.

Not to worry, because the next three chapters will have them! I am curious though, what do you all think about the Intervals and SIDE stories? Which is your favorite so far and why? (I'll ask this question again when all 3 of the SIDE Galaxy chapters have been posted, so it's up to you if you want to answer here and now or later)

Anyways, that's all from me for today! See you next week for the SIDE Galaxy chapters, and I hope you enjoy reading them :D