On The Side Of The Pitch With You

For the Future

"Father."

Just as the word left Arbega's beak, another bird man landed in the field. He wore a more traditional-looking outfit compared to the team, and had wings for arms.

The newcomer turned to their team... Or specifically, Tenma, Shindou, and Ibuki. "That was splendid work, young fellows of Earth."

"Was it you who taught them their Souls?" Arbega questioned.

"I only gave them the opportunity."

"Is that how far you would go in your disapproval of mechanization... your disapproval of me?!"

"I am not disapproving of you. It is because I have acknowledged them. They seek progress by heading towards hope."

"Hope...?"

"If they continue to win, all planets of the galaxy will be saved."

"What do you mean?!"

Shindou nodded towards Tenma who then stepped up. "We know of a way to save the galaxy!"

"You're lying!" The other captain immediately accused. "I won't be fooled by the convenient stories of an Earthling!"

"We're not trying to fool you! It's true!"

Kimiko sweatdropped slightly. That is not how you convince someone, Tenma...

"I believe them." The father said.

"How are you able to do that?!" Arbega continued to ask. It was clear that he was still panicking from the stress of losing. "They're from a planet that's who-only-knows-where!"

"Because they believed my words."

"What?!"

?

"If they hadn't believed what I had said, they would have fallen straight into Rodan's trap."

Kimiko's mouth formed an O-shape in understanding. So he's the elder from the east, the one that Shindou was thinking about earlier.

"But they believed me. They believed the words of someone from a foreign planet whom they had just met."

"J-Just from that..." The son seemed to be running out of arguments.

"You said that you are searching for the red stone?" The elder asked to reconfirm. "We will grant it to you. Is that alright, Arbega?"

"You don't mean the crimson fire stone, do you?" Well, now he looked even more panicked. Kimiko honestly felt bad for him. He wasn't even given a second to calm himself. "You want me to give our family's treasure to them?!"

"Oh? You say that you have evolved, and yet you get upset over an old rock?"

"It's the treasure of all of us Gardonians! Isn't it only natural that it be protected?!"

"What's the point of grasping tightly to a single rock when our entire planet could be destroyed? What's more important is to keep living in Gardon. To protect the souls of all life that is there, don't you think?"

He wasn't able to answer.

"You ought to be able to do that." The elder smiled kindly. "It isn't a bad thing to put your faith in others sometimes."

~~~~~

Once Tenma had received the stone from the Gardonian captain, they left for space once again. Kamata made a call to Raimon so they could all catch up on each other, and Aoi dropped by her room to drag her out, but after some simple greetings (and eying Manuuba to not say or do anything careless), she headed back. Her excuse was just that the fatigue caught up with her late, so she wanted to sleep early. She even turned off her lights to avoid further suspicion.