The sudden passing bullet comments made Tendou change his mind. He turned his head and looked directly at Itoshi Rin. The other had a look that said, I won't give up until you agree.
"Want me to handle this trouble for you, General?" Karasu Tabito walked over at this moment. He was quite interested in this No. 2, wanting to know how his level compared to Tendou's. At the same time, he could take the opportunity to gather intel on his opponent for future needs.
"No need." Tendou refused, saying in the lightest tone, "Compared to his brother, Itoshi Sae, he doesn't even count as trouble. At most, he's just a little kid who's just learned to walk."
'Awesome! The No. 2 is being called a little kid who's just learned to walk.'
'Tendou, if you say that, Isagi and Bachira are going to cry.'
'Is he really that confident? This wave is stable!'
'Damn, he's so good at posturing! I'm so jealous!'
The trolls started to provoke Isagi's fans again, making many viewers grit their teeth in anger. This was the current online environment. The "sand sculpture" netizens could always start a fight over the most inexplicable things. But compared to the fans of Messi/Ronaldo or LeBron/Kobe, this was nothing.
...
Itoshi Rin's expression became even colder, like ice that couldn't be melted.
"I will make you regret this, Tendou Kageyoshi."
He kicked the ball back to Tendou's feet, urging him to start quickly.
Tendou stepped on the kicked ball, looking at Rin indifferently.
"You really are a single-celled organism, wanting to learn about Itoshi Sae from me."
"With this time, why don't you think for yourself about what Sae meant by what he said to you?"
Think?
What is there to think about?
All Rin knew was that he had been betrayed by the big brother he admired the most. He had abandoned their brothers' dream, and even called him trash, telling him to get lost. That was all. What was there to think about?
Of course, that's what he thought, but Tendou's words had successfully ignited a tiny sliver of hope in Rin's heart. You have to know, in the later match against the U-20 team, when Sae took the initiative to talk to him, Rin's desire for praise was almost written on his face. The hatred he spoke of was never real.
"You really do know something. When I snatch you over, I will break your mouth open."
Another damn tsundere, and a male one at that!
Tendou was speechless. This kind of creature was practically a specialty product of the 2D world.
...
The match began.
Tendou and Rin stood face to face. The animation team was also very good at creating hype, inserting a scene at this moment. It was from nearly a month ago, the first time Tendou and Sae had met. The two of them were also like this, facing each other on the field.
'So Tendou has played against Itoshi Sae?'
'And the result? What was the result?'
'Want to see it! Love to see it! Hiyaku!'
'Itoshi Sae's title is New Generation World XI, right? If we use that as a benchmark, doesn't that mean Tendou also has the strength of a New Generation World XI player?'
The bullet comments scrolled rapidly, the viewers' discussion enthusiasm at an all-time high. Most of these viewers had seen Kuroko's Basketball and were comparing the New Generation World XI to the Generation of Miracles. Through this match, would they be able to get a glimpse of the strength of the New Generation World XI?
There was no answer to this question for now.
...
And on the field.
Tendou had already kicked the ball out and started to move. A one-on-one duel, nothing more to say. It was a contest of individual ability.
Itoshi Rin narrowed his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a knife, and went up to meet him. The two of them charged towards each other and soon made contact.
Tap tap tap tap
The moment the two of them got close, Tendou began to move his legs. A step frequency of 4.0 Hertz was enough to complete 4 touches on the ball in one second. The terrifying speed made Rin's perpetually emotionless face finally show a trace of astonishment. He couldn't even see clearly which foot the ball was at. He was forced to continuously retreat by Tendou.
"Even though you have the same surname, your strength is worlds apart." Tendou rotated his Six Eyes and fiercely poked the ball out.
Tap!
The sound of the ball and foot connecting was crisp. Then with a swoosh, Tendou cut the ball, created a bit of space, and then shot out like a shooting star.
And Itoshi Rin.
At this moment, all he saw was the time-lag illusion created by Tendou. By the time the illusion disappeared, Tendou's figure had already rushed behind him.
It was too late when Rin reacted. He turned around only to see Tendou swing his right foot and fiercely kick the ball into the net.
Thud!
The ball is in.
The whole process didn't even exceed 5 seconds. Tendou had completed the dribble and the goal in two steps.
"This speed... this step frequency... this dribble... this guy is really a center forward?"
The few people on the sidelines muttered to themselves. Aryu Jubei said, "That goal was... trendy!"
Trendy! It didn't mean fashionable. It was Aryu's exclusive adjective to describe every wonderful moment. Including but not limited to: goals, saves, dribbles, defense, and so on. Anything that could excite him was "trendy"!
...
Itoshi Rin?
His expression had become extremely ugly. His fists were clenched so tightly that he didn't even realize his nails were digging into his flesh; the sensation was washed away by his anger. This feeling was just like that night.
At this moment, a flashback was immediately inserted.
Itoshi Rin was doing extra practice on the field alone. The sky had already darkened, and it was quiet all around. Only the mottled lights illuminated the field for him to practice. This scene was proof of his hard work. The bullet comments instantly decreased. The audience quieted down, watching with rapt attention.
Then they saw Itoshi Sae appear, accompanied by the snow falling from the sky. He said, "That shot trajectory just now was too naive."
"Heh..."
Rin whipped his head around. Seeing that it was his older brother, he was overjoyed. The calm expression on his face melted like winter snow, and he couldn't suppress his smile at all.
"I often see you in the news. You're playing for the Real youth team, and you're even scoring goals. You're amazing."
This was an Itoshi Rin the audience had never seen before. Compared to the current him, he was like two different people. His admiration for his older brother was fully revealed through this single expression.
But then, Itoshi Sae told him that there were people in the world even more amazing than himself, and...
"I've changed my dream. I'm going to become the world's number one midfielder."
Hearing this, Rin quickly corrected him, "It's striker! If it's a midfielder, even if you become the world's number one, what's the point..."
"So annoying. Only a guy who hasn't seen the world-class level would say something like that," Sae interrupted him.
"What are you talking about? Didn't you say we would conquer the world together? And that I had to be strong enough to be second only to you."
"That's right. So I'll be the midfielder, and you'll be the striker. We'll work hard to become the world's number one..."
These words were actually not hard to understand. Sae's meaning was that he would switch to midfield to support Rin, and the two brothers would fight side-by-side to become the strongest combination.
Who would have known that Rin would interrupt him in return. He said angrily, "I am the younger brother of the world's number one striker! You've only been back this one time after so long, and it's to say something so lame to me?"
Hearing this, Sae's expression instantly changed.
The audience watching this also opened their mouths wide.
'Um… Itoshi Rin, is his brain a bit rigid?'
'No kidding. Didn't you see Tendou's comment? He's basically a single-celled organism!'
'Sae's meaning should be that he'll play midfield and then support Rin with passes, right?'
'Of course! I guess Sae saw the limits of his own talent and realized he couldn't become the number one as a striker, so he wanted to switch to midfield to support Rin. He's a genius in Japan, but in Europe, Sae might just be a local specialty.'
'He doesn't even understand such a simple thing. How did Rin's language teacher teach him?'
'Don't say that. Rin is obviously just overly idolizing his older brother. He says things like "I am the younger brother of the world's number one striker."'
...
In front of the screen, Itoshi Sae's expression had also completely turned cold. He made a move for the first time, to personally shatter his younger brother's so-called talent.
The result was self-evident. Itoshi Rin was instantly killed.
Then, the scene returned to Blue Lock. Rin was gritting his teeth, staring deadly at Tendou.
'The visual language of this scene is very obvious, right? Tendou is a genius on the same level as Itoshi Sae!'
'You can be even bolder. Tendou is younger than Sae, and he hasn't even played abroad yet!'
'So that's the reason for Rin's anger. Just like against his older brother, he was completely blown out by Tendou.'
...
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