Ryūma Banjō stared at the two figures on the giant screen, shock flickering through his mind.
(Huh? Aren't those Tabito Karasu and Eita Otoya?)
(Damn—so they're the core of Team X? Now this is getting interesting.)
(Back in Blue Lock, one ranked third and the other fourth.)
(Nice! Finally, real opponents. Fighting Team Y was suffocating.)
Yo Hiori pointed at the screen and began his explanation.
"That's them. Actually, I know one of them personally, so I'll introduce him first."
"He's called 'The Assassin'—Tabito Karasu. We used to play on the same youth team in Kansai, so I know him pretty well."
"He specializes in Analytical Ability. He locks onto the weakest link in the opposing team…"
"…and relentlessly attacks that player until the match ends. That's Karasu's style."
"My only advice: don't get dragged down by how he targets your weaknesses. Fight back with your strengths."
Hiori's gaze swept over everyone in Team V except Ryūma and Rin. He sighed.
"I don't worry about those two at all—Karasu won't pick them as weak links. But the rest of you are in danger. Let me give you an example."
"In the ninth match, Team X faced Team Y—the same Team Y that gave us a real fight."
"Result? Team X beat them 10–2."
Gasps spread across the room. Hiori continued firmly.
"That score doesn't mean Team X is much stronger than us. It's because Karasu figured out Team Y's core around the 20-minute mark."
"Team Y's strength lay in Kudo Tōya 's flawless organization. But their weakness… was also Kudo Tōya ."
"From the start, Karasu had already sensed Kudo was the core. Just like me, he must've studied Team Y's replays over and over. But his analysis was sharper."
"Those two early goals Team Y scored? Karasu let them happen to test his hypothesis. And the result proved him right."
"After the 20th minute, Team Y never scored again. With Karasu targeting Kudo, he couldn't even issue instructions anymore."
"The proof is clear—watching the replay, you can see that after 20 minutes, Team Y's players had no plan at all. Offense and defense were pure chaos. Everyone just did their own thing."
Hiori sighed again and shot a glance at Ryūma and Rin.
"So… if you two geniuses would actually sit down and watch these replays, our last match wouldn't have been nearly so tight."
Ryūma stretched with a grin.
"Aw, come on, Hiori, just say it—we won, right?"
"And honestly, Kudo and his team were boring. They never faced Rin or me head-on."
"Hiding in the shadows, relying on ten-man teamwork to stall us—that only works for 45 minutes."
"If there'd been a second half, Rin would've cracked them by the 40th minute."
"Sure, his last shot got blocked by Kudo's sudden awakening… but what then? What was he gonna do after Rin updated his analysis? Awaken twice?"
"As for me, I wouldn't even need until the 90th minute. By the 80th, with their stamina, none of them could've kept up with my speed."
"Heh. A victory that requires endless Passing and giving up your own shots? Forget it—I don't need that kind of win."
Unusually, Rin Itoshi cut in.
"You idiot. You actually make sense for once. What the hell's wrong with you the rest of the time?"
"Hah?! Rin, you brat. I was complimenting you, and you throw shade at me?"
"I can't take this anymore! I swear, I'll kick you into the wall so hard you'll be stuck there!"
"Heh. You?"
"Me! I'll show you today why the flowers are red!"
"Ahem! Enough! Focus on the important stuff!" Hiori snapped.
Watching the two finally stop bickering, Hiori rolled his eyes internally.
(Feels like they can't enjoy a single meal without fighting first.
…Wait, Rin's acting like this now too? Is Ryūma rubbing off on him?
Could this actually mean their bond's improving in its own weird way?)
Shaking the thought off, Hiori pointed to the other figure on the big screen.
"The second offensive core: 'The Ninja,' Eita Otoya. And yes—he really is descended from ninjas."
Ryūma's imagination went wild.
(Huh? Don't tell me he's from that certain ninja village? Next match, what if he starts weaving hand signs mid-game and pulls out Ninja Stealth Walk? Then what the hell am I supposed to do?)
(Still, I should ask him later… maybe he really does know ninjutsu or something.)
While Ryūma was lost in fantasy, Hiori continued.
"His abilities are actually similar to Ryūma's—elite Off-The-Ball Movement, incredible agility, and speed dribbling."
"But unlike Ryūma, he isn't aggressive. If you're not paying attention, he'll appear in places you never expect."
"I watched all three of their match replays yesterday and thought hard about it, but I couldn't find any clear tactic to counter them."
"The only real option is making sure Karasu can't lock onto our team's weaknesses."
"No matter how sharp Karasu is, his analysis isn't above yours, Rin."
"And no matter how fast Otoya is, he's not outrunning you, Ryūma."
"We've got two offensive cores just as strong—so my plan is simple: king versus king, general versus general."
"Ryūma, Rin—you two take on their cores. Leave the rest of Team X to us."
Team V members quickly rallied.
"Partners—we're counting on you to take down their best. We'll make sure no one else gets in your way!"
"Yeah, Ryū! Us three brothers learned our lesson last time. Our triangle formation won't fall apart again!"
"We'll give it everything to block their shots!"
"Though we might not be able to stop them all—you know our limits, Ryūma."
Ryūma looked at his defenders, guilt written across their faces. He gave a wry smile.
"Relax, guys. Do you think I care about that? I said it back in the very first match—"
"We'll carry you to victory! So drop that weight off your shoulders."
"What? You don't trust Rin… and you don't trust me, your big bro Ryū?"
"Of course we trust you!" the defenders answered at once.
Satisfied, Ryūma nodded. But just as he was about to speak again, Rin's icy voice cut through the room.
"Hey, Ryūma Banjō."
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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