The ball, already hurtling down from the wall at incredible speed, accelerated even more as Ryūma Banjō struck it with full power!
It blasted past the three human-shaped obstacles in an instant. Even the holographic defender barely managed to react and dive—
but it was too late. The ball was already in the back of the net!
GOAL!!
"Hmph, not bad at all~"
Ryūma Banjō smirked, teasing as he prepared for the next shot.
"Heh, even if you move in closer…"
He kicked the ball through the narrow gap between two obstacles, exploding forward in a burst of speed to chase it.
"You still can't stop this shot!"
[BOOM!]
GOAL!!
A few minutes later…
GOAL!!
The giant screen lit up:
『Goals: 100. Second Round Selection — Stage 1: Cleared!』
Ryūma Banjō stretched lazily and rolled his shoulders, muttering to himself.
"Not bad, this game. My touch is completely back."
"Alright, let's go. I should be the first one through, right?"
He walked toward the passage leading to the next stage. Seeing the glowing sign above, he thought with excitement:
(Finally, the exit. When Rin comes out, I'm definitely teasing him.)
(Ah~ being first feels kinda lonely though~)
By the time he finished thinking, the mechanical door opened, revealing the next room.
The moment Ryūma stepped inside, he froze awkwardly.
"Uh… hey, Rin."
Sure enough, Rin Itoshi was already there, seemingly just done reading the rules.
"Hmph. Took you long enough, idiot."
"Huh? I was just enjoying those holograms, so I stayed a bit longer."
"Unlike you. You don't know how to have fun."
"Ha! Says the guy whose shot accuracy probably made him finish late."
"...You looking for a fight?"
Before Ryūma could finish, the door opened again. In walked a tall, long-haired guy—nearly two meters tall, like a walking utility pole.
That was Ryūma's first impression of him: Jyubei Aryu, who had originally been the second to clear the stage!
But since Ryūma finished before him, he'd been pushed down to third place.
Aryu blinked in surprise at seeing two people already inside. With a flick of his hair, he grinned.
"You guys cleared it before me? That's pretty trendy!"
Ryūma rubbed his temples, fighting the urge to suplex this self-proclaimed trendsetter, and forced a polite smile.
"Uh, thanks. You're pretty stylish too."
Hearing that, Aryu strutted up to Ryūma and laughed loudly.
"Ha! You've got good taste, man! I'm the trendiest there is!"
Ryūma's mouth twitched. Before he could say anything, Rin Itoshi cut in sharply.
"Enough. I'm not wasting time here. You both saw the rules, right?"
"Form a team of three with me. I'll lead us to victory—I'm in a hurry to move on."
When Ryūma and Aryu had entered, they noticed the large screen displaying the rules:
『Form a team of three, then proceed through the door!』
Aryu was the first to respond, tilting his head arrogantly.
"Since you're first—and your face's got that cool vibe—'I'll' join your team. But don't think you'll be leading me to victory."
"Because I'll win in the trendiest way possible!"
Rin snorted, walking toward the passage to the next stage. But he noticed Ryūma standing still, clearly hesitant to accept.
"What are you waiting for? Brainless idiot?"
"Rin, I was just thinking…"
"I don't care to hear it. You're waiting for Yo Hiori, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Hmph. I know what's going through your head. You think Yo Hiori can't advance without you?"
"Deep down, you see him as some helpless weakling who can't win unless someone carries him, right?"
"I don't think that, Rin! I just… I'm worried…"
Ryūma wasn't lying. He feared that his presence in this world might've changed things—
that his being here might trigger a butterfly effect that could harm Yo Hiori somehow.
But Rin's words made something click inside him.
(Yeah… if Hiori always needs me to lead him, how can he ever grow stronger?)
(During the first round, he still hadn't fixed that bad habit…)
(He relied too much on passing. Even though he improved in the last match, it still wasn't enough.)
(Well, I believe in you, Hiori. You'll make it to the next round. I'll go on ahead!)
Ryūma smiled faintly, walked up, and slung his arm around Rin's shoulder.
"Can't you say something nicer when asking me to team up? Right now, you're basically begging me, y'know."
"Stop talking and move."
"Alright, alright~"
The three finally came to an agreement and formed their team!
As they stepped into the passage leading to the third stage, the giant screen lit up with their avatars:
Rin Itoshi × Ryūma Banjō × Jyubei Aryu
...
Stepping out of the passage, they saw a large number "3" painted on the ground.
"Well~ no one's here yet. Let's take a seat first."
Ryūma walked over and sat down on a bench.
Aryu nodded approvingly and sat beside him.
"That silver hair of yours is trendy. You're almost as cool as me."
"Oh, really? Thanks for the compliment."
"But don't get it twisted—I'm still the trendiest!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're the trendiest~"
Rin Itoshi sighed, clearly running out of patience.
"How much longer are we wasting time here?"
"Don't rush, Rin. You think everyone else is as fast as us? They're probably only just clearing the stage now."
"'I'm' getting a bit impatient too," Aryu added.
Just as Rin was about to respond, the sound of footsteps echoed through the passage.
"Oh-ho? Look, Rin—here come the new arrivals~"
Two figures entered the room side by side. One had black hair and blue eyes.
The other also had black hair, but with yellow tips.
The last one to step in was the tallest, with a head of pure white hair.
It was Yoichi Isagi, Meguru Bachira, and Seishiro Nagi!
Yoichi Isagi's eyes widened in shock when he saw Rin.
"Rin… Itoshi!"
At that moment, Jinpachi Ego's voice echoed from the large screen.
"Yo~yo! My precious diamonds in the rough!"
"Up next is the third stage of the second-round selection."
"It's a 3-on-3 team battle!"
"In this round, each trio will face off in a simulated match."
"The goalkeeper will be Blue Lock's AI. The first team to score five goals wins!"
"The winning team can then select one player from the losing side—steal them—and form a new four-player team."
Yoichi Isagi frowned.
"Steal… players?"
Meguru Bachira tilted his head curiously.
"Oh? Like in a game, right? You know, that one… what was it again… whatever!"
Bachira nodded enthusiastically toward Seishiro Nagi.
The two of them seemed completely unfazed—
still unaware of just how cruel this stage of Blue Lock truly was.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser