"After all, I've been improving in the Blue Lock training room."
As Meguru Bachira spoke, Yoichi Isagi shouted from his right,
"Nice one, Bachira!"
"Next up is Rin. Let's go, Isagi!"
"Yeah!"
Responding to Bachira, Isagi felt a rush of excitement.
(Come on, Bachira—let's hit them with a one-two!)
"But~ this one's a feint!"
"Nagi!"
With that, Bachira passed to Seishiro Nagi just outside the penalty area. Rin Itoshi stood motionless, watching the White Team's play with cold detachment.
"Hey, Nagi—you seriously haven't been playing soccer for more than two months?"
Nagi ignored Ryūma behind him. As the ball reached his feet, he calmly passed it back.
"This distance, this timing—it's your zone, Isagi."
Just as Nagi said, Isagi was already in position to receive it, setting up for a shot.
"Nice one, Nagi!"
His body flared with green light, emerald flames flickering in his eyes as he thought,
(The pass was light… I need to focus and go for a long-range shot!)
(Don't overdo it… my new Direct Shot!)
[BOOM!]
Just as Isagi was sure it would go in, a figure wrapped in purple flames leapt up and blocked it with his chest.
"Yo! Did you guys really forget I existed?"
Isagi stared, stunned.
(What insane acceleration! He was behind Nagi just a second ago!)
(And those reflexes… our combo happened in an instant, yet he still reacted!)
(No way… I adjusted the angle perfectly. Even if he saw it coming, he shouldn't have made it in time!)
(But this guy's monstrous physique let him forcefully block it anyway…)
(No doubt—he's a monster on Nagi's level!)
Landing, Ryūma grinned at the three White Team players.
"Name's Ryūma Banjō!"
"No clue what Rin's standing there showing off for, but I think it's about time you see the gap between us!"
He stepped over the ball with his right foot, leaned slightly forward, and drew back his left leg.
"Ever seen a bullet being fired?"
The White Team trio didn't understand what he meant—until a second later, they did.
Because as soon as he said it, Ryūma exploded forward like a bullet.
Too fast! That thought hit all three at once.
Isagi was the first to react, shouting as he ran back,
"Block him, Bachira!"
"Got it! Don't even think about getting past me, you silver bullet!"
Meguru Bachira, the last man up front, became their final line of defense.
"Nice nickname, little bee. But you'd better just stay put!"
Purple light flashed in Ryūma's eyes as he accelerated again, cutting toward Bachira's right side.
Bachira moved to intercept—
but Ryūma suddenly kicked the ball to the left while sprinting full speed to the right.
"Huh? A split dribble?!"
Bachira spun to block his path, but he completely underestimated Ryūma's physical strength.
Trying to body him off the ball only made Bachira stumble, nearly crashing to the turf.
By the time he looked up, Ryūma was already in front of the ball—and launched his shot.
[BANG!!]
GOAL!! Red Team 1 – 0 White Team
No one in Blue Lock could've stopped that.
Ryūma had used nearly the entire field as his run-up.
Even on a smaller 3v3 pitch, the power behind it was monstrous.
And since Isagi and Nagi hadn't had time to fall back, that goal was unstoppable.
If he'd missed, Jinpachi Ego wouldn't even need to eliminate him—he'd have walked out on his own.
"Sorry, Isagi… that guy's a total monster. He doesn't even look that strong."
"But when I went up against him just now, the impact nearly knocked me out."
"Yeah, Bachira—and his acceleration's insane!"
"On a small field like this, even Chigiri might not be able to keep up with him."
"His burst speed's even faster than that idiot Zantetsu's."
"Bachira, Nagi—whatever happens, don't let him get the ball again, or we're done for."
"Got it."
On the other side, Jyubei Aryu looked at Ryūma with admiration.
"That shot just now? Totally trendy!"
"Ugh, can you go three sentences without saying 'trendy'?" Rin sighed impatiently.
"So boring. What a waste of time. How can you smile playing against a bunch of nobodies? Brainless idiot."
"Hah? Looked to me like you were enjoying showing off earlier, kid."
"And just because they're weak now doesn't mean they'll stay that way. They're not like the ants we faced before."
Ryūma smirked at the White Team trio, thinking,
(Just wait till the 4v4. You'll be shocked by what Isagi can do.)
"Hmph. Whatever."
Rin, completely uninterested, just waited for the next kickoff.
White Team ball. Isagi takes the kickoff!
As soon as play resumed, Isagi passed to Bachira on the left side, and the whole team surged forward together.
Watching Ryūma, Isagi kept thinking,
(No matter how strong Ryūma is, as long as we keep the ball away from him, we're fine. This is a 3v3 team match.)
(If our coordination's tight enough, he won't have the chance to unleash that terrifying dribbling power!)
Bachira rushed toward the Red Team's box, smiling at Rin.
"Rin? I'm not letting you touch the ball, you know~"
He sent a crisp pass to Nagi on the right side of the box.
"Perfect power—nice pass, Bachira!"
But just as Nagi jumped for it, Jyubei Aryu's tall frame leapt in front of him, cutting it off midair.
"So tall!"
"Damn, he read us!"
Isagi and Bachira stared in disbelief at the soaring figure.
"'I' descend!" Aryu declared.
"Your touch may be cool—but without the ball, you can't shine."
Nagi looked at the long-haired Aryu before him, slightly surprised.
"What insane jumping power… and I'm over 190 cm myself."
Landing, Aryu passed to Ryūma and shouted,
"Ryūma, get it in front of the goal!"
Catching the ball, Ryūma laughed.
"Pass it? Guess you don't really know me yet, fashion boy."
"Heh, don't bother me, little bee!"
He pulled the ball back with his right foot, perfectly dodging Bachira's slide tackle, then exploded forward toward the White Team.
This time, Isagi and Nagi's attack hadn't gone too deep, and Bachira's tackle had bought them time—so both had managed to fall back, locking onto the charging Ryūma.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser