Chapter 132: The Hat-Trick
"SHIDOU! SHIDOU!"
"ITOSHI SAE! ITOSHI SAE!"
"My god, that pink-haired kid is a freak of nature!"
The stadium was a physical wall of noise, a mix of thunderous applause and primal roars. In the commentary booth, Harutaro Natsuki was practically vibrating.
"Unbelievable... simply unbelievable," Natsuki stammered, his professional composure shredded. "A long-range bicycle kick to level the score. The entire momentum of this match has flipped since Shidou Ryusei stepped onto the pitch. Blue Lock is on the ropes. How do they even respond to something that defies the laws of physics?"
Atsuto Tereasa was equally stunned. "No one saw this coming. A complete unknown making this kind of impact alongside Itoshi Sae. They have a terrifying synchronicity."
Down on the field, Shidou didn't care about the stats or the commentary. He didn't even look at the crowd. He launched himself at Itoshi Sae, jumping onto the midfielder's back in a display of pure, chaotic energy.
"Sae! I've decided! You're officially the number two person I ever want to play with!"
Sae rolled his eyes and shrugged him off with a look of pure disgust. "Get off me. You're nauseating. And I told you—get a hat-trick before you touch me. Until then, stay in your lane."
Shidou hit the grass but didn't lose his grin. He just laughed, a manic, jagged sound. "Heh, fine. Then I guess I'll just have to score ten more!"
***
On the Blue Lock bench, Anri Teieri was at her breaking point.
"Ego-san, what's the plan? Shidou is in the Flow! He's playing at a level we didn't even see during the trials!" she whispered urgently. "If we don't adjust the defense now, they're going to run away with the game. Give them an instruction! Anything!"
Jinpachi Ego stood like a statue, his eyes fixed on Ryosuke Kira. He saw the way the captain was standing—calm, observant, and completely unfazed by the equalizer.
"I have no instructions," Ego replied, his voice a flat, cold monotone.
"What?!" Anri gaped at him. "Are you serious? We're going to lose everything!"
Ego adjusted his glasses, a faint, predatory glint in his eyes. "Look at the pitch, Anri. Look at our players. Do they look like they've lost their nerve?"
Anri turned her gaze back to the field. Kira had gathered the team into a tight circle at the center line. He was talking rapidly, gesturing toward the formation. The other players were leaning in, their faces tight with focus, nodding at every word he said.
'He's not waiting for me,' Ego thought with a secret, inward smile. 'He's taking it.'
"Look at that," Tereasa noted. "Blue Lock isn't panicking. Captain Kira is reorganizing his squad himself. Whatever he's saying, they're buying in completely."
Kira clapped his hands, the sound sharp as a gunshot. "Alright. We do it like we talked about. Move out!"
Beep!
The match restarted. Blue Lock had possession, but the formation was unrecognizable.
"Wait, look at this!" Tereasa shouted. "Kira has dropped back into the Attacking Midfield role. Itoshi Rin has pushed up to the lone striker position. They're swapping their core roles in the middle of a national match? Is that even legal?"
"It's a massive gamble," Natsuki added. "Kira has been a scoring machine all game. Moving him away from the goal seems like suicide. He can't possibly adapt to a playmaking role on the fly."
Sae's eyes narrowed as he watched Kira take up his new position. 'A tactical shift? Or is he just desperate?'
What they didn't know was that Kira had just whispered a command under his breath: "Use Itoshi Sae Attribute Trial Card."
[Itoshi Sae Trial Card activated successfully!]
[Passing +20 (Continuous decay)]
[Technique +18 (Continuous decay)]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
Suddenly, the pitch looked like a blueprint in Kira's mind. He felt Sae's cold, surgical vision mapping out every blade of grass, every passing lane, and every defensive weakness.
Kira, Hiori, and Isagi began a triangle passing sequence that was so fluid it looked scripted. They moved the ball with a terrifying efficiency, advancing the U-20 line step by step.
Kira felt the power of the card. He understood now why Sae was such a monster. This vision didn't just find the open man; it manufactured openings where none existed.
Sae was the catalyst for Shidou's evolution, pushing the demon to find his limit. Kira decided he would do the same for his own "diamonds."
Haru Hayate lunged in to break the sequence, but Kira didn't even look at him. He used a quick give-and-go with Isagi to bypass the defender, receiving the return ball as he reached the final third.
Kira's eyes shifted to the wing. 'Let's see what you're made of, Ship-Wrecker.'
He unleashed a massive, arching long ball toward Kenyu Yukimiya.
Yukimiya was stunned. 'He's calling my number? Now?'
The pass was difficult—too fast and with a strange, violent spin that made it nearly impossible to trap cleanly.
'Are you testing me, Kira?' Yukimiya's focus intensified. He could feel the pressure of Teppei Neru closing in.
"Not this time, four-eyes!" Neru shouted, his confidence high.
Yukimiya's world narrowed to the ball and his path. He shifted his weight to the left, then snapped it back to the right. He needed to be faster. He needed to be sharper.
Swoosh!
Neru's jaw dropped as Yukimiya exploded past him with a burst of speed he'd been holding in reserve. He reached the drop point and killed the ball with a touch that was purely instinctive.
'I can see it...'
Yukimiya felt the Flow. The goal, the defenders, the wind—everything was a variable he could control. He cut inside, leaving another defender in the dust as he entered his favorite shooting zone.
'This is what Kira wanted,' Yukimiya realized. 'He threw that difficult ball just to force me into this gear.'
Yukimiya wound up for a strike, facing down Niou and Miroku Darai. He didn't hesitate. He let fly with a signature gyro-shot, the ball spiraling toward the top corner.
It was a perfect strike.
But Oliver Aiku was already in the air.
With a roar of effort, the U-20 captain met the ball with his forehead, clearing it off the line even as he crashed into the turf.
"Unbelievable! Aiku saves the day again!" Tereasa screamed.
"LOOSE BALL!" Aiku yelled from the ground, his voice raw.
"Nice stop, Officer," a voice said.
Kira was already there. He had predicted the clearance the moment the ball left Yukimiya's foot. He stepped into the path of the rebound, his expression blank, his eyes cold.
"Yukimiya wasn't enough to break you? Then I guess the Captain has to finish the job."
Kira didn't wait for the ball to settle. He was at a sharp angle with no clear line to the goal, and three defenders were converging on him. To anyone else, it was a dead-end.
But Kira saw the lane Sae would have seen.
He struck the ball with a low, diving spin. It was an absolute worldie—a knuckleball that screamed over the defenders' heads before dipping violently into the net.
Gen Fukaku didn't even move. He just watched the net bulge.
3-2.
Silence fell over the stadium once more before the Blue Lock supporters erupted.
Ego, standing on the sidelines, finally let that crooked smile show.
Ryosuke Kira. The miracle-maker. The Hat-Trick King.
***
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The Hat-Trick King… hmm, how many legendary hat-trick machines come to mind? For me, the first name that comes to my mind is Robert Lewandowski.
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