The bus rumbled down the long highway toward Blue Lock.
Ryan Hoshino leaned his head against the window, watching trees blur past. Birds in the sky vanished behind them as the bus sped on.
For the first time, he truly felt it this wasn't high school soccer anymore.
He was leaving that childish league behind.
From here on out, it was war.
A battlefield where only the strongest would survive.
After a while, the scenery got dull, and Ryan closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was standing in that familiar, dreamlike place what he called The Gates of Miracles.
The ground beneath his feet shimmered like liquid glass water stretching endlessly in all directions.
Five giant doors surrounded him.
Now, three of them stood open:
The purple door, representing Murasakibara Atsushi's monstrous strength.
The blue door, the speed of Aomine Daiki.
And a new one green, glowing faintly the precision of Midorima Shintarō.
Why had only one more opened in over ten years?
Simple.
If unlocking them were easy, they wouldn't belong to the Generation of Miracles.
Ryan had dominated high school soccer with ease no challenge, no pressure.
He needed something stronger a place to truly push himself to the limit.
That's why he chose Blue Lock.
If even that couldn't awaken his potential, he'd move on to Europe's top five leagues.
He stood before the yellow door, representing Kise Ryōta.
Planting both hands on it, he pushed with everything he had.
It trembled but didn't open.
Still, Ryan could feel it.
He was close.
He just needed one spark one moment of pure inspiration to gain Kise's ability: that supernatural sense for the ball, the power to mimic any play.
When Ryan opened his eyes again, the bus had arrived.
He handed over his phone and other electronics, then received his Blue Lock uniform tight black fabric with a bold white number: Z255.
"Z team, huh?" he muttered. "Guess I'll get to mess with the puzzle-boy himself."
He pushed open the door marked with a big Z.
Inside, a few players were already there.
He recognized some the graceful "princess"Hyōma Chigiri, and the laid-back Meguru Bachira, sprawled on the floor fast asleep.
The rest were mostly unfamiliar faces.
"Ya~hallo, minna-san~!" Ryan called cheerfully.
Everyone turned to look at him.
After a moment, a tall, narrow-eyed man stepped forward with a polite smile.
"Ah, hello, Hoshino-kun."
"Eh? You know me? Guess I really am born to be a superstar," Ryan said with a laugh.
"It's hard not to know you. You led your team to the national title last year. And that speech you gave during the selection? Even I got fired up."
"Heh, you've got a silver tongue, huh, squinty eyes? I like you. Stick with me I've got your back."
"Ah, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself I'm Wataru Kuon."
They chatted for a while as Ryan made his rounds, greeting everyone except for Chigiri, who stayed cold and distant, and Bachira, who kept napping.
When the last player Yoichi Isagi entered the room, Ryan's eyes flicked toward the familiar face of Ryōsuke Kira, the same guy he'd roasted earlier.
Moments later, the screen overhead flickered to life.
Jinpachi Ego's bowl-cut appeared.
"Alright, my little gems," Ego began, his grin unnerving.
"The players in your room are both your roommates and your rivals. Using my own personal bias, I've quantified your abilities and ranked you. The number on your uniform is your current rank among 300."
"Your rank will rise or fall depending on your training results. The top five will earn the right to join Japan's U-20 team and compete in the international tournament six months from now."
Gasps echoed through the room.
"By the way," Ego added with a smirk, "lose here, and you'll never be eligible for the national team again. Ever. So if you want to win, what you'll need… is selfishness."
"Now, we'll test how selfish you are with a game of tag. The time limit is 136 seconds. The one holding the ball is 'it'. When time runs out, whoever's 'it'… is eliminated. Oh, and no handballs."
The screen went dark then flashed to show Gurimu Igarashi's cartoon avatar.
Everyone hesitated.
Igarashi stepped forward nervously, picking up the ball.
"Guess I'll be 'it' first, huh? Don't hold a grudge, okay?"
Before he could move, Ryan stepped up.
"Hey, bowl-cut. Gimme the ball."
He shoved Igarashi aside gently but firmly, taking possession.
The others watched in confusion.
Why would someone volunteer to be the tagger?
Ryan grinned.
"Okay, listen up. Welcome to Hoshino's quick class."
"You guys seriously have brain damage or something? The one holding the ball at the end gets eliminated. So if I just keep it till the last second and tag someone right before time's up…"
He smirked, bouncing the ball on his foot.
"Then I survive and all your fates are in my hands. Class dismissed."
The room fell silent.
Realization dawned.
The weaker players like Igarashi and Kuon instinctively retreated, forming a protective cluster.
The confident ones like Kunigami and Raichi moved forward, ready to challenge him.
They charged at Ryan, closing in from both sides but he barely budged.
Planting his feet, he shielded the ball effortlessly, muscles tense like iron.
"Damn it, this guy's built like a wall!" Raichi shouted. "Oi, idiots, help me out! You just gonna wait to die!?"
Then, the boy who'd been lying on the floor finally moved Bachira Meguru.
He sprang up with a grin and launched a kick toward Ryan.
Ryan caught his leg midair with one hand.
"Heh. You're pretty fun," Bachira chuckled.
"Oh? I just realized they only banned handballs, not fights."
As Ryan spoke, Raichi slid in from the side, tackling the ball away while Ryan was distracted.
"Hah! Got it! This is my ball now!" Raichi roared triumphantly.
Ryan straightened up, cracking his knuckles.
"So that's how it is, huh? Then I'll just beat the crap out of everyone. Starting with you, kappa-head."
He grabbed Bachira by the collar and hurled him toward Kunigami carefully holding back enough strength to avoid breaking bones.
"What the hell?! Is this guy even human?!" Kunigami shouted, barely catching Bachira in time.
Ryan's eyes flicked to the timer.
75 seconds left. 11 players remaining.
He did the math instantly.
"6.8 seconds per person. Perfect."
Raichi was still celebrating when Ryan's fist sank lightly yet devastatingly into his stomach.
"Guh !" Raichi doubled over, collapsing with a groan.
Ryan exhaled slowly and looked around the room.
Everyone else froze.
Up in the control booth, Ego was watching through the monitors, his face twitching in disbelief.
"Oh no… what kind of monster did we bring in here?" he muttered.
Then Ryan looked straight into the nearest camera and smiled.
"Relax, Mushroom-head. I know my limits."
Ego froze for a moment… then sighed, opening a cup of instant noodles.
"Well, he's not breaking the rules," he muttered. "Guess we'll let the demon play."
And as Ryan's shadow loomed across the field, one thing became clear
Team Z had just inherited its very own monster.