HIBARI POV
The four of us stood in the cold, sterile hallway of the Second Selection facility. Hiori was fiddling with his collar, his expression thoughtful. Shidou was bouncing off the walls, his heart still clearly set ablaze from the match. And then there was Reo Mikage, who looked like a different person entirely.
"Well, Mikage," I said, emphasizing his last name with a hint of clinical curiosity. "That was a dramatic improvement. You were utterly useless for the majority of the match, and then you suddenly synthesized my curve shot and my dribbling. It was resourceful, I'll give you that."
Reo's eyes, once full of a desperate pleading for Nagi, were now ice. He didn't react to the jab; he processed the compliment and discarded the rest.
"You've finally stopped acting like a spoiled prince and started acting like a striker," I conceded. "Now, let's talk about the next stage. We've been standing around too long, watching teams pass us by. We need to be proactive."
Shidou jumped at the conversation, "Oooo you read my mind, lets draw out explosions from each and every one of them-"
I brought my palm to my face and sighed, "It blows my mind the synchronicity we have on the field, but off the field is a different story entirely."
Hiori, who had been quietly observing our exchange, finally spoke up, stepping neatly between Shidou and Reo.
"Wait," Hiori said, holding up a hand. His usual soft smile was replaced by a look of serious concentration. "Before we rush into the next stage, we should establish a new flow. We're four very distinct variables now. We need a system.
"No we don't. Just play soccer." I interrupted calmly.
"Play how you want to play, change nothing," I stated, my gaze sweeping across my new team. "Reo, keep copying. Shidou, keep exploding. Hiori, keep mapping the field. Play to your most selfish, most powerful urges. That's the only system we need."
This entire facility, Blue Lock, is nothing but a logical filter. A brutal, efficient machine designed to extract only the most exceptional ego. We've passed the initial culling, where we proved we could survive alone. We've passed the second test, where we proved we could evolve and steal. But the challenges only intensify from here on.
The number of remaining players dwindles with every passing hour. This isn't just about scoring goals anymore; it's about making a statement so undeniable that no one can ignore our presence. Every game is a high-stakes transaction where we either leave richer or we're discarded.
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NEXT DAY
I wandered into the common area, scratching my head. The place was almost entirely empty now, a testament to the brutal efficiency of the Second Selection. That fact alone gave me a satisfying intellectual thrill.
Then my eyes caught a familiar shock of red hair near one of the vending machines.
"Is that... Kurona?"
I walked over. The short, spiky-haired kid turned, his expression unchanging.
"Hibari. Yeah, it's me. Cool to see you made it this far," Kurona replied, his voice just as flat as his expression.
"Don't act surprised." Hibari tilted his head back as he furrowed his brow, "who are your teammates?"
Kurona took a sip from his drink. "I got stolen after the 3-man stage, so my new teammates don't really matter. Haven't bothered connecting with them. We're just trying to get through the next match I guess."
I allowed a slow, subtle smile to spread across my face.
"You know, you should play us next," I suggested, leaning in conspiratorially. "You already know some of our team's playstyle, since we were in the same stratum in the First Selection. It'll make the whole thing predictable for you."
I paused to let that sink in, then added the bait. "Plus, Hiori is on our team now. And another interesting character who's been a wild ride to play with. We're a force, but you know the variables."
"We remember you guys from the First Selection, right?" I coached him. "That's all you need to tell your team. They'll see us as the most logical challenge."
Kurona looked at me, a flicker of something that might have been amusement in his eyes. He understood the game.
"Alright, I'll talk to them," he said, turning back to his drink.
I smirked, already picturing the pieces on the board. One conversation was all it took to set the stage for our next checkmate.
I returned to where the others were waiting.
"I got us a game," I announced simply.
Reo looked up, surprised. "Already? How? We just finished the last one."
"I know, I know. I'm just that good. Hold your applause please," I replied, waving my hand dismissively.
Hiori stepped forward, his eyes immediately lighting up with concentration. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go review their player data. We need to be efficient."
"Not so fast," I said, enjoying the eagerness. "It's not quite confirmed yet, but it's like 99% there. The seed has already been planted."
Shidou tilted his head, his wide eyes taking on a predatory gleam. "What kind of seed?"
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Jesus, you're disgusting."
Shidou cackled, throwing his head back, his gold eyes gleaming with feral delight. "Disgusting is just another kind of beautiful explosion, Prince Charming! You're just too vanilla to appreciate the art!"
Reo cut in, his arms crossed, his newly-minted confidence lending his voice a sharper edge. "Can we prioritize the objective? Your repulsive metaphors are wasting the time that Hiori needs to prepare. The longer we stand here, the more we lose our opportunity."
"Agreed," Reo said, his arms crossed. "Let's cut the noise. The quicker we confirm, the quicker we can advance to the next selection."
We walked through the hallway to the field selection terminal. The corridor buzzed with artificial light as we reached the thumbprint scanners.
One by one, we pressed our thumbs to the pad. On the other side of the room, Kurona's team stepped forward to do the same. Kurona exchanged a knowing glance with me.
MATCHUP CONFIRMED
TEAM WHITE: HIBARI YAKUSHIJI REO MIKAGE RYUSEI SHIDOU YO HIORI
TEAM RED: RANZE KURONA OKUHITO IEMON WATARU KUON TETSU SOKURA
We turned toward the locker rooms, ready to suit up. The match had been set.
Now, it was just a matter of execution.
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THIRD PERSON POV
KICKOFF START
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED:
0 - 0
Team Red started with the ball. Kurona kicked it off to Kuon, who dribbled upfield and then passed to Sokura. Reo pressed Sokura immediately, but Sokura's bulky frame wouldn't budge. Sokura shoved past Reo but ran right into Shidou, who knocked the ball out from his feet, and it landed at Hiori's feet.
Hiori looked up, his eyes sweeping the field in a single instant. "I see you," he murmured, and fired a pinpoint pass straight towards Hibari on the other side of the field.
Hibari received the pass. "Xoxo Hiori," he replied, but before he could move, Kurona rushed forward.
"I know how you play, Hibari," Kurona challenged, his eyes locked on the ball. "I can see right through you."
"Can you?" Hibari asked, a smile playing on his lips.
Hibari didn't waste a step. He flicked the ball behind him and above his head, then, as he rocketed into the air, he twisted into a side kick, smashing the ball into the right side of the net.
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED:
1 - 0
Hibari landed lightly, adjusting his collar. "Did you see that one coming?"
Kurona said nothing, his face tight with focus.
Sokura kicked off to Kurona, who was immediately marked by Hiori. Kurona and Sokura exchanged a quick one-two pass. Kurona made a sharp cut at full speed, retaining his acceleration, which shook Hiori and forced Reo to compensate. Kurona flicked the ball back to Sokura, who delivered a forceful kick straight towards the goal, but it was wildly inaccurate and struck the crossbar.
The ball landed at Hibari's feet. Iemon yelled to his team, "Mark the blue-haired passer so we have time to reset!"
Hibari smirked and rolled the ball behind him to Reo, who knew exactly what to do. Reo closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, his mind synthesizing Hiori's technique, the exact spin, the angle, the strike off his foot. He copied it with 9999999% accuracy. He struck the ball downfield. Everything was the exact same, but this time the recipient was different. Iemon watched on in horror as the ball kicked up right in front of Shidou, who hammered it inside with primal force.
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED:
2 - 0
Come on Kurona, you lost to these average joes? Hibari thought, already bored.
Iemon just wondered how two different players could pass the exact same way and wondered if it was even possible.
Iemon kicked off to Sokura, who now had the ball on the wing and drew Reo toward him. Kuon made an exaggerated run into the box, leaping for a header on a high cross. Hibari anticipated the jump and got drawn toward Kuon, prepping for an aerial contest.
But the cross was a lobbed dummy pass, too high and clearly uncatchable. Kurona, reading Hibari's momentary movement toward the air, sprinted in behind on the blindside. As the ball bounced down from the dummy cross, Kurona curled around and smashed in a grounded shot from a tight angle.
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED:
2 - 1
Hiori kicked off to Reo who dribbled forward, immediately looking for the goal. He saw Shidou's chaotic, diagonal run cutting through Sokura and Kuon.
Reo threaded a bounce pass between their legs, right into Shidou's stride. Kuon's nimble frame managed to get a foot on the ball, causing it to rise up behind Shidou. Shidou didn't break stride. He spun midair and fired a scorpion kick at full power, hammering it into the top of the net while falling.
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED:
3 - 1
Team Red's attack ended before it even started when Hiori intervened, his subtle body movement guiding a pass from Iemon right into Shidou's path for an easy steal. Shidou quickly passed the ball to Hibari at midfield.
Hibari played a short pass to Reo at the middle of the field. Team Red's defense shifted instantly, Kuon and Sokura pressured Reo, anticipating a flashy link-up with Hibari or Shidou. Reo, reading the field, spotted Hiori quietly drifting behind the midfield line, dangerously unguarded.
Reo played a disguised through ball, cutting the ball backward and diagonally across the field, a fake-out that suggested he was passing to Shidou but instead rolled the ball into space for Hiori. Kurona noticed too late and tried to recover, but Hiori's first touch was surgical, pulling the ball forward without breaking stride.
Sokura called out, "He's just gonna pass, close the lanes!" and drifted away, guarding Hibari's run.
But Hiori didn't pass.
His eyes were locked on the Blue Lock Man. He planted his left foot and struck the ball with the inside of his right, delivering a clean curve shot from outside the penalty area. The ball started wide, Blue Lock Man didn't even dive, assuming it was curling out. But the spin was masterful. The ball curled in dramatically and tucked into the far right corner, just inside the post.
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED:
4 - 1
Team Red, desperate, pushed their final attack. Sokura took a hopeful shot, but Hiori, now playing almost like a sweeper, blocked the effort. The ball rebounded wildly, and Sokura rushed toward the second ball, but Hibari got there first, scooping it up at the center line.
"Let me show you how futile your efforts really are," Hibari said, standing alone at midfield.
He didn't hesitate. He shot the ball from the center circle, driving it with extreme power and an impossible curve. The ball sliced through the air, bending around Iemon's desperate leap and smashing into the net's upper corner.
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED:
5 - 1
The final whistle shrieked.
I stood at midfield, the ball at my feet, looking at the defeated faces. Kurona remained standing, his hands clenched, but his three teammates, Sokura, Kuon, and Iemon, dropped to their knees. The finality of elimination had just hit them like a physical blow.
"Kurona," I stated, my voice echoing in the silence of the arena. "Come with us."
I turned, and without a backward glance, led my new team, with Kurona now trailing us, off the pitch. The heartbreaking, guttural sounds of the unpicked losers faded into nothingness behind the closing doors.
As we walked through the sterile, impersonal hallway, a familiar voice, cold, digital, and amplified, cut through the speakers.
"Congratulations. To the new Five-Man Team, Hibari Yakushiji, Reo Mikage, Ryusei Shidou, Yo Hiori, and Ranze Kurona, you have successfully cleared the Second Selection."
We entered a wide observation room, where the walls were dominated by a massive, high-definition screen. The lights dimmed, and the unmistakable, intense face of Jinpachi Ego flickered to life.
"I am a man of my word," Ego declared, his magnified eyes seeming to bore into each of us, assessing our worth. "You are now too good to be wasted on internal squabbles. The next stage is not against each other. It's against the world. You will now be participating in a special training camp against the world's top players. Your batch of five...against some of the best strikers the world has to offer."
The screen shifted instantly, the background of Ego replaced by five massive, imposing figures, muscular and radiating power. Underneath them flashed the title: The World 5.
New board. New pieces to play with. Same result. Checkmate.
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ADDITIONAL TIME
The room was quiet for a solid five seconds after Ego's announcement.
Then Shidou finally broke it.
"World Five, huh?" he muttered, tilting his head as the massive figures remained frozen on screen. "They look tasty."
Hiori leaned forward, eyes wide with curiosity. "That one on the left… Adam Blake? I've seen him play! He's the top scorer in the English league. That guy can snap a volley from midfield like he's flipping a pancake."
"And that one," Reo added, squinting. "Pablo Cavasoz. World-class passer. His assists are insane. He did a backheel freekick assist once. On purpose."
"Backheel freekick?" Kurona blinked. "Who does that?"
"Someone with a god complex," Hibari muttered.
Hiori pointed next. "That one's Leonardo Luna. The Scion of Royale."
"The what?" Shidou asked, scrunching up his face.
"Heir to the most elite club in Spain," Reo explained. "His entire family's legacy is wrapped around that club. It's not even football for him anymore. It's religion."
Shidou shrugged. "Sounds boring. I'll make him cry."
"Bottom right," Kurona nodded toward the massive tank-like silhouette. "That guy's gotta be Brazilian. Look at the build."
"Dada Silva," Hibari said, arms crossed. "He's a walking wall. They call him the 'Samba Bulldozer.' Straight-line demon."
They all stared at the final figure, buzz cut, lean frame.
"…Who the hell is that?" Reo asked.
Nobody responded.
"…Some benchwarmer?" Shidou tilted his head.
"No," Hibari answered. "That's Julian Loki."
There was a pause.
"Julian who?" Shidou squinted.
"Julian Loki," Hibari repeated, slower this time. "The French prodigy. He's only seventeen."
Shidou's face lit up with mischief. "Ooooh? You know a lot about him, Hibari. You got a crush or something?"
Hibari's eye twitched. His entire expression flattened, eyes going pure white. "Did you miss the part where I just said he's seventeen?"
Shidou threw his hands up, grinning. "Age is just a number, bro. Follow your heart."
"And jail is just a place!" Hiori chimed in cheerfully, flashing a big smile.
Reo pinched the bridge of his nose, mumbling, "Why am I surrounded by lunatics."
Shidou slapped Hibari's back with a laugh. "C'mon, Hibari. I know a bit of French. I'll set you two up. Say the word and I'll wingman you hard."
Hibari lunged forward. "I'm going to kill you."
Shidou yelped, leaping over the bed and sprinting toward the door. "Try it, lover boy!"
"GET BACK HERE SO I CAN RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"
Their shouting echoed down the hallway as Hibari chased Shidou out of the room, footsteps thunderous.
Kurona blinked. "...Is this normal?"
Hiori turned to him, still smiling brightly. "You get used to it."
Reo sighed. "No, you don't."
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Wow has it really been two months since I've updated this story? Geez man.
Well.
Hi everyone.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Um. Yea.
We are finally done with the second selection and now we get to the really good stuff. We finally have most of the fodder characters out of the way. Hopefully I did alright with writing some of the fodder characters into actual matches and stuff.
Next chapter we will cover the World 5 game and probably into the introduction of all the teams who passed the 2nd selection.
I said this a million times already probably but I do promise I'll try to do better on updates.
Likely see an update in the next 2 weekends probably.
Until then I hope yall have a fantastic rest of your days.
Leave a review and give powerstones or Rin will mangle you.