HIBARI POV
The tension in the room remained taut, a physical wire pulled to its breaking point. While Rin stood like an ice sculpture and Shidou vibrated with manic energy, Hibari's eyes remained fixed on the monitor.
"Hey, glasses," Hibari's voice cut through the silence, "Explain the data. What's the delta between me and those two? What exactly separates a '3' from a '1' or '2' in your skewed evaluation?"
Ego paused his slurping, looking into the camera with a hollow, mocking stare. "Simple, you unpolished stone. In the match against the World 5, the pinnacle of current football, only two players from Blue Lock managed to put the ball in the net. Rin Itoshi and Ryusei Shidou."
He leaned forward, his face filling the screens.
"In this facility, goals are the only objective truth. Everything else, your dribbling, your 'perfect' machine-like logic, your field vision, is just secondary noise. The World 5 gave their accounts of your play, and coupled with your total goal counts from the previous selections, the math is clear. They outperformed you."
Ego's grin widened, "Is that good enough for you, or do you need me to draw it in crayon?"
"Tch. Yeah, whatever," Hibari muttered, shifting his gaze away.
'Statistically biased', Hibari thought, his jaw tightening. 'If I wanted that goal, I would have taken it. That 'explosion' Shidou is so proud of only happened because I chose to flick the ball his way. I created the reality of that point. To rank the tool above the architect...it's an inefficiency I'll have to correct.'
"Let's continue with the rankings. The players who will round out the core of the Blue Lock Eleven."
"Number 4," Ego announced. "Kenyu Yukimiya."
The stylish striker with the glasses stepped forward, a confident, practiced smile on his face. I grinned, 'I hope he didn't forget that humiliating defeat he suffered back in the first selection by my hand.'
He adjusted his frames, looking every bit the model-striker he claimed to be. "Thanks," Yukimiya said smoothly. "It's an honor to be recognized among the elite."
"Damn right it is, why don't you go ahead and grovel while you're at it." I said as I felt eyes turn to me but nobody said anything.
"Number 5," Ego's voice droned. "Tabito Karasu."
A tall player with sharp, crow-like features and an aura of cynical superiority sauntered up to the line. He looked back at the remaining twenty-nine players with a bored expression. "Hold your applause, losers. It's exhausting being this much better than the 'ordinaries'."
"And finally, Number 6..." Ego paused for effect. "Seishiro Nagi."
Nagi shuffled forward, looking like he'd rather be taking a nap than standing in a spotlight. He let out a long, weary sigh. "Top 6? Sounds like a lot of work..."
Ego wiped his mouth and tossed the empty ramen cup aside.
"These six represent the current peak of Blue Lock. They are your kings, your anchors, and your targets," Ego stated, his eyes glowing with a dark intensity. "Now that the hierarchy is established, there's no time for rest. The battle for the remaining five spots on the Blue Lock Eleven starts now."
The screens behind him shifted, displaying a complex grid of match-ups and data points.
"The Third Selection begins immediately."
Ego's face on the screen twitched into a grin that was more teeth than skin. "The architecture of this trial is simple. The Top 6 will be divided into three pairs based on their current standings.
A graphic appeared on the screen showcasing the pairings.
Rin and Shidou
Yukimiya and Myself
Karasu and Nagi
Yukimiya walked up next to me, adjusting his glasses with a smooth motion. "An annoying coincidence, isn't it?" he said, his voice carrying that polished, effortless confidence.
"The feeling's mutual, believe me," I replied without looking at him.
Ego continued, his voice echoing through the hall. "The remaining twenty-nine players will now have to choose which pair they wish to fight under. Teams of five will be formed by adding three players to the corresponding duos. Then, each team will go head-to-head in a 5-on-5 match."
He leaned in closer to the camera, his eyes wide and unblinking. "The Top 6 will play multiple times to test their compatibility with various 'tools.' But for the rest of you...you only get one shot to prove you're worthy of the Blue Lock Eleven. If you fail to shine in your match, you're done. Don't fuck it up."
A door slid open directly beneath the central monitor. "Top 6, step through. The rest of you... start deciding what path you'll walk."
The six of us walked through the threshold, leaving the frantic energy of the 29 behind. We entered a high-end lounge area, a stark contrast to the sterile bunkrooms we were used to. It had plush couches, individual beds, and a nutrition station.
I ignored the others and threw myself onto a lounge chair, staring at the ceiling and letting my mind drift into a series of tactical simulations. I needed to figure out how to maximize my output while tethered to Yukimiya.
"We should probably try to get along, don't you think?"
I didn't need to look up to know it was Yukimiya again. He was standing over me, that same model-esque smile plastered on his face. "We're going to be forming a team, after all. A little chemistry wouldn't hurt."
I felt a prickle of irritation. I couldn't quite put my finger on why I disliked the guy so much. Maybe it was the fact that we both relied on superior technical ball control and 1v1 dominance, making us redundant on paper. Or maybe it was just his face—that 'perfect' look that felt like it was designed in a lab.
"Just don't cramp my style," I said, my voice flat.
Yukimiya's smile didn't waver. "Understood!"
The lounge door hissed open, and Shidou, who had been suspiciously absent for the last few minutes, sauntered in with a loud, "Yo!"
His pink eyes scanned the room before locking onto Rin, who was standing in the middle of the room. Shidou mimicked Yukimiya's earlier approach, though with significantly more menace.
"I'd much rather be playing next to Prince Charming over there," Shidou said, gesturing vaguely toward me with a wicked grin, "but I suppose a brooding little brother like you will have to do for now."
Rin didn't even turn around. "Shut up and die, you freak."
I began to tune them out, closing my eyes and retreating back into my daydreaming. I was busy calculating the optimal passing lanes for a hypothetical winger when the sound of a scuffle broke my concentration. I opened one eye to see Shidou and Rin lunging at each other, a tangle of limbs and murderous intent.
"Should we stop them?" Yukimiya asked, looking genuinely concerned.
Karasu, who was leaning against the wall, let out a dry chuckle. "Nah. It'll be a good thing for us if they tear each other apart before anything. Let the 'ordinaries' handle themselves."
Just as Shidou was winding up for what looked like a lethal knee strike, Ego's face flickered onto the monitor in the lounge.
"Knock it off, you mindless beasts."
The two strikers froze, still glaring at each other.
"Listen carefully," Ego said. "Think of the other players under you as tools, objects to be used to sharpen and polish your own weapons. But...under no circumstances should you let those players steal your spotlight. If a 'tool' looks better than the master, you've failed."
He paused, his gaze seeming to pierce through the screen.
"Now, my Top 6...challenge yourselves. Show me who truly owns the pitch."
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A couple of hours later, I was leaving the weight room, the dull ache in my muscles a welcome distraction from the chaotic energy vibrating through the lounge. I was halfway down the hall when a familiar, polished presence manifested beside me.
"It's kinda fun not knowing who your teammates are gonna be, huh?" Yukimiya asked, his voice smooth and untroubled.
I didn't slow my pace. "Please stop talking to me like we're friends."
Yukimiya completely ignored the bite in my tone, stepping in stride with me. "Do you have any idea who our teammates could be?"
"I have some ideas," I answered, my eyes fixed straight ahead, "but nothing's confirmed, so I'd rather just wait and see."
"A man of mystery. I like that," Yukimiya chuckled, though there was a sharp, competitive edge beneath his lightheartedness. "Just remember, Hibari, out there, we're the fixed variables. If the tools can't keep up with us, we'll just have to use each other to reach the goal."
I stopped at the door to my quarters and finally looked at him. "I don't plan on using you at all, Yukimiya. In my version of the game, there's only one master. Everyone else, including you, is just part of the scenery."
I shut the door before he could refute.
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The next twenty-four hours were a blur of cold calculations. In the shadows of the facility, the remaining twenty-nine players were scurrying around like rats, trying to attach themselves to anybody they thought would lead them to the U-20 match.
I spent the time in silence, analyzing the map of the Top 6. Rin was a puppet master who used everyone as an extension of his own limbs. Shidou was a biological explosion that ignored logic entirely. Karasu was an analytical assassin who hunted for weaknesses. And Nagi...Nagi seemed like a black hole of talent that only activated when prompted.
When the siren finally blared, signaling the start of the first tryout match, the atmosphere in the locker room was suffocating. The "Top 6" had been given their own private space, but the roster for our first match flickered onto the screen with clinical finality.
Myself and Yukimiya got dressed for the first match against Rin and Shidou's Team A.
The VAR voice broke through the field, announcing our substitutions for the match against Team A.
Team B players
Hibari Yakushiji
Kenyu Yukimiya
Yo Hiori
Gin Gagamaru
Aiki Himizu
Team A players
Rin Itoshi
Ryusei Shidou
Yoichi Isagi
Nijiro Nanase
Meguru Bachira
We waited in silence as the doors opened, revealing our new teammates.
First was the familiar face of Hiori, he offered me a polite nod and smile to which I did not return. Though it was nice to at least have a passer I knew I could trust on the field.
One was a slim guy with silver eyes and a silver bob-cut. He looked at us and then, without a word, stuck out a split tongue. I felt a flicker of disgust. 'Great, another freak.'
The last one had long black hair tied in a bun that had been dyed white at the ends. But it was his face that was truly unsettling; he had large black eyes with no eyelids, staring with a vacant, prehistoric intensity. Dude looks like he just stepped out of the wilderness.
"Hiori, Gagamaru, and Himizu," Yukimiya said, standing up and flashing that redundant model smile. "A pleasure. I'm Yukimiya, and the guy sulking over there is Hibari."
"I've played with Hibari already," Hiori said softly. "I'll handle the mid-range transitions."
Gagamaru just blinked, or rather, stared, since he couldn't blink, and Himizu flicked his split tongue again.
Rin and Shidou on the other hand were already in each other's faces before the whistle even blew. Shidou was leaning into Rin's space, whispering something that was probably about explosions.
I stepped into the center circle, the ball at my feet. I looked at Yukimiya, then back at Hiori.
"Hey," I called out, my voice loud enough for Rin and Shidou to hear. "If you two are done having your lovers' quarrel, I'd like to get started with your eviction from the Number 1 and 2 spots."
Everyone took their positions as I kicked off to Yukimiya.
KICKOFF START
'First to 5 goals, the scoring potential of everyone on this field is dangerous. The only 2 people I have to keep my eye on are 1 and 2.' It was pretty obvious that the most likely scoring opportunities would be created by Rin and Shidou.
The whistle shrieked, and I tapped the ball to Yukimiya to start the clock. He didn't waste a second, accelerating into space. Nanase stepped up to meet him, trying to close the gap, but Yukimiya didn't break his stride.
"Aren't you cute?" Yukimiya said, his voice smooth and entirely too polished for a battlefield. With a blur of his feet, he executed a high-speed step-over that left Nanase frozen, carving past him and immediately forcing Team A's defense to compress.
Isagi and Bachira were drawn toward him like a moth to a flame, opening up the exact lane I needed for an easy goal. Yukimiya saw it too, flicking a crisp pass into the center. I stepped into the ball's path, the goal framed perfectly in my mind. This was the most efficient point of impact.
I let fly a driven strike aimed for the bottom left corner. It was a "perfect" shot by any statistical metric, but before it could cross the line, a pink blur intercepted the trajectory. Shidou had launched himself into a reckless, mid-air contortion, his boot clashing with the ball and sending it spiraling upward.
"Ah ah ah!" Shidou cackled as he hit the turf in a predatory crouch. "I know how you operate Prince Charming!"
The ball began to drop near the edge of the box. Isagi was already tracking it, his eyes wide as he positioned himself to shield the recovery and spark a counter-attack. He was inches away from securing it, but he hadn't accounted for the "freak" on our side.
Aiki Himizu didn't just run; he slithered. With a movement that defied standard human kinetics, he drifted through the space between Isagi and the ball. Before Isagi could even plant his foot to trap it, Himizu's split tongue flicked out, and he hooked the ball away with a deceptive, low-profile touch that left Isagi grasping at thin air.
"What the?" Isagi gasped, but Himizu was already gone.
Without looking up, Himizu sent a sharp, side-foot pass back into the heart of the box. Yukimiya, who had stayed mobile while the defense was focused on my blocked shot, ghosted into the space. He met the ball first-time, a clean, elegant strike that left the keeper rooted to the spot.
Team B 1 - 0 Team A
Yukimiya ran a hand through his hair, flashing a model-grade grin toward the cameras. "First blood. What was it you said Yakushiji? Stay out of your way, right?"
I didn't answer him. My gaze was fixed on Shidou, who was already barking at Rin for not covering the second ball. My "perfect" shot had been neutralized by raw, biological chaos, and it took a guy who looks like a reptile to bail out the play.
'Efficient...but irritating,' I thought, my jaw tightening. We had the lead, but the architecture of that goal was messier than I liked. As we walked back to our positions for the restart, I could feel Rin's aura beginning to sharpen. The look in his eyes was murderous.
KICKOFF RE-START
Rin stood at the center circle, the air around him cold and suffocating. He didn't say a word as he tapped the ball to Isagi to restart the match.
Rin's posture remained composed, yet the air around him had changed from calm to something predatory. Conceding a second goal had clearly irritated him, and that irritation manifested as a quiet intensity in his eyes.
Shidou, on the other hand, looked delighted by the rising tension, grinning as though the entire situation had only made the match more entertaining for him, which I had no doubt it did.
The moment the ball moved I focused on the structure of the play rather than the players themselves. It seemed Rin rarely started something unless he already understood where it would end.
Isagi received the pass cleanly and turned his body slightly as he scanned the field, clearly prepared to dictate the next phase of the attack.
Hiori stepped forward to apply pressure, but Isagi advanced a few meters with the ball before making his decision. The movement pulled Hiori inward, and that subtle shift was exactly what Isagi had been waiting for as Bachira then appeared beside him.
The two exchanged a quick glance before the ball moved again. Isagi slipped a short pass to Bachira, who received it with the outside of his foot while already drifting diagonally toward the center. Hiori attempted to close the angle, but Bachira's body swayed fluidly as he rolled the ball under his sole and slipped past the initial pressure.
Bachira tapped the ball back toward Isagi, continuing the rhythm of their movement as the two began weaving through midfield together. Their touches were quick and instinctive, each pass forcing our defensive line to shift just slightly out of position. I could already see what they were doing. They were not trying to break through immediately; they were bending the shape of the field until a gap appeared.
Isagi received the return pass and carried it forward another step before slipping the ball ahead into Bachira's path. Bachira accelerated again, guiding the ball into the attacking third while Himizu stepped forward to intercept him.
Bachira flicked the ball around Himizu with playful ease before nudging it forward again, continuing his run toward the penalty area. By the time Himizu recovered, Bachira had already slid the ball sideways back into Isagi's path.
Isagi arrived just outside the penalty area and controlled it with perfect timing.
For a moment it looked like he might take the shot himself.
Hiori and Gagamaru both shifted toward him, tightening the defensive space in front of the goal.
Instead of shooting, he drove a razor-sharp pass straight into the penalty area.
Shidou pounced on it.
I knew he couldn't resist, waiting in the box for the perfect moment to strike.
His acceleration was violent and immediate, covering the distance before anyone could react. The ball reached him just inside the box, and he controlled it with his knee while still moving forward. The moment it dropped into striking range he twisted his entire body and launched a brutal half-volley toward the near post.
I had already seen the sequence unfold from the moment Rin passed the ball to Isagi.
As Shidou's leg swung through the strike, I stepped directly into the path of the shot and blocked it with my shin. The impact sent the ball ricocheting violently away from the goalmouth and back toward midfield before he could react to the rebound.
Shidou landed in front of me, his grin widening rather than fading.
"Ahhh, Prince Charming," he laughed. "You're getting in the way of my explosion again."
I straightened and looked directly at him.
"You said it yourself," I replied calmly. "We know how each other operates."
He tilted his head, clearly amused.
"I can't just let you run wild out here," I continued, gesturing toward the penalty area behind him. "So why don't you get back on your leash?"
His grin only widened further, as if the insult had somehow made the situation more entertaining.
Meanwhile the loose ball had already rolled out toward midfield where Gagamaru reached it first. The moment he secured possession he surged forward with long strides before Team A could reorganize their defensive structure.
Isagi immediately began retreating to recover his position, but Gagamaru released the ball before the defense could fully stabilize.
"Hiori!" he called as he passed.
Hiori received the ball cleanly and lifted his head, scanning the field with quiet focus. Within a moment he spotted the developing lane on the right side of the pitch.
Without hesitation he delivered a curved pass through open space.
The ball bent smoothly through the air and dropped perfectly into my path as I accelerated into the attacking third.
The first thing I checked was Shidou's position.
Predictably, he had already begun drifting toward the penalty area even though our team had just recovered possession. Shidou had no patience for buildup play. If there was even a slight possibility of a rebound inside the box, he would already be there waiting for it. That meant if I attempted a straightforward shot too early, he would likely insert himself into the chaos the moment the ball reached the goalmouth.
I kept that in mind while pushing the ball ahead.
Then I felt movement behind me.
Isagi lunged in from my blind spot, attempting to hook the ball away at the exact moment my stride lengthened. His timing was good, but I had already accounted for his position.
Instead of continuing forward, I dragged the ball backward with the underside of my trailing foot while stepping slightly off my line.
Isagi's foot sliced through empty air.
His momentum carried him forward past my shoulder before he could recover his balance. By the time he turned around, I had already pushed the ball forward again and accelerated toward the penalty area.
I was now face to face with Rin Itoshi.
He positioned himself directly between me and the net, his stance perfectly balanced and his eyes locked onto me. Behind me I could hear Isagi closing the distance again, his footsteps growing louder as he sprinted to rejoin the pressure.
ISAGI POV
He's cornered.
From where I was running, the situation looked perfect. Hibari had pushed himself too far forward, and now Rin stood between him and the goal while I closed in from behind.
If we pressed together, there would be nowhere for him to go.
"Rin!" I called, as we both collapsed in on Hibari.
HIBARI POV
Their timing was well coordinated, but they made the mistake of assuming I would try to escape forward.
Instead, I stopped.
The sudden halt disrupted their rhythm instantly. Isagi's stride carried him slightly too far while Rin leaned forward to commit to the challenge.
Bringing them out of sync in their trap was my goal and I had just achieved it.
I flicked the ball upward with the underside of my foot so that it rose just above my waist. As the ball lifted into the air, I leaned backward and twisted my body slightly, allowing my trailing leg to sweep around it.
Rather than pushing the ball forward, I hooked it backward in a tight arc.
The motion dragged the ball through the narrow space between Rin's legs before he could react.
Two strides carried me past Rin before he fully turned around, and by the time he tried to pivot back into pursuit I had already pushed the ball forward again. The small gap that had existed between him and Isagi had been enough. Now both of them were behind me, but that did not mean the play was finished.
The penalty area was approaching quickly, and with it came the cluster of players already moving into position. Shidou had drifted inside the box awaiting my shot, hovering near the edge of the six-yard area like a predator waiting for a wounded animal to slip up. Yukimiya was approaching from the left channel, trying to provide me an out, but I'm not giving up that easily.
I could hear Rin behind me now, his footsteps cutting across the turf with the urgency of someone determined to erase a mistake. Isagi was slightly further back but still closing. Ahead of me, Bachira had already begun shifting inward from the wing, preparing to pressure the ball if I slowed down near the edge of the box.
The shooting lane was there, but it was a tight window closing fast.
If I fired immediately, there was a high chance the strike would collide with someone in the box. Shidou in particular was already making his move while simultaneously reading my own.
I pushed the ball slightly forward while adjusting my angle.
The movement forced Bachira to accelerate toward me.
Bachira lunged, but the moment he shifted his weight forward I nudged the ball sideways and slipped past him, using his own momentum to carry him out of the lane. The small adjustment widened the angle toward the goal, but it also meant Rin had nearly caught up behind me.
I could feel his presence now.
He was close enough that if I hesitated too long he would tackle from the side.
The goalkeeper was already adjusting his stance, reading my posture carefully.
Everything was collapsing toward the same moment.
I slowed my stride slightly.
Just enough to force the defenders into commitment.
"Shoot it in here!" Shidou shouted from inside the box, already bouncing on the balls of his feet like a coiled spring.
That reaction confirmed exactly what I had been thinking.
If I took a direct shot now, Shidou would throw himself at the rebound before anyone else could react.
So instead of striking the ball toward the net, I lifted it.
The inside of my foot slid underneath the ball and nudged it upward into the air just as Rin lunged from behind.
His tackle cut across empty ground.
By the time his foot passed through the space where the ball had been, it was already rising in front of me.
I stepped into a jump.
As the ball reached waist height I rotated my body sideways, allowing my torso to tilt horizontally as my leg swung across the arc of the ball. Instead of striking straight through it, I carved across the surface with the outer edge of my boot.
The contact changed the entire geometry of the shot.
The ball flew outward across the face of goal, spinning violently as it traveled away from the net. For a moment the trajectory looked completely wrong, drifting so far wide that even Blue Lockman hesitated.
Then the spin took hold.
The curve began pulling the ball back toward the frame.
The goalkeeper finally reacted, diving toward the far corner as the ball bent inward. But the change in direction came too late for him to reach it.
The shot snapped back inside the far post and slammed into the roof of the net.
Team B 2 - 0 Team A
"You're unbelievable, Prince Charming!" I heard Shidou ring out.
Behind us I could hear Rin stop moving.
When I turned slightly, I saw him standing near the edge of the box with his jaw tightened, staring directly at the goal where the ball had just landed.
The irritation in his expression had sharpened into something far more serious.
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There we have it for that double chapter.
Hope you guys enjoyed that, I honestly thought about finishing this match this chapter, but didn't know how many words I had already.
Anyways sorry for all the POV switches, I just like to give insight into what the other players are thinking during this.
Also sorry I been away so long, I just had like no motivation to write anything like AT ALL. Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and any suggestions or things you think I could improve upon.
Have a great one guys!
Ussylliss out!