Everyone fell silent...
"I do want to play against the V Team. After all, they're undefeated, and it seems like they've crushed every opponent. It would be a pity not to face such an opponent," Bachira said with a laugh.
Yoichi Isagi nodded, "Ye Liangqiu is right. We've barely won every match, and we can't even fully control our own weapons. And this is only the second test."
"Perhaps the third test will be even more difficult."
"It's good to have a chance to play now."
"What do you all think?"
"I agree," Kunigami nodded. "It's a good way to get to know our future opponents. The V Team is also a promoted team, and we'll likely meet them again in later matches, so it's better to understand them in advance."
For a moment, everyone offered their opinions.
Ultimately, they all agreed to the match.
In the monitoring room.
Ego Jinpachi had been observing the choices of both teams.
He used the same rhetoric and arguments on both teams, and both sides were considering whether to play this match.
It seemed the final decision had been made.
Anri, who was beside him, asked, "How did you know both teams would agree?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Ego's mouth curved into a smile. "Within the same building, with an equally undefeated team, anyone would want to test their strength against a team like theirs. And it's highly likely they'll be opponents in future tests."
"In such a situation, to have a trial match with no risk involved..."
"Would anyone refuse?"
Anri rolled her eyes at Ego, unsure where his confidence came from. However, the choices of both teams were indeed the same; they both opted to play a match against each other, a match without the risk of elimination. Perhaps the excitement wouldn't be as high as before....
Ego seemed to have thought of something and asked, "What if I added a little more spice?"
"Would that make this match even crazier?"
.....
There were two days left until the final match began.
The tense atmosphere in BLUE LOCK grew increasingly thick.
Even when people went to the cafeteria, they could see the forlorn expressions of the players leaving through the loser's passage.
"Once those people leave, are they really cut off from their football careers forever?" Asahi Naruhaya asked with lingering fear. "Isn't that a bit too pathetic...?"
"Pathetic? What's so pathetic about it?" Raichi snorted. "We all came in here voluntarily. It's the path we chose; no one forced us."
"If anyone's pathetic, it's those who got eliminated on the very first ball after coming in."
"After all, it's truly a shame for those people; they were eliminated without even getting to use their skills."
"I might sympathize with people like that, but there's no need to feel any sympathy for these current ones. Who knows, in the last match, they might have been thinking about how to eliminate others!"
Ye Liangqiu teased, "Oh, it's rare for you, Little Shark, to say something like that."
"Are you perhaps implying that I shouldn't have toyed with you guys during the 'Oni' game?"
Raichi scoffed, "Toyed? You didn't toy with us. But I do have a question for you: why did you choose to eliminate Yuuda Imamura back then?"
"Was it really just a random choice?"
None of those present were fools. In fact, they had all seen Ye Liangqiu's strength during the first 'Oni' test. That Volley Shot had already locked onto its target.
However, among the many options, he directly targeted Yuuda Imamura. They all knew there was something fishy about it.
Ye Liangqiu stroked his chin, "It wasn't a random choice, indeed. I was already deciding who to eliminate when I had possession of the ball."
"Ultimately, I set my target on him."
"Reason?" Raichi raised an eyebrow.
Ye Liangqiu shrugged, "Do I need a reason to stay?"
In fact, for him, who understood everything about the anime, there was indeed a bit of a dilemma at the time. He could have eliminated Kuon Wataru, the cunning betrayer, or the mischievous Little Monk. However, he ultimately chose Yuuda Imamura as his target.
Simply because Ye Liangqiu saw no value in him.
In the anime, this guy had almost no distinguishing features, no goal-scoring ability, and even made frequent mistakes.
Rather than eliminating those two, it was better to send this marginal character away first.
Moreover, since Ye Liangqiu had already arrived in this prison, he naturally wouldn't let what happened to the Z Team happen again.
Clearly, he had changed the original course of events.
He had even led the entire team to a height that didn't belong to them.
This had already achieved his goal.
The others fell silent upon hearing his answer...
Yes... At that time, during the 'Oni' game, everyone was thinking about kicking the ball out and not getting eliminated themselves. Who could think so much?
One had to admire Ye Liangqiu's immense foresight.
After much thought, Raichi simply gave up. "Forget it, let's not talk about that. Have you guys figured out how to deal with that white-haired guy in the next match?"
"Their V Team is pretty strong."
"They eliminated the Y Team, who we had trouble with, 8-0."
"I watched the footage," Kuon Wataru said, holding a tablet. "There are three players worth noting: Nagi Seishiro, Reo Mikage, and Zantetsu Tsurugi. These three are the V Team's main scoring points."
"Among them, Nagi Seishiro's body coordination allows him to perform various high-difficulty moves, making opponents spin in circles. Reo assists with various fancy passes, and Zantetsu Tsurugi is similar to Chigiri in speed, but what's noteworthy is that he doesn't shoot with his right foot, but his left."
"Left foot?" Kunigami was startled. His weapon was his left-footed Super Shot.
Kuon Wataru continued, "The power of these three players has almost elevated the entire V Team's strength by several levels."
"To defeat this team, what we need most is restriction and defense."
"A four-core formation might still work."
"However, to face this three-core formation, we'll have to play a match to understand the difference."
Bachira watched the footage of Nagi Seishiro and couldn't help but exclaim, "Rainbow Flick, Elastico... This guy is really amazing."
"But it should be quite interesting to break someone like him, don't you think, Qiu?"
"We'll know once we try," Ye Liangqiu smiled. "I just wonder how they view our team right now?"
.....