Even with all his strength, Ryūma was still far behind Rin Itoshi. Unless he could teleport, there was no way he'd be able to stop Rin's shot.
As Rin reached the penalty area, he raised his leg and readied to shoot. Seeing that motion, Seishiro Nagi grew anxious and pushed himself to run even faster.
He believed that if he jumped with full force, he might be able to block Rin's shot.
But from Ryūma's distant perspective, what he saw looked completely different. Rin's movements suddenly appeared slower than usual—and the more he watched, the more familiar that scene felt. Then, it clicked.
"Don't, Nagi! Rin isn't actually shooting—!"
Before Ryūma could finish shouting, Nagi had already launched himself into the air with all his might, straight into Rin's shooting line.
The moment he heard Ryūma's voice, Nagi realized something was off—but it was too late to stop himself. The arrow was already drawn; he had to release it.
Rin let out a cold snort.
"Go home and study more, white-haired brat."
As expected, Rin didn't shoot directly. Instead, he lightly tapped the ball with his toe, then struck again immediately afterward—sending it rocketing toward the White Team's goal.
There was no stopping it. Even the Blue Lock players couldn't keep up.
With that perfect corner shot, the Red Team scored a crucial equalizer.
GOAL!! Red Team 4 – 4 White Team!
"Ryūma, I just—"
"Enough, Nagi. I'm going all out for the last one."
Purple light flared in Ryūma's eyes as he stared at Rin, expressionless.
Seeing him like that, Nagi's own gaze turned hazy white.
"Yeah… the win will be ours."
"Let's go, forward!"
Hearing that, Ryūma smiled faintly.
"Alright, here's the plan…"
"Okay—one-two!"
White Team possession! Ryūma Banjō takes the kickoff!
Right after kickoff, Ryūma immediately passed the ball to Nagi on the right side of midfield, then sprinted toward Rin once more. But this time, Rin didn't even bother engaging him.
Just as Ryūma was about to reach him, Rin suddenly darted off in another direction.
The move left Ryūma momentarily stunned.
(Avoiding me again? He pulls this when attacking and now in defense too?)
(Tch, doing this on purpose, huh? He knows I love head-on duels but keeps dodging them.)
With no other choice, Ryūma kept tracking Rin closely, making sure he stayed within his field of vision—he couldn't risk Rin slipping past him and stealing Nagi's ball.
Meanwhile, Nagi had entered a one-on-one with Jyubei Aryu.
"I'll glide past you in style."
"Bring it on, Trendy Guy!"
But Nagi's defense skills were still a work in progress. Even with his natural talent, no one could improve overnight—and Aryu was a monster in his own right.
After several exchanges, Aryu had already gotten a feel for Nagi's moves.
After a few failed attempts, Nagi sighed softly. During his earlier talk with Ryūma, he'd already considered that he might not be able to get past Aryu.
He had a solution—but he still wanted to try first.
Nagi wasn't stubborn, though. Once he knew it was pointless, he waited for the right moment and sent the ball to the spot he and Ryūma had agreed on.
But a second later, regret hit him—because something had gone wrong on Ryūma's end too.
While Nagi was clashing with Aryu, Ryūma and Rin hadn't been standing still either.
Not that Ryūma didn't want a breather—Rin simply didn't let him have one.
As soon as Ryūma caught up, Rin began running erratically, constantly shifting positions. Ryūma couldn't figure out what he was planning and had no choice but to chase him relentlessly.
The result was that Ryūma completely lost awareness of Nagi's situation.
So when Nagi sent his pass toward the penalty area, it turned into an accidental shot instead.
All four players froze for a split second. Ryūma suddenly remembered—according to their plan, he was supposed to be in position to rush into the Red Team's penalty area at any moment, ready for Nagi's pass.
But plans never keep up with reality—and Rin had been unpredictable from the start.
As for Rin, his momentary daze came from a single thought: he hadn't expected Nagi to actually force a shot.
He never thought Nagi was the type to take such reckless risks. And for a brief second, a strange idea crossed Rin's mind.
(Is this the influence of that idiot Ryūma?)
Nagi himself was flustered too. What was meant to be a perfect pass had turned into an awkward shot.
Aryu was the first to react, blocking Nagi's stray attempt easily. The outcome was obvious—the weak, misfired ball was easily caught.
Seeing that, Ryūma's stomach dropped. Rin had vanished from his line of sight.
He was just about to look for him when the sound of a powerful kick echoed—
[Thud!]
(Damn it!)
Ryūma didn't even need to see where the ball went. Just from Nagi's panicked expression, he knew exactly what had happened.
The ball was heading straight into their own half. Ryūma exhaled deeply.
"This is Nagi's and my first match together… if we lose, that'll be embarrassing!"
As he muttered, he planted his legs firmly and exploded into motion, sprinting back toward his own goal at blinding speed.
Purple flames flared around him, trailing like a vivid violet comet.
But Rin was still a step ahead—already at the ball as it dropped to his feet.
Ryūma knew it instantly: if Rin took this shot, the game was over.
As for the Blue Lock keeper? He might as well have been a bystander.
(Are we really going to lose? Damn it, losing to Rin again?)
(I promised I'd avenge Nagi… and now I'm breaking that promise?)
(But… it's just a practice match anyway.)
"Ryūma!"
The shout from behind made him freeze.
(Huh? Nagi hasn't given up yet?)
(Does he even realize how far I am from Rin? Unless I can get faster…)
(At my current speed, by the time I reach him, Rin will already have shot.)
(Whatever—it's fine. It's just a practice game. Losing's no big deal.)
Just as he began to slow down, Nagi's voice from earlier echoed in his mind:
"If you can't win, it's not fun!"
(Hmph… typical Nagi, always talking big. How am I supposed to win here?)
(But still… he's right. If you can't win, what's the point?)
Ryūma slammed his right foot into the ground. His eyes snapped open, the purple hue in his pupils shifting to a blazing gold. The violet flames around his body turned to radiant gold.
With a deafening thud as his foot hit the turf, Ryūma shattered his speed limit.
Like a golden flash of lightning, he shot forward—straight toward Rin Itoshi.
There was no doubt—he had once again entered the 'FLOW' State.
Only this time, the world didn't slow down.
Instead, every fiber of his body, every physical ability, underwent a complete transformation.