Rin Itoshi turned his head slightly at those words. He hadn't expected the usually arrogant Ryūma to say something like that.
"I don't want to hear any pessimism. Pass the ball to me!"
Ryūma froze for a moment, then gave Rin a crooked grin.
"Hmph, can't you say something a little nicer when you're trying to motivate someone?"
"Well, I'm not as fragile as you think. From here on, I'm going all out!"
Red Team possession. Yoichi Isagi kicks off from the center!
At the whistle, Isagi immediately passed the ball to Rin on the left side of midfield.
Rin had barely taken a few steps forward before Julian Loki cut him off.
Forced to halt, Rin quickly scanned for an opening. He'd gone one-on-one with Ryūma countless times before.
He knew better than to rush it—one wrong move and Loki's terrifying speed would shut him down instantly.
Then, Leonardo Luna's voice brushed his ear—right as the ball was stolen from his feet.
"So scared of Loki's speed?"
Rin clicked his tongue, glaring at the figure who had taken the ball.
"That narrow field of vision—that's what comes from inexperience."
Without giving Rin a chance to recover, Leonardo twisted his body and passed the ball away in one smooth motion.
"All yours, baby!"
"Got it!"
Pablo Cavasoz received the pass cleanly, keeping tight control of the ball.
Yoichi reacted immediately, charging at Pablo while shouting to Nagi beside him.
"Nagi, block him!"
"Let's press him together!"
"Got it, let's go, Yoichi!"
As the two closed in, Pablo's eyes darted rapidly across the field, processing everything in an instant.
"Whoosh—"
Just before they reached him, he slipped the ball cleanly between them.
Both Nagi and Isagi froze.
(What!?)
(It went right between us!?)
(Huh? Nice one, Ryūma!)
Isagi turned just in time to see Ryūma charging toward the pass at full speed.
He was about to leap for it when Adam Blake suddenly slammed into him.
"Stop right there! I've got no interest in men's bodies, but don't mess with our play!"
"Damn it!!"
Ryūma spat in frustration, forced to watch helplessly as the ball was lofted toward the goal.
No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't break through Adam Blake's block. Still, he found some comfort in the thought:
(It's a draw. I can't move him, but he can't break my balance either.)
(Still, this is bad. If I'm pinned here, Rin won't have another chance to score!)
As the ball began to fall a few meters above the ground, Jyubei Aryu sprinted toward it.
"So this is the target? Then the aerial battle's mine!"
Charging alongside him came Dada Silva, grinning from ear to ear.
"I'll shoot it down!"
"Haaah!!"
They jumped almost simultaneously, but the usual "air dominator" Jyubei found himself completely suppressed—unable to get full lift against Dada Silva's raw strength.
Watching from behind, Isagi's eyes widened.
"Jyubei can't even jump properly!?"
The ball curved toward the right flank, and Ryūma grew more anxious.
(Damn it! I can't shake this guy!)
(What now? Should I just go for it?)
(Even if I win the ball, I still won't be able to lose him!)
Glancing around with his peripheral vision, Ryūma quickly assessed the situation.
(Isagi's off-position, Rin's locked down by Luna, and Jyubei's grounded.)
(Then there's only one thing left to do!)
Gritting his teeth, violet flames flared in Ryūma's eyes as he planted his hands on Adam Blake's shoulders for leverage.
Combining that push with a full-power burst, he broke free in that instant!
(Let's see it, genius—show me your creativity!)
For the first time, Adam Blake's calm gaze shifted slightly.
Ryūma reached the ball and, in a diving motion, twisted his body midair and swung his right leg with all his strength.
[BOOM!!]
The ball rocketed toward the far left of the backfield, while the recoil sent Ryūma tumbling a few meters across the ground.
Ignoring the pain, he shouted,
"Nagi!!"
The ball flew so fast that Dada Silva, still landing, could only watch it sail over his head.
(Nice, striker!)
Nagi already felt the pressure closing in. Loki was racing toward him at incredible speed, and Pablo Cavasoz was chasing right behind—already gaining ground.
(Come on, Nagi! Show these world-class players who you are!)
Nagi didn't care how strong they were. All he saw was Ryūma's perfect pass coming his way.
(Ah… this height, this spin, this speed—perfect.)
As the ball dropped to about two meters above the ground, Nagi leapt and cushioned it smoothly with his thigh.
Before Pablo could react, he landed lightly, then sprang up again—launching a brilliant bicycle kick!
Julian Loki, arriving just in time, blinked in surprise before turning to follow the ball's trajectory.
At its destination, Yoichi Isagi was already there, perfectly positioned.
"Your passing chemistry's impressive."
Just as Isagi was about to dribble forward, Leonardo Luna cut in swiftly.
(So this is a world-class player… he predicted every move in our trio's chemistry!)
(But this is exactly what I wanted!)
(I knew the last pass would be read—that's why I set myself up as bait!)
Without stopping to control the ball, Isagi immediately sent it forward to his left.
"Oh?"
"Interesting~"
Leonardo watched the ball fly past, not even chasing it—his eyes glimmering with admiration.
The final attacker was none other than Rin Itoshi, who had been waiting in position all along.
Rin steadied himself for the shot, already feeling Loki's blistering speed closing in from behind.
He knew that if he tried to dribble even a few meters, Loki would catch him instantly—and he'd lose the ball.
Though still twenty meters from the White Team's goal, it was well within his range.
Fixing his eyes on the target, Rin inhaled sharply—and struck.
[BOOM!!]
The ball soared in a perfect arc across the air—proving once again that Blue Lock's so-called limits were meaningless.
GOAL!! Red Team 2 : 1 White Team
...