Chapter 120: Thieves and Cops
Bachira didn't show a flicker of hesitation as he squared up against Haru Hayate.
A playful smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as his tongue darted out to lick his lips. His feet became a blur, dancing around the ball with a series of rapid-fire step-overs that forced Hayate to second-guess his footing.
Suddenly, the rhythm snapped. Bachira slammed his right foot onto the top of the ball, killing its momentum for a split second before spinning his entire body in a lightning-fast pirouette.
He blew past Hayate before the defender could even register the movement.
Hayate froze, his mind reeling. He had completely underestimated the kid, never expecting a dribbler of this caliber to be lurking in an unranked project like Blue Lock.
"Are you kidding me? Hayate just got smoked by the kid with the bowl cut!"
"Who even is this guy? I've never seen him in the scouting reports."
"Hayate is a regular starter for the U-20 backline. How did he get beat that easily?"
A wave of shock rippled through the stadium. The fans had come expecting a one-sided slaughter by the National Team, but the reality on the pitch was starting to look very different.
"Unbelievable! We finally have the data on Blue Lock's Number 8. His name is Meguru Bachira!" Atsuto Tereasa shouted into his mic, his voice crackling with excitement. "That dribbling was world-class. It looks like Hayate fell into the trap of underestimating his opponent, and he paid the price!"
"Let's see what Bachira does next. He's into the final third. Where is he putting this ball?"
Tereasa's play-by-play was infectious, pulling the television audience deeper into the suffocating tension of the match.
Harutaro Natsuki, however, remained unimpressed. He crossed his arms, scowling at the pitch. "Fluke. The U-20 will shut this down in a heartbeat. Just watch."
Down on the grass, Bachira's eyes were scanning the field like a hawk. He was looking for the perfect opening, a gap in the armor.
His eyes locked onto a target, and he didn't hesitate. He whipped his leg through the ball, sending it on a high, curling trajectory that bypassed the initial defenders and dropped perfectly toward the near post.
Kira saw it coming. He smirked. 'Classic Bachira. He saw exactly where I wanted it.'
But as Kira prepared to kill the ball and turn for a strike, a shadow loomed over him. He felt the suffocating pressure of Oliver Aiku closing in from his blind side.
'Persistent bastard,' Kira thought.
He had thought his run was subtle enough to lose any marker, but Aiku's defensive instincts were on another level. The pro-level center back had read the play before the ball even left Bachira's foot.
Kira decided right then: no more hiding. If Aiku wanted a fight, he'd give him one.
Kira didn't wait for the ball to drop. He exploded off the turf, leaping high into the air to meet the cross. Aiku shadowed him perfectly, launching his own massive frame into the sky at the exact same moment.
Aiku went for the headed clearance while Kira reached out with his foot to snatch the ball out of the air. The two captains collided in mid-air with a sickening thud.
It felt like hitting a reinforced concrete wall. Both men grunted as the impact vibrated through their ribs, each silently acknowledging the freakish physical power of the other.
The collision knocked them both off balance. Neither managed to get a clean touch on the ball.
As they hit the ground, Kira recovered his footing first, lunging for the loose ball to snap off a quick shot. But Aiku was already there, his leg extending with surgical precision to block the line of fire. The ball deflected off Aiku's boot, and Kazuma Niou was there in a flash to boot it out of play over the touchline.
'Damn… this defense is a nightmare,' Kira realized.
This was nothing like the internal matches back at Blue Lock. The U-20 defenders didn't just have talent; they had a collective awareness and a level of grit that made every inch of the pitch feel like a battlefield. Especially Aiku. His nose for the ball was terrifying.
***
In the commentary box, Tereasa was losing his mind over the exchange.
"What a ball into the box! The U-20 was hanging by a thread!"
"Blue Lock's Number 10 went airborne! If he had connected with that, we'd be looking at the opening goal right now!"
"But Aiku! The captain was right there to meet him! They practically neutralized each other in the air, and even after they landed, Aiku had the presence of mind to block the follow-up shot!"
"We might need to seriously re-evaluate this Blue Lock squad. Since the whistle blew, they've been taking the fight to the National Team in a way nobody expected."
"I've just received the official roster. Number 10 is their captain, Ryosuke Kira. The two captains are already at each other's throats. This is incredible theater! Natsuki, what's your take on that defensive stop?"
Natsuki looked slightly rattled, but he maintained his professional composure. "That offensive sequence was… impressive. The link-up between Number 8 and Number 10 was nearly telepathic."
"If Aiku hadn't been there to clean up the mess, the U-20 would be down a goal right now. Aiku is acting as the ultimate failsafe. As long as he's standing, Blue Lock isn't getting through."
"That's why he's the captain of the Diamond Generation," Natsuki added, finding his confidence again. "Blue Lock can attack all they want, but once the U-20 finds their rhythm on the counter, this game is over."
***
On the Blue Lock bench, Nanase let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Man… so close."
The rest of the substitutes looked equally tense.
Ego, however, remained a statue on the sidelines. He had expected the U-20 defense to be this stubborn. He wasn't looking for a lucky break; he was waiting to see if his strikers had the ego to find a solution to an impossible problem.
***
Back on the pitch, Aiku looked at Kira with a wolfish grin. "Hey, Number 10. You know the saying?"
"Strikers are basically thieves. And guys like me? We're the cops."
"As long as you're in my city, I'm not letting you steal a single point, you little punk."
Kira felt his blood begin to boil—not with anger, but with pure, unadulterated excitement. He stared right back at the U-20 captain.
"Is that so? Then you better bring a heavy-duty collar, Officer."
"Because if you don't tie me down, I'm going to burn this whole city to the ground."
Standing nearby, Isagi blinked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
'Wait… a collar? Are we still talking about football?' Isagi wondered, scratching his head.
"AIKU! AIKU! AIKU!"
The stadium erupted as the replay of the defensive stop played on the big screen. The fans were chanting his name like a mantra, the sound rolling through the arena like thunder.
Kira finally understood the weight Aiku carried. To the U-20, he wasn't just a defender; he was their leader. He had reacted to that pass the millisecond it left Bachira's foot. That wasn't just training; that was the instinct of a world-class hunter.
"Throw-in! Get in position!" Aiku barked at his teammates, instantly organizing the defense.
Chigiri walked to the sideline and launched a long throw toward Isagi.
Following Ego's tactical instructions to the letter, Isagi immediately began a series of quick, short passes with Kira and Rin in the midfield. They were trying to draw the U-20 out, looking for a crack in the formation.
But Aiku was everywhere. Every time they thought they had a lane, he shifted to close it.
Kira realized they were spinning their wheels. He caught Isagi's eye and gave a sharp, subtle nod.
'Isagi, change of plans.'
Isagi understood instantly. Instead of a short pass back into the middle, he pivoted and launched a searing long ball toward the left flank.
Kenyu Yukimiya, the left winger, had been waiting in the shadows for his moment.
"About time," Yukimiya muttered, killing the ball with a velvet touch.
"Oh! Blue Lock shifts the attack to the far left! Yukimiya has the ball!"
"Is he going for a one-on-one too? Can Blue Lock find the breakthrough this time?"
Tereasa's voice roared over the crowd as the spotlight shifted to the wing.