One whole Week passed in a flash and right now, I was in front of the address written in the letter. Behind me was my Family in Hana's car, they came to see me off which I greatly appreciated. I waved them goodbye and made my way into the building.
Opening a large Mahogany double door, I was greeted with an unnerving sight. About 173 teenagers were gathered in what looked like an Auditorium, most of which I didn't know but I did recognise some faces. Like the red-headed figure of one Chigiri Hyoma, the Speedster. I faced off against him one in a match and that was my first time facing off against true Speed. I couldn't lay a finger on him and after the match, he scored a brace against us that got them the 2 - 0 victory. If he was here, that meant that every single person here was on his level or higher. That thought scared me. Another person I recognised was a small guy with Black hair with Yellow tips, Bachira Meguru, the master Dribbler. This guy was unreal. We clashed in an exhibition match once and he made complete fools of our entire Defence. Nobody could get the ball off him, me included. We barely squeaked out a 1 - 0 win and even that was from an Own Goal from his team. We couldn't do a damn thing in that match. A true Monster, that guy.
An hour and a half later, after 300 players were present in the Auditorium, we heard a voice from the Speakers. "Ahem. Testing, testing. That's good. Welcome, Diamonds in the rough. Through my biased and arbitrary decision making, I have chosen all 300 of you to conduct an experiment that will turn one of you into the best Striker in the World. Here, at BLUELOCK. My name is Jinpachi Ego and I have been hired to ensure Japan's victory at the upcoming World Cup. Starting today, you will live together, eat, train, fight with each other, trying to crush each other on your way to becoming the best in the World. You will undergo rigorous training, harsh conditions that will push you to your limits but if you want it bad enough, if you fight hard enough, if you can find it deep inside you to outlast 299 other strikers, you WILL be the Best Striker in the World. That's a guarantee. That's all for now." Standing in front of us was a lanky man in black pants, black shirt and…..crocs? Seriously, does this guy wear anything but Black. But then again, who am I to judge? I'm wearing a Pink T-shirt covered by a Red Jacket with Yellow Shorts. Safe to say, my Fashion sense is non-existent. At least he's consistent. Unlike my dumbass.
Anyway, back to reality, most of the gathered players weren't all on board with the vision Ego laid out for us and honestly, can you blame them? They were just told that they were going to live, train and play against people they've probably never even seen once in their lives. Of course, they're gonna riot and they all made their displeasure very clear to him. Some even started hurling insults at Ego, calling him all sorts of names. I stayed silent because I had a distinct feeling he wasn't done and what do you know? I was right.
"Ahh...….what a shame. You're all seriously sick, it would appear." he said with a face showing a mixture of Pity and slight Disgust. Then he made a shooing motion with his hands and said out loud, "LOCK OFF!! Anyone who wants to leave can go!". Everyone was shocked and immediately quieted down. Seizing the chance, he chided us further, "Are your perspectives really this limited? You mean to tell me that you would rather be the top Highschooler in this backwater Footballing country than becoming the Best Striker in the World? Seriously? You might as well turn down a luxury Mansion and settle for a One Room Apartment while you're at it, you ignorant fools!!"
Everyone was stunned into silence so strong, you could hear the next man's heartbeat. Ego then went on to explain further, "Listen up, Diamonds in the rough. There's no denying that the Japanese National Team has come a long way. In every other aspects, we're a First-rate team, but up front, in the most crucial part of the field up top, we're Second-rate. All your lives, you've been taught that Football is a game of 11 players all fighting together as one solid unit on the Pitch. Hell, you might have even been fed idealistic nonsense like 'All for One and One for All'. BULLSHIT!!! Let me let you in on the absolute truth of Football. Its simple. So simple that almost everyone misses it." At this point, his eyes had gone crazed, ablaze with an overwhelming passion as if letting us in on the secrets of the Universe itself. He continued, "Football is about scoring more Goals than your opponent. Plain and Simple. You see, here in Japan, we're proud of our Fullbacks and Midfielders and you wanna know why? They work themselves to the bone for the team, putting their bodies on the line every single match, all in hopes of 'doing their part' for the team. What Japan so desperately needs right now is the birth of one revolutionary Striker that will take Japan to the Summit. Not some fight for the team nonsense, someone who will score the goals whenever and wherever it is needed, a striker that will take on the Football World and bring it under his boot. THAT!! THAT is what Japan needs and I am here to turn one of you into that Striker." he finished with the overwhelming passion flaring up even harder than before, if that was even possible.
Still, not everyone was convinced. Some were even angry at his words, one of which was Ryosuke Kira who with gritted teeth and clenched fists screamed out, "Take that back. Right now!! The Japanese team are NOT Second-rate!! We all grew up watching them fight with all their hearts to get to where they are now. They are our Heroes, our Idols who showed us that if we fought hard enough, anything was possible and I will not sit by and have you make a mockery of their efforts and hardwork by calling them Second-rate. You're wrong!! Now, take that back right now!!!".
Everyone remained silent, some in contemplation at those words. Comparing and contrasting Ego's and Kira's words and we just couldn't make up our minds. Even I was ready to leave that second but our train of thoughts were interrupted by Ego yet again.
He scratched his head in mock contemplation and said, "Heroes, huh? Idols, huh? Hmmm. Hmmm." Something wasn't right with the way he uttered those words and yet again, I was right as he smiled eerily and said, "Oh, right. You mean the same pathetic losers who haven't even sniffed the Semifinals of the World Cup let alone win it?". Yet again, the entire Auditorium erupted in outrage but he didn't care. He continued, "Listen up, my deluded and deceived diamonds in the rough, what you need to become the best Striker in the world, what Japanese Football is severely lacking is one important attribute. EGO!! 'Instead of assisting my teammate to win 1 - 0, it feels better to pull off a Hat-trick and lose 3 - 4'. That quote came from Noel Noa, the man who beat out Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the Ballon D'or. That's what he thinks about your oh so precious Teamwork. Here's another one, this time from Eric Cantona, 'I don't care about my teammates. I just want to stand out'. if you're still unconvinced, here's another one and this time, from Pele, known to the World as one of, if not THE greatest Footballer to ever exist. He said, 'The best Forward, Midfielder and Goalkeeper in the World. If you ask who they could possibly be, the answer would still be me.'"
The shocked look on everyone's faces were very evident. 'What the hell? There's no way they would say that, right? Especially Pele. He wouldn't say something like that, would he?'. Those were the thoughts swimming around in my disoriented head, little by little, everything I thought I knew about Football was crumbling right before my very eyes.
Seeing the disbelieving looks on all our faces, he threw his head back, almost falling over backwards, roaring out with laughter. "WHAT DO YOU THINK?!!! PRETTY TERRIBLE, RIGHT?!!! BUT THEY'RE SOME OF THE GREATEST STRIKERS IN THE HISTORY OF THIS SPORT!!!!". Taking a second to compose himself, he looked at all of us with a deadly glare and said plainly, "As I said, what you all lack is Ego. You can't be the World's Best Striker without being the World's Biggest Egoist. Only your goals should bring you Joy because out there on the Field, YOU are the Star. The one who is supposed to make things happen. The more you score, the greater your Joy and Love for scoring and the greater your Ego blooms. Bluelock is here to force your Ego to grow far beyond what you're capable of. To take it, and you, to heights you've never experienced in your Lives. YES, let it grow, let it become an obsession, a Need, develop a mad, desperate craving for Goals. Because if you can't score, what right do you have to call yourself a Striker?"
At that point, my mind went completely blank, my eyes were spinning, I slouched over and clenched both fists and my body was....trembliing? 'What is this? What is this feeling? Why am I shaking like this? Everything this crazy guy is saying, it's wrong. It SHOULD be wrong. But somehow, somewhere deep inside me...I can't shake this feeling...….am I a true Striker? All my Life, I've played my part, stayed in my lane, fought for the team, was I wrong all this time? Is that why I've stagnated? No matter how hard I trained, no matter how hard I fought, it's just never enough. The last game against Ichinan. I did everything I could....or at least, I thought I did. Could I have done more? If I had been a true 'Egoist' as this guy said, could I have won the game for us and sent us to Nationals?'
I tuned out the rest of the World, looking deep into myself, reflecting on my performance, my hard work in training, the effort I put in day in, day out, all to help my team progress. And I couldn't help but come to one conclusion. 'That does it. I'm done. I'm done holding myself back. I'm done limiting myself. I AM DONE!!!!!!' I stood straight with a manic, untamed fury burning in my eyes and finally screamed out, "I AM A STRIKER!!!!!!". Just like that, I took off running towards the opening door, beside me was another guy wearing the same crazed expression as I was, running towards the door.
Suddenly I stopped in front of Ego and said, "Listen. I'm not sure if I should be trusting you. I'm not completely sure I agree with what you've been saying....but....I'm not looking to just be the Best Striker in the World, I want to be the Greatest Player to have ever existed. Are you saying that Bluelock can make that Dream a reality?". A manic grin nearly split his face in two and he answered straight up, "That all depends on you. But know this, Bluelock doesn't care about your Dreams. If you get locked off, you're done. Plain and simple. Are you willing to take this jump?". We shared a few seconds of strong eye contact before I pulled out and stepped through the door. I'm going to be the Greatest Player in Football History. That's a Promise.
After a long Bus ride weaving through winding, mountainous roads, we finally arrived at. I was walking around the massive Bluelock Facility, looking for Room Z, the room where I was supposed to be placed in. Eventually, I found the door with a big, blue 'Room Z' written on it. Opening the door, I met a few people gathered in there. Politely greeting some of the guys there, I went to the lockers to change into the Blue, form-fitting Bluelock training uniform and placing my old clothes into the locker and closing it.
While waiting for the rest of the people who were supposed to be in Room Z to arrive, I went and tried to talk with one person I knew, Chigiri Hyoma, the pink-haired Speedster, but his cold and detached visage deterred me. I shrugged and sat down in a corner, taking a look around the people present. There was a short boy with a shaved head nervously looking around, a blondie with sharp eyes and shark-like teeth glaring at everyone in sight, an orange-haired, strongly built guy who was actually coming up to me, what the hell? Oh well, can't hurt to socialise, I guess. If I'm going to be living with some of the people here, I might as well make a few friends while I'm at it.
"Hey, whats up?", I greeted him. He waved and greeted back, "Hey, I'm good. Nervous?", he asked with a welcoming smile. "Heh. Who wouldn't be? Nobody knows anybody here and we're supposed to suddenly co-exist and live together in a place we've never heard of a day in our lives. I'm Kaido, by the way. Takumi Kaido. Nice to meet you", was my response with a weak smile. He gave a little laugh and said, "Yeah, well, when you put it that way, it does seem a little worse than it looks. Oh, I'm Kunigami. Rensuke Kunigami. Pleasure.". We shook hands and sat down together. Curious, I asked "What do you think is the reason we're here? Any ideas on what we could expect here?". He looked at me and answered, "I'm just as lost as you, man. We were all invited here, right?". "Yeah, you're right. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh?", I said with a sigh. Pausing for a second, I continued, "It's kinda exciting, you know? Here we are, together, ready to face unknown challenges that will push us to be better than we currently are. I honestly can't wait to see what that Ego guy has in store for us.". Kunigami looked at me surprised and laughed lightly, "You know, most people in our shoes would either be terrified or so nervous they wouldn't even be able to think straight but here you are, smiling as if you're on a Field Trip. Gotta say, I admire your optimism, Kaido.". As he finished, I thought back on what I said and immediately clammed up, thinking he would see me as a weirdo. "And don't worry about me seeing you as a weirdo. It's unexpected but what good will frayed nerves do for us, right? It's better to keep a clear head and expect the unexpected and if being optimistic is how you do that, then who am I to judge?"
I paused for a bit before smiling wryly at him, "I'm that obvious, huh? Hehe, you're a pretty cool guy, Kunigami. Thanks for that." At my praise, he paused stiffly and turned to look away from me. That gesture made me smile even wider and lightly teased him, "What, can't take a compliment? Hahaha."
As Kunigami and I made friendly small talk, the last guy finally changed into his training gear and immediately after, Ego's face appeared on the big Monitor.