As my eyes settled down, I found myself in a wide room about the same size as a standard Penalty Box. I moved to the middle of the room and my name and Face Card appeared on the big screen along with instructions to pass Phase 1 of the Bluelock 2nd Selection. It read, 'Welcome, Striker. You have made it to Phase 1 of 2nd Selection. In this Phase, you are required to score 100 goals in a time of 90 minutes. There are 3 levels of difficulty, Levels 1, 2 and Max. You have 3 tries to score 100 goals in 90 minutes. Failure to complete this Phase within those 3 tries will result in you getting locked off. Good luck, Striker.'
This stunned me. 'I'm supposed to score 100 goals in 90 minutes within 3 tries or I get locked off? Bluelock is no joke, is it? Ego is always finding ways to keep pushing us past our limits.' I thought incredulously. I pictured the shock on the rest of Team Z's face when they read these instructions and finally settled myself down. "it's hard but not impossible. Let's do this.", I mumbled to myself and moved to the center of the room.
Soon, the Whistle sounded and to the left, a holographic goal and Goalkeeper appeared. Half a second after, a panel opened from the top-right corner of the wall on my Right and a ball came shooting out of it which I quickly controlled. As soon as I touched the ball, a big red circle appeared on the field, slowly closing in around me.
'If I'm correct, the shrinking red circle is a shot clock like in Basketball, the ball comes out of random panels in the walls, the Goal and the Goalkeeper also appear at random places around me so I have to read the field as quickly as I can while using my Formula to score 100 goals in 90 minutes. Not bad, Ego. Not bad at all. Not to mention, I have 3 tries on this or I get locked off. Let's do this!!'
I steadied myself and fired a shot into the top-left corner which got saved instantly. This also shocked me. "What the.....first off, how the hell did a holographic Goalkeeper even manage to touch a PHYSICAL football?!!! Second, this is no ordinary Highschool Goalkeeper, is it? Of course, it's not. He's a professional. At least, it was modeled after a professional. Maybe even a First choice Goalkeeper from a big club. And I have to score 100 goals past this?", I lightly complained. "Screw it, I'll do it. I am going to become the greatest Player in the History of Football. I can't let some overpriced hologram stop me.". I instantly regained my confidence and fired off another shot to the bottom-left corner this time. No curves, just a straight shot and the ball flashed past the keeper's hand and into the 'goal'. 'That's one down, 99 to go', I thought.
Everything disappeared, except the ball, that is. A second later, the Goal and Goalkeeper reappeared behind me, the panel from the ceiling opened up and fired a Ball to my Left. I chased after it and controlled it, pulled it back behind me and pushed it forward, ran up to it and fired off a curving shot towards the top-right hand corner of the holographic net. The shot flew true and I scored another one. Another ball came flying from behind me this time with the Post reappearing straight ahead of me. The ball was coming fast so I chested it, kicked it up and over my shoulder while at the same time, twirling to chase after the ball. The Goalkeeper, now known as 'Bluelock Man' for some reason, rushed out to block or at least reduce the angle of my shot. A typical goalkeeping move. I flicked the ball over his head and outstretched arms and passed it into the empty net. After that, I reset as everything disappeared. A panel from the left opened ahgain but instead of the top-left I was expecting, the ball was fired low and hard away from the Goal that reappeared to my right. Couple that with the rapidy hrinking Red circle that appeared the moment the ball was fired, I had to hurry. So, I chased down the ball, reversed it's direction with a Back Heel and fired a curling shot into the top-right hand corner of the holographic net. Another Goal.
This trend continued until I scored 20 goals. Then, a loud, sharp Buzz sounded throughout the room. The big screen changed to reveal 'LEVEL 2' and immediately after that, the Goal and the Bluelock Man reappeared. But this time, it wasn't alone. Out of the ground came wooden, human-shaped obstacles that arranged themselves haphazardly around the Goal Posts. Their goal was obvious. Make it harder for me to score. By simulating the positions of Defenders in a real Match, I was forced to either grow or fail and failure was tantamount to Death in Bluelock. With my Dream of becoming the greatest player in the History of Football, I was not allowed to die here. I had one choice. Evolve. And so I did. The ball fired from the bottom-right Panel that opened with a sharp hiss. Another ball came blasting out of it, significantly faster than it was at 'LEVEL 1'. I barely managed to control it before shooting but my shot was deflected off-course and hit the Panels to the left of the Goalkeeper. The holographic net flashed Red with the words 'MISS' written out in bold, large capital letters. 'Okay, dickhead. You didn't need to rub it in.', I fumed but managed to keep a level head. I had to take in the position of the defenders during my initial reading of the field. The problem was, everything was randomised. The amount of Defenders, the position of the Post and the Goalkeeper, the Panel the ball was going to be shot out of, the Speed and Rotation of the ball, the direction the ball was going to be fired in, everything was different from the last and I had to react to everything within milliseconds or else I lose my scoring opportunity. This, however, didn't dampen my Spirits at all. Not in the slightest. If anything, it roared with renewed Intensity. Coming to Bluelock was undoubtedly the best decision I had ever made in my entire Life.
From behind me, the panel opened and my mind sharpened instantly. The Defenders, 6 in number at random positions, the Goal and the Goalkeeper all appeared simultaneously. A millisecond later, the ball came flying over my head. It was aimed in the air at an angle. My mind reflexively calculated the angle, predicted where it would land and I chased after it. Without stopping, I swung my Right foot at it, not to shoot, but to control as the ball was bounce in front of the 'Defender' that had somehow appeared in that spot. I kicked the ball into the air and over my shoulder, placed myself carefully under it while at the same time, marking where the Goal was and jumped. Mid-air, my Left Boot swung half-way and stalled while I swung my dominant Right foot at the ball with a lot of force, connected with the ball and sent it rocketing towards the Goal. Bluelock Man dove after it but its hand barely missed it as the ball packed a lot of power. I fell on my back but managed to break my fall with my arms. I stood up to another whistle sound as my Goal count ticked up to 25 goals.
The repetition continued. A Panel in a random direction would open up abruptly, the Goal, Goalkeeper and 'Defenders' would appear at another direction and the ball would come flying out at high speeds in another random direction. Over and over again, I followed through with my Weapons, utilising them as best I could. Sometimes, I would have to pull off something unorthodox but every move, every cntrol, every dribble, every shot resulted in one thing; a Goal. My Goal count ticked up step by step. I had gotten into a familiar rhythm now. Nothing phased me. I had completely adapted to 'LEVEL 2' so it wasn't much of a challenge anymore.
Very soon, another sharp buzz sounded and 'LEVEL MAX' flickered onto the big screen. This shocked me out of my rhythm. 'Level Max? The hell is that supposed to mean?'. My musings didn't last much longer as the 'Defenders' materialised yet again but this time, something happened. They moved. Yes, they actually moved. Every single one of them moved in random directions. 'Damn. Ego is really pulling out all the stops, huh? No matter, I'll have to respond in kind.', I slapped myself back to Reality and focused. Another variable just entered the fray. The once static 'Defenders' had now started moving. Spaces would constrict even faster, shots would be blocked more effectively, they would also have to be of a higher quality than ever before if I want to have any hopes of clearing this level without getting locked off. What's worse, right beneath my feet, the Red Circle that acted as my 'Shot Clock' had started to shrink even faster than before. This meant, I had to ramp up everything that I had been doing before now, at a higher level of quality, while under much higher pressure due to the moving 'Defenders' as well as beating the high quality 'Bluelock Man' in Goal. All this while having 3 tries at starting over or else, I would watch my dream die right in front of my very eyes. That was unacceptable to me. Failure meant Death and I had no intention of letting my Dream die. Not if I had anything to say about it. So, I did the only thing I could do in that situation. I evolved yet again. My Goal count was at 50 when the difficulty in level increased to 'MAX' and I had 55 minutes before I had to start all over again.
If this was only just the first Phase of Bluelock's 2nd Selection, what other bullshit did Ego have in store for us? I'll just have to see for myself. First, I had to clear this Phase.
So, I steadied myself and focused. Immersed myself into the field, moving around, taking in the 'Defenders' last known location and the trajectory of their movements. I had immense trouble focusing on each of their movements. So much so, that I misfired and missed the Goal entirely. The ball deflecting off a 'Defender' and into the Goalkeeper's safe hands. The holographic net flashed the words in their usual big, Red, capitalised 'MISS' before returning to their usual light-blue. 'You're really starting to piss me off now, Bluelock. I know I missed. You didn't have to rub it in that hard, you emotionless mass of Wires and LEDs.', I raged in my heart but kept it under control. Losing control now would waste valuable time. Time best spent scoring as many Goals as I possibly could to clear this Phase.
I knew what had to do so I set about doing it. First, as usual, the Panel in the blindingly white walls opened, followed by the appearance of the Goal and the Goalkeeper and, lastly, the 'Defenders', 6 in total, all shuffling about in different directions. The ball flew out of the Panel at ridiculous speeds, almost comparable to one of Kunigami's Power Shots and it was, luckily, heading towards me so I didn't need to chase it down. The moment the ball made contact with me, as I expected, the big, red Circle appeared on the ground and started closing in fast. I had very little time to work with.
Having brought the ball under control as best as I could, I shifted and started moving towards goal. On my way, I weaved past a 'Defender' and spotted a pocket of space to my right that I knew would close up almost instantly. Without hesitation, I fired my favourite Curve Shots with the inside of my boot. The ball flew through the middle of 2 'Defenders' and curved inwards to beat the Goalkeeper. My Goal count ticked up to 51. This opened the floodgates as I started to get a handle on how the 'Defenders' moved.
As I kept scoring, my Goal count kept ticking up and up and up until it reached 90 and I had 15 minutes on the clock. Then, there was a sudden, quiet pause. I looked around to see myself alone before quickly turning to the big screen and seeing something that nearly popped my eyes out of it's sockets. 'LEVEL ???' appeared in large, black colour instead of the usual blue theme of Bluelock. "'Level ???'? What the hell is that supposed to mean? There was a level beyond 'Max' this whole time?", I asked in shock but I never got to find the answer to my questions as another panel from the Walls opened up and fired a hard ball away from me. At the same time, the Goal, covered by 'Bluelock Man', reappeared all in their usual light Blue colours. The surprise came when the 'Defenders' which where just limbless, yellow dummies before were replaced by Black, holographic Hunam silhouettes that were actually capable of touching the ball, just like 'Bluelock Man'. How do I know this? Simple, I was currently tasting Synthetic Grass after one of the 'Defenders' caught me with a Sliding tackle that sent me rolling and stopping on my face. Instead of the usual 'MISS' that showed up on the holographic net in Red, what showed up was a Black 'FAIL'. I pushed myself back to my feet and surveyed the area. The 'Defenders' didn't disappear like before. They stayed around, guarding key areas and blocking shot angles. This brought a bolt of shock to my Brain. 'Wait a minute. Their positions are...…..their positions are specially placed to stop 'ME' from scoring. If they were randomly placed then I'm sure I'd notice but the way they placed themselves. One behind me, Two in front of the Goal, Two on either sides of me ready to pounce the moment I manage to try moving towards Goal and the last One standing next to me to mark me. These guys were purposely programmed to stop me. Is that why we have 3 tries at Phase 1? I can see why now. Some of my Team Z mates will definitely struggle with this last Stage. Especially people like Iemon, Imamura and Igaguri who I haven't seen use their weapons as effectively or as frequently as Kunigami, Bachira, Isagi or Chigiri. You'd have to come up with something special if you want to get past this Level.', I looked around as I pondered on this intense situation. Resolving myself, I steadied myself and got ready to go. Immediately after that, a Panel on the Walls opened and fired a Ball over everyone's heads which I promptly chased after.
Catching up to it, I controlled it and looked up to see 2 of the 6 'Defenders' coming at me. I pushed the ball forward to reduce the gap between me and the first one, did 3 Step-overs and on the third one, cut left with my left foot which was a feint as the 'Defender' stuck its leg out to intercept. Seeing that, I dragged the ball back with my left leg, behind my standing right leg and boosted it forward, leaving the first 'Defender' in my wake. As the second came rushing in, I simply pushed it forward and between its legs, leaving him in the dust. During my run, I was running to the left of the Goal, slowly drawing the 'Defenders' out one by one.
After dealing with the first 2, I moved forward and quickly cut to the right, ready to shoot. Seeing that, 2 of the remaining 4 'Defenders' rushed me to block my shot. I stopped my incoming Right foot a few inches from the ball and kicked it to the right again, making half a yard of space to shoot. That shot would have also been blocked because the 2 'Defenders' I had previously beaten were coming in hard from behind, one was sliding in while the other came storming through to body-check me out of shooting position.
My response was to quickly turn back and sideways to lose the two 'Defenders', leaving them beside me. What remained was the 2 'Defenders' standing on either side of the goal. Without hesitation, I fired my shot, no curves, just pure power, towards the bottom-right of the 'Bluelock Man' who instantly dived to save the shot. The Goalie, try as it might, couldn't reach the ball but the 'Defender' did. The ball caught it's outstretched leg but it didn't matter in the slightest as the shot was too powerful for it to deflect away from the Goal. The ball impacted its leg and kept going until it impacted the Wall within the confines of the holographic net. My Goal count immediately ticked up to 91.
This brought me a measure of Confidence and before long, with 2 minutes of the initial 90 remaining, the ball hit the net for the last time. My Goal count hit 100 and the entire room lit up with holographic confetti raining down.
"Congratulations on passing Phase 1 of Bluelock's 2nd Selection. Please proceed through this door to Phase 2.", the Speakers around the room sounded out and at the same time, another door opened on the opposite end of the door I came here through.
With all the confidence in the world, I walked through the door, down the tunnel and into an expansive room with a few people gathered there. The moment I entered, the number on my Right sleeve blurred through numbers and ended on 6. "Makes sense. I am the 6th person to clear Phase 1.", I mumbled and looked around to see if I can find a few recognisable faces, which I did. I found the one who made that ridiculous double shot back during the start of Phase 1 and as expected, he was No. 1. It seems he was the first to clear Phase 1. 'No matter. I'll take you down sooner or later. I'm going to be the greatest Footballer in the history of this Sport and I'll crush anyone and everyone to do it. Including you, Itoshi Rin', I swore in my heart as I leveled a challenging gaze towards him which he promptly ignored. 'So that's how it is, huh? I'm less than air to you, is it, Rin? We'll see about that. Its not the first time I've crushed super geniuses and it won't be the last.', I was internally seething at being underestimated yet again but I let it go, let it boil, let it simmer until I finally meet him on the field. That's where it counts. That's where we'll decide who the best truly is.