Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"The voting period has ended. The final task of the third selection round will begin shortly. Please change into your athletic suits and gather immediately."

At dawn, a cold female voice echoed through the broadcast system. Isagi and his group gradually got up, dressed, and headed to the assembly area.

"Huff... the final mission leading to the match against the U20 representative team... The adaptability experiment to compete for a spot on the Blue Lock team is about to start."

"Among the remaining participants, my ranking is relatively high, so my choice shouldn't be overridden. I've chosen to join Shinichi's team. The key to this round is likely how I can perform while standing out next to Shinichi."

"I must give everything I have in this match!"

While waiting, Isagi reflected to himself.

Finally, as everyone gathered, the screen on the wall changed.

A series of simple player portraits appeared, divided into two groups.

On the left, the members were neatly aligned, while on the right, the portraits shrank proportionally and were listed beneath Shinichi's image.

Shinichi noticed that the left group had noticeably more members.

Soon after, the bottom few portraits from the left were shifted to the right under Shinichi's image.

"The teams have been automatically balanced. There will be four matches in total, with the final match being 4v4. Each match will have a six-hour interval. Additionally, to ensure fairness, participants are not allowed to watch the matches in progress."

"Now then, the first match will begin. The participants will be randomly selected." As the broadcast concluded, the pentagonal Blue Lock logo on the screen transformed into an animated lottery.

The machine spun and eventually released a small ball from one side.

"The first member of Shinichi's team is... Chigiri Hyoma."

"Present." Chigiri brushed aside a stray strand of hair and stepped forward.

Meanwhile, the lottery animation continued spinning.

"The second member is Tokimitsu Aoshi, the third is Tanaka Shingen, and the fourth is Raichi Jingo."

"Getting in on the action right from the start? Just the way I like it," Raichi said, baring his shark-like teeth in a grin as he stood beside Chigiri, fists clenched in anticipation.

"Next, the first group of the 'Anti-Shinichi Tyranny' team: the first member is Yukimiya Kenyu, the second is Hiiragi Reiji, the third is Barou Shouei, the fourth is Haiji Shizuka, and the fifth is Sokura Tetsu."

Two pillars rose from the ground, each topped with several standardized numbered jerseys.

"Please put on your assigned jerseys and proceed to the entrance."

Chigiri grabbed the jersey marked with the number 44 and was the first to walk into the passageway.

"Uh... um, please take care of me," muttered Tokimitsu nervously, hesitantly greeting Chigiri.

Chigiri responded politely, "Yes, let's all do our best."

"Alright, I'm counting on you," Tanaka said, nodding with a touched expression.

After all the strange and troublesome teammates he had dealt with so far, he had finally encountered someone normal. At last.

"Hah, I'm already used to it," Raichi said, jogging a few steps to catch up from the back. "You guys just need to play along and serve my sexy football."

"Ugh, a loud-mouthed shark-toothed idiot just showed up," Tokimitsu blurted out instinctively, startled by Raichi suddenly appearing behind him.

His comment immediately triggered Raichi, who now had a vein popping on his forehead as he roared, "Huh? Who are you calling an idiot, you little punk?"

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Tokimitsu stammered in panic before cautiously adding, "But... but this is the option where we team up with Shinichi, right?"

He glanced nervously around at the others, and when no one contradicted him, he continued tentatively, "So... there's really no choice but to follow Shinichi, right?"

"..."

The group fell into an awkward silence as they walked.

Soon, they reached the end of the relatively short passageway.

As the large doors opened, bright lights flooded the space.

A backlit figure stood at the entrance.

Beneath dark hair, a handsome, delicate-looking boy smiled warmly and waved at them.

"Yo, nice to meet you all," he greeted.

Surprisingly, he seemed quite approachable.

Chigiri was reminded of the start of the second selection round: "This guy seems pretty easy to get along with."

"By the way, Tokimitsu, I remember you were on the same team as this guy, weren't you? How did you end up splitting up?" Shinichi asked, striking up a conversation with Tokimitsu and the others.

Tanaka offered a wry smile and explained, "After losing to your team, we won a match and managed to stay as a trio. Then we ran into Reo's team, who you guys had defeated. We lost to them, and Tokimitsu got picked by their team. Eventually, he was beaten again—this time by that guy."

Tanaka pointed to Raichi, who stood proudly to the side. As they chatted, the opposite passageway opened.

"The 5v5 match is about to begin. The rules follow those of the second selection round. The team that scores five goals first wins. The goalkeeper will continue to be Blue Lock's designated keeper. The final task of the third selection round—Shinichi Adaptability Experiment, Match One—begins now."

As the broadcast announcement ended, both teams got into formation.

Reiji started the kickoff, passing the ball to Yukimiya.

"Before we start, let me gather some data," Yukimiya muttered as he glanced at Shinichi. "Top-ranked player, I'll uncover your secrets and see through everything about you!"

"So I'm up against the ace right from the start..." Yukimiya's sharp gaze locked onto Shinichi, who stood casually in place, seemingly full of openings.

A glint of determination flashed in his eyes. "Just the way I like it!"

Suddenly, Yukimiya accelerated, skillfully maneuvering the ball between his legs at high speed.

Even the onlookers, with their wider field of vision, struggled to keep up with his movements.

"In football, everything starts with a one-on-one duel. When it comes to this aspect, I firmly believe I'm the strongest in this country!" Yukimiya thought as he stared at Shinichi, whose hands were casually tucked into his pockets, leaving his stance wide open.

"You're far too arrogant. Let me shatter your myth and become the world's number one—"

"You talk way too much."

It was as if time had skipped a beat. Shinichi, who had been two steps away, suddenly closed the distance in an instant, pressing right up against Yukimiya.

In Yukimiya's rapidly shrinking pupils, Shinichi's cold, pitch-black eyes loomed larger and larger.

"What did you say you were? The strongest?"

Snap!

With a single move, Shinichi intercepted the ball from Yukimiya's feet.

The ball was launched far down the field with a powerful clearance, its trajectory cutting through the air. At the landing spot, a red blur streaked across the pitch like lightning.

It was Chigiri Hyoma!

The moment Shinichintercepted the ball, Chigiri had reacted, sprinting at full speed.

As the ball descended, he reached it in perfect stride and, without hesitation, swung his foot to shoot through the gap in the Blue Lock goalkeeper's defense.

GOOOOOOOAL!

Shinichi's Team 1:0 Rebel Team

The opening goal was scored in less than 30 seconds.

But instead of celebrating Chigiri's goal, everyone's gaze was fixed on Shinichi, standing nonchalantly near the center line with his hands still tucked in his pockets.

Their faces bore expressions of near disbelief and fear.

"That level of dribbling, neutralized with just one move—intercepted and passed in a single motion. The ball was perfectly placed, out of reach for any defender except that redhead, and positioned for the most optimal shot..."

Reiji murmured in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly. "Neither the redhead nor the guy with glasses were part of the intel provided last night. Which means... they've never met before."

"Then everything he just did... could it really have been improvised on the spot upon seeing them for the first time?!"

Everyone who heard Reiji's murmurs felt a chill run down their spine.

Even Shinichi's teammates couldn't suppress the cold sweat trickling down their backs as they turned to him with expressions of pure terror.

"This is... Blue Lock's—"

"Kanzaki Shinichi!"

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