HIBARI POV
I emerged into a well-lit room that my eyes recognized to be some sort of lounge area. I spotted several other teams of 3 in the room sitting on the various chairs scattered about.
Right on cue, Ego appeared on a monitor at the far end of the lounge.
"Hello, hello, my late bloomers, and welcome to the 3rd Stage of the Second Selection."
Ego then held up 3 fingers, "3 on 3 team battles."
Myself and Shidou watched on eagerly, Igaguri had some unreadable expression on his face.
Ego explained the rules of the 3rd Stage team battles.
"First to 5 goals, if we win we can steal a player, until we advance to the 5th stage. Sounds easy enough..." I muttered under my breath before Ego added one other thing.
"You're also free to play whoever you wish, but both teams MUST agree to the match."
Hearing that, I turned my head to look at Shidou, "Hear that Problem Child? How about you let me do the talking."
Shidou threw his arms behind his head, "Yeah yeah, loud and clear."
Ego then updated our Blue Lock rankings based on when we passed the first stage.
I was now 114
Shidou was 111
Igaguri was 108
I guess I shouldn't have taken that nap.
The monitor then turned off and Ego vanished.
I scanned the surrounding teams. Again, nobody stuck out, "If we're gonna be stealing players, we shouldn't play just some average guys."
I guess it wouldn't be too much of a problem if we did, I mean I could win with little to no issue as long as my teammates weren't completely helpless.
I approached a few teams, my proposal was direct. "Our team is seeking a match. We intend to take one of your players." Each time, the response was the same: a nervous shake of the head, a quick sidestep, or a muttered excuse about waiting for someone else. My attempts to secure a suitable opponent were met with utter failure.
Shidou's approach to things didn't look so bad right now.
After a frustrating half-hour, Shidou and I retreated to a separate resting room, sprawling out on two of the available beds.
Igarashi, meanwhile, was sent out to try his luck. "Just get us a game, any game, little monk," I'd told him, though my voice held little hope.
It wasn't until the next day that he finally succeeded.
Igarashi burst into our room, looking disheveled. "I got us a match!" he announced, puffing out his chest. "It took a while. Apparently, this guy here has made quite a reputation for himself." He gestured nervously at Shidou, who merely smiled, stretching luxuriously on his bed.
I slapped my forehead, a wave of exasperation washing over me. "He better have gotten us someone good to steal," I muttered, pushing myself off the bed.
We gathered at the registration pad, placing our fingerprints on the scanner. The monitor above flickered, then updated, revealing the names of our opponents.
ENDOJI, WATANABE, HIMURA, vs. YAKUSHIJI, IGARASHI, SHIDOU
As if there wasn't enough of them, we entered into another hallway which led to a shortened soccer field. We were told that this field was put in place to accommodate 3 vs. 3 matches.
We were provided jerseys that were red in color, while the opposition were given white jerseys.
TEAM RED vs. TEAM WHITE
0 - 0
"Alright, lets beat these guys and then hurry to the next stage!" A striker with dark spiky hair and a tuft of bright orange hair in the front. His pupils were like stars and he had on orange eyeshadow? He also had his sleeves of his bodysuit rolled up to his shoulders, exposing his wide arms.
He was the most unique looking among the bunch.
The other had his hair in a bun with strands falling down on either side of his rough looking face.
The last one had brown curly hair cut short on the sides.
'They don't look like much, but honestly I hope I'm wrong.'
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THIRD PERSON POV
KICKOFF
TEAM WHITE vs. TEAM RED
Souta Watanabe, the player with his hair in a bun, initiated the kickoff, sending a precise pass to the orange-haired, bulky figure of Akira Endoji.
Igarashi, eager to prove his worth, immediately stepped up and crashed into Endoji with a determined charge. However, his effort ended in futility; Endoji barely budged, his core engaging firmly, allowing him to absorb the impact without losing his center of gravity.
Igarashi hit the ground hard, looking utterly dumbfounded as the video assisted referee's whistle blew, crediting him with a foul.
"Foul by Team Red, Gurimu Igarashi, yellow card."
Endoji, unperturbed, launched the ball far upfield. It streaked through the air like a shooting star, finding its target perfectly with the curly-haired Yuki Himura.
Himura trapped the ball skillfully and, finding himself with an open shot, unleashed a strike towards the goal.
Blue Lockman, ever vigilant, deflected it with a quick save. The loose ball rebounded, and Shidou was there in an instant, swooping it up.
"A striker who left his shooting hopes back in the classroom, a brute with half-decent crosses, and lastly..." Shidou slowed down as the last player to assess blocked his path. Watanabe charged in, in response, Shidou kept his physique shielding the ball as he broke right through the fragile object.
"Fragile. Handle with the utmost violence." A look of utter boredom formed on his face as he passed it up to Hibari.
Shidou stretched his arms above his head, letting out a loud yawn. "My soul isn't in this at all," he said tiredly, his eyes still gleaming with slight mischief.
Hibari received it in stride. Igarashi, scrambling, yelled, "I'm open! Pass it here, Hibari!"
"Yeah right," Hibari muttered under his breath, his expression unchanging. Without a moment's hesitation, he wound up and struck the ball from twenty meters out, sending it curving with precision into found the back of the net.
TEAM RED vs. TEAM WHITE
1 - 0
Shidou began to stretch, his movements languid, boredom etched across his features. "Ugh, what a drag. Where's the real explosion? My cells are just...waiting to detonate!"
Endoji, looking baffled, turned to his teammates. "Anyone know what this lunatic is raving about?"
Shidou's eyes snapped to Endoji, his previous boredom vanishing, replaced by a dangerous glint. He approached the bulky striker, his grin unsettling.
"You don't understand the language of genius? How about I jog your memory, then?"
"What the hell are you talking abo-" Endoji's words were cut off as Shidou's hand shot out, grabbing his head and yanking it down with surprising force, simultaneously driving his knee up.
Endoji cried out, stumbling backward, clutching his face in pain.
A piercing whistle immediately cut through the air. VAR issued Shidou a red card, and he was removed from the game.
"Fantastic," Hibari muttered under his breath.
Shidou merely chuckled, unfazed by the red card. "Just trying to spark a fire in his soul, you know? Some people need a little nudge to find their explosion!" With his hands casually in his pockets, he sauntered off the field, a faint hum escaping his lips.
The kickoff restarted, with Team White now holding a 3 on 2 advantage. They began to pass the ball around, a clear numerical superiority allowing them to maintain possession easily until they reached an ideal shooting position.
TEAM RED vs. TEAM WHITE
1 - 1
Hibari initiated the next kickoff, sending a slow pass to Igaguri. The monk immediately tried his signature move, crashing into Endoji.
But just like before, Endoji's powerful physique absorbed the impact effortlessly, and Igarashi crumpled to the ground, not getting a foul on himself in the process. The subsequent play ended in another goal for the opposition.
'Tch. Damn one-trick pony.' Hibari grunted to himself in dissatisfaction.
TEAM RED vs. TEAM WHITE
1 - 2
Hibari decided to call it quits on the game.
There was no conceivable way to outscore them at this point, especially with their numeric disadvantage. More importantly, he had no desire to be picked up by such a clearly inferior team. He walked to the sideline and simply sat down, crossing his arms.
"Hey, Hibari! I need a little help!" Igarashi shouted, his voice strained from the center of the field.
Hibari yawned.
The game continued, mostly a blur of white jerseys passing around the struggling Igarashi. The final whistle blew.
TEAM RED vs. TEAM WHITE
1 - 5
TEAM WHITE WINS
Team White huddled for a minute, strategizing their player steal. After a brief discussion, Endoji, the bulky, orange-haired striker, stepped forward. "We want you, Hibari."
"If you want me, you better be prepared to play a 3-on-4," Hibari stated, his voice flat. "Because I won't be playing."
Endoji frowned. "Why not? Don't you want to pass the selection?"
"I know I'll pass the selection," Hibari replied, his gaze cold. "But I have no intention of helping people who don't deserve to. Plain and simple, you guys are terrible. You need to give up on soccer. Maybe try water polo or something."
Endoji's face hardened, but he simply grunted, "Whatever." He then turned and pointed at Igarashi. "We'll take him instead." Igarashi's eyes widened, then he let out a cheer, skipping happily towards his new teammates.
Just then, Shidou reappeared, sauntering back onto the field. "So, you just couldn't resist playing soccer with me, was that it, Prince Charming?" he chirped, grinning at Hibari. Hibari ignored him, turning his back and moving towards the losers' gate.
He felt a profound disgust having to descend this staircase.
They reached a room identical to the 3-on-3 lounge, finding nobody else there.
"First ones, what an honor!" Hibari shouted out as he walked to find a bed to crash in.
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The next day, Hibari awoke with a jolt to a loud commotion. He walked into the lounge room and found Shidou, already in his uniform, determined to bring down an axe kick on someone cowering on the ground.
Hibari deadpanned; he'd forgotten this was how Shidou "asked" for matches, and with Igarashi no longer here, there was no one left to make their team look innocent.
Just as the axe kick was about to split the kid's head open, someone lunged in front of it, blocking the powerful blow with his forearm. It was a bulky, bright orange-haired man.
Shidou's eyes widened, then his smile returned, wider and more unhinged than before. "Oho! Has a hero arrived to save the day?" he sang in a mocking voice.
The orange-haired man glared. "Why don't you get lost, you psycho?"
"Kunigami!?" yelled a purple-haired striker with a bun.
Shidou, unperturbed, jumped and spun, twisting his body to extend his right leg into a ferocious spin kick aimed directly at Kunigami's torso. Kunigami gritted his teeth, crossing both his arms over his chest to block the blow.
"Not bad, Hero! Wanna play some soccer?" Shidou challenged, his grin bordering insanity.
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ADDITIONAL TIME
Igaguri found himself away from the field by his new teammates, Endoji, Watanabe, and Himura. They were in the dimly lit hallway with dark blue light that led to the next stage, presumably the 4 on 4 area.
"Oh, man, thank goodness you guys picked me!" Igarashi exclaimed, a joyful smile spreading across his face. "That Shidou guy...he was a total psycho! Seriously, thanks for saving me!"
Endoji, the bulky, orange haired striker, grunted, his expression still a little sour from their recent match. He balled his fist, cracking his knuckles.
"Actually, I kinda want to hit something right about now," he muttered, his gaze falling directly on Igarashi.
Before Igarashi could even register the shift in atmosphere, Endoji's large hand shot out, clamping down on his head. "You look like a decent punching bag." He then proceeded to shove Igarashi's head roughly, once, then twice, making it bounce against the wall with bangs.
Igarashi yelped, flailing desperately. "Ow, ow, ow! What are you doing?! This isn't saving me!" He tried to pull away, but Endoji held him fast, his grip unyielding.
Watanabe and Himura, meanwhile, were simply whistling, staring intently at the ceiling, clearly minding their own business.
It seemed Igarashi had just traded one brand of chaotic discomfort for another.
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A/N: Sorry about the lack of chapters guys. Just been real busy the last two weeks, haven't had time to really write much. Apologies if this chapter is lacking in quality, since I did kind of rush it.
I actually kind of struggled with deciding who Hibari should face in this first match, I didn't just want it to be 3 characters whos names we don't know. At the same time I couldn't have them face a super strong team off the bat cause then Shidou would be "exploding" and also no strong team would still be in the 3 v 3 stage when Hibari and co. arrive. Thus I went with Endoji, who is an actual character if you didn't know. He has a pretty unique design but not much is known about him other than he's muscular and thats about it.
Be sure to leave your thoughts on the story in a review or let me know what you thought of this chapter!
Thats all I got for you guys!
Have a great day everyone!
Ussylliss out