(Ultimately, it was this guy who cut off Bachira's pass to me!)
Yoichi Isagi stared at Oliver Aiku's smiling face, his thoughts racing.
(Did he anticipate it? No—our breakthrough and passing were flawless!)
(Was it a guess?! A last-second reaction?! No… maybe it was—)
(Everything!! The positions of every player, my speed, the pass's landing point?!)
(But he wasn't even marking me!)
(That means he saw it all—and in that split second, moved purely on reflex!)
(There's no other explanation for that defense!!)
The realization made Isagi stare at Aiku in even greater shock.
(His field vision, his mind, his physical ability—just how high are this guy's stats?!)
(This is the U-20 Japan National Team's defender—)
(Captain, Oliver Aiku!!)
Oliver Aiku turned his head toward Isagi, who was glaring at him, and said:
"Number 11 of Blue Lock, you know…"
"Strikers are often compared to thieves. Defenders, on the other hand, are the police."
"As long as you're in my line of sight—"
"I won't let a little thief like you sneak a goal past me."
Hearing that, Yoichi Isagi clenched his fists, fighting spirit blazing in his eyes.
(Bachira and I pulled off our best play—and he saw right through it and shut it down instantly!)
(Is the U-20 this strong?!)
(Interesting. I've found him—)
(The one I want to challenge!!)
(Aiku… this guy is the stepping stone that'll push me into FLOW!!)
"I'd suggest you collar me first."
"Sure, sure~"
Blue Lock ball. Rin Itoshi takes the kickoff.
Right after restart, Rin passes to Yoichi Isagi. The moment he receives it, Isagi immediately shifts direction, sprinting toward the U-20's left side.
His goal is simple—avoid Ryūma at all costs.
From afar, Ryūma Banjō merely chuckled, showing no intention of moving.
He trusted that his backline—and Sae Itoshi—would handle the ball.
Isagi, charging down the left flank, noticed Ryūma wasn't coming for him. A spark of excitement shot through him.
(Nice! I don't know what's up with Ryūma, but this is perfect for us!)
(All I need to focus on is getting past Aiku!)
(His earlier defense was likely…)
(Reading the pass's origin and everyone's positioning from the backline—then reacting!)
(To pull that off, he had to grasp the entire situation in an instant and sprint without hesitation to the most dangerous shooting point!!)
Deep in thought, Isagi kept advancing. Without Ryūma or Sae to stop him, reaching the backfield was only a matter of time.
(Aiku must have taken the "reflex" I use in front of goal—and applied it to defense!!)
(Plus that insane physical ability!!)
(And both require insane Spatial Awareness, elite vision, and a body built for sprinting and jumping.)
(I studied the footage beforehand, but facing him in person… it's a whole different world!)
(Compared to any defender I've faced, he's on an entirely different dimension!!)
(This is a professional defender!! This is Oliver Aiku—)
(If we don't take him down, we can't win this match!!)
By the time he finished that thought, Isagi was already entering the U-20's defensive third.
But his expression remained serious as he kept his eyes locked on Aiku, still close by.
(Even so, breaking through the center is nearly impossible!)
(No matter how many passes I trade with Rin or Nagi, if Aiku's watching, we can't break through!!)
(Then we go from behind! Blue Lock's second option—)
(Break through the flank, Otoya!!)
Just as Isagi expected, Eita Otoya burst from the shadows, sprinting along the left wing.
"Nice! Stealth breakthrough!" Otoya was ready to dash straight toward the U-20 goal—
But Miroku Darai instantly cut him off.
"I can feel it, I can feel it! I've seen right through all your moves."
"Who even are you? A tattooed monk?"
Otoya halted, then exploded forward in a burst, trying to shake Darai with continuous Chop Feints.
On the field, there's the surface and the shadow."
"Some players operate on the Surface with the ball, while others lurk in the Shadow, waiting for a one-strike kill!"
But the next moment, something shocking happened—
Darai caught up again.
(He matched my off-the-ball running?!)
"Too bad, Ninja! I'm your kind too!" Darai said, glancing sideways at him—moving nearly at the same moment as Otoya.
"I can feel it, I can feel it!"
Otoya tried to break through again, but froze in disbelief as Darai beat him to the spot.
(Damn it, I can't shake this guy!)
(He took the back area I was trying to break through—before I even got there!!)
"If you want to trick people, maybe work on your footwork first?"
"You low-level ninja."
"Shut up!" Otoya snapped, clearly irritated.
In the distance, Isagi—who had been about to pass to Otoya—paused in shock.
(Otoya… being contained? He can't lose him?!)
(That wingback can counter Otoya's weapon?! But how?)
(This makes passing impossible…)
"Isagi! Change the plan!" Rin shouted as he shielded Kento Cho and sent the ball back to Isagi.
"Got it!" Isagi replied, adjusting his angle before sending the ball toward the right wing.
(Don't underestimate me—onto the next option!)
(The other wing—)
(Win it one-on-one, Yukimiya!!)
"Finally," Kenyu Yukimiya said with a grin as he trapped the ball.
Teppei Neru stood in front of him, looking dazed but blocking his route.
"Nice glasses, man!"
"Thanks, shorty."
Yukimiya suddenly burst forward—
A clean dribble breakthrough, blowing past Neru on the right.
"This way?"
"You're even faster than you looked in the footage!"