"Calm down, Ryusei. There will be more chances. That one shot doesn't mean anything."
Kudo Tõya patted Ryusei Shido on the shoulder, signaling him to cool off.
Seeing Kudo Tõya's composed expression, Yoichi Isagi—still holding onto Rin Itoshi—felt as if lightning flashed through his mind.
Maybe it was the effect of Awakening Moment, but the sequence of plays replayed in his head like a slideshow.
(So that's it—now I understand! Tõya did it on purpose!)
(He knows exactly how volatile Shido and Rin's relationship is, and he knew what that pass would trigger.)
(And the proof is that Tõya intercepted Rin's shot before Sae could reach it.)
(But… did he really predict even Nagi's godlike play?)
Isagi shut his eyes tightly, his brow furrowed, trying to recall every detail.
(No… that part he didn't predict. After passing, Tõya turned and sprinted another way—likely toward the spot where Nagi would have had the best option.)
(In fact, the direction Tõya rushed toward wasn't just Nagi's best passing point—it could've been the ideal shooting angle too.)
(As expected… every move he made was for his own goal.)
…
Meanwhile, Ryūma stood at the center circle, grinning at Sae Itoshi.
"Come on, Sae… I told you the second half wouldn't be as easy as the first, but you didn't listen. Awkward, huh?"
"You talk too much. Kick off."
"Alright, alright—let's go!"
U-20 ball. Ryūma taps off.
Right after the kickoff, Ryūma passed to Sae Itoshi, then unleashed his top speed, weaving unpredictably upfield.
Sae controlled the ball and cast a glance at Akito Sendou on the right, then immediately passed to him.
Sendou might have been called the ace, but Sae Itoshi's intentions were obvious—he understood them instantly.
It was their first cooperation, but to Sae, that didn't matter. As long as the other guy wasn't an idiot, the play would work.
The two executed a clean one-two, slipping past Seishiro Nagi and Meguru Bachira in just a few breaths.
Back on the ball, Sae Itoshi was already near Blue Lock's midfield. But his dear little brother, Rin Itoshi, wasn't going to let him advance freely.
Rin closed in fast—yet Sae showed not even a hint of panic.
He lowered his center of gravity, turned, and positioned his back toward Rin.
Just as Rin reached him, Sae spun sharply, pushing the ball left. Rin reacted quickly, stepping in to block—
—but Sae was faster.
In the instant Rin stretched out his leg, Sae twisted his ankle and pushed the ball straight between Rin's legs—a nutmeg pass.
Everyone around them was stunned. Whether coincidence or calculation…
The ball rolled perfectly to Kazuma Nio, standing nearby.
Nio knew every second mattered. He quickly turned to carry the ball upfield, trying to decide who to pass to—
When a mocking voice cut him off.
"Heh… hesitating, are we?"
Nio looked down at the figure sliding past him, completely confused as to when he'd gotten there.
(What?! Where did he come sliding from?)
(Did he really predict how the Itoshi brothers' duel would end—so he could intercept instantly?!)
(No way… even I only reacted at the last second. How could he possibly foresee it?)
"Counterattack!"
"Nice one, Tõya!"
Exactly— the one who had slid in to knock the ball away was Kudo Tõya, already in full throttle.
Kenyu Yukimiya picked up the loose ball, a smile returning to his face. He accelerated to top speed, sprinting straight down the sideline toward the U-20 half.
Seeing Yukimiya's run, both teams scrambled—U-20's defense tightening immediately.
Ryūma, who had already broken deep into Blue Lock territory, almost collapsed on the spot.
(Bro, I already made the breakthrough… all you had to do was pass. Now you're telling me the ball got stolen and they're charging into our area instead?!)
(Okay… didn't get fooled by the enemy—got fooled by my own teammates… T﹏T)
Even when Kento Cho tried to stop Yukimiya at the midfield line, Yukimiya simply refused to slow down.
Reaching the defensive third, Yukimiya faced his long-time rival—Teppei Neru.
But this time, Yukimiya was confident. He felt he had completely entered Awakening Moment.
As he approached, Yukimiya slowed down slightly, pulling the ball gently to the right…
The moment Neru leaned that way, Yukimiya exploded left—
Then, at close range, he spun through a slick Marseille Turn, instantly leaving Neru behind.
Raising his right arm back, thigh pulled open—Yukimiya signaled a shot!
Fortunately, Oliver Aiku had anticipated this and cut in with perfect timing. He had been preparing ever since Yukimiya entered the defensive lane.
But in the next instant—
Instead of shooting, Yukimiya angled his toes inward, flicking the ball behind his supporting leg. He spun sharply, bursting away in the opposite direction.
He'd beaten Oliver Aiku, but lost the shooting lane. That whole move had been reactionary.
He hadn't expected Aiku to close him down so quickly.
The Cruyff Turn afterward was entirely improvisation—pure survival.
Now speeding toward the goal line, Yukimiya suddenly smirked.
"Hmph… you owe me one for this, Nagi!"
[BOOM!]
With a booming strike, Yukimiya fired a fast curve pass directly toward Seishiro Nagi—just beside the right goalpost.
For anyone else, there was no angle to shoot.
For Nagi, it was the perfect spot.
The ball barely cleared the right post when Nagi leapt—faster than anyone else.
He cushioned the ball in midair, then as it dropped, jumped again without pause, spinning as he whipped his right leg—
[BOOM!!]
A perfect shot into the top corner—something even Gin Gagamaru couldn't reach, much less Fukaku.
But then—
Nagi's eyes widened as he stared at the figure appearing in front of the goal.
"Huh? Seriously?!"
With a clean bicycle kick, Oliver Aiku blasted the ball out over the goal line.
BEEEEEEEP!!
Blue Lock ball—corner kick!
...
(Full Series is already available on P@treon)
[email protected] / GhostParser