But the moment the ball slipped through Rin Itoshi's legs, Kudo Tōya appeared like a ghost, materializing a short distance behind him.
Without so much as a pause, Kudo Tōya swung with full force, sending the ball rocketing toward the U-20 National Team's penalty area.
At that exact instant, as if sharing a psychic link with him, Ryusei Shido burst forward at full speed toward the goal.
(All humans live to leave behind their mark.)
(Passing on one's genes is the innate survival instinct of every living creature.)
(Forming bonds, hurting others, doing anything to make yourself unforgettable—it all comes from the same place.)
(Creating something, becoming someone, leaving descendants—)
(All of it is just proof that you existed.)
(And for me… that proof just happens to be "soccer.")
(So open your eyes—because scoring, for me, is destiny taking shape!!)
(The shot is the act… and the net is the body that receives it!!)
(That intoxicating moment of "birth"—I call it an explosion!!)
Kudo Tōya's pass was perfect. As Ryusei Shido reached the final third, the ball came sailing straight toward him.
This kind of curving pass was his favorite—no angle adjustment needed. Just meet the ball head-on and smash it with everything he had for the ideal shot.
[BOOM!!]
But the flawless play between Kudo Tōya and Ryusei Shido was blown apart by Oliver Aiku, who, deep in his FLOW state, leapt in and headed the ball clear.
"Seriously? Now we've gotta rebuild the attack!"
Ryusei Shido grumbled as he watched the ball get cleared.
But as it arced above him, Shido suddenly froze.
(Huh? What is this feeling?)
(It's far away, but I can feel the scent of a goal on my back.)
(My soccer cells are screaming—bursting open————!!)
His body twisted instinctively as he launched himself into the air. With a towering overhead kick, Shido hammered the ball toward the U-20 goal.
[BOOM!!!]
"I'm gonna scream this to the whole world—everyone who still doesn't know me! Through my goals! Through my Ryusei Shido genes——"
"Be impregnated!!!"
GOAL!!
Blue Lock Team 4 : 5 U-20 National Team
"Shido!!"
"Shido!!"
The crowd's roar thundered across the stadium as the commentators finally found their voices.
"No… I… this is insane! Haha!"
Harutaro Natsuki was completely stunned.
Atsuto Tereasa shouted in excitement:
"With… with a long-range overhead kick, Blue Lock has cut the lead down to one! At this point in the match, anything can happen!"
On the field, Blue Lock's players went from shock to pure euphoria.
"Nice!! Shido!"
But Ryusei Shido went quiet for a second before charging at Kudo Tōya. His face flushed red, and just as he reached him, Shido jumped.
Kudo Tōya had no time to react—Shido tackled him to the ground.
"Tch—get off me! Idiot!!"
"Haha! I knew it, Tōya! You're seriously my natural-born partner!!"
"When I'm with you, I feel a rush like nothing I've ever felt before~"
Not far away, Ryūma couldn't help rubbing his aching temples as he sighed to Sae Itoshi beside him.
"This is so annoying, Sae-san. Why is everyone suddenly playing like they've unlocked cheats?"
"This goal was Ryusei's awakening. Don't tell me the next one's gonna be your beloved little brother waking up too?"
"If you've got time to think about crap like that, you should spend it figuring out how to score."
"A striker who can't keep scoring loses the meaning of his existence."
Sae Itoshi said this and walked toward the center circle without looking back.
Ryūma shrugged and followed. He knew perfectly well—this next play would decide everything.
…
U-20 National Team ball. Sae Itoshi kicks off!
Right after the restart, Sae Itoshi scanned both sides, then sent the ball to Ryūma, who was already sprinting forward.
"Push up—everyone!"
The U-20 attackers knew exactly what that meant. This was their all-or-nothing moment.
Including Sae Itoshi, all the U-20 attackers crowded around Ryūma, creating multiple passing options for him.
(The formation changed? Interesting. Must be Tōya's doing.)
(To stop me from bulldozing through like before. Annoying setup… but I've got teammates too!)
(Sure, aside from Aiku and Sae, the rest are basically trash—but trash still has value!)
(For example… using them to fool you, Tōya!)
Thinking that, Ryūma suddenly passed to Haru Hayate on his right and accelerated toward Shōei Barō, who was blocking his path.
Seeing this, Shōei Barō instantly understood—Ryūma was trying a quick one-two to slip past him!
He spun around, raising an arm to block Ryūma's charge.
But then he saw it—the faint smile on Ryūma's lips.
"Crap!"
Ryūma pulled a dead stop, pivoting in the opposite direction. At the same moment, Haru Hayate returned the ball right to him.
Regaining possession, Ryūma let pure reflex take over. His right foot snapped out, sending the ball down the right flank.
That single pass evaded Kenyu Yukimiya's sliding tackle from the far side and completely disrupted Kudo Tōya's setup.
In Kudo Tōya's plan, after beating Shōei Barō, Ryūma—seeing no one ahead—would naturally charge forward without hesitation.
Even if someone tried blocking him, unless it was three or four defenders at once, Ryūma would bulldoze through anyway.
But not this time.
This time, Ryūma didn't force it—he passed the ball away. And he did it even though no one was in front of him.
As Kudo Tōya sprinted toward a new position, he frowned, deep in thought.
(What the hell? Did Ryūma see through my plan to lure him into midfield and trap him?)
(No way. I've never used this setup against him, and with Ryūma's IQ… could he really think that far?)
(Tch—whatever! Let's call it bad luck!)
Kudo Tōya shook his head, deciding to drop it entirely. Stopping Sae Itoshi's dribble mattered more right now.
Even though Rin Itoshi had stepped in front of Sae again, Tōya didn't feel comfortable leaving Sae's defense entirely to him.
But he also couldn't ignore Ryūma.
So Kudo Tōya chose to divide his attention—and cover both!
...
(Full Series is already available on P@treon)
[email protected] / GhostParser