After the utter dismantling we handed Team W, all of Team Z were in sky-high Spirits and that showed on the bright smiles on our faces as we made our way to the Cafeteria for a celebratory meal. As we all stepped through the Cafeteria doors, our eyes instinctively went to a trio of players in the middle of the Hall. One wore Specs but despite the 'smart' look he had, I felt like he had the IQ equivalent to the Average Temperature of a Deep Freezer. Another was fussing excessively over the last guy who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. On their Right Sleeves, I caught their Team Designation. Team V, the undefeated team. 3 wins, 15+ goals scored, 0 goals conceded. A monstrous record. And what's worse, they were our final opponents in Blueock's 1st Selection. The cheery, vibrant celebratory mood vanished in less time it would take the Human eye to blink. What replaced it was a serious, somber mood coupled with determined gazes lasered in on the three of them.
The purple-haired one managed to catch on to our gaze and smiled at us saying,"Well, well, if it isn't Team Z, fresh off their absolute thrashing of Team W. that was quite the game. Especially from you three.", he pointed at Bachira, Kunigami and I. "Hey, Nagi, what do you think? These guys look strong, do you think they have what it takes to make us try harder?", he asked the lazy, white-haired boy who, with his half-closed and tired voice replied, "Honestly, I don't care anymore. I can't think. Thinking is such a hassle. Its hard on my head and I don't like headaches. Reo, piggyback, please. I'm not hungry anymore and walking all the way back to the room is such a hassle.". Somehow, this caused a surge of Rage in my chest and I glared harshly at them. 'These bastards. They aren't even looking our way. They're overlooking us. Overlooking me. I will NOT be underestimated.', were the thoughts running through my head as my head was about to cloud over and I would do something stupid but, of all people, Isagi beat me to the punch. He boldly stepped forward and pointed straight at Reo and said, "OI!! You guys sure have grown quite a head after your crazy run in the 1st Selection, haven't you? Just you wait. Listen and listen well." His eyes blazed with a crazed determination, "My name is Isagi Yoichi. Remember the name, because I'm the one who's gonna crush you.".
This declaration of War stunned the three of them into silence, as did the rest of Team Z, but instead of a look of shock, our eyes were aflame with Determination to put these high and mighty Team V Strikers in the ground. I huffed and turned around. Saying "Prepare yourself, Team V. Bring all the Ego and Confidence you can muster. Bring all you've got and then some. Team Z will crush you. And that's not a Prediction. It's a Spoiler." (If you get that reference, we're best friends now.) I left the Cafeteria as did Isagi and the ever-smiling Bachira. "You've gone and pissed them off. Congratulations, you played yourselves. They're definitely going for the kill next time out. But then again, aren't they always? HEHEHEHEHE!!!", that was Raichi as he turned and left too. "You underestimated Team Z. That's a mistake you will regret. I'll make sure of it." that declaration was from Kunigami and he turned and led the rest of the glaring and definitely angered Team Z out of the Cafeteria.
Nagi, as you'd expect, looked no different from his tired, lazy self and the Spectacled idiot, knowing he had nothing noteworthy to contribute, wisely remained silent and observed. But the one with the most dramatic change in expression was Reo and he looked somewhat troubled but that only lasted for a few seconds as his troubled face was replaced immediately by his mask of Confidence as he smirked and carried Nagi on his back, leaving the bespectacled idiot on his own in the Cafeteria to gorge on the remains of Nagi and Reo's lunch.
Back with Team Z, most of them were on the Training Field, practicing on various aspects of their Football, polishing their Weapons, etc. I was in the Gym with Kunigami, working with an Intensity never seen before, face scrunched up with part Effort and part Rage as I recalled the conversation in the Cafeteria. I dropped the Dumbbells I was working with and went to the Squat Rack to load up and start working on my Legs while Kunigami was holding a Plank position, his face equally serious as he poured as much effort as possible into forging his body into the perfect footballing Weapon. The Gym was deathly silent, except for the frequent sounds of hard breathing, clanking Weights and the drip of sweat on the floor.
This trend continued for 3 more days. Wake up, wash up, workout, eat, wash up, go to the Training Field to work on my skills and run drills, come back, wash up, eat, back to the Gym, wash up, eat, sleep, repeat. That was my schedule for those 3 days. The rest of Team Z followed the same Schedule, although with a lot of variations. Even Igaguri and Naruhaya were in the Gym, for Christ's sake. That's how serious it was for us. This match meant the world to us and we would sooner die before we lost it. This wasn't about the 1st Selection anymore. We couldn't care less about Bluelock 1st Selection. We were out for blood. We wanted...no, 'wanted' is too light a word to describe it. We NEEDED to not beat, but utterly destroy Team V. We have to crush them. It went from a prerequisite to surviving Bluelock' 1st Selection (Remember, we were second after that win against Team W. we needed to win to solidify our chances of making it past Bluelock's 1st Selection) to a NECESSITY. In summary, we were locked the fuck in.
One night, when I couldn't sleep due to the burning obsession with crushing Team V, I made my way to the Viewing Room to watch some Game Footage of our opponents. As the door slid open, the first thing I saw inside was a red-headed figure sitting on the floor, a bit too close to the Screen. "You should step back at least a few feet. Protect your eyes more, Chigiri.", I cautioned as I walked in to sit beside him. "They'll be fine. What's wrong? Can't sleep?", he asked. "Yep. So I thought I'd pop in to watch some footage of our opponents. Seems you beat me to it. As expected of the Red Lightning." This caused a slight jolt from him which I caught instantly. "What? You didn't think I forgot, did you? Look, I've been trying to put it off for as long as possible but I just can't ignore it anymore. Chigiri, tell me. What happened? Why are you holding yourself back? I've played against you. I know what you can do. What you're truly capable of. Your Speed is downright ridiculous. You should be dominating the Field. But you choose to kill your potential. Why, Chigiri?", I asked with concern written boldly on my face. We remained in silence for 30 whole seconds before hi sighed and decided to open up. "I had a nasty ACL tear in my Right Leg a long while ago.", he pulled his Right pant leg up to his Knee to show his Surgery scar. I looked on in complete shock. "Chigiri...I'm so-", I was quickly interrupted by him, "Sorry? There's nothing for you to be sorry for. Doctors said if I injure that same spot again, forget playing Football, I may not be able to walk normally again." My shocked look was even more pronounced than ever. "It's that bad? I...I didn't know.". He only released a weak sigh and stared straight ahead with a longing look in his eyes. "Red Lightning, huh? Yeah, back then...…back when...…." he stammered with choked sobs before finally calming down. "Back when I truly believed I had what it took...to become the best Striker in the world. My Speed....was a gift given to me and me alone. With it, I would outrun any and everybody. I would dominate. The only time I ever felt truly alive, the only time when I truly felt like I mattered.....was when someone was eating my dust, chasing my shadow. I was on a roll. I felt unstoppable. I WAS unstoppable...…until I wasn't. That one day, shattered me. My hopes, my dreams of becoming the best Striker in the World died on the Field that day. I can still remember it as if it was yesterday. Midday, bright, cloudless Sky, blazing hot Sun, perfect conditions for Football. 44th minute, long pass through the middle towards the flanks. I remember my eyes lighting up, my chest pounding, my arms flailing, my feet kicking hard against the turf as I burned through meter after meter towards the ball and then…..Pain. Severe, burning hot Pain shot through my leg. Pain so severe, it paralysed me and the unstoppable Red Lightning was finally grounded. After that, all I could remember were jumbled voices screaming different things I couldn't understand. No, it was less of I 'couldn't' understand and more of my Brain was still trying to catch up to that impossible moment. Vehemently denying the possibility of it happening. After that, everything went black. When I woke up, it was to my Mom crying beside my Bed. Honestly.....the reason I came to Bluelock isn't to become the best Striker in the World or any goal in that direction. I came here to find a reason to quit. Pathetic, right?" he concluded with a pained laugh and eyes brimming with tears, ready to fall at the slightest movement.
"Yes. Yes, it's pathetic. You're pathetic." was my flat response which left him absolutely stunned. I took advantage and continued, determined to tear down this deluded, waste of Space in front of me. "Listen to yourself. You came to Bluelock to find a reason to quit? Don't give me that!! Is that the lame, deluded excuse you cooked up for yourself? Look at yourself, Chigiri. You're better than this. You can be so much more. Bluelock will not create excuses for you. No one does, Chigiri!!".
Enraged, he grabbed my shirt and screamed in my face, "AND WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT ME?!!! YOU PLAYED ONE GAME AGAINST ME AND SUDDENLY YOU THINK YOU'VE SEEN THROUGH ME?!!!!" I shouted back at him, "I KNOW YOU'RE NOT A COWARD, CHIGIRI!!!!". That stunned him again and I continued, "Let's say you found your reason to give up. What then? You'll live your Life just floating around, doing Office work, slaving away at a computer in a cubicle, hounded daily by your boss and your seniors, eyes lifeless, heart empty, mind numb and Life grayed out until you died from overwork. What would your Life up until now had been for, huh?!! Your hardwork, your Passion, all those hours you pushed yourself in training to get better, your efforts during Matches, your Sacrifices. If you run away now, WHAT WOULD THEY HAVE COUNTED FOR, CHIGIRI HYOMA?!!! You said it yourself, didn't you? The only time you felt yourself, the only time you felt alive, the only time you felt you mattered was when you were on the Field, blitzing past any and everybody, leaving everyone and everything in the dust. The only time you felt you were Chigiri Hyoma was when the ball was in front of you and everyone else was behind you, chasing your shadow. Bluelock is here to magnify that feeling until it can shine on the biggest stage of all, The World Cup. Think about it, how many Players have had injuries like yours or even more sever than yours? There's a lot of them. But answer me this, how many of them have gone through those situations and come out even stronger and better than before? Very, very few.". At this point, he had already crumpled to the floor and I was sitting next to him, staring him in the eyes. "You know Ronaldo Nazario, right? The legendary R9, right? He has been in your exact same condition, Chigiri. Except he wasn't some Highschooler looking to make it big in the footballing World. He was a proven Striker who had scored an insane amount of Goals in his career, dominated multiple Leagues and even played in the World Cup. And one random match, he got injured. Badly. He had to undergo multiple Surgeries that should have seen him retire early. But he stuck it out and he came out stronger, faster and better than before. Hell, he even won a Ballon D'or. Tell me, Chigiri, if he had ran away, do you think anyone would even remember him at all, let alone call him a Legend? You're just getting started and you're about to quit? Don't give me that!!!". His eyes sparked with what looked like a glimmer of Hope and he sat up slowly.
"Pick yourself up and run, Chigiri. You owe it to yourself to see it through. And if it fails, at least you can hold your head up high and say, 'I gave it everything, but it just wasn't meant to be'.". I grabbed his right leg and finally said, looking him dead in the eyes, "You can still run, Chigiri.".
With that said, I left him in the Viewing Room and went back to sleep