Chapter 4: I'll just shoot from here.
The First Selection was simple. Five teams in each stratum would compete in a round-robin format—every team facing the other four. Wins, draws, and losses would determine both individual and team scores, but there was more to it. The top-scoring players across all the teams who lost in the stratum would also advance. It wasn't just about teamwork or camaraderie; even if your team lost, your individual performance could still secure your spot.
Ego also dropped a hint—something about how, at the very beginning of football, there were only strikers, and that we'd be starting from there in the first selection. He claimed we needed to "fix" our understanding of football, but I'm confident mine doesn't need fixing.
I already know what it means to be a striker, if that's what Ego was implying with his hint. A striker's purpose is simple: to score goals. Many here don't seem to understand that, just like the coach I had back in high school. So, I get why we're starting with the basics.
At first, I was just imitating a striker, doing whatever they would typically do without really understanding why. But now, I also grasp what a striker needs to do, instead of just blindly replicating their actions.
If understanding what it means to be a striker is the goal of this first match in the First Selection, then I already have a huge advantage—I've known this from the start. So why am I not ranked higher? I don't get it. My team isn't even close to my level, except for maybe of my team, I just hope they don't hold me back in the First Selection. Luckily, even if they mess things up, I'll probably still end up with the most goals. I doubt Yukimiya can outscore me, so he'll likely be eliminated too. Honestly, that would make things easier for me since he's a strong rival, but I'm not going to throw a match just for that.
I want to win.
"Alright then, I'll be the striker!"
"Huh? No way! You're the lowest-ranked here; it should obviously be me!"
"No, it should be me!"
"You? Please, you'd be better off as the goalkeeper."
"What?! Shut up!"
My teammates are already arguing about who gets to play which position, and they didn't even bother including me in the discussion. If they had any sense, they'd realize I'm the most suited to be the striker. Yet here they are, each one demanding the role like they've earned it. For how utterly useless they are, they sure have no shortage of arrogance.
"It should obviously be me. Why are you all making such a fuss over something so clear?" I said, which only added fuel to the fire.
"What?! You? Just because you're the highest rank now doesn't mean it'll stay that way forever!"
"Yeah, who do you think you are?"
"Femboy thinks he's hot shit, huh?"
Huh, but right now I'm the highest rank, so in Ego's eyes, that means I'm better than them, right? Isn't it logical for me to take the striker position then? How are they this dumb?
I get that they want to play as the striker since that's the coveted position here, but they should have to earn it. If I were them, I'd give the spot to the best player for now and focus on getting better so I could take it for myself. But if they can't even figure that out, how are they going to improve in Blue Lock?
They really are useless.
Yukimiya decided to step in, offering a solution. "Now, now, let's stay calm and figure this out fairly. Ah, I've got it! How about a game of rock-paper-scissors?"
Not the most rational option, but we don't have the luxury of time. I guess it's down to luck now. Arguing any further will just leave us with no formation at all.
The team reluctantly agreed on rock-paper-scissors, but the tension was still thick. I ended up as the midfielder, while Yukimiya was placed on the left wing. With the positions settled, we headed to the field to kick off our first match.
Walking out from the hallway on the opposite side of the field was Team V, our opponents. We had been waiting on the field for them to show up. Among them, the most noticeable was a tall guy with green hair and prominent lower eyelashes. He exuded an air of menace, a silent warning that demanded attention. But I didn't feel fear—there was no reason to. I simply waited, curious to see why this Team V was supposed to be ranked higher than me.
"That's Itoshi Sae's little brother," Yukimiya said, his eyes narrowing at the green-haired player.
"Is he good?"
"His brother's part of the New Generation World 11. Not sure about green-hair over there, though."
"Then let's find out," I said, flashing Yukimiya a confident grin.
There's no need to be overly cautious, but keeping an eye on him doesn't hurt. I don't know what the New Generation World 11 is, nor am I interested, but Yukimiya seemed to be singing praises about this Itoshi Sae. Of course, green hair over there isn't his brother, but being related to someone like that has to mean something.
Team V started with the kickoff, and the match was on. Rin, the name of the green-haired guy, was their striker. I wasn't sure if he earned the position through luck, his brother's reputation, or by proving himself in the first test—but it didn't matter. He was heading straight for us, and we had to stop him.
"Thank you very much, Sae's little bro. I'll be taking this ball," one of Rin's teammates said as he unexpectedly stole the ball from him.
What the hell is going on with that team? Why did that guy steal the ball from his own teammate?
It seemed Rin hadn't expected it either, as he shouted, "Why did you steal it?! And aren't you a center-back? What are you doing all the way up here?!"
His teammate glanced back at him while heading for our goal, smirking as he said, "Huh, are you dumb Rin? If I score the most goals, I'll advance either way. Screw the team!"
I get the reasoning, but if you go down that path, you're going to be fighting a whole team on your own.
Just when I thought that, I saw everyone on my team abandoning their positions as well. Was everyone really just going to fight on their own? They all want to score, and that's what a striker is supposed to do. Should I just join them?
Well, if it's going to be like that, then it's all up to individual skill. Time for a free-for-all, I guess.
A chaotic form of football unfolded on the field as everyone rushed toward the ball. Rin, anticipating the scramble, broke free from the pack and blasted forward, but I had been waiting for just that moment. With a swift move, I seized the ball from him.
Rin was impressive. His dribbling and ball control were top-notch, especially when I saw him weave through four players, nutmegging one and executing several other slick moves to break free from the crowd. But I wasn't intimidated. I could pull off those moves too, maybe even better. And then there was my powerful shot. So, for now, from what I've seen, I'm better than him.
Well, what a fine-looking open space we have here. Thanks to all of you blindly chasing the ball. Now, it's time to claim victory in this free-for-all.
BAM!
"Tweeeeeeet!" The sharp sound of a whistle echoed through the air, and the screen showing the score and time flashed—0-1 in favor of Team W.
"Nice, Tamika!"
"Alright, we can win!"
Surprisingly, my team was excited about the goal—despite none of them actually scoring it. Wasn't this supposed to be a free-for-all? But instead of continuing with their chaotic scramble, they started organizing. Everyone took their positions more seriously, and before long, I was given the striker position. The player who had originally been our striker shifted to midfield.
I guess if our team ends up in the top two of the stratum, then we'll all advance, and they're willing to let me score for them. It's not like they have any real choice if they want to stay in Blue Lock.
In the distance, I saw Rin talking with one of his teammates, likely discussing some kind of plan. I wondered what they were plotting, but I didn't dwell on it for too long. Rin was already getting ready for the kick-off again, and I needed to stay focused.
Those two will most likely work together to score a goal now, but the rest of their team will just go for the ball.
I'll just focus on Rin and block any pass to him. The other guy doesn't seem like much, to be honest, and based on what I've seen so far, I'm confident I'm better than Rin. It really makes me wonder how he has a higher rank than me, but then again, I haven't seen everything yet.
Oh, he's passing to Rin, but why is he choosing to pass it to the left of me? Isn't Rin supposed to be on my right side?
I quickly scanned the field, trying to find where Rin had gone. The moment I looked away, he vanished from my sight. When I glanced over to the right, I saw him there, right where the pass was heading. Shit. He got the perfect pass, and now he was too far ahead. I couldn't catch up to him in time. He was going to score.
Damn, he got lucky. If I hadn't lost sight of him for even a second, I'm sure I would've stolen the ball.
THUMP!
The ball made a satisfying hollow sound as Rin struck it with perfect precision, sending it into the top right corner of our goal. 1-1.
"Nice, Rin! That was a cool goal."
"Yay, nicely done, Rin!"
"Let's win this thing."
Team V celebrated Rin's goal, quickly reforming into a solid team, much like how my Team W had done after I scored. But now my teammates were starting to doubt me, it didn't bother me too much. I wasn't going to let it happen again anyways.
Besides, all I had to do was score. Just do what a striker's job entails. That was what Ego wanted us to understand, and I had already figured it out long before he dropped the hint. Blue Lock was a place where you had to rely on your individual skills to score goals—not on your team.
So, how? How am I losing to Rin, even though I know I'm better than him?
Rin had managed to steal the ball from me when I was trying to get past him, and now he was already running towards our goal. One of his teammates had used his strong physique to pin me down, preventing me from dribbling past him when Rin disappeared from my sight again. By the time I realized what had happened, Rin had taken the ball from me and was making his move.
Before I could catch up to him, Rin had already passed the ball to the teammate he had worked with for his first goal. That guy had impressive passing abilities, making it impossible for me to block their connection. Rin got closer to the goal with his teammate, and just like before, he disappeared from my sight again. The perfect pass came through, and Rin was in position to score.
THUMP!
This time, Rin took a shot from 30 meters out, curving the ball beautifully. It soared through the air and landed with pinpoint accuracy in the top right corner of our goal. Cheers erupted from Team V once again, while my team grew visibly disoriented, murmurs of doubt surfacing about whether I should remain as the striker.
How does he keep vanishing from my sight? Always slipping away at the crucial moment, if only I could face him head-on. And that teammate of his—those perfect, calculated passes—makes it impossible to cut them off. It's infuriating.
"Hey, Tamika, that goal you scored must've been a fluke! Give me the striker position back!"
"Yeah, you just got lucky because everyone was clustered together!"
"Now that we're playing actual football, you're useless!"
I need to focus. Don't let those incompetents distract me. Why is Rin scoring? How does he keep slipping out of my vision? He's lucky—if I could face him head-on, I'd probably win. His shooting precision is better than mine, but I have more power. His dribbling and ball control are impressive, but mine are just slightly better.
So why? Why, despite being better than him, is he the one scoring? Is it really just luck?
I received the ball after the kickoff, a pass from one of my teammates, and Rin was already closing in on me. It must have been luck before—there's no other explanation. This time, I'd face him head-on. He won't win. I'll go right past him. He's not better than me.
I've got this!
I want to win!
"Are you an idiot?" Rin sneered, not even making a move.
Before I could react, one of his teammates had crept up behind me and snatched the ball away.
I couldn't face him head-on again, and Rin was seamlessly playing off his team's movements. But wasn't this supposed to be a free-for-all here in Blue Lock? Why was he relying so much on his team? He'll never make it as a true striker like that… right?
"Masako, you're trash! How'd you lose the ball so fast?"
"I'm taking the striker position back!"
"Well, fine by me. Better than letting Masako embarrass us again. Hahaha!"
Rin sliced through our team like a hot knife through butter, pulling off exceptional moves and strategically passing the ball when cornered. His team worked seamlessly to clear the way as he advanced closer to our goal—but I was closing in.
I've caught up to you, under-eyelashes. Now, what will you do?
We're really doing this head-on now. Your luck's about to run out, Rin. He stepped over the ball with his right foot, then with his left, trying to fake me out. But I wasn't going to fall for it. I kept my eyes locked on his every move. Finally, he used the outside of his right foot to push the ball past me, but I was right there, shadowing him, staying one step ahead.
"Tsk."
Rin's expression darkened, clearly frustrated that he couldn't get past me. With a sharp flick of his foot, he passed the ball to his teammate—the one with the passing skills.
Yukimiya blocked the shot, and the ball launched to the other side of the field where Team V quickly recovered it. The attack was back on, and once again, I was locked onto Rin, determined to stop him from scoring this time.
Rin got the ball again from one of his teammates, and I stayed right on him. He immediately passed it to another teammate, who suddenly picked up speed and outran most of my team.
Rin and I both kept pace with the speedster, him trying to break free and get a shot off, while I stayed on his tail, to block him. As we neared the goal, one of my teammates made a timely intervention, getting in the speedster's path and preventing him from taking a shot. With his options closing in, the speedster quickly passed the ball.
Where is this guy passing? There shouldn't be anyone there.
The speedster passed the ball with the back of his foot, sending it toward the middle, just outside the penalty area. Rin and I had been racing toward the goal, both of us in the box... but Rin wasn't here with me?
Shit. I lost sight of him again. How does he keep doing that?
My teammate was about to pick up the ball that the speedster had passed to seemingly no one when I finally noticed where Rin was. He hadn't gone all the way into the penalty area with me and was now heading for the ball as well.
My teammate saw that Rin would reach the ball first and went for the tackle, but Rin skillfully lobbed the ball over him, jumping to avoid the challenge. I could maybe reach him in time to block the shot, but I already knew Rin wouldn't trap the ball after his lob. He'd just shoot it directly while it was still in the air. I would've done the same. And sure enough, Rin did just that.
"Your half-baked, girl-face, you don't think at all," Rin mocked, as he took the shot.
THUMP!
"tweeeeeeeet." The whistle came and the scoreboard was changed, rin had managed to score again.
It was 3-1 in favor of Team V, and my team wasn't holding back their disappointment. They mocked me as we headed to the locker room for halftime.
"Masako, do you even think when playing football?!"
"Why do you keep letting Rin get open?!"
"And when you have the ball, you charge toward their goal like a headless chicken."
The insults kept coming in the locker room, everyone saying I should give up the striker position. But I wasn't about to do that. No one on this team was better than me, so I tried to argue my way out of it. In the end, though, I had no choice but to hand over the position to Yukimiya, while I was moved to left wing.
It was frustrating, but it wasn't the main thing on my mind. What really bothered me was why Rin, someone I knew I was better than, kept scoring while I couldn't do anything about it. I kept telling myself it was just bad luck—losing sight of him so many times. But there's no way it was luck if it kept happening over and over again.
But what is it then? Damn, this is frustrating. I should be better than him!
Yukimiya stayed silent during the break, not even bothering to stop the insults flying my way. I didn't blame him, though. Honestly, being mocked by Rin and my teammates wasn't nearly enough pressure to break me.
I know what real pressure is, having experienced it during my time in the war in my second life as Tanya von Degurechaff. I was often tasked with carrying the fate of the empire during special missions. When I compare that to some teenagers hurling insults at me now, it feels like nothing in comparison. I did feel a bit down, though, since I couldn't stop Rin for the entire first half of the match.
Lost in these thoughts, I barely noticed the second half was about to begin. Yukimiya kicked off and, surprisingly, passed the ball to me.
Why is he passing to me? In their eyes, I should be seen as a useless player.
"Tamika, you should think things through, or you'll waste your skills. Try attacking with me," he said, running toward the opposing team's goal.
"Hey, why did you pass to him, Yukimiya? You know he'll just run forward with no plan!"
It's annoying how my teammate talks as if I won't be able to score. Of course, that's my plan—this is Blue Lock, where individual skill matters more than team play. But I also want to understand why Yukimiya passed to me and said we should attack together. What made him think I'd do that? If scoring isn't my goal, am I even doing what Ego expects from us? Isn't a striker supposed to score?
Ah, Yukimiya is open. If I pass now, we could score.
For some reason, I passed the ball—I didn't even know why, but I just did. Yukimiya received it and began weaving through Team V's players, one after another, always in one-on-one situations. Using his speed, physique, and dribbling, he managed to get past them all.
He passed to me again when he saw I was free, and then, when I saw him open, I passed it back. Again, I didn't know why I passed, but now Yukimiya only had one defender left to beat—Rin. Rin could block Yukimiya's shot from where he was, but if Yukimiya passed to me now, I'd have an open goal and could score.
"Sorry, Tamika, but this is still Blue Lock!" Yukimiya said, taking the shot despite Rin being there to block it.
BAM!
It was soaring so high that it seemed impossible for it to land in the net, but I recognized the shot. This was the one Yukimiya had used to try and tag me in the first test—the Gyro Shot. He had told me the name of it. At first, it looked like it was too high, but then it would suddenly dip down.
Rin couldn't block it because the ball went over his legs, as the shot first rose high before diving down. It landed perfectly in the top center of the goal.
"Tweeeeeeeet!" The whistle sounded much better when it signaled a goal for your team, but I felt like shit.
"OOOOOH!"
"Nice one, Yukimiya!"
"I thought it was going over the goal at first!"
Shit. I've been playing like an idiot! So that's how it is!
I didn't know at all what it meant to be a striker, and I had misunderstood Ego's hint. I thought I knew, but I didn't. It's more like I only knew one thing about being a striker, but that wasn't all there was to it. A striker's job is to score—that much I knew—but it's also about the result that comes with it here in Blue Lock that needs to be used.
The result of a striker's goal is that they become the foundation of the team. Essentially, the team will rely on the image of your goal to play together. But I was a fool—I only thought that a striker needed to score. But the truth is, you need the team to help you score your goals.
At the beginning, when we all went for the ball, I knew enough. But when the team came together, I was stuck on the first stage and didn't use my teammates. But now I see it. After the play with Yukimiya, I understand that you have to use your team to score your own goals. Yukimiya relied on me to score his goal—no, he used me. He used his team as the striker to score.
How did I ever think I was the only one who didn't need to fix their football knowledge? I really thought I could do anything, didn't I?
I realize now that I've been acting on emotions since the match against Isagi—me, of all people, acting on emotions. I discovered a new desire in that match; I was no longer content with a cushy lifestyle, but I pursued the desire blindly. I even started ranking myself above others who were clearly better, just because that's what I wanted.
I had forgotten that there's more to football than just skill with the ball. I misjudged people, failing to account for their off-the-ball movement skills—and Rin excelled at that. But I, caught up in my emotions from the toxic desire I had discovered, ranked myself higher than him because of it.
I wanted to win too badly. I'd been acting just like a certain raging bull from my past life—completely irrational, a burden to everyone around me. Shit. This feels awful.
I had to physically hold back vomit from what I'd just realized, and for a moment, I even wished I didn't have this desire, ego—whatever it was. But I'm stuck with it now, and I want to fulfill it. And so I will, but to do that, I have to be realistic again.
Winning all the time isn't realistic, but I can't do anything about it. If I don't at least try, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Then it'll just be: Goodbye, cushy lifestyle, and hello, depression arc. Did Being X curse me with this dumb ego?
No, I already felt like it was my own stupid ego, not something Being X created. I know this because I didn't reject the feeling the way I did with the Type-95.
Basically, I need to rethink how I play football. I can't just rush in and try to score because I think I'm better than everyone else. Realistically, I'm not that good—I've just had more training than the others here. So, I should aim to become the best by watching the best player here and adapting.
The best one here is Rin, without a doubt. I thought he was just lucky to slip out of my vision, but that was because I had dismissed off-the-ball skills from my mind. There must be something he's doing to consistently evade my sight.
Rin kicked off after Yukimiya's goal, and I started watching everything he did. He kept his distance from the attack Team V was making, and I realized he was doing this to keep track of everyone's position on the field. But to do that, you'd need incredible spatial awareness—more than I even saw in Isagi.
I don't really have spatial awareness like that. It seems really useful, so I should try to train mine.
Rin started passing the ball among his teammates, and I noticed that somehow, the players he passed to had a strength that exposed a weakness in my teammates. Is he predicting how the play will unfold when he passes it? But don't you need to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses for that? How do you even remember everyone's position on the field, along with their strengths and weaknesses?
I guess once you've memorized the strengths and weaknesses of others, it's hard to forget them. But they're constantly on the move. Rin has to be aware of who's where at all times, and only then can he predict the play.
He's even better than me than I thought now that I'm watching him do this. Everyone on his team can play at their best because of him.
And yet, he's always the one who scores. It's like a puppet show, as if he controls everything. He probably predicts a play where they have to pass to him and makes sure that happens so he can score. What an egotistical way of playing football—exactly the kind of play Ego is looking for.
But even if I understand all of this, there's nothing I can do about it. I don't have the spatial awareness to stop his predictions from coming true. If I did, I could predict the same things as him and shut it down. But now, I'm left searching for something he doesn't know, some opening he hasn't seen. The problem is, there's nothing left—everyone has already laid their cards on the table.
I've shown my shot, my dribbling, and now that I helped Yukimiya with his goal, he's probably figured out that I can actually think while playing football, not just rush in mindlessly. Yukimiya has also revealed his 1-on-1 and Gyro Shot, and the rest of Team W has laid bare their strengths. So, what now? Is it hopeless? It feels like being surrounded on all sides in a war.
Being surrounded on all sides in a war?
In the meantime, Rin had made his predictions come true once again, receiving a pass from one of his teammates in a position where he could score. And score he did.
THUMP!
The scoreboard switched to 4-2 in favor of Team V, and Yukimiya got ready to kick off again. But I was lost in thought, lingering behind our penalty area.
Then, what if I'm not the one surrounded, but the one coming from the outside to break the encirclement? The reinforcements.
If I don't want to be a part of Rin's predictions, I need to stay outside his spatial awareness range. With defense, that's not an option since I need to be in his range to steal or block the ball, but with an attack, I could shoot if I position myself outside of Rin's spatial awareness.
But if I do that, I'll have to shoot from a long distance. I have no other option; it's the only way. I should try from 35 meters out, but I'll need the same precision I had when they called me the Devil of the Rhine in my second life. On the Rhine front, I mostly sniped my enemies, but that's a whole different skill than shooting a ball with precision. I just have to reach that same level, but in football—that's why I'm making the comparison. The only thing I could use was my precise eye, but my feet need to be able to shoot precise too.
Luckily, this body has a strong right leg for shooting—very, and I mean very, hard—and it's been trained since I was 5 years old. So, I don't need to worry about the power behind the shot. With that, not all hope is lost. It's still going to be incredibly hard, though.
"Masako, hurry up and get to your position!"
"Oh, sorry! I spaced out for a second."
With that, I returned to my position, and Yukimiya kicked off. We slowly built up our attack, testing both the left and right sides of the field, looking for openings. As we got closer to the goal, we saw a chance. I stayed 35 meters away from Team V's goal, waiting.
We probably can't score here... Has Rin noticed me yet?
When I looked at Rin, our eyes locked—he noticed me. That's not good. Even 35 meters is within his range.
He's added me to his prediction. So, next time, I'll have to try from even farther away? Is that really possible?
I received a pass from one of my teammates after our earlier attack failed to break through Team V's defense. But since Rin had already noticed me, I immediately passed the ball to Yukimiya.
The second Yukimiya got the ball, he was confronted by two defenders instead of one. Because of this, he couldn't get past them—he wasn't good at getting by two players at once. It was fine if they defended him separately, but when they did it together, he couldn't do anything.
Well, I expected this since Rin already knew about Yukimiya's 1-on-1, but there's nothing I can do about it.
The two defenders stole the ball from Yukimiya since he couldn't pass it to anyone. Everyone on our team was already being pressured at their weak spots by Team V's players, all because of Rin's predictions. They passed to Rin, who had moved ahead as soon as he saw his team regain possession. With that, he launched a rapid counterattack, leaving every defender on my team scrambling to catch up.
"Tweeeeeet." The whistle sounds annoying again…
At 25 meters from our Team W's goal, he took the shot, sending the ball into the back of our net again. 5-2, in favor of Team V.
Shit, I'll just try from even farther away this time. I'm not letting this end like this.
Yukimiya kicked off, and my team launched the attack. But from how far away I was standing, there's no way you could even consider me part of the attack.
Fine. I'll just fucking shoot from here then.
-
Wow, under eyelashes is really good. As expected from Itoshi Sae's little brother.
We can't get through their defense at all, and it feels like they're all just doing what Rin says in the attack. He doesn't even have to say anything—it's like he's giving orders with telepathy or something. Because of that, we're always getting hit where we're weakest.
And not just that—it looks like Tamika's given up or something. He was getting mocked pretty bad earlier, and at one point, it looked like he was about to puke. I passed to him because I was trying to help him out—and, yeah, I needed someone to score my goal too—but it looks like I only managed the second part.
He's not even joining us in the attack anymore. It's kind of sad, but if he can't handle this much pressure, there's no way he's making it as a pro footballer, let alone the best striker in the world.
I really want to score one more goal, but I don't think we're gonna pull it off.
Well, if he's giving up just like that, then I'll just have to push forward on my own. There's no way our team can advance as a whole with one player sitting around doing nothing. It's kind of annoying that Tamika's acting like this—it would've been way more fun to win these matches.
Ah, shit, they're defending with two guys again. I can't get past them like this, and no one else is open—except Tamika, all the way over there.
I just hope he'll at least pass the ball so we can reset the attack and start over. But I don't have time to sit here hoping—I need to get into a position where I can receive a pass from him, if he even decides to pass. Hopefully, I can shake off those two defenders and create some 1-on-1 chances all the way to the goal.
Wait, why does it look like he's about to shoot from there? Is he seriously taking out his frustration on the ball?
Where is cool glasses passing the ball? I don't remember anyone being in that position.
Wait there is one person missing here. Why did one guy not join the attack?
Rin's eyes followed the ball's trajectory, narrowing as he noticed the missing piece of Team W's attack. From this distance, it was hard to make out exactly who it was, but Rin didn't need much to figure it out. A quick glance at the players who had joined the attack told him everything he needed to know.
It's the femboy. Why is he all the way over there? Did he give up? How half-baked can someone be.
This is annoying. Not much time left, and if they reset their attack now, even if we steal the ball, the match will probably be over. Guess I won't score another goal.
But then, a chill ran down his spine as he glanced back at the guy with the feminine appearance. Despite the distance, he could almost feel the eerie smile that seemed to stretch across the guy's face.
Is he… shooting? No, that's at least 45 meters from our goal. Is he trying for a long-distance pass? But none of his teammates are even open.
KABAAAM!
Wha-
I knew he was good, but is this even human?
This guy got the better of me…
Shit. Tamika Masako, I'll end you.
-
Good. Rin hasn't noticed me, and the pass is perfect. This is it— I have to shoot now. No second chances. I can't miss. I just have to make sure it doesn't hit anyone, not one damn defender in my way. It's going to be insane, but it's my only shot.
If I miss this, I will never make it.
The ball kept rolling, each moment stretching on forever as it rushed toward me, faster than I could process. It felt like an eternity before it finally reached me.
Well, hope my feet can keep up with my eyes—assuming my eyes aren't too rusty from years of not having to fight as a mage.
It seems Rin finally saw me just now. I can't help but grin—he's probably wondering what the hell I'm doing all the way over here. But I can't get distracted. There's a slight gap between the defenders and some of my teammates on the left side of the goal.
I'll hit it in the top left of the goal. Gotta focus—eyes, legs, and my right foot, all in perfect sync.
KABAAAM!
The moment the ball met my right foot, it sounded like a cannon going off. It shot off so fast, I could barely keep track of it myself. The ball weaved between two defenders, narrowly missing Yukimiya's arm—he had his hand up, probably calling for a pass. The ball kept its course, veering toward the top middle of the goal, still leaning left. The goalkeeper saw it coming but was too slow. The ball smashed into the inside of the crossbar and bounced into the net, the sound echoing as it went in.
"Tweeeeeeet!" The whistle sliced through the air, shattering the silence that had followed the goal I just scored. 5-3 in favour of Team V, but I got to score one more time, against Rin.
"Woah-…"
"WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH."
"Did you just score from 45 meters away of the goal?!"
"Hahaha, what are you, the Devil?"
Everyone was momentarily stunned, but soon enough, the faces of my teammates lit up with smiles, showering me with praise for the shot. I couldn't help but feel a rush of happiness, but deep down, I knew this wasn't enough. Beating Rin with this one play didn't mean I was better than him.
My ego is something I shouldn't focus on for now. Whatever winning means for my ego, I'll figure it out when the time comes. For now, I want to work on improving my spatial awareness, so I can counter Rin without doing something he's already predicted.
Ah, This still feels really good!
-
Back in Team W's room, where we had our first test, I had just returned from a shower feeling a mix of emotions. I was in a good mood because that shot I made was undeniably cool, even if it was probably a fluke. But I also felt a bit sick, knowing I'd acted like an entitled idiot for an entire week.
This was Blue Lock, where 300 of Japan's best strikers had gathered, and yet I thought I'd be the best among them without knowing a thing about my rivals' strengths. If I were Ego, I wouldn't have chosen someone like me to join Blue Lock. The way I acted was just like those wannabe heroes I'd seen so often in the Empire.
I can't even remember how many of them I had to purge during the war's deteriorating situation. For most of the conflict, I was a Lieutenant Colonel, which gave me considerable authority—not to mention that I worked directly under the Deputy Director of the Service Corps. As the Empire's end drew near, I was relied on far more at the frontlines. Many times, I was given command over units besides my own, and it was in those moments that so-called heroes would try to act tough.
They were all volunteers rushed through training because the front needed bodies, but they hadn't yet tasted the harsh reality of war. Rebellious toward authority and convinced they were invincible, they acted on their own in combat, costing not only their own lives but the lives of others. If they were bound to die anyway, I made sure they wouldn't drag anyone else down with them.
That's why I feel so sick right now. They were the complete opposite of me—a rational individual—and yet, I had acted just like them. I'm lucky I didn't get eliminated before coming to my senses. But what's done is done. I just need to make sure it doesn't happen again. Shouldn't be too hard.
Shit, it feels like I'm actually going to vomit.
Ego and Anri were watching the replay of Tamika's shot, both clearly surprised by the goal. Ego hadn't expected to see something like this happen so early in Blue Lock, even if it was just a fluke. After all, every great move starts as a fluke—it simply means the player has shown they're capable of pulling it off.
Ego finally broke the silence. "He just shot the seventh fastest ball ever recorded—156.2 km/h," he said, his tone flat but with a hint of intrigue.
"I chose Tamika Masako because his skills were simply too good to ignore, even though it never felt like he was playing for himself," Ego admitted, his analytical gaze fixed on the screen. "At first, I didn't think he had any ego in him. But during one particular match, it was as if he was hiding it, only for it to surface unexpectedly."
"Then why did he lose this match, then?" Anri asked.
"Hmm, that's because Rin is a really good striker as well, and maybe he still struggled with his ego," Ego replied thoughtfully.
"I don't know why, though—only Masako himself knows," Ego continued, his tone contemplative. "But it did seem like he figured it out at one point. So we can expect a lot from him moving forward."
Anri frowned slightly, puzzled. She had assumed that Ego Jinpachi understood every player's ego inside and out. "Then how do you know how to make these players discover their egos if you don't already know them yourself?" she asked.
"Are you an idiot?" Ego replied bluntly, earning an indignant glare from Anri, who puffed her cheeks and pouted in irritation.
"We've been doing exactly that this entire time here in Blue Lock," Ego said, leaning back with an air of confidence. "Every player's ego is unique, but they all share one thing: the desire to shine. How they want to shine—that's up to their individual ego. All we need to do is create the conditions for them to realize it themselves."
"Make them believe they're far from shining, push them to the edge of desperation, and their ego will naturally grow," Ego explained, his tone sharp and deliberate. "Once it's fully developed, they'll realize it on their own. From there, it's up to us to evaluate their egos—but we're not reaching that stage anytime soon."
"So, discovering their own ego is entirely up to them," Ego continued. "Our role is to drop hints, guiding them on how to evolve into better football players. The first serves as a test, while the second consists of lessons they must absorb. Through this process, they'll grow stronger."
He paused briefly, a flicker of satisfaction in his expression. "Rin and Masako have already showcased something I intended to introduce a bit later. However, it ties directly into the lesson I'll be teaching them now."
"Wait, they're that far ahead?" Anri asked, her voice laced with shock.
"No, they're not fully conscious of it," Ego replied. "Though I'd say Rin probably has an idea of what he's doing. Masako, on the other hand—his was just a fluke."
"So, what's the lesson they showcased then?"
"The Formula of a Goal, but the one I'll be teaching first is a striker's weapon," Ego said.
I have to admit though, that's one hell of a weapon, Tamika Masako.
"Weapon?"
The next day, 13 hours before the next match began, Ego appeared again and explained why Japan needed a striker who could become the foundation of the entire team. He said Japan's football couldn't evolve any further without a super striker, which was the very reason Blue Lock existed. What Japan needed to win the World Cup wasn't just any player, but a striker who would rise from the depths of Blue Lock.
And now, he was laying out the path to becoming that kind of striker. "To become a true striker, you need one thing above all else: a weapon. Your weapon is what makes you irreplaceable. It's the skill that only you can bring to the field—the foundation upon which your entire playstyle is built. Without it, you're just another nameless player in the crowd."
Ego glanced at us from the screen, and continued. "Speed, precision, power, positioning—whatever it is, you must not only discover it but refine it to the point where no one else can surpass you. A blunt blade can't win battles, and a striker without a weapon can't win games. Your weapon isn't for survival—it's for domination. It's how you'll carve your name into the history of football."
A weapon. I thought about it for a moment. My weapon was probably my precise, powerful shot and decent dribbling. But what I really wanted was spatial awareness. The ability to know where everyone was positioned within a certain range would be incredibly useful.
But Ego said you have to refine your weapons. There wasn't anything about creating new ones.
"Tamika-chan, do you know your weapons? Mine are probably my Gyro Shot and 1 on 1," Yukimiya said, walking up to me.
"I don't really know mine."
"Neither do I. Do I even have a weapon?"
"Ugh, I hate thinking so much."
It seems like Yukimiya and I are the only ones who know what our weapons are, or maybe others are just hiding them. Should I hide mine too?
"Mine are shooting hard and precise, and dribbling." There was no point in hiding them; it's not like anyone wouldn't figure it out eventually.
My teammates might have weapons that aren't as obvious, so there's a chance they, unlike me, are able to hide them. Although that would make it harder to work together in the first selection, who knows what will happen afterward? It might be a good idea to keep them secret. I should try my best to figure out all of their weapons—who knows what could come of it.
Don't underestimate anyone in Blue Lock. Who knows what my teammates are really capable of.
"I would really like to have spatial awareness as a weapon though. I wonder how I can upgrade mine so I can call it a weapon," I added, figuring revealing this wouldn't hurt either.
Then suddenly, Ego's voice cut through the air, instantly rejecting what I'd just said.
"Ah, you can't do that," he interjected. "I told you, a weapon is unique to the striker, just like your powerful shot, Masako. No one else will be able to do that but you, and others will have things you just don't have. You should focus on refining your own weapons. If you try to imitate others, you'll waste your own potential."
So, you can't create new weapons. That's probably why he didn't say anything about it. Well, nothing to do about that. I'll just have to make the most of what I've got.
My strongest weapon is definitely the powerful shot, so that's where I need to focus most of my training. I'll have to adjust my routine to refine it even further. But I'm not going to give up on my dribbling either. I've always valued being versatile, so I'll make sure to carve out time for that too. After all, a well-rounded skill set never hurts, especially if I want to stand out as a striker in Blue Lock.
It's been two days since I set my focus on refining my shot and dribbling, but so far, I haven't really been challenged enough to see if I've improved. The matches against Team X and Team Z felt like a breeze, even though I was being cautious. Nothing too significant really happened. Still, I can make a guess about which players from those teams are likely to make it through as the top scorers. The one who really stood out to me was Endoji. He had a solid physique and used it to bulldoze his way through our defense once, scoring with ease. He's definitely someone to watch out for.
It's not like I expected to improve drastically in just two days, but I wanted to see where my weapons stood. It's hard to figure that out through training alone, and without knowing my weaknesses, it's tough to decide what to work on. But I did pick up something from a teammate during one of the matches—they found their weapon: getting into other players' blind spots.
It's an off-the-ball movement skill where you don't focus on the player with the ball, but instead, you watch the eyes of the defender marking you. They'll try to keep an eye on you while also tracking the ball, but when they shift their gaze to the player with the ball, that's when you slip into their blind spot and move behind them. It's a small window, but it can give you the chance to receive a pass or make an unexpected play.
It's something I can do too with a little practice. Since I wasn't sure what to focus on with my shot and dribbling, I figured this could be a useful skill to learn. I also realized that this is exactly what Rin was using against me during our match. For him, it must be as natural as breathing, thanks to his spatial awareness.
So, now the last match of the first selection is here—Team W against Team Y. Both teams have 2 wins and 1 loss, but we have the higher goal count, so a tie is enough for us to advance. Team Y has scored 6 goals, while we've scored 8. I've scored 6 goals, Yukimiya has 4, and the guy who told me about getting in someone's blind spot has 1. That means I'm currently the highest-ranked player on the team since goals determine the ranking.
I'm not stupid enough to get full of myself because of that, though. Let's see what Team Y's got for us.
Even if we lose, I should still advance as the top scorer, unless Yukimiya somehow scores three goals and I score none, which is unlikely. However, winning is the best option, not just because I want to win, but because it's the most reliable way to ensure my advancement.
Oh, a familiar face and a familiar stance—Nishioka.
I still don't know what that nickname he got was, only that it had something to do with Messi. And honestly, it's a pretty accurate comparison to his playstyle.
This time, it won't be a tie. I'll win.
-
So, Team W has the guy who looks like the girl I played against when I was 11.
Is it really her? Wait, then was it actually a guy? Well, at least this should be interesting.
-End Chapter 4: I'll just shoot from here.
-Author here
Did I make this too long? And wasn't I supposed to do weekly updates? Oh well.