The players arrived at the training ground and immediately began their individual training.
Although Ego Jinpachi was said to be an instructor, his teaching methods were still rather general. He repeatedly reminded the players to bring out their own characteristics and strengthen their own weapons. In the end, Ego didn't give any specific, targeted advice to any single player. His training method was more like raising venomous insects in a jar—gathering 300 people together to create the most intense competitive environment. To survive, the players themselves had to think, constantly.
After practicing for a while, Isagi Yoichi found Tendou.
"Tendou, I want to become someone who can fight and win on my own!" he looked at Tendou with longing.
Since coming to Blue Lock, through three matches, he had come to fully understand his own shortcomings. He couldn't run as fast as Chigiri, his dribbling wasn't as good as Bachira's, he couldn't jump as high as Gagamaru, and his body wasn't as strong as Kunigami or Raichi. It could be said that, looking at his physical attributes alone, he was extremely ordinary in every aspect, without any potential to become a first-class striker.
Not to mention creating a solo breakthrough like Tendou, who could single-handedly tear apart the opponent's entire defensive line, a full display of heroism. He urgently wanted to improve his abilities, to not be eliminated!
"What are you best at?"
Tendou didn't give him an answer but asked a question in return.
"Me? Probably... thinking," Isagi said, a bit embarrassed. In a world full of strikers, being good at thinking didn't seem like a particularly commendable ability.
"Then go think for yourself, you idiot."
"You don't have to blindly think about imitating others. Only a fool would force himself to do something he's not good at. Since you're good at thinking, then just go and think."
"Until you find a way to win."
Isagi was very good at thinking and utilizing everything around him. This had allowed him to score game-winning goals in matches multiple times. In some ways, he was quite similar to that guy, Hanamiya Makoto. He could always see through his opponent's intentions and exploit them.
Simply put, Isagi was very good at playing football with his brain. This was, in fact, a kind of hidden talent!
Isagi understood his words, but in his heart, he still wanted to become a player like Tendou. He wanted to understand the world of a genius, to make himself shine brightly too!
Tendou looked at Isagi, who was lost in thought, and quietly walked away.
...
Night.
After finishing his training, Tendou was watching matches on his tablet. To maximize the ability of his Big Data Statistics, he needed to constantly update his database, to find the match, or even the specific moment, from countless games around the world that most closely resembled the current situation.
"The password is eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."
"Hmm?"
Ego Jinpachi's voice suddenly came through the broadcast. Tendou, who was eating boiled chicken breast, looked up in confusion. He had long since developed the habit of eating small, frequent meals. Others ate three meals a day; he ate at least four, sometimes even six. This allowed his body to absorb nutrients better.
"The WIFI password," Ego said concisely.
"Didn't you say the rules don't allow contact with the outside world?"
"This is a reward for your outstanding performance, genius."
"Then I'll give you a perfunctory thank you."
"You can keep that insincere thanks to yourself. If you really want to thank me, then work hard to become stronger."
Ego turned off the mic after saying this. The pressure he and Anri Teieri had been under recently was not ordinary. Incited by those pigs at the JFU, the media had been bombarding Blue Lock almost daily, questioning their training program. The parents of those players, and even fans across the country, were led by this rhythm and bombarded the two of them online every day, constantly creating public opinion pressure on Blue Lock.
Although Anri was a member of the JFU, her foundation was not deep; she had a family name but no real power. To shut these people's mouths, Ego and Anri needed to produce results. Results that were enough to completely silence those ignorant fans and those rotten JFU pigs. Otherwise, many of his future plans could not be implemented.
...
24 hours later.
The final match of the first selection in Blue Lock was about to begin. When Tendou and the others arrived at the field, the members of Team V were already there. They were uniformly dressed in black jerseys, looking like a dark force, full of oppressive power. Team Z, as usual, was in their dark blue jerseys.
Since neither team had any pressure to qualify—both with perfect records, they had already confirmed their advancement—both sides were still determined to win this match. Not to mention whether the ranking would affect the next experiment, just from Ego's constant provocations and psychological suggestions, both teams were incredibly eager to defeat the other and become number one in Building 5.
Because the purpose of Blue Lock's existence was to sacrifice 299 people to perfect one!
"Yo, we meet again, everyone from Team Z." Mikage Reo's demeanor was relaxed, but his words showed no respect for Team Z. He felt that the talent of the people in Team Z was very average; they were not the "chosen ones" his parents spoke of.
Except for Tendou, no one else interested him.
All of Team Z could feel his arrogance; it was the mockery of the strong towards the weak.
The "young lady," Chigiri Hyoma, was instantly displeased.
"Hmph, a young master like you should be parading around with a checkbook. What are you doing running over here to play soccer?" The implication was: football is not for you; your stinking money can't buy you a victory.
Mikage Reo's eyebrow instantly twitched. When had he ever been wronged like this? He immediately retorted with sarcasm, "I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's the speedster who disappeared for over a year. A lot of the girls in our class quite like you. They say you look a lot like them."
Damn you!
Chigiri's mouth twisted with anger. Wasn't this just calling him a woman in a roundabout way?
Before the match had even begun, the "young master" and the "young lady" had started a passionate flame war. One mocked the other for being a useless rich kid. The other mocked him for looking like a smelly old woman.
Their words were like sharp knives, accurately stabbing into each other's hearts. Reo hated it when people brought up his family background, as if all his achievements today were because of his parents, and had nothing to do with his own efforts. Chigiri was much the same. He hated it when people commented on his looks. Every time he heard someone say something about his face, he felt offended. Even though after every shower, he would spend a lot of time meticulously grooming his "beautiful hair" and "skin."
The two looked at each other as if they were looking at a dead person.
"You idiot rich kid! I'll beat you to death once the match starts!"
"You bastard sissy! We'll see how I bury you once the match starts!"
The two glared at each other, then joined their teammates at the center circle. The people around them all watched, feeling an unusual smell of gunpowder in the air.
...
Team V won the coin toss and kicked off first. The match began.
Without any more words, Mikage Reo started moving as soon as he received the pass from his teammate. Seeing this, Isagi immediately went to press him. But it was as if Mikage Reo had already anticipated it.
"A 4-5-1 formation. So they're targeting me, huh?"
He knew what the other team was up to the moment he saw their formation. Both sides had recordings to study. As long as you weren't an idiot, you should understand the opponent's weaknesses and center of gravity. So, from the second match onwards, the competition in Blue Lock was not just about individual ability, but also a portion of intelligence!
"Stop him. The majority of Team V's attacks start with him."
Isagi was on high alert, his brain spinning rapidly, recalling Mikage Reo's file.
But then he suddenly heard Reo say, "I'm guessing you're probably thinking right now, as long as you stop my passes, you can limit our overall offense."
What?
Isagi's heart skipped a beat, a sense of unease from being seen through. By the time he reacted, Mikage Reo had already gotten past him and was behind him. Then, facing the surrounding Team Z defenders, he decisively passed the ball to Zantetsu on the wing.
With five people in the midfield, Reo knew he didn't have the ability to take on their entire defensive line by himself. But Zantetsu could.
"Run, you idiot Zantetsu!"
BAM!
The ball instantly lifted off the ground and flew towards Zantetsu on the left wing. Seeing this, the latter immediately started running. His terrifying explosive power was like having a nitrous boost, propelling his body several meters forward in an instant.
Team Z's midfield press hadn't even formed before Team V had already stabbed them in the back.
...
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