Chapter 159: Careless
"The moment everyone has been waiting for is finally here! With Barcha facing a total collapse, Lavinho has been forced to step onto the pitch ahead of schedule."
"This entire chain reaction was sparked by Blue Lock's own Ryosuke Kira. Now the question is, will the arrival of these two world-class masters flip the script?"
"Let's find out!"
Tereasa's voice was reaching a fever pitch. And why wouldn't it? This was Lavinho. He might not be the undisputed number one in the world, and his trophy cabinet might look a little thin compared to Snuffy's, but no one could argue that he was the most entertaining player alive. He was the Last Dancer of the pitch.
"Lavinho! The Ginga butterfly! Barcha has been playing like they're stuck in a box. It's time to give these kids a masterclass!"
"Wait, is he actually going to play, or is he just going to spend the whole match rolling around on the grass?"
The chat was a war zone of jokes and hype. Lavinho's dribbling was pure art, but it also made him the primary target for every defender's studs. After years of being hacked to pieces, Lavinho had adapted. If a defender breathed on him, he went down. His dramatic rolls had become a legendary meme, but for a pro like him, it was a necessary survival tactic to keep his body from being destroyed by hacks.
'I can't lose focus for a second. This guy is on a different level,' Niko thought, his eyes locked on the newcomer.
'If I can shut down a world star, my market value will finally be glamorous. I have to stop him,' Aryu mused. He was still bitter about his low initial valuation and was starving for a highlight-reel defensive stop.
"Ubers just ran into some serious overhead costs, OK?" Lorenzo muttered. He sounded concerned, but his posture was loose. Their own boss, Snuffy, was right there with them.
"The spotlight belongs to me now, Whitey," Lavinho said, using his usual brand of disrespectful nicknames as he glanced at Kira's hair.
Kira wasn't sure how to respond. The guy was a global legend, yet he had the temperament of a middle-schooler.
"You haven't changed a bit, have you? Still a brat who refuses to grow up," Snuffy said, stepping up behind Kira and looking at Lavinho with a mocking smirk. "If I let you hijack the spotlight, the whole point of this stage is lost, isn't it?"
Snuffy's meaning was clear: this was a stage for the youth to evolve. The masters were only there to facilitate, not to steal the show.
"It's a shame we didn't cross paths in the Champions League last year. Let's settle it here instead," Lavinho challenged.
"We didn't meet last year, but I remember the semifinals the year before that. You lost pretty spectacularly, if I recall. Forgetting your failures isn't a very heroic trait," Snuffy noted helpfully, reminding Lavinho of a crushing defeat.
Lavinho's face soured instantly. "Whatever, you disciplined workaholic. I feel bad for your team, having to live under your boring-ass rules. They're like robots."
Snuffy just rubbed his temples. Lavinho was the type of person who could pick a fight with a brick wall. He was just a kid who had never grown up. "It's still better than being led by a master who treats his job like a part-time gig. You're basically an absentee parent."
"What did you say? You're full of it! I'll kill you!" Lavinho snapped.
Snuffy ignored the outburst and drifted away, followed closely by Kira, who wanted to stay out of the blast zone. Bachira just rolled his eyes. He'd picked his mentor, and now he had to live with the chaos.
"So, after seeing how Barcha operates, what's your take?" Snuffy asked Kira as they waited for the restart.
"It's different. Their style is the polar opposite of ours," Kira admitted. "I can't say who's right or wrong. It's just... those players look like they were born to play that way. It's a natural fit for them."
Snuffy gave a small, appreciative nod. "Well said. It's like a math problem. There's more than one way to solve for X. Some methods are quick and efficient, while others are long and complex. They all get you to the same answer. As a student, your only job is to pick the path that suits you and produce the result. Football is no different."
Snuffy patted Kira on the shoulder and moved to his position. His words left Kira in deep thought as he looked over at Bachira. 'Because even if we choose different paths, we both have to evolve before we meet again. That's the only truth that matters, right Meguru?'
***
The match resumed with a Barcha kick-off. Lavinho took the lead, with Bachira dropping back into a supporting role. The master started his performance the second the ball hit his feet.
"Come and get it, Snuffy! A free spirit doesn't punch a time card!" Lavinho taunted.
"I guess I'll have to play babysitter for a few minutes," Snuffy replied, dropping into a defensive stance. The world-class duel was on.
"Go past him, Lavinho!"
"Snuffy's defense is legendary. He might be the best defensive forward in the game."
"Lavinho's handles are no joke, though. Nobody can stay in front of him when he starts dancing!"
The livestream chat was exploding as fans argued over who would come out on top.
Lavinho flashed a grin at Snuffy and began a rapid series of ball-taps. The frequency was insane—levels beyond what Bachira had shown. Kira focused, trying to track the micro-movements, but he realized that one lapse in concentration would mean he was finished. Snuffy, however, stayed perfectly composed. His fluidity allowed him to mirror Lavinho's chaotic rhythm with uncanny precision.
'I need to get in on this,' Kira thought.
Kira received the pass, closed his eyes, and whispered: "Use Lavinho Attribute Trial Card."
[Lavinho Attribute Trial Card activated successfully!]
[Dribbling +25 (Continuous decay)]
[Speed +12 (Continuous decay)]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
The change was instant. Kira felt like every cell in his body was vibrating. He wanted to move. He wanted to dance. 'So this is what it feels like to be Lavinho? This is incredible.'
"Hey, you're being a real buzzkill. A good dance partner knows when to let go," Lavinho grumbled. Snuffy was like a blanket, smothering every attempted breakthrough. It was frustrating as hell.
Lavinho prepared to shift his weight for a new feint when a third shadow entered the duel. It was Kira, moving with the same erratic, rhythmic bounce as the master himself.
"Back off, kid. The grown-ups are talking," Lavinho said. He saw a gap and tried to use Kira's positioning as a screen to lose Snuffy. It was a veteran move—using the 'weakest' link to escape the master.
'The kid is too green to realize he's being used as a shield,' Lavinho thought.
"You're too young for this..." Snuffy started to warn, but then he saw the look in Kira's eyes.
Lavinho felt a surge of triumph as he slipped past Snuffy, but then he felt a cold breeze at his ankles. He looked back, expecting to see Snuffy giving chase, but the master was just standing there with a smirk on his face.
Lavinho realized with a jolt that the weight at his feet was gone. The ball had vanished. Kira had sniped it cleanly as they crossed paths, moving with the exact same Ginga rhythm that Lavinho used.
The master had been out-danced by the student.
'I guess I got a little too careless,' Lavinho realized, his eyes wide with shock.
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