Chapter 22: When It Comes to Game IQ, There's an Unbridgeable Gap Between You and Me
On the field, a player's performance is shaped mainly by three factors:
Physical ability, technique—and game intelligence.
Physical ability determines a player's lower limit. Those with strong athleticism are generally seen as promising prospects. After all, skills can be trained later, but breaking through one's physical limits again is nearly impossible.
A player's upper limit, however, is determined by technique—something that can be trained—and by game intelligence.
Game intelligence, put simply, is the ability to read the match: understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, constantly assessing and judging the situation, and making the right decision at the right moment. This is crucial, because almost no player can guarantee that every attacking choice they make is correct. Shoot it yourself or pass to a teammate—such a seemingly small decision can easily shape the entire flow of the match.
The Blue Lock program aims to cultivate a "super striker" with tremendous physical strength and superb technique—yet it overlooks the most critical element: game intelligence.
That is what decides victory or defeat.
Although Shōei Barou has nearly reached the peak in both physical ability and technique, he shows a very obvious deficiency in game intelligence.
He can dominate the pitch, but his emotions are far too easily provoked. Once taunted by an opponent, he struggles to maintain control, becoming obsessed with beating the other side right there on the field. And with his arrogant personality, he never passes. This makes it much easier for Team Z to contain him on the offensive side.
Because of this, Team X's attacks fall into a vicious cycle: Barou gets double-teamed, his scoring efficiency collapses, and he grows increasingly frustrated. The more desperate he becomes to score himself, the less willing he is to pass.
What's worse, this behavior naturally destroys team chemistry. Whatever trust his teammates once had in him gets ground down to nothing.
At that point, Team X's defeat becomes practically inevitable.
"Pass the ball to me! You useless servants!"
When it was Team X's turn to attack again, Barou barked at his teammates without restraint.
"B-but…"
Anyone would feel uncomfortable being spoken to like that by their own teammate. Even if they were upset, all they could do was swallow it and try to set the ball up for him.
But all of this fell neatly within Ryosuke Kira's calculations.
Barou's presence had indeed pulled the once-scattered Team X back together—but it also made their attack painfully one-dimensional.
Because the players would try everything to feed Barou the ball, their passing routes became extremely predictable.
Which made it far easier to intercept.
The moment the ball left Barou's teammate's foot—just before Barou could receive it—Kira suddenly burst in from the side and stole it cleanly.
A counterattack!
"You useless fool!"
Barou roared at his teammate in rage.
But while he was busy blaming others, Kira had already carried the ball into their half.
"Quick, double-team him!"
Seeing Kira regain possession, Team X's players rushed forward in panic. They absolutely could not allow him to score again.
The difference between 2–1 and 3–1 was massive. If Team Z scored another goal, Team X would find it almost impossible to catch up.
Almost the entire Team X charged forward to shut Kira down. Even committing a foul was acceptable—as long as they prevented him from scoring again. Barou himself also charged over, desperate to reclaim his dignity from Kira.
But this was exactly what Kira wanted.
His legs had each executed a Thunderclap and Flash in Total Concentration once already. Using it again too soon risked pulling a muscle—clearly not worth it. He needed time to let his legs recover, and during this period, his attacking power would naturally decline.
However, no one else knew this. They still believed Kira remained an overwhelming threat, forcing them to commit an absurd number of players to marking him. That was precisely why Kira had chosen to burn his skills early in the first half to blast in two quick goals.
"We can't let him do whatever he wants!"
"Even if it's a foul, just stop him!"
"Block him! Block him!"
Not only the others—Barou himself stepped directly in Kira's path, face twisted with fury.
"I won't let you through again! Don't you dare stand before me! I'll kill you!"
"Oh?"
Kira smiled—
And in the next instant, with a deft hook of his foot, he flicked the ball through a tiny gap, threading it precisely to the teammate arriving at his side.
Jingo Raichi.
"What?"
Team Z's members were stunned. None of them expected Kira to pass in that moment.
"Great pass!"
Even Raichi, who had been annoyed with Kira earlier, couldn't help praising him as he received the ball.
All of the defensive pressure had been focused on Kira, giving Raichi—who had rushed up from the backfield—a huge amount of space to shoot!
A strike!
A goal!
3–1!
"Beautiful pass, Kira! That's it!"
Raichi cheered. An hour ago, he still couldn't stand Kira, but now he sprinted straight to him for a high-five. The hostility between them vanished completely after this single play.
"Nice shot."
Kira nodded.
His biggest role now was to draw defenders toward himself and create more space for his teammates.
And this pass had completely earned Jingo's trust. Turning that hot-tempered instability factor into a supporter brought Kira one step closer to controlling the team.
At the same time, his behavior created a stark contrast with Shōei Barou. In the eyes of Team X's members, the gap between the two could not be clearer.
"You trash!"
Barou snarled at Kira, furious at his decision to pass.
"Didn't I score right in front of you not long ago? And you're talking as if your team has already won."
Kira simply smiled and ignored him, leaving Barou trembling with frustration where he stood.
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〔TL〕
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