Ever since that day, Rin no longer wanted to play soccer.
The truth was, he only ever wanted to stay by his brother's side.
But to his brother, Rin was nothing more than a training tool, something required for Sae to become the best in the world.
Once Rin lost his value, he was just a disposable human being.
Everything Rin believed about his brother…
The brother he thought he knew…
All of it had been a lie.
That dream they promised to chase together to become number one…
That was a lie too.
Rin looked at all the trophies and framed photos of him and Sae lined up together.
He didn't want any of it anymore.
He threw everything, the medals, the trophies, the pictures onto the floor.
But no matter what his heart felt now, or what happened in the past…
He couldn't pretend it never happened.
And he could never forgive the brother who crushed him.
So Rin decided he would destroy his brother's dream.
And to do that… he would have to keep playing.
This time, Rin didn't let Ryan's words piss him off.
He knew by now that losing his temper was pointless.
What he needed to do was keep moving forward
enter the U-20 squad
and defeat Sae Itoshi.
"Cut the useless chatter. If you want to fight, hurry up and start. I'm not wasting time talking."
"Heeeh? Rin-chan, you're so impatient.
You really want me to beat you that badly?
Fine, I'll satisfy you soon~"
The six of them pressed their fingerprints at the gate.
Their faces appeared on the screen.
The door slid open, revealing a compact, custom-built football field.
A mechanical voice echoed from the stadium speakers.
"Second Selection.
Special compact field.
Goals are reduced in size.
Both sides are assigned identical Blue Lock Man AI goalkeepers.
The winner will select one player from the losing team and advance.
The loser forfeits one player and returns to the previous stage.
Match format: 3v3.
First to score five goals wins.
Second Selection, Third Stage 'Rival Battle'."
Ryan's team wore white.
Rin's team wore red.
Ryan's team had kickoff.
Everyone warmed up.
Ryan stood with one foot on the ball, but his mind was clearly somewhere else.
Should I pick Rin afterward?
He's definitely the strongest of the three, but… he's way too cold.
Teasing him is fun, sure… but having him on the same team long-term? Eh… no thanks.
And I'm not exactly starving for firepower. He's… pending.
Aryu's personality is weird, but among those three he's the most normal.
We get along fine too.
His ability isn't confirmed yet… but if he performs well, I'll pick him.
As for Autistic-boy… too timid.
Nothing even happened yet and he's already spiraling into anxiety.
If I teased him even a little, he'd probably die of fear.
I don't bully teammates but… having someone like that around would be exhausting.
Eliminated.
The whistle blew.
On the very first touch, Ryan blasted a shot straight from midfield.
He practiced this specifically after noticing his long-range accuracy was low.
That famous knuckleball goal had been pure coincidence
so he trained long-range shots hard.
"What ?"
"He's shooting from there?!
That's way too stylish!"
Rin's team never expected it.
Rin knew Ryan normally relied on his insane speed to break through.
This long-range cannon totally shattered Rin's plan.
The ball rocketed forward, so fast it looked like it might ignite from friction.
Even the AI goalkeeper couldn't react.
By the time it dove, it was way too late.
The ball grazed its fingertips and slammed into the net.
GOAL!
Chigiri and Kunigami stared, dumbfounded.
They didn't expect Ryan to shoot
much less score from that far.
They immediately surrounded him.
" Ryan, you're insane!"
"How the hell did you pull that off?
You're good at long shots now too?!"
Ryan basked in the praise, his grin practically floating off his face.
"Ara ara keep it down, keep it down.
This kind of thing is light work for me.
Just keep your eyes open, okay~?"
On Rin's side, the atmosphere couldn't be more different.
"…Crap."
"Yeah, that shot was… disgustingly stylish."
"Damn it…"
Rin's heart was already a mess.
Ryan was troublesome enough already
and now he'd added deadly long-range shots on top of it.
Rin possessed elite vision, superb shooting technique, and physical strength. He was essentially Isagi 2.0, but more complete.
He could read everyone's habits, predict their positions, and manipulate the flow like a puppeteer.
But none of that worked on Ryan.
He'd experienced it before
Ryan's brain didn't work in any normal pattern.
You couldn't predict him.
He might run to the back line.
Or appear in front of the goal.
Or suddenly pop out at the wing.
Combined with his monstrous speed and physical abilities
no normal strategy could contain him.
But Rin didn't show his panic.
He forced himself to stay calm, walked to the kickoff spot, stepped on the ball, and said coldly:
"Pathetic.
Ryan, you still see soccer as just a sport.
This is a battlefield.
You're standing with your back to soldiers holding guns."
Ryan dug his pinky in his ear, blew on it, and looked bored.
"Honestly, Rin.
If your brain's messed up, you should get it checked.
Who the hell sees a soccer field as a battlefield?
Oh right you.
Because every match to you is life or death.
To me?
This is just a game.
And it's a game I always win."
"Tch."
Realizing his words had zero effect, Rin shut up.
The whistle blew.
Rin immediately mimicked Ryan
a straight long-distance shot.
Chigiri and Kunigami froze in surprise.
They didn't expect Rin to take such a bold shot from his own kickoff.
The ball flew toward the goal
but the speed was nowhere near Ryan's.
Before it even reached the box
Ryan caught up.
When Rin started his motion, Ryan had already predicted it.
Running straight toward goal would've made Rin change tactics
so instead, he waited until Rin committed, then sprinted straight for the ball.
He leapt high, killing the ball mid-air with his foot.
"Watch out behind you!"
Kunigami shouted.
The moment Ryan stopped the ball, Rin was already on him
pressuring from behind.
Rin never thought his shot would go in.
He knew Ryan's speed and reaction made it unlikely
and the small field made interception even easier.
So Rin planned to steal it right when Ryan trapped it.
Ryan felt Rin's pressure behind him.
As the ball dropped, he flicked it backwards with his instep.
The ball sailed over Rin's head.
Ryan circled around and reclaimed it.
"Too sluggish."
Those words triggered something in Rin
the exact words Sae used when destroying his dream.
His pupils shrank, but only for an instant.
He snapped back and chased
but Ryan dribbling was faster than Rin sprinting without the ball.
Rin simply couldn't catch up.
Ryan burst through midfield and faced Aryu.
"Watch me stylishly get past you~"
Aryu had long limbs that could reach where others couldn't
but long limbs also meant wide defensive gaps.
"'Scuse me."
A clean nutmeg.
"What?!
How could I get beaten by such an un-stylish move?!"
Next was Tokimitsu.
Seeing Ryan charging toward him, Tokimitsu bit his nails in panic.
What do I do
If I lose, I'll go back to being useless
I worked so hard to gain confidence
I hate this
I hate how negative I get
I want confidence… I want to be stronger…
"I… I want to be confident!"
Tokimitsu charged.
"Oh?
You wanna match bodies with me?
Sure, I'll play with you."
Ryan feinted him with a simple step-over, then purposely slowed down so Tokimitsu could catch up.
Tokimitsu's reactions were slow, but his agility was high
he caught up quickly.
Ryan, seeing him shoulder-to-shoulder, slammed into him with a drop of his shoulder.
Tokimitsu braced himself
but getting hit felt like being rammed by a speeding car.
He tumbled across the ground.
"Go roll in the grass, you introvert."
"N-no… I don't want to lose!"
Tokimitsu tried to stand again
but Ryan didn't give him the chance, instantly accelerating away.
At the edge of the box, Ryan faced the keeper.
He lifted his leg to shoot
then sensed something.
He stopped abruptly.
"Don't move!"
A heartbeat later, Rin came sliding in.
If Ryan had shot, Rin would've blocked it.
Ryan thought briefly
he must've wasted too much time playing with Tokimitsu.
Oh well.
"I seriously hate clingy guys.
So buzz off."
Ryan dodged Rin, fired, and the ball smashed into the net.
GOAL!
Standing before the goal, Ryan sighed.
"Seriously… I'm gonna fall asleep.
Can you at least put up a fight?"
Rin pushed himself up from the ground, face twisted.
"It's not… over yet."
"Who cares?
Didn't you say this was a battlefield?
Then weaklings should just die quietly."
Rin kicked off.
This time he dribbled himself straight at Ryan.
"I won't stop here."
"Then go back to the previous stage."
Aryu and Tokimitsu ran into position.
"Here!"
"Pass it to me!"
Chigiri and Kunigami also joined.
Rin faked a pass
but Ryan didn't fall for it even a millimeter.
I will defeat you.
If I don't beat you here…
I can't reach my dream
I can't destroy Sae Itoshi.
"Then I'll destroy your dream right now."
Rin went for an elastico
but Ryan's reaction time was inhuman.
He stole the ball instantly.
He passed to Chigiri on the wing.
Chigiri faced Aryu
and lobbed the ball behind him.
"Huh? There's nobody back there."
"There is. Me."
Chigiri outran Aryu easily and reclaimed the ball.
He sprinted down the line
but just as he neared the box, Rin cut in front of him.
"How is he back already?!"
"Because your intentions were too obvious.
I knew exactly where you'd go."
"Tch… sorry for being predictable."
Chigiri didn't force it, he passed wide.
To Ryan.
Ryan appeared near the box.
But Tokimitsu blocked him.
"N-no more…
I won't let you through again!"
"Huh?
Who said I was gonna shoot?"
Ryan let the rolling ball slip cleanly between his legs.
"Nice one, Ryan!"
Behind him
Kunigami.
Kunigami took the ball and fired a cannon shot straight into the net.
GOAL!
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