Kuon Wataru's sudden declaration made Yoru Ryoshu's stance crystal clear: he demanded absolute submission. He needed workers on the pitch—players who would bleed and sweat for the sole purpose of putting the ball at Aki's feet.
Compared to Barou...
Aki's oppressive pressure wasn't radiating toward the enemy. It was suffocating his own teammates.
Bachira leaned against the wall, watching the drama unfold with a detached amusement. He didn't need to speak; he already played as Aki's primary engine. Aki knew his heart without a word being said.
Isagi Yoichi stood up, breaking the heavy silence. "If... and I mean if... we all help you score, can you guarantee that you'll carry us to the next stage?"
The room went still. Every eye turned to Aki.
It was a gamble. If the team lost, only the Top Scorer would survive. Betting everything on one man was, by any objective measure, a foolish strategy. But if that man was Yoru Ryoshu, they had to ensure he scored enough to keep them relevant.
Aki's gaze swept over them, cold and unimpressed. "If you think I'm not up to the task, feel free to play your own game. I've never threatened you. How you play is your own choice."
"Even if there are eleven strikers on this pitch, I don't care."
He pushed off the wall, his voice echoing with a sharp, metallic edge. "Just like the rules of the pitch say, we are players. Attackers. There is only one point that matters: the goal. And the one who puts it in the net is the only one the world will remember."
"Decide for yourselves. Do you want to try and be the star, or are you willing to be the shadow behind me?"
"We'll see the answer on the grass."
With that, Aki crooked a finger at Kuon Wataru, and the two of them walked out of the locker room together.
The tension in the room eased slightly, but the air was still thick with frustration.
"Hey, hey..." Raichi's voice was strained. "If we actually let this guy have his way, we're gonna be packing our bags by the end of the next match."
"Actually, it would be the match after that," Chigiri interrupted smoothly, not looking up from his hair.
Raichi's face reddened. "So what? Are you all really just going to let him use us as stepping stones to advance?"
Bachira spoke up then, his tone light. "Is it possible you've got it all wrong?"
"Aki said if we're willing to revolve around him, he'll lead us to a win. Why do you automatically assume he can't do it?"
"Just because we conceded two goals, you think he's done? That he's given up? You guys are weird. You want him to score, but you're terrified of him scoring. If I were in his shoes, I'd probably treat you like trash too."
The room fell into a thoughtful silence.
Isagi kept his head down, processing Aki's words. He realized this was the brutal reality of "Zero to One." Aki was using his overwhelming strength to force the team to coalesce, taking extreme measures to grind down the hollow pride of these hot-headed strikers.
Aki had seen the truth during the first goal: Team Z was not like Team X.
After Aki scored his first, Team Z remained a mess of internal conflicts. But the moment Team X saw Barou's power, they immediately organized themselves around him. Team X understood the nature of the game better.
To win easily, you revolve around the strongest point.
Barou was a King; Aki was a Tyrant. Both saw their teammates as tools—the only difference was which tool worked best for the job.
Suddenly, Isagi stood up. "I think I understand what Aki is doing..."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Isagi looked at his teammates. "If we keep playing like this, we'll lose, just like Aki said. We'll be eliminated."
"Remember what Ego Jinpachi told us? 'Zero to One' is about the ruling power of an individual with extraordinary talent and personality. I watched us against Team X."
"We were a shambles. If Aki hadn't intervened, we wouldn't have a single point. And the reason for that..."
Isagi's eyes narrowed. "Is because we are all too full of ourselves."
"You?" Raichi barked. "The guy who froze at the goal and passed? You've got a lot of nerve talking about pride, you bottom-feeder."
Isagi didn't flinch. "That's exactly the point."
Raichi's eyes bugged out. He looked ready to lung across the room until Kunigami stood up and blocked his path. Once the snarling Raichi was suppressed, Kunigami turned to Isagi.
"Self-important? What are you getting at?"
Isagi waited two seconds. "We are completely ignorant of our own weakness."
He was mocking everyone in the room, himself included.
"We think we're hot stuff because of our past records, but that was out there. In here, we are just average players. No matter what glory we had before, in Blue Lock, we are nothing."
Isagi pointed to the rank on his sleeve: [Z-274].
"According to the rankings, I am the second-to-last player in this wing. The only one below me is Igarashi."
"There are over two hundred people in this building stronger than me. The stronger a player is, the more gravity they have. Why should a powerhouse serve a weakling?"
"That's the core of it. Team X saw Barou's strength and chose to profit from it. We saw Aki's strength and tried to steal the ball from him."
"It's our ego... but it's a stupid ego. None of us want to be the 'background character,' right?"
"So your plan is to just serve Aki?" Kunigami asked.
Isagi shook his head, then nodded slowly. "You're forgetting something. Ego makes us hungry, but we are still a team on that pitch. Without coordination, without cooperation, even a monster like Aki can't guarantee a 100% success rate."
A spark of fire ignited in Isagi's eyes. "So... we cooperate with the Devil. We give him what he wants, but we use that chance to show our own strength."
"We work with the Tyrant so we don't get devoured by him."
The whistle for the second half echoed through the halls.
As the two teams stepped back onto the grass, Team X immediately felt the shift. The atmosphere surrounding Team Z had mutated.
The "sheep" had shed their wool. Beneath was the lean, hungry look of a wolf pack.
At the front of the formation, Aki let out a low, predatory chuckle. "Finally... the game actually starts now."