CHOICES || y. isagi

V.

~~~

Shit.

My eyes quickly scanned the room, taking in the position of each player and their distance from me. Fuck, I seethed. Why did it have to be me?

To my right, one of the boys was frantically pressing the keypad in an attempt to open the door. "It's locked!" he called, eyeing everyone anxiously. "You don't think he was serious, do you? About the national team?"

"No clue. But I sure as hell ain't trying to find out!" cried a white haired boy aggressively as he cautiously backed away from me.

That's right, I thought, continuing to study the boys around me. I don't have to worry about that. My eyes connected with Isagi's and I felt a surge of frantic determination run through me. But I won't be eliminated that easy!

Springing into action, I dribbled towards Isagi with a burst of speed. Surprise overtook his features before he scrambled out of the way just in time to escape the football I sent careening towards him.

Gritting my teeth, I took another look around the room. My gaze landed on a tall orange haired boy to my left. His attention was momentarily drawn away from me as he pulled another boy, who'd previously been sleeping, to his feet.

Swiftly taking a touch in his direction, I let the ball get ahead of me slightly before planting my foot and ripping a shot off. The ball smashed into the back of the orange haired kid's head, sending him face first into the ground as the newly awakened boy nimbly jumped out of the way.

With a growl, the orange haired boy pushed himself off the floor, quickly gaining possession of the ball as the name Rensuke Kunigami flashed across the screen above.

My sweet relief only lasted a moment before the orange haired boy, now identified as Kunigami, took an angry touch towards me. Jumping out of the way just in time to evade his shot, I dashed to the other side of the room to avoid any further attacks, heart pounding.

Just like me, Kunigami's vengeful eyes had landed upon Isagi, who was closest to him. Without a second thought, he brought his left foot back before sending the ball rocketing straight into Isagi's stomach, who hadn't been able to dodge quickly enough.

As Isagi recovered himself from the powerful strike, the white haired boy from before cursed under his breath. "This is crazy!" He yelled angrily, seemingly losing his cool. "How can our futures be decided by a stupid game of tag!"

0:39

I'm sure everyone else in the room had similar thoughts running through their minds, but in that moment, Isagi had made a mad dash towards the tired brown haired boy who stood stationary before him. Just as Isagi was winding back, the boy sprang to meet him, cleanly stealing the ball right out from under his feet. Isagi's name was replaced by Meguru Bachira on the screen.

"Come on, Isagi," Bachira called back, grinning wildly as he bounded forward. "You've gotta go for the strongest ones!"

Everyone was on the move again in an attempt to avoid Bachira's sporadic dribbling, but it seemed he had eyes for only one: Ryo. The manic grin remained on his face as he closed in, foot connecting with the ball for a solid kick. At the last moment, Ryo was able to jump up to avoid being hit.

The ball bounced off the wall behind him as Ryo sprinted forward, continuing his course away from Bachira. But as the ball rebounded back the way it had come, Bachira flipped onto his hands, allowing himself to hit a perfect pass midair, not the Ryo, but to Isagi.

0:04

The world slowed down as I watched the ball fly, almost soar, towards Isagi who was frozen in place.

0:03

If I blinked, I would have missed it. As the ball came to him, a new fire seemed to ignite in Isagi's eyes. It was as though a strong force had gripped him and without hesitation his body contorted to deliver a powerful volley aimed straight at Ryo's head. I couldn't help but feel a shiver of excitement race through me as I stared dumbfounded at the darkness that had consumed Isagi.

0:02

The shot sent Ryo crashing to the floor, blood trickling from his nose as he stared wide eyed at the now towering frame of the blue haired boy above him.

0:01

"Isagi-kun..." he whispered desperately. "W- wha-"

0:00

LOSER
Ranking 289
Ryosuke Kira

"Well done, you unpolished gems. Let's look at the results, shall we?" The image of Jinpachi Ego had invaded the screen once again, face remaining aggravatingly indifferent. "Ryosuke Kira, you are eliminated. Now get the hell out of here."

No. A helpless feeling settled over me as I watched my best friend turn almost animalistic before my eyes. My ears were ringing and as if from somewhere far off, I heard Ryo's out of control shouting. This is partially my fault, isn't it?

The thought ran me through like a sword. If I'd told him the truth about Blue Lock before we got here maybe he would have changed his mind and stayed home where he could protect his dream from monsters like Ego.

But as the thought slowly passed, the buzzing in my ears faded and my surroundings returned to me. What's done is done, I conceded bitterly. 

"This is your loss, Ryosuke Kira." Ego taunted.

Steam seemed to rise from Ryo as he boiled with anger, chest rising and falling aggressively in an attempt to regain his controlled breath. With one last glare at Ego, he turned on his heels, heading for the door.

As he passed me, our eyes connected and I saw betrayal burn through him as he stared me down. I opened my mouth with the intent to speak, but he glanced away with hardened features and the moment passed. I let my mouth close soundlessly. In seconds he was gone, the heavy metal door slamming shut behind him.

"Congratulations on passing the entrance test," Ego cut through the thick silence. "This room was only meant for eleven players in the first place. You may work together," he said, a false cheerfulness taking over his voice. "Or you may betray one another in order to climb to the top."

The whole room seemed to collectively hold its breath as Ego grinned.

"Welcome," he said. "To Blue Lock's 'Team Z'!"