Japan's U-20 coach, Yasumori Hoichi, stands in a meeting room with multiple of the U-20 players.
"The match is in 2 weeks," he states. "All of you were chosen to win. You're representing Japan in the U-20! And now I present our eagerly awaited new recruits."
Sae Itoshi walks in with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, with Joey walking behind him. The latter bows and takes in the glorious moment as Sae scoffs.
"It's a pleasure to play for this team!" Joey says with an outreached hand.
Before Hoichi can shake his hand, Sae pulls Joey back. "Don't make me regret bringing you."
"Right! Sorry."
The other players start talking amongst themselves quite loudly. "Whoa, it's really him..." "So cool...We really get to play with him?"
"Oh yeah?" says Shuto Sendo, Japan U-20's central striker. "He's like a creepy prince."
"Hey, he can hear you..." says the players next to him.
"Who's he," another player says, pointing to the corner.
Shidou is seen sitting by himself with his feet up and fixing his nails.
"I dunno, but...He's just an add-on to Sae Itoshi," says Sendo. "Just like that kid next to Sae. Joey, supposedly Japanese's rising star on Royale."
"As you know, the opposing team is Blue Lock!" shouts Hoichi. "You're prestige as U-20 representatives are riding on this...so defeat is completely intolerable! Sae-kun! A word of encouragement, please!"
Sae stares into the crowd. "Uhh...Be grateful you get to play with me," he says, shocking the crowd. Joey gives a nervous chuckle. "I'm not in the least bit interested in any of you...But you'll never have another chance like this again...Just try your best not to piss me off. That's all."
Hoichi is barely able to speak through his shock and anger. Some of the others in the crowd are speechless, while others whisper about his cockiness.
"Don't underestimate us, prodigy-kun," says Sendo. "You might be causing a stir overseas, but you're ultimately just at the auxiliary club level, right? I'm a starting forward in the country's top league...So watch your mouth...As things stand now, I'm above you."
Joey just whistled before grabbing a chair and sitting back. He randomly pulls out a bucket of popcorn. "This will be interesting to watch."
"So what?" Sae asks. "You'll battle to be the best domestic scorer, become a representative, make about 50 million yen a year, marry a glamor idol, raise a happy family, and that'll be the peak of your soccer life." Sendo becomes quiet with a slight blush. "I want nothing but to be the world's best," Sae says coldly. "The depths of our desires are incomparable. Someone of your caliber, who feels even slightly contented right now...can never become the best in the world, so back off."
"I want to be the world-" Before Sendo can finish, a hand grabs his skull and smashes it right into the table.
"Oooo!" Joey shouts. "That's gotta hurt!"
"Too bad, so sad..." Shidou says with a wicked grin. "Try again in your next life~! Caring about status like that is just so lame! You're the one who should watch his mouth, you half-assed striker!"
Sae watches with his emotionless face as Joey starts cheering for a fight. Sae hits his head as Joey quiets down. "Sorry."
"H-hey, stop it!" shouts Hoichi.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" "WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' TO OUR ACE SENDO?!" shouts some of the players.
"Oh? You all wanna go?" Shidou questions. "Then make me a starter if I win~."
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Blue Lock: Natural Selection
FanfictionNatural selection. The theory that only the strong survive, and the weak perish. (Y/N) and Joey play for a chance to cement their names in their school's history. As Joey parts ways with the team, he declares he'll return to team up with (Y/N) to be...
