Blue Lock: Natural Selection

Chapter 32: The Lead

Nagi sits criss-cross on the field before throwing his arm up. Isagi and Chigiri run to him as (Y/N) tackles him. "Hey, (Y/N). I did a fist pump...Was that embarrassing?"

"Nah!" He lets the cheers of the crowd hit their ears before grinning. "For now, with that super goal...You're the hero." Chigiri and Isagi dog pile on the two, with Nagi crushed under and the other three smiling.

The announcers look on in shock as Tereasa says, "W-with a super-goal from Seishiro Nagi...THE BLUE LOCK ELEVEN BRING THE SCORE BACK TO 1-1!"

"Who the heck is Seishiro Nagi?! He's just some nameless player, right?" Natsuki questions.

"After this last goal...There's a mixture of joy and confusion amongst the crowd," Tereasa replies. "...And the stadium has been wrapped in a bizarre atmosphere."

"Was the Blue Lock Project...Actually successful?!"

"And now...it's no longer clear...who the hero of this match is."

The U-20 coach sits down in a cold sweat as the JFU president slams his fists down in anger.

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Blue Lock Bench

"Incredible! They did it...They caught up!" shouts Anri. "But why...did their attacks suddenly get so effective?! They were struggling so much before, so it seems unreal..."

"Don't get caught up in this excitement, incompetent odd-jobber..." Ego replies. "Our forward line is more than capable of scoring in that even situation."

'Incompotent odd-jobber,' Anri questions in offense. "Which means...What matters is the plays that led up to the situation?"

"Right...It was Rin Itoshi's ad-lib that kicked off everything leading to that goal. I told you, didn't I? Our players are good at 'the performance.' Throughout all our selections, they've grown proficient at ad-libbing."

"Yeah! You've been saying it all along...How do they produce 'chemical reactions,' right?"

"Right. That's another type of ad-lib. When you set out to achieve a goal...things often don't go according to plan. What's written in textbooks or manuals may hold in theory... but when faced with the reality of the field, those things are nothing more than empty abstractions. And when the plan they made in advance isn't working...mediocre people start to panic...look for a reason for their failure to calm themselves...and squander time trying to correct things. That's how losers think. Winners...Adjust their 'challenge.' What's the objective of this match, Anri-chan?"

"Huh...uhm...' TO WIN.'"

"Yeah. It's vital to be able to think that without hesitation...When the plan fails, even if you don't follow the original course...as long as you don't lose sight of your objective, then that situation becomes a new challenge."

"And that...requires ad-libbing thinking."

"You get it now, Anri-chan. Blue Lock doesn't need any mediocrities who wait for directions. What I want...are egoists who...are able to discover their own challenges by themselves. Rin Itoshi is able to face challenges faster than anyone...And Yoichi Isagi acted in accord with that...As I expected, Yoichi Isagi...is essential for Rin Itoshi's awakening."

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"20 minutes remain in the first half!! Could anyone have imagined such a development?" Tereasa asks.

"I'm on pins and needles!" Natsuki replies.

Sae starts out with the ball as Rin comes immediately to pressure him. The two match up as the crowd watches in anticipation. Sae does ultra-fast scissors, occasionally passing between left and right foot, before crossing his right foot over his left. Rin tries to pick the ball, but Sae blasts forward as Rin throws his arm over Sae. Kitsunezato comes to the right of Sae, while Isagi comes to the left of Rin, both attempting to help. However, Rin angrily calls them to back off.

Sae twists the ball away from Rin's reach before going into a block and turn as Rin attempts to keep up. Sae then nudges the ball back and pushes off of Rin as the latter and former face off again. Sae performs a nutmeg into a cross-elastico to break into the midfield as Rin is left behind. 

Sae gets pressed by Karasu and opts to send a backspin pass to Sendou. Niko runs forward before doing a rapid stop. Sendou traps the ball, but is slightly confused. As the ball pops up, Niko rushes forward, kicking the ball away. 

Karasu picks up the second ball before rushing forward with a counter. Hayate comes to press with Wakatsuki a bit behind. He passes to Nagi, who is pressed by Darai. Nagi gives a quick pass back to Karasu as Darai follows Nagi. Karasu passes the ball in front of Nagi as Nagi and Darai run for it, pushing each other. Aiku suddenly comes in front, but Nagi passes it right as Chigiri rushes by. 

Aiku quickly reacts, turning right, and attempting to stop the speedster. Chigiri chooses to speed up and pass by Aiku, nearing the corner as the rest of the front lines break into the goal box. Chigiri thinks about breaking in further, however, Niou stops that option as Chigiri spots Karasu in the back. Chigiri gives a pass to Karasu, who finds the opening in the defense. 

However, Sae appears kicking away the ball with Karasu is in shock. The second ball falls to Rin, who is quickly defended by Aiku. Aiku begs and taunts Rin to shoot. Isagi circles behind Aiku as Rin plants his foot to pass. However, he turns his foot at the last second and runs left. Aiku smirks as he realizes he killed off Rin's right foot, but Rin performs an outside spin with his right foot, to the surprise of Aiku. 

Fukaku dives right and is slightly out of reach, before Sae comes out of nowhere and blocks the shot to the dismay of Rin. The ball slightly comes forward as Aiku shouts for the second ball. However, a player runs past him with a grin. "This one's mine!"

(Y/N) rushes for the second ball as Nagi stops Wakatsuki, and Yukimiya stops Neru from proceeding. (Y/N) aims his shot to the left, but as Sae slides forward, (Y/N) taps the ball forward. He does a sombrero flick before shooting full power right.

Fukaku dives top right, seeing the ball slowly coming toward his glove before suddenly dropping dead and rolling in. (Y/N) runs to the corner before doing a knee slide. The rest of the forwards rush toward him as (Y/N) screams out in excitement, with the crowd cheering. 

Aiku smirks. "Japanese soccer finally has some new genes."

"We're 38 minutes into the first half, and with this goal from (Y/N) (L/N)...The BLUE LOCK ELEVEN ARE IN THE LEAD 2-1!!! Could anyone have predicted his development?!"

Nagi, Isagi, and Chigiri tackle the boy as the group smiles. Rin just scoffs, and Karasu complains, while being pissed off. Isagi complement (Y/N), before Bachira helps the boy up. "Nice goal!" Bachira states.

"We're going to win this!" (Y/N) replies.

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U-20 Bench

Shidou is seen sitting by himself, before a boy takes a seat next to him. "How's it going, Mr. Demon." Shidou looks up to see Joey with popcorn and his training jacket. He ignores him as Joey shrugs. "Seems like we might not play."

"It doesn't matter to me. I know they'll need me. After all, they lost the lead, especially with that fault striker named Sendou. This game will never make my heart go boom~" He says, slightly sad. 

"I know what you mean...But nothing we can do. Unless we get approved by Houichi, we can't even touch the field. What a bother. At least I get to see (Y/N) play. What a goal. He's gotten so good. I knew he always had it in him."

"He's one of the only people who made me excited to play with."

"It's making me slightly mad...I wanna play against him...I wanna be the one who crushes him firsthand!"

"Hahaha! I like you Joey-Chan! It seems like you got the crazy, too~"