Captain of the New-Gen XI

[Chapter 1]

"However, this wouldn't be Blue Lock if I didn't present to you all a "fun" twist. One that I'm sure you will all love." Ego's grin ignited numerous reactions from the teens below, some with understandable doubt, some with confusion, curiosity, and even irritation. Because, no matter what it was, they would be forced to face it head-on, like they've done every time before.

Placing his hand out, the man's index finger rose, and with it, a hologram formed. From the base, a figure of a boy no older than 18 was presented to them. In nothing but boxers, they saw his toned physique. Not a single scar, just rosy skin that complemented the boy's body perfectly.

Numerous tattoos, all colored dark red, were etched into his skin. Left fingers, hand, and arms, along with his right ribcage. On his face were a pair of golden glasses that brought out the vibrant red eye that complemented his light pink hair perfectly.

He was, without a doubt in anyone's mind, a beautiful person. There was no imperfection in sight. If shown to anyone else, they would never guess he played soccer for a living.

From below, Meguru Bachira squinted his eyes, sure that he had seen the boy somewhere.

"This, you lumps of talent, is a polished gem. Seth Sidorov is the current captain of the New Generation World Eleven. The one that you all will have the honor to play and battle against."

"...Huh!?"

Needless to say, half of the teenagers were in total shock, and the other half didn't know how the boy was. Yet with such a title, it was shocking that the image of him didn't send them into shock.

Bachira was one of those who didn't know who he was, so he did what he always did when he had no clue about the subject at hand. Turn to the side and ask Yoichi Isagi.

"Yeah, Isagi, who is he? Is he really that important?"

"In all honesty," He smiled and scratched his check. "I have no idea."

"Idiots!" Jingo Raichi appeared behind the two, screaming into their eyes. "I understand Bachira's cluelessness, but you, Isagi?! And you call yourself a soccer fan?!"

Not knowing what to say, Isagi laughed nervously. What Raichi said wasn't wrong. The fact that he had no knowledge about someone that even his ego considered a "polished gem" was odd. The man had never downright complimented someone.

The only things coming out of his mouth were insults that were thrown at even world-class players. With a very heavy sigh, Raichi, ever so gracious of him, took it upon himself to educate the two.

"He made his debut in the world of soccer only a year ago and appeared out of nowhere. In less than a month, he was being offered contracts from the top clubs; all of them declined, by the way! He's been on tour for almost a year now, visiting clubs that took him in with open arms.

Very little footage of him playing is out there since his manager somehow keeps all of it off the internet. All we know is that he's apparently a prodigy, but I think people are exaggerating."

"Oh, why do you say that, Raichi?" Isagi asked.

"Because! When you are as good as people say you are, there is bound to be more information. The fact that he was made captain of the New- Generation 11 a week after turning eighteen is baffling."

"I guess you do have a point." Bachira smiled, one that Isagi knew very well. "I want to play against him. With him. I want to see his monster."

"Let's maybe calm down and listen to the rest of Ego's rules." Isagi spoke while turning the boy back to the projection.

"Now," Ego continued, "with there being five clubs, Seth will be playing in each game. At the start of every day, he will flip a coin. Each team will choose a side, and he will start the match with the team that wins the coin flip. With every goal that is scored, be it on the team he is on or the opposing team, he will switch sides.

"It is up to your masters what role he will play in each team. At the end of every game, you will be ranked out of ten, and this number will determine many things." Ego flicked away the projection, staring at the others before adding something. "And remember, zero is a number."

"Whether you impress this gem or not is up to you; however, it is in your best interests to at least gain one. The general himself said there will be a special reward for anyone able to exceed three." With a clap of his hands, he began to fade. A party trick someone had told them about made his exits more dramatic. "Good luck; you are all going to need it."

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

Within another part of the facility, said captain was wandering the hallways, completely clueless. His steps were slow, yet due to his height, it still made the woman follow behind in his struggle to keep up without outright jogging.

"Seth, will you admit that we are lost?" The woman pleaded, and her legs acted from all this needless walking. "Let's just call Anri. Or! Look at this conveniently placed map."

She smiled, making a dramatic gesture toward the map that was stuck on the wall. Stopping, the boy looked back at her with a bored expression. Maybe his sense of direction was bad, but he would never admit it out loud.

"We're not lost." When the boy spoke, his thick Russian accent along with his raspy voice made the woman sigh in disappointment. He could have done something else to put those looks to good use, but instead he chose this sport.

"Now, since we're not lost, legs go in here." He pointed to the door next to him and marched towards it.

"Don't just walk into random rooms!" Maria screamed, running towards the boy.

"I am walking in a random room." And so he did, with Maria following behind him with her head down and her arms swaying.

She wished she could say she didn't get paid enough for this, but in all honesty, she did. She most definitely did. The woman was baffled that she would receive a check with that many zeros monthly just for being his manager, but most of it went towards ensuing, she said.

As the two walked down the hall, they heard murmurs that neither one of them could understand. Seth was only fluent in Russian, while his German was a work in progress. Maria was fluent in several languages, but not Japanese, as she never thought they would even come to this country.

"Let's introduce you to Bastard Munchen's unrivaled ace, the man currently known as the greatest player in the world, the master striker, Noal Noa!"

At the end of the hall, the boy stopped, causing the girl to dump into him.

"What?"

"There's a thing there." Seth muttered, pointing to the pair of doors that had just opened. He had seen a patch of orange hair walk into the room, and his eyes were the one thing he trusted not to fail him.

So, he slowed his steps significantly until they were peaking their heads into the room. There, he saw many new faces and only a few old ones. His eyes flickered between every face, from the members of Bastard Munchen to the Blue Lockers, and only a few were noticeably impressive.

"Take it away, Master Striker." Ego said before disappearing from the room.

Just as Seth and Maria had decided to leave before they got drafted into needless work, the master of the club noticed them.

"Seth, are you here to participate?" Upon Noel looking in their direction, he fell over the heads of everyone else. Isagi, as well as all the members of Blue Lock, were awestruck to see the boy in person.

His expression faded from bored to annoying as the girl next to him translated.

As the man walked towards the exit and in their direction, he continued. "You can get a pair of cleats, give your assistant the bag, and make your way to the goal." Stopping next to the boy, he patted his shoulder. "I trust you will go to the other clubs as well. Familiarize yourself with your future allies."

He walked away, leaving everything to Maria to translate. As the boy gave her his bag, he walked past the teens, mumbling many Russian slurs that they did not know. With a countdown appearing and most of them already ready, he was forced to put off the pair of cleats very quickly.

They weren't bad. He actually liked the quality of them; they just didn't have his exact fit.

Once done, they all stood prepared for the training. Although for some, this didn't count as a train.

Isagi found himself next to the Russian prodigy and couldn't stop himself from analyzing the boy. He was tall, six feet on the dot. And if not for the hologram he had seen early, he wouldn't know his physique under such baggy clothes.

'So this is the best of the best?' His thoughts were interrupted by the start of the straight dash. 'I wonder if I can at least keep up with him?'

Each lunged towards each other, except for Seth, who immediately lowered his body. Without warning, he lunged forward, passing everyone who had made up some ground.

This caused gasps, widened eyes, and smirks from the young adults that were left in the dust.

'Nevermind! I'll be surprised if I finish the first zone before he's at the last!' Isagi inwardly screamed. To reach such speeds out of nowhere was something he only saw in world-class players, and to maintain it until he was at the incline dash was something worthy of much more than praise.

Only when Seth was in zone three, the ladder sprint, did he slow his pace. And not far behind him was his colleague in arms, who grinned at seeing the boy.

The last two zones were simple enough: step jumps and pole dribble. The boy looked down at the ball before his eyes moved towards the pole. With his eyes forward, running forward with it under his feet, the ball stayed perfectly in the middle of the line provided.

His body tilted to the left and right, moving the ball between his left and right feet. Although his back was facing the goal for most of it, it did not slow his speed.

Moving the ball into the shoot zone, his right foot slipped under the ball, flicking it upwards to his waist height. As gravity took its course, his right foot was planted on the floor, and his left was swung, used to shoot.

The shot was soft, making very little sound. The ball had neither curve nor spin, and as it moved towards its mark, it glitched in and out. A trail of static followed and shrouded it, and once it hit the bullseye dead in the center, the ball died, falling to the ground.

Walking forward, another bullseye next to him was hit. Seth turned to face them but sighed once he saw who it was.

"Yo, long time, no see, captain."

"Kaiser." Muttering, Seth watched as the rose took the ball she had used to make the shot. Tilting his head, a question mark appeared over his head. "What are you doing?"

"Setting the stage, dear captain." Placing the ball on the ground, the man looked past Seth. He grinned, looking past Seth. Turning, he saw Isagi make his shot; it was slightly curved, but it was to be expected from the angle he shot from.

'Oh, he's going to make it...wait...' His face switched from boredom to deadpan as a ball flew over his head. The two clashed, ultimately leaving Isagi missing.

"On your knees, Blue Lock."

Seth slowly, very slowly, turned to face the smiling Kaiser. His mouth opened, and a sigh came out.

'Why is he already beefing with children?'

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

After introductions, well, more so, Kaiser being Kaiser. Seth was offered earbuds by Ness, which allowed him to understand all of the foreign languages. He took a pair for Maria, but he also wondered how much of a tantrum she would throw knowing a part of her job was now fulfilled by technology.

After Kaiser was done with his spat with Blue Lock, more so with Isagi, Seth appeared behind the man. With his arm over his shoulder, he brought the grinning sticker close.

"Why are you bullying children? This is beneath you." Taking off his glasses, the boy threw them at Maria, whom he knew was standing in a corner.

"It's not bullying," Kaiser correctly said, his arm also being thrown over the shoulder of the captain. "I am just knocking them down a peg or two."

"Why?" Seth asked; his previous question wasn't given a proper answer in his eyes.

"Because I want to. Isn't that what you say? If you want to, you should."

Isagi, as well as the rest of Blue Lock and the original members of Bastard Munchen, all observed the interaction between the two players. Isagi had not known Kaiser for long, but he was surprised someone got along with him, but then again, Seth and him were probably very close considering their positions.

Seth was a mystery to him as well; the boy didn't seem like the type to be friends with someone like Kaiser. He had seen a very small glimpse of his shot, and it was no less than perfection. However, he was more curious about what position the boy played.

"Kaiser, reframe such childish acts." Noel spoke, walking towards the players. "Follow the words of your captain, and stop trying to accept your dominance over children."

"My bad!" The man swung around to face the man and bring Seth with him. "I just wanted to liven things up a bit; no harm done."

"Don't speak back; I make the rules here." Seth looks between the two, wondering what the rose had done to Noel. Maybe he shouldn't have left him in Germany.

"Yes sir."

"And Seth." Noel pointed towards the boy, who immediately looked at the floor. "Anything to say about the newbies?"

"Huh?" Taking his arm from the man next to him, he looked towards the players, who all broke into sweat. With narrow eyes, he pointed at Igaguri. "Him."

"What?!" They all turned to Igaguri, who had his hands on his hips and was looking towards the sky with an arrogant smile.

"He's utterly useless. How did he make it this far? There is a God, because this is a miracle only they can set." Seth spoke, folding his arms. What he said had no hint of remorse, making everyone wince.

"I see. Well, you should be off towards the other clubs now." Noel finished speaking to the boy and spoke to the rest of his players.

Seizing the opportunity before the master changed his mind, the boy, along with Maria, left the room towards the other clubs. His room wasn't yet ready, so he might as well kill some time.