BLUE LOCK - a place where soccer is more than just a sport and a future of worldwide glory is within grasp. Desperate to prove her worth and break barriers, Keiko Iteya fights to hold her own in a rigorous competition against 299 young men in Japan...
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TEAM ITEYA VS TEAM KAISER
I pulled the blue training jersey over my head and took a shaky breath as I straightened the fabric on my chest over my uniform. The locker door closed with a small squeak as I pushed it shut. Lifting my other hand up, I stared at it with a concentrated gaze, gripping the spare matching uniform tightly between my fingers.
"Keiko-chan?" Isagi's voice asked in confusion and I looked behind me to see him hovering in the entrance to the small locker room. "You're here too? I was asked to report here by Ego."
"I know. I asked for him to call for you," I told him quietly. My body turned and I walked towards where he was stepping my direction with a perplexed look. He stopped just in front of me and I held out the jersey to him. "Put this on, okay?"
He gently took it from me. "Are we going to play?"
"Yeah... Listen..." I said slowly and then seriously continued. "You and I are going to play in a match against Kaiser and Hikaru."
"Huh?" Isagi's eyes widened in surprise. "Why? What's going on?"
"The details don't matter. I don't want you to focus on that. What matters is that we need to win, okay?" I murmured. I figured that explaining things to Isagi right now wouldn't be best. It would disrupt his focus and put pressure on him. I needed him to play with a clear head. "This is really important. I challenged Kaiser to a match and we each had to choose a person to play with us. And I chose you because I think that together we can beat him." He looked confused and I didn't blame him. "Look... I've been watching you play since the league started. You know him well at this point and your skills have really improved. We have a strong chance to win here. I need your help. So please.... help me do this."
Isagi's expression tightened and his eyes narrowed. "Of course. I won't let you down, Keiko. I promise."
A breath left my mouth and I nodded. "Okay..." My chin lifted. "We have to be out there in a few minutes. Please tell me what you know about Kaiser."
Isagi stepped into the jersey bottoms and then pulled the jersey top over his training uniform. "Kaiser becomes super focused during a match. He has this vision that I've learned to copy from him. He's fast and will likely always be two steps ahead of whatever you already have in mind. And his Kaiser Impact... it's really difficult to prevent or stop."
"Well, it's a good thing I have you on my side," I quietly told him.
I turned to make my way out of the locker room and I heard him say, "Uh... Keiko-chan.... Are you alright?"
With a firm tone, I turned back to face him and said, "Once we win, I will be."
Isagi nodded confidently, a smile growing on his face. "Right!"
