Perfection in Chaos ✦ Blue Lock

09||Falling from Grace

Aiza(Ryouta)'s POV:

Team Z kicked off, with none other than mr.Слабак himself as their striker.

"Oh, joy," I muttered, rolling my eyes. Apparently, he's the only player so far who really brings out my inner rage. "Who let this clown near the ball? Are we short on players or just short on standards? " 

"Don't be too harsh, Ryouta. He might surprise you." Keisuke said, snickered from behind me.

"Yeah, sure, I'll be the one surprised if he scores a goal by accident," I shot back. But soon  I realized I didn't mean he needed to score by 'accident'.

The other team started charging forward, trading passes with each other. I wasn't having it. I darted in and snatched the ball halfway through their little passing show.

"Thanks for the assist, guys! Really appreciate it," I called with a laugh, launching the ball to Keisuke. He caught it effortlessly and kicked it straight to his brother, starting their usual pass-and-play routine.

Then, bam—an orange-haired guy came out of nowhere from behind Junichi. Younger Wanima shouted a warning, but before he could react, Bachira swooped in from the other side and took the ball away.

For a second, it looked like he just handed it over on purpose. "The fuck are you doing!?" I yelled after him. "You know we're wearing green, right? Not blue?" All I got in response was some kind of blank expression.

Bachira lobbed a high pass toward the penalty box. And then, Mr. Слабак jumped up, completely unchallenged, and went for a header.

Our defenders didn't even try to stop him, and our goalie stood frozen as the ball 'accidentally,' found its way into the net. "Wow. Just... wow." I muttered, shaking my head with a deep sign. 

Team W - 1

Team Z - 1

"Yeahhh!!" Kuon shouted, his voice echoing across the field as his teammates rushed to him, celebrating like they'd just won the whole tournament. 

"Nice job, team," I deadpanned, crossing my arms. "Really holding it down out there." and shot a glare at my them, making it clear what I thought of their play—or lack thereof.

The first 30 minutes ended and Team Z switched positions. Older Wanima tried to get the ball back from the other team, but instead of playing smart, he yanked on the guy's shirt. Another 'accidental' mistake, faul. They were getting a penalty kick now. 

Bachira stepped up to take it. My eyes narrowed. I could already guess what was coming. He passed it to Kuon. Again.

Kuon jumped high, almost effortlessly, and—of course—scored. Another goal for him.

Right, let's just blame the fucking wind shall we?

Team W - 1

Team Z - 2

After the first half ended, we dragged ourselves into the locker room. They looked completely unbothered, not even sparing me a glance, like I wasn't the one carrying their sorry asses out there.

I slouched against the wall, eyes scanning the room, then muttered under my breath, "So, did you guys make a deal with that loser or what?"

Younger Wanima blinked at me, putting on his best 'who, me?' face. "What makes you say that?" he asked. 

I threw my hands up in a dramatic sigh. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're playing like you've never seen a ball before, and that Kuon guy's scoring goals like it's his day job? Just a wild guess, really."

Wanima's grin stretched wider, that hyena smirk of his appearing. "What can I say? You got it, Ryota-chan." The Wanima brothers stood in front of me, the whole team now lurking behind them like a bunch of lost puppies.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "Ya'll are cowards."

"Not exactly," Wanima drawled, eyes glinting. "We just took the opportunity that presented itself. Not everyone has that... useless pride of yours."

"'Useless pride,' huh?" I raised an eyebrow, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "You mean the same pride that's kept us in first place in the fifth stratum? Yeah, totally, I can see how trading me for that pathetic excuse of a player on the other side is the obvious move."

Wanima's sneer turned venomous. "Yeah, a pathetic excuse who actually understands team strategy and knows how to play, unlike someone who thinks the game revolves around them."

It does —or else I'll make it revolve around me.

I tossed a casual glance over my shoulder with a smirk "Whatever. I'll win this without the team if I have to." I turned fully and flicked my hand dismissively "Just try not to screw it up and make us look bad without my playmaking, Roughtstones"

'Hiding behind a team won't make you strong. When they slip, you'll be exposed to the weak player you are.' Let's see how weak I really am, King.

The second half kicked off with Older Wanima sending the ball to his brother, just like they always did. They surged forward, their movement smooth and practiced, but Louis swooped in out of nowhere and snatched the ball, sending it toward Gagamaru.

Gagamaru, bless his heart, decided to defy every basic instinct of self-preservation and threw himself low, practically grazing his chin on the ground to connect with the ball. I blinked, half in shock, half in awe. Is this guy serious? That's nuts!!

But then, of course, the universe has a sense of humor, so the ball ended up back with Kuon. Great. Not in some celestial showdown between heaven and hell I'm letting that idiot to score again. I leaped for the ball, guess gravity was just feeling generous today my head did brush the bottom of it.

Достаточно хорошо (Good enough), Aiza' I thought before giving myself a pat on the back. At least someone had to.

The ball landed at one of our defenders' feet, but before he could react, I snatched it away and charged forward. The feeling of stealing the ball from your so called teammate? Not bad, zero guilt.

As I charged forward, my path was abruptly blocked by white haired dude, Kira. My instincts kicked in, and I tried to trick him, feigning left before darting right. But then I felt Louis closing in from behind. No chance. I need to pass it... but to whom?

And no, I'm not dramatic, but in that moment, everything around me felt surreal. The energy of the crowd faded, replaced by a heavy silence that wrapped around me. My heart raced, pounding in my chest like a drum, mixing fear with excitement and panic.

"Looks like you're out of options now, Ryoku," Louis said, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. Before I could even process what was happening, the ball slipped away from my feet. 

I felt a rush of panic as I turned to sprint back to defend, but it was already too late. Kuon had the ball now, and in a heartbeat, he scored again.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

End of chapter 9.

Next Chapter: Team Z: Now with extra drama!!

Anyways, thank you for coming this far and reading this story (≧▽≦)