Ethereal ✦ Blue Lock

24||Burning Rivalries

Chapter 24: When Your Opponent's Smarter, Faster and Prettier Than You 

Song: My songs know what you did on the dark

Burn everything you love

Then burn the ashes

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Ryouta's POV:

Standing on the field, the tension was palpable. The five-a-side pitch felt smaller, tighter, as if it was designed to force every player into each other's space. The air crackled with unspoken rivalry. Across from us, team white stood like statues carved out of steel.

Karasu, the towering powerhouse, Otoya, the annoying genius, and Yukimiya, the pretty boy with an ego as big as his skills.

Beside me, Bachira was practically vibrating with excitement. "This is gonna be fun, Ryouta, Chigiri. Let's make some chaos," he said with a grin.

Chigiri crossed his arms. "Just make sure that chaos doesn't backfire. These guys aren't pushovers."

"Don't worry, Pinky," I said, cracking a grin. "You've got me. We'll outpace and outsmart them."

Bachira snorted. "Let's just crush them. Who cares how?"

"You're damn right," I say, grinning. "I'm not losing to these clowns."

As soon as my foot made contact with the ball, the fire spread from it again, igniting the air around me. The familiar rush hit me like a wave—my monster, my wild side, roaring to life in front of me. It felt like time itself slowed down, the world fading to darkness.

"Shall we burn everything down and leave nothing but ashes?" I said, my eyes blank and carefree, my voice calm and emotionless with a small smile on the corner of my lips, as if I were nothing more than a puppet.

Such an irritatingly satisfying feeling.

Bachira passed the ball to me, and the game was on. Karasu was on me in a flash, cutting off the angle to my left. His presence felt oppressive, a wall of strategy ready to corner me. I feinted right, pulling the ball toward my left foot and darting forward.

"Not today," he muttered under his breath as he blocked me off.

I didn't flinch. Karasu was smart, but he couldn't read every move. With a quick flick of my foot, I sent the ball toward Chigiri, who was already tearing down the sideline at breakneck speed.

Our tactic was simple—move fast, make sudden turns, and force them to make mistakes. As soon as I saw Otoya trying to catch up with Chigiri, I knew their defense was scrambling to adjust. This was the chaos we thrived in—speed versus their precision."

"Don't let him get away!" Otoya shouted, trying to close the distance. But Chigiri wasn't having it. With a burst of speed that left Otoya standing in his dust, he cut inside, sending a perfectly timed pass toward Bachira.

I sprinted up alongside him, syncing my movements with Bachira as we began to match each other's rhythm. The ball moved swiftly between us, a blur of quick, unpredictable passes. Our coordination was seamless, and we flowed through their defense like water. Yukimiya was closing in, trying to block the lane, but we weren't about to slow down.

"He's not fast enough," Bachira grinned, nudging the ball forward. "Watch this."

I darted forward, pulling the attention of Yukimiya, who shifted slightly to intercept. But I wasn't going for the ball—I was going for the opening. With a quick flick, I sent the ball back to Bachira, who was already preparing for the perfect shot.