Extraordinary // Blue Lock Fanfic

16: Old Scars

We walked along the long corridor of the winner's gate as I chatted with Kurona.
I finally had a teammate who wasn't weird in any way like the rest. He wasn't obsessed with glam and style, he wasn't an annoying prick like Iga-guri and certainly not as weird as Shidou. That guy's still giving me weird phrases like 'I'm about to explode!' or 'Yeah! That's the stuff!'.
"Why did you pick me?", Kurona asked all of a sudden.
"Are you doubting my decision making?"
"No, no. I just... wasn't sure why you played us instead of the other team. And then picked me of all people...", he replied as he faced me.
"Hmm... Well the reason I wanted to play your team... Would you believe me if I said I did it for you?", I asked which totally surprised the red head.
"For me?"
"People used to say that I had amazing senses. My senses told me that you were a gem wasting away in that team of yours. That's why I took you. Satisfied with the answer?"
His cheeks turned a rosy colour as he looked away, completely taken off guard with so many compliments.

"Moreover I clearly saw your potential in our match. You really have a talent for positioning and shaking opponents off. Your teammates... let's just say they were mediocre at best."
Shidou snickered at my remarks.
"Right!~ Those dunces were totally useless!~"
Before our conversation could continue, we were interrupted by the speakers.
"Hey there, you lumps of talent. Congrats on clearing the Second Selection. Step through the door in front and I will explain how you'll go on from here.", Ego's voice resounded through the corridor.
The automatic double door opened as we came closer.

We stepped through and landed in a room similar to all previous lobby rooms.
"I sure was lucky to have been chosen by you... uhh do I call you Sachi?", Kurona spoke out.
"Just call me Asher.", I replied.
"And luck isn't the correct term here. No matter which team you played, you would've always been chosen. That's the extent of your worth; your abilities combined with your sharp mind would've always made you a favourable pick.", I corrected Kurona.

"Luck is a term anyone can throw around as they please. However most don't really understand the concept called 'luck'. Luck coexists with coincidence.
For example, let's take the following scenario as analogy:
A bird shits on you. You look at the ground in front of you and find it covered with bird shit all over and look up to find up a flock of them sitting on power lines.
If you had noticed them earlier, you would've dodged the incoming shit. Can you still call it bad luck?
Luck in itself isn't something that exists everywhere. It only comes to those who are standing where it's going to land. The same can be applied to a football match.
Think of the 90 minutes as succession of the inevitable and the coincidental.
Increasing your dribbling, shooting technique as well as developing tactics and using strategic formations are all actions to bring forth the inevitability known as a 'goal'.

All your training at Blue Lock so far can be counted as actions worked towards increasing the likelihood of a goal. Once the inevitability of 2 teams clash, coincidences burst out freely and become the center of luck.
Your team, Kurona Ranze, had already given up on winning. Your team had lacked a tenacious greed, wanting to score and win. However you still scored a goal. You know why that is?
You had a good grasp on your own abilities and flaws. Instead of depending on your mediocre teammates too much, you used your innate abilities alone and broke through your opponent's formation. With the unpredictability of your tenacious nature and the coincidence of a teammate of yours standing in a well suited position led to all this.
You seized luck which came from a series of coincidences.
That's what determined your fate.
The goddess of luck only smiles on the ones who can seize situations where luck will play an inevitable role.
Football has both luck and coincidences. Luck falls equally on those humans who can truly fight.", Ego explained as he pushed his glasses up.

"Right. That's that. But weren't you about to explain how we're going to carry on? Ego?"

"That's right. All of you have cleared the Second Selection. You made the most of your skills and each other's... You're learned the principle behind producing a chemical reaction.
Next will be the Third Selection.
As promised, it'll be a training program with the world's top players. It'll start in exactly 24 hours. So... how about a 5-on-5 match against these guys?", Ego announced as his face was replaced by a picture of 5 pro players on the screen.