Perfection in Chaos ✦ Blue Lock

29||The Power of One

Isagi's POV:

"The following two: Isagi Yoichi and Louis Seishu shall retreat to the second stage." The robotic voice rang through the air as the top three—and Nagi—left the field.

I felt something heavy press on my chest. Not just the weight of losing... but the feeling of losing something important. A teammate.

"Isagi?"

Louis's voice brought me back. He extended his hand toward me, and I grasped it without thinking. His grip was steady and strong. Together, we trudged toward the Losers' Gate, an unwelcome path of shame.

"Phew," Louis exhaled as he plopped into a chair beside me. "Guess we're the first ones here. VIP service and all."

I shot him a look. His voice was so casual it grated on my nerves, yet somehow it was relieving.

"Yeah," I muttered, staring at the floor. As if looking down would somehow make this all disappear.

"Hey, there's a break room around here. Wanna check it out?" Louis suggested, leaning back.

"This isn't the time for a break!" I snapped, sitting up straighter. "If we lose the next match, it's over—end of the line for me."

Louis didn't respond immediately. His gaze locked onto mine, unflinching. "Then we won't lose," he said simply.

"That's not the issue," I said, grabbing at my hair in frustration. "I'm not like you or Nagi! I couldn't do anything against the top three!"

"But you scored," he pointed out, his tone still maddeningly calm.

"That was because of you guys. The reaction with my teammates made it happen. Not me," I admitted bitterly.

Louis tilted his head, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "That's... literally how soccer works?"

I clenched my fists. "If we lose... you'll get picked. Not me." My voice wavered as I admitted the thought that had been eating at me. "Even if I were in the enemy's shoes, I wouldn't pick someone like me."

Louis stood, and for a second, I thought he'd leave. Instead, he bent down, crouching in front of me.

"Cut the crap, Isagi," he said, leaning in until our faces were barely inches apart. His steady gaze locked onto mine, and I felt frozen under its intensity. "You're just overthinking this. You always do."

I blinked, stunned by his bluntness.

Then he smirked, a half-hearted smile that somehow hit harder than his words. "And you're missing the important detail" he added, standing back up.

"What?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

"First selection. Remember how we worked as a team of 11? Back then, turning a zero into a one was enough. But now..." He crossed his arms. "With fewer players, it's different. Every individual move matters. Each of us has to step up. Power of the individual is what matters."

"You mean a playstyle focused on passing and teamplay doesn't work here?" I asked.

"It matters," he said, shrugging. "But the bare minimum is to be able to win on your 1-on-1's." His words clicked. If I wanted to survive, I had to adapt... devouring, was it?

"I see... so the only thing we have to do is..." I stood up, a spark of determination flickering inside me. "Win, right?" I said, flashing him a smile.

Louis's lips curved into a lazy grin as he held out his fist. "Now you're talking." I bumped his fist, feeling a spark of confidence I hadn't felt in hours.

Just then, the door creaked open, revealing a tall figure with spiky black hair and piercing red eyes. His presence radiated arrogance.

"So this is where they dump the losers when their team's trash?" the guy sneered, his gaze sweeping over us. Or if you're trash.

"Barou," Louis said, smirking like he'd been waiting for this moment. "Lost your crown already, 'King'?"

Barou's scowl deepened. "Hah? You again?"

Louis's grin widened as he waved lazily. "What can I say? Fate loves making me your problem."

"Careful, or you'll be crushed again." Barou growled.

Louis leaned back against the wall, utterly unfazed. "Bold words for someone who just got kicked down here with the rest of us peasants."

"Wanna test that, smartass?" Barou barked.

"Looks like we've got 24 hours before the next match, you two?" a calm voice cut through the tension. I turned to see a guy with white hair and unsettlingly golden eyes, his face disturbingly serene.

"Kira!" I called out, my eyes locking onto him. He turned, flashing a wide smile. "Isagi, long time no see."

"Uh, yeah," I replied.

"Wait, you're teamed up with him?" Louis asked, pointing at Barou like he'd just spotted a cockroach.

"Yeah, we are—except for the part where Barou decided to hog the ball the entire game, and we lost because of it," Kira said, throwing a pointed smile at his sulking teammate.

"You say something, peasent?" Barou snarled.

"Nothing you'd get," the white-haired boy muttered, barely sparing him a glance.

"Anyway," Kira interjected, his tone lightening, "since we don't need to pick our next opponents right now, how about we grab a break?" He shrugged and, with Barou in tow, they started heading for the door.

"You can come at any time, and I'll destroy you, peasants," Barou sneered, his parting words hanging in the air as he stormed out of the room.

Louis stretched, groaning dramatically as the other team left the room complitely. "Man, what a charming duo."

"You mean Barou?" I asked.

"Him, and Kira," Louis replied with a shrug. "Fake smiles are worse than growls."

Louis yawned as we stepped into our new room, which, honestly, felt more like a jail cell. "I call top bunk. Don't snore."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not seriously planning on sleeping already, are you?"

"Relax, Isagi," he said, flashing me a grin. "Give your brain a break. You'll need it for tomorrow." Then, with a shrug, he added, "Also, I'm off for a shower." He grabbed his stuff and headed for the door.

Left alone, I sat on my bed, staring at the map of the facility on the screen. My thoughts spiraled back to our next match.

The door creaked open after a while, and Louis strolled in, hair damp, a towel draped over his shoulders. "Yo, match set. We're up against Barou's team."

"What? Already?!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What, didn't you want to face them too?"

"Uh, never mind," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "So, did you meet with them?"

"Just Barou. I bumped into him by accident, said a few things, drained what little was left of his brain cells, earned a couple of death threats, and somehow managed to get him to agree in the end," he said, giving me a thumbs up and a grin.

"Oh dear... really?" I looked at him, struggling not to burst out laughing.

"Eh, doesn't matter. We just beat them, win, and turn Barou into our personal servant. Simple," he said, flopping onto his bed with a carefree grin.

"Hey, Isagi," he said after a moment of silence, just as I turned off the light.

"Yeah?"

"I don't lose," Louis said from above, his voice calm but firm. "So don't let me down."

"I won't and watch me crush you," I replied.

I heard him chuckle. "Now that's my teammate," he said, peering down from the top bunk and flashing me a grin.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

End of chapter 29.