Chapitre 21: Chapter 21 – Aftermath
As the whistle blew and the intercom announced Team Z's victory, the field erupted in celebration. Team Z had secured their first win in Blue Lock, and the players couldn't contain their joy. Bachira, full of energy, leaped onto Kira's back, laughing and congratulating him.
"That was fun, Kira! I can't wait for the next game!" Bachira exclaimed with excitement.
Kira, half-smiling, tried to shake him off. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but get off, you monkey!" he said, amused by Bachira's antics.
Kuon, the team's loudest voice, clapped his hands and patted his teammates on the back. "Alright, great job, everyone!" he shouted, his excitement contagious as the team reveled in their hard-fought victory. Some players nursed bruises from Team Y's rough play, but the win made every ache and pain worth it.
Amid the celebration, Isagi quietly walked in the opposite direction. As the rest of his team cheered, he moved past the broken forms of Team Y, who lay exhausted and defeated on the ground. Their faces were filled with despair. Many of them had given everything in this match, executing an aggressive, all-out attack to try and win. Now, knowing they were knocked out of the round-robin stage, some players wept, realizing that this might be the end of their football careers.
Isagi walked among them, meeting their eyes. He saw their crushed dreams, their hopes dashed. A weight of realization settled on him: he had played a part in shattering those dreams. He kept walking until he stood in front of the one player he had been seeking out.
Niko Ikki.
Niko was on his knees, his head bowed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears streamed from his blue cerulean eyes, mixing with snot as his emotions overflowed. He looked up when he noticed Isagi standing there, his tear-streaked face filled with anguish.
Isagi stared back, studying Niko's face, absorbing the depth of his emotions. In Niko's eyes, he could see unspoken words—blame, anger, and pain. There was so much left unsaid, but Isagi understood it all.
'So this is what it means to win,' Isagi thought, memorizing every detail of Niko's expression. He had helped destroy Niko's dream, and seeing the pain in Niko's eyes stirred something inside him.
Suddenly, Isagi felt a surge of excitement, an intense rush of satisfaction and power. His body shuddered with the realization.
'HOLY SHIT! THIS FEELS GOOD!' he thought, overwhelmed by the exhilaration of victory and the thrill of crushing his opponent's dreams.
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While Team Z celebrated their victory, there was one player who stood apart from the joy. Raichi, visibly frustrated, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as if trying to suppress the deep dissatisfaction boiling inside him. Unlike Isagi, who was buzzing with the thrill of victory, Raichi was consumed by bitterness.
The second half of the match had been a nightmare for Raichi. His performance was so poor that his presence on the pitch had become almost invisible. He knew he was neither as technically skilled as Kira nor as physically imposing as Kunigami. His style of sexy football had always been his best—holding the ball, giving his team the opportunity to execute their plays, and score the goal. But today, his weaknesses had been laid bare for everyone to see.
The humiliation of being so ineffective was something he couldn't shake off. Normally, Raichi would have put this experience aside, intending to revisit it later and learn from his mistakes. But what stung even more was seeing Isagi, who had started off as poorly as him, turn his game around.
Isagi, the lowest-ranked player on the team, had not only assisted but also scored. With the end of this game, Isagi had contributed two goals and an assist—solidifying his importance to the team. Raichi, on the other hand, hadn't scored in the first game and had been irrelevant in this second one. His only contributions were distance covered and being a weak point in the defense.
'Isagi has NOTHING special about him,' Raichi thought angrily. 'His physical abilities are average. Even the princess—' he thought, referring to Chigiri, '—has better physicality than him.'
Raichi's pride was wounded. He couldn't stand that the lowest-ranked player, someone with seemingly no standout abilities, had outperformed him in such a critical match. The thought festered in his mind, and Raichi tried to dismiss it, convincing himself that Isagi had just gotten lucky.
'It won't happen again,' Raichi told himself, trying to believe the lie. But the image of the last play—where Isagi, Kunigami, Bachira, and Kira had linked up to dismantle Team Y's defense while Raichi stood on the sidelines, merely watching it all unfold—gnawed at him.
'What am I doing?' Raichi thought, clenching his fists tighter. He didn't want to confront the answer, but the truth was sinking in, heavier with every passing moment.
He was being left behind.
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Ego Jinpachi sat in front of multiple screens, reviewing footage of the Team Y vs Team Z match with a sly grin. He had just witnessed something intriguing—an awakening of ego in one of the players. Team Z had pulled off a surprisingly coordinated and efficient attack, especially for a new team. It caught his attention. When he dug deeper to find out who was responsible for this, he couldn't help but feel conflicted.
Kira had been the key player, proving himself with his sharp spatial awareness and ball control. When the team's offense had stalled, it was Kira who took the initiative, charging into the opposing half and scoring a crucial goal. It was impressive, no doubt. But after that, Kira's drive seemed to fade. He became content to run down the clock and secure the win instead of continuing to push for more.
Ego sighed, slightly disappointed. "So predictable..." he muttered. Kira was a good player, maybe even a great one. But he lacked that insatiable hunger. Ego considered revising his initial assessment and filing Kira into the "Maybe" folder—he wasn't quite convinced yet.
Still, Ego's mood was far from sour as he continued to scroll through videos from other matches in Blue Lock. One screen showed a tall, slim, muscular boy with dark green hair, commanding his teammates and orchestrating plays with surgical precision for his own goals. His slim teal eyes were sharp, scanning the field like a predator.
Another video displayed a tanned, wild-looking boy with spiky blond hair and fading pink tips, bulldozing through defenders with sheer willpower and ferocity, chasing the ball like his life depended on it. His raw energy was undeniable.
Ego chuckled to himself. "Japan's been hiding some gems after all," he mused, scanning through more footage of strikers taking the spotlight, each with their own unique style of play.
Just then, Anri walked into the room carrying a tray of food. She'd just finished preparing stir-fried vegetables and broccoli salad, and her face lit up with a smile when she saw Ego so engrossed in the game footage.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked, placing the tray down beside him.
"We've got some real talent here," Ego said, his eyes still fixed on the screens. "I didn't expect to see so many promising players. The first selection's going smoother than I thought."
Anri smiled, glad to hear that things were progressing well. "I'm happy to hear that." She paused for a moment before presenting the meal she'd prepared. "How about a proper dinner to celebrate?"
Ego finally tore his gaze away from the screens and eyed the tray of food. He accepted it without hesitation, but instead of digging in, he pulled out a bottle of spice mix and some mayonnaise, which he began slathering all over the vegetables.
Anri watched in horror as her carefully prepared meal was utterly transformed.
"This isn't bad every now and then," Ego said with a satisfied nod, taking a big bite of his creation.
'YOU COMPLETELY RUINED IT, YOU DUMBASS!' Anri screamed internally, her smile frozen in place.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone