Bab 20: [20] Transformation
"Enough! Everyone, stop arguing! Do you even understand what kind of situation we're in right now?" Kuon Wataru's sharp reprimand drew the attention of the entire group as he glared at them, his frustration evident.
"Do you realize our current position? We've already lost one match. The first selection is a round-robin format with five teams, and only the top two teams in points will have all their players advance."
"Assuming all teams are evenly matched, with 2 wins and 2 losses each, that's 6 points. This means that to secure a spot, we need at least 7 points. That's likely the threshold for breaking through the first selection."
"A win earns 3 points, and a draw gets us 1 point. So, as long as we win one more match, we're good," Raichi Jingo said dismissively. "The next game will be settled by my sexy football."
"Technically, you're not wrong," Kuon replied, sighing, "but the more pressing issue is that if we lose just one more game, we'll be dangerously close to elimination. We absolutely can't keep playing like headless chickens, running around with no coordination."
"Huh? Then you all just need to coordinate with my sexy football," Raichi retorted, smirking as he pointed at himself. "Just pass the ball to me, and I'll handle it."
"If it's about shooting, the ball should be passed to me," Rensuke Kunigami chimed in, raising his hand. "My shots are the most powerful and the most threatening."
"What did you say, you musclehead? You're just trying to hog all the glory as the top scorer!" Raichi snapped back, glaring at Kunigami.
...
The locker room erupted into chaos once again as arguments flared up, but Isagi stood apart, leaning silently against the wall.
He tilted his head up, staring at the light on the ceiling.
'If Shinichi were here, what would he do? No… that guy would probably destroy everyone in the very first match. He'd never end up in a situation like this.'
He was painfully aware of the immense gap between himself and Shinichi.
But that very gap was what drove him to push himself harder, to surpass his limits.
Yet, reality was cruel.
Faced with the dire situation and the disheartened atmosphere of his team, Isagi felt an overwhelming pressure and a deep sense of helplessness.
'What am I even doing? I wanted to beat him, to become the best in the world… and now I'm stuck here, sinking deeper into this mess. Am I really going to repeat what happened during the prefectural tournament?'
'Teammates and coaches who don't trust me, a team that's lost all desire to win. I couldn't even get on the field during the final moments… Am I going to experience that regret all over again?'
Isagi gritted his teeth, his face contorted with frustration under the towel covering his head.
'Even if I'm eliminated, even if this all comes to an end… the final result has to be decided by me! If it were Shinichi, he'd definitely think that way.'
'I will determine the outcome with my goal. I'll take control of my future.'
While Isagi quietly underwent his own transformation in the shadows, Kira also stood up. "What's important is what that guy said about turning zero into one. That must be the key to this round of selection."
After being thoroughly humiliated by Shinichi, Kira had begun to see things differently.
From the perspective of someone who had failed, he now grasped the essence of Ego's philosophy more deeply.
No longer did he seek to deny or refute Ego's ideas; instead, he began to truly reflect on them.
"I think the key to turning zero into one lies in having a 'leader,'" Kira said, pointing to himself. "In the first match, because of the goal Isagi and I scored together, the team temporarily trusted us."
"And it was the same with the opposing team. When Barou single-handedly broke through our defense and scored, he united Team X. Everyone began playing to their strengths. That's when it became a true one-on-one battle between two cohesive units."
"But as the match grew more intense, we started falling apart. You all stopped following my lead, and the one I tried to build was completely dismantled. At that point, the match became one versus zero. Naturally, the larger 'one' won in the end."
"Are you kidding me?" Raichi growled, his eyes narrowing. "You? A leader? I was just in the right place at the right time during that match, nothing more. And what's this supposed to mean? Are you just shifting the blame onto us so you can call yourself some kind of wannabe leader?"
Raichi Jingo, with his fiery temper, stormed up and grabbed Kira Ryosuke by the collar, shouting in his face. "I've never recognized you as a leader! And based on what you're saying, it's not our fault—it's you, you bastard, who let us down!"
"At the end of the day, you're useless. Giving you the ball doesn't give us any hope of victory. Isn't it only natural for a so-called leader who can't lead his team to a win to step down?"
"And that goal you scored? Wasn't it just because Isagi's vision set it up for you? You only managed to sneak in that goal when everyone else was running around in chaos!"
...
After Raichi's relentless scolding, an eerie silence filled the locker room. Kira took a deep breath, lowered his head slightly, and spoke in a subdued tone:
"Yeah… you're right. I let my teammates down. Back then, I was completely crushed by the opponent's strength, lost in their overwhelming dominance. I'm not the kind of player with the strongest individuality."
This was the most honest realization Kira had come to during his time in Blue Lock.
"'There is no me without the team.'" How laughable. Team football, team victories, team coordination—team, team, team! Relying on the team for everything, depending on teamwork for every goal. But… what happens if the team isn't there?
Kira, like his favorite saying, would fall apart without the "team." He would plummet from being a "treasure" to just an ordinary, unremarkable player.
When it came down to it, why was he ever called the "Crown Jewel of Japanese Football"? Because his playstyle epitomized Japan's national approach to football—mechanical, precise, and predictable.
He was simply an efficient cog in that machine, placed in a position where he could easily be noticed.
But forwards shouldn't be confined to the rigid machinery of team play.
The innate brilliance and instinct of a striker will only fade with day after day of mechanical obedience.
A striker must transcend the team—not as a cog in the machine, but as the engine that drives it.
A striker shouldn't rely on the team to make them shine; instead, they should make the team shine because of their presence.
...
"Hah, so you've got a pretty clear understanding of things," Raichi sneered, puffing out his chest. "So in the next match, just stick to following my lead, and I'll—"
Before he could finish, Kira suddenly shoved Raichi aside, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"I'm not bowing my head to admit fault—get that straight," Kira said coldly, his eyes sharp.
"I've just been reflecting. Reflecting on why I ever let idiots like you have a voice. Why I allowed bottom-feeding trash like you the right to resist me."
"In the next match, I expect absolute obedience. You will follow my tactics without question."
"No arguments allowed!"
Meanwhile, Shinichi, who had secured access to Blue Lock's surveillance feeds through some well-placed investments, happened to witness the scene.
He erupted into laughter, his voice full of amusement.
"Haha! That's more like it! Leave it to me to make things this interesting!"
"Congratulations on evolving, Kira Ryosuke-san. That detached, uncaring attitude toward the lower ranks is perfect! You've officially graduated from 'Japan's Treasure' to 'a high-ranking U.S. government official.'"
"A complete and unpredictable transformation—what kind of fun will this bring me? I can't wait to find out."
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