Capítulo 17: Demon in Disguise
In the locker room at halftime, the tension was palpable as Team Z's opponents berated each other for their poor performance. Ikki Niko, player number eleven of Team Y tried to intervene and bring some calm to the situation, but his teammates were too focused on blaming each other to listen to him.
"We can't continue like this!"
"Hakawa, you were literally doing nothing during the game!"
As he sat in the corner and watched his teammates argue, Ikki couldn't help but feel disillusioned. He remembered the words of Dennis, who had told him that the most important thing was to play for yourself and not for others. Now, Ikki realized that Dennis had been right. He thought to himself that his teammates were all hopeless and that even his enemies understood him better than they did.
Ikki couldn't help but compare his teammates to Dennis, who had single-handedly scored three goals against them. He knew that Dennis was superior to them and that they had no chance of winning the game. 'He is the real striker, and we are just pretenders,' he thought to himself.
At that moment, Ikki made a decision. He realized that he couldn't change the outcome of the game by trying to stop Dennis and make his team win. Instead, he decided to focus on scoring goals for himself and surviving the project. He knew that this was a more realistic goal than trying to win the match. "I'm not going to try and change something that I can't… Instead, I will change something I can", thought Ikki.
… … …
The second half of the game began with Team Z continuing to dominate the field. Their striker, Dennis, was in top form and displaying a masterful display of skills on the field. He kept the ball close to him, weaving in and out of the opposing team's defense, and creating opportunities for his teammates to make passes and score. His opponents were well aware of his talent and knew that he was the most dangerous player on the field, while his teammates were in awe of his strength and skill.
The opposing team was struggling to keep up with Dennis's quick footwork and precise passes, leaving them scrambling on the field, trying to cover the openings that he was creating. Team Y's player, Ikki, had given up on trying to maintain a strategic defense and was instead focused on trying to steal the ball from Dennis.
Ikki was feeling the pressure of the game and knew that he needed to step up his game. He was determined to get the ball, but Team Z was not about to let him have it easy. Ikki realized that he needed to target other players on the opposing team who were not as skilled as Dennis. He quickly identified his target: Isagi Yoichi, the number eleven of the opposing team.
Isagi had excellent vision, and it was clear to Ikki that he had the potential to be a valuable asset to the opposing team. However, Isagi was not as experienced as Ikki and was unaware of the full extent of his abilities. Ikki took advantage of this, exploiting Isagi's weaknesses and putting pressure on him to make mistakes.
The game was intense, with both teams determined to come out on top. At first, it seemed like this strategy wasn't working, as Team Z's defense was able to shut Ikki down. But as the half progressed, Ikki started to find more space on the field and began creating more chances for himself. The match was a closely contested battle, with neither team willing to give up.
Isagi in the middle of the field had just lost the ball after a brief attempt to dribble past Ikki. 'Huh?!' For a moment, there was nothing else that suggested Ikki was even attempting to steal the ball from him, but a few moments later, the short leg came to him like a scythe, taking the football easily.
And so he ran from the left side of the field, from his perspective, and gave a short pass to Hibiki, who remained in a similar position as he had in the previous half. He wanted to make use of his exceptional dribbling and positioning, but unfortunately for him, he was ready way before that could happen.
A very aggressive opponent decided to mark him, "HA! Come at me, you raccoon!" Raichi stepped up and stopped Hibiki's advance. The guy had no choice but to search for an option to give a pass.
Ikki came running down to the front of the enemy box, and his eyes dared Hibiki to give the ball to him. His teammate didn't hesitate for a second and kicked the ball in his direction. Number seven received it well and now stood in front of two tall, athletic players. One of the two was Kunigami.
'I can possibly…!!!' The hair on Ikki's back stood up as he sensed someone else approaching him from behind. It was Isagi! 'He doesn't want to give up, just like me. Do we share even more similarities?' He decided to act before he was approached by the blue-haired boy.
He took the first step to the right; based on what he had seen, Okuhito was a less capable player than Kunigami. For him, it was better to try and confront him instead of the orange-haired. His initiative was responded to by Okuhito, who came close to marking him.
Ikki who was one step away from the center back faked to the left and then quickly shifted to the right, leaving Okuhito scrambling to adjust. 'Good! I can do it!"
Just as he was about to take the shot, Kunigami slid in and blocked his path, covering up for his teammate. But Ikki was quick to react and halted his dribbling, and instinctively, without him even seeing his teammate, he passed the ball to Hibiki, who was now free from Raichi's marking. 'I wanted to score for myself… but Okawa, finish this one for me.'
Hibiki grinned like a madman as the goalkeeper came out of his standpoint. Gagamaru wanted to cut the angle his opponent could shoot at. His decision wasn't a bad one, but the striker lifted the ball in the air. It floated, and there was no doubt in Ikki's mind that this would be a goal, but as his teammates were ready to erupt in celebration of this goal, something lightning-quick entered his vision.
He worked for this goal so tirelessly, and the goal was so within reach for it to be in such a situation, just as he thinks they might be able to change their score. Dennis entered the scene, although he was so far from the defense because he had seen and anticipated something others hadn't.
Ikki's heart pounded in his chest as he watched Dennis soar through the air, defying gravity with his superhuman abilities. He couldn't believe that someone could get past his carefully crafted vision, but Dennis had done just that. With a single leap, he had saved the goal and cemented Team Z's dominance on the field.
Ikki felt a sense of dread wash over him as Dennis landed gracefully on the field, the ball securely in his team's grasp. He knew that there was no way he could stop this unstoppable force.
But Dennis didn't gloat or rub his victory in Ikki's face. Instead, he approached him with a sense of calm and confidence, his eyes cutting deep into Ikki's soul.
Ikki felt a fire ignite inside him, burning with a fierce determination. He knew that he could never defeat Dennis in a physical battle, but he would not let him defeat him in a mental game. He would come back stronger, better, and more determined than ever before. Because in the end, it's not about who has the ball; it's about who has the will to win.
Dennis picked up his place, returning to his rightful place in the attack. His striker role remained strong as his teammates actively passed to him and played the entire game on him. He became a star for them and a demon for his enemies.
Dennis sprinted down the field. He could feel the eyes of his teammates on him as they fought to keep possession of the ball, each one determined to assist him in scoring another goal.
With a quick feint to the left, he left the opposing middle fielder in the dust and made an opening for the goal. The keeper was scrambling to get into position, but Dennis knew he had this in the bag.
As he approached the goal, he could feel the weight of the game on his opponent's shoulders. 'I am going to seal the deal with one final, crushing blow.' With fierce determination, he kicked the ball with all his might. It soared through the air, a blur of white and black, and slammed into the back of the net with a satisfying thump.
Dennis turned around and strode towards Ikki, his eyes locked on the defeated player. He could see the defeat etched on Ikki's face. "Do you grasp it now, the true nature of the game? Sure, you may not possess the precision of a marksman, the finesse of a passer, or the agility of a dribbler, but you must learn to leverage the strengths of your teammates in pursuit of your own objectives… However, I'm afraid that on my watch, you shall never be granted that opportunity."
At the very end, he grinned; it was an egoistical grin, surely, but could Ikki say anything? No, because here this kind of attitude is valued. It's not arrogance; if Dennis could really do something like that, he was very much capable of it... Egoism but with class—that's what Dennis had.
Ikki sighed, "I start to realize… Now that I know that your words were true, do you have more to say about me now?"
"Ha, isn't this something else?" Dennis smiled mischievously and said, "No, not really. I don't have anything else to say now; you still won't have a chance here. What happens outside of our games doesn't concern me at all."
Dennis already realized that his words had already gotten under Ikki's skin and that he was seriously changing in front of his eyes. He could have been hurt by his words, but not defeated, considering he hasn't said much yet.
The German walked to his side of the field, "He may be locked out or he may not. But if he does stay in, Isagi versus him, would be a show to be seen." He was surprised by his sudden words, 'Okay, that's actually a nice rhythm.'
Isagi, who had previously returned to the field after some time away, was amazed by Dennis' performance on the field. It was phenomenal, quite literally; this person was truly angelic in his abilities, effortlessly switching between defense and offense, saving and scoring with ease. He also seemed to possess a charismatic charm that drew people to him. But despite all of this, Isagi couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the more he watched Dennis, the more frightened he became.
As Isagi thought about it, he realized that the European junior football scene was just as incredibly competitive as Blue Lock, with only a tiny fraction of players making it to the professional level. This led him to wonder where Dennis had played before, and he quickly came to the conclusion that Dennis must have come from a major youth academy. But even with that knowledge, Isagi couldn't shake the feeling that there was something not quite right about Dennis' perfect performance. He couldn't help but wonder what was Dennis' weapon?
Isagi couldn't help but think back to all the matches Dennis had played before and how he had played like a great striker, but now that he was performing like this, it seemed almost as if he had been holding back. This made Isagi even more curious, and he decided to do some digging to find out more about Dennis' past and see if he could uncover the truth behind his seemingly perfect performance.
As the match continued, Isagi found himself becoming increasingly fixated on Dennis again, watching his every move and analyzing his every play. He couldn't help but think that there was more to Dennis than met the eye, and he was determined to find out what it was.
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