Chapter 108: The Bargaining Chip
"Ryosuke Kira? Who the hell is that?"
The bald JFU President stared blankly at the name on the report. He had clearly wiped the kid from his memory. He glanced back at Hoichi, looking for an answer.
Hoichi adjusted his tie, leaning in to remind his boss. "He is the kid from Saitama the media was buzzing about a while back. A rising star..."
"Oh, right. That kid."
Once Hoichi made the connection, the President—Buratsuta—finally remembered.
He recalled the highlights Ego had shown them during the initial pitch. The kid had a massive brand potential. He smelled like a goldmine.
"Don't worry about it. Consider it done," Buratsuta said, puffing out his chest as he gave Itoshi Sae his word. He promised that Ryosuke Kira would be wearing a U-20 National jersey by the time the match kicked off.
Sae gave a curt, satisfied nod and walked out of the office with his agent trailing behind him.
"Sir, that Sae kid is completely out of line. He acts like he owns the building," Hoichi spat the moment the door clicked shut.
The President just waved him off with a dismissive hand. "He is my precious cash cow. A little teenage arrogance is part of the package. As long as he stays valuable, I can tolerate a few demands. Keeping him happy is just good business."
"Your vision and patience are unmatched, sir," Hoichi replied, quickly shifting back into his role as a professional kiss-ass.
The President leaned back in his leather chair. In his mind, taking a player from Ego was the easiest thing in the world. After all, the only reason Blue Lock even existed was because the JFU allowed it. He held all the cards.
***
Blue Lock Training Room.
Shidou Ryusei was a pile of limbs on the turf, completely spent. His stamina had been squeezed dry.
Nearby, Igaguri was panting, his face a bright shade of red. He had thought being a ball-boy for a private session would be a cake walk. He was wrong. If he slowed down for even a second, he couldn't keep up with the frantic pace Kira and Shidou were setting. Fearing a lecture—or a fist—he had spent the last hour sprinting around the perimeter like a madman.
Kira sat on the ground, wiping sweat from his forehead. His FLOW state had ended a while ago, but he had pushed through the fatigue to lock in the muscle memory.
'Training with Shidou is weird,' Kira thought. 'My offensive game didn't grow much because his defense is absolute trash. But my defensive instincts? Facing his insanity in the box actually forced me to level up.'
He gave a dry laugh. 'A striker who is getting too good at defending? Whatever. Progress is progress.'
***
Meanwhile, on the match field.
The final match of the first day of selections was underway: Team B2 versus Team C2.
Team B2 was a nightmare on paper. With Rin and Karasu at the core, they also had Barou, Kunigami, and Niko.
Team C2 had Kenyu Yukimiya, Eita Otoya, Reiji Hiiragi, Taiga Tsunzaki, and Junichi Wanima.
From the opening whistle, the game was a slaughter. B2 was simply too stacked. Rin and Karasu were operating on a level far above Yukimiya and Otoya, and the supporting cast of Barou, Kunigami, and Niko completely outclassed the rest of C2.
Rin opened with two clinical goals. Karasu and Barou each added one of their own.
By the time the scoreboard hit 4-2, Yukimiya was starting to feel the pressure. It was impossible to play. Rin's vision was dominant, mapping out every move before it happened. And if you tried to find a weak spot, Karasu was there, suffocating the play before it could breathe.
Niko was the silent killer of the match. He had spent the entire game tracking Otoya's 'shadow' runs, effectively neutralizing the ninja. Without his partner, Yukimiya was forced into one-on-one duels where he was constantly met by a double-team from Niko and Kunigami.
Niko wasn't satisfied with just defending, though. He wanted to show he could drive the offense.
'There it is.'
Niko spotted a gap in the C2 defense and unleashed a perfectly weighted long ball. The pass carved through the midfield and landed right on Kunigami's laces.
Junichi Wanima tried to muscle him off the ball, but Kunigami was a tank. He shrugged off the defender, took two explosive steps, and unleashed a left-footed cannon blast.
The ball tore through the C2 net like it wasn't even there.
5-2. Team B2 takes the win.
"Nice pass, bangs!" Kunigami shouted, giving Niko an aggressive high-five.
"Tch." Barou looked pissed. With so many elite players on his team, he hadn't been able to hijack the game the way he wanted. He felt like the Karasu-Rin duo was holding back.
"Boring," Rin muttered.
He was already over it. He was looking forward to the match with Kira tomorrow. A game without the Top 1 was a waste of his time.
Yukimiya sat on the grass, looking devastated. 'Is it really going to end like this? I can't even catch one win?'
Otoya lay down next to him, staring at the ceiling.
'A ninja has to know when the mission is a failure,' he thought, embracing the loss.
***
Late Night. Blue Lock Monitoring Room.
Ego stretched his neck, staring at the screens. The first day was in the books. Two more matches tomorrow.
He began organizing the data. Even though the trials weren't over, he already had the blueprint for the U-20 squad in his head.
Kira and Shidou had a terrifying level of compatibility. Their styles didn't clash; they amplified each other. Ego was planning a dual-striker formation with Kira and Shidou at the tip of the spear. Behind them, he would place playmakers like Rin and Isagi to control the flow of the game.
With those four as the engine, he was certain he could dismantle the National Team.
Ring... Ring...
His phone buzzed, cutting through his thoughts. He answered it with a scowl. "Moshi moshi... Who is this?"
As he listened, Ego's eyes narrowed to slits.
"Impossible, you greedy old fossil! Stealing a Blue Lock player—Ryosuke Kira—to use against us?!"
Buratsuta's voice oozed shameless greed on the other end, no room for negotiation. "Ego, you know how hard the Association worked to snag Itoshi Sae for the U-20? Give us that player, or Blue Lock is finished. Heh, scared your trash project can't win missing one guy? It was doomed from the start anyway..."
Ego's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. The old shark was trying to blackmail him. He decided to call the bluff.
"Fine. Cancel it then. Dissolve the project. I'm done."
"Wait... what? Are you serious?"
Buratsuta's voice faltered, his scripted rant crumbling. Silence hung heavy.
Ego kept it cool on the surface, but inside, he was all in on the gamble.
Betting that a cash-obsessed guy like him would absolutely not be willing to give up the opportunity to make money from Itoshi Sae's debut with the U-20 National Team.
He knew the Football Association must have already started building hype on social media.
They had spent a lot of effort, to make this match known nationwide.
"You're a piece of work, Ego," Buratsuta's tone was angry, his voice sounding defeated. "You know I can't walk away from this revenue stream, don't you?"
"I've been dealing with your kind for a long time. I know exactly what matters to you."
"Fine... I will try my best to communicate with Itoshi Sae's side…"
"You're too sharp—you'll never rise in Japan's football world like this..." Buratsuta began lecturing him from a position of false authority.
Ego hung up mid-sentence. The stench of greed leaking through the phone disgusted him.
Moments later, the phone rang again.
"Ego, I argued until my throat went hoarse. Sae agreed. But you still owe us one. Not Kira…"
"Then who?"
"Ryusei Shidou."
Ego went silent. His vision centered on Kira and Shidou's dual core. Sacrifice the demon to save the star?
"Ego, don't push it. This is our last concession."
The impatience in Buratsuta's voice mirrored Ego's own frustration.
"…Fine. He's yours."
Shidou had no idea that he had just become the ultimate bargaining chip in a high-stakes trade.
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(First Goal: 300 Stones = +1 extra Chapter)
So... Hand over all of your Power Stones!!
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