Chapter 109: Shidou's Improvement
The next day.
On the other side of the planet.
England. The executive office of the Sky Blues, Manshine City.
Chris, the team manager, looked at Blake with a face full of confusion. "So, Blake, where is this Japanese kid you were talking about? Has he reached out yet?"
Blake was also confused. "I have no idea. I gave him my card."
"And he never called?"
"Not a word."
Chris fell silent, and the two of them sat there staring at each other. Finally, Chris couldn't take it anymore.
"Maybe you were wrong, Blake. Maybe that kid isn't actually a fan of yours."
"What?!" Blake shook his head violently. No way. The way that kid moved, that posture—he was clearly a copycat. There was no way he wasn't a fan. He probably just lost the business card.
"Hey, wait. Look at this," Chris said, scrolling through a news feed. "It says Itoshi Sae is joining the Japan U-20 National Team to play an exhibition match against this Blue Lock project?"
"Blue Lock?" Blake leaned in toward the computer screen.
"Is that the program you visited in Japan?"
"Yeah, that is the one," Blake nodded. "The Japanese media making a huge fuss about this. They are hyping it up like it is the event of the century."
Chris nodded, though he was not nearly as invested as Blake. To him, this was just some local drama. His only real priority was securing the English league title this year.
Blake felt differently. He made a mental note to catch the livestream of that match. He wanted to see how his little fan was going to hold up on the big stage.
***
Blue Lock Pitch.
After a night of rest, Kira and Shidou were already on the field. Rin and Karasu arrived shortly after. The next match was set: Team A vs. Team B.
"Hey, Rin. Karasu. Long time no see," Kira said, greeting them with an easy, confident energy.
'It has been exactly one day. What do you mean, long time?' Despite the thought, they still nodded in response.
Meanwhile, the Audiovisual room was getting crowded.
"Where is Isagi?" Nanase asked, looking around.
"Seems like he's still sleeping..." Hiori replied, remembering the state of their room when he left. "He was out cold. Yesterday's match must have completely drained him."
"Team A and Team B are taking the field," the intercom announced.
Hiori and Nanase stopped chatting and turned their full attention to the monitors.
In the player tunnel, Bachira, Haiji, and Kurona emerged.
(Unfortunately, Hajime Nishioka's injury left him unable to play, so Kurona took his place.)
"Hey, Kira!" Bachira shouted from across the pitch, waving enthusiastically. "Looks like we are on the same side today!"
Kira smiled. Having the team's little spark plug on his side was always a plus. That meant Bachira, Haiji, and Kurona were his teammates for this round.
On the other side, Rin's squad arrived. Raichi, Sokura, and Zantetsu.
"Heh. Ready for a nightmare, Kira? I am going to stick to you like glue," Raichi growled with a grin.
"Hello. I am the genius, Zantetsu. It is an honor to meet everyone for the first time," Zantetsu said, his logic as broken as ever.
'Seriously? We have met like five times already,' Kira thought. The memories of using Zantetsu's Trial Card flashed through his mind—specifically the feeling of his brain going completely blank. He decided to bury that thought as deep as possible.
"Let's just end this so I can clock out early," Shidou muttered. He looked exhausted.
Kira didn't say anything, but he had already absorbed the Attribute Trial Cards from Rin, Karasu, Bachira, and Shidou. He wanted to wrap this up quickly too.
Match start.
Team A kickoff.
"Go for it, Kira-chan. I am not really in the mood to run today," Shidou said, his energy levels visibly bottomed out.
Kira rolled his eyes. 'The guy is usually a manic freak, but now he wants to play lazy? Fine.'
Kira took the ball and immediately spotted an opening. He fired a pass to Bachira. They had plenty of high-energy players on the team; let them do the heavy lifting.
Karasu looked like he had bags under his eyes. He was feeling the fatigue too. 'Man, two matches yesterday and another one this morning? Even a workhorse needs a break.'
Bachira, however, seemed immune to exhaustion. He drove the ball down the wing with a manic grin, looking for a gap.
"The main event is here!" Raichi shouted, lunging forward to initiate his signature man-to-man defense. He started hounding Bachira, his mouth moving as fast as his feet.
"Come on, Bachira! Show me what you've got! Try to get past me! Let's see that monster!"
Bachira felt like he was being chased by a swarm of angry bees. The constant shouting was getting on his nerves. He executed a sudden, violent Marseille Turn, spinning past Raichi and leaving him in the dust.
'Wait, what just happened?' Raichi blinked.
But before Bachira could celebrate, a shadow blurred across his vision. Zantetsu intercepted the ball with terrifying speed.
"You are too slow, mushroom head," Zantetsu said. He ignited, charging down the flank.
Haiji and Kurona tried to close him down, but they had no idea what they were dealing with. Zantetsu tore through them with a series of explosive lateral cuts.
'Are you kidding me?' Kira thought. He looked back at Shidou, who was literally standing still, picking his nose.
"Shidou! We are in a game! What are you doing?!"
Shidou looked up, his eyes glazed over. "Huh?"
Kira realized he was on his own. He closed his eyes for a split second and whispered: "Use Tabito Karasu Attribute Trial Card."
[Tabito Karasu Trial Card activated successfully!]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
Kira accelerated, closing the distance to Zantetsu.
"You aren't faster than me, Kira!" Zantetsu shouted. He dropped his left shoulder and prepared to hit his top gear.
Swoosh.
Zantetsu exploded forward, expecting to leave Kira behind. 'Kira's speed is good, but it is not on my level.'
But as he surged ahead, he felt a weight against his side. Kira was still there.
'How?!' Zantetsu felt his momentum stalling. Kira was using his arm to control the distance, pinning Zantetsu's shoulder and disrupting his balance.
'Dammit, since when did Kira start playing this dirty? Who taught him to use his hands like that?'
Somewhere, Karasu sneezed for no reason.
Kira's initial burst wasn't as fast as Zantetsu's, but his sustained speed was nearly on Chigiri's level. Combined with the arm-bar technique he'd pulled from the Karasu card, he managed to shut down the break.
Realizing he couldn't get past, Zantetsu fired a desperate cross into the center. Rin was there, waiting to pounce.
'This is bad,' Kira thought. He was too far out to recover.
But suddenly, the nose-picking Shidou transformed. The moment he saw Rin about to touch the ball, his manic energy returned in full force. He lunged at Rin like an obsessed stalker.
"You are a pest, insect," Rin said, his eyes cold and lethal.
"Then just give me the ball and I'll go away!" Shidou cackled.
Kira stared at them. 'Wait... Shidou's defense actually looks... good?'
In just twenty-four hours, Shidou's defensive positioning had evolved. He wasn't just lunging blindly anymore. His center of gravity was stable, and his footwork was disciplined. He wasn't falling for Rin's feints.
Only Shidou knew why. Yesterday's grueling FLOW-state session with Kira had been a trial by fire. Facing Kira's kaleidoscope of attacks had forced Shidou's defensive instincts to sharpen. He had absorbed the experience through sheer repetition.
Raichi saw the opening. Rin was being suppressed, which meant it was his time to shine.
"Hahaha! Get ready! My Sexy Football is about to take over the field!"
Raichi had a feeling his moment of glory in Blue Lock was finally here.
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