Proyect: Bland King - Ayanokouji Kiyotaka en Blue Lock

Isagi: (If I can't improve, I'll be left in their dust. I have to understand Kiyotaka's mind in order to counter him. He's their essential playmaker.)

Chigiri stayed in place after his goal, looking a bit bewildered at the pass he just received. 

Chigiri: (I didn't even need to put any power or guide the ball into the net. Accuracy and power didn't matter in that moment. It was like I was the defender accidentally committing an own goal. What kind of pass was that?) 

Kiyotaka, Karasu, and Nagi went over to Chigiri, giving him praise for his goal. 

Chigiri: I didn't do anything. I just stuck my leg out. 

Nagi: What else were you supposed to do? I let it go because it didn't need to get deflected by anyone but you. 

Karasu smiled, putting his hand over Chigiri's shoulder, and sighed. 

Karasu: You'll get used to that. That's Kiyotaka's pass he created in the second selection. I feel the same way as you. Doing anything but bending your leg to his pass feels uncomfortable. That's a perfect pass for you. Only Shido has been able to perfectly connect with him. 

Barou looked on in shock. 

Barou: (That fucking pass, it's almost like he stole that goal away from the speedster fuck without even tapping it in. I won't be his fucking tool. He won't use me for his glory.)

On the other side, Bachira and Shido grinned at the sight. 

Bachira: There he goes again. Chigiri scored the goal but he took all the credit. He is so egoistic. 

Shido: Kiyo supremacy. Are you one of my people?

Isagi: (My moment to show my worth starts here. I can't go empty handed.)

With the praise and dopamine from the first goal, both sides reset, with Rin and Shido kicking off. 

Rin: Just follow my lead. Anyone who doesn't is fodder. 

Instead of passing it straight to Shido, he sent the soccer ball right over to Bachira. 

Bachira: Time to start with a bang!

Shido: Hey, what gives?!

Rin, completely ignoring him, runs forward along with Hiori, and Isagi. 

Bachira viewed his surroundings in front of him. 

Chigiri: Not so fast! You can't outpace me. 

Bachira: I'll just cleave through you!

Multiple stepovers, misdirection from right to left, and then a chop feint through his legs allowed him to bypass Chigiri and snap the ball right to it's next course, Hiori. 

Hiori: Oh, finally. 

He connected perfectly with Rin as both Nagi and Barou came bum rushing. 

Barou: Don't get in my way, lazy genius. 

Nagi: Just as long as you leave the ball to me, puny king. 

With their lack of uptake and quick pace from the opposing team, Hiori and Rin connected beautifully with one another, dashing past both Nagi and Barou with incredible openings made from their stellar play. 

Isagi: (Hiori is connecting with Rin beautifully. It's hard to keep up.)

Hiori sent a lob right through the clutches of Karasu right to Rin again.

Karasu: Seems like your passes have gotten even more pinpoint than before. 

Rin: Not bad. 

Shido: Ya think I'll let you get what you want, brother-lover?!

Kiyotaka: You both really can't get along. Better for me. 

Cutting through the both of them, Kiyotaka kicked the ball away from the area, as the last line of defense. 

Rin: Tsk

Shido: I won't let you off the hook from my explosion so easily, Kiyo. 

The ball casually dropped down to the open Isagi as he controlled it and pushed forward but was stopped immediately by Karasu. 

Isagi: (I knew it. He's been targeting me from the start. Does he really think I'm the weakest player on the pitch?) 

Karasu pushed his body into Isagi's side, placing even more pressure as he attempted to decipher a better course of action. 

He looked to his left and saw an open Bachira as he gave a quick dart pass over to him. 

Isagi attempted to pass Karasu with this distraction, but he was completely locked up, unable to move forward. 

Isagi: (Fuck!)

Bachira: Oh, looks like Isagi's having a little problem. Oh well, who's up next. 

Rin and Shido ran immediately forward, leaving Hiori as his main potential completion who was guarded a bit loosely by Nagi after his previous surge with Rin.

Bachira: Nah, that's too easy. 

Chigiri readjusted and guarded Bachira heavily until he finally opened up a foot of space with his dribbling.

Bachira: I'll only be searching for chemical reactions. Nothing else. 

Sending a long pass towards the penalty box from the middle of the field, Shido and Rin were anticipating the through ball. 

Kiyotaka completely shut down Rin, holding him off much to his annoyance.

Kiyotaka: Oh, that's no good. I can't be in two places at once. 

Barou: Shut your fucking mouth. You're talking like I already lost. This tan fuck isn't getting past me. 

Shido didn't even answer him as his eyes gleamed in anticipation. He stuck his tongue out and leapt cleanly off the ground without looking at the descending ball much to Barou's surprise. 

Although Barou was powerful, Shido was a terrible match-up for him. His athleticism allowed him to hit a goal from virtually any angle. 

Kiyotaka: The moment I left Shido's side was the exact time you lost Barou. Your eyes aren't seeing the bigger picture. 

Shido spun around in the air and, inches away from Barou's face, he slammed the ball perfectly, plucking the pass right from the air, as the ball landed cleanly through the goal, tying the game. 

Barou fell to the ground as he looked in shock of Shido's bicycle kick. 

Team A [1] - Team B [1]

Shido: Already starting off with the good stuff. Let me have it....

...

...

...

Barou looked frustrated on the ground as Kiyotaka extended his hand to help him on his feet. 

Kiyotaka: The outcome was obvious. Shido is unmatched when it comes to positioning, ball placement, and spatial awareness. 

Barou: I don't need your pity.

Nagi: No wonder he's the number one ranked player. 

Karasu: He's an absolute monster. He doesn't even need to see the ball to know where he wants to place it. And his power is incredible. His ego is his only weakness if you can even call it a weakness. 

Chigiri: I can see how you and Shido had a chemical reaction. It must have been a sight to behold. 

Kiyotaka: It was... something. I'm striving to replicate the phenomenon again. 

Karasu: Hm?

Kiyotaka: Nothing. It doesn't matter.

Isagi looked on from across the field, talking to himself. 

Isagi: (So that's Shido's skill. His awareness in the penalty area is insane. He didn't even see the fucking ball! Kiyotaka's pass to Chigiri, and Shido's finishing... I can't even imagine what their chemical reaction must have looked like! I... If I am going to come out of Blue Lock as the best, I need to strive for that level. I'll reach it this match! I have to!)

Shido: Hey, Kiyo! What'd you think of my explosion?

Kiyotaka sighed. 

Kiyotaka: Pretty bland. No creativity whatsoever. 

Shido: EHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Kiyotaka: You're just going to have to continue scoring in order to impress me. 

Shido smirked. 

Shido: We'll see about that!

Everyone returned to their positions and kickoff began once again. Karasu passed forward to Kiyotaka as he was met by Shido and Rin. Isagi, Hiori, and Bachira were in the back while Nagi, Barou and Chigiri dashed forward.

Instead of taking on Shido head-on, Kiyotaka settled with a two-man attack, passing to Karasu as they danced past Shido and cleaved through Rin's defense, taking him by surprise. 

Karasu sent a quick dart pass forward to Chigiri who was stopped by Isagi, sticking out his leg to snatch the ball away. 

He did get a Knick at the ball, displacing it. 

Kiyotaka: Not bad, Isagi. You're slowly adapting to this high-speed match. But it's not enough. 

Rin had switched with Shido who was now on Karasu. As for the displaced ball, Kiyotaka used his speed to go through Chigiri and controlled the ball and retained possession. 

Rin: That's as for as you go. 

With his positioning, Rin forced Kiyotaka to cross the ball through to Barou. 

Kiyotaka: Do something King. Make up for your mistake. 

Barou: I don't need you telling me that.

Finally showcasing his own arsenal of skills, Barou's hard chop dribbling bypassed his matchup, Hiori and continued to bulldoze through towards the penalty area. 

Shido: Ooooh, not bad. Since your defense was so ass, I thought you were just another NPC, but you've got your own personality. 

Barou: Try and stop me! 

Nagi dashed forward, with Isagi switching with Bachira to block his advance. 

Isagi: (The problem with Kiyotaka's team is that every single player can score on their own. So we can't let a single one off the hook.)

Shido crashed right into Barou, dislodging the ball from his feet. 

Barou: Tsk!

Shido: Thank yo-

Karasu: I like to pick on weak links. That's also the case with our own team. A stray who doesn't wanna help his superiors is a weak link. But I guess that's why I'm here. 

Karasu regained possession and stuck out his tongue. 

Karasu: Come on, number three. Let's go one up. 

He sent a lateral pass over to Kiyotaka who was heavily guarded by Rin. 

Kiyotaka: You really can't let go of me. Not that it means much. I'm already in range. 

Rin realized something almost instantly. The pass was most likely going to reach Kiyotaka's feet first. But he won't have a second touch so it would have to be direct contact. 

Rin: (Where could it go?)

As if the danger of Kiyotaka's presence was felt by everyone, Caution and focus began to spew over. Another quick one-two action could very well lead to yet another goal. 

Finally, Kiyotaka kicked the ball to the left side of the ball, swerving it across the entire pitch almost in an instant. 

It flew past the heads of Chigiri, Barou, and Karasu. 

Nagi: Thanks, Mr. One-Man army. 

Isagi: (He's passing again in Nagi's direction?! But this time he's the main recipient. I'll stop Nagi here!)

Nagi's control was on full display. He perfectly stopped the high-speed pass and flicked it around to his other foot. 

Isagi: Right there! 

Isagi extended his leg out to kick the ball right out of Nagi's grasp. 

Nagi: You picked wrong Isagi. I'm going to continue improving. 

With his chest, Nagi bounced the ball midair and past Isagi's foot. It dipped down to the ground until he perfectly nailed the ball through the middle and to the top right corner of the net. 

Team A [1] - Team B [2]

...

...

...

Nagi pumped his fist in celebration as Isagi looked on in annoyance. 

Kiyotaka looked on and sighed again.

Kiyotaka: (If he had controlled it at the right time, he wouldn't have needed to pull off that move against Isagi. I guess even Nagi can't react to my passes. Are you the only one who I can make a chemical reaction with, Shido?)

Karasu: Can you just make a chemical reaction with anyone, number three?

Kiyotaka looked down, almost annoyed. 

Kiyotaka: No, that's not it. (Since the second selection, I haven't been able to complete a single chemical reaction.)

Barou: You better pass it to me next, bastard. I was more open that that lazy bum. 

Just as quickly as the goal registered on the scoreboard, so did the kickoff once again against the two teams. 

Shido took it upon himself to mark first blood and start the play. 

Isagi: Shido! Right here!

Shido looked over at Isagi and sighed.

Shido: Alright, I'll give you a crack at it. As long as you're supporting my explosion, I don't really mind. 

Isagi was given the ball from Shido while Rin, Hiori and Bachira stormed forward. 

Karasu being Karasu, targeted Isagi again, which got on his nerves. 

Isagi: (I'm not the weakest link.)

He passed it forward to Hiori who sent a side pass to Bachira. 

Immediately, Bachira dribbled through Nagi's legs but was stopped by an enraged Barou. 

Kiyotaka: (Karasu needs to switch off with Barou who's left his assignment, Hiori, and I need to cover Shido before he can exploit the speedy but weak Chigiri.)

That being said, he needed to do it quickly or else Shido could potentially score yet again. 

In the chaos of moving players and discombobulated play, Bachira weaved through Barou and saw Isagi had surprisingly broken off his defender and pushed through the chaos in a linear line with sheer devotion. 

Bachira: There we go, Isagi. I knew you'd react for our chemical reaction. 

Karasu looked completely shocked. In on second, Isagi looked helpless, and in the other, he used his lack of presence to bypass him entirely and enter an area of the field all on his own. 

Isagi: (I'll pave my own way and prove my worth!)

Bachira crossed the ball through, reaching Isagi's position a foot off the ground. 

Isagi: (My direct shot! I can win with th-)

Kiyotaka: No... no you can't. 

Isagi: What?!

Standing in between Isagi's incredible effort and his reward, was Kiyotaka. Isagi might have read the field incredibly but sadly, it was still...

Kiyotaka: Second-rate... your vision is a gift but it's second-rate. It was a good attack. 

And in that moment, Isagi's acclaimed direct shot got completely and utterly blocked. 

Kiyotaka: Well that's unlucky. 

The ball was deflected but it still reached another person, a teammate. 

It was Rin. From his position outside the box, he was never going to miss from such an angle. 

He kicked the ball with incredible power as it reached a high-Arking position in the sky until it dropped cleanly through the top corner for the goal. 

Team A [2] - Team B [2]

Rin's eyes gleamed, as his hunger for goals was slowly being quenched. 

...

...

...

Bachira: Nice goal, Rin-chan! 

Rin: It was a gimmie. Nothing more. I won't be satisfied until I defeat Kiyotaka with my goal. 

Shido: Ya shouldn't whine when you're given a gift. You're so ungrateful.

Hiori: Are they going to fight again? 

Isagi was in his own thoughts when Bachira ran up towards him. 

Bachira: He isn't the third rank for nothing. 

Isagi: The whole team runs through him whether anyone else knows it or not. He's just manipulating the outcomes. He even knew where the ball he dislodged from me would go and also knew Rin would score. It's like everything is going according to his plan. I don't know what to do. 

Bachira: Isn't it obvious what we can do?

Isagi: Hm?

Bachira: We have to get so strong that he can't tell what we are gonna do!

With the teams back on both their sides, kickoff began with Kiyotaka passing to Karasu. 

Isagi: (So what's the play now. What are you going to go for?!)

This time, Isagi took on the challenge to guard Kiyotaka. He charged forward to mark him. 

Karasu, instead of passing back to Kiyotaka, sent a long pass, surprising Team A. 

Isagi: (There's no way someone was already beaten in their matchup. Where is he threading that pass?!)

 To answer Isagi's question, Nagi leapt into the air and controlled it beautifully with his chest as Bachira and Hiori closed in on him. 

Nagi: I can still get my shot off. 

He smashes the ball first try towards the penalty area and the goal, only for it to be tipped by Shido. 

Shido: Like hell I'd let that weak sauce in the net. 

Isagi peeled off Kiyotaka and ran over in the direction of the displaced ball alongside Barou, as the two fought for possession. 

Barou: Out of my way, Isagi. My goal is right in front of me. 

Being the more physically able of the two, Barou easily retained possession of the ball a foot out of the penalty box. 

Moving in to shoot, Barou saw his opening and smashed the ball with his full power. 

Isagi: Puny King, I already saw through it!

He deflected the shot with the tip of his shoe as it hit the right post and redirecting out into the field of play. 

Isagi: (I KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING!)

At the same time, both Isagi and Rin dashed forward, as they both saw the same thing using their vision. 

The person the ball redirected itself towards was none other than... Kiyotaka. 

Isagi: I won't let you...

Rin: GET A SHOT OFF!

Kiyotaka: (His vision is getting better.) Your progression is incredible. But you'll have to forgive me, Isagi. 

Isagi: EH?!

The ball was displaced towards the right side, an area outside the box and an almost impossible angle. 

As it reached Kiyotaka's feet midair, he smashed it with 100 percent of his power, replicating Isagi's...

Isagi:( MY DIRECT SHOT! FROM THERE?!)

With immeasurable power and speed, it glided across the air and curved inward to the point where the Blue Lock Man didn't even react. 

Kiyotaka: A little tweak here, a little more power there, and I made an improved direct shot. Thank you, Isagi. I've been waiting for this. 

Shido's eyes widened, and a big smile crossed his face. 

Team A [2] - Team B [3] 

Shido: What an explosion! It's coming!

Isagi and Rin watched helplessly as Kiyotaka's smile started to get a bit wider.