"Oh! Itoshi Rin is being a bit reckless—he's going one-on-one against Itoshi Sae now! It's a direct clash between the genius brothers! Neither is backing down, but Rin's movement has been completely read... His attempt at a feint fails! In the end, the older genius proves superior once again!"
"That's right. After all, Itoshi Sae has much more experience in top-tier leagues compared to his younger brother. But wait—Shinichi has arrived! He gets to the ball before Oliver Aiku... He's past him! Aiku tries a dangerous challenge to stop him, but Shinichi evades it like he has eyes in the back of his head! However, two defenders are already dropping back!"
"Aiku is chasing him down, cutting off Shinichi's retreat... Oh! Shinichi! Using his opponent's body as leverage, he flips in the air inside the defensive trap—an overhead kick... Goal! Unbelievable! What an out-of-this-world display of imagination! Once again, Shinichi turns Rin's mistake into a goal purely through his individual brilliance!"
From the commentary box, analysts Natsuki and live broadcaster Atsuto excitedly discussed Shinichi's stunning goal. But suddenly, Atsuto pressed his earpiece and spoke up in surprise:
"Huh? What? Oh—yes. Ladies and gentlemen, we have breaking news—Blue Lock is making a substitution! We can see it now—attacking midfielder Mikage Reo is being taken off, and coming onto the pitch is No. 13, Barou Shouei."
"Despite just scoring and riding a wave of momentum, Blue Lock is opting for a substitution at this moment. But considering that these Blue Lock players are still high schoolers, being thrown into a match at professional-level intensity is definitely taxing on their bodies. Prolonged high-intensity play increases their risk of injury, so as both coach and strategist, Ego Jinpachi is likely making this change with that in mind."
"Exactly. Plus, for these young players, every minute of experience in an official match is invaluable for their growth. Now, let's shift our focus back to the game!"
...
"Huff… Huff… What the hell? He actually managed to score in that situation?! That was insane!" During Blue Lock's substitution break, Shidou collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, while Isagi instinctively furrowed his brows.
"Something's off. Whether it was in my first match against Shinichi or during the adaptability experiment games, he was always too much of a threat to completely disappear from our vision. Everyone would instinctively seek him out the moment he moved. But at both the start of this match and just now when he scored, neither I nor Sendou noticed his defensive positioning."
"Could it be that the larger pitch has weakened Shinichi's ability to cover the entire field? And at the same time, the increased space has also diluted his presence in our vision? So instead, he deliberately 'self-destructed' against Sae to further reduce his visibility, making it easier for him to slip into our blind spots?" Isagi struggled to believe his own reasoning, but at the moment, this seemed like the most logical conclusion.
"Turning his disadvantages into weapons… that's exactly the kind of player Shinichi is." At that moment, Hiori stepped in, agreeing with Isagi's analysis. "Which means we need to be even more careful when attacking from now on."
"Oi, oi, how many hidden abilities does this guy even have? This is ridiculous!" Shidou, now sitting up, turned to Sae with an annoyed expression. "Aren't you bothered at all? Don't tell me you're fine with just losing like this?"
"As if, you idiot." Sae shot back with his usual cold demeanor. "Just get into position and wait for my pass."
Though his face remained indifferent, inside, he was anything but calm.
He had already grasped Shinichi's strategy—create an immediate threat to draw attention, then strike decisively when it matters most to take control of the match.
Originally, Sae had planned to match Shinichi's pace, waiting until the final moments to unleash his full strength against him.
But this guy… he was far stronger than Sae had expected.
In terms of individual skill, physical ability—Shinichi surpassed him in almost every way, except for one: game control.
But even that gap was shrinking rapidly as the match progressed.
Meanwhile, Sae found himself gradually losing his grip, getting drawn deeper into a battle against Shinichi and, in the process, losing sight of the bigger picture.
Though it seemed like he hadn't made any flashy plays this match, one thing was clear—Kurona was already exhausted just from tracking Shinichi a few times.
Yet, Sae had been shadowing Shinichi for most of the first half, constantly engaging in off-ball movements and physical duels.
That alone had drained a significant amount of his energy.
"I can't keep stalling. If I wait until the final moments, I'll be completely worn down by Shinichi and lose the ability to fight back. I need to act now—close the gap and force Shinichi to exert himself earlier."
With that resolve, the fire in Sae's eyes burned even fiercer. Shidou, noticing his expression, smirked and shrugged. "See? Now that's more like it. If you don't give me some motivation soon, my FLOW is gonna dry up."
"Shut up, you disgusting bastard." Sae dodged Shidou's outstretched hand with a look of pure disdain.
Isagi and Hiori nodded in agreement.
"Even though we're teammates, I have to say—I completely agree."
"Yeah, it's a little too much. Kind of annoying."
Despite getting insulted by all three of them, Shidou just laughed loudly, completely unbothered. "Hahaha! This is the price of being a popular character!"
BEEP—!
The referee's whistle cut off Shidou's self-indulgent moment.
As the match resumed, Hiori quickly played a lateral pass to Sae. But this time, instead of distributing the ball and moving to draw Shinichi's attention, Sae took off—dribbling forward himself.
"Not happening!"
Directly in front of him, Rin was waiting. Tongue slightly sticking out, his eyes burned with a murderous intent as he locked onto his older brother.
"If I can't do whatever I want on offense, then I'll just shut you down on defense. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
"Tch... How many times do I have to say it? I don't have time to waste on a loser like you."
Sae's eyes sharpened as he instantly read Rin's movements. With a quick set of step-overs, he threw off Rin's timing for just a split second before swiftly flicking the ball up and spinning past him with ease.
"No way... He wasn't even using his full strength before?!"
Karasu, watching Sae's effortless movement, immediately stepped forward—not to steal the ball, but simply to delay him for a second or two, hoping his teammates would have time to recover.
But... it was useless.
Sae exploited the moment Karasu made his decision, flicking the ball right through his legs and leaving him in the dust without any resistance.
And when Barou closed in, Sae casually used his heel to shift the ball side to side, feinting a change of direction—completely freezing Barou in place, as if he were nothing more than a traffic cone.
"Damn it... We can't stop him at all!"
In an instant, their defensive line had been shattered. Only now did they realize the true level of the genius they had been suppressing all match.
He was on another dimension entirely—a player operating at a level far beyond their reach!
Just as Shinichi alone was enough to completely dominate them, Sae was also a force that overwhelmed Blue Lock like a higher-dimensional existence.
In the previous phases of the match, the reason he seemed to have little impact wasn't because Sae was weak—it was because the one marking him was Shinichi!
"Damn it… that bastard actually scored four goals while being tightly marked by a monster like this? Are you kidding me?!"
Barou gritted his teeth, his frustration boiling over. Determined to stop Sae at any cost—even if it meant risking a red card—he lunged forward.
But Sae barely lifted his arm, subtly shifting Barou's momentum and sending him tumbling helplessly onto the grass.
"How far… are you planning to leave us behind?!"
Luckily, Barou's reckless charge had bought them some time. Rin caught up once more.
However, unlike the Sae from before—who had been holding back to observe Blue Lock—this was a fully unleashed Sae, completely immersed in his FLOW. The difference was overwhelming.
Even Rin, who had barely forced his way into "The Eleven" by relying on his Destruction Mode, could hardly keep up.
With a series of rapid turns, Sae shook off Rin yet again. And this time, the one stepping in was Shinichi.
"Stop bullying kids. Play with me instead."
BANG!
Yet, Sae had no intention of engaging Shinichi in a direct duel. The moment he succeeded in drawing Shinichi's attention, he immediately lifted his foot and sent a cross toward the advancing Isagi.
But somehow—Raichi read Isagi's movement and lunged in with a desperate clearance.
Unfortunately, likely afraid of committing a foul, he failed to control the ball's direction, sending it cleanly out of bounds.
U-20 retains possession.
"My run was read… no, it was my own positioning mistake."
Isagi quickly realized what had happened. Had he subconsciously been influenced by Shinichi when he cut into the blind spot earlier to intercept Sendou's shot? Had that stolen his off-the-ball movement without him even realizing it?
For a moment, his mind's eye visualized his entire body as a collection of puzzle pieces, each piece representing an element of information. And in that puzzle, one piece flickered with an eerie black glow.
"Shinichi's insane speed allows him to slip into blind spots for just a moment before instantly cutting back in the opposite direction, losing his marker. But I can't do that—I need to stay hidden in a blind spot for long enough. Just now, I got influenced by Shinichi and rushed my movement too soon, which made me visible to Raichi."
Understanding his mistake, Isagi discarded that flawed puzzle piece without hesitation. His once-vacant eyes regained their sharp focus, and he nodded at Sae and Hiori, who had noticed his positioning error.
"I'm fine now. That mistake won't happen again."
Sae acknowledged him with a brief nod, then walked toward the sideline, picking up the ball.
He raised his hand and tossed it to Hiori, who immediately played a return pass as Sae reentered the field.
At the same time, Hiori sprinted behind Shinichi, setting up what looked like a classic one-two passing sequence.
"So they want to let Sae control the ball while Hiori makes a run, creating a one-two scenario to throw off my judgment?"
Shinichi remained expressionless, tracking Hiori's movement with his peripheral vision while steadily shrinking Sae's space near the sideline.
But just as Sae shielded the ball and took a few controlled steps backward—he suddenly flicked it backward with his heel.
"Oh? My timing was perfect, wasn't it?"
The recipient—sporting a captain's armband and heterochromatic eyes—was none other than Oliver Aiku, charging up from the defensive line into the attack!
"Didn't know you had that in your arsenal."
Yukimiya rushed in to intercept, but Aiku wasted no time. As the captain of a counterattack-oriented U-20 squad, he might not be the best playmaker, but in terms of passing ability alone, he wasn't far behind Hiori.
With a sharp direct through ball, Aiku sent it straight into open space—toward Sendou, who was already making his run.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
Just as Sendou was about to receive the pass, Rin dove in like a torpedo, hurling himself sideways.
His head connected with the ball just as Sendou's foot was about to make contact—so close that the studs of Sendou's cleats brushed past Rin's face.
But Rin didn't flinch. Without hesitation, he scrambled back to his feet, lunging toward the now-loose ball.
"Hah! Now that's more like it!"
Shidou's voice rang out as he charged in just as aggressively.
The two clashed violently, their feet battling for control over the second ball, neither willing to back down.
But then—from Rin's blind spot, another figure burst forward.
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, someone slipped through the narrow gap between Rin and Shidou and struck the ball toward the goal without hesitation!
"Rin's last-second reflex saved us—he instinctively raised his hand just enough to slightly obstruct Isagi's shot. So... I still have time to react!"
Gagamaru immediately adjusted his footing, stepping back and launching himself toward the right post. With a desperate dive, he managed to get a hand on the ball—knocking it away!
But while everyone's attention was still on Rin and Shidou's battle, they had all overlooked one crucial player—Sendou!
"Get this straight—I'M the real ace of the U-20 squad!"
Sendou rushed toward the deflected ball and, before Gagamaru could get back up—
BANG—THUD!
The two distinct collision sounds that echoed through the stadium sent Sendou's heart plummeting.
Right as he struck the ball, Jyubei lunged forward like a spider, sprawling out and covering nearly the entire goalmouth. The shot smashed into his waist, altering its trajectory and sending it rolling just past the goalpost, out of bounds.
But in the urgency of the moment, Jyubei hadn't had time to tuck his arms behind his back.
The referee hesitated, not immediately making a call. After a brief discussion with the assistant referee, he finally raised his flag.
"No handball! The defense was clean! U-20 wins a corner kick!"
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