But in the stands, a boy sat silently, gripping his ticket until his knuckles turned white. Kaito Isagi, 15 years old, son of the legendary striker, felt a weight heavier than anything he had ever carried before.
"Kaito! Wake up, you're going to be late!"
Kaito groaned, burying his face into his pillow. His mother's voice rang through the house like an alarm. He lazily turned his head towards his desk, where a golden plaque with the words Yoichi Isagi – Ballon d'Or Winner gleamed under the morning light.
Another reminder.
Kaito trudged downstairs, grabbing a piece of toast as he rushed out the door. The walk to school was the same as always—whispers followed him.
"Hey, that's Isagi's kid, right?"
"I heard he plays forward too, but he's nowhere near his dad's level."
"Imagine being the son of the world's best striker and still being mid."
Kaito clenched his fists. He wanted to scream, to tell them that he was trying, that he wanted to be great on his own terms. But deep down, even he wasn't sure if he believed that.
Practice was brutal. Kaito played for his high school team, but no matter how hard he trained, he could never escape the comparisons. The coach drilled them relentlessly, but every time Kaito had the ball, he hesitated—what would his father do? That moment of doubt was enough for defenders to strip the ball from him.
"Dammit!" he cursed under his breath.
At the end of practice, Kaito sat alone on the bench, sweat dripping from his chin. The sun was setting when his phone vibrated in his bag. He pulled it out and stared at the message on his screen. His heart nearly stopped.
Sender: Jinpachi Ego
"Congratulations. You have been selected for the next Blue Lock Program. Welcome to the battlefield."
Kaito's breath caught in his throat. His hands trembled as he read the message again and again.
Blue Lock.
The very place that made his father into the best striker in the world. The very place that could either make him… or break him.
For the first time in his life, Kaito felt something ignite within him. Fear. Excitement. Determination.
This was his chance.