Chapter 229: Windmills and Don Quixote
Shinichi ultimately chose to take the favorable side of the field rather than opening kickoff.
Now that Stage Two had begun, they were no longer inside Blue Lock's perfectly controlled indoor dome.
This was a real outdoor stadium.
And that meant a flood of external factors now had to be considered.
Gone was the flawless 360-degree indoor lighting.
Gone was the air-conditioned, perfectly stable climate.
Gone was the sealed arena where airflow, temperature, and lighting remained constant.
Outdoors, everything mattered—sunlight, temperature, wind direction, even humidity.
Even now, with daylight fading and the weather decent, the low spring sun still forced players to squint.
A small inconvenience for amateurs—but against someone like Noa, even tiny details became weapons.
No wonder everyone had complained.
If the match had been pushed to evening, at least the sun wouldn't be an issue.
But clearly, Ego Jinpachi intended to honor his original promise:
To recreate a fully authentic pro-level match environment.
And part of that was making them experience
how vicious outdoor conditions could be.
Thus, Shinichi willingly gave up first possession
just to choose the more advantageous side,
to buy his rookies precious time to adapt.
....
BEEP—!
The whistle blew.
But Noa didn't rush.
He calmly placed his foot atop the ball, scanning Shinichi's formation.
As he turned, sunlight hit him from the far-right side—
early spring's stubborn sun, refusing to set.
"So your right-back is the one you trust most under harsh conditions?"
Noa muttered to himself, immediately understanding Shinichi's choice.
These Blue Lock kids were talented, ambitious, hungry—but their professional training time was still short.
They weren't used to adapting instantly to outdoor variables.
Unlike academy players raised in major clubs, who switched between indoor and outdoor environments daily.
Charles lifted his hand, signaling upward.
Noa nudged the ball to him.
....
"Man, you're too cautious for the world's number one…"
Charles grumbled lightly under his breath.
But he didn't dare contradict Noa on the very first touch.
He rotated his body and passed to the right—toward Barou.
Barou wasted no time, charging forward.
But he was instantly boxed in by Ness.
...
"Get out of my way, you little minion of Kaiser!"
Barou growled, flicking the ball backward to break free.
But Ness stuck to him like a shadow.
When Barou tried to cut back, Hi—
no, Hiori stepped in and blocked the reverse lane.
At some point, the two had formed a perfect pincer trap.
Barou's options shrank rapidly.
He could move—but he couldn't escape.
He was moments away from being swallowed whole.
....
"You bastards think you can belittle me?!"
Barou didn't panic.
He flicked the ball again—Ness followed.
Another flick—Hiori halted and braced.
For an instant, a tiny gap appeared between the three players.
A gap barely wide enough for a ball.
Barou lunged—legs spreading into a dramatic, almost ridiculous outward stance—and with the inside of his foot, he shoved the ball through the slit of space.
....
"Heh. Thanks."
A familiar figure dashed between the defenders
and claimed the ball—
Charles.
Barou's forehead bulged with anger as he realized Charles had stolen the finishing touch of his own brilliant maneuver.
....
"Ohhh!! What unselfish play from Barou!"
The commentator screamed.
"Dragging two midfielders away to free Charles—
this is exactly like the pass he made against the U-20 National Team, back when he fed Shinichi the deciding ball! And now Charles uses that same play…
right against him!"
Shinichi didn't react emotionally.
But he understood one thing:
If Charles received the ball in that spot,
Bastard München was seconds away from a decisive chance.
....
'Where will he aim? What will Noa do?'
Shinichi activated Ice World.
Instantly—the entire field fractured into crystalline shards in his vision.
He rarely used this ability.
Stage One didn't require it—
Italy Ubers' defense had been rock solid, and Shinichi never had to go all out.
But more importantly—the sheer amount of data Ice World fed him was overwhelming.
Too many moving parts.
Too many variables.
Even he couldn't analyze everything at once.
Yet this moment demanded it.
In Stage One, he only needed Ice World to evaluate the small box area—because Shidou was winding up to shoot.
A narrow scope made it doable.
But now?
This pass could decide the entire momentum of the match.
So Shinichi went further—
He stepped into his self-created technique:
ZONE – Third Stage.
His body didn't double in power.
No flashy amplification like Selfless Realm or the Ubers' fortification.
No—
This was a full-spectrum enhancement.
A hyper-thinking mode.
A state where even his thought process crackled with lightning.
One by one—the floating ice shards (representing potential routes) were eliminated by Shinichi.
Until only a few remained.
....
He canceled the Third Stage and looked up—
just as Charles lifted his foot for the pass.
Lightning roared through Shinichi's eyes.
"Come then…"
He spread his stance like a lone windmill against the storm.
"Charge toward me—you foolish, fearless Don Quixotes!"
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