Chapter 12: The Birth of a [Hero]
Room Z
"This facility has five buildings, each with five teams, labeled B to Z—25 teams total," Ego Jinpachi's voice echoed from the screen, cold and commanding. "Teams are set by player rankings. Ranks 1 to 11 are Team B, 12 to 22 are Team C, and so on…"
The words sank in fast, and the players in Room Z caught the meaning immediately, their faces tightening as the reality hit.
Igaguri stared at the '275' on his arm and let out a wail. "What the heck?! I'm still dead last!"
Isagi's stomach dropped. 'This is bad. Team Z means we're the lowest-ranked team in the whole place.' He glanced at Kira, confusion creeping in. 'Even with Kira here, we're still at the bottom?'
Jingo Raichi gritted his teeth, glaring at the group. "Can't believe I'm stuck with these losers…" His voice was thick with disgust, each word a jab.
Kunigami stood nearby, hands on his hips, radiating calm authority. "Hey, hey, hey, who're you calling a loser?" His tone was steady but sharp, a warning not to push him.
"Huh? Isn't it obvious?" Raichi snapped, leaning forward, his temper flaring.
"You little—" Kunigami took a step closer, his patience thinning.
Kira massaged his forehead, feeling the room about to explode. 'If this keeps up, we're done before we even start.' He raised his voice. "Shh! Everyone, stop arguing. Let's hear what he's got to say first."
Kunigami and Raichi shot each other dirty looks but backed off at Kira's words, turning their heads away like they were reluctantly calling a truce.
Ego didn't pause for their drama and kept going. "Here, higher ranks get better food and training setups. Want a better life? Keep winning. Keep climbing."
He stopped for a moment, letting the words hang. "Next up, the first selection round of Blue Lock starts. The 55 players in Building 5—your five teams—will face off in a round-robin tournament. Each team plays four matches. Win gets you 3 points, a draw gets 1 point, a loss gets you nothing. When it's over, the top two teams move on to the second round."
The room burst into chaos, voices overlapping like a wild scrum.
"Huh? But we're all strikers!"
"So some of us gotta play other positions?"
"No way I'm playing defender! And who's stuck in goal?"
"I want center forward!"
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm playing center forward!"
Kira watched the frenzy, his mind racing. 'Just like the original—everyone's obsessed with being the striker. Did my [Demon] tag performance convince them to follow me? I'm not so sure anymore.' Doubt crept in as he studied their reactions. 'If I can't get them on board, we're screwed.'
Isagi stepped closer, his voice low with worry. "Kira, you were right about the inter-room matches. But how's a team of 11 strikers supposed to play actual football?"
Kira pointed to his head, his tone calm and confident. "Football's about putting the ball in the opponent's goal, right, Isagi? Eleven strikers sounds pretty perfect to me."
"Eh?" Isagi blinked, totally lost. 'What does that even mean?'
...
"Listen up," Ego's voice cut through the noise, sharp as a blade. "Go back to the basics of football. Start from zero and rebuild it in your heads. Forget all the old ideas you've been taught. For Japan to be number one in the world, we don't need teamwork from 11 players—we need one [Hero]."
"Messi. Ronaldo. Noel Noa. Those [Hero]-like players drive football forward. New defenses and tactics are born just to stop them. One person's brilliance can change a team, a country, even the whole world. That's what football is. So, do you have the guts to dream that big?"
Ego's intense gaze swept over Room Z through the screen, silencing the chaos. The room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's expressions shifted—some burned with determination, others flickered with doubt. To be a [Hero]-like player… wasn't that why they were all here? 'If I can't even dream that big, why am I even playing?' their faces seemed to say.
Eyes lit up with fire, each player silently vowing, 'I'll be the one who makes it to the end.'
"Oh, one more rule," Ego added casually. "The three losing teams get one slot to advance. The top scorer from each eliminated team moves on. Everyone else? You're out—no national team for you."
Beeep.
Ego's figure vanished from the screen, leaving the room buzzing with tension.
...
Tokyo, Japan – Japan Football Union Press Conference
The room was a hive of noise, reporters firing questions like a barrage.
"Hey, hey, hey, is it really reliable to train 300 kids like this?"
"Isn't this stealing their high school years? What about the parents?"
"Even if you make great strikers, that doesn't mean a World Cup win, right?"
Bang!
Anri Teieri slammed the table and stood up, her eyes blazing as she faced the crowd.
"Sacrificing their lives?" she snapped, her voice sharp. "Damn right. Japanese football needs a crazy plan to move forward. Don't you want to see it? The moment a [Hero] is born for Japan!"
"We make the World Cup every time, but we're always one step short of the top. Our football needs to fight for its life now. It's time to rebuild our dreams from nothing."
"The stars aren't us adults who've lost our fire—it's those 300 raw high schoolers, hungry and ready to risk it all!"
"And you…" Her voice turned sharp, accusing. "Have you stopped dreaming of a World Cup win?"
The reporters smirked, chuckling at this young woman's bold words, mocking her impossible dream. They'd forgotten their own youthful ambitions long ago.
In the corner, a lone figure watched with quiet interest—Itoshi Sae, Japan's genius midfielder playing overseas.
"Interesting," Sae said softly, a smirk on his lips. "Cancel my flight to Europe. I want to see what kind of striker this wild plan produces."
"Eh?!" His manager gaped, shocked. "You're staying in Japan for this mess?"
...
Blue Lock, Room Z
Unaware of the media storm outside, the 11 players of Team Z sat in a circle, focused only on tomorrow's match.
They didn't know their opponent yet, and the uncertainty hung heavy. Everyone had their own ideas about positions, tension simmering.
"Let me say something," Kira said, clapping his hands. The room went quiet, all eyes on him. "We're all strikers, but we've each got our own strengths. I say we share our weapons—our best skills on the pitch—and assign positions based on that. Sound good?"
"Eh? Sounds fun! I'm in!" Bachira raised his hand, grinning wide.
"I agree too, Kira," Isagi said, nodding.
Kunigami looked at everyone, then raised his hand silently, approving.
With the momentum growing, the others nodded too.
Kira pulled out a small notebook and pen, ready to write. "I'll start. I'm good at shooting and off-the-ball movement. I can find open spaces in the penalty area."
Bachira jumped in, grinning. "Mine's dribbling."
Jingo Raichi, next to Bachira, felt everyone's eyes on him. He pointed a thumb at himself, smirking. "My weapon's my awesome shooting technique… I call it my sexy football."
----
P.S.: My weapon is my awesome writing technique… I call it my sexy writing.
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