Chapter 74: The True Original Intention
On the pitch.
Bachira surged forward, a solitary force of nature driving the ball madly.
Players from both the Red and White teams stuck to him like glue.
But in Bachira's field of vision, the 'Monster' kept flickering into existence at various spots on the field.
Bachira focused his gaze. Those spots were exactly where Kira and Rin were running right now.
The silhouettes of the 'Monster' and his teammates were overlapping.
'Don't come out. Go back. All of you, go back...'
Sweat beaded on Bachira's forehead. 'If you guys keep doing this, I won't be able to stop myself from looking for you.'
Bachira closed his eyes. The scenes of the 'Monster' accompanying him to play soccer since childhood felt as vivid as if they were happening right before him.
'Thank you, Monster. It's because of you that I could meet "friends" in Blue Lock.'
'Thank you for always staying by my side...'
'But I don't need you anymore. Please, just disappear!!'
Bachira opened his eyes again.
There were no Monsters on the field anymore. Blocking his path was the core of the White Team, Yoichi Isagi.
The current situation was somewhat outside Isagi's expectations.
He had thought the final moments would be a contest between himself, Kira, and Rin.
He hadn't expected Bachira to suddenly burst out.
'If he gets past me now, we'll definitely concede a goal, and we'll lose...'
'Stop him. I have to buy time before Chigiri and Barou track back.'
Having clarified his plan, Isagi adopted a stance, waiting for Bachira's attack.
Bachira charged up with the ball. He took a single glance.
He immediately spotted an excellent passing route. If a teammate appeared there right now, Bachira believed he could definitely deliver the ball to their feet for a goal.
'No?'
'Damn it.' Bachira realized that although he consciously wanted to change, his body couldn't help but play in the same old way.
'Crap. I'm too used to relying on Kira.'
'Ever since I started playing with Kira, all I had to do was find the right timing and pass the ball to him.'
'Although that was once the way of playing soccer I dreamed of, that dependency is now limiting me.'
'It has become the shackle preventing Meguru Bachira's evolution.'
In other words.
Bachira had become someone who couldn't play soccer without Kira...
"Bachira, over here..."
Sure enough, Kira had actually appeared in that spot, looking at Bachira with a meaningful expression.
The information revealed in his eyes was intriguing.
'Pass to him?'
Bachira subconsciously prepared to lift his leg.
'No. Shut up.'
Bachira's expression suddenly shifted. 'If I pass it now, won't it just be the same as before?'
'I won't pass the ball to the Monster anymore...'
The foot that looked like it was about to pass suddenly clamped down on the ball. In a split second, his entire body broke through past Isagi's right side.
"It wasn't a pass?"
Isagi had been fooled. He thought Bachira was winding up to pass to Kira.
He hadn't expected Bachira to use a fake pass to transition directly into a dribble breakthrough.
'Bachira is evolving too!'
Isagi discovered that something about Bachira had changed. He was no longer the Bachira of the past.
"Stop him, Chigiri!!!"
"Shut up. I know."
Chigiri executed a sharp turn and accelerated, catching up to Bachira instantly.
His recovery speed was terrifying.
Chigiri really was the White Team's most formidable player, possessing both offensive and defensive prowess.
His cover defense was omnipresent.
"Bachira, this way!"
Aryu appeared on the other flank, shouting for the ball.
"I said, I won't pass anymore..." Bachira completely ignored Aryu's request.
At the same time, Bachira suddenly turned his side toward Chigiri, pretending to drag the ball back in a "V" motion.
Seeing this, Chigiri immediately stepped up, extending his leg to intercept.
In a flash.
Bachira exploited the massive space created between Chigiri's legs when he extended one to tackle. He used the outside of his foot to lightly flick the ball through.
A nutmeg!
Chigiri was beaten with ease.
"Hey, did you activate Berserk Mode or something, Mushroom Head?" Barou had also chased back.
"Bachira, here..." Kira was still calling for the ball in the distance, but internally he was savoring that nutmeg. 'So fluid.'
'Deception like a magician.'
"SHUT UP!!!!" Bachira continued to disregard his teammates' demands.
He stomped his feet violently, his legs powering up to accelerate and break through.
Barou's face twisted. 'He actually wants to speed past me?'
Barou turned sideways to face Bachira and took a large stride, preparing to match his speed.
In an instant.
Barou regretted taking that large stride. He had been tricked again. This guy didn't want to accelerate past him at all.
Bachira suddenly froze his breakthrough motion.
He bent his knees and dropped his shoulder.
La Pausa.
Simultaneously, he used the outside of his left foot to flick the ball through Barou's legs, then accelerated to leave Barou in the dust.
"You damn Mushroom Head..." Barou felt insulted.
Consecutive nutmegs.
If Barou wanted to turn and chase, he would have to rotate his body 180 degrees. He wouldn't make it in time. He could only watch helplessly as Bachira took the ball away.
"I'm not going berserk... this is an awakening! The curse is broken!!!" Bachira shouted as he continued forward.
"So... so amazing."
The final line of defense was Nagi.
"I probably can't stop this guy one-on-one right now..."
Sweat broke out on Nagi's forehead.
"That Mushroom Head wants to go solo... Everyone, rush him and surround him..." Barou shouted.
Barou was all too familiar with this style of play.
It was just refusing to pass.
Just blindly doing it himself.
'I, Barou, do this all the time.'
'I know this drill.'
While Bachira hadn't yet broken past Nagi, Chigiri and Barou swarmed in.
But Isagi noticed that Kira and Rin had started moving.
The two of them appeared on either side of Bachira.
Both positions were perfect passing lanes. If Bachira released the ball, they could attack the goal immediately upon receiving it.
Isagi felt dead inside.
Because he didn't know which one he should go mark.
Huh?
But the situation on the field didn't develop in the direction Isagi thought.
Bachira actually began to dance amidst the encirclement of Chigiri, Nagi, and Barou.
"A whole crowd of you... you're really annoying..."
Bachira used his left heel to flick the ball up.
The ball soared high over Bachira's head and over Nagi's head.
A one-footed rainbow flick?
Nagi wasn't willing to give up. He turned with all his might, grabbing onto the hem of Bachira's jersey.
In Bachira's field of vision, Rin and Kira had arrived on the flanks.
Bachira didn't choose to pass to either of them.
Because in this moment, he remembered.
Becoming one with the soccer ball—that was the reason Bachira played soccer.
For Bachira, that was the happiest thing in the world.
Even if he returned to being all alone, he would devote his entire heart and soul to playing.
Bachira finally understood. The 'Monster' inside him wasn't something to be replaced by finding others.
Instead, he had to become that 'Monster' himself.
Dancing alone was Bachira's destiny.
"Bye-bye. The 'Monster' who was always with me."
Bachira accelerated and broke free. Nagi's pulling had no effect.
The three players of the Red Team had arrived at the White Team's goal.
Three demons knocking at the gate!
But the only one holding the ball was Bachira.
"Bringing back the me who played soccer all alone... that is my true original intention for playing soccer!!"
Bachira aimed at the goal and lashed out with a vicious volley.
The ball traced a rainbow through the air.
It flew perfectly into the net.
GOAL!
The Red Team scored.
5 to 3.
The Red Team wins the match.
Beep, beep, beeeep!
"Match over. Red Team Victory."
"What? He actually chose not to pass?" Isagi sat blankly on the ground. He couldn't quite believe that this was something Bachira would do.
In Isagi's eyes, the opponents had always been just Kira and Rin. To think Bachira could reach this level too?
Isagi began to suspect that his previous judgment of Bachira had been an underestimation.
But really, Isagi couldn't be blamed.
After all, Bachira had always revolved around Kira. Isagi didn't actually understand many of Bachira's true characteristics.
"Nice work, Bachira." Kira walked up to Bachira's side.
"Eh? Kira? You won't blame me for not passing at the final moment?"
Kira shook his head. "Trusting 'no one'... that is the soccer that belongs to you."
"Besides, I always believed you could do it yourself."
Eh?
Bachira's brain buzzed instantly.
'This guy Kira... he understands my football even in this new state?'
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