Chapter 75: Promotion
"Nice work, Bachira. That final heel shot was incredibly stylish~" Aryu's praise arrived right on cue.
Surprise flashed through Rin's eyes as he began to scrutinize the bob-haired boy in front of him.
That sequence of dribbling skills just now... it was like art.
On the other side, however, the four players wore expressions of bewilderment.
Barou replayed Bachira's attack in his mind with disbelief.
Nagi gasped for air continuously; he thought this would be his revenge match against Kira, but he had lost again.
Chigiri bent over, staring at the turf as sweat dripped down.
'Stamina. My stamina is still too poor.' Chigiri couldn't help but feel regret. If he had stepped out of his previous shadow sooner and started preparing seriously, he wouldn't have run out of gas today.
But the one hit hardest was Isagi. He knelt on the grass, muttering to himself.
"I didn't predict that final ball at all..."
"Bachira... I didn't expect the final key to lie with him."
"Kira's expression just now showed that all of this was within his expectations. Throughout the match, did he have a clearer grasp of things than even Rin?"
Isagi faced Kira again, and once again, he was defeated.
"Who are we picking? Rin, you should have an answer in your heart, right?" Kira stared at Rin with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"Shut up!"
Rin brushed aside the bangs in front of his face. "I'll say it."
Rin walked up to Isagi and looked down at him from above. "It looks like you really wanted to beat us, huh?"
"I won't let you be buried here. I want you right at the closest spot to me, watching as I become the world's number one!"
"Come over here, Yoichi Isagi!"
Isagi raised his head in astonishment. The four members of the Red Team were already standing before him.
"Choose me?"
Isagi had prepared himself mentally, but now that the moment had arrived, he still couldn't quite accept it.
Joining Kira and Rin's team as the loser.
"Isagi, accept it. It's my honor to be able to play soccer with you again." Kira extended his hand toward Isagi.
Isagi hesitated for a moment, but slowly placed his hand in Kira's.
Beep.
"Blue Lock Second Selection, Rivalry Battle."
"Itoshi Rin, Jyubei Aryu, Ryosuke Kira, Meguru Bachira, and Yoichi Isagi."
"The above five players have advanced."
The results of the match broadcasted over the loudspeaker.
"Let's go, Isagi."
Hearing the result, Rin and Aryu walked into the next tunnel first.
Kira and Bachira remained standing, waiting for him.
Isagi followed them absent-mindedly, his brain still reviewing why they had lost the match just now.
Suddenly, halfway there, Isagi seemed to think of something.
He turned back to look at the three White Team members still standing in their original spots.
"I'm sorry, everyone. We still couldn't beat the Top 3 team."
"Actually, we were already really amazing. To be able to play them this close... if only I hadn't failed to predict Bachira's explosion..."
"Shut up, Isagi."
Chigiri squeezed the words out through his teeth, his tone ice-cold. "We don't need your words..."
"Shut your mouth and go with them."
"We lost. They chose you. That is reality!"
"That's right." Barou covered his face in agony. "This King feels sick just looking at your face right now. Get the hell out of here..."
"Phew..."
Nagi seemed more able to accept this outcome than Barou and Chigiri. He looked up at the sky. "That's right. You were the protagonist of our team..."
"The rest of us were just supporting characters dragged along by you to challenge Kira and Rin..."
"Even without you, we can catch up."
Hearing his three teammates, Isagi stood frozen, at a loss for what to do.
"Alright, Isagi. Without them, you indeed wouldn't have made it this far..." Kira spoke up to comfort Isagi, but then his tone shifted.
"But, after fighting side-by-side with them for so long, don't you understand?"
"They will definitely come."
Kira looked at the three of them, his eyes firm. "Isagi and I will be waiting for you up ahead!"
After Kira spoke, Isagi no longer hesitated. Following Kira and Bachira's steps, he walked toward the tunnel.
The three left behind finally couldn't hold back their emotions.
"Damn it... Damn it..."
"I absolutely cannot let it end like this!"
"Yeah. We'll get revenge!"
Chigiri, Nagi, and Barou retreated to the Third Stage.
***
Inside the tunnel.
Aryu greeted the newcomer, Isagi. "Hello. To be honest, I wanted to pick the stylish speedster, Hyoma Chigiri."
"But your performance today was also very stylish. Welcome, Yoichi Isagi."
"Ah... is that so? Hello." Isagi appeared a bit reserved.
"Relax. Aryu looks weird, but he's a good guy." Kira noticed Isagi's awkwardness.
"Hahaha, I'm just not quite used to it yet. After all, we were enemies just a moment ago. Now we're teammates."
Isagi scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Eh? Kira, I remember someone saying they were going to steal you back. How come it seems to have gone the other way around?" Bachira teased Isagi from the side.
"Ah... this... haha, I was too useless. Sorry."
"Stop making fun of him, Bachira. You seemed to have realized some great philosophy yourself today. Want to tell me about it?" Kira started teasing Bachira in return.
Bachira stopped walking and actually looked serious.
"Actually, speaking of that, I have to thank Isagi."
"Eh?" Isagi was confused.
"If it wasn't for the battle between you, Kira, and Rin making me realize that I couldn't rely on others to play soccer anymore..."
"I might have found it difficult to continue my soccer career alone in the future."
"It was you who made me realize that only I can save myself."
"Anyway, please take care of me from now on, Isagi."
Bachira flashed a friendly smile.
"I see." Isagi finally understood the reason for Bachira's explosion. He hadn't expected it was because his own improvement had stimulated him.
Thinking about it like that left Isagi both amused and annoyed.
It seemed he needed to become stronger, too.
"Um, Rin, Kira. Can you tell me exactly where I lost in the final moments of the match?"
Isagi still didn't seem to have figured out the issue.
Kira really wanted to tell him: 'Fool, it's not your problem, it's because I have a cheat system.'
However, Itoshi Rin obviously had his own insights.
He replied, "Hah? Even a monkey knows what it is, right? It's information."
"Information?" Isagi didn't quite follow.
He thought he understood the Red Team players quite well.
"You only know their basic characteristics, but do you understand where their limits and potential lie?"
"Although an explosion at the limit is often related to luck."
"Bachira just happened to break through himself in this match, at the very last moment."
Isagi was even more confused now. "Related to luck? How can Bachira's explosion be explained by such an unstable factor as luck?"
"If that's the case, it doesn't convince me."
Kira shook his head and said, "Isagi, luck isn't simply something as simple as a coincidence."
"It's a hidden rule on the field, and it only happens to those who are prepared..."
"Although Bachira's explosion was luck, it was because both Bachira's body and heart were ready for change."
"Do you understand?"
Disbelief was still written on Isagi's face.
In his eyes, if not for Bachira's sudden explosion, they wouldn't necessarily have lost.
Itoshi Rin rolled his eyes in exasperation. "If you can't even understand this, you have no right to survive in the competitive world."
Kira nodded, deeply agreeing.
Many goals on the soccer field could be explained by 'Luck.'
But 'Luck' only ever descends upon those who are prepared.
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