Chapter 129: Shidou's Cinderella Moment
"Relax, Anri."
"We've drilled our anti-Shidou tactics a dozen times. Breaking through our backline isn't going to be a solo walk for him, even with his talent."
"Besides, the other side is being led by a decorative placeholder of a coach who hasn't a clue how to actually utilize a weapon like Shidou."
Jinpachi Ego remained a statue of calm, a sharp contrast to Anri's visible anxiety. On the opposite sideline, Yasumori Hoichi stood with his shoulders hunched, looking like a man waiting for a death sentence. He had zero confidence in how to handle a delinquent like Shidou Ryusei. He had only thrown the kid onto the pitch because he was desperate, treating Shidou like a Hail Mary pass in a game he was already losing.
Beep!
The referee's whistle signaled the start of the second half.
Itoshi Sae kicked off, sending the ball immediately to Shidou. Shidou took two casual touches before firing a return pass to Sae, and then he simply ignited. He began sprinting across the pitch with no apparent logic, moving like a chaotic storm.
Niko, who had been laser-focused on Shidou since the whistle, felt his brain glitch for a second. What the hell was this guy doing?
'His movement... it doesn't follow any tactical pattern. He's completely ignoring the formations of both teams,' Niko thought, his brow furrowing.
"Heartbeat, adrenaline... I just need to move," Shidou muttered to himself, his head down as he sprinted into open spaces that didn't even exist yet.
The Blue Lock defense was paralyzed. Every defensive drill they had practiced to contain Shidou felt useless because Shidou wasn't playing the same game they were.
Kira watched Shidou from the midfield, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. 'The guy has been benched for too long. He's just letting the beast out of the cage right now.'
Just as the Blue Lock players began to dismiss Shidou's movement as aimless wandering, Sae unleashed a low, lightning-fast through-ball from the center circle.
The pass sliced through the Blue Lock midfield like a hot knife. It found Shidou's feet in an instant.
Niko's face went pale. That passing lane was so narrow it shouldn't have been physically possible to thread the ball through.
'Does Sae actually know how to synchronize with that freak?' Niko's heart hammered against his ribs.
"Not happening!"
Chigiri appeared in Shidou's path the moment the ball touched his boots.
Shidou raised an eyebrow, a jagged grin forming. "Speed is a hell of a drug, isn't it?"
Just as Shidou prepared to make his move, Shuto Sendo appeared in his peripheral vision.
'What's this rookie striker doing here?' Chigiri thought, momentarily distracted.
Shidou, however, was already a step ahead. "You're learning, little Remora."
A one-two. A lightning-fast wall-pass.
In the blink of an eye, the duo bypassed Chigiri.
"Shut up," Sendo barked, his ego flared. "I'm just doing exactly what Sae told me to do."
Sendo wasn't happy about the nickname, but he had finally accepted his role. Just as Isagi acted as the shadow for Kira in the first half, Sendo had transformed himself into Shidou's auxiliary engine. They began carving through the midfield with rapid-fire exchanges.
Aryu shifted his position to cut off Shidou's erratic run, but Sendo didn't return the ball to the pink-haired demon. Instead, he fired a horizontal pass to Sae, who was surging forward through the middle.
Sae didn't hesitate for a micro-second. He whipped an outside-of-the-foot cross toward the edge of the six-yard box.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Shidou's eyes widened with manic joy as he tracked the difficult trajectory. He used his explosive physical power to shove Aryu aside, claiming the drop point. He launched himself into the air, cocking his leg back for a devastating volley.
Niko had been watching the entire sequence, and he finally saw his opening. He threw himself into Shidou's space just as the striker committed to the shot.
"Get out of my box, you pest!"
Niko's foot hooked the ball away, but his momentum sent him crashing into Shidou's shins. Shidou lost his balance and slammed hard into the turf.
Beep!
The referee pointed to the spot of the foul and jogged over to Niko, holding up a yellow card.
"A desperate foul to save a certain goal," Atsuto Tereasa shouted. "But look at that coordination! The U-20's offensive pressure has completely evolved since the restart!"
"Number 13 and Itoshi Sae have found a terrifying chemical reaction," Harutaro Natsuki added, his eyes sharp. "The entire team is vibrating with a new kind of aggression."
On the pitch, Shidou pushed himself up, his face twisted in a scowl. "You little brat."
Niko stood his ground, his expression unreadable. "Sorry. You were in the way, Mr. Pest."
"That's it. I'm going to kill you." Shidou's fist clenched, his predatory instincts screaming for a fight.
"Knock it off, you moron," Sae's voice cut through the air. "If you want to prove you're worth the grass you're standing on, score the goal. Don't waste my time with a brawl."
"Tch..." Shidou exhaled, forcing his hands to unclench.
Gagamaru walked over to Niko, giving him a firm nod. "Nice stop, Niko. If you hadn't taken that card, I was toast."
"I only stopped him with a foul," Niko muttered, looking down at his boots. "I saw it all so clearly—Sae's pass, Shidou's run... I saw the whole future, but I was still half a second too slow to do it cleanly."
Niko wasn't satisfied. He wanted more.
"The Sendo kid is the problem," Niko realized. "He's the one throwing off my timing."
Kira walked over to check on his teammate. "You okay, Niko? I saw you take a hard landing."
Niko waved him off. "I'm fine. I can still run."
"I came here to be the world's best striker, and it eats at me that I'm not in the starting front line," Niko said, looking Kira directly in the eye. "But lately, I've been finding a different kind of high. Using these eyes to hunt down strikers... it's actually fun."
"We're winning this, Kira. Ever since I met you, I've stopped being afraid to change who I am."
Kira blinked, rubbing the back of his head. He remembered the conversation they'd had after the match against Team Y. He hadn't realized his words had dug that deep into Niko's psyche.
Both teams began setting up for the free kick.
"I'm taking this one, Sae," Shidou said, stepping up to the ball. "Your direct line is blocked by your little brother anyway. Look at that wall. There's no lane for a direct shot."
"And you think you have a better option?" Sae asked.
"Just watch me. I earned this foul, so I'm taking the strike."
"Is that the only path you see?" Sae's tone was cold.
"Huh?" Shidou looked confused.
"I'm asking you if your vision is limited to what's in front of you. Can you find the intersection between reality and the ideal? Can you visualize the exact moment this ball hits the net?"
Sae's patience was surprisingly high. He was treating Shidou differently than the other "monkeys" on the team.
Shidou's grin returned, wider and more dangerous than before. "I get it now, Sae. If you'd just spoken Japanese from the start, we'd be fine."
"I've got a hell of an idea. It's high-risk, though. Think you can keep up with the magic?"
"Chase your dreams, demon," Sae said, his voice dropping to a command. "I'll provide the magic."
Shidou felt a shiver run down his spine. 'Sae is even more of a headcase than Kira. Hanging out with these geniuses is gonna make me explode from the thrill!'
But as he looked at the goal, Shidou's expression turned purely demonic.
"Am I getting the Cinderella treatment? This is going to be a blast!"
***
***
***