"You..."
At this moment, Michael could only stare upward as Ryōsuke snatched the ball from above his head.
His mind went blank. In that single moment, it felt as if everything had been stripped away from him. While Ryōsuke controlled the ball and charged toward the opponent's half, Michael stood frozen, like a hollow shell.
He, who had always been the star, was reduced to a mere spectator for the first time.
"That Ryōsuke, he stole Michael's ball!" Alexis shouted from the substitute bench, turning to Noel beside him, "That kind of behavior is fundamentally wrong, isn't it?"
"Michael's ball? Michael never even touched it." Noel replied coldly, arms crossed, "Besides, didn't you do something similar before?"
Hearing this, Alexis fell silent for several seconds, "But... but that Ashito hasn't contributed anything on the field!"
He could only express his frustration at being substituted by criticizing Ashito's performance.
"Is that so? Is that all you see?" Noel didn't even glance at him, "It seems your youth training squad has truly hit rock bottom."
Alexis gritted his teeth, speechless.
Meanwhile, Ryōsuke had already surged past the halfway line with the ball!
Eita Otoya moved to defend, but proved no match for his opponent.
❖ First Form ➠ Thunderclap and Flash! ❖
With explosive acceleration, Ryōsuke breezed past him.
"Quick, cover him!"
The other defenders rushed forward to block his path.
But Ryōsuke suddenly changed direction, launching the ball to another spot!
There stood Ashito, perfectly positioned!
"What?!" On the bench, Alexis frowned, stunned to see the rookie there.
During his earlier attempt to intercept the pass, Ashito had already planned this move!
He had spotted Ryōsuke's position and knew that while he might not stop Sae's pass completely, he could buy precious time for his teammate!
Ashito trusted that Ryōsuke would intercept the pass. After diving, he ignored his pain and sprinted forward with everything he had!
He had to prove himself!
Just as expected, Ryōsuke successfully intercepted and launched the counter-attack.
When surrounded, he instantly spotted Ashito, who had used his keen observation skills to slip past FC Barcha's defense and penetrate deep into enemy territory!
Now with the pass at his feet, Ashito knew — this was his moment to make the world remember his name.
"Shoot!" He roared, channeling all his power into his feet and striking the ball with explosive force, releasing all the pressure he'd been carrying.
He had to score this one!
But just as the ball left his foot, Tsubasa appeared!
The moment Ashito had joined the attack, Tsubasa had sprinted back at full speed, positioning himself perfectly to clear the ball out of bounds!
Successful defense!
"Perfect timing, Tsubasa!" Meguru shouted excitedly.
"Damn... if I could have scored, Coach Fukuda, Mom, and Brother would have seen it..." Ashito punched the air in frustration, "And this was Kira-senpai's pass — I couldn't make the most of it. If only my shot's angle and power had been better..."
"Nice shot." Ryōsuke walked over and gently patted his shoulder in encouragement.
"But... I wasted the chance you created, Kira-senpai..." Ashito's disappointment was evident.
"You were the one who created this chance in the first place." Ryōsuke said with a smile, "Although you didn't score, you managed to break through their defense — you've proven your value on the field."
"I..."
As Ashito pondered this, Yoichi and the others rushed over, high-fiving him.
"Well played, so close!"
"What a shame!"
"Great defense earlier!"
Hearing his teammates' praise, Ashito was stunned. He had never expected such recognition from his Blue Lock teammates.
His relentless efforts had finally paid off. Each day, he was first to rise and last to return to the dorm. He endured Ryōsuke's hellish physical training and spent his nights seeking tactical advice from both Ryōsuke and Yoichi — all just to keep pace with the others.
Bastard München's original players had often mocked him, claiming that no amount of effort could lift him from last place. Yet he remained unwavering.
Meanwhile, Sae observed Ashito thoughtfully.
'This one... could he have the same vision? His technique is unpolished and his physical abilities merely average, but that last play was impressive. Another example of someone awakening their potential in Ryōsuke's presence.' He mused.
Soon, it was time for Blue Lock's throw-in.
Benedict took position, holding the ball above his head while scanning for targets. Michael stood on the far side.
But Benedict hesitated. Michael was crossing the halfway line listlessly, showing no competitive spirit. On the substitute bench, Alexis sat with a smile that barely concealed his rage.
Alexis had been benched by Noel for forcing passes to Michael while ignoring Ryōsuke. Then there was Erik's fate — now unable to even maintain his place in the youth squad...
Two inviolable rules governed this team.
First: never disobey Noel's orders. Second: win for Bastard München.
The choice was clear — Ryōsuke, not Michael, offered the best path to victory.
In a sense, Ryōsuke had won Benedict over.
After a brief internal struggle, he chose to throw the ball to the "right choice".
"Benedict, you bastard!" Alexis clenched his fists, his eyes fixed intently on Benedict.
In his eyes, this behavior was an act of disloyalty to Michael — something he absolutely could not tolerate.
But Benedict avoided eye contact with Alexis and began positioning himself near Ryōsuke. Though he often spoke in convoluted terms, he wasn't foolish. He knew that losing the match and angering Noel would end his time on the team.
Michael might be formidable, but in this team, the Master Striker held absolute authority.
Seeing Benedict side with Ryōsuke, Michael's other former allies had no choice but to abandon their strategy and actively seek cooperation with the new core player.
"Ryōsuke... are you going to take everything away from me?" Seeing his former allies now standing with his nemesis, Michael ground his teeth, his hatred reaching its peak.
He desperately wished for Ryōsuke to disappear from this world.
Meanwhile, Bastard München had reorganized their attack. The team no longer excluded Ryōsuke from the offense, giving them more options and making their movements more fluid.
"Using absolute strength to force those who oppose you to join your side, transforming an unfamiliar team into your own possession." In the monitoring room, Jinpachi watched the live broadcast with a meaningful smile, "This is true zero-to-one football. Impressive, Kira."
Ryōsuke's exceptional skill forced his teammates to work with him, elevating Bastard München's offense to new heights.
Ryōsuke burst into the opponent's territory as Benedict lobbed the ball to him from across the field. Despite the mediocre pass, Ryōsuke handled it with ease.
Immediately, Sae and his teammates moved to double-team him!
Rather than holding onto the ball while double-teamed, Ryōsuke created an opportunity for his teammates. With a deft flick of his right foot, he found Kenyū Yukimiya making a perfect run!
Unlike in the original match where Kenyū hadn't played, his intense preparation for the U-20 game had earned him a starting position, resolving his earlier friction with Yoichi.
"Leave it to me, Kira!" Kenyū controlled the ball confidently and aimed for the goalkeeper's blind spot.
But Tsubasa appeared just as he was about to shoot, disrupting his motion.
"This guy... so fast?!" Caught off guard, Kenyū had no choice but to force the shot.
Let's see who's faster!
Tsubasa won that contest. As Kenyū released his shot, he blocked it cleanly, sending the ball over the end line.
"It was right there... damn... this guy really is a monster..." Kenyū stared at his opponent, awestruck by his prowess.
"I'll take the corner kick. Any particular strategy?" Yoichi turned to Ryōsuke.
"As high as possible." Ryōsuke replied with a smile.
Yoichi looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "Leave it to me."
He moved to the corner flag as players crowded the goal area, with Ryōsuke surrounded by defenders.
"Sorry, Kira, but I can't let you get to the ball." Meguru positioned himself beside Ryōsuke, while Eita took the other side.
Their strategy was obvious: prevent Yoichi from finding Ryōsuke in front of goal for a scoring chance.
Yoichi studied the goal — there was only one way to get the ball into the penalty area uncontested. No ordinary player could reach it, not even tall players like Gin or Jūbē.
But Ryōsuke...
"Let's see!"
Yoichi took a step back, then surged forward and struck the ball with full power!
The ball soared impossibly high!
"Isn't that ball too high? Was it a mistake?"
The FC Barcha defenders froze in confusion.
"No." Sae instantly grasped the plan. He rushed to Ryōsuke's side, reaching out to disrupt his movement.
But such interference meant nothing to Ryōsuke!
❖ First Form ➠ Thunderclap and Flash! ❖
Like a rocket, he launched himself above the crowd! Only someone with his incredible jumping ability could reach that ball!
"What kind of jumping power does this guy have?!"
Others exclaimed in shock.
Ryōsuke had asked Yoichi for this precise type of pass — not only to showcase his extraordinary jumping ability but also to test his newly unlocked skill in real combat.
The Fifth Form of Thunder Breathing!
This technique enhanced his headers, dramatically increasing their power and speed! Combined with Thunderclap and Flash, it became his ultimate scoring weapon!
❖ Fifth Form ➠ Heat Lightning! ❖
Soaring through the air, Ryōsuke channeled all his power into his head and struck the ball with devastating force!
Goal!
❖❖❖
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