27. Who You Calling Small?!

Groaning, Y/N exited the second selection's first stage rubbing at his thigh, walking slowly down the corridor and towards a glowing sign in the dark.

He was panting tiredly, making sure he wouldn't fall over as he neared the door. The rest of the stage had been horribly difficult, way more difficult than Y/N had ever expected something from Bluelock to be.

It wasn't particularly the defenders, nor the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper alone was child's play. Adding in the swarm of yellow defenders made it much more difficult, but he could still manage.

No, it was the time pressure. From the moment the red dot appeared, he'd only had a few seconds to get past defenders, reach the dot, trap the ball while being swarmed, and then shoot for a tiny part of the goal and score.

But he'd managed it.

As Y/N reached the door, it slid open automatically, and he walked through into a well-lit room.

Like the first atrium where he'd left Team Z, it was made from mostly white tile, in the shape of a pentagon. A few purple stools were strewn across the room, and Y/N sighed contentedly, collapsing onto one of them as he rubbed his aching muscles.

A large sign above the main door glowed with a gentle blue light. Y/N read it aloud. "Form a team of three and move on through the doors."

He gave the room a quick check. "But there's nobody here?"

Whatever. Sighing, Y/N pulled a few of the cushioned stools together, lying down on them with his legs hanging off the edge.

Bluelock is an interesting place, after all... There's a few good talents, and I can actually call people my friends now. Bachira, Chigiri, Nagi, Reo, Isagi, Niko, I guess Barou too...

While they're nowhere near the best in the world, there's so much potential here that it's got me fired up.

He lay on his makeshift bed of seats, seeing a red haze even through his closed eyes due to the bright ceiling lights. The room for the most part was quiet, but from behind the door Y/N had just come from, the noises of balls impacting solid surfaces, and the muffled yells of players sounded.

That training is something I'd never have been able to create on my own. Probably cost in the hundreds of millions just for one room... I'd never have that opportunity.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't particularly improved since Ascension, all those years ago. Sure, his physical body had grown, enabling him to pull off higher level, more refined plays, but his eyes, his mind, and his personal skills hadn't increased much.

To put it simply, there just wasn't any challenge available in the world for him.

Maybe given time, Bluelock might be able to challenge me. Y/N hoped.

A soft swishing noise drew Y/N's attention. Squinting his eyes, covering them from the bright lights overhead, he sat up slowly.

The automatic entry doors had opened, quietly admitting a tall figure into the room. His long fringe hung over his forehead, covering one green eye. High cheekbones and long bottom lashes made him look posh, upper class, and that was certainly emphasised by the dull, cold look he was giving Y/N.

"Oh, hey." Y/N waved. "Rin Itoshi, right?"

"Who the hell are you?" Rin didn't seem to have heard him. Instead, he walked over, staring down at Y/N emotionlessly.

"I'm Y/N, pleasure to meet you!" Giving him a small smile, Y/N offered a handshake, holding it out invitingly.

Rin just looked down at the hand with something along the lines of disgust. Spotting the annoyed look on his face, Y/N made a funny face, retracting the offer with a roll of his eyes. "Too posh for a handshake?"

"What?" Rin looked momentarily confused.

"Oh, forgive me, dear sir." Y/N played it up even more. Rin did look like some kind of high-born noble, looking down on him. "I forgot that you wouldn't dare touch a mere commoner like me, no siree."

Rin just stared blankly at the smaller boy, who was trying to keep up a fancy medieval accent.

Y/N grinned, offering a second handshake. "Are you gonna shake my hand or not."

"No."

"Damn." He slumped back in his makeshift bed, sighing. Brutally rejected yet again.

There was no noise. Even though Y/N couldn't see Rin at that moment, he was pretty sure the taller boy was literally just standing there.

He raised his head slightly. "Yep."

Rin was just standing there, menacingly staring him down even though Y/N couldn't care less. "Yep what?"

"Are you just gonna stand there?" Y/N questioned. "Or do you want a chair? I've got plenty here."

"No."

Y/N almost burst out laughing at how cold this Rin guy was. "Look, you don't have to be so dead inside. Take a seat, let's chat."

"Chat about what?"

"Whatever you wanna chat about...?" Snickering, he patted the chair next to him. "What sort of stuff do you like?"

The response was drier than a desert, colder than ice, and more edgy than an anime villain. "I don't like stuff." Rin seemed utterly serious, and Y/N had to stop himself from laughing.

"Cool, cool." He replied.

"How did you get here?" Brushing some of his dark green hair from his eyes, Rin stared him down. "Did you cheat?"

"Cheat on what?"

"The first stage of the second selection. What else?"

Y/N grinned, listing off a few things on his fingers. "I thought you had a social life. I could've cheated on a school test, or maybe my girlfriend, or video games, or even cheated my taxes. But of course you're going on about soccer."

"You have a girlfriend?"

"No, but it's a hypothetical scenario." Y/N flushed. "Except maybe the taxes. Just maybe."

"That's illegal."

Eyes widening with mock surprise, Y/N gasped, a sharp intake of breath. He placed a hand on his heart, clutching at the Bluelock uniform. "Nah, really?! I didn't know!"

Through his laughter, doubling over at the pissed look on Rin's face, Y/N didn't notice the taller boy taking a few steps up to him. He closed the distance fast, grabbing the front of Y/N's uniform with a long, muscled arm.

He yanked the material up, thankfully not ripping it as he forced Y/N to his feet. Rin's eyes narrowed, framed by his long lashes, and he spoke slowly. "Don't fuck with me, Y/N L/N."

"Whatever." Scoffing, not at all intimidated, Y/N just quirked an eyebrow at him. "As an answer to your ever so important question, no, I didn't cheat."

"Then how did you get here so fast?" Rin kept a hand on Y/N's shirt, tugging the boy so close to his face he could feel his hot breath on his neck. "You got here before me."

"Because I cleared the stage before you...?" Raising an eyebrow, Y/N spoke slowly, like he was talking to a child.

"Impossible."

Jeez, this guy... Y/N nodded. "Remember this, Rin. Whenever I'm involved, nothing is impossible." He slipped out of Rin's grasp easily enough, taking a small step back. "Also, why the hell are you in denial?"

"Because it isn't possible for you to have beaten me." Rin replied coolly.

"Someone's in denial, huh?"

Rin's face contorted with a mix of anger and frustration, briefly breaking his cold expression. Before he could do something to try and scare Y/N again - not that it would - the doors opened.

An incredibly tall boy walked in, long hair down past his shoulders as he flicked it around. Like Rin, he wore a cool, noble look on his face, with a long, pointed jawline and hooded eyes.

"Greetings, small ones."

Y/N frowned. "Who are you calling small?!"

"It was addressed to both of you." The boy brushed some hair out of his forehead, looking both literally and metaphorically down on Y/N. "But I do concur it applies more to you."

"Hey!"

Ignoring Y/N's protest, the boy bowed, first to Rin, then to him. "My name is Aryu. Will we be forming a team, as instructed?"

It was a few moments before anybody spoke after that. Aryu watched - no, observed them with a chilled patience, Rin just grunted and looked away, and Y/N looked between them with wide eyes. "I mean, sure. I can't be bothered to wait for more people, and besides, we cleared the stage the fastest. We're probably the strongest team."

He wasn't particularly sure if the other two were actually competent, though. Rin acted like a moody teenager, and this Aryu person looked far too posh to be good at soccer. I'll find out when we play, I guess.

"Whatever." Rin muttered. "It doesn't matter who I team up with. Neither of you matter."

"Bit rude." Y/N mumbled.

They weren't really a team, but Y/N supposed it was good enough for now. He headed over to the exit door, beckoning the other two boys over. Aryu came over with a model's catwalk, while Rin reluctantly followed with his arms swinging loosely at his sides.

One by one, they all got up to the door. Above, on the screen, a new message flashed. Y/N read it out to the others. "Team of three formed. Y/N L/N, Aryu Jyubei, Rin Itoshi."

They passed through the door, leaving behind the empty room. As they walked, Y/N glanced at both of his teammates, already regretting his decision as he noticed the way they didn't even make eye contact.

Why do I have to be with the psychopaths...?