3.8. Chameleon And Goat

On the day of the Manshine City game, Isagi was an odd mix of frustrated and content.

He'd made it onto the team. The Bluelock Auction rankings had been released again after PXG and Ubers had played, with ten Bluelock players getting bids.

Itoshi Rin - 36,000,000

Bachira Meguru - 32,000,000

Y/N L/N - 29,000,000

Kunigami Rensuke - 24,000,000

Shidou Ryusei - 20,000,000

Isagi Yoichi - 17,000,000

Oliver Aiku - 15,000,000

Karasu Tabito - 12,000,000

Eita Otoya - 9,000,000

Aryu Jyubei - 5,000,000

Yet, he wasn't anywhere near the top. Isagi could only wonder what had happened in that game. What was so impressive that Rin had received such a high value? He desperately wanted to get closer, to eventually surpass him as the top valued striker.

And that had to start with getting as much game time as possible.

Isagi's hands unclenched and clenched, anxiously fidgeting. All of the Bastard Munchen team stood inside their changing room, fully kitted out, warmed up, and ready to go. Noa held a tablet, one finger tapping at it idly. He looked up, yellow eyes glancing around the room.

"The optimal formation against Manshine is this. We're playing a 4-4-2. Michael Kaiser and Kunigami Rensuke will be centre-forwards, former on the left, latter on the right." Isagi grimaced a little at Noa's words. I'm still not good enough to be in the front positions.

"For the rest of the offence, we'll have Isagi Yoichi on the right, Grim on the left, and Ness in the middle. Our defensive midfielder will be Ali." There were multiple sighs and groans at that, one of the loudest from the man Isagi had replaced. Noa paused. "Our defensive line, from left to right, will be as follows."

"Yukimiya Kenyu. Menser. Birkenstock. Kurona Ranze." He let it sink in for a few seconds. Turning as discreetly as he could, Isagi met Kurona's eyes, grinning at him as he gave him a silent thumbs-up.

The pink-haired boy nodded back, mouthing quietly as Noa kept talking. "I'm in the match to support you, Isagi. I'm taking your side over Kaiser's."

Heart swelling, Isagi's smile widened a little. Even more, as Noa announced their goalkeeper. "Gagamaru Gin."

"Huh?" The caveman blinked twice. "Why me?"

"I'm aware you weren't going for such a position, but your physical stats and abilities all are suited for a goalkeeper. For this team, you have the best numbers to be one."

"Cool." Gagamaru shrugged. "At least I get to play. No complaints here."

"Good. As usual, this team composition has largely been based off numbers. Each of you is highly suited to your role. But this is also an experimental team of eleven."

On the wall behind Noa, a screen flickered on. It showed the formation that Noa had just described, with the addition of a jagged crack running right down the middle of the field. "Currently, this team has two ideals. One is the traditional Bastard Munchen philosophy, using efficient methods and Kaiser as the finisher. The second is Bluelock's style, allowing players to work against each other and surpass each other in order to score goals."

"These two ideologies will go against each other, and in the end, we will shift towards whichever seems more... effective." Noa's dull eyes were unblinking. "Any questions?"

"Wait... Noa." Kaiser hummed. "Is this a test for me?"

"I'm glad you get it." The reply was swift and sharp. "I expected much more from you, Kaiser. But you already lost to the Mercenary, and in horrible fashion too. Show me you still deserve to be the ace."

Isagi glanced over at the tall man with surprise. He lost to Y/N? When did they even get a chance to play? Kaiser was visibly annoyed, fists clenching behind his back and a forced smile on his face. "You should mind your own fucking business."

"You shouldn't have lost." Behind Noa, the screen split in half. One half moved in either direction, forming a door that opened wide with a loud whirring noise. "Time to play, Bastard Munchen. Don't hesitate. Just win."

From the doors, there was nothing but bright light. Isagi's eyes took a few seconds to adjust from the darkness of the room, and he blinked a few times to clear his vision. Beyond the doors, the pitch was waiting. Perfectly green artificial grass, high, monotone grey walls, and the Manshine City team.

Bastard Munchen took the field. Isagi immediately spotted a trio of Bluelock players standing together, all of them looking directly at him. Nagi, Reo, and Chigiri. With them, a tall, dark-skinned man, wearing gloves. Is he the goalkeeper? I wouldn't be surprised, with that height...

He headed over to them. "Hey! Congrats at being chosen as regulars."

"So high and mighty." Nagi quietly commented. "You didn't think we'd make it?"

Reo laughed, eyes lingering on Nagi. "As expected from the guy with a seventeen mil salary." Isagi didn't know what had happened before, but during the entire of the third selection, the pair had avoided each other. Now, it seemed they were somewhat more comfortable... but still nowhere near before.

Smiling, he shook his head. "It's not about the money!"

"Oh, you love it." Reo joked, hands resting on hips. "Seventeen million is like a board member for a big company!"

Upon Isagi trying to protest, Nagi hummed. "You're like a mini president, Isagi."

"Zip it." Isagi chuckled. "You're all gonna get offers as well."

"Eh." Nagi just shrugged. "I'm not bothered about it. I just want to beat you."

As the two spoke, Reo's eyes flickered to Kunigami. He headed over, beckoning Chigiri after him as well. For some reason, Kunigami hadn't talked to either of them since his return to Bluelock. He'd changed... but Reo wanted to know why. "You went through a lot, didn't you?"

Peering at Kunigami, he sighed. "My parents told me a little about it. They aimed to make you a copy of Noel Noa, right?" There was no response from the orange-haired boy. "Well, we both lost to Shidou. We should've been out. So I'm glad you're here, and that we can fight again."

Upon seeing Chigiri hanging back slightly, Reo smiled, tilting his head towards Kunigami. Go to him. The boy was facing away from both of them. Reo held out a fist, tapping his shoulder before walking off. "Let's have a good game, yeah?"

And then it was Chigiri's turn. "Hopefully so."

He edged closer. "You know... you think you're changed, with all that edge-lord shit. You think you're so bad." Smiling a little, Chigiri sighed. "But I'm still gonna play like you're the same guy from before. How's that sound?"

Kunigami didn't answer for a few long seconds. And he didn't turn around, facing away from Chigiri. His head angled towards the floor, shoulders rising and falling with slow, measured breaths. He sucked in a deep breath.

"You'd better let go of the me of before. You sheltered little princess."

Chigiri just grinned. Call it ignorance, call it hope, he didn't care. He wasn't gonna accept Kunigami's new emo phase. "Keep talking. I'll wake you up, cynic hero."

They split apart, each heading to their own side of the field as the casters' voices rang out from above. Neither of them knew it, but at that very moment the pre-game show had concluded. Now, it was time for the actual game to start.

"Welcome to Bluelock TV, where the momentum never stops! We're your casters, Tereasa and Natsuki, and it's just about time for the third match to start!"

"I know you've been waiting for this! Manshine City are having their first game today, against Germany's Bastard Munchen! Will they show us the power of English soccer? Will Michael Kaiser continue his reign of terror with the Kaiser Impact? Or will up and coming Japanese star Isagi Yoichi kick up a storm?!"

"Well, we're about to find out!" Both teams took their positions, forming up on either side of the pitch. On a screen high above the field, a timer blinked to life, displaying 00:00 in huge green numbers.

"Dear viewers around the world... it's time for the Neo Egoist League's third match, Bastard Munchen against Manshine City! Kickoff in three... two... one...!"

An artificial whistle blew.

Kaiser passed to Ness.

The two teams shot off towards each other.

And on the sidelines, Y/N watched.

He was leaning back in his chair, eyes trained on the players as they immediately burst into action. His eyes were shadowed, dark bags hinting at lack of sleep. Apart from that, he looked the same as normal, with loose, relaxed shoulders, and a casual, endearing smile on his face.

But his hands were way more active than normal, tapping impatiently at his knees. Tap, tap, tap - and each time, his eyes grew a shade darker.

He hadn't slept much. Beating Kaiser had been the same as scoring a goal against Barcha - it'd just given him temporary respite. The thoughts were still there, plaguing him day upon day. You need to get stronger.

Training every day, he'd repeated it like a mantra in his head. He needed to get stronger. To win against Loki. To win against Snuffy. To win against Prince, Lavinho, and Noa. If he didn't, then this feeling of his wouldn't go away. This itch in his head wouldn't stop.

Y/N was terrified it would be there forever.

But, even as millions of people worldwide watched him on BLTV, cameras occasionally flickering to him, none of them could tell what he was thinking.

Lips parting slightly, he hummed under his breath, watching as predictably, Bastard Munchen formed up around Kaiser. As they pushed up the field, Ness and Grim traded passes with each other, each of them managing to keep the ball from Manshine midfielders. Kaiser as usual was rocketing upfield, Isagi just out of his field of view on his side.

As Kaiser approached a defender, Isagi dropped slightly behind him, imitating Kaiser's movements. Y/N was too focused on them to see Ness pass it, the ball going where Kaiser would be in a few seconds.

But Isagi sped up. He lunged forwards, leg extending to steal the ball right from Kaiser. With a quick trap, and a hop forwards, he thought he was in the clear. Y/N could see it in the sudden light in his eyes, the hope that he might be able to score.

Reo flew in from one side. It was a rough tackle, but a fair one nonetheless, Isagi nearly tripping over Reo's feet. Y/N read the purple-haired boy's lips from across the field. "You never change. Going after your teammates again, huh?"

The ball rose into the air slightly. As Isagi attempted to wrestle control back, Reo's arm shot out. He easily pushed Isagi away, spinning around him and leaving him far behind. Y/N made a small noise of appreciation. Are all Manshine players that strong? How strong is Prince then?

At a fast sprint, Reo headed downfield as Isagi made a poor attempt to follow. Ness was the next Bastard player to challenge him, scooting into his path with a small smile. Reo wasn't deterred - with a few seconds of dribbling, he managed to inch the ball to Ness's side. The two of them ran side by side, Reo kicking the ball forwards.

Then, it was like Y/N was back on the training pitch before the U-20 game. Sae stood in front of him, showing one of the easiest ways to get past a defender, with a counter dribble pattern. "Extend a leg to draw them in. What you're aiming for is for one of the defender's legs to shoot out, try to kick the ball away from between your feet."

On the field, Reo did exactly that. Ness did what any defender would, spotting an opening and trying to clear the ball. "Then, as their legs open, use your back foot to tap the ball through their legs. Not too much power. If you do, then likely one of their teammates will get it. Use your momentum to get past them before they can turn."

What the... Y/N's breath caught in his throat, as Reo perfectly imitated the actions Sae had done. Well, not perfectly, but as perfect as one could get from just watching online videos. He ducked under with the same grace as Sae, flowing right past Ness. He's incredible...

That wasn't it. Instead of passing, Reo continued on a rampage right down the centre of the field. He flicked the ball out wide to make it past Isagi, and turned his back to another Bastard player to shield the ball with sheer strength alone. A third player came at him, and again, he copied Itoshi Sae.

It was like his entire body changed, for that second. His muscles relaxed, his eyes sharpened, and he calmly lifted the ball right over the third player's outstretched leg. Y/N was too busy ogling to cheer. That's one crazy ability... sure, his copies aren't perfect, but they're damn good.

The goal box was rapidly filled with players. Defenders marked their respective counterparts. Yukimiya headed right for Reo.

Then again, when Y/N thought Reo didn't have any option but to pass, he found himself completely wrong. He made the motion of a pass with one leg, turning sideways to the goal like he was going to send it to a teammate. Instead of passing, though, he shot. The outside of his foot connected solidly with the ball.

That's Rin's outside spin shot! Again, Y/N had seen it before. Rin had done that against the Japanese U-20 team, scoring with a trivela-esque kick. Yet again, Reo had copied it to near perfection, the ball curving right for the top corner of the net.

In goal, Gagamaru crouched. He pushed off, showing incredible speed and jumping height as he leapt to the furthest corner. Arms stretching, shoulders straining, he barely managed to slap the ball aside. It bounced, being cleared by one of the defenders.

Y/N's brow furrowed, the smile faltering. That was amazing goalkeeping... Gagamaru is like a mountain goat or something...

And Reo too, copying Sae and Rin.

They were amazing plays. But Y/N couldn't help the bile that rose in his throat, the way he suddenly couldn't breathe. Because they were getting closer to him.

Why are they improving so fast compared to me?

At that moment in time, there were only two people in the world that could answer that question. One of them was heading up Ascension, and the second-

He was watching the game on a set of monitors, a cup of instant ramen in front of him and rectangle glasses high on his nose. A nametag was pinned to the usual black button up, reading Ego Jinpachi in big, silver letters.