9. Team X

After Y/N had cleaned up, eaten a quick meal, and changed into his Bluelock uniform, he was fully awake.

The uniform seemed to fit him a lot better than it had on the first day - maybe it had been altered while he was sleeping, but it clung to him like a second skin, allowing him to move completely freely. On top of that, all of them wore a blue vest over it with a Z stamped on the back.

"So, who are we up against?"

Team Z was walking through a dimly lit corridor, made of the same monotone grey material as the rest of the building was. It was quite cramped, with everyone walking together, and they walked in mostly twos and threes.

Y/N was up at the front of the group, but paused, putting his back to the wall and counting off every player in his head as they went past.

Iemon - A nice enough guy, seems quite calm. Offered to play goalie, so he's automatically cool.

Naruhaya - Quite annoying actually, but at least he doesn't annoy me. He mostly goes for Gagamaru.

Kuon - Very calm, seems to notice everything around him. Maybe a good friend to have.

Igarashi - How the hell did he get into Bluelock?

Raichi - I'm pissed that he woke me up by trying to shake me to death. Screams a lot.

Gagamaru - Doesn't talk much, but I think he's gentle. Kind of like a caveman...

Chigiri - Even though the first time we met was on the coach, it's like I've known him for a while. He's been really kind to me, and also the veggies I traded with him were tasty.

Kunigami - I think he's mad at me for shooting at him in the tag game. But I think other than that, he's a nice guy.

Bachira - Probably my second best friend here behind Chigiri. He's a bit strange, but he's really fun to mess around with.

Isagi - He's probably the shyest person here. But he's friends with Bachira and Chigiri, so he can't be too bad.

Bachira stood by him, watching the other players go past. "We're playing Team X. But it looks like we're here first..."

He smiled at Y/N. "I'm happy I get to play with you! I bet you're going to score a hat-trick in the first half." He sounded completely sincere, and Y/N just grinned back.

"Don't get your hopes up!" He chirped. "Besides, if you score a hat-trick then I won't need to."

Bachira tossed a casual arm around Y/N's waist, and with the smaller boy leaning into the bumblebee, they headed out onto the pitch. Everyone else was doing stretches, throwing glances at the tunnel on the other side of the pitch.

It was completely boxed in. The ceiling was extremely high up, and floodlights from every corner of the room lit up the field. The goals were already set up, and the field looked like it was astroturf instead of grass, which made sense considering the indoor soccer boots they all wore.

A few of Team Z looked at them strangely, as Y/N's laughter rang out loudly. Bachira had tickled his side, causing Y/N to squirm in his arms uncontrollably.

He broke away, trying to escape Bachira, but he was caught as Bachira tickled under Y/N's arms, laughing alongside the smaller boy as the pair collapsed to the ground. Y/N couldn't stop giggling, drawing his knees up to his chest and rolling as Bachira attacked him.

When Bachira had stopped, Y/N looked up at him from where he lay on the floor with slightly teary eyes from laughing so much. "What was that for?!"

Bachira just smiled. "It's always good to laugh before a game. If we laugh and have fun, we'll win."

Y/N hopped to his feet. That's not a bad philosophy, actually. And it definitely fits Bachira. He took Bachira's wrist, leading the bumblebee back to the rest of Team Z as they continued their stretches.

Stretches were difficult. Especially the ones with his arms. But luckily, he'd barely done five before murmurs arose from the rest of his teammates.

"Hmm?" Y/N glanced up with wide eyes. He looked towards Chigiri first, who just gestured discreetly to the other side of the pitch with a finger.

Team X was walking onto the field, wearing white vests over the Bluelock uniform. They looked as nervous as Y/N's own team did, maybe with the exception of one player at the front of the team. Y/N's eyes narrowed, and he scanned over each of the players, looking at their strides, their facial expressions, and their build.

Again, none of them looked like anything special, except for the same one player.

His eyes were a sharp crimson, his hair stuck up into a point that sort of looked like a crown, and from the way he held himself, each step being measured, calm, and powerful, he looked a level above the rest. Y/N tilted his head with mild interest, eyeing the tall boy across the field.

What an interesting player... maybe he is somewhat competent?

🥕🥕🥕

"Building Five's first game will be a half match lasting 45 minutes. All fouls and game events will be called by automated VAR." The voice came from all corners of the room, a robotic female voice. "This game - Team X against Team Z."

Y/N looked around his own team. He'd been bullied into going into defence by his teammates, who were spread out throughout the field in front of him.

He knew it didn't matter where he was placed, though, unless it was the goalkeeper. Ego Jinpachi had found a way to turn every single player on the field into a version of Gagamaru, with their egos being the only thing present on the field.

Y/N knew that in the end, everyone would be running to score for themselves. Who would come out on top? Well, it was obvious just by looking at the players assembled in front of them.

"Kickoff." The robotic voice said. A shrill whistle echoed through the air, and just like that, the match had started.

Isagi held possession of the ball, slowly working his way forwards. Y/N didn't really know what he was doing - three enemy players were running headfirst towards him, and there was no way Isagi planned to get through them all, right?

Of course he doesn't. Y/N watched as Raichi slunk up behind Isagi, stealing the ball from right underneath his feet. The blond boy seemed oddly focused, but pulled the ball back, shouting something at everyone else.

Kunigami went barrelling in a moment after, and then the three enemy players reached the line.

Smirking a bit, he watched as more and more players piled into the tight space, the ball lost in a forest of legs as they tried to take it for themselves. Y/N would've been one of those guys before, but he knew that he could score as many goals as he wanted if he tried. So it was alright for him to just sit back and watch.

"Wait, Chigiri?" He spotted the pink-haired boy standing across from him, also in a defensive position. "Why aren't you joining them?"

"I wouldn't be able to do anything anyway." Since arriving on the pitch, he'd looked oddly despondent, and Y/N walked slowly over to him. He placed a hand on the taller boy's shoulder, forcing him to look Y/N in the eyes.

"Are you sure?" It was a bit confusing. Chigiri was definitely meant to be in Bluelock. Even though Y/N hadn't seen him play, he definitely knew it. So why does his ego seem so deflated? Why is he so defeated?

"I-"

He didn't get the chance to say anything. A groan of pain, a dull sound of boot hitting a leg, and a shout of alarm rang out. Then like that, everyone was yelling with anger and fear as a boy came thundering out of the melee, with the ball in his sole possession.

"Shit, Y/N!" Chigiri's eyes widened, and he pointed at the centre of the field. Genuine terror laced his voice, and Y/N grinned as he saw who had the ball.

Oh, so he is somewhat good.

As expected, it was the red-eyed boy. He approached Isagi at a sprint, towering over the unfortunate lone player. Isagi attempted a tackle, but with a flick of his foot, the ball was flying over his head.

"Sorry, Kuon! He's headed your way!" Isagi yelled over his shoulder, trying to follow after the red-eyed boy. It wasn't much use, though, as he was currently running down the field at top speed towards the goal.

Y/N raised a hand to cover his smile, walking slowly forwards as Chigiri jogged ahead. The princess doubled up with Kuon, who'd fallen back from the scuffle in the centre of the field, and they approached the red-eyed boy as a pair.

"Hmm..." As Y/N strolled forwards, the red-eyed boy feinted to the right. Kuon extended a leg, trying to match the tall boy's strides, and got nutmegged through the gap in his legs.

The same happened to Chigiri a moment after, as the other striker drew him in with long strides. Chigiri hadn't put in a lot of effort, only trying a half-hearted tackle, and the boy had sent the ball rolling straight between his legs.

And then it was just Y/N between him and the goal.

Blinking innocently, Y/N just watched the imposing figure of the Team X ace run at him. He was probably a head and a half shorter, and practically looked like a child next to the other boy's muscled body.

The boy attempted to bait Y/N out, using the exact same strategy that had worked on Chigiri and Kuon. When he didn't take the bait, he'd tried to just run past Y/N.

Sighing under his breath, Y/N diligently followed, preventing the striker from going any further. He was practically moving in slow motion compared to Y/N. "And here I was, thinking you'd actually be a challenge."

The other striker's red eyes narrowed, and between heavy breaths he spat out a few words. "What the hell... did you say to me... you retard?"

"You heard me." Y/N just smiled coolly at the other boy. With a burst of speed, he was up in front of him, his foot just gently tapping the ball out of the other's control.

Even though Y/N could do anything he wanted with the ball now, he only moved it a few centimetres. He met the suddenly worried red eyes of the enemy, trying to send a message as he briefly took control. I can do anything I want, now. So be grateful I'm returning the ball to you.

He 'accidentally' hit the ball with a second foot, pushing the ball back into the other boy's full possession. Y/N hadn't forgotten his original plan; if he somehow managed to tackle a guy that had gotten past three others, it would attract too much attention.

And attention was the last thing he wanted. For now at least.

The enemy striker took the ball without another word, continuing his sprint towards the goal. When he was still a good distance away, he drew back his right foot, launching the ball high into the top corner.

As he was scoring, Y/N caught sight of the player tag, on the side of his Bluelock uniform. The material of the vest just barely didn't cover it, and as soon as he'd registered what it showed, he burst out into laughter.

The ball thudded to the floor, bouncing twice on the ground. Everyone stared.

They stared at the player Y/N now knew was called Barou Shoei, who had spun around to glare at Y/N with a terrifying intensity. They stared at the ball, motionless at the back of Team Z's goal. And they stared at Y/N, as he doubled over, clutching at his stomach as his laugh filled the air.

It wasn't a normal laugh. He was laughing so hard tears were starting to fill his eyes, laughing without a hint of actual humour. If the people watching him would be honest, he sounded completely and utterly insane.

"Don't fuck with me!" Barou surged up to Y/N, grabbing the smaller boy's shirt and lifting him into the air. "Who do you think you are, toying with me?"

Y/N wiggled his eyebrows, completely unfazed by Barou staring him down. "What, did I do something?" He was grinning widely, and everyone on the field was watching the two.

Continuing to laugh, he knew he'd put Barou in a tough situation. If he admitted that Y/N gave him the ball back, he'd just look like a fool. Like the goal wasn't his to begin with. And if he stayed silent, then Y/N technically got away scot-free.

Barou chose the latter, dropping Y/N while shooting him a hateful glare.

Meanwhile, Y/N's giggles slowly petered out as he ran out of breath. "That guy is only ranked 250th?" He'd suspected there was something fishy going on, but seeing the huge jump in skill only confirmed it.

The rankings weren't accurate, at all. Y/N knew most people in this Bluelock place would be shit, and that guy demolishing three of his team only proved it. There was no way he was ranked so low, so the overall rankings were either completely random, or had been manipulated somehow.

"Y/N?" A few of Team Z approached him cautiously, keeping their eyes on him. "What was that?"

He took a deep, calming breath, and then looked up at them with his signature welcoming smile.

"Oh, nothing. Shall we continue the game?"