3.4. Putting On A Show (Part 3)

Noel Noa started in the middle with the ball.

Y/N sulked on the side, childishly way out of his supposed position on the left wing. Kaiser and Isagi were on the right side of the pitch, leaving Y/N alone on the left. I wanted to start with the ball, though...

"Y/N."

He looked up, seeing the ball rolling towards him. Huh? Noa passed? Uh... Y/N hesitantly received the ball, glancing towards the goal. He pointed towards it, miming an explosion and making a 'poof' noise with his lips. Can I score?

Noa was already sprinting down the field. He was fast - much faster than the average player. But still slower than Y/N. Dull yellow eyes stared at him. He shook his head.

Y/N sighed. I hate rationality. Noa was currently the best striker in the world. So obviously, it was more rational that Y/N should support him, in order for him to score as the best player. It would have the highest chance of succeeding.

A Barcha winger ran for him. Y/N sidestepped the charge, flicked the ball to the outside of his foot, and he passed. Straight to Noa, who was moving up the field at a frightening pace.

Noa halted for a second, frowning at the pass sent to his feet. He looked surprised - in fact, most of the players on the field did. Annoyance building inside Y/N, he darted down the side of the pitch. Hey, I know how to pass, you know!

Where Lavinho's dribble was all flair and show, Noa's was the polar opposite. He dribbled like a machine, like an AI - calculating the perfect route, updating it every time a defender moved, and executing each action with precision.

The only three players to keep up with him on the Bastard side were Y/N, Kaiser, and Ness. Ness linked up with Noa, sending him a long pass that spiralled straight through a gap between two enemy forwards. Noa instantly received it, holding a hand out midair to keep an enemy player away. And then he was off again.

He cut a hole straight through the centre of the enemy line, dribbling right past two more players. Y/N kept up with him along the side, keeping himself more or less level.

It paid off. The ball was sent flying low to Y/N's feet, with a lightning-fast pass. Y/N tapped it once, taking a few steps forwards. His entire body itched to score by himself, but he swallowed the feeling, forcing his leg to move.

Before the player marking him could do anything, Y/N sent it back. Again, there was a flicker of surprise on Noa's face - but he just kept powering forwards.

Noa passed right to Kaiser, using the time to duck around more defenders. Kaiser easily made it past one defender by himself, sending the ball right back in a fluid movement.

"Yeesh!" Lavinho sprang in front of Noa as the man received a ball. Two more Barcha defenders stood at his back, fanning out to completely block Noa's advance. He yawned wide. "I nearly fell asleep, that was so boring."

The three players charged forwards in a tight group. Lavinho went straight for a slide tackle. Noa leapt over it, easily keeping control of the ball midair. He faked a shot, causing both of the other defenders to jump forwards and block. Then, he swapped the ball from his right leg to his left leg.

Over the rest of the field, the Barcha team was in complete disarray. Yet, as Y/N continued to push forwards, marked only by one player on the far wing, he, Ness, Kaiser and Noa were in complete sync. Kaiser was mirroring Y/N's run down the side of the field, also marked by one player.

Noa could've scored. Y/N knew it, Kaiser knew it, Lavinho knew it. Just like Y/N, he was ambidextrous. His left leg could've easily made the shot.

Instead, he passed.

It was a choice between Kaiser on the right, and Y/N on the left. Both strikers had one player marking them. Both strikers were at similar angles to the goal. Both strikers wanted to score.

And the ball went to Y/N.

He didn't waste a second. A fake step to one side confused his opponent, and he sped up, moving faster than he had the entire game to breeze past. Then, when the ball hit his foot, he took a second to trap it properly.

Kaiser Impact... the fastest shot in the world. Hm...

Y/N's torso moved differently. He planted one foot into the ground, every muscle in his body tensing as instead of just shooting, he really focused on the way he shot. Not going for precision, but rather, raw speed.

Then with his left foot, he shot. His leg swung faster than he'd ever tried before, momentum carrying his entire body forwards for a second after he'd made contact. The ball rocketed forwards, the noise like a cannon firing.

It was in the back of the net before the goalkeeper even had a chance to move.

🥕🥕🥕

Unlike Bachira's goal or Lavinho's, none of his team congratulated him. Y/N jogged straight over to Noa, ignoring the casters' exclamations and analysis. "Hey."

Noa turned to him with the same serious face he always wore. Y/N was more than a little confused. "Why'd you pass to me? You were in the perfect place to score. And the most logical thing to do was for the best striker in the world to score, so why didn't you?"

Waiting patiently for Y/N to finish talking, Noa just shrugged. "It was a reward."

"Reward?"

"You did well. I'm pleasantly surprised."

"Huh?"

There was a silence. Y/N awkwardly glanced around. Noa's brow crinked. "What?"

"Did well in what?"

"Being rational."

"Oh. Cool." Y/N sighed. "It was just like- I just had to think what the percentage play was. What would be the best way to get a goal, not just my goal."

"You did it well." Noa complimented. "Your passes were on point. Your decision making was perfect. And for someone who barely ever works with a team, you did that well too. For that, you deserved a goal."

"Thanks... I guess?" Y/N hesitated. "Do I get to play on Bastard now?"

"In the future, yes. Only if you keep up the same logic you did today."

The buzzer rang from speakers mounted high on the walls. Y/N searched the walls for the cameras he knew were watching them, seeing absolutely nothing. "The Star Change System's three minutes are up. May Noel Noa and Lavinho return to their benches?"

He beckoned Y/N to the side. Y/N happily followed, content now that he'd secured himself more games in the future. In his place, Grim returned to his normal position, and Noa spoke to Kunigami.

"Get up, Kunigami Rensuke. You're subbing in for me."

At Kunigami's slightly surprised reaction, Noa challenged him straight on. "You think you can copy my movements after seeing them live? Copycat."

"Copycat?" Y/N hummed.

"It doesn't matter." Y/N hopping after Noa, the two of them left the field, Kunigami and Grim returning on. "You're free to leave, if you want. Neither of us are going on for the rest of the game."

Y/N considered it. Then he plonked himself right next to Noa on the substitutes' bench, leaning back and sighing. "I might as well watch. More camera time, the better."

He gazed out over the field. Two-two. The last goal will decide the winner. If he was honest, he didn't particularly care who won - it didn't mean anything to him now that he wasn't playing. Y/N was going to build up his value no matter what team he was on.

On the field, the game started. Bachira and Otoya immediately shot down the field, passing between them to fly right past Isagi. The two of them played off each other insanely well, trading passes between them.

Grim rushed straight at Bachira. The bumblebee just spun, doing a full one-eighty and completely avoiding him. He flicked the ball into the air, getting past Kunigami. But Ness came in from the side, managing to steal the ball away.

A perfect triple press... even accounting for Kunigami's erratic movements. And as soon as they get the ball, it takes the most efficient route upfield... Y/N observed, watching Ness fire a long pass all the way upfield. Kaiser was open. But he didn't get the ball.

Instead, Isagi intercepted it.

The defence were quick to press. Despite having stolen the ball off his own teammate, Isagi did fuck all. He hesitated between dribbling and shooting, and in the end, didn't manage to do either. One of the Barcha defenders came forward, blocking Isagi as he tried to wind up for a shot.

Y/N frowned. He pointed at Isagi, keeping his eyes on the ball as Grim managed to get a hold of it. "Noa."

"Yes?"

"Isn't that a mistake? It goes against your rationality stuff."

"Isagi's steal?"

"Yeah."

"You're right." Noa nodded once.

"So why don't you take him out of the game?"

"Hm." The master striker turned to Y/N, exhaling slowly. "He has potential. He's challenging Kaiser, maybe not to the same level as you, but still a challenge. And more than that, he is the perfect example of the 'ego' Bluelock is trying to cultivate."

"Huh?"

"Isagi Yoichi's thought processes all revolve around his goal. He uses other people unconsciously, he manipulates both team and enemy, and he truly believes that his goal is the only way forwards. And while that may inspire irrationality sometimes..." Noa gestured to Isagi, who was now running around like a headless chicken trying to get a pass. "I do want to see how Bluelock interacts with the wider world."

"But he's throwing the game." Y/N bluntly replied. "Don't you want to win?"

"I do." There was a pause. In the silence, Grim passed the ball way across the field. It bypassed Kaiser, and would've gone straight to Ness. But yet again, Isagi flew out of nowhere, stealing another of his teammate's passes.

"It's an investment." Confused, Y/N glanced at Noa. "At the start of Bluelock, all stats say Isagi was one of the worst players. But he's grown incredibly fast - and this growth is even faster when he's playing against stronger opponents. The more games he plays, the stronger he'll get. And therefore, the more games we'll win later down the line."

Is he really that good at improving? Y/N stared at him, watching Isagi dribble forwards. He faked a shot, managing to get past Bachira. I mean... he's definitely changed.

"Y/N."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to give you a warning." With a gaze colder than ice, Noa locked eyes with him. Y/N shivered instinctively. "If you don't improve, sooner rather than later Isagi Yoichi may become stronger than you. Not just him, either. Everyone from Bluelock is improving at record pace."

Y/N chuckled. "That's impossible." He tried to brush it off, but uneasiness twisted in his gut at just how serious Noa looked.

"If you want to think that, sure..."

On the field, Kaiser shot forwards, into the optimal spot for a goal. Defenders followed after him, but a step too late. He had a practically free goal.

Yet, Isagi didn't pass to him. He didn't follow Bastard's unwritten rule, choosing the irrational option of sending the ball past Kaiser. Y/N relished the surprised look on both Kaiser and Ness's face as the ball went straight to Kunigami.

Kunigami didn't waste the opportunity.

He fired it forwards with his left leg. It was a powerful, fast, straight shot, right into the top corner of the net. Two defenders were midway trying to stop him, but he brushed them off like ants. Noa inhaled sharply. For what reason, Y/N didn't know.

In any case, with that, the game was over.

Noa spoke quietly, finishing his sentence.

"But for your sake, I hope it doesn't happen."