16. Dust-Up and Glamor

"Zero..?"

Y/n looked at his arm in bewilderment. The chances of being ranked zero were second to none, unless Ego had planned for this...

He looked at the boy that had just entered the room and began to speak. "What's your rank?"

The boy looked at him, his teal eyes cold and his expression blank. "One."

Y/n's eyes went half-lidded and he grinned slyly, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride wash over him and drown him in a deep sea. He had been put on a pedestal once again. Made to feel like a king amongst the peasants that didn't even come close to his skill level.

"Form a team with me," the boy demanded. "I don't want a team full of lukewarm idiots. I want the best of the best."

Y/n laughed breathily. "M'kay, numero uno."

"We need another person, though," the boy stated and sat down near Y/n.

"Okay," Y/n said and stared at him. "Name."

"What?"

"Name."

The boy looked puzzled. "What?"

Y/n's brows furrowed. "Give me your name."

"Itoshi Rin."

Y/n's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, so you're Sae's little bro, right?"

Rin scowled. Y/n scowled too. They were glaring deep into each other's souls, as if trying to figure the other out just from what their eyes expressed. Y/n squinted, focusing directly on the constant dilation of Rin's pupils. Rin crafted multiple theories upon first glance all while embedding the multiple rumors of Y/n into his thoughts.

Rin was the first to look away. His face still showed a good deal of anger, and his body language also portrayed his irritation. Y/n grinned as he silently lauded his victory in their vexed staring contest.

He knew for sure that Rin was a controlling individual, but so was Y/n. The back and forth of battling for power between the two would surely have a big impact on their relationship as teammates.

One would surely make time to heed the duo's future plays on the pitch.

Y/n snickered a little and rested his body lackadaisically. He couldn't care less about the pair of eyes back on him. He smiled and leaned his head back, closing his eyes and bathing in the brief moment of respite before the automatic doors slid open again.

"Lying like that isn't glamorous at all!!" The person sounded utterly horrified.

Y/n opened his eyes a little, still blissfully smiling. "Huh?"

"Oh my..." The boy was now closer. "Those features, so symmetrical!! That hair...so luscious!!"

He was poking and prodding at Y/n's face and body while also carding his hands through Y/n's hair. His slender fingers squeezed Y/n's sides and he jumped a little.

"Such a beautiful figure! Model worthy!" He cupped his hands around Y/n's face. "Jyubei Aryu, it's pleasure to meet you."

Aryu continued to turn Y/n's head and vehemently inspect his body. From his shoulders to his forearms to his fingers, from his neck to his bust to his waist, Aryu looked over it all.

Y/n suddenly jerked his legs away. "Hands off the legs!"

Aryu's arms recoiled and he smiled nervously. "My apologies... I just couldn't handle seeing someone so glam..."

Rin suddenly spoke up. Blunt and leaving no room for argument. "Join my team."

"Your team!?" Y/n argued. "It should be my team since I'm the best player on it!!"

"Team Rin."

"Team Y/n!"

"Team Rin."

"Team Y/n!"

The two suddenly looked at Aryu and shouted simultaneously, "Who's name should it be??"

Aryu made it seem like he was pondering the options of the question he was asked. A finger touched his chin and he turned his head to the side dramatically.

The two leaned closer.

Aryu's finger left his chin as he looked directly at the boys in front of him and he spoke calmly, "Team Y/n."

Rin scowled, and Y/n smiled triumphantly. His eyes glistened as they filled with satisfaction.

Rin's body leaned aggressively and harshly against Y/n's, as if he were trying to shove him. Rin's eyes angrily locked onto Y/n's figure as the shorter boy retaliated with his own shoving. Y/n's grin never ceased. It was a clear attempt to rub salt in Rin's wound.

"Who's team is it?" Y/n teased, his voice gruff.

Rin just growled slightly and let up on the pushing. He dusted himself off and crossed his arms, turning away and moving to sit a few feet away from Y/n. "Not yours."

"Okay buddy, whatever you say," Y/n argued and turned as well, walking to another pair of sliding doors. "I think we're supposed to go through here after we've made a team."

As the door opened, Y/n peeked through curiously. His eyes darted around the room and landed on the copious chairs within the expanse. Aryu followed close behind, looking back to see that the previous area they were all in was devoid of the single row of seats it harbored.

Rin, of course, shoved his way through the door, causing Y/n to stumble forward slightly and sighed, quite annoyed at his petty behavior.

"Your transgressions are not admired," Y/n mumbled as he stood upright once more.

🥀🥀🥀

"Form a team of three?" Isagi wondered aloud. "Guess I'll just wait for Bachira."

"Aw, that's sweet," a familiar voice chirped.

Isagi jumped slightly. "Oh, Bachira!"

"The one and only." Bachira bounced on the balls of his feet. "Team with me? That leaves one person left that we need to choose."

Isagi nodded. "Kunigami or Chigiri would fill that spot just fine. I say we wait."

Bachira nodded in agreement until a monotone "Isagi" interrupted their conversation. It was...Nagi.

Isagi turned to face Nagi, raising a brow as a silent inquiry

"Join our team," Nagi demanded.

"What happened to 'hello,' 'how are you,' 'my name is'?" Bachira complained.

Isagi looked flummoxed. "I'm already in a team."

"Then I'll join yours." Nagi stepped closer.

"Nagi, you can't be serious..." Reo, who was behind Nagi, spoke with a slight tremble in his voice. "We were supposed to work together... You can't.. What are you... Why?"

Nagi turned his head to look at Reo. "I need to get stronger."

"But our dream...our-" Reo grit his teeth, a sigh escaping his lips. "Fine, do what you want."

And with that, Nagi joined Isagi and Bachira, leaving an upset Reo to wallow in his self-pity as they left for the sliding doors, leaving all the other contestants to figure out their team combinations.

They were met with an irate Y/n tugging angrily at Rin's hair, fistfuls bunched between his digits as he yanked harshly at the boy's locks.

"Take it back!" Y/n shouted. "You know I'm better than you."

Rin grabbed Y/n's wrists and squeezed, causing him to nearly let go.

"Get off." Rin argued.

"Take it back then." Y/n retorted.

Aryu didn't know what he was supposed to do, so he just sighed and watched from a horrifyingly close distance.

"Y/n," Nagi gasped. "Hey, Y/n, stop."

The boy Nagi called for paused his transgression, letting go of Rin's hair. "Oh, what're you gonna say to me next? 'This isn't like you, Y/n.. This isn't the real you'?"

Nagi shut his mouth.

"Match," Bachira whispered to Isagi, "we can start a match with them if you want."

Isagi nodded. "Nagi, do you want to play against them?"

Nagi nodded.

Isagi held up his hand and clasped it into a fist. "Play against us."

Y/n almost burst out laughing. "You aren't the main character buddy."

Isagi's face flushed. "Whatever, just play against us."

Y/n rolled his eyes and turned to his own teammates, raising a brow as his head tilted to the side. "Well? What do we think?"

Rin crossed his arms and looked to the side. "As long as they aren't lukewarm."

Y/n ran a hand down his face and groaned. "'Kay.. And you?"

Aryu posed dramatically. "I'll outshine them with my glam."

Y/n's lips tugged down, forming a deep frown. "Of course I get stuck with the strange ones.." He soon turned back and nodded.

"You've got yourself a deal."

Isagi smiled as his brows furrowed, fists clenched at his sides as he got all giddy inside.

Ego suddenly interrupted. "Hold on, before you begin, here's some information you need to keep in mind for the rest of the second selection. I'll summarize it. In soccer, there's a winner and a loser. The winner gets to choose a person from the loser's team to join their team; no objections allowed. The necessary amount of people to pass the second selection is five. But, you may be thinking, 'What'll happen if I keep losing?' Well, if you lose twice after forming a team of three, and you eventually become alone, you will be forced to lock off. Do your best to win, and keep yourself in Blue Lock at all costs. Only losers who aren't fit for Blue Lock have to leave. Either outperform your teammate on a team of two, or win. That's all. Good luck."

After Ego's whole spiel that absolutely none of them were engrossed in but all of them heeded, they went over to place their fingerprints on a pad to register their willingness to play. Each forefinger was placed delicately on a scanner as it put them onto the roster one by one. They all grabbed their respective colors. Team Red, and Team White.

'I don't care if they're ranked higher than me...'

Isagi was still smiling and looked at Bachira, who was grinning slyly. Nagi still had that same, bored look on his face like he always did.

'I wanna win, and make Y/n my teammate!'