Proyect: Bland King - Ayanokouji Kiyotaka en Blue Lock

Isagi: (Bachira's weapon is his dribbling. It's a solo tactic where he gets up the field as far as he can on his own. It's an egoistic tactic only available to someone who's weapon is overwhelming.)

Easily passing through 3 defenders, Bachira made his way closer to the goal. 

???: Make it a two-on-one!

???: Don't let him through. 

Two defenders stuck onto Bachira like glue. His dribbling could get him past one but they took good angles and now Bachira was stuck and swarmed.

Bachira: Will two be enough? I'm coming through. 

Sensing there was someone trying to steal the ball from behind, Bachira dribbled the ball away from the sneaky defender. 

He wore the number 7 shirt and had hair covering his eyes. It was a striker by the name of Niko. 

Niko: There are three of us. I've done my homework on your dribbling. 

Bachira: You're not bad, Mr. Bangs. In that case, I'll pass it back. 

Passing it over to Ayanokouji, he took the ball and passed a defender, hitting a powerful dart pass to Kunigami, giving him his favored mid-range shot. 

Ayanokouji: (They're trapping Bachira because they know about his dribbling. It seems they've done their research on all of us.) 

Kunigami: Nice, Ayanokouji. 

In one swift motion, Kunigami shot the ball with his left canon only for two defenders to stick out their legs, deflecting the ball away.

Kunigami: Damn.

Each player in Team Y coordinated the defense from their positions, even the goalkeeper. 

Isagi: (They couldn't have improvised this. They're also working with a plan. And why wouldn't they be? Just like us, if they lose they're out.)

Igarashi: Bachira, go again!

Ayanokouji: (Their tactics revolve around being extremely defensive. This can only mean one thing: they value their counterattack high. We shouldn't keep pressuring them up front.)

Ten minutes passed so it was time for the next striker, Kunigami. Ayanokouji shifted to the right and took the right midfielder position. 

Raichi, with the ball, passes to Kunigami who's once again open in the middle. 

Ayanokouji: (Kunigami's power shot is useless if two defenders are constantly standing in the way of its trajectory.)

For the second time, it was blocked by the same two defenders. Their defense appeared incredibly impenetrable.

The ball went out of bounds closer to the middle. Chigiri threw the ball back into play to Bachira. 

Niko: Eliminate the space between their number 9 and number 8. 

Isagi: (Okawa is being so quiet. He's the only one not defending. But what is he waiting for?)

Ayanokouji eyes widened. 

Ayanokouji: (I see. The reason why Okawa is the only person not defending and why they're all defending so well...)

Kunigami once again received the ball from Bachira and tried the shot for a third time only to get it blocked. But this time, the ball dropped down right next to Niko who controlled it.

As soon as Niko controlled the ball, Okawa ran up the pitch.

Isagi: (Crap, this is why...)

Niko: (This is what I've been waiting for.)

Ayanokouji: (They were trying to find a gap in the 'armor.' With Okawa running through the seam, he could get an easy pass from that striker.)

Okawa: What took you so long, Niko?

Isagi: (Crap, I'm out of position. I can't stop him...)

Ayanokouji: And here I thought you were a little quicker. 

Okawa: What?

Sprinting at full speed, Ayanokouji reacted to their counterattack, firmly arriving in between Niko and Okawa's connection. He kicks the ball away and it zips past the unsuspecting Igarashi right to... Niko once again.

Niko: I won't have it deflected again. 

He sends another pass, this time a lob. Since Ayanokouji already moved forward towards his position, he didn't have enough time to catch Okawa again. 

He had a good first touch in the box and hit the ball through the net. 

***Team Y {1} - Team Z {0}***

Okawa: Yeah!

???: Nice shot!

???: There's the first goal!

Isagi: (They were looking for an opening to use Okawa's outstanding shooting.)

Ayanokouji: (Okawa finished an easy chance. He's not the problem. I know what I need to do. I need to neutralize...)

After another few minutes or so, the first 45 minutes ends at [1] - [0]. Despite pressing forward, team Z hasn't registered a shot on target. And with Raichi having the ball for the final 10 minutes, Niko's team held the ball for the majority of it. 

The team went inside their locker room for their 15 minute break until the second half resumed. 

Raichi: Are you shitting me?! Get the ball back, god damn it! They had possession for the whole of my ten minutes!

Naruhaya: You say that, but what do we do if we try to win it, fail, and Okawa ends up with it?

Raichi: Huh?! But we're going to lose at this rate! If we lose, we're done! Don't you get that?!

Naruhaya: But if they score another, we've as good as lost, too! Think about it!

Igarashi: Stop fighting. I heard that even pros have trouble against an ultra defensive team. 

Chigiri: But, you know, is this plan going to even work? What's the point of having a formation with terrible weapons highlighting the forward position? Why can't we just have Kunigami and Bachira remain as striker since their weapons are they only ones that are making a dent on their defense. 

Raichi: And you're calling mine useless?!

Kuon: Our attacks are not useless. The formation we trained with and worked on will help us win this game. It's our best course of action!

Isagi: (Damn, do we really have a chance at winning like this?)

With this, 15 minutes had passed and they now had to return to the pitch. 

Ayanokouji walked over to Gagamaru since he would be the striker in their next formation to start the half. 

Ayanokouji: Gagamaru. 

Gagamaru: Hm?

Ayanokouji: I'm going to send you a pass. Use your agility and tall frame to score a header. 

Gagamaru: Fine by me. 

...

...

...

Right now, the formation has Gagamaru as the striker and Ayanokouji as the center midfielder. With Team Y getting the ball first, they began passing it around. 

Ayanokouji: (They're playing incredibly defensive ever since their goal. Their tactic is similar to 'parking the bus.' Retaining possession and coordinating with each other will make it impossible to breach their defense. The best counter is simple. We just need to press.)

Team Z, as soon as the half began, initiated their press. Niko coordinated with the rest of the team and continued to pass the ball around, almost rendering the press useless. 

But Niko didn't account for one thing. And that was one individual who already saw his impact and has made moves to stop it and another whose on the precipice of finding for himself. 

The first person to break through Niko's adjustments, was Ayanokouji. 

A pass went to Niko's feet but it was instantly stolen by Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji: (You inhabit the shadows just like me, don't you, Niko?)

Zooming past Niko, he called for a defensive adjustment to take into account Ayanokouji's speed and power as he ran through the middle of the field. 

Ayanokouji scanned his surroundings and saw Gagamaru moved forward as soon as he stole the ball. Niko chased after him from behind and his support came from both sides. 

Ayanokouji: (Based on his height, reach, speed, and reflexes, that is where I need to place the ball.)

A target point right in the middle of the air appeared in his mind and Ayanokouji hit the ball straight through the middle. 

Some defenders extended their legs and tried to use their heads, but the ball swerved with sheer finesse, away from their range. It dropped down towards Gagamaru beautifully and he contorted his body to head the ball into the goal. 

But the goalkeeper was quick to react and he saved the shot, hitting the post and going out of bounds for a corner kick. 

Gagamaru: Dam, I'll try it again. 

Bachira: Nice pass, Ayanokouji. 

Ayanokouji: Now's hardly the time for compliments. You're up to take the corner. 

Isagi: (That was amazing. This will work. We got this!)

However, as he was thinking about Gagamaru's ability, he felt the same sensation he experienced in the first half: an ominous black presence in the back. 

Isagi: (What was that? Was it Okawa? Wait... now that I think about it, this chance might turn into a disaster if they get the ball and counter off this corner.)

As Bachira lined up the corner, Isagi finally had an epiphany. 

Isagi: (Oh... I see... the person ruining our chances, the one who's been calling the shots and fitting killer passes to Okawa...)

Bachira passed the corner inside and it got hit away by a defender. 

Ayanokouji: (They'll begin their counterattack now.)

Kuon: Oh, no! We sent to many strikers up front! If they get the ball to Okawa-

In a flash, Isagi materialized right in front of Niko, who was about to receive and control the ball from the misplaced header, and trapped the ball with his chest. 

Isagi: (The uneasy premonition I felt was coming from the beating heart of Team Y. That's you, Niko!)

Seeing an open space, Isagi shot the ball but the goalkeeper blocked it and it was displaced in the air.

Isagi: (Damn! We need to score this chance!)

Ayanokouji: (I don't have the time to find the preferred angle of my shot. Instead, I'll let my body move on its own and my mind can catch up soon after. I've gained some soccer IQ. I'll give it a try. This is a chance for another goal. A better goal.)

His eyes widened completely and he pushed past multiple players to position himself perfectly underneath the ball. Jumping off the ground, he dwarfed everyone else as Ayanokouji's real vertical jump he's kept from his team... is 46 inches. 

At this height, time seemed to stop and finally his mind came up with the perfect angle. He moved his body accordingly and spun his right leg around to nail... a bicycle kick. 

Hitting the ball right in the middle at his elevated state, it smashed right into the ground and because of the sheer power, bounced upward and through the keepers hands, straight inside.

They were now level. 

Ayanokouji once again took another step out of the darkness and into the light known as soccer, even if he didn't know for sure what exactly transpired. 

***Team Y {1} - Team Z {1}***

Everyone: GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Naruhaya: Hell yeah! We caught up!

Raichi: We're level! Let's go! (Wait! Why am I celebrating Ayanokouji's second goal? Damn it all.)

Bachira: The scores are even now. 

Kuon: That was amazing Ayanokouji! I didn't know you could jump that high!

Naruhaya: Not bad, man!

Igarashi: Eh, guys. He's still on the ground. 

Since he jumped so high off the ground without properly controlling himself, he smashed right into the ground and rolled over. 

Isagi: Ayanokouji!

Running over to him, Ayanokouji held his hand out and got up. 

Ayanokouji: I'm fine. I just landed on my face and got a nose bleed. 

Little hints of blood dripped down his nose. 

Ayanokouji: (Why did I risk my body like that, for this? This isn't like me. Am I changing? No, it doesn't matter now. The score is level and I have a second goal. That's good for now.)

Isagi: If you say so. You really hit your head pretty hard. 

Ayanokouji: There's still 20 more minutes in the game. Just keep doing exactly what you're doing. You don't need me to tell you.

Isagi nodded. 

Isagi: Load and clear. Let's do it!

Niko: You two caught on pretty well. Without your efforts, we could have countered and killed the game. 

Isagi: Forget about the past. I won't let you run free now that I know what you can do. 

For the next 18 minutes of the game, Team Z continued using their different formations but it was all for naught. Despite Isagi intercepting and guarding Niko like a hawk, any time they managed an attack, it fell apart. The defense they were facing was too great. 

In the final minutes of the game, the formation changed to Ayanokouji as the striker. Working through the middle, Isagi passed to Igarashi and he in turn passed it through to Bachira but it got intercepted by team Y. 

Isagi: (I just need to keep doing what I'm doing. If I stop Niko here, it gives us a better chance to score.)

Niko: You all heard Ego's speech about 'taking up your weapon' too, right?

Isagi: What about it?

Niko: It got me thinking... 'What is my weapon?' Everyone here at Blue Lock has incredible talent. There's no way I can outperform Okawa-kun when it comes to shooting. But I can't afford to lose. I can't run fast, and I don't have much of a physique. So my weapons to survive this place are: my eyes that can accurately read the situation on the field, and my brain that excels at coordinating with people. You may manage to stop me, but you can't defeat my ideas. 

Isagi: (What does that mean?)

Now with one minute left, everyone ran forward and only two defenders stayed back. Team Z desperately wanted a win because a tie wouldn't be enough. 

Raichi: There's no time left! Get the ball!

Niko: One minute left. It's almost time. For our last resort. It's a revenge tactic we only use when we're tied and completely hemmed in. The go-sign is Okawa picking the ball up in his own half. 

Ayanokouji: (A full counter. This is what they wanted from the start. I already see the entire team shifting their attention forward. They are going to go for a goal. But since I'm a striker, I'm too far up the pitch to go back in time. This is where I rely on the only other person to find Niko out. Isagi, you can do it since the two of you think alike.)

Niko: And unlike the first 89 minutes, it won't be Okawa-kun going on a solo run. In the last minute... the whole of team Y joins the attack. 

In one sudden rush, the entire team Y run up the pitch and thread passes to one another, shredding the non-existent defense. 

Niko: We call it, the 'One-Time Kill Counter.'

Isagi and the others ran back to defend. 

Isagi: (Crap, they tricked us. We committed too many to the attack. Our defense is exposed. If they score right now... we'll lose!)

His eyes became dazed and concentrated. It's almost like... he finally grasped the essence of his ability. 

Raichi and Igarashi panickily ran after the sprinting team Y. 

Raichi: Stop him!

Igarashi: Get back! Get back!

Naruhaya: Someone stop them! Last defender! It's up to you. 

Chigiri still remained in defense but he was really just a placeholder at this point. One pass to Niko left him alone with the keeper in a 2v1 situation. 

Ayanokouji: (A smart counter. But it's already doomed to fail.)

Niko dribbled closer and closer to the goal where Lemon was having an internal crisis. 

 Lemon: If I don't save this, my... no, all of our careers end here. I'm going to save this, no matter what!

But instead of shooting it, Niko instead passed it to an open Okawa. 

Lemon: Eh?! Okawa?

Raichi, Igarashi, and Naruhaya: It's over! We're screwed!

Another flash occurred, one that even Niko seemed totally shocked by. It was Isagi, who managed to steal the pass midway and control it. 

Isagi: It's here, isn't it, Niko? This is the place that smells most like the goal. 

Niko: Huh?

Isagi: You and I are alike. We have the same eyes and we think the same. So rather than taking the shot yourself, you passed it to Okawa so he could finish us off. I win Niko. You chose to pass at the very last moment, which means... you're unfit to be a striker. 

Kicking the ball up towards the middle of the pitch, Isagi's pass landed right into the feet, of Ayanokouji. 

Okawa: SHIT, THEY'RE COUNTERING! GET BACK! STEAL THE BALL!

Isagi, in his daze, ran up the pitch at top speed, going past Raichi, Kunigami, Igarashi, Naruhaya. He was hellbent on one thing: a goal.

Isagi: (I chose to pass rather than taking the shot myself in the past, then we lost and I cried. I don't need that version of myself anymore. I want to win! Now is the time to be reborn!)

Ayanokouji: Nice pass, Isagi. 

Running up the middle of the field, Ayanokouji had two defenders on both sides of his body. 

???: Foul him if you have to! Just stop him!

Ayanokouji looked to his right and saw the sprinting Bachira. Gagamaru ran up ahead using his agility and Isagi dashed through player after player. 

Ayanokouji: It's your turn, Bachira. 

Bachira received Ayanokouji's pass.

Bachira: Duly noted. 

Two defenders started running in Bachira's direction. 

???: STOP HIM!

???: Come on!

Bachira decelerated and used his momentum to flick and curve the ball to the left, right past the first defender and he followed that up with another ankle breaker.

Now running on open field, Bachira scanned the penalty box area. If he didn't release the ball soon, more help was going to suffocate him. He stuck out his tongue in his own dazed state. 

Bachira: I'll leave the rest to you. 

He centered a beautiful lob pass into the box to which Gagamaru thought was a little low. He leapt and tried to score a header but instead hit his head on the dirt. 

Igarashi: Ah! He missed it!

Bachira: No, I never passed it to him in the first place. My pass was meant for...

Bachira: ...number 11. 

Isagi ran the full extent of the pitch and positioned himself perfectly in the box. The ball bounced off the ground and into his range. 

Niko: wh...

Okawa: How did he even get there?!

Kunigami: Go. 

Bachira smiled widely. 

Bachira: Score it, you egoist... Isagi Yoichi!

Isagi: I'm... a striker.

Hitting the ball perfectly through the middle, his volley shot with such power that the keeper had no chance and it smashed through the net in the top left corner. 

***Team Y {1} - Team Z {2}***

Everyone: GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Igarashi jumped on Isagi's back, with Naruhaya, and Kuon congratulating him. 

Ayanokouji: That was a fantastic goal. 

Speaker: Time's up. Team Z wins Blue Lock Building 5's fourth match, 2-1. 

Everyone celebrated at the win. 

Bachira: Nice one!

Igarashi: Nice! Nice, Isagi!

Despite the amount of praise and rightfully so, Isagi didn't shout or cheer at his goal. He walked past his entire team in a move that made even surprised Ayanokouji. 

Ayanokouji: (That's too much. Isagi, there truly is much more than meets the eye when it comes to you, genius.)

He passed by Team Y's players that were all crying and sobbing on the ground. With this, they were effectively taken out of Blue Lock and would now have to fight for the top goal scorer. 

Isagi: (I... crushed the dreams of these eleven people. My goal did this.)

Looking down at Okawa, Isagi could only see the scowl on his face as he continued forward towards the crying Niko. 

He stopped right next to Niko and just stood there. 

Isagi: (So this is what it means to win.)

Niko got up from the ground but stayed on his knees. He looked up at Isagi with tears streaming down his eyes, that were now visible. 

Isagi: (Huh? What is this feeling?)

Watching this encounter from his surveillance room, Ego smiled widely. 

Isagi: (It feels so good!)