Chapter 14 – Weapons

Team Z gathered in the middle of their sleeping room, discussing in detail what Ego had preached to them. They were now dressed comfortably in blue pajamas with black accents, sporting the Blue Lock project logo on their left chest and their player ranking on the upper left arm.

"My weapon is... dribbling," Bachira muttered sleepily, stretching as he spoke.

"My weapon is my incredible shooting technique!" Raichi boasted loudly, puffing out his chest. "And my motto is 'Sexy Football'!"

"Mine is... tackling, I guess," Gagamaru added with a shrug.

"I'm good at getting behind the enemy," Naruhaya said confidently, assured of his own strength.

"I'm more of an all-rounder," Iemon stated plainly.

"My left leg's shooting power," Kunigami said, though he was more despondent than before.

"Speed and technique," Imamura said, sounding self-assured.

"Mine is jumping power," Kuon chimed in, jotting down notes on everyone's strengths. "Next is... Isagi-kun?"

Isagi hesitated, feeling uncertain as everyone's eyes turned to him. "My weapon... uhh..." he trailed off, searching for an answer but coming up blank.

"If you can't name your weapon, then you're out. Next!" Raichi interrupted, dismissing Isagi without a second thought.

"Wait! I'll think of something!" Isagi pleaded, trying to buy time, but his teammates had already moved on.

"Okay, Isagi-kun is thinking. Next is... Chigiri?" Kuon continued, turning his attention to the next player.

"…I don't wanna say," Chigiri responded flatly, his face emotionless.

"What the heck! Just say it, man," Raichi snapped, growing impatient, but Chigiri remained silent, refusing to answer.

"Tch, let's just leave the selfish princess alone and move on," Raichi grumbled, clearly irritated.

Kuon nodded in agreement before turning to the final player on the team. "Kira, what about you?" he asked, expecting to hear from their highest ranker.

But as Kuon looked around, he realized something was off. "Wait... guys, where's Kira?"

The question snapped everyone out of their conversation as they all looked around the room.

"He's right! Kira's not here," Naruhaya exclaimed, noticing Kira's absence.

"Way to state the obvious, idiot," Raichi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Tch, that guy always goes off somewhere on his own. Remember the special training he set up? He wasn't there when we were called for that, either."

"Let's search for him," Kuon suggested, stepping up as the responsible one. "We can't be a full team if we're not together."

Everyone nodded in agreement and began searching for Kira, except for Bachira, who had already dozed off on his futon, snoring softly.

.

.

As the team searched for Kira, Kunigami found himself alone in a dimly lit hallway. His fist was pressed against the wall, trembling as he gripped it tightly. His mind was filled with the memory of his missed shot from their last game, the loud clang of the ball hitting the crossbar replaying over and over in his head.

"Pathetic," a dark voice echoed in his mind. Kunigami shook his head forcefully, trying to banish the self-doubt clawing at him.

"No!" he whispered, determined. "I'm gonna be a hero. I will be a hero." He repeated these words to himself like a mantra, breathing deeply to calm his racing thoughts. Slowly, he regained his composure, letting the tension melt from his body as he focused on his goal of becoming someone he could be proud of. After a few moments, Kunigami stood tall and resumed his search for Kira.

Before he could get far, Naruhaya appeared. "Hey, Kunigami! Kira's in the video room watching the match against Team X. Come on," he said.

Kunigami nodded silently, grateful for the distraction, and followed Naruhaya down the hallway to the video room.

.

.

Inside the video room, Kira sat alone, reviewing footage from their match. His eyes were glued to the screen, studying every move his teammates made, but mostly dissecting his own performance with critical scrutiny. This was a habit he had developed long ago. After every game, no matter how tedious or exhausting, Kira would always go over the footage. His coach's words echoed in his mind: "You can't improve if you don't find your mistakes and fix them."

"Hm... I can do that with fewer touches next time," Kira mumbled to himself as he paused the video, noting the improvements he needed to make. He reached for his phone to jot down his thoughts, but his hand grasped empty air.

"Oh, right," he sighed, remembering that his phone had been confiscated by Blue Lock's staff. They had introduced a reward system based on goals scored during matches, and Kira needed more points to reclaim his phone.

The Blue Lock project was designed to create the ultimate striker, and its reward system reflected that. Points were given for each goal scored, which could be exchanged for items or privileges. The list went as follows:

1 point for a beef sirloin steak or a massage. 3 points for retrieving your phone. 5 points for a luxury bed. 10 points for a one-day excursion outside of the facility.

"I need two more goals, then," Kira concluded, his determination solidifying as he sat back, preparing to watch the rest of the match footage.

The team filed into the video room, noticing Kira seated in the middle, deeply engrossed in watching their previous match. Several screens displayed individual players' movements, while a larger central screen showed an overhead view of the game. Seeing Kira's focus, the others decided to join him, settling down quietly to watch as well.

Breaking the silence, Kuon finally spoke up, asking the question that had been hanging in the air: "Kira-san, what is your weapon?"

Kira, slightly surprised, turned to Kuon with raised eyebrows. "My weapon?"

"Yes," Kuon clarified, "we're trying to learn each other's weapons so we can create a strategy to score more goals."

Kira immediately understood what Kuon was getting at. Basic self-reflection of potential, Kira thought to himself. After a brief pause, he responded, "My strongest weapon is vision and passing."

Kuon, taking notes, seemed puzzled. "Not dribbling?" he asked. "Since you dribbled past multiple defenders, I thought that would be your main weapon."

Kira dismissed the notion casually. "Nah, that's just a minor skill I trained so I can score by myself."

Isagi, listening nearby, was stunned. 'Minor skills?' he thought, dumbfounded by how Kira downplayed his ability to dribble past half of the opposing team.

Kuon shifted the conversation. "Anyway, I've been thinking about a strategy on the way here." His words grabbed everyone's attention as he began explaining a system in which they would rotate positions every ten minutes, giving each player a chance to showcase their weapon while others supported the forward.

"It's similar to our practice scrimmage," Kuon continued. "We can use this time to highlight our strengths, rotating clockwise so everyone gets a chance in different positions."

Imamura nodded in agreement. "I see… It's a fair system."

Naruhaya, however, had concerns. "What about the other positions? If we're all changing at once, it'll get chaotic, and it'll take time."

"We can shift into nearby spots, so the transition is smooth," Kuon clarified.

As the team discussed this strategy, Kira sat to the side, listening quietly. His mind buzzed with objections to the plan. To him, the constant shifting of players seemed overly complicated and would leave the team vulnerable to counterattacks.

Kira finally spoke up, interrupting the conversation. "You guys are making it too complicated," he said, halting the discussion. "Not to mention, it's confusing."

Kuon, slightly taken aback, asked, "What do you mean?"

"We're a new team," Kira explained, "and we don't know each other well yet. If we use this formation, we'll be running around like headless chickens during rotations. Putting players in unfamiliar positions is asking for trouble."

Isagi nodded thoughtfully. "We're all forwards, so we're already playing out of our roles."

Kira disagreed slightly. "Not necessarily," he said.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Kuon asked, challenging him to provide a better solution.

Kira stood up, walking toward the touchscreen on the left wall, where he could pull up player statistics, match data, and a layout of the field. With a few taps, he enlarged the field on the screen and began placing icons representing the players.

"Our goalkeeper is Gagamaru," Kira began. "He performed excellently in our match, and I don't think anyone doubts that."

The team murmured in agreement as Kira continued. "For center backs, I want Kuon and Imamura. Kuon can clear crosses into the box; he's undefeated in the air. Imamura can help control the line and support Kuon defensively, and Kuon can also act as an extra frontman during set pieces."

"The fullbacks will be Chigiri and Naruhaya. Naruhaya, you'll play aggressively, supporting the midfield and wingers in the buildup, since Chigiri tends to play more passively. You'll have the freedom to roam."

"For midfield," Kira continued, "Raichi and Isagi will be attacking midfielders. Their job is to stabilize the midfield and create passing routes for the wingers and forward. On defense, Raichi's stamina will help stop the opposition, while Isagi's knack for being in the right place at the right time will help solidify our defense."

He then addressed the wingers. "Kunigami on the right, and Bachira on the left. Simple enough. Any questions?"

The team sat in stunned silence, processing Kira's detailed explanation. His strategy was much more grounded, providing a stable offense and defense that utilized each player's strengths without the confusion of constant rotations. It was clear, structured, and maximized their potential as a unit.

They were in awe of how quickly Kira had crafted this plan after just one game. The team exchanged looks of admiration, all thinking the same thing: He already thought of a strategy to maximize our weapons in just one game.

Finally, Kuon broke the silence. "Where will you play?" he asked.

"I'll be playing in deep midfield," Kira responded. "Someone has to organize the defense, and I'll also participate in starting the offense. That leaves Iemon as the center forward."

The room remained quiet as everyone reflected on Kira's suggestions. Eventually, Chigiri spoke up. "I don't mind staying in defense. You guys can use your weapons freely."

This seemed to open the floodgates, and the rest of the team voiced their agreement, content with the formation and tactics Kira had outlined.