Chapter 3: The days before the match...

DAY 3: TRAINING ROOM

-3rd POV-

Team Z was gathered in the training room, engaging in weightlifting exercises. At the bottom of the barrel was Igarashi, with Isagi Yoichi not far behind. Meanwhile, Izuku Midoriya effortlessly lifted the weights, seemingly capable of doing so all day.

BEEP! A sound rang out, and the monitor screen changed to display "RUNNING TEST."

Isagi and Igarashi stepped onto the treadmills. Igarashi appeared to be barely hanging on, struggling for every breath. Raichi let out a mocking roar, "Isagi! Igaguri! How can you talk about becoming the world's greatest striker looking like that? You mere mortals should go home before I make you cry!"

"Shut up!" Isagi huffed, determined to stay focused on the task at hand. Igarashi didn't even bother to reply; overwhelmed by nausea, he vomited and fell off the machine. Isagi glanced to his side and saw Izuku still running at 20 kmph, as if it were child's play for him.

Isagi eventually stepped off the treadmill, hunching over and panting. A long-haired boy named Kuon, who had been introduced earlier, slowly approached him. He held out a bottle and asked, "Isagi, do you want some water?"

"Thanks, Kuon," Isagi gasped, trying to calm himself down. The words "JUMPING TEST" flickered on the screen. "Ready, go!" Isagi and Kuon jumped simultaneously.

Kuon - 68cm

Isagi - 60cm

Isagi was taken aback. "Oh, hell. This guy's super athletic too," he thought to himself, comparing himself to others. Kuon also noticed the difference and asked, "Isagi, are you not at your best today?" Isagi stumbled to find a reply, realizing that he had achieved his best score. Especially when he compared himself to Midoriya, while others excelled in one or two aspects, Midoriya surpassed everyone with his remarkable stamina, running the longest and jumping about 85cm.

BUILDING 5: CAFETERIA

In the cafeteria, rice and miso soup were served to everyone, but the side dish varied based on their rankings. Isagi's face contorted in hilarious disgust as he laid eyes on the natto on his plate. "Huh, natto. Must be nice," commented Igarashi as he sat down next to Isagi. Longingly, he gazed at his own pickled radish, reminiscing about the delicious food he had eaten before. "Chin up, Igaguri," Isagi said sympathetically, understanding that anything was better than pickled radish. "I'm jealous of those higher-ranked guys," Igaguri remarked, glancing towards Gagamaru. He pointed at Gagamaru's plate and continued, "I mean, just look at what they're eating."

Gagamaru poured a shiny sauce over golden-brown fried dumplings. "Seriously? Man, that looks tasty!" Igarashi called out, filled with envy. Gagamaru grabbed a dumpling with his bare hand and stuffed it into his mouth, munching loudly. Crumbs flew everywhere, some landing around his mouth.

"Is he a caveman?" Igarashi wondered aloud. Suddenly, a hand patted Gagamaru's shoulder. As he turned to look at the person who interrupted, Naruhaya swiftly darted to the side, holding one of the prized dumplings. "I'm stealing your dumpling!" Naruhaya exclaimed, laughing mischievously as he stuffed it into his mouth. "Hey, pipsqueak, give it back!" Gagamaru shouted, jumping off his chair and chasing after Naruhaya, who quickly fled.

Igarashi hovered protectively over his food. "Isagi, quickly hide your food!" Igaguri exclaimed, gesturing for Isagi to do the same. "Nah, they wouldn't want ours," Isagi replied with a sweatdrop. He gazed longingly at Izuku's plate, particularly eyeing the gyoza.

Few hours later – TEAM Z SLEEPING CHAMBER

The lights were off, and the players were all in their futons, fast asleep. Igarashi, wearing only boxer shorts, had sprawled on top of Isagi. Upon closer inspection, one of the futons was empty, and Isagi was still awake. He abruptly got up, quietly leaving the room and making his way somewhere.

He arrived at the practice field and noticed that Izuku was still awake, practicing his dribbling.

-Izuku POV-

As I focused on my dribbling practice, I noticed Isagi's arrival in the middle of the night. At first, I was confused, but then it dawned on me. "He must be here to train, realizing that he's not as physically adept as the others," I thought to myself, continuing my practice without interruption.

-Isagi POV-

I watched Midoriya-Kun as he practiced. Initially, I believed his main strength lay in his physical abilities. I don't mean to label him as a brute, but he looks muscular, and he scored the highest in the physical tests. However, now I can see that there's more to him.

Suddenly, a ball crashed into my back, disrupting my thoughts. I turned to see Bachira approaching. "Yo, Isagi. Training alone?" Bachira said with a twinkle in his eyes, referring to the fact that I was practicing by myself. "Hey, Bachira," I called out, curious about why he was here. "What are you doing here?" I asked, puzzled as to why he would come at this time. "Well, you woke me up when you left the sleeping area. I decided to follow you and see what you were up to. To my surprise, I found you on the training field, but what puzzled me was that you were standing still. Then I realized you were watching Midoriya. He's a monster, isn't he?" Bachira questioned, explaining his presence.

Before I could reply, a voice came through the intercom.

3rd POV-

"The results of the fitness tests have been assessed. Please return to your rooms and confirm the latest rankings," a voice announced over the intercom.

Izuku, Isagi, and Bachira made their way back to the room, finding it in chaos as multiple people's rankings had changed simultaneously. Naruhaya was eagerly tugging at Gagamaru's T-shirt. "Hey, Gagamaru! What rank are you? Tell me!"

"Hey, Isagi!" Igaguri called out, running towards Isagi. "Look at this. I jumped up from my old rank of 300. See? I'm now at 275." Isagi was astonished, realizing that if Igaguri, who was previously worse than him, had made such a leap, he should have improved as well.

"What? That's amazing!" Isagi replied, checking his own ranking. It displayed 274. He couldn't help but smile as if he had just won the World Cup MVP award. Unfortunately, the jubilation wouldn't last long. Ego materialized, addressing the room. "Well, well. Hello there, diamonds in the rough. How are you feeling at Blue Lock?" Ego asked.

"Cut the crap. Do you really expect us to improve in this crummy environment?" Raichi argued, expressing his dislike for the place, with which no one disagreed. "Yeah, what he says. I want better food," Naruhaya whined.

"The environment is crummy because your soccer skills are crummy, idiots," Ego responded, showing no concern for their complaints.

"Let's talk a little about Blue Lock," Ego continued. "In this facility, a total of 25 teams from B to Z are divided into 5 groups of 5, one per building. Oh, and by the way... Each team lost one person after the game of tags, meaning there are only 275 players left."

"What? So, my happiness was in vain!" Igaguri despaired. "Your rank determines your team. Ranks 1 to 11 belong to Team B, ranks 12 to 22 form Team C... In short, Team Z, you are the lowest-ranked group in Building 5 and in Blue Lock," Ego continued, disregarding the shouts of protest, oblivious to the fact that they were not even the highest-ranked group within their own team. "Higher-ranked players enjoy gourmet food and train in superior facilities. In this place, the best soccer player reigns as king. If you desire a better environment, earn your way up," Ego concluded the speech.

"Very well, let us commence the first selection," Ego finished with a sinister tone. All eyes narrowed, filled with anticipation or nervousness, as they contemplated the possibility of being eliminated next. Ego paused for a moment before speaking again. "The first selection will involve the 55 of you in Building 5. It will be a five-team round-robin format. Only the top 2 teams will advance to the second selection in this survival match."

"So, the eleven of us in Team Z will compete as a cohesive unit?" remarked Chigiri. "Although we are all forwards."

"Why don't you try being the goalkeeper then?" Naruhaya playfully suggested.

Raichi spoke up, pointing to himself. "Then, I'll take the role of center forward."

"No, I will," Kunigami disagreed, his voice tinged with greed.

"Listen carefully," Ego interjected. "Soccer was originally a sport focused on scoring. You have been overly fixated on notions of positioning and tactics, but those roles only developed over time. Initially, every player on the field was a striker."

"Therefore, play soccer as it was originally intended," Ego remarked, more like a threat, sneering at them. "Reinvent soccer from scratch, using your intellect."

Ego continued; his voice resolute. "Cast aside the notions of common sense you have held onto until now. Embrace new concepts and ideas. What Japan truly needs in order to become the best in the world is not merely the teamwork of players."

As the camera drew closer, his face took on a chilling and intense expression. "What we require is a hero. The likes of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar... Soccer possesses infinite potential for evolution if such a hero exists. To counter him, new defensive systems are devised. To surpass him, new tactics are born."

The room was captivated by his words, hanging onto each sentence with bated breath. "The play of a single individual can transform a team, a nation, even the entire world. That is the essence of soccer as a sport."

Ego's countenance, now consumed by fervor, radiated enthusiasm. "Are you prepared to take up the challenge? Welcome to Blue Lock."

TIME SKIP

Ego took the lead in narrating the upcoming game with a commanding presence. "The first selection will involve the 55 participants from Building 5 in a five-team round-robin format. Only the top two teams will advance, while the rest will be eliminated from Blue Lock. Those who are eliminated will be forever disqualified from the national team. However, the top scorers from the three losing teams will still have a chance to progress. In the event of multiple players having the most goals in a team, fair play points will be considered, with the player having the fewest penalty points advancing. This selection will test the true nature of a striker's karma and their ability to create soccer from scratch."

As Ego concluded his narration, the players began their preparations for the upcoming match between Team X and Team Z, scheduled to start in two hours.

Kuon took charge and gathered everyone's attention. He displayed the players' names and positions on a whiteboard, outlining the team's formation for the first match. "This will be our lineup for the first match. Our strategy will revolve around Isagi as the center forward, aiming for a victory."

From Izuku's perspective, he tuned out the discussion, understanding that it held little relevance to him at that moment. It was a game where everyone would be striving to score for themselves, and the only threat he perceived was Barou. Familiar with Barou's playing style, including his shooting range of 28 meters and his preference for scoring in the top right corner of the goal, Izuku knew what he needed to do: score as many goals as possible, recognizing that winning was not guaranteed for Team Z.

Stepping onto the field, Team Z arrived before Team X. As they assumed their positions, with Izuku as the center attacking midfielder, Team X made their entrance. Izuku held the belief that none of them posed a significant threat, not even Barou.

"In the first selection, all fouls will be assessed through VAR. The first match in Building 5 will be a 45-minute half-game between Team X and Team Z. It's time for kick-off," announced the official, signaling the start of the match.