[13] Remnant - Meta Vision

"I must prove my worth. To do that, I at least need to keep up with Shinichi's speed." Hiori quickly scanned his surroundings and leaped to dodge a sliding tackle coming from the side.

"Isn't he running way too fast...?" During the brief moment he was airborne, Hiori searched for that figure, only to realize that Shinichi, who had been passing near the midfield line, had already sprinted almost to the opponent's goal.

"At this rate, you'll be offside, Shinichi. Wait, are there two defenders blocking the passing lane...?"

"This level of difficulty can't even be called hardcore!"

Hiori waited, and when the only opening appeared—

Bang!

A powerful long pass shot forward, threading through the legs of two defenders and heading straight for Shinichi.

The immense force and the precise trajectory required for the double nutmeg created a high arc, forcing Shinichi, who was charging ahead, to stop abruptly mid-run and jump to intercept it with his heel.

However, this left him in an awkward position. Although he managed to control the ball with his heel while airborne, it also meant that upon landing, the ball would end up behind and slightly to his right.

Amid the opponent's densely packed defensive line, Shinichi's abrupt stop had already cost him his most lethal weapon—speed and momentum.

To make matters worse, the ball's landing spot was far from ideal.

Surrounded by defenders, the ball was out of immediate reach, making it impossible to take control instantly.

The time it would take to pull the ball back under his feet was enough for the opposing players to swarm him.

Even someone like Nagi couldn't guarantee not losing the ball when boxed in by three defenders pressing hard from all sides.

In other words, Shinichi's survival window was reduced to just the few seconds between being airborne and landing!

But you can do it, can't you?

After delivering what seemed like an ill-advised pass, Hiori stopped running and locked his gaze onto Shinichi—the one who had the potential to change the world.

"I need to inspire Shinichi's talent even more. I can't impose my own ideas—I have to make him think for himself, let him create with his own imagination! So, go, Shinichi! Show me what you've got! Let me witness it—the moment I personally set into motion that changes the world!"

"If you're not just all talk!"

...

"What an audacious move," Shinichi muttered under his breath as he hovered in mid-air. "A mere subject daring to test me? But my kingdom always welcomes talent. Since you ask, I'll show you the might of this nation."

"If landing spells doom, then why not just stay airborne?"

With a slight twist of his ankle, Shinichi imparted a subtle yet precise spin to the ball.

What seemed like a simple trap suddenly transformed into a breathtaking display of control.

The ball, instead of being stopped, spun fiercely and shot upward, defying expectations.

And Shinichi?

He was still airborne.

Under the despairing gaze of three defenders stationed beneath him, ready to intercept as soon as he landed, Shinichi defied gravity, waiting for the ball to rise high enough.

Then, using the explosive power of his core, he launched himself with the grace and force of a blue whale breaching the ocean's surface, unleashing a spectacular strike mid-air.

Mamba mentality, kid!

Gooooooooal!

The ball rocketed into the top corner, unstoppable, piercing the net like a bullet.

Shinichi had single-handedly broken through the defense with a gravity-defying header of extraordinary power and precision.

"Woohoo!" Hiori raised both hands in celebration, rushing over in excitement, only to be pushed back by Shinichi. "Calm down. If you've seen the same future as I have, don't lose your composure over something as minor as this."

But Shinichi couldn't keep up his stoic act for long. With a grin, he high-fived Hiori. "Welcome aboard, my 'Pippen'—the best assistant I could ask for."

"So, what's your deal? Why the sudden pledge of loyalty?" Shinichi finally voiced his curiosity.

To him, Blue Lock was supposed to be a battlefield of pure forward-obsessed egoists.

Even someone like Barou, who had been utterly crushed, managed to rise again.

Yet here was someone voluntarily submitting to him.

"Well... how should I put it?" Hiori tapped his chin, hiding countless thoughts behind a smile.

In the end, he decided to keep some things to himself and simply shrugged with a faint grin.

"Your ambition blew me away. At first, I wanted to create the world's greatest striker with my own hands. I wanted to play alongside someone who could understand my world-class passes. But then..."

"I saw your ambition. I never thought someone could make me this excited with just a single glance. So I decided to ride your coattails, to help you achieve your dream, and to aim for something I'd never even dared to imagine—becoming part of the greatest combination in history!"

"Or maybe it's just impossible not to be excited. Your raw talent is so visible it feels like starting a roguelike or auto chess game with the perfect opening hand. If you mess this up, it'd be heartbreaking!"

"Fine, I'll let that slide for now," Shinichi reluctantly accepted the explanation. "But if you dare send me another pass like that, I'll revoke your citizenship."

"Now, let's crush anyone foolish enough to stand in our way."

"Yes, yes, oh tyrannical dictator."

---

"Damn it! That blue-haired guy messed up his pass so badly, and yet that monster still managed to score!"

"Someone has to keep an eye on that monster at all times, or we're going to get destroyed. And it can't just be one person! He's way too fast!"

After Shinichi's almost showboating goal, the opposing team finally started to resemble a proper squad.

However, in the face of Shinichi, that tiny improvement was utterly meaningless.

When an opposing player attempted to dribble past, Shinichi didn't hesitate—he went straight for a sliding tackle.

The action was so obvious that even these background players could read it easily.

With Shinichi's overwhelming speed, the player managed to pass the ball just before being taken down, narrowly maintaining possession.

Or so it seemed.

Unnoticed, Hiori had positioned himself perfectly in the only passing lane, intercepting the ball with ease.

Without a moment's pause, he sent a long pass upfield. "He's... actually controlling me like this."

Watching Shinichi, who had just tackled and fallen to the ground, spring back up like nothing happened and sprint after the still-airborne ball, Hiori muttered through gritted teeth, "That reckless-looking slide tackle was just a ploy to guide the opponent into passing here. All I had to do was follow his lead and block the lane to intercept."

"So this is what it's like to be completely turned into his 'pawn,' huh?" Hiori's expression turned fierce. "To think he's actually using me like a chess piece... But I'm not about to let myself become some mindless fake!"

"But... my current level isn't enough to fully bring out my own traits under Shinichi's brilliance." Hiori silently resolved to improve, while upfield, Shinichi effortlessly received the ball and unleashed a powerful strike, scoring yet again.

With Shinichi perfectly predicting the pass's trajectory, he executed a seamless, one-touch volley that left the opposing team utterly powerless.

The Shinichi-Hiori duo became an unstoppable force; no one could hold onto the ball under their relentless pressure.

As the scoreline continued to climb, Shinichi's excitement only grew—

"So that's it. This is the true way to use the 'Strategist' trait!" Shinichi instinctively glanced toward Hiori.

This guy's presence had fully awakened his latent potential.

Until now, although Shinichi possessed the 'Strategist' trait, he could only use it to predict one move ahead and anticipate the next two steps.

But he had never truly utilized it to orchestrate the entire field.

For example, during his match against Isagi's school, his ability to foresee plays was simple:

I'm going to press you. With your skill level, you can't escape my challenge, so you'll have to pass the ball.

Knowing this, I'll predict your pass and intercept it ahead of time.

It was merely a reactive strategy akin to countering moves like a basic "pawn push" in chess.

Moreover, it relied heavily on his overwhelming physical superiority.

But with Hiori—someone who could be fully integrated as a 'piece'—Shinichi transcended the chessboard and became the chessmaster, controlling the game on a higher dimension.

"It makes sense. Without my own pieces, how could I call myself a strategist? The players at my old school might have pledged loyalty to me, but they couldn't fully execute my commands. Their skill levels couldn't keep up with my vision."

"It's like playing chess with pieces that take an extra turn to respond or even act contrary to the player's intent. Under those conditions, a strategist's plans are meaningless. But Hiori is different. He can keep up with my thought process and execute my instructions perfectly."

"Damn, this feels amazing. This perspective… am I a god?" Shinichi instinctively covered his mouth, trying to suppress the crazed grin threatening to spread, but the thrill in his eyes was impossible to hide. "Everyone is under my control. I can clearly see the future of the field!"

Even after just a short period of collaboration, Shinichi was confident that as long as Hiori continued to work with him, he had firmly grasped his ticket to the late-stage battles of the gods—

Meta Vision!

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the 'Strategist' trait's level, Shinichi's ability to control the field was still confined to his own defensive range and the immediate space around his sole 'piece'—Hiori.

This incomplete vision could only be called "Remnant - Meta Vision."

While this level of control still fell short of fully commanding the entire field, Shinichi sensed that he had nearly reached the full potential of the 'Strategist' trait.

It represented the upper limit of a Blue-class ability.

For now, however, this was more than enough.

Moreover, since his 'piece,' Hiori, acted as an extension of his senses, expanding his influence over the game, Shinichi realized that if he could acquire additional 'pieces,' even without directly upgrading the 'Strategist' trait, he could indirectly control the entire field through their cooperation.

And beyond that, Shinichi had a subtle intuition: as the number of his 'pieces' grew and his control over the field strengthened, a feedback loop might occur.

At that point, the 'Strategist' trait might evolve independently—not as a system-driven upgrade, but as a result of his own mastery, advancing entirely under his control. A true, self-determined evolution of the ability!