Chapter 3 - The First Test

Behind the grand doors, several buses were parked with the Blue Lock symbol. I entered the first one and sat on one of the front seats. Many people boarded, but I hardly pay attention to their faces; it's irrelevant. My heart longs to see what this training Ego mentioned is all about, the one that would make one of us the best in the world.

After a long journey, we arrive at the vast mountain facilities, and my phone is confiscated at the entrance. They start calling us one by one.

"Arthur Saito!" the woman holding the uniforms shouts.

The uniform she hands me has blue and black colors. On the shoulder, it has the number 300. I remember him saying there were 300 attackers in Blue Lock; I guess the ranking must be upside down, or this number has nothing to do with it.

"Go to where your uniform indicates, and good luck."

I'm 300-Z. The place was enormous, with all the walls looking the same; It wasn't hard to get lost in that complete labyrinth. As soon as I enter, I recognize the boy who talked a lot with Ego during the presentation, Kira. There was a super strong guy and a strange guy sleeping on the floor.

Jinpachi Ego appears on the large screen suspended in the room.

"Hey, Raw Gems, attention. Everyone in this room is your comrades and also your greatest rivals. We estimate your potential based on many calculations and personal judgments of mine. Your ranking among the 300 is on your uniform."

Arthur frowns, indignant.

300?! Does he think I'm the worst of all in this place?! The WORST?! Is it because I'm injured?

"The ranking will change daily based on training and games, and the top 5 players will participate in a tournament that will take place in 6 months. They will be the attackers selected to play in the U-20 World Cup for Japan."

Playing in the World Cup for the national team? He's putting a big prize on the table.

"And it's important to say that those expelled from Blue Lock will be banned from being called up for the national team for the rest of their lives."

"Now, without further ado, it's time to play dodgeball."

A ball drops from the ceiling.

"The time limit is 136 seconds; the player with the ball is the 'demon'; whoever is the 'demon' at the end of the time is expelled from Blue Lock."

What kind of nonsense is this?

"And of course, no using hands." Ego turns off the video.

On the screen appears a large picture of me, with my name and position.

136 Seconds...

"I see, they're going to pick the lowest-ranked one to start as the demon." Arthur says, looking around.

Damn, with my knee like this, I can't run too much without starting to have problems.

"Hey! Stop this crap! This isn't even football!" shouts one of the players in the room.

Okay, the game isn't difficult and not about running; it's about hitting someone with the ball and not getting hit.

I take a deep breath and prepare for a strong kick while looking for the best option. The big guy must be dangerous, the guy sleeping surely had some secret, the long-haired one is too slender to hit... The bald one seems weak. 

110 Seconds...

I make a strong right-legged kick, it's a straight shot that hits the bald guy hard. It ricochets off to the ceiling, and the picture on the screen changes; his name is Igarashi.

"Oops, I think I overdid it."

Everyone in the room looks at the bald guy lying on the floor, while the time runs on the screen.

100 Seconds...

"Aahh... Good morning, everyone." The sleeping boy gets up and comes to my side.

"Do you think he's okay?" I ask the boy.

"Definitely not. You wrecked him." He says, laughing.

A man approaches the bald guy; he should be the tallest in the room, with a black and shaved hair on the sides.

"Hey, are you okay?" He gets close to the fallen guy.

Suddenly, the bald guy opens his eyes and swiftly kicks the ball next to him onto the man's torso.

"I'M NOT GOING TO BECOME A MONK!" says Igarashi with a bleeding nose.

On the screen, the picture of the man is displayed; his name is Okuhito.

70 Seconds...

"What a liar!" He holds his stomach.

Okuhito starts chasing the monk, who can run fast and dodge the weak kicks coming his way. After several failed attempts, the man starts looking for other options in the room. He looks at the black-haired guy who was next to Kira.

40 Seconds...

He starts pursuing the guy and kicks again, in the direction of the black-haired guy.

"Hit..." Okuhito can only watch from afar.

The ball curves halfway, and at the last moment, to everyone's surprise, it hits Kira.

20 Seconds...

"Sorry, Isagi," Kira says as he's hit, before the ball touches the ground, he kicks it at Isagi.

17 Seconds...

What a traitor, were they friends before this happened? This guy's a jerk.

"I can't believe we're going to lose an interesting guy... Oh, by the way, my name is Bachira!"

"Do you think this Isagi guy is interesting?"

"He has something that you and I have, I can't say what yours is, I haven't seen it, but it's like a monster, I think all good players have..."

To be the best in the world, I have to face the best in the world.

"Hey! Isagi! Pass it here!" I shout, raising my hand to ask for the ball.

He passes it, reluctantly, but time was running out; it comes rolling smoothly towards me, I don't know why, but this room feels very comfortable for me to kick, I feel like I can hit anyone...

5 Seconds...

The bald guy deserved to lose, but he would be an easy target... I dont like this Kira guy, hes is a jerk, I will kill you.

I prepare a direct kick, without controlling the ball. With the outside of my right foot, I make a quick swerve kick, the ball curves immensely, heading towards Kira.

1 Second...

"Damn it!" Kira puts his arms in front of his face.

A siren sound plays.

"Kira, you're out."

"Wow! That was insane!" Bachira pats my back excitedly.

"What an absurd curve kick..." The long-haired guy behind me says.

"Congratulations, my raw gems. The player we're getting rid of is Kira."

"What the hell is this?!" Kira says angrily. "A freaking dodgeball game?! What does this have to do with football?!"

Ego seems confused but responds. "Everything in Blue Lock is related to football, idiot. Look around, the room is the exact size of the penalty area, where a striker must be sovereign."

That's why I felt so comfortable in this room...

"About 75% of goals are scored in this area; if you can't handle yourself in this zone, you're a talentless trash to be a world-class striker."

"I don't care if it's the size of the area, what does it have to do with running away from a maniac with the ball?! Or being the maniac with the ball?!"

"I don't understand the irritation, but the person who flees demands tactical discipline, and the one who pursues, besides dribbling, needs precision in shots to hit the target. And before you start whining like a loser about the 136 seconds, that's the average time an attacker has with the ball during the game. In that time, you have to be decisive."

"Thats Bullshit! Thats pathetic!"

"Perfect, you're talentless trash anyway, so screw you! Get out!" Ego says with some irritation.

Kira looks to me, angry.

"This is not over."

Kira slams the door shut.

"It's not like me not expelling you from the team changes anything, a player as talentless as him would never make it to the national team anyway."

What a dramatic guy, everything Ego explained makes sense.

"Continuing. Congratulations! You all have officially passed the entrance exam for Blue Lock."

A feeling of relief runs through the room, followed by everyone's celebration.

"Raichi Jingo, Kuon Wataru, Iemon Okuhito, Yudai Imamura, Gagamaru Gin, Gurimu Igarashi, Chigiri Hyouma, Kunigame Rensuke, Bachira Meguru, and Arthur Saito. You are Blue Lock's Team Z."

 END OF CHAPTER.