[4] First Match (3)

"Hah!!"

Haruto had appeared before Aiku and instantly blocked his way with a determined expression.

If it weren't for Izumo distracting and slowing Aiku down then he wouldn't have managed to catch up and properly position himself here.

"I like that look you have there"

Aiku genuinely praised Haruto after seeing the determined look he had in his eyes. Sadly, Haruto wasn't a match against Aiku at all and managed to bypass him with ease.

That's when a leg sneakily reached out behind Aiku, attempting to steal the ball but Aiku with monstrous instinct managed to react and safeguard it in time.

"I'm back for a second round"

Izumo who had failed at the sneak attack appeared beside Aiku but this time, he didn't contend for the ball and kept himself at a safe distance.

"Scared?"

Aiku asked mockingly after seeing Izumo playing it safe.

Izumo on the other hand just kept smiling and ignored Aiku's attempt to rile him up and still kept his distance.

Seeing the taunt didn't work, Aiku just shrugged his shoulder and sprinted forward, intending to force his way out.

But as Aiku did so, Izumo stepped back and sprinted in tandem with him while still keeping a safe distance.

It was only after several seconds did Aiku started to notice feeling restrained with his movement all of a sudden.

"Heh"

Izumo chuckled as he saw Aiku's confused face who was seemingly trying to figure out where his unease was coming from.

Only Izumo knew why Aiku was feeling this way and it was because of the space he was currently in.

With Izumo who was moving in tandem with Aiku, constantly trying to steal, blocking his way with his arms and positioning himself in a half-radius circle while keeping a distance of precisely 2 meters.

It was quite normal to feel restricted since this was the very same move Raichi used to annoy Snuffy, a world-class player, and limit his options on the field.

Protractor Mode!

However, this move was just an imitation of the real thing since he wasn't Raichi and merely took inspiration from it.

And Izumo knew that this move heavily relies on one's stamina and grit which means he only has a specified amount of time to keep this up.

'One minute is enough'

Izumo thought and smiled after seeing Aiku stop in his tracks and stare straight into Izumo's eyes.

"Ha... what an annoying strategy"

"Oh? Did you figure it out, senpai?"

Izumo cheekily replied and felt satisfied at the annoyed expression Aiku had on his face after realizing the strategy he employed.

"Cheeky kid"

Aiku remarked, feeling even more annoyed at the smile Izumo was showing to him and wanted to wipe it off.

"You can't keep this up for long, can't you?"

"..."

Izumo stayed silent and didn't respond, rather he chose not to respond which only made it suspicious.

Plus, whether Izumo answered or not, he had a feeling that Aiku was already convinced by his deduction.

'I got found out, huh'

Izumo thought and felt a bit annoyed at being seen through, even though he tried his best to hide his exhaustion but it was pointless in the end.

After all, Aiku wasn't some nobody and had already started soccer/football way before Izumo, he's already considered an experienced player.

"You should be worrying more about yourself instead"

Izumo reminded with a smile as Haruto had arrived behind Aiku and contended for the ball.

And as expected Haruto was brutally defeated and was even humiliated by having gotten ankle break by Aiku.

"Give up, kid"

Aiku declared to Haruto before sprinting away, trying to get away from Izumo which failed since the boy always seemed to be one step ahead of him.

"..."

Haruto could only watch in despair and felt envious as Izumo, a kid who was the same age as him fought on equal footing against a "monster".

Was he truly this weak?

Is this all he will amount to?

Haruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly before his legs tensed up and quickly rushed forward.

With determination on Haruto's face, he arrived again beside Aiku and slammed his shoulder against him.

"You're persistent, I'll admit that"

Aiku nonchalantly commented before he twisted his body and used the momentum to maneuver himself towards Haruto's back.

And again, Haruto was effortlessly passed but he didn't give up and took a slide back and then spun his entire body, slamming his back against Aiku's chest.

"Tch"

Aiku was starting to get annoyed and decided to thoroughly crush this kid to break his spirit and he was about to when he felt a brush of wind creep on the back of his neck.

Out of instinct, Aiku dribbles the ball on his feet which turns out to be a lifesaver as Izumo closes in behind his back and almost steals the ball.

"Tch!"

"Stealing is bad, kid"

Aiku remarked, feeling it was time to stop playing around, and decided to pass the ball to his teammates.

He originally planned to score by himself since he was just fighting a bunch of inexperienced kids...

Is what he thought at first.

Unfortunately, his plan had to change since it was proving to be quite a hindrance in dealing with these two.

"Running away now, senpai? You'll never be the best if you pass~"

Izumo cheekily said, knowing the young Aiku here had a dream to be the number 1 best striker in the world.

And the taunt clearly worked since Aiku's movement halted for a single second just as he was about to pass.

Both Izumo and Haruto used that momentary pause to slam their shoulders against Aiku and lock his body in place to steal the ball.

"...!!"

Aiku could only realize too late the mistake he had made as Izumo had managed to steal the ball and sprinted toward their goal.

He was about to chase after Izumo when Haruto stopped him in his tracks with his body.

"Kid, I don't have time to play with you"

Aiku said in annoyance and gestured something in the air which confused Haruto before two opposing players suddenly boxed him in, surprising him.

"Go play with them instead"

"Wha-"

Aiku didn't wait to hear what Haruto had to say before sprinting away, chasing after Izumo who was closing in on their goal.

"This..."

Haruto was now confused and felt disappointed for some reason since he was starting to actually have fun.

Still, no matter what Haruto did, he couldn't get past these two opposing players. He wasn't Izumo after all who had amazing technical skills in terms of individual plays.

And as Haruto struggled, he couldn't help but look toward his teammates for help and saw them struggling just as much as he did.

'It's all on you, Izumo'

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'Perfect! Haruto didn't disappoint me at all'

Izumo thought with a grin on his face and betted in the resolve Haruto showed. Luckily, it worked out well and he managed to steal the ball back.

He knew that he couldn't win in a 1v1 against Aiku due to the difference in physicality and experience which was why he made it a 2v1 instead.

But even if Izumo had the ball, he didn't let his guard down and kept an eye on his surroundings at all times.

Right now, the only threat on the field was the defenders since the attackers were being occupied by his teammates who by the way were struggling to do so.

"I wanna score!"

Izumo declared while he licked his lips and looked toward the goal with hunger and greed in his eyes.

For the first time, Izumo wanted to be selfish and experience what those characters in Blue Lock felt when they crushed their opponents, especially a skilled player like Aiku.

He wanted to defeat him by scoring a goal.

He could have made things easier for himself if he had just played as a team player and passed but he didn't want that.

He wanted to win with his own strength.

He wanted to feel what Isagi felt when he won and saw his opponents's despair etched on their faces.

'I wanna know the ego that drove them'

Whether he and his team won this match or not, it didn't matter to him. All he ever cared about right now was scoring a goal.

And as Izumo ran toward the enemy team's goal, he could see with his eagle eyes, one defender blocking his front, another heading toward his left, and a third one on his right.

"Ganging up on poor little me, how scary~"

Looking at the three approaching defenders heading his way, Izumo smiled and welcomed the challenge in front of him.

Tensing his legs, Izumo sped up and charged ahead, meeting the defender who was on his right first.

Taking a brake check, Izumo stopped in his tracks and came face to face with his first obstacle.

With a lean to his right, the defender leaned as well but Izumo instantly changed direction and spun himself to the left, faking out the poor guy.

Next, comes the defender from his left and on his front.

Looking at the two, it seems they decided to double-team Izumo...

No, rather it was a triple-team instead since the guy Izumo just faked out was already behind, chasing him

But Izumo was rather chill by the situation and still kept smiling as if he had already expected this outcome.

"Hah!"

The next one to engage was the defender on the left who charged toward Izumo.

Noticing this, Izumo rushed toward the guy as well, and soon they met.

They were about to clash when Izumo stopped in his tracks all of a sudden and lightly leaped backward then spun himself, switching his position to the defender who was chasing behind him.

"...!?"

The defender from his back and on the left couldn't stop in time as they kept their momentum and collided with each other.

"Augh!"

"Keuk!"

Izumo grinned at the sight of the two defenders crashing and watched the two of them tumble on the grass in pain.

'That's two down and one more to go'

Izumo turned his gaze toward the last defender who was looking at him with nervousness and genuine astonishment, hesitating whether to engage first or not.

'If you won't come then...'

Izumo had a menacing smile as he sprinted forward, heading directly to the last defender.

'I'll come to you instead'

The last defender seemed to flinch at the sight of Izumo's chilling smile but he soon regained his emotion and stared at the boy with determination.

"Perfect!"

Izumo praised the last defender for not succumbing to fear as he formed a bigger smile than before.

Turning his head to the right, Izumo changed his direction and ran forward to his right rather than charging head-on with the defender.

Naturally, the defender followed Izumo in tandem and ran to his left, blocking his way.

"Hmm"

Seeing the defender not engaging but keeping himself at a safe distance, enough so he can react to any unpredictable movement or plays.

Izumo had his right eyebrow raised slightly at this and nodded himself, praising this guy inside his mind.

'Playing it safe... a wise decision'

If this guy had tried contending the ball then Izumo would have done some play to instantly outmaneuver him.

Too bad, the defender must have realized the difference in the skill level between him and Izumo.

Though usually, Izumo wouldn't mind playing around more but right now he needed to bypass this guy ASAP since the more time he wasted, the sooner Aiku reached here.

Plus, he had started to gradually run out of gas and needed to score before he succumbed to exhaustion.

Who would have expected that he would meet Aiku here?

He of course didn't...

Heck, he thought this was just gonna be some casual game.

Now he had no choice but to exert himself to win because of Aiku's presence on the field.

'No time to waste. Gotta change the plan'

Izumo tensed his legs and instantly sped up, attempting to outrun the defender but the guy managed to keep up with him.

'Doesn't matter anyway... It's already over'

Izumo thought as he smiled and stopped in his tracks, specifically in between the touchline and the penalty area.

Here, he could "see" the perfect path to score the goal.

Though there was the defender in his way as well as the GK who was already preparing to block, it didn't matter.

Right now, Izumo was feeling extra good today and could feel that this shot...

Nobody would be able to block.

'Not even you, Aiku'

Izumo cocked his right leg, preparing to shoot as Aiku arrived in time, seemingly ready to intercept the shot alongside the defender on his side.

Too bad for Aiku or the defender, Izumo didn't intend to shoot normally as he kicked the ball and it flew to his left, away from the goal.

"...?!"

Aiku, the defender, and the goalkeeper were momentarily confused, thinking Izumo had made a bad shot when the ball suddenly spun in mid-air and curved to the right, heading straight to the goal instead.

"Catch it!"

Aiku shouted to their goalkeeper and instinctively ran toward the goal, hoping to get there in time.

But alas, the ball just missed by an inch of the goalkeeper's finger as it flew straight inside to the upper left corner of the goal.

"YES!"

Izumo shouted in the air with joy and exhilaration at the successful curve shot he had just made.

In fact, Izumo didn't even know he could do that, his body just moved on its own and before he realized it, he had already made the shot.

Thankfully it turned out well and he scored his very first goal.

And as he turned his gaze away from the goal and stared toward Aiku and the opposing team.

He could see a myriad of emotions on their faces.

All of the enemy defenders had frustration on their faces, especially the goalkeeper, he was the most frustrated out of all the bunch.

Meanwhile, the enemy attackers had genuine astonishment and amazement at the shot, some even having envious gazes.

On the other hand, Aiku was staring at the goal with a hint of pity before he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, regaining calmness in his face.

'Ah... this feeling, I could get used to this'

Izumo licked his lips and wanted to feel more of this but it was too bad, he didn't think he could go on anymore.

"Hah..."

Izumo sighed as he wiped off the swipe from his forehead and his chin when he noticed a virtual panel at the corner of his eyes.

[+0.5]

"???"