NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 13: Footballer Hunting
I was at the training pitch with Tsunzaki. We were doing 1-on-1 training. I wanted to train his dribbling and help him beat his markers better. Originally, we trained with the entire Team V, but after an hour we they took a break.
While we were training, the team atmosphere was relaxed. It's understandable given that we'd finish first in this selection. Thanks to me, we've won every single match. This is our last match for the selection.
We've already confirmed our spot for the next selection, but winning all matches would feel great.
We were in our second hour of training when I called Tsunzaki to break.
I checked my stats to see my progress.
(Stats)
Host: Shizuka Haiji
Team: Sakuraoka High Boys Soccer Team
Position: Forward
[Rank: SR]
STR: A
AGI: A
SHO: A
SPE: A
VIS: B
END: S
[Skills]
One For All (Lv.2): When the going gets tough, you have to go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!
(Raise all stats by a single rank for 10 minutes) [Cooldown: 15 minutes]
Fa Jin (Lv.1): Build momentum, unleash power!
(Raises shooting stats by one rank for 5 seconds) [Cooldown: 3 minutes]
Smokescreen (Lv.1): Disappear in the chaos, reappear in control!
(Opponents within 5 meters lose track of you for 3 seconds.) [Cooldown: 2 minutes]
Black Whip (Lv.1): Command the Ball!
(Control the ball within a 2-meter radius. Increased accuracy for first touch, dribbling, and short passes for 6 minutes) [Cooldown: 2 minutes].
[Perks]
Resilient Frame: Resist minor fouls and physical challenges, making it harder for opponents to knock you off balance.
I was able to increase my physical stats to A rank. What boggled me a little was the fact that my endurance stat was already S, but there was no rank-up notification. What are the requirements to rank-up I wonder. Do I need to have more ranks in S.
But the main thing here is the newest skill in my repertoire. Black Whip. My performance reward after the Team X match. I'm basically Messi incarnated. This really helps because I haven't really trained my football skills since I came here.
Oh well, I'll get more chance in the future. I have to focus on the next match first.
We're going to win the next match. Then I'm going to conquer the second selection and beat the world five.
When the U-20 match comes around, that's when I'll get the chance to announce myself to the world.
-----
We were in the locker room preparing for our last match against Team Z. Their star player, Haruhiko Yuzu, was someone to look out for. His odd ability to look for spaces in the field helps him find the perfect moment to score goals.
You could see him as a sort of hunter. Hunting the perfect spots to find goals. I've taken it upon myself to lock him down. He'll find a hard time to get the goals he's used to.
"Alright everyone, this is our last match. We've basically already cemented ourselves for the next selection. But let's show our dominance and win this!" I said to the team.
They cheered and walked out to the pitch brimming with energy.
Team Z greeted us on the pitch; they looked cautious but determined. Ready to fight for second place.
KICK OFF!!
We started the match and immediately went to the offensive. Five guys came upon me. Pause. Instead of dribbling past them like they probably expected, I passed the ball to an open Tsunzaki.
This action of mine took them off guard, and Tsunzaki dribbled the ball towards Team Z's net.
Yuzu came to defend him, and Tsunzaki's body clashed against him.
PWEET!!
Yuzu fell to the pitch after Tsunzaki collided with him.
"Team V, foul!! Due to foul play, a free kick will be awarded to Team Z... Taiga Tsunzaki is given a warning." Came the announcement.
Yuzu stood up with a smirk on his face. "How'd you like that, you big brute?"
My eyes widen. This little shit dived. Oh, this bastard.
At the 15th minute, Team Z was on the attack. They were doing wide passes. Looking to exploit the spaces in our formation. Our defenders surrounded a Team Z player, looking to steal the ball from him.
The player unleashed a cross towards an empty space in the box towards an unguarded Yuzu. He smirked, thinking it was going to be an easy goal, but his eyes widened when I appeared and intercepted the pass.
"You looked like you were having fun, you piece of shit." I said to him. I cleared the ball upfield.
We were on the counter. My cleared ball reached Tsunzaki. He dribbled the ball towards the center circle.
I activated One For All. I felt power thrumming through my veins.
[Skill Activated: One For All]
[Stats Updated:]
STR: S
AGI: S
SHO: S
SPE: S
VIS: A
END: SS
Whoo, this feels great. I haven't tested what the One For All skill with my new stats yet. This feels awesome!
With the increased stats, I reached Team Z's half in no time. Tsunzaki noticed me and passed the ball to me.
With the ball at my feet 30 meters from the goal, I unleashed a thunderous shot.
GOAL!!
Team V - 1
Team Z - 0
The ball went into the top corner; the keeper had no chance.
The atmosphere on the pitch felt electric. I felt the energy in my body burning. The combination of the skill and my adrenaline making my body feel euphoric. I could get high on this kind of feeling.
Tsunzaki came running at me, cheering at the top of his lungs. He hugged me and lifted me off the ground. "HAHAHA! That was crazy, Haiji! You're crazy!"
I smiled at his praise.
Three minutes passed since the first goal and we were on the attack again. I still had time left with One For All.
Just as I was running with the ball, I felt myself colliding with someone else. My body righted itself from falling thanks to my perk, but the other guy was stumbling on the ground. The sudden collision surprised me. I saw his body in my peripheral but I thought he went out of the way.
PWEET!!
"Team Z, foul!! Due to Impeding, a free kick will be awarded to Team V... Yuri Natsume is given a yellow card." Came the announcement.
I have no clue what he planned to do there. Oh well, free kick 35 meters out is doable enough.
I lined up for the free kick. Team Z lined up a four-man wall with Yuzu in it. I wanted to just shoot the ball to his face, but thought better of it. I ran towards the ball and I shot it towards the goal.
GOAL!!
Team V - 2
Team Z - 0
Team V celebrated with me for our second goal. I mean, we've already got this in the bag, basically.
I looked at Team Z, and they looked frustrated. Their dreams becoming more and more out of reach. But they didn't waver. They still have a fire in them to fight for second place and get qualification for the entire team.
We had about 10 minutes left in the half and Team Z was playing aggressively. Their passes becoming increasingly more dangerous. Our defence was holding up, booting up, or clearing the ball every time they get the chance.
Near the end of half, we were on the attack again. I had the ball and was making my way towards their goal. Yuzu came to stop me.
"I don't think so confetti boy!" said Yuzu.
Instead of facing him 1-on-1, I veered to the right. He ran to catch up to me. His hand came up, and I slapped it away to stop him from trying to hold me down. Seeing his hand didn't work, his leg shot out intending to tackle, but I flicked the ball over him and sent a cross towards Tsunzaki, who headed the ball into the back of the net.
GOAL!!
Team V - 3
Team Z - 0
The first half came to an end and everyone went to their respective locker rooms.
-----
One can only describe the atmosphere in the locker room as... a party. All the players on Team V already started their celebration. It's understandable because we're on top of the table and this game is already 3-0 at half-time.
Normally I would tell them to stop celebrating and focus on the match since it's not over yet, but I'll let them enjoy this one. Besides, I don't really see them going any further after this, so might as well let them enjoy it while they still can.
"Alright everyone," I said as I grabbed everyone's attention. "We're top of the table and 3-0 at half-time. We've basically dominated this entire selection."
I waited until the cheers died down. "Let's go out there and finish this game off already!"
We went out for the second half in a chorus of cheers.
The energy from the locker rooms carried over for the respective teams. Team V was in a joyous celebratory mood, whereas Team Z has already given up.
Not much they can do there.
Team Z started the second half. Despite the subdued energy, they were passing very well. Every pass met a teammate and a teammate exploited space whenever they could. But never reached far in our half before they passed back in their own half.
They continued this tactic to the point our defence seemed to relax. That was when I realized something. Activating One For All, I ran towards our goal, specifically towards a lurking Yuzu.
A cross came to Yuzu who trapped the ball. I came to a stop in front of him. Yuzu tried to fool me with some step-overs, but I saw through them. I went in to tackle him, but he dragged the ball to the side to avoid me. I recovered my positioning and resumed marking him.
I could see frustration was building up on Yuzu's face. He tried some more skills, but I stood strong. Through a lull in our play, I noticed Yuzu glanced over to the other side of the pitch. I went to tackle him when he positioned himself to cross the ball, but that was a fake and he slipped past my mark with the ball.
Unfortunately for him, I, energized by One For All, resumed my guard position. He must've been really frustrated to notice when Kendo came in from behind and tackled the ball from behind him.
Kendo sent the ball towards Tsunzaki, who stayed up front. With the ball at his feet, Tsunzaki ran towards their goal.
With One For All running through my veins, I sprinted to join Tsunzaki in the attack.
Noticing me catching up to him, Tsunzaki passed the ball to me. With the ball now at my feet, I sprinted faster towards Team Z's goal. That was when I had thought. I wanted to score a fancy goal. I ran towards the edge of the box before unleashing a trivela.
GOAL!!
Team V - 4
Team Z - 0
-----
With four goals behind. Team Z's morale plummeted. The match became easy from then on. Although he still had some fight left in him, I consistently caught off Yuzu from any scoring attempts. If you asked to check my pockets, you'll find my wallet, my phone and Yuzu in there.
The whistle was blown for full time. Team V conquered this selection without any issue, all thanks to yours truly. The team celebrated the victory. Team Z looked on with frustrated expressions.
Then came the announcements. "All the games of Fifth Stratum have concluded!! We will now present the results for the First Selection."
Everyone on the pitch looked towards the large monitor on the pitch that was used as a scoreboard. "The final results of the five-team round robin are as follows..."
The screen showed the final standings. First place, Team V, no surprises there, with 12 points. Second belonged to Team Y with 9 points. Third was Team Z with 6 points. Fourth place, Team W with 3 points and last place was Team X with zero points.
"In first, Team V with eleven players, and in second, Team Y, with its eleven!!" The screen transitioned to show the top scorers for the other teams. "Lastly, the three top scoring players that will be pulled from each of the losing teams!!"
The players were Yuzu with 7 goals. Ishikari with 9 goals and some rando named Yao with 2. "With these 25 players from Blue Lock Fifth Stratum made it through the First Selection!!"
Team V once again erupted into celebration. Oh man, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when the 'Hellish Training Day' comes around.
-----
{Authors Note}
Hello again people, I'm back at it again with another chapter. Let me tell you something. I have so much respect for people who can keep writing for so long. I've only just finished the first selection and I'm already bummed. I don't even write long chapters. Oh well, it is what is and I'll try to keep chugging along to provide more chapters.
I also have a confession to make. Every time I write the matches, I keep forgetting the MC has other skills. And I write this stuff! Maybe I could just write it off as the MC, being forgetful in the heat of the moment. Who knows? I sure don't. I make it up as I go. Anyway, I'm gonna try to rectify that in the following chapters as best as I can. Until then, ciao~