26. 3 AGAINST 3: V2

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YOU

set your bag down on the silver bench, and familiarity hits you like a freight train. You meet gazes with Kyouka, and you smile with fondness in your eyes. After your talk with Isagi—apologising and finally coming to terms with your conflicted feelings, you felt better than ever. You do something you've never done before—you wave. A cute, excited wave that Kyouka eagerly returns, and she quickly takes her seat beside you.

Her own little blue cooler bag rests beside her feet, but she pays no attention to it as soon as she looks at you, "Hi, [name]! You excited?"

You nod vigorously, looking back onto the field where the kick-off begins, and the whistle blows into your ear. "Very. I'm pretty sure everyone here is mostly equally matched, so that'll be interesting."

Kyouka nods, mirroring you and she shuffles her feet around on the floor. Isagi starts by passing to Barou—whose path is almost immediately blocked by Kunigami, but it doesn't phase him one bit. Barou still charges through with Kunigami pressing at his side, but the ginger takes a step back to mark him from a safe distance.

Smart. Barou's dribbling is too skilled for somebody like Kunigami to block from next to him. If he tried from such a close distance, he would surely get juked. Your lips stretch up, and all you can feel is excitement for the match to come.

Kunigami's hand latches onto Barou's arm and forces the king to switch directions to avoid Kunigami's physical blocking. He's pulling away when Barou moves away from his desired shooting range, but getting in close when he gets too near. Woah. Is this really Kunigami? 

Isagi and Nagi are almost completely unmarked and are free to pass to—but as always, the selfish king refuses to pass to another, especially when he knows that he won't be getting the ball back. 

Reo runs up, pushing past Isagi with a look of something you could only describe as absolute vengeance, and promptly steals the ball away from Barou, with ease thanks to Kunigami's physical blocking.

You roll your eyes at the scene in front of you (might you add, that could've easily been avoided if Barou wasn't so self-centred) and cross your legs, arms folded underneath your chest. Kyouka is deadpanning at the sight in front of her, and you think she knows as well as you do how selfish Barou can be. 

Reo passes the ball over to Chigiri, who speeds down the midfield without so much of a hitch—despite Nagi running behind him. You had almost forgotten how incredible his speed was, but you think his prompt goal is a sound reminder. Kyouka cheers and congratulates Chigiri, but you don't hear it over the sound of your thoughts.

This whole game seriously relies on how willing Barou is to play nice... which the odds don't seem too great. Ugh...

You find yourself cursing out the king and how talented he is. It's unfair. But... I guess if I was that talented... I might be a little selfish too. You grimace at the mere thought.

The kick-off begins again, and Isagi is passed the ball. He observes his surroundings for a bit, and then, after making a judgment call, he passes to Barou. Isagi jukes Reo by rushing behind him in his blind spot, and he is clearly free and has a clear path to the goal. However—surprise surprise, Barou being the selfish king he is—does not pass to Isagi, in fact, he intentionally looks away.

Quickly after, the ball is stolen by Kunigami and Barou is left falling on the ground. You slap your palm over your eyes, fingers indenting onto your forehead as you groan—hearing the sound of a whistle and the cheer of Kunigami. You can almost sense the brewing tension between your teammates due to Barou's ridiculous play, and as much as you hate to admit it, you feel anxiety brewing deep within your stomach.

Isagi receives the ball after the restart, and Barou and Nagi quickly go into place, with their respective blockers following close behind. This time, Isagi doesn't make the same mistake twice and passes to Nagi, who jukes Chigiri with an inhuman catch, the ball barely balancing on the tip of his shoe. Now with the ball safely away from Chigiri, he slams his foot into it and scores the first goal for your team.

A smile traces over your lips at the day's first goal for your team, and a little anxiety is lifted off your chest from this revelation. Isagi and Nagi high-five each other before returning to their spots for the restart. 

Barou and Isagi hold up the restart with a very intense-looking conversation, Barou getting all-up in Isagi's face with clenched fists and Isagi yelling something back at him. You aren't too shocked by the tension growing within your team, but honestly, you just wished they would all play nice for at least this match. Otherwise, we might never get a chance like this again.

Barou is basically steaming from the ears when he walks away, jaw clenched so hard that he might break it. You find your eyes lingering on him a little longer until Kyouka shatters your train of thought. She bit down on the inside of her cheek and her lips pouted out, "Barou's acting even more selfish than ever... is he always like this now? Or is it just..."

She doesn't finish her sentence, but you know exactly what she means. You shake your head, then rest your cheek in the palm of your hand. It feels like seconds had gone by when Kunigami scored once again with a header—pushing Isagi and Barou away with full force and slamming his head into the ball, which shoots it straight into the net.

Kunigami has no problem utilising his true strength—with full physical force, he pushes through. You've always seen him as that kind of guy, and today, this game proves it. He balls up his fists and pumps them in the air with a victory cheer, slapping both Chigiri and Reo on the palm after.

It's hard for you to feel malice towards Kyouka's team in the same way you did in the first selection because you really know these people. It's not like they're strangers to you, serving only as an obstacle to your boy's dream of winning, but rather, you know them. You know their dreams and motivations, their past and troubles—you know them.

It's hard seeing Isagi lay on the ground with a lost, puppy-ish expression on his face when he watches Kunigami walk away, but it's even harder to swallow when you realise that you don't think you'll be upset if you lose.

The game restarts, and after the whistle blows, Nagi passes to Isagi. Isagi looks around, observing the situation as he usually does with his outstanding eyes. While Kunigami stays on Barou's side—it's clear that he's not marking him with the same ferocity as he did when the match began, and you don't blame him. You never thought you'd say it, but Barou's been utterly useless this entire match. He's done nothing but play his selfish plays, which usually wouldn't be a problem if he got any scores in.

But after being shut down time and time again, it still seems the king hasn't learned his lesson, and it won't be too long until his kingdom burns to the ground. Reo, Chigiri and Kunigami are all positioned to be able to react as quickly as possible to stop Nagi's movements, and you can see very clearly how Isagi hesitates to pass to him for that reason.

In the end, Isagi doesn't pass to Nagi after all (a fact that seems to shock even the snow-haired boy) and moves in Barou's direction. Instantly, Kunigami is on his guard, and Barou runs forward, expecting a pass... when it doesn't come. Isagi simply runs with the ball and when Kunigami runs forward with Barou's bull charge, Isagi uses the situation to pass the ball over to Nagi (who is getting marked significantly less now that Reo and Kunigami are focused on other things).

Nagi tries to fake out Chigiri again, but with a perfectly timed reminder from Reo (who oddly sounds like a jealous ex, but you don't give it too much thought) Chigiri doesn't overcommit and marks Nagi from a safe enough distance so that the tricky boy doesn't play him again.

It's almost scary, how Nagi can play people like a fiddle without a second glance, you think, as he passes the ball over to Isagi in such a swift motion you can hardly see it. Isagi maneuvered himself into everyone's blind spot, in a place where only Nagi could see, just to get himself in front of the goal. And his plan works, too, because he shoots the ball right into the net with his deadly direct shot.

Your stomach twists in excitement at the ground-breaking play, and even though you are still behind the others, this play gives such an overwhelming feeling that you think that this might just change everything. Isagi... you're just too incredible... On the field—it's like you're a different person.

You cover your mouth with your hands as you watch Isagi high-five Nagi and stare at the egoist with sparkling eyes and a wide smile that is hidden from the world. The restart begins again, and Kunigami passes over the Reo the second the whistle blows. Without so much as a glance, Reo slams his foot into the ball and passes over to Chigiri once the purple-head and Isagi come face-to-face.

Chigiri doesn't take a moment's hesitation—blasting the ball across the field and over to Kunigami, who is followed closely behind by Barou. The ball is high—too high, so he needs to jump (at least, that's what you assume Kunigami's train of thought is). Barou jumps up just before Kunigami does and pushes his back into the ginger, grabbing ahold of the ball and running forward.

Nagi calls for the ball, in his open position, but Barou promptly ignores him. As he has this entire match, gets the ball stolen from Barou by Reo, who comes in from behind and kicks it away from between the king's legs. The loose ball is quickly stolen by Isagi, who is making use of this situation and looks eerily calm. In fact, you don't think you've ever seen him like this, even during his best match against Team Y.

Chigiri comes running in at top speeds, sliding down to try and kick the ball out of Isagi's grasp—only to be met with air, when Isagi passes it over with perfect precision, into Nagi's clutches. The snow-haired boy's eyes light up at the sight, and with his domineering play, he shoots the ball into the goal without a single defender marking him.

Back to square one... we're all caught up, you look up at the scoreboard with a smile on your face. 3 — 3. You'd rather not—but you can afford to lose the next goal of the game as long as Nagi and Isagi can catch up. Barou... not so much. Even with his play during that round, his best was outshined by none other than Isagi, a peasant under the king's foot in the beginning, has risen up and overthrown his crown.

Chigiri runs down the field, and Reo passes over to him. This time, Chigiri does not stop or slow down, even for a second—propelling the ball forward so he can still keep his top speeds, is a strategy you have never seen him use before this moment. Your eyes widen, and your lips part in shock while staring at his play. Is he seriously trying out new things at such a drastic moment?

He isn't even phased when Barou comes charging in like a raging bull—jumping over his foot and propelling the ball up with him, and with a play that couldn't possibly be stopped, he slams his foot into the ball and scores one more goal towards his team's count. You can see Kyouka basically glimmering with pride at the play, an excited look on her face.

Chigiri yells in excitement as well, slapping his hand into Kunigami's, but all you can see is Barou grovelling on the floor, with fistfuls of grass and an expression you can only describe as completely and utterly pissed.

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After the restart, Nagi and Isagi aren't even given a chance to react to Barou's bull charge—because he runs forward so quickly and blasts the ball towards the goal from the centre point. And just as it did in your previous game, his Rin Itoshi shot does not go in, rather it bounces off the hand of Blue Lock Man (who is suspiciously red) and Kunigami darts for it.

Reo calls for the ball, but is unable to receive it from Kunigami due to Nagi attaching himself to the ginger's back and stopping his path. You know as well as he does that Kunigami can't shoot in Nagi's general direction, as long as he doesn't wish for a swift, inhuman counter.

The ball blasts off Kunigami's foot as Reo makes his way around Nagi and receives the pass—or at least, he would've, if Isagi hadn't been in his way, running over to try and steal the precious ball away. Reo is faster than him, however, and before Isagi can trap it, he slides down and slams it away, unable to predict where it's headed.

But you can see—it's headed right towards Barou. He runs up with the ball blasting forward in front of him, Chigiri following closely behind the fallen king. Barou's shooting range is just there, just out of reach from the Red Panther's influence, and in a glorious moment, a one-of-a-kind play, Isagi is there. 

With just one pitiful look—Barou passes the ball to the egoist. Isagi takes his shot into the goal. You could nearly choke on the sheer cockiness that Isagi radiates, as he stares down at Barou's fallen form, crushed into the faux grass. Before, Barou used to take up the entire field as he owned it, but now, he was grovelling beneath Isagi's feet, and Yoichi Isagi, the average joe's presence is so overwhelming that all you can see is him.

Kyouka shakes like a leaf, moving back in her seat and her lithe fingers grip the edge of the metal, "W...—woah! What... Barou passed?! The king... passed to somebody else so they could score?! What happened to him?!" 

Her voice is shaky like she doesn't believe the scene that has just played out in front of her, and frankly, you can barely believe it either. The cocky, egotistical King of the field... Your eyes are wide. Is nearly dead.

You can't hear what Isagi says to him, but it must've been something horrendous, because in just that moment, Barou looks like his world has just shattered into a million tiny shards.

Nagi runs over and asks for a water bottle—chest heaving with every heavy breath he sucks in. You shakily rummage through your bag and pass him the bottle, but not before you ask him questions. "What was that?! How did Isagi get Barou to pass?! What even just happened?! How...—?!"

You look up at Nagi's half-lidded eyes, and you realise that he might look as bored and tired as ever, but there is a certain gleam in his grey irises that makes your chest light up in flames. he wipes his lip with his thumb, shoulders rising with each breath, "Isagi... devoured Barou."

And with that ridiculous answer, his big hand rests on your head and he pats it a few times, probably as a silent thanks, before he jogs back on the field, long and lithe limbs as slow as ever.

The game is restarted once again, and Reo receives the ball with ease. As expected, Chigiri runs down the field with Nagi following, eventually blocking his path. Isagi stands in front of Reo to stop his left-side route to Chigiri. No doubt, you think, Isagi has seen through their plan. It's only logical that they'd want to use Chigiri's speed.

The only open path is to Kunigami, so Reo takes that opportunity and gives it to him. But soon, the ball is passed right back to Reo, without any other sort of play they could possibly do. They were stuck in a corner—forced there by none other than Yoichi Isagi.

But suddenly, without warning, Reo jukes Isagi and Chigiri seems to notice—because he moves past Nagi in a swift motion, and receives that ball that Reo passes especially for him. In another twist of fate, Nagi runs right past Chigiri, not even bothering to mark him, just to chase down Reo's pass. If he can't beat Chigiri in speed, surely, he can beat Reo's pass.

Nagi's ass slides across the floor as he reaches for the pass—the tip of his shoe barely touching it, and with the last of his control, he shoots the ball up—only for it to land right at Barou's feet, and the fallen king looks shocked to receive it.

Barou is almost frozen from the shock, and Nagi runs right past him to get in a better position for a pass—calling out for him to pass the ball. The king—he looks so conflicted, that you really do wonder what is going on in his mind. I mean, I've always wondered that, but now, of all times, I'd really like to know...

Barou moves past Kunigami with lightning-fast speed and precision, acutely dribbling with such intensity that you can practically feel it from here. He doesn't slow after that, not even in the slightest, with such precision and speed that rivals those you have seen from the best, chopping past Reo without a problem. He appears behind Isagi, shadowing himself behind the bright striker in a way to conceal his next move from Chigiri, and rushes forward without giving anybody from either team a chance to even react.

Barou, what's on your mind?

 And with one final kick, lightning-fast and deadly precise, he shoots the ball into the goal and promptly ends the game with one final play.

You watch with a wide-open jaw and unblinking eyes so as to not miss a single microsecond of this moment—this moment of Barou's awakening. It's hard to even react as the whistle blows, signalling the end of this match, and Barou lets out a loud, long scream of victory.

Just when you thought that the king was truly dead, he just came back to life in the most outrageous way, something you guessed you should've expected from somebody like Barou.

He is the king, after all.

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