"I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I couldn't stop him!" Aoshi said with deep remorse, striking his forehead.
"It's not your fault, Tokimitsu." Jūbē brushed his bangs aside, "I have to admit, Kira's skill level surpasses yours — and I'd say he's even on par with me."
Rin stood silently beside them, his inner rage intensifying.
When Ryōsuke scored the first goal, Rin hadn't been playing at full strength.
But in their last defensive exchange, Rin had given it everything he had. Yet he still couldn't stop him.
Ryōsuke's speed had shattered his puppet strategy, and his raw power had broken through the defensive trap Rin had carefully set.
At this rate, he would lose. And if he lost to Ryōsuke, the gap between him and his brother would only widen.
This can't happen — cannot happen! He absolutely must not lose to someone like Ryōsuke!
An unfamiliar emotion surged through Rin's heart.
Beside him, Meguru wore a complex expression — a forced smile on his face while his body trembled.
This was the soccer he had dreamed of — battling against true masters, facing Ryōsuke on the field once more. Yet that overwhelming strength awakened the monster inside him, filling him with fear and making his movements hesitant.
This fear of Ryōsuke had caused him to hesitate for that crucial half-second during his shooting chance.
Even without that delay, Ryōsuke would have stopped his shot — but that paralyzing fear now prevented him from shooting freely.
At this rate, he'd never defeat Ryōsuke, and the gap between them would only grow wider!
In this match, Meguru felt disconnected, moving half a beat behind everyone else.
This cannot continue! If things stayed this way, soccer would lose all its joy. He had to silence the monster within his heart.
He needed to eliminate this instinctive fear of Ryōsuke!
That monster had once been his guide on the field, but now it had become his chains.
'That's right — the monster's presence kept me from feeling lonely when I played soccer alone. Thank you, monster, for always being there. But I can't rely on you anymore — I'll never catch up to Kira this way! Please disappear! I don't need you anymore, monster!'
His expression transformed, his gaze deepening like a black hole ready to devour everything, all traces of his smile vanishing.
The 'monster's voice' that had guided his actions fell silent, and Meguru was ready to follow his heart's true direction.
Following his heart's desire — this was the soccer he truly wanted!
Red Team attacks!
Meguru seized the ball and charged straight into White Team's territory.
But Ikki rushed to block his path.
'The attack route is blocked, and with Nagi and Kunigami providing backup defense, he should see that passing is his best option — Itoshi is his ideal target.'
Using his keen observation and tactical mind, Ikki analyzed the field, certain he had sealed Meguru's attack route and that his opponent would pass back.
"Hey kappa-head, pass it back!" Rin barked from Meguru's side.
At that moment, Ikki noticed something.
He sensed a shift in Meguru's aura as his expression turned intensely serious — a look he'd never shown before, with his spirit completely focused inward.
"Could it be?!"
Before he could react, Meguru struck.
He nutmegged the ball through Ikki's legs, then barely slipped past him, teetering but maintaining his balance.
"What? This is pure recklessness!" Ikki was dumbfounded — his defensive position had been solid, yet somehow Meguru had squeezed past him.
It was brute force and completely irrational. Meguru should have known better — even if he got past Ikki, Rensuke and Seishirō were waiting to double-team him.
"Has he lost his mind? Damn it!"
From the side, Rin seethed with fury at this disobedience, this irrational choice to go solo.
But Meguru's steps never faltered as he sprinted full-speed toward the opposition.
"I'll stop him!" Rensuke stepped forward to block—
But Meguru suddenly changed direction, baiting his opponent's weight shift, then completed another nutmeg the moment Rensuke moved!
He had blazed past two players in succession!
"I'm right beside you!" Jūbē called from nearby, positioning himself for a give-and-go.
But the dribbler never even glanced his way.
"Shut up, I'm not passing!" Meguru's expression turned fierce, completely immersed in his own game.
No passing — just pure instinct and attack!
"Damn it!" Rensuke backpedaled desperately, but Meguru had already created separation.
Seishirō rushed up in support, but Meguru executed lightning-fast stepovers, testing his opponent's balance, then suddenly combined it with a cow-tail dribble to slip past.
Seishirō's desperate grab at Meguru came up empty!
Though going solo, his offensive display was remarkable. This attack posed a serious threat to the White Team.
"Surround him!"
Although Meguru had gotten past Seishirō, his direction change gave Ikki and Rensuke time to recover and catch up.
Yet facing the three-man press, he remained calm. His focus only intensified.
At his feet, the ball danced with a life of its own, flowing left to right, occasionally popping into the air — teasing defenders with false chances before leading them astray.
"Hey, Kappa-head, that's enough! Pass the ball to me!" Rin shouted angrily from outside the defensive circle.
Meguru's defiance and the attention he commanded deeply irritated Rin.
Initially, Rin had seen Blue Lock as merely his stepping stone, viewing others as pawns who could never match his level.
But now, not only were others catching up to him — someone like Ryōsuke actually posed a threat.
How disgusting...
In the field's center, Meguru moved like a dancer performing an elegant waltz. His flashy ball control — rarely seen in official matches — commanded attention like a grand performance.
These weren't mere showboat moves — he executed a precise carousel turn past Rensuke, then a sudden pullback that threw off Seishirō's positioning, followed by a lightning-quick Cruyff turn to evade Ikki.
These three were skilled defenders who should have stopped him easily when pressing together. But Meguru had transformed — his focus razor-sharp, his ball control reaching new heights.
In this moment, he shone brighter than anyone else on the field.
By the narrowest margin, he broke through their defensive circle and charged toward White Team's goal.
Only one obstacle remained: Ryōsuke Kira.
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"Bachira is being too reckless." Anri said, frowning as she spoke to Jinpachi beside her.
She was confused — in her memory, Meguru wasn't one to hog the ball. He would always pass to others when good opportunities arose.
But now he was acting completely differently. Despite Jūbē and Rin creating excellent positions, he refused to pass, which was utterly unlike him.
Still, Anri had to admit one thing: Meguru was showcasing dribbling skills unmatched by anyone else in Blue Lock.
"Has he... grown even stronger than I expected?"
"This is what we call 'Flow' — a kind of awakening." Jinpachi explained, gesturing.
"Flow?" Anri looked puzzled.
"It's a state reached when fully focused on a challenge — a mental state where people access their most appropriate experiences. They become so immersed that time seems to vanish, their minds operating at peak excitement. Some call it 'being in the zone'. What looks like miraculous play to others comes from achieving this flow state."
He spoke with intense focus while Anri nodded slightly, though the concept remained unclear to her.
Yet she understood one thing: Meguru had instantly reached a level she'd never seen before.
"Entering the Flow state is the first step to becoming a top player." Jinpachi continued slowly, "Though Bachira has achieved it, he likely can't control it freely yet. His competitive spirit — his desire to challenge Kira — has pushed him to this level."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Now, how will Kira respond?"
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Meguru charged toward Ryōsuke at full speed.
He couldn't hesitate — even a moment's pause would let the three defenders he'd passed catch up.
Meguru had only one option: get past Ryōsuke as quickly as possible.
His competitive spirit blazed like wildfire, consuming his energy. Whatever the cost, he had to reach his peak now.
He refused to let the gap between himself and Ryōsuke grow any wider!
He lowered his center of gravity leftward, baiting his opponent to shift weight. Then in a flash, Meguru swung his body completely right, like a human pendulum. Though simple, the move's timing and speed were perfect — sometimes the simplest techniques prove most effective.
"You've done impressively well to get this far, Bachira — but as your opponent, I'll be giving it my all too."
Ryōsuke tracked Meguru's every movement, his Rice Spirit ability letting him anticipate potential moves.
As the final defender, he absolutely wouldn't allow an easy goal!
The moment Meguru shifted his weight, he matched his speed.
Meguru seemed faster!
He had already brushed past Ryōsuke's shoulder before the latter could fully adjust his balance. In that instant, his gaze locked onto the goal.
This was his chance!
Without a moment's hesitation, Meguru stepped up to shoot!
"If this were a full-sized field, this attack would have been truly threatening. But on this smaller pitch, your options are limited. This is where it ends!"
Just when Meguru thought he had gotten past Ryōsuke, his opponent whirled around even faster and blocked his shot from behind!
❖❖❖
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