Chapter Text
On the morning of the match between Team Z and Team W, Team Z gathered in the monitoring room to finalize their plan. Iemon was quietly explaining Team W's playstyle, focusing on their primary scorers:
the Wanima Twins.
In a far corner, Isagi sat alone, violently tugging at his shoelaces. His gaze radiated fury. The events of the previous night with Chigiri were still playing in his mind...
and he regretted it.
Not what he had said to Chigiri, but that he had exposed himself.
He had handed Chigiri a winning card regarding his past on a silver platter, and it made him angry—and tense.
'Damn it... why did I do that? Hyoma has a "key" to my past now... I let him see a glimpse of my life like a total fool. This feeling of being exposed... it's disgusting. It makes me want to crush him on the pitch more than anyone else,' Isagi thought bitterly.
That morning, every time Chigiri passed by, Isagi averted his eyes with a sharp coldness, refusing even to acknowledge his existence.
While the team suddenly wondered where Kuon was, Iemon mentioned he was still in the bath. A moment later, the door opened, revealing Kuon. His face was entirely red, and steam still clung to his skin.
"Welcome back," Bachira said sleepily, stretching in his chair.
"Oh, sorry... did I miss anything?" Kuon asked slowly as he entered.
'What's with this shy anime girl look?..' Isagi thought with disgust before looking away. 'Peasants.'
"I was thinking about the name for tomorrow’s operation and completely lost track of time..." Kuon explained.
"Where were you anyway?" Kuon asked.
"We just started, you lazy slob," Isagi replied sarcastically.
"You're barely standing, Kuon! Get it together, or we'll be playing with only ten men!" Igarashi joked.
Kuon took a sip of water before beginning. "Regarding today's plan—"
"Doesn't Isagi usually handle the plan?" Gagamaru asked, everyone turning toward Isagi.
"I'm not in a good mood. You handle the plan, Kuon. We'll win anyway," Isagi said irritably, his eyes once again avoiding Chigiri.
"Hey, are you okay?" Igarashi asked.
"Shut up," Isagi replied sternly, and they decided not to push him further. Bachira stared at Isagi silently.
Kuon began explaining his 'plan.'
"Guys, Team W relies on the Wanima Twins. They play with terrifying harmony. So, our plan will be an all-out attack from the start. I'll be at the front to distract the defenders, and Isagi will act as a playmaker from deep."
"What about our positions?" Imamura asked.
"We'll rotate the striker role!" Kuon said. This caught the team's attention. Kuon's plan gave them more chances to play as strikers, unlike Isagi's rigid formations.
"Hmm, sounds like a good plan," Naruhaya thought, and Gagamaru slowly agreed.
Isagi looked at Kuon with suspicion, but he was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't object.
"Do whatever you want, Kuon... as long as you don't get in my way," Isagi replied coldly.
"I'll stay in defense," Chigiri said quietly. Isagi clicked his tongue.
"It would be dangerous to swap keepers mid-game, so I'll stay as I am," Iemon added.
Team Z headed out, determined to win.
The match began with the virtual whistle on the big screen. The ball was with Team W. The twins advanced first, passing to one another. They bypassed Igarashi with ease. Isagi stood his ground, watching Team W's movements, especially the twins who were slicing through the pitch. Isagi signaled Kunigami to move, but the twins quickly outmaneuvered Gagamaru and bypassed Kunigami.
Isagi stared in disbelief. He didn't expect the formation to collapse this quickly. He stepped forward himself to steal the ball, but they bypassed him too. Isagi’s eyes widened; no one had ever gotten past his defense like that, and it certainly wouldn't be these ugly twins.
"Hyoma! Get forward!" Isagi called out sharply.
"Chigiri Hyoma? You mean the glass genius?" one of them mocked. Isagi turned to see them bypassing Chigiri effortlessly.
"Oh, the glass genius is trying his luck in Blue Lock?"
"Is that so? How pathetic!"
"Your days as a player ended long ago, loser."
The twins wore terrifying, ugly smiles. Chigiri tried to catch them, but the younger twin whispered venomously
"Are you sure about that? Run on the other leg and let it break like the first one!"
Isagi witnessed this in silence, then lunged forward, snatching the ball with a swift move from the older twin. The twin fell to the ground, and his brother began protesting the sudden tackle.
"I know it was a foul, you crazy twins, but the referee didn't call it!" Isagi snapped, glaring at them. He immediately moved forward with the ball, ignoring everyone around him.
" you idiot," Isagi called out as he advanced.
"Be a striker and stop playing this children's game, Hyoma."
Isagi sent a high, perfect cross toward Kuon near the goal. Kuon headed the ball directly into the net.
1-0!
Isagi didn't waste time looking at Chigiri again; he returned to his position. Bachira’s gaze remained fixed on Isagi.
'Something is wrong...' Bachira thought.
On the second whistle, the ball went back to Team W. Kunigami rushed to take the ball, but the older twin moved it away. Bachira intercepted a shot and sprinted forward with Isagi beside him.
"Meguru." Bachira didn't need to hear it twice; he passed to Isagi. Isagi advanced, but the pressure from the defenders became immense. He saw Kunigami was blocked and Raichi was too far. With sheer determination, Isagi feinted a pass back to Bachira, evaded them, and fired a long-range shot that barely cleared the keeper's hands to hit the top left corner.
2-0!
"Great job, Isagi!" Imamura called out.
"Well done," Kuon said.
As the match progressed, Team Z’s rotation plan moved Raichi, Naruhaya, and Gagamaru to the front. The older Wanima twin shoved Naruhaya, resulting in a foul. Isagi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Again, Kuon received a ball from Bachira and headed it powerfully into the net.
"A brace!"
3-0!
Team Z returned to the break room after the first half with joyous smiles.
"We crushed them in the first half! It's all thanks to Kuon today!" Igarashi said excitedly.
Isagi looked at Kuon suspiciously.
'You've been useless until now... but you might be a decent tool,' Isagi thought, drinking his water coldly.
But... Isagi stared at Bachira, who was bothering Kuon with his usual smile.
'Why didn't you pass to me, Meguru?..' Isagi thought. Isagi had been in a better position, but Bachira had passed to Kuon because he was closer to the goal.
Isagi squeezed his water bottle until it deformed, his eyes fixed on Kuon for a moment before they headed back out.
"Things are only just starting to explode, Chigiri. Hold on tight so you don't get left behind," Isagi said as he walked past Chigiri.
In the second half, Team Z seemed stable on the surface. Raichi advanced with the ball. The older Wanima brother moved to stop him.
"So, the 'great' older brother is coming to stop me?" Raichi provoked. He passed the ball to Isagi.
"Raichi, give me the ball," Isagi said calmly. Raichi didn't hesitate.
Kuon clicked his tongue and ran behind Isagi. Isagi was suddenly pressured from all sides. He bumped into a player behind him and instinctively sent the ball back to Raichi.
'Did they suddenly change their formation?' Isagi wondered. He noticed two defenders moving behind him in sync. As he moved to receive a pass from Raichi, the younger Wanima brother stole it.
"Naruhaya! Hyoma!" Isagi shouted. Neither could reclaim it.
Goal for Team W. 3-1.
Kuon clapped his hands to get their attention. "No need to worry, we're still up by two! Let's attack!"
"Don't order me around, Kuon," Isagi replied.
The match resumed. Kuon sent a short, poor pass to Isagi.
"Hah?!" Isagi yelled, lunging for it. But the younger Wanima twin grabbed Isagi’s shirt in a blind spot and pulled. Isagi tripped and hit the ground.
"Isagi!" Kuon shouted.
Kunigami and Bachira rushed to Isagi, who raised his head slowly, glaring at Kuon.
"Kuon, you moron! Don't pass like that when I'm that far!" He then looked at the twin.
"And that bastard, why didn't he get a yellow?!"
"Isagi... calm down," Bachira said softly, wiping dirt from Isagi's face. Isagi pushed his hand away.
"Don't touch me, Meguru."
Suddenly, the tide turned.
Team W began scoring goals with terrifying ease. Kuon stopped running and started making intentional defensive errors. Isagi watched as Kuon missed an easy header, allowing Team W to score again.
Score 3-3.
Kuon knelt on the ground, panting. Isagi walked up to him and grabbed him by the hair.
"You... you piece of trash... you sold us out!"
"Bingo~!" the Wanima brothers chirped behind Isagi.
"He told us everything. Your movements, your weaknesses, your weapons... he gave it all to us!"
As soon as Kuon confessed with a greasy smile, Isagi didn't wait for excuses. In a flash, he delivered a powerful punch to Kuon's jaw that sent him sprawling.
"You disgusting scum! You think you're smart? You think you can play me like a puppet? I'll show you a real hell here!" Isagi roared with a savage voice.
Kunigami and Gagamaru had to hold him back. The virtual referee flashed a yellow card at Isagi.
"Resume what?! How can we finish with ten men?" Raichi screamed.
Isagi looked around. Bachira was silent, Raichi was cursing, and Kuon was wiping blood from his mouth with a smirk. Isagi felt a moment of loss...
'Am I that pathetic boy again?'
After a silence that preceded a storm, Isagi stood in the center circle. He wiped his face violently. When he looked up, the "Cunning Fox" was gone. In his place was a "Demon" seeking extermination.
"Listen up... Kuon doesn't exist anymore. The pitch belongs to us ten. I don't want plans, I don't want fairness, and I don't want clean football. I want 'revenge' that wipes the stain of this filth off the grass," Isagi said in a voice like ice.
Isagi began playing with a violence no one had seen. He used his body harshly, slamming into opponents and tugging shirts in blind spots. He played "dirty."
Bachira passed to Isagi. Isagi didn't pass to Kunigami to make him a hero. he used him as a wall to bounce the ball back to himself, scoring two consecutive goals with hateful strikes that nearly tore the net.
"Scum," Isagi spat as he shouldered Kuon while passing him.
3-5 in favor of Team Z.
Time was running out. Isagi turned to Chigiri.
"hyoma! Look at me!" Isagi screamed.
"I'm burning here! I'm the one with no family that loves him, I'm the one cheated by those closest to him... and I'm still running! Show me the speed of the 'Princess' you buried, or go to hell with Kuon!"
These words, fueled by Isagi's rage and the honesty of his own wounds, were the electric shock Chigiri’s heart needed.
Suddenly, Chigiri untied his red hair and sprinted with a speed no one had ever witnessed.
Chigiri flew like an arrow, receiving a "dirty" pass from Isagi that zipped under the feet of a stunned Kuon.
4-6 for Team Z!
Team Z had scored six goals in one half—three by Isagi and three from his lethal assists and movements that tore Team W's spirit to shreds.
The whistle blew. Team Z had won by a miracle. Isagi walked up to Kuon, who was sitting on the grass, and looked down at him with total coldness. He spat beside him.
"You scored 2 goals to ensure you stay? Congratulations... you'll stay here to watch us rise to the top while you rot at the bottom of your own filth. You're not a traitor, Kuon... you're just a 'mistake' I corrected today."
Isagi walked toward Chigiri, who was breathing heavily and staring at his leg in wonder.
"Isagi... I ran."
"You took long enough," Isagi said, his features softening slightly.
"But at least you're not a corpse anymore."
"It's because of you... I saw you get excited, get angry, and push forward. For a moment, I didn't know what was important anymore," Chigiri mused.
"From today... I'll keep running until the fire burns me out."
"Good. I think you're a decent fighter, Princess. Don't expect me to support you again."
Isagi extended his hand. Chigiri took it. "I'll be the best striker in the world."
"Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm the one becoming the best," Isagi pulled him up with force.
The team swarmed Chigiri to celebrate.
Isagi slipped away quietly to the locker room.
He collapsed onto a bench, closing his eyes in exhaustion. He felt a shadow. It was Bachira.
"Isagi... I'm sorry I was quiet today. The monster inside me was scared of your anger," Bachira whispered regretfully.
"Just carry me to the bath, Meguru... I'm exhausted," Isagi replied without opening his eyes.
"Oh, okay!" Bachira quickly hoisted him onto his back.
"Do you forgive me?" Bachira whispered.
Isagi looked at him for a second before burying his face in Bachira’s shoulder.
"Yes... just don't ignore me to give the ball to Kuon ever again, Meguru."
"I promise," Bachira vowed.