Yoichi Isagi gritted his teeth, a surging flame burning in his pupils.
He didn't want to leave such a good opportunity like this... Moreover, there was someone he absolutely had to defeat. As his gaze fell on Ye Liangqiu, his eyes seemed to reflect the scene from back in Z Team.
But now, everyone was an enemy.
Enemies fighting for a spot!
At this moment, the gate beneath the screen slowly opened. Ego Jinpachi told all the selected Top 7 players to leave; he needed to conduct a second debriefing with the 28 remaining players.
Clearly, this adaptability training was not so simple.
Inside the passage, Shidou Ryusei let out a cackle, "This is really interesting... I didn't expect Ego to actually plan for us to have an intense close-quarters battle with the U20 team."
"How exciting!"
"Can you stop acting like a pervert?" Itoshi Rin's veins bulged on his cheeks. He kept as much distance as possible, afraid of being associated with this perverted man.
"Heh heh." Shidou Ryusei snorted, "Although I don't understand how that four-eyes managed to put a tsundere like you above me, I think this ranking is definitely wrong."
"With my strength, it's too easy to kick your ass."
When it came to football, Itoshi Rin's eyes gradually turned cold, "What did you say?"
"How about we have a match?"
"Pink-haired pervert?"
In an instant, the two skillfully grabbed each other's collars.
Otoya Eita, Yukimiya Kenyu, and Otoya Eita, who were watching from the side, were dumbfounded...
(⊙o⊙)…
Uh, these are the top-ranked players?
Or the team that almost beat a professional team in the last match?
Huh?
Question marks appeared on all three of their heads.
At this moment, Ye Liangqiu stepped forward and said earnestly, placing his hands on their shoulders, "One tsundere, one pervert, don't you guys feel ashamed? I feel ashamed!"
"How about I spar with you two?"
"Two wastes?"
Itoshi Rin and Shidou Ryusei turned their heads at the same time, "What did you say?"
"Wanna fight?"
Clearly, when facing Ye Liangqiu, their opinions had never been so unified.
Bachira's lips curved into a smile from the side, "Count me in!"
Leaving only Otoya Eita and the other two in disarray in the wind.
....
And at this moment, in the central link hall.
Everyone was like a well-behaved child, listening to Ego Jinpachi's words on the screen.
"To be precise, all of this is a temporary ranking."
"Do you remember what I said?"
"Blue Lock only needs players who can reach the world's number one. In the fourth selection round, the Top 7's ranking will also be affected by the adaptability training."
"In short, adaptability training emphasizes coexistence."
"What I need is a team that can fully integrate an offensive system, not a chaotic team of individuals who can only score alone."
"Even if any one of the Top 7 exhibits this situation,"
"I will strip him of his chance to participate in the match."
"So what do we need to do?" At this point, Yoichi Isagi asked, "28 players, we can only have one match. How much value can be seen from that?"
"Is it just to win for the sake of winning?"
"And ultimately join the team?"
Ego chuckled, "What do you need to do? What you need to do is adapt. The adaptability training I spoke of was never for the Top 7, but for you."
"Next, you will choose any team to enter."
"But you all probably understand your own ambitions."
"Will you devour the Top 7?"
"Or will you destroy and change for the sake of adapting to the team you chose?"
"Furthermore, once you choose, you must bear the risks and consequences of failure."
"You need to become an irreplaceable presence, coexisting with these players on the same field, asserting your own value."
"This is adaptability training, and it is also the fourth selection round."
.......
And at this moment, everyone was gathered together, a rare occurrence.
Some were happy, some were sad.
All of the Top 7 were taken to a conference room.
Ego Jinpachi stood truly before them, no longer just on a screen.
"I believe you already have the answer as to why I called you here, right?"
Itoshi Rin was the first to ask, "Is it true what you said before, that Itoshi Sae will participate in this match?"
Ego nodded, "Of course, I wouldn't lie to you in such a formal match. Moreover, Itoshi Sae will join the U20 match as a weapon to crush our Blue Lock."
Saying this, he looked at everyone, "Now you can ask me any questions."
"My time is limited."
"Is all of this true?" Suddenly, Shidou Ryusei asked, "Is it true that if we play against the U20 team, we can directly replace them?"
After all, it all felt a bit surreal.
No one had expected that a national team would make such a big gamble to destroy Blue Lock. Perhaps they didn't understand Blue Lock, but the players within Blue Lock naturally knew that their current strength might not be able to contend with professional players.
However, after this direct confrontation with world-class players...
It seemed... professional players weren't such a big deal after all.
Ego Jinpachi nodded expressionlessly, "It's true. The country wants to use Blue Lock as a negative example, to destroy the entire Blue Lock, and let everyone in the world know that this approach cannot create top-tier players."
"However, compared to you who are involved in the plan, you should understand the value of Blue Lock."
"I won't say more."
Otoya Eita, who had been silent, asked, "If we replace the U20 team, will the country acknowledge it? Or rather, they won't go back on their word, will they?"
"Go back on their word?" Ego Jinpachi pushed up his glasses, "They cannot go back on their word. All news media outlets outside already know about this. If the country dares to go back on its word, I believe someone will be even more furious than us."
"Even... the development of Blue Lock will only become more solid."
At this point, Ye Liangqiu finally spoke. He said calmly, "This is also why you brought us here, isn't it? You want to determine if we will truly serve Blue Lock?"
That's right... After all, they, the Top 7, or rather, everyone in Blue Lock, were merely participants in the Blue Lock project.
However, all of this came at a price.
For example, Ego had said before they entered that if they were eliminated, their future football careers would end.
This was... an indirect gamble. These players were taking huge risks, engaging in a crazy endeavor with Ego Jinpachi. Now the entire world was paying attention to them.
Ego Jinpachi also knew all of this.
He looked at Ye Liangqiu and slowly said, "So you think I'm harming you?"