All Japan High School Soccer Tournament Championship Match
Maebash High School V.S. Seiro High School
3-2, Maebash - 90+2', Seiro in possession.
The striker prodigy clenched his fist and slammed his foot into the turf.
"This is it, we're in the final stages of this battle."[1]
He begins running at a medium pace, his silky black hair with purple highlights slamming against his forehead with every stride. He raises his hand and slicks his hair back into its natural middle-parted style as he picks up his running pace.
"If I can successfully analyze the field and stop this final attack, I will be the hero of this team!"
As the boy concentrates on the pitch, all the players around him, and the current situation, he keeps wiping the sweat out of his eyes, making sure he can always see what is happening.
"Aoi, Seiro's star striker, has possession of the ball at the moment. He has three-quarters of the field left until he reaches an optimal shooting area, based on his previous shots, ofcourse."
"ETO! GOYA! FOLLOW ME!"[2]
The obvious leader of Maebash waves his hand in a commanding motion, requesting his left and right wings to play alongside him as they take the defensive.
"Aoi has reached the center line. We're running out of time to stop his attack. If Eto and Goya can distract his only remaining allies, I can force him into a shot he isn't confident in!"
As the two wings continue following alongside their captain, they listen closely to his plan and prepare to help save the match.
Aoi continues dribbling the ball with immense speed and determination, his medium-length hair, white as snow, swaying in his face as he marches to his club's final chance. He looks left and notices his ally is covered by Eto. He swings right quickly, out-dribbling yet another sloppy defender. "Embarassing" He quickly remarks in his face.
Aoi widens his range of vision and notices his only remaining ally to his right is being perfectly defended by Goya. "Damn it! I'm nowhere near my ideal shooting range." He narrows his eyes and concentrates his breathing.
"If I put just slightly too much or too little force into this final shot, everything my teammates have worked for would be shut down. We've spent years together, training our minds to act as a whole. Our coach drilled the same narrative into our minds to work as one. This entire tournament, I've blindly followed his words like a lost puppy. No matter if we win or lose, this will be the last high school soccer match I ever play. All of us will walk separate paths the second that whistle blows, and this singularity of a team that our coach shaped us into will shatter into fragments. If the result of our future is a fixed outcome, then I will take matters into my own hands and break the singularity of this team myself, PREMATURELY!
Aoi widens his eyes and ignites a flame in his heart. He charges ahead and notices both of his allies have broken free of their defensive hold. He continues dribbling past Maebash's midfielders and is just beyond his optimal shooting range. Aoi analyzes that he has four options: pass to his open left wing, pass to his open right wing, continue charging until he breaks through the last defensive efforts of Maebash, or make the final shot and declare himself the savior of Seiro High School!
"If I cannot rely on those I've surrounded myself with to achieve an outcome I'm satisfied with as a whole, THEN I'LL SURPASS THEM ALL AND DECLARE MY OWN OUTCOME! THE AOI OUTCOME!"
Aoi digs his left foot into the pitch, about ten feet from his ideal shooting range. He swings his right foot with all his might, slamming into the ball at an unfamiliar range that those around him are used to. His power shot instantly silences the erupting crowd. It begins to curve right as it soars through the air. The goalkeeper cannot maintain focus on its speed and precision, and Seiro High's players are thrilled at what they just witnessed from their captain, Aoi. Seiro's bench jumps into excitement as the ball flies closer to the top left corner of the goal, just before Aoi's face drops in fear.
"Why would he be there... I wasn't accounting for a striker to be there!"
Maebash's captain dives right into the ball with a perfect header pass to a nearby teammate. The final whistle blows after Maebash regains possession past extra time, and Aoi falls to his knees.
FINAL SCORE: 3-2, MAEBASH HIGH SCHOOL!
Maebash and their players erupt in cheers as they win the championship and declare themselves part of soccer history. Maebash's captain walks over to Aoi, who kneels defeated and exhausted, after scoring a brace, yet still losing. The captain stands right over him, taunting the victory in his face.
"Aoi, I saw your thoughts play out in real time on the field. I knew exactly how to read your next step and shut it down. If you cannot abandon the ideals drilled into you by that moronic coach, you will never be more than a training dummy to me." Aoi looks up as the captain walks away. He begins slamming his fist into the turf out of anger and misery.
"With this championship win, the prodigy striker for Maebash leads his team to a three-peat, scoring two goals in this game and declaring himself the future of Japanese soccer. Please welcome the #1-ranked high schooler in Japanese boys' soccer, Izumo Jiro." Jiro walks forward onto the podium with all of his lifelong teammates, grasping the trophy in his right hand and the mic in his left.
"I told myself coming into this game that if I won, I would be clear with the media and my coaches about my future. I didn't win this game for the team. I didn't win this game for the three-peat. I won this game so I could take my first step towards my goals, not complete them. I often think of this quote from the greatest striker of all-time, Isagi Yoichi.
"Pursuing your goals to the fullest. That's the foundation of our ego. An ego that is unique only to you. - Isagi Yoichi
No, winning this championship wasn't a personal goal of mine; hell, even winning three in a row wasn't a goal of mine. I believe the perfect goals are the ones that seem unachievable to even the most egotistical people. So to create an ego unique to me, and only me, I must set my goals so far beyond the average player that I am forced to utilize an inhumane mindset to achieve them. That's why I want to be just like the best, I want to be just like Isagi Yoichi. I want to be great!"
LATER THAT NIGHT[3]
As Jiro gathered his belongings from his locker, he noticed a letter sticking out of his bag, bearing a familiar logo as the stamp. His heart began to race as he slipped away from the team and began to read the letter.
"Dear Izumo Jiro, We are exhilarated by your talent and egotistical gameplay and believe you are a crucial key to elevating Japanese soccer back to the level it once was.
Under the same principles as my father, Ego Jinpachi, I will reinstate Project Blue Lock to bring about a second coming and birth another era of Japanese dominance in soccer.
Coordinates and a date will be provided to you via your cellphone. Please stay alert.
Thank you, Ego Shimpei."
[1] Bold text represents internal thoughts
[2] Italic text represents verbal speech.
[3] Bold text can also sometimes portray the narrator