Blue Lock. Building 5. Team Z Strategy Room.
Two Days Before Match 3 vs. Team W.
The air in the room was light, almost intoxicatingly so. Having defeated Team X (Barou) and Team Y (Niko), Team Z sat atop the leaderboard with 6 points. The fear of elimination, once a choking noose around their necks, had loosened into a comfortable tie.
"Two wins!" Igarashi cheered, tossing a soccer ball into the air and catching it. "We're basically geniuses! At this rate, the First Selection is a cakewalk."
"Don't get cocky, Monk," Raichi grunted, though he was busy flexing his quads in the mirror. "We still have two games. But yeah, we're strong. My midfield defense was flawless last game."
"It was Isagi's reading of the game that saved us," Kunigami corrected, wiping sweat from his forehead. "But we are in a good spot. We just need one more win to guarantee qualification."
In the corner of the room, sat away from the celebration, Isagi Yoichi was staring at a tablet. His eyes were scanning data, but his mind was elsewhere. He wasn't celebrating. He was calculating.
Two wins is statistically insignificant, Isagi thought, his internal voice cold and analytical. Against Team X, I relied on Barou's arrogance. Against Team Y, I relied on Niko's passivity. Those were external factors.
Isagi tapped the screen, bringing up a diagram of the goal area.
I need a formula. A Golden Formula that creates goals with 100% reproducibility, regardless of the enemy.
My weapon is the Direct Shot. My engine is Metavision. But the variable... the variable is the arrangement of the pieces on the board.
"Hey, everyone!"
The voice broke Isagi's concentration. Kuon Wataru stood up, clapping his hands. He wore a bright, benevolent smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Since we're doing so well, I have a strategy for the Team W match! We should use a rotation system!"
"Rotation?" Naruhaya blinked. "Like... taking turns?"
"Exactly!" Kuon beamed. "We have 6 points. We're safe. So, we should let everyone have a chance to shine! I've been playing defensively this whole time, but I was a top scorer in my prefecture. I want to play Forward for the first half!"
Isagi lowered the tablet slowly. His eyes narrowed.
Metavision: Scan.
He looked at Kuon's posture. Tense shoulders. Excessive sweating. A smile that was too wide, too fixed.
He's lying, Isagi analyzed instantly. Why would he want to rotate now? If we lose, our momentum dies. Unless... he doesn't care if we lose.
Isagi looked at the stats.
Isagi: 3 Goals.
Kunigami: 2 Goals.
Kuon: 0 Goals.
He's scared, Isagi realized. He thinks that even if Team Z passes, he might be eliminated individually because of his low stats. He wants to secure goals to protect his own value.
"I don't mind," Isagi said calmly, breaking the silence.
Kuon flinched, looking at Isagi. "R-Really, Isagi? You're okay with playing midfield?"
"Sure," Isagi stood up, walking toward the door. "If you think you can score, go ahead. I'll just control the game from behind. But remember one thing, Kuon..."
Isagi paused at the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. His blue eyes flashed with a menacing sharpness.
"Variables that fail to function in my equation get discarded. Make sure you're useful."
Kuon swallowed hard, nodding rapidly. "O-Of course! For the team!"
Match Day 3: Team Z vs. Team W.
Opponent: The Wanima Brothers.
The teams lined up in the tunnel. Team W was led by the Wanima Brothers—Junichi and Keisuke. They had matching crocodile-like faces and an aura of synchronized menace. They communicated in grunts and sneers.
"Look at them," Junichi grunted. "They look happy."
"Dead meat," Keisuke replied. "Team Z. We feast."
Isagi observed them.
Wanima Brothers. Weapon: Eye Contact Synchronization. They break defensive lines by passing without verbal cues. They essentially share one brain.
Isagi glanced at Kuon, who was shaking hands with Junichi. There was a lingering look. A nod.
I see, Isagi thought, the pieces clicking into place. It's not just a formation change. It's a deal.
KICKOFF.
Team Z started with the ball.
Per the "rotation strategy," Kuon was the Center Forward.
"Let's go!" Kuon yelled, demanding the ball. "Pass to me!"
Bachira, playing casually, flicked a pass to Kuon.
"Here you go, hero."
Kuon trapped the ball. He was 30 meters out.
Immediately, the Wanima brothers swarmed him.
"Get him!"
"Crush him!"
But Isagi saw something strange. They weren't tackling to steal. They were tackling to... guide?
They pushed Kuon toward the goal.
Kuon "stumbled" past Junichi.
"Oops!" Kuon gasped, regaining his balance. "I'm through!"
He let him pass, Isagi noted. Junichi Wanima pulled his leg back at the last second. It's a script.
Kuon rushed the keeper. He shot.
GOAL.
Team Z: 1 - Team W: 0
"YES!" Kuon screamed, running back to high-five everyone. "I scored! Did you see that? The rotation works!"
"Nice one, Kuon!" Igarashi cheered. "We're unstoppable!"
Isagi didn't celebrate. He stood in the center circle, watching Kuon's theatrical performance.
So that's the trade, Isagi calculated. Kuon gets to score a hat-trick to boost his ranking. In exchange, he hands the victory to Team W. A fixed match. 3 goals for Kuon, 4 goals for Team W. Everyone wins, except Team Z.
Isagi smirked.
Interesting. A variable has turned hostile. In normal mathematics, a corrupted variable ruins the equation.
But in Blue Lock... a corrupted variable is just bait.
RESTART.
Team W kicked off.
The Wanima brothers moved instantly.
Pass. Run. Pass. Run.
They sliced through Team Z's midfield. Raichi tried to stop them.
"I'll kill you!" Raichi lunged.
Keisuke passed to Junichi. Junichi passed back. They bypassed Raichi like he was a cone.
They reached the defensive line.
Kuon was "tracking back" to help.
"I've got this!" Kuon yelled, running into the path of the ball.
Isagi watched closely.
Here it comes. The sabotage.
Kuon "slipped." He fell face-first onto the turf, conveniently blocking Chigiri's path to the ball.
"Ah! My foot!" Kuon cried out.
"Thanks for the space!" Keisuke Wanima laughed, stepping over Kuon's body.
He was through. One-on-one with the goalkeeper.
GOAL.
Team Z: 1 - Team W: 1
"Sorry guys!" Kuon yelled from the ground, looking distraught. "I slipped! The grass is wet!"
"Get up, you clumsy idiot!" Raichi screamed.
The game continued.
The "mistakes" kept happening.
Kuon missed a header. Kuon made a bad pass. Kuon screened his own teammates.
Team W scored again.
Team Z: 1 - Team W: 2
"This is bad!" Kunigami grit his teeth. "Our rhythm is gone!"
"Kuon is having a nightmare game," Igarashi whined.
Isagi walked up to Kuon, who was pretending to catch his breath.
"Hey," Isagi whispered.
Kuon jumped. "I-Isagi! I'm sorry, I'll do better!"
Isagi looked him dead in the eye.
"You're trying to score three, right?"
Kuon froze. The color drained from his face. "W-What?"
"You have one. You need two more to secure your survival as top scorer," Isagi said, his voice calm, factual. "Then you'll let them win 4-3. That's the deal."
"You... how..." Kuon trembled.
"It's a logical survival strategy for a mediocrity like you," Isagi insulted him effortlessly. "But you made a miscalculation."
Isagi pointed to his own eyes.
"You assumed I was a static piece on the board. You assumed you could manipulate the game without me noticing."
Isagi leaned in, his aura darkening the space around them.
"You want to be the villain? Fine. Be the villain. Keep trying to lose. Keep giving them the ball."
"What?" Kuon blinked, confused.
"Every time you sabotage us, you create a hole in the field," Isagi explained. "The Wanima brothers focus entirely on you. They look at you to coordinate their next move. That means..."
Isagi grinned.
"...they aren't looking at me."
The Counter-Script.
Restart.
Team Z had the ball.
Kuon received a pass. He looked for the Wanima brothers to give it away.
"Here!" Kuon made a telegraphed pass, intending for it to be intercepted.
Keisuke Wanima stepped forward to steal it. "Thanks, traitor!"
But before the ball reached Keisuke, a blur cut across the lane.
Isagi Yoichi.
"I'll take that," Isagi said.
He intercepted his own teammate's sabotage pass.
"Wh-What?!" Keisuke gasped. "He read the interception?!"
Isagi accelerated.
Because the Wanima brothers had moved out of position to receive Kuon's "gift," the entire center of the field was wide open.
Isagi drove through the heart of Team W.
Formula Adjustment:
Variable A (Kuon) = Negative.
Variable B (Wanima Focus) = On Kuon.
Result: Isagi Yoichi = Invisible.
"Stop him!" Junichi screamed, chasing back.
Isagi approached the penalty area.
A defender rushed him.
Isagi saw Kunigami on the left. The defender looked at Kunigami, expecting a pass.
Probability of Kunigami scoring: 40%.
Probability of me scoring if I use the defender's momentum: 85%.
Isagi feinted a pass. The defender shifted.
Isagi cut inside.
He was 18 meters out.
He didn't trap the ball to settle it. He hit it on the rise.
Direct Shot.
The ball flew straight and true, slicing through the air like a razor.
It smashed into the top right corner.
GOAL.
Team Z: 2 - Team W: 2
Isagi landed on his feet and turned to look at Kuon.
Kuon was standing in the midfield, mouth agape. The script was broken.
Isagi walked back, passing the Wanima brothers.
"Your acting is terrible," Isagi told them. "If you want to fix a match, do it when I'm not on the field."
He stopped next to Kuon.
"That's two for us," Isagi whispered. "You're not getting your hat-trick, Kuon. You're going to die here with zero value, unless you start playing for my victory."
Isagi walked away, leaving the traitor shivering in the cold shadow of his ego.
I don't need trust, Isagi thought, his eyes burning blue. I just need to know your function. And right now, Kuon, your function is to be my bait.