Ascension│Bluelock x male reader

8. Unpleasant Memories

"Oh, hello there!" Y/N turned around, and grinned welcomingly at the strange man standing behind him. "Ego Jinpachi, right?"

Ego was still dressed in the black shirt from earlier, even though it was late at night. His eyes observed Y/N, watching like Y/N was nothing but statistics on a screen. "Yes."

A few seconds passed, Y/N shifting sort of awkwardly under Ego's gaze. He didn't really have anything to say to him, and looked over his shoulder as Isagi and Bachira turned a corner and disappeared from view. "...Did you want me for something?"

"I was going to ask you why you gave fake results on your physical ability tests." Ego said flatly.

Y/N flushed red, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he thought of an excuse. "I didn't...?"

"Don't lie to me." Ego's expression hadn't changed one bit, as he stared Y/N down. "Why did you fake it?"

"I was tired...?" Y/N tried again.

Staying silent, the black clothed man just watched Y/N. He didn't even bother to answer Y/N, just waiting as the boy gradually got more embarrassed.

"Okay, I just didn't want to show off!" Y/N finally said. He huffed, crossing his arms with a bright blush on his face.

Ego nodded, acknowledging Y/N telling the truth. "Did you know, you got worse scores on these tests than you did in the physical tests in Ascension?"

Y/N's eye twitched, and he immediately shut his mouth. Like a switch had been flipped, the smile fell off of his face, his fists clenched at his side, and both of his e/c eyes went blank. Displaying no emotion at all.

It was such a sudden change, it even surprised Ego. As soon as the name Ascension had come up, Y/N had gone from a likeable young man into someone who was completely emotionless. And when he spoke, it was quiet, and calm. "What do you know of Ascension?"

Ego did his best to maintain his composure, though he could feel his heart beating faster as Y/N stared coldly up at him. "When you were eleven, you got better scores in the Ascension physical tests than you did here. And you're seventeen now. That isn't just showing off, that's just completely hiding your capability."

"Is there a problem with that?" Y/N didn't blink at all.

"Why are you trying to act like you aren't the best player in the room?"

"I want to relax. And I want to have fun. It's no fun if I win every single time."

"Bluelock isn't a place to relax." Ego replied. "Everyone here is fighting for their soccer careers, for their lives. Relaxing will just get you knocked out of here, and you don't improve by relaxing."

"Do you really think I'll get knocked out?" Y/N raised one eyebrow, his voice smooth.

Ego didn't have an instant reply for once. "Well... you might if you don't try. Some of the people in this facility are no joke, there are some really good players here that will only improve as Bluelock goes on."

"If I need to try, I will." Y/N countered. "Don't push me to do things I don't want to."

"You might lose. You're underestimating the other players."

Y/N's eyes narrowed, and he stepped right up to Ego. Even though he was shorter by a good amount, he didn't seem like it as he jabbed a finger into his own chest. "I won Ascension. I beat everyone else. And I am going to be the best striker in the world."

"Everyone else wants to be the best as well-" Ego tried to respond.

"I don't care." Y/N laughed dryly, no sign of actual happiness in his eyes. "It's going to be me. So stop pushing me, and I promise you, if you can produce strikers that require me to concentrate just a little, I will go all out."