A family thing

Chapter 25 New stage, new teams

"Easy-", Yoichi declared as he walked through the door with the sign of the 2nd stage on it. An empty room waited for him. A monitor switched on. 
"Look at that, I'm the first one.", he noted and stretched his shoulders. "Move forward in teams of 3. That'll be a little difficult, since there's no one here besides me." 
The raven haired then took a look at the big black mark on the floor, "That's supposed to be a two... I guess?" 
He sat down and leaned his back against the wall. Soon his eyes closed to make up for the long lost sleep before the second selection. His little nap got kept shot to his dismay. The sizzling sound of the door opening woke him up. Out came the green haired boy, he saw on the bus at the beginning. Rin Itoshi was his name, if Yoichi remembered correctly. 
"Well, well, well... finally some company.", the raven haired said in a sleepy tone. 
"What the fuck do you want?", Rin asked him annoyed. 
"Look at the monitor.", the shorter male in the room said and pointed to the screen on the wall lazily. "Just trying to greet a possible team mate. Nothing more. No need for that type of language. You're setting a very bad example for all the little Sae fans out there." 
"How the fuck did you know that that cunt is my brother!!!!", Rin snapped back. 
"Oh my, quite the complex relationship you got there...", Yoichi changed his facial expression. "In that case I'm sorry." 
Silence set in. Awkward silence. Until the loud yawn of the raven haired broke it. 
"Are ya going back to sleep, sleepyhead?!", Rin asked him as Yoichi was about to lie down again. 
"Well, I am going to. Now that you've mention it, we're the only ones here. So I'd rather talk with you.", the raven haired replied and set up. "It's much more amusing."
"Oh fuck off.", the taller male retorted. Just as the two boys were about to go back and forth, more and more people have finished stage one of the second selection. The room became filled up. Two players came up to the two bickering boys with famous elder siblings. 
"Hey Rin. Do you want join us? If you do, our team will be flamboyant.", a voice asked the green haired. Yoichi looked up and met the gaze of a male with long hair. If it weren't for Chigiri already occupying the princess nickname, it would have belonged to him. 
"Sure, Aryu. Why not.", Rin agreed and walked towards the duo Aryu has formed before speaking out his request to him. Halfway to the gate to the next room he turned around to stare at the male who made it first to this room, "I'll meet you on the other side, Kageyama." 
Other would have been scared of that mean stare the boy gave. Yoichi didn't budge whatsoever, "Alright. See you there... I guess." 
With that Rin walked through the gate that has opened to a dark corridor. 
'What a poser...', Yoichi thought as he watched the back of the player disappearing in the darkness. Seconds later, the need for sleep overcame him and he started to doze off. 
"Oi, Kageyama!!!", someone shouted and woke him up again. Yoichi searched for the origin of the nuisance. There he saw Bachira walking out of the door. A big smile was plastered onto his face. 
"Oh... Hi, Bachira.", Yoichi greeted dozily and raised his hand for a high five. The dribbling monster took hit it immediately, "Eyyyyyyyyyyyy, now, do you wanna form a team?" 
"Why not?", Yoichi said. "We just need a third man." 
"Oi, Kageyama.", another voice shouted for him. He turned around and saw Reo and Nagi looking for him. 
"Join us!!!", the white haired said in a surprisingly enthusiastic tone. His friend on the other hand was a bit confused of the antics of his fellow team V team mate, "Nagi... honestly... I was a bit surprised that you were very keen on teaming up with someone, but... I've never ever thought that it'll be this guy." 
"He was the most amazing player in out last match after all.", Nagi explained. "I want to try playing football with him." 
"I'm sorry, but... I've already decided to team up with Bachira... so... no.", Yoichi answered politely. "Sorry, Nagi. But I won't go over there alone."
Bachira had a smug grin on his face which made Yoichi want to rethink his decision again. 
"You heard him.", Reo sighed and wanted to turn around to search for other players. 
"I see... got it.", Nagi muttered. His next sentence, however, shocked everyone, "Then I'll join your team. Kageyama. That'd be fine, right?" 
"Huh?", the said boy and Bachira gaped. 
"What are you saying, Nagi. You... you teaming up with me was a given, right...?", Reo turned around and spoke. "What are you thinking? What'll happen to me?" 
Nagi looked at his friend, "Reo, you taught me about football, you and I together can become the best in the world. That's for sure."
He paused for a second and then continued, "But we lost. We weren't the strongest. This is the first time I've felt this and in order for me to understand this frustration, I want to play football with this guy. I want to try and put some effort."
Reo was speechless. Dispair and Betrayal could be read from his face. Yoichi was starting to feel sorry for him. 
"What is... with... that...", the purple haired managed to say after a moment. "... Just do whatever you want." 
Bachira just stared at the raven haired beside him, ".... So what do we do, Kageyama?" 
"I don't know. Have you made any promises to our team mates?", Yoichi asked the boy with crazy bangs. 
"Not really. I only talked to Kunigami and Chigiri that we'd meet them here.", crazy bangs answered innocently. "But you didn't so... I guess everything is up to you."
Yoichi thought for some seconds. He would be lying if he said, he doesn't want to play with Nagi. That balance in the air and the ability to control any object with a foot is just awsome. It would be a shame, and a wasted opportunity, if he turned it down. Soon, his ego took the initiative, "Come, Nagi." 
He could grab a hold of his ego in the last second though. Otherwise he would have said, "Come, Nagi, together we shall rule the galaxy as father and son." 
"Figured.", Bachira sing songed. Their team appeared on the monitor above the gate to the second stage. The familiar sizzling sound came as the door opened. The dark path came in view. There were only some small LEDs brightening it from the left and right side of the corridor. 
"See ya, Reo.", Nagi bid his farewell coldly. "I'll be waiting ahead." 

Yoichi walked down the corridor. 
"I'm counting on you, Nagi!", he heard Bachira speak in an excited tone. 
"Yeah, same here.", Nagi replied tiredly. A fist bump followed. 
"Reo looked a bit sad over there though...", Bachira continued to talk. "Do you really feel okay with that? It felt like you were ditching him." 
"Eh...", Nagi said. "I mean... I do feel kinda lonely, now that he isn't here but... this side... this opportunity just seemed more exciting. Following that ego is the correct way, right? Blue Lock is that kind of a place." 
The raven haired wasn't really listening to the stuff his fellow team mates were talking about. For him the theory of a certain ego is just nonsense. In his opinion, ego doesn't really exist. It's more like pride that everyone is hanging on. 
"I'm counting on you too, Nagi.", Yoichi spoke and held out his fist as they have reached the end of the tunnel. 
"Yep...", Nagi muttered and answered the fist bump request. "Same here." 
"Let's fucking do this."