"ARE YOU COMING OVER LATER?"
An eight year old boy asked.
He skipped towards you, shoes crunching against the park's grass.
"Hm? Oh, Hiro." You greeted.
"So? Are you coming over later? My mom is baking cookies!" Hiro excitedly told you.
"I'm not coming over today...I'm playing with someone else."
Hiro's eyes widened in shock.
"W-What?" He stuttered. "I'm your best friend!"
"No, you're my friend. I have a new best friend!" You turned away from the boy, crossing your arms.
"No! You can't do that! That's not. Fair!" He sniffled.
"Hmph, see? Your gonna cry over nothing. It's not a biggie deal." You sighed, rolling your eyes.
"But you're my only friend, Y/N! And I'm your best friend!" Hiro cried.
"Not anymore. I don't want to be your friend anymore, Ysuuki." You turned around, your back facing him.
"Why're you calling me by my last name? Don't leave me! You're my bestest friend! I didn't do anything wrong! It isn't fair!" Hiro continued to cry.
"Bye Ysuuki. Win me back if you want to. I'm gonna play with my new best friend, Rin, who's better than you." You started to walk away.
Hiro Ysuuki cried. His first friend...and childhood crush was leaving him for someone named Rin.
"We're you ever my friend?! Y/N! I LIKE-LIKE YOU!" He screamed.
You paused, stopping to turn around.
You smiled.
"I like you too,"
"R-Rea─?!"
"But I like Rin better."
☆
"Look, Isagi! Ive climbed up the ranks! I'm 275th!"
"Oh! Really? Nice!" Isagi congratulated.
"Look at yours! It changed too!" Igarashi pointed to his shoulder.
"Youre right! I'm 274th!" Isagi gasped.
"Still one rank above me? I guess you're my rival!" Igarashi smiled.
"Hey Y/N did your rank change?" Isagi asked.
"Hmm? Oh, take a look." You grinned, pointed to your shoulder.
"What?!" Igarashi yelled.
On your shoulder was a large and proud 0
"I'm the best here." You flexed.
"0?! Does that mean Y/N really is the best in Blue Lock?!" Isagi thought.
"Hey you unpolished gems. How're you enjoying Blue Lock?" Ego spoke from the screen.
"Yep! I like the food, thanks!" You smiled up at Ego.
"I'll pass your thanks to Anri. I'm glad someone appreciates the shit I go through everyday for this." Ego said.
"YOU CRAZY, YOU ASS?!HOW CAN ANYONE ENJOY THESE SHITTY CONDITIONS?!" Raichi hollered at the screen.
"Shitty football calls for shitty environment, capiche, dickhead?" Ego replied.
"Now let's talk about blue lock. There are twenty-five teams ranging from B-Z. With each set of five times in a stratum living in the same conditions. 25 players were eliminated during the game of tag, so 275 players remain."
"Eh?! So I'm still the worst?!l Igarashi frowned.
Ego continued. "The teams starting from team B has the highest ranked, and the lower the ranked players, the letters go on and so on. You, team Z. You are the worst of all, with the exception of Y/N."
"All these people are considered bad? And they're all better than me..." Isagi realized.
"Are you shitting me? I gotta play with these trash?"
"Who you calling trash?!"
"Players of higher ranks get special treatment, rise up to the ranks to revive that treatment as well!" Ego explained. "This is what it means to be in Blue Lock."
"Let the first selection begin."
☆
"You've now returned to Japan."
"Can we hope to see you play in our J-League?" The journalist asked.
"To be honest...I'd rather die." Replied Sae Itoshi.
"Rather than play for this country, I'd rather play with Germany's college students." He added.
"Youre a very promising middle fielder, but you won't play for Japan. Is there any reasons why?" The journalist asked.
"I have no interest in it," Sae said, going to leave. "There is no forward in this country worthy to revive my passes. I was simply born in the wrong country." He said, leaving.
"You did it again! The media's gonna hate you!" Sae's manger worried.
"I couldn't care less, I'm only here to renew my passport." Sae reminded.
They passed by an open hotel event hall.
"Oh look, they're having a press conference.
"We've gathered 301 amazing strikers, to find the one who can lead Japan to its first World Cup victory. We call it the Blue Lock project."
Many protests and questions rose from the reporters in the crowd, opposing Blue Lock.
"Blue Lock will crush the dreams of 300 players, but it's about creating japan's own hero!" Anri said. She continued explaining Blue Lock and it's success.
"Itoshi-Can, we should go. The flight leaves soon." Sae's manger advised.
"No, cancel it." Sae decided. "I want to see the birth of Japan's striker with my own eyes."
☆
"Twenty-five teams are divided into five stratums or groups to perform a round-robin tourney; the top two teams of each stratum will move on to the next selection and the remaining three teams are expelled. However, the top scorer of each losing team will be allowed to advance to the next selection. Teams are ranked by their wins, losses, and amount of points scored; a win is 3 points, a draw is 1 point, and a loss is 0 points." Explained Ego.
"Only the teams who are able to build a foundation, understand and utilize their weapons, and turn "nothing" into "something" will be able to survive this selection and move on to Second Selection." He finished.