Chapter 32: Second Round Countdown
The next morning, Team Z officially stepped into the second round of Blue Lock's selection process.
Inside the dorm lounge, everyone gathered in front of the monitor. The cold, sharp face of Ego Jinpachi appeared onscreen.
Arms folded, glasses gleaming, Ego delivered the news.
"Starting today," he said, "you will undergo a mandatory stamina training phase. No soccer balls. No games. Just pure physical conditioning."
A beat of silence.
Then confusion exploded.
"Huh?! I thought the second selection was starting now!" Raichi Jingo growled, fists clenched.
"How long is this supposed to last?!"
"Yeah, at least tell us the schedule!"
The team erupted in frustrated chatter—until Ego's glare silenced the room.
"You idiots barely crawled your way out of Building 5—the lowest bracket. Don't act like champions."
"Training continues until I say so. Not a second less."
"You worthless trash should be grateful I'm giving you a chance to build a real athlete's body."
"This is your reset. Use it—if you want to survive."
"What the hell…!" Raichi hissed, veins bulging.
"Pipe down."
The voice came from the back.
Yūshin Seiichi leaned calmly against the wall, arms crossed, his presence commanding.
"Football is ninety minutes. Your lungs need to last just as long as your will."
"If you collapse before the final whistle, your 'technique' is meaningless."
Seiichi's words cut through the noise like a scalpel.
Even Raichi clenched his teeth and stayed quiet.
Ego gave a final jab before cutting the feed.
"Try not to die on lap one, weaklings."
The screen blinked off.
Everyone groaned—but they moved.
Because in Blue Lock, even pain was progress.
Meanwhile — Minson Park, Center Field
"This is the spot…"
Yūshin Zeya muttered, checking his phone. He brushed his bangs aside with one hand, surveying the empty stadium.
Without Seiichi around, everything felt off.
Weekday afternoon. No crowd. A perfect pitch under the sun.
And at the center—juggling a ball effortlessly—stood a tall figure with red-violet hair.
Itoshi Sae.
Zeya called out casually. "Yo. Been a while, Sae."
Sae caught the ball on his thigh, then let it fall to his foot. He turned, gaze sharp.
"You came alone? Where's that loudmouth?"
Back in their youth training days, Sae had always preferred Zeya over the noisy Seiichi.
Zeya smirked. "Still locked up in Blue Lock. Can't sneak out like I can."
"So what's this about, then?"
Sae didn't answer. But the football cleats he wore told the truth.
He came to test something.
Or rather—someone.
Boom!
Sae fired the ball toward Zeya without warning.
No words. Just a challenge.
Zeya's smirk widened. He dropped his bag, shrugged off his coat, and stopped the ball with one foot.
"Back then, I was always half a step behind you."
"Let's find out if that's still true."
He advanced slowly—testing Sae's spacing.
"His distance control… still perfect."
Zeya feinted left, then threw out a barrage of stepovers—fast, smooth.
Sae stood like a statue. No shift. No tells.
"No choice."
Zeya slammed the ball to the right and exploded forward.
Sae matched him, calm and precise—his arm slid out, body bracing.
Zeya crashed into him shoulder-to-shoulder.
A deadlock.
No finesse. Just force.
"Still this strong, huh…"
Zeya's drive was slowing.
He was being pushed back.
"No. I'm not losing again."
Then—something snapped inside him.
A white-hot flash lit up his vision.
Now.
Zeya dropped his center of gravity, summoned all his strength—and forced one final surge.
Sae's eyes narrowed. "You won't get a shot off."
He had Zeya locked tight—angle, posture, even body momentum accounted for.
"Wanna bet?"
Zeya leaned hard into Sae, then—BOOM!
A wild full-body strike.
The ball shot high—
Then dipped.
A blazing curve.
CLANG!
It kissed the inside of the post and rolled in.
Zeya stood there, breathing heavily.
Then shouted—
"YES!!"
He pumped his fist. The heat in his chest blazed with victory.
Sae blinked.
Eyes widened.
For a split second, even he was shocked.
"He really scored…?"
This guy's still growing?
Even from inside Japan?
Zeya grabbed his bag and turned to leave.
"I've got stuff to buy. Now that I'm not locked up anymore."
He walked a few steps.
Sae said nothing—just watched.
Then—
Zeya glanced back over his shoulder.
Smirked.
"Oh. Almost forgot."
"Ran into someone named Rin Itoshi inside Blue Lock. That your little brother?"
Sae didn't blink.
But Zeya caught it—the twitch in his eye.
He knows. He just doesn't care.
"We played once. Pretty intense egoist."
With that, Zeya turned and walked off.
Behind him, Itoshi Sae stood silent.
Eyes narrowed.
Thoughts deepening.
Blue Lock…
He needed to see for himself what monsters were being born inside.