POSER | blue lock v! x gn! reader
chapter 4: first selection
"The first selection will begin between you, the fifty-five players of the fifth stratum... Consisting of a round robin with the five teams within it. When all is done, only the top two teams will advance to the second selection."
Your eyes flickered around the room. Only the top two teams, huh? That probably won't be too difficult. You raised your hands behind your head, yawning and stretching your arms. Ego's lectures really did make you tired. You listened as bowl cut began to break down the sport of football to its core.
"Throw out what you think of as 'common sense'. Reject it." You clenched your fist. Your heart began to beat faster as your face began to shadow.
You sprinted with the ball, your legs carrying you as fast as they could towards the goal. You watched as your opponents rushed toward you, trying to defend against you, trying to take the ball from you.
"And cram this mentality deep down into those brains of yours." A teammate to your right and a teammate to your left rushed up next to you, shouting for you to pass. If you passed, you would surely win the match. You panted, the feeling of adrenaline shooting through you as your legs pumped faster, closer to the goal. You swerved around players, kicking the ball over a defender's head before trapping it, moving out of another player's line of sight.
"The most important thing for Japan to become the best country in the world..." You were so much closer to the goal now, so close you could already hear the screams of victory from the people in the stands.
"Is not 'the teamwork between eleven players'." It was a one-on-one with the goalie now. His eyes shifted from right to left, watching your body for any sign or indication of where you were going to shoot. Another enemy player speedily blocked your path to a direct shot, and you quickly calculated for a different outcome. One of your own teammates ran to guard the opposing player, and that's when you saw it. Something growled in you, and your eyes pulsed with even clearer vision. You reeled your [right/left] foot back, preparing to shoot.
"It is to have a hero among them." Your foot came into contact with the ball, and the ball shot between both your teammate and the opposing player's legs. It flew past the goalkeeper's head, and his look of shock was nothing compared to the victory you could feel running through your veins.
You could feel it pulsing through you, the feeling flowing through your system. Ah, you thought, smirking widely, I really can't wait to truly know that feeling of victory.
Your first game went by quickly. Rin practically carried the team, oh so generously enlightening you all that you were all 'lukewarm, second-rate strikers'. You couldn't help but feel targeted when his eyes lingered on you during his villain speech.
You stepped through the doors and onto the field, observing your new opponents, and--Wait, holy crap, does that guy have antennas? Your eyes practically sparkled, and noticing your newfound vigor, Aryu approached you with his own stylish sparkle. The rest of the team could only watch as you both jumped around, exploding with shiny sparkles. They all sweat dropped. How stylish.
You were a starter on the field, along with Rin, Aryu, Tokimitsu, and some other guys. You were playing as a defender, which you honestly didn't mind. Rin, obviously, was center forward. You really didn't know what positions anyone else was playing in, you had slightly zoned out after you learned what your position was.
Blinking back to reality, you looked up when the whistle blew, initiating the beginning of the game. Immediately, Rin took possession of the ball and pushed forward, weaving in between players quickly. You watched in a trance--you couldn't help it, he looked so beautiful when he played--as he juked out a player. He moved closer to the goal, and at that moment antennae boy moved in to block him. They both moved, one to stop the ball and one to keep it moving, and you couldn't help but flicker your eyes to the antennae-hair boy's mouth as it moved to form words. You watched as Rin seemed to be irked about what he had said, and before you knew it, Rin had moved around him, shooting the ball into the goal.
Despite not doing anything, you found yourself cheering along with your team. Hesitating, you decided to approach the younger Itoshi brother, grinning at him before exclaiming, "Nice job out there, Rin! You really are--"
"Shut up, all of you," he interrupted you, and your heart sped up when you noticed something monstrous forming behind him. "I don't need any of your help, all you need to do is defend. I'll finish this game quickly, and we'll move on. I don't need any of you, especially when all you are to me is just a bunch of lukewarm posers."
The words echoed in your head as you stared at him. Your vision darkened, and all you could see was Itoshi Rin and his monster. Sweat dripped down the side of your neck and your pupils dilated.
"Is lukewarm the only insult you have?" You couldn't see it, but your eyes seemed to have an eerie glow to them as you stared down the younger boy. Rin tilted his head back, rotating his body towards you and opened his mouth to speak. "Because if it is, then that's pretty lukewarm."
Rin's mouth closed, and his eyes widened in surprise before he quickly recovered, simply turning around and moving towards the center of the field. You could hear a faint growl come from inside you, and you grinned. You could feel it, your blood rushing through your veins, and your head began to spin with adrenaline. Ah, I want to score.
When the game resumed, one of the opposing team's players took possession of the ball and quickly passed it to antennae boy. Tokimitsu quickly covered him, managing to kick the ball away. Rin bolted towards the ball, but you were faster. Moments before he touched the ball, you caught it with your foot, speeding past him. You loved the feeling of your lungs burning and your legs aching. It's amazing, you thought while you easily maneuvered around one of the players, this feeling. Another player approached you, and you thought back to Bachira's dribbling technique.
You speedily dribbled the ball back and forth between your legs, before quickly kicking it through his legs, moving forwards. You were almost to the goal now, and you glanced to your left, noticing both Aryu and Rin as they moved closer to you. Your eyes hardened. As if I'd pass the ball to any of you. It's mine.
You moved your dominant foot back, preparing to shoot, and you felt an ominous presence behind you.
"Well, lookie here~ It looks like there's another crazy monster on this field besides me!" The boy psychotically grinned, and you chuckled to yourself.
"I knew you'd come." Before you shot, you trapped the ball, tossing it up into the air before jumping into the air. You spun one-eighty degrees in the air, reeling your foot back, and you kicked. The ball hit the top right corner of the net, and once you landed, you grinned. The screen dinged, indicating another point for your team. Sweat dripped down your face and neck, but you weren't able to wipe it because an arm slung around your neck.
"I like you. That was a pretty cool trick you did there--the name's Ryusei Shido." Antennae boy grinned, and you introduced yourself. "Why don't you give me your number?"
You looked over your shoulder at Rin before smirking at Shido. "You'll have to stop me from scoring first." With that, you shrugged his arm off you, and he could only watch with a dropped jaw as you approached your teammate.
Rin didn't glance at you when you approached him, and you didn't glance at him when you passed him, only speaking, "How's that for lukewarm, Itoshi?"
Rin didn't stop to stare at you, but his next words made you pause. "From now on, you're my rival." An accomplished feeling bloomed in your chest, and you smiled.
"But you're still lukewarm." You groaned.
Your team won. Shido didn't stop you from scoring.
Ego Jinpachi stared at the video of your team's game. Normally, he wouldn't be so intent on a single player, but [best friend] Kankucho was a different case. He watched as you trapped the ball, before spinning mid-air and shooting. For the first time in a while, Ego found himself wondering, Is it even possible to jump that high?
Ego called over Anri, and she moved towards him quickly. "Pull up the status files on [best friend] Kankucho." She quickly nodded, humming as she typed on her device. After a minute or two, she handed her device to him.
Ego needed to know more about you, because whoever you were, you were a complete monster with the potential to become the best striker in the world.
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