Everyone quickly gathered in the hall, naturally separating into two groups.
On one side stood the Bastard München youth team led by Michael.
On the other side was the Blue Lock team, with Ryōsuke at its helm.
Michael sized up Ryōsuke with sidelong glances. Thanks to the public data, he knew his rival's stats — an unprecedented perfect score of 100 points.
As a one-in-a-million genius himself, Michael boasted S ratings in speed, attacking power, shooting, and dribbling. However, his B ratings in defense and passing brought his overall score to 97.
Even that 97 was extraordinarily high, with only Alexis approaching it at 94 points. A perfect 100 was simply unthinkable.
"Ryōsuke got 100 points? Is that for real?"
"Even higher than Michael!"
"How can there be such an absurd score..."
The other Bastard München members whispered among themselves, careful not to let Michael hear.
On the Blue Lock side, everyone except Ryōsuke scored higher than expected. Yoichi surpassed 80 points, securing an A rating.
Rensuke, though he hadn't experienced the hellish training that darkened him in the original timeline, still earned an A rating.
Genzō reached 90 points despite his injury preventing him from facing Noel. As a goalkeeper, his refined technique spoke volumes — and without the injury, his score would likely have been even more impressive.
Only Ashito remained at a C rating in the 60s, his fundamentals still requiring substantial development.
"I assume you've all seen your ratings." Noel said, standing before everyone with the Blue Lock terminal.
"Noel, are these stats really accurate?" Michael asked with a smile, casting an arrogant glance at Ryōsuke, "Could someone have cheated?"
"Are you questioning my rating system?" Noel's expressionless gaze carried a terrifying pressure.
"No, no, I was just thinking aloud." Michael quickly replied with a forced smile.
As the world's strongest forward, Noel commanded respect — and though Michael had lofty ambitions, he was still just a rookie in the same club. He naturally wouldn't dare defy such a star openly.
"I assigned each rating personally. Instead of questioning others' scores, focus on improving your own level." Noel said, setting down the terminal, "You have three days until your first match. Today you'll have a practice match between teams — Blue Lock versus Bastard München youth team, with the lineups as mentioned. This match will heavily influence your rating evaluation. Now go prepare, don't waste time."
With that, he left the hall.
"How nice, we get to face off directly, Ryōsuke." Michael said once Noel was gone, his smile turning fox-like and malicious, "Unlike data, you can't cheat in a real match, cheater."
"Oh, someone's triggered just because they saw a higher score and called it cheating." Ryōsuke shot back with a smile, "What's wrong, couldn't manage a perfect score on such a simple test?"
"Ryōsuke, you shouldn't talk to Michael that way~" Alexis smiled beside them, but killing intent radiated from his body.
Beneath his friendly smile lurked endless hostility.
"What's it to you? Are you his dog?" Ryōsuke narrowed his eyes, smiling back.
He emanated a terrifying pressure, like a bloodthirsty monster ready to devour its prey.
Alexis's eyebrow twitched, and he unconsciously stepped back.
"Are you crazy or something? I'll kill you!" Seeing Ryōsuke trading verbal jabs with Michael and Alexis, Jingo rushed over first, becoming their mouthpiece and unleashing a barrage of words.
Though nine out of ten sentences were "I'll kill you", even Ryōsuke had to admit his intensity was impressive.
High-level trash talk doesn't need fancy vocabulary — just intensity.
"Enough, Alexis." Michael pulled Alexis aside, not wanting to continue this pointless argument.
At the same time, he raised his head, fixing Ryōsuke with a hunter's gaze.
"Everything will be settled in combat training, Ryōsuke. I'll personally send you to the guillotine — and let your followers watch as I execute you."
"I just hope you won't be begging for mercy with tears in your eyes, Chuni boy." Ryōsuke replied with a smile.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Everyone quickly arrived at the field.
While there were originally only 21 people in the original timeline, now with Genzō and Ashito, they could form proper 11v11 teams.
However, the young kid, having the lowest rating, didn't get a chance to play and instead sat on the bench next to Noel as a substitute.
'Noel is sitting right next to me!' Ashito's heart was about to jump out of his chest. He never imagined he'd be this close to the world's number one forward.
But beyond nervousness and excitement, he felt more frustration. He could clearly sense the gap between himself and the others — a gap far wider than in Esperion's B-Team.
He couldn't even qualify for combat training. This made Ashito resolve to work harder than anyone else, giving everything to catch up to their level.
"Watch carefully." Noel said at that moment.
"Mm..." His voice pulled Ashito from his thoughts.
Only then did he realize his idol was speaking to him, and he quickly nodded with enthusiasm.
"Let's see who the true king of this team is." Noel said slowly.
On the enclosed field, everyone had taken their positions.
"Wakabayashi, how's your injury?" Ryōsuke walked over to his goalkeeper, whose hand was still wrapped in bandages.
"Recovery's going well, shouldn't be a problem." Genzō said firmly as he put on his gloves.
Because he was playing goalkeeper, Gin moved up to defense.
"That Michael guy isn't someone to take lightly." Genzō looked up seriously at his distant opponent, "Though he's still in the youth team and I haven't faced him yet, if he makes it to the Bundesliga next season, he'll likely cause quite a stir. We can't underestimate his abilities."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it. Even if it's just training, as long as they're opponents, I'll defeat them." Ryōsuke said with a confident smile.
Seeing his expression, Genzō also smiled, "Alright then, I'll guard the back and stop all their shots. You focus on attacking up front — let me see just what level you're really at."
He had watched videos of Ryōsuke before; curiosity about him was one reason he joined Blue Lock. He wanted to see firsthand just how strong this young man really was.
The practice match began swiftly, with Michael's team taking the kickoff!
Alexis drove forward with the ball, wearing a relaxed smile as if defeating opponents was effortless.
Though he'd only dribbled a few steps, his masterful control was already evident. With nimble footwork, he maintained perfect passing distance from opponents at all times — he was truly Bastard München's heart, consistently producing magical passes.
"You're not getting through!" Yoichi immediately pressed forward, blocking Alexis's advance.
But Alexis had no intention of engaging. Instead, he deftly chipped the ball with perfect accuracy to Benedict Grim's feet.
Benedict, one of Bastard München's main forwards, boasted excellent physical attributes and an overall rating above 90 points.
"To be an assault captain, bearing the fate of death, is quite interesting indeed." Benedict muttered cryptically while charging straight at Blue Lock's defensive line, colliding with Rensuke.
"Such raw power!" Rensuke couldn't help but exclaim upon impact. Despite Benedict's erratic demeanor, his tank-like physique and masterful ball control were undeniable.
"I am but dust scattered from a rocket's launch — such is life." As defenders closed in on Benedict, he swiftly launched a long pass to Erik on the opposite wing.
Bastard München's coordination flowed like water — the hallmark of an elite club.
"What an ugly pass — only I could catch up to that, you idiot!" Erik, eyes narrowed to slits, received the ball and began his offensive.
Still stinging from Blue Lock's earlier mockery, he was determined to restore his pride on the field.
Despite his crude personality, Erik's ball control was remarkably delicate. His feet moved like suction cups, the ball glued beneath them as he slipped past several Blue Lock defenders.
"Amazing!" Ashito exclaimed from the sideline.
Though he despised their arrogance, these players' abilities clearly justified their pride — a level far beyond his current reach!
"I've seen what you trash are capable of." Erik sneered as he charged into Blue Lock's territory.
But then a familiar figure appeared in his path: Ryōsuke.
"Perfect timing, trash." Erik's anger flared at the sight of him, the memory of earlier humiliation still fresh.
He readied his fanciest footwork, planning to embarrass Ryōsuke after breaking through.
"Consider yourself lucky that I'll show you the difference between us, you ignorant fool!" Erik shouted as he prepared to force his way past the defense.
The distance between them shrank to less than a meter.
But he didn't know that his actions were like a moth flying into flames — courting death.
❖ Transparent World! ❖
Time seemed to slow as Erik's movements broke down in Ryōsuke's eyes. His proud dribbling revealed countless openings.
❖ First Form ➠ Thunderclap and Flash! ❖
Ryōsuke targeted the precise moment his opponent would switch feet, exploding forward with incredible speed.
Like lightning, he swept past Erik's side!
In an instant, the ball materialized at his feet — a perfect steal!
"Consider yourself lucky that I'll show you the difference between us, you ignorant fool."
Ryōsuke's perfectly calm voice echoed in Erik's ear—the exact words he had spoken earlier.
His tone carried no emotion, as if Erik were truly just an insignificant speck of dust in his eyes.
It happened in a flash — Ryōsuke's steal was clean and decisive. The other didn't even register that the ball had vanished from his feet.
"That Erik! To be stripped like that?" Alexis complained bitterly, while Michael furrowed his brow nearby.
Though he believed his skills were unmatched, he knew that with Erik's dribbling ability, such an easy steal should have been impossible.
Yet Ryōsuke had intercepted it as naturally as breathing — Michael had never witnessed such defensive mastery before...
But this confirmed one crucial fact for Michael: Ryōsuke was truly an opponent worth crushing.
"What... what just happened?" Erik's mind went blank. When he finally regained his senses, all he could do was watch Ryōsuke's retreating figure.
Blue Lock's counterattack had begun!
❖❖❖
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