01x12 - The Second Selection

[bunniefuu]

What is this place?

Huh? What the heck?

What's about to happen?

"Blue Lock Man"?

A hologram?

They want me to score a goal?

It's getting smaller...

I see.

This is penalty area situational training.

You must assess the situation fast,

run into the space that's getting smaller by the second,

outwit the goalkeeper,

and grab a goal!

Sweet. Right on the money.

It's on the perfect line.

ISAGI Seriously? He stopped that?!

That wasn't a high school-level save.

Wait, did a hologram just touch the ball?!

To clear the stage: goals

To clear the stage: goals

Oh, I get it.

I have to score goals past this Blue Lock Man in minutes to clear the stage.

To clear the stage: goals

A lone battle that tests my ego in the penalty area.

I can't score a goal by just taking potshots.

You can't clear this room unless you have an exceptional w*apon.

ISAGI Interesting.

ISAGI Bring it on.

ISAGI There! From the left.

The goal's on the right this time.

I have to assess the space in a flash!

The ball's trajectory...

Feel the speed of it...

Efficiently glide toward where it'll fall...

Then gauge the distance to the goalie,

and hit it first-time!

All right, that works.

But this training is seriously amazing!

It recreates the final moments in front of goal,

which means I won't clear the stage if I don't hone my w*apon and improve my sh*ts.

This is good. I can do this.

My w*apon works!

There are more holograms now?

Makes sense. It's a penalty area simulation, so there'd obviously be defenders.

There!

ISAGI Ack! This is hard!

The difficulty level just sh*t up.

That won't work. I need to be more accurate.

I need to evolve or I won't clear this stage!

ANRI This training room lined with high-res panels that can fire balls from its walls at random

ANRI improves upon similar facilities used by Germany's top clubs to hone expl*sive power.

ANRI It can create situations based on each player's individual qualities.

ANRI Crucially, it has the Blue Lock Man system,

ANRI an AI hologram goalie programmed using data from world-class goalies.

ANRI A microchip sensor in the ball makes physical interactions with a hologram possible.

ANRI This is holographic sports technology.

ANRI I'll cut to the chase, Ego-san.

ANRI We're out of funds.

EGO Shut up, Anri-chan.

EGO This is exactly what I envisioned.

EGO The way to clear this stage will change depending on how a player uses their skills.

EGO For those who survived because others did the scoring for them,

EGO this -minute stage will be a challenge.

EGO But for a striker who can turn zero into one with their own w*apon,

EGO this is a place to hone and polish their skills so they evolve.

EGO Test out how you use your w*apon and feel your progress.

EGO When you leave this room, you will all be on a whole new level as strikers.

ISAGI Yeah!

To clear the stage: goals

The three dummies appear at random.

Where the ball comes from, its trajectory, plus where the goalie is...

If I can get all that down...

I can grab a goal!

To clear the stage: goals

ANRI It looks like those who are improving are making visible strides forward.

ANRI This training is incredible.

EGO You haven't seen anything yet, Anri-chan.

EGO This is just the beginning.

"Level: max"?!

L-Let's take a breath.

I just need to do the same as before.

That's crazy fast! And it's got spin, too!

It's tough to get good contact on it!

So this is what "Level: max" means?

EGO Just like in a real game, high-level balls come at you, and the dummies move randomly.

EGO This is an artificial recreation of what happens in the box in top-level matches.

EGO Assessing the situation and responding. Quality sh**ting with accuracy.

EGO And the stamina to sustain all that for minutes.

EGO Mind, technique, physical strength. You need all of them to pass this stage.

EGO A pretender will find out just how powerless he is.

Damn it. I can't score at all.

But I can still keep running around, thanks to the physical conditioning we did.

Now that I'm here, I think I finally understand.

My goals were made possible because of Bachira's passes.

Unlike these erratic balls, he fed me with passes where and how I wanted them.

Kunigami drew the defenders toward him to become a wall for me.

Chigiri was always waiting for a pass from me in my field of vision.

Because of those guys, I was able to score goals.

I wasn't fighting alone.

But that's not good enough.

I want the kind of strength that allows me to fight alone!

I need to pull together all my skills. Prioritize what must be done.

Hone everything and focus. Let's do this!

Assess the situation in a flash!

Note where the defenders and goalie are,

then run directly to where I'll sh**t from.

Gauge the trajectory and spin of the ball, then blast it into the top left corner!

No good.

Where it actually went

My spatial awareness and positioning are perfect,

Where Isagi was aiming

but my direct sh*t isn't going where I envision.

ISAGI Damn it.

Trying again with the same mindset is pointless.

What I'm lacking right now is the technique to make good contact.

Bachira's passes were very easy to take first-time.

But the balls in this room are erratic and tough to connect with.

I see. Just blindly blasting it won't help.

I only need to use %... No, % of the power I've been using to sh**t up to now.

In that final moment, I need to direct all of my attention to the point of impact!

This is it. This is the essence of my goal.

Tricks and formulas exist to score a simple direct sh*t!

Spatial awareness

Direct sh*t

Skill to make contact

Oh man . This is so much fun!

I keep discovering sides of me I didn't know about before!

ANRI That boy's improving rapidly.

EGO We humans are creatures that only see what we want to see.

EGO Becoming aware of your limitations changes how you see and think about everything.

EGO Right now, he must be...

ISAGI Yeah!

EGO trembling at his own evolution.

Stage

I've never thought so deeply about the sh*ts I take before.

I know I can get even stronger!

Form a team of and proceed

Is this the second stage?

Form a team of and proceed

A team of three?

Nagi and Reo are here, too.

Oh, right. A team of three means they must be waiting for Zantetsu.

BACHIRA Oh, hey, Isagi's here.

ISAGI Bachira!

BACHIRA Yay!

BACHIRA Reunited again!

ISAGI Good job. Congrats on clearing the stage.

BACHIRA Oh, I see.

BACHIRA So all we have to do for the second stage is form a team?

BACHIRA Who do you want to fill the last spot?

ISAGI Huh?

BACHIRA Me plus you leaves one spot free.

So he just went ahead and decided we were on the same team, huh?

Not that I mind.

BACHIRA Who should we pick?

ISAGI Let's see...

ISAGI The players that come to mind who I'd want are...

ISAGI Kunigami or Chigiri, I guess.

BACHIRA Nice.

BACHIRA But since it's a team of three, we can only pick one. So which would you prefer?

ISAGI How about teaming up with the one who gets here first?

BACHIRA Sounds good.

BACHIRA And that will be our new team.

ISAGI Great.

NAGI Hey, Isagi Yoichi.

NAGI Want to join our team?

ISAGI Huh?

NAGI Come join our team.

REO Hey now, Nagi. This is the guy you wanted to team up with?

NAGI Yeah.

NAGI In the game against his team, he was the most impressive.

NAGI I want to play soccer with him.

BACHIRA Well, you heard him.

BACHIRA Now what? You accepting the offer?

ISAGI Of course not.

ISAGI I'm teaming up with you, Bachira.

ISAGI I'm sorry, Nagi.

ISAGI But I can't join you alone.

REO There you go.

NAGI I see. Then...

NAGI I'll join Isagi's team.

ISAGI What?

BACHIRA Huh?

NAGI That solves the problem, right?

REO What...

REO What are you talking about, Nagi?

REO You're teaming up with me. That's a must.

REO What are you thinking? What about me?!

NAGI Reo, you taught me soccer.

NAGI You and I will become the best in the world.

NAGI That is certain.

NAGI But we did lose.

NAGI We weren't the strongest.

NAGI To understand this feeling of frustration I experienced for the first time,

NAGI I want to play soccer with him.

NAGI I really want to give it my all.

REO Are you serious?

REO Do what you want.

BACHIRA What do you think, Isagi?

If I could get Kunigami or Chigiri, I'd feel reassured.

And I know that's the best way. But...

But...

I also want to...

ISAGI Join us, Nagi.

BACHIRA Yup.

NAGI See you later, Reo. I'll wait for you on the other side.

BACHIRA Looking forward to it, Nagicchi!

NAGI Yeah, likewise.

BACHIRA He looked a little sad.

BACHIRA Are you actually a cold person?

NAGI Huh? I guess I'd be lying if I said I don't miss him.

NAGI But I was more excited to join you two.

NAGI Shouldn't I be following that aspect of my ego?

NAGI That's the kind of place Blue Lock is.

That's right. Only egoists survive here.

If they're true egoists, I'll see them again after this stage.

So for now...

ISAGI Nagi, let's work together.

NAGI Yes, let's.

With this team, I don't see how we can lose!

BACHIRA Seriously. Are we the strongest or what?

ISAGI Let's go.

We will win!

Itoshi Rin!

EGO Hello there, diamonds in the rough.

EGO This is the third stage of the second selection.

EGO Team battles of three-on-three.

We're facing this guy right off the bat?!

CHIGIRI Kunigami!

KUNIGAMI Chigiri!

CHIGIRI Good job on clearing the first stage.

KUNIGAMI You're the only familiar face I see.

CHIGIRI I talked to the others, and it seems Isagi, Bachira, and Nagi formed a team

Form a team of and proceed

CHIGIRI and went on ahead.

KUNIGAMI For real?

KUNIGAMI So they left me behind, huh? That pisses me off.

CHIGIRI Yeah. My thoughts exactly.

CHIGIRI So, Kunigami, I have a proposal.

KUNIGAMI Y'know, Chigiri, I reckon I might be thinking the same thing.

KUNIGAMI Let's team up.

CHIGIRI Let's team up.

EGO The third stage is a situation battle of three-man teams in a mini-game format.

EGO Blue Lock Man will be the goalie for both teams,

EGO and the first team to score five goals wins.

EGO And the winning team...

EGO will get to steal a player from the losing team to create a four-man team.

player yoinked

ISAGI Steal a player?

BACHIRA Oh, it sounds like that game. You know the one. It's called, uh...

NAGI Red Rover.

BACHIRA Yeah, that's it.

-Man Team

EGO As you progress through the stage, you acquire more players.

-Man Team

EGO that team passes the second selection.

nd Selection

BACHIRA And what happens to the losing team?

EGO They go back down with their remaining members.

EGO If you lose the game of two-on-two,

EGO and you don't get picked by the winning team, you're disqualified.

Disqualified

Disqualified

EGO That's the full picture of the second selection where you steal your rivals: the Rivalry Battle.

EGO You're free to choose which team you battle.

EGO Both teams must agree to play a match.

BACHIRA So more teams of three will be showing up here?

NAGI I guess so.

In that case, these guys don't have to be our opponents.

NAGI If we can steal a player when we win,

NAGI then shouldn't we choose which team to play based on who we want?

EGO Exactly.

EGO Who you battle will be the key to clearing this stage.

EGO To serve as an index for you, I will now announce new Blue Lock rankings.

EGO Naturally, there are no fake rankings this time.

New BL Ranking

New BL Ranking

EGO This is the order in which you passed the first stage.

New BL Ranking

EGO You stand here because you're all players who can turn zero into one on the field.

EGO Hurl your "one" at another's, mix them together, and enhance each other to survive.

EGO Only strikers who dominate the chemical reaction between ego and ego

EGO will get a ticket to the next stage.

EGO Use any means necessary to win.

From here on, it's a battle of stealing friends or rivals.

BACHIRA That's a pretty nasty rule.

NAGI In short, we advance by winning and forming a team of five?

BACHIRA Yup.

BACHIRA But anyway, it looks like we can take our time picking our opponent.

BACHIRA What do you want to do, Isagi?

Should we wait for someone new or...

TOKIMITSU Oh man, oh man!

New BL Ranking

TOKIMITSU I don't want to do this.

TOKIMITSU If we lose...

TOKIMITSU no one will pick me.

TOKIMITSU And if I lose again after that?

TOKIMITSU Then I'll be all alone!

TOKIMITSU No, no, no! I don't want this!

Huh? His confidence seems to be rock bottom.

ARYU If we play, it's gotta be against fourth, fifth, and sixth.

New BL Ranking

ARYU That's the glam thing to do.

ARYU b*ating those bumpkins over there won't make me look beautiful.

RIN Shut up. I don't care who we play.

New BL Ranking

RIN I'll just win and move on.

RIN You two are here to make up the numbers.

ARYU Huh?

ARYU I admit your whole look is glam,

ARYU but who do you think you are, disregarding me like that?

TOKIMITSU H-Hey now. Please don't fight.

What's up with these guys? Aren't they a team?

BACHIRA "Glam"?

NAGI I think he means "glamorous."

RIN Don't get me wrong.

RIN We're only a team because we passed that last stage quickly.

RIN You're nothing but stepping stones to me.

RIN You and this Blue Lock.

RIN I can join the U- s national team if I win this thing.

RIN I'm only here to exploit that system.

RIN Everything I do is for the purpose of getting onto the national team

RIN and surpassing my big brother.

RIN Crushing Itoshi Sae is everything to me in soccer.

I knew it. This guy is...

He's the little brother of that genius midfielder, Itoshi Sae.

BACHIRA Man, how egoistic is this guy?

NAGI There are only weirdos in that team.

ARYU Hmph. Even your upbringing is glam.

ARYU You're worthy of being my teammate.

TOKIMITSU Teaming up with a star like him?

TOKIMITSU I know I'll only drag him down.

ISAGI Bachira. Nagi. I'm sorry.

BACHIRA Huh?

I know this is risky, but...

ISAGI So you don't care who you play?

RIN What?

ISAGI My ego is telling me:

ISAGI Play us.

I wanna fight him!

BACHIRA That's the spirit!

NAGI That was my plan.

TOKIMITSU Huh?

ARYU Are you talking to me ?

More importantly...

RIN Sure. I don't care who I play.

I want this guy!

KEISUKE Blue Lock, Additional Time.

Top,KEISUKE Goodbye, bro.

His Bro Speaks!

His Bro Speaks!

Top,KEISUKE This is as far as I go.

KEISUKE When you become the best striker in the world,

Wanima Keisuke

Wanima Keisuke

KEISUKE I'll become a TV personality as your impersonator.

KEISUKE My stage name will be "Keisuke Davidson."

Wanima Junichi

Wanima Junichi

KEISUKE See ya, bro!

KEISUKE Make sure you survive!

Isagi Yoichi

Isagi Yoichi

Bachira Meguru

Bachira Meguru

JUNICHI Leave it to me, Keisuke.

JUNICHI I will crush those who have separated us!

JUNICHI That's what I'm saying.

BACHIRA Wait, he just...

ISAGI He can speak normally?

GLARE

GRRR

GLARE

GRRR

ZOOM

GLARE

GRRR

ZOOM

ZOOM

GLARE

GRRR

BACHIRA What a weirdo!

Scary!