Blue lock: the true egoist

[3rd POV]

"Good job, ninja." Jude praised while he walked up to his new friend. 

Jude extended a hand to help him stand up. The small drops of blood on Otoya's face after the fall made him quite worried. 

"Argh!" 

Otoya's face immediately distorted as he tried putting some weight into his left leg. 

"Are you alright??" Jude asked in concern. A small nosebleed was one thing, but this kind of pain was way more worrying.

"I'm fine... My Ankle... It's my ankle." Otoya spoke through heavy breath — A result of a mix from exhaustion and pain due to his injury. 

Yukimiya was the first to check on his injury before flashing a small smile:

"Not only did you steal the last goal, but you also fell face first and ended up with a bloody nose and sprained ankle. That was quite heroic for a ninja." 

His easygoing tone eased up Jude's worries. If he spoke about it so lightly it was probably nothing too problematic. 

"It's fine, the pain isn't too much of a problem." Otoya said as he stood up and walked it off.

His pain resistance was as high as you'd expect from a descendant of a ninja clan. 

"We'll still get it checked later." Jude spoke firmly. He knew better than anyone how hindering an injury could be to someone. 

He once had to spend half a year without playing a single football match due to his injury during the tournament in Spain. 

Since then he has become a health freak of some sort. 

Safety first. 

No exceptions.

No matter how small an injury was he would make sure it was nicely healed and wouldn't bring up any future complication. 

After all, he had nothing more important in this life than his own body. His body which once was extremely weak and sick. He knew more than anyone else how much of a blessing it was to be able to move freely and not get out of breath after just a few steps.

Even without taking that into account, as an athlete, his body was his future. Only a fool would disregard his future. 

.. 

"Well."

Jude turned to face Team Red.

"Now we need to choose." 

"I want Karasu." Otoya was the first to voice his opinion. "If he's with me my special weapon will be even more useful. He can easily grab the opposing team's attention and was able to keep the ball in his possession even with the three of us on him. There's no doubt that he would be extremely useful and would give us way more freedom."

"Even if he's not the one who scored the most, there's no doubt that without him Team Red can't do anything. Every goal they scored was a result of Karasu grabbing our attention and keeping us wary of him." He added. 

A reasonable argument. 

After all, he was undoubtedly the heart of their team. Without him. They wouldn't function. 

He was also smart enough to create tactics and counter peoples' chemical reactions before they even happen. He would be an invaluable helper.

Who wouldn't like to have such a player on their team — the future rank 3 of Blue Lock at the end of the second selection. 

"I don't want him with us." Yukimiya voiced out. 

"A scavenger like him should stick to the neighborhood trash." He spoke with a hint of spite in his voice, it was clear that they probably had a history together. 

'Nothing weird considering Karasu's taunting personality.' Jude thought. 

"So who do you propose?" Jude asked. 

"Hiori Yo." Yukimiya said solemnly. "I have never met someone more suited to be a midfielder. His passes and game IQ is like nothing I've seen before. If we want to make the best of our strength, he's the man we need."

Yet another fair argument. 

So the final decision would be left to Jude. 

Hiori or Karasu? 

The talented genius midfielder, or the smart and composed crow. 

"There's no doubt that either of them would be a huge boost to our team. If we're only thinking about making steady chemical reactions, Karasu would be a perfect fit."

Otoya nodded in agreement to Jude's words.

There was nobody as consistent as him. 

With his drive to improve, he will always find a place in whichever team he's in. 

"But what kind of striker would I be if I gave up on such a talented midfielder?" Jude spoke, his excitement barely concealed in his tone. 

"And above all. I want to see how much better I can become if I have him with me." He added. 

"Be ready, because I will be working you to the bone. You better awaken that ego of yours and start playing football for yourself."

"Join us, Hiori."

Jude chose his last member — thus sealing Miyata and Karasu's fate. 

..

"I'm sorry crow bastard, I would've also loved having you as a pet mascot." 

"A crow isn't meant to be a pet." Karasu replied with a small grin. He was trying to hide it but he was clearly disheartened by the loss. 

"Welcome to the team." Otoya sighed, but he shared the same vision as Jude. With such passes he would be able to do much more cool ninja shit. As for Karasu's role, Jude could do it, perhaps even better. 

Karasu had the level, he will most likely reach the top no matter what, but he's not someone who will bring them to an even higher place. 

As for Miyata... 

He wasn't even brought up in the conversation, and he knew exactly why. 

He was lacking. Mentally and physically. He was the only one to give up at the end. 

Before leaving, Jude turned around to give out a few last words to his previous teammate as well as closest friend in the first selection:

"If you don't find your ego soon, you're better off dropping out of Blue Lock."

Jude spoke crudely. Unlike the kind words you would expect from an old friend, he asked him to leave Blue Lock. 

"Aren't you being a little too harsh?" Otoya asked curiously as they walked out of the winner's gate and went up for the next stage. 

"Miyata needs that wake up call, or else he would be left behind either way." Yukimiya replied in Jude's stead while letting Otoya use his shoulder as a support to help him walk. Jude was helping him on the other side, it might be a little excessive but he needed to let his ankle rest, especially if they wanted to play again soon. 

"I'm sure that he'll make it." Jude added. His face didn't convey the slightest hint of doubt. 

And so they all went through the winner's gate, leading them to the next stage, this time with a new team destined for greatness. 

Besides those friendly talks, the first to get back in the mood was Yukimiya — Blue Lock was his last chance after all. 

"For now, let's focus on the next stage." He spoke sternly. 

The team was finally taking shape. 

.. 

.. 

///////////////

In the now seemingly lifeless field, only two people remained. 

One had a bitter smile as he looked at the ceiling, he was sitting down on the ground while trying to catch his breath, it was none other than Karasu. 

It was rare for him to feel so drained.

The other was in the same situation, but instead he was looking down. Not the slightest trace of a smile left on his face. It was Miyata. 

"It feels quite cruel to get left behind." Karasu bit out. 

"You'll probably get chosen even if we lose. So why do you even look that bothered." Miyata replied, his words laced with a mix of jealousy and self derision. 

"That's exactly why you should stand up and give it your all. I won't accept losing again, not until we make them pay. So until then you better give it your all." Karasu let out. 

"If you give up again I'm taking out your guts and feeding them to the crows. Use them while they're still there."

Karasu stood up with renewed vigor before lending his hand to Miyata. 

"Let's move to the next stage and find them again."

"I won't forgive them."

.. 

.. 

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Author: Thanks for the power stones! The spam does encourage me to write more. Proof is this chapter, quite longer than usual.