Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"This kid saw through Lavinho's attempt to manipulate his center of gravity and realized that if he continued to react passively, he would definitely be shaken off. So, he decisively committed a foul. To respond at such a level after seeing Lavinho's 'Butterfly Dance' for the first time, and in such a short time, is impressive." Snuffy observed Shinichi with great interest.

"Top-tier speed, decent physical strength, and while his defensive skills and experience are still lacking, he can already use his physicality to compensate for the gap with Lavinho. I can't even imagine how much better he'll get in the future."

"Hey! Snuffy, what are you mumbling about?! I wasn't stopped, okay? This was me drawing a foul—do you get that?!" Lavinho instantly erupted after hearing Snuffy's comments, yelling furiously while protectively holding onto the ball. "This is a free kick I earned, and I'm taking it!"

"Haha, relax. No one's going to steal it from you. After all, this precious opportunity came from you using all your skills to 'draw a foul' against a high schooler," Chris laughed mockingly at Lavinho, but then quickly remembered the cameras on the field.

He coughed awkwardly to cover up. "Ahem. Sorry, I lost my composure. Pfft! Hahaha!"

"Damn it! This guy! He's clowning around and still completely suppressing me!" Rin, standing nearby, leaned on his knees, gasping for air. The match had barely begun, but his clashes with Chris had already drained much of his stamina. More importantly…

"Their battle—I can't get involved at all. Snuffy doesn't even spare me a glance. I've already been pushed back just by the intensity of the fight!" Hiori clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling visibly from exerting too much strength. "I won't allow this... I need to think... what can I do…?"

"I refuse to just stand here doing nothing and watch Shinichi / that guy steal the show!" x2

...

Tweet—!

"Hey, kid, get over here!" The whistle blew, but Lavinho didn't budge. Instead, he planted his foot on the ball and shouted at Shinichi, "This time, I'll make sure you can't help but dance along!"

"With your 'drawing fouls' technique?" Shinichi shot back, hitting a nerve.

Lavinho glared at him fiercely, but his feet kept moving.

Having almost fallen into Lavinho's trap earlier, Shinichi was now much more cautious.

He only relied on his speed to block Lavinho in critical moments, but this defensive approach put him at a clear disadvantage.

Burdened by a yellow card and wary of Lavinho's feints, Shinichi could only scrape by, adjusting and reacting as best he could.

Meanwhile, Lavinho steadily pushed forward, slow but unstoppable.

"Hey, hey, this is way too boring," Lavinho teased, watching Shinichi refuse to engage. "Don't you want to steal the ball from me? Imagine stealing it from a world-class star—that's bragging rights for a lifetime."

Finding Shinichi's lack of aggression dull, Lavinho suddenly sped up his dribbling. "Come on, you're young—don't be as boring as that ice-cold guy!"

Shinichi didn't respond. Instead, he focused intently on observing Lavinho's footwork.

But Lavinho's dribbling was so unpredictable, so unrestrained, that Shinichi couldn't find any discernible pattern.

All he could do was retreat, biding his time, and wait for the perfect moment to strike.

"So strong... This is a completely different level of offense and defense. There's no opening to intervene at all... But if Shinichi keeps getting his defensive space eaten away like this, it's only a matter of time before he collapses." Hiori stared intently at Snuffy, who was casually watching the match unfold with a relaxed demeanor, while repeatedly analyzing the heated battle on the field. "I need an opening…"

"The moment Shinichi gets beaten, and Lavinho lets his guard down, that'll be my chance to enter the battlefield!" Rin kept trying to shake off Chris's tight man-marking, all the while keeping a sharp eye on the situation at the center of the field.

…

"This is it!"

Lavinho suddenly accelerated, performing a seamless combination of a bull tail flick, a spin fake, and a pullback, finally disrupting Shinichi's balance.

Shinichi's movement lagged half a step behind Lavinho—a small delay that could ignite a complete collapse!

As the cracks in Shinichi's defense began to show, Rin immediately turned to clash physically with Chris.

However, instead of continuing the battle, he abruptly pulled back, using the momentum to break away and sprint toward the sideline.

Caught off guard, Chris didn't react quickly enough to block Rin's movement.

Freed from the shackles of the physical monster, Rin finally had room to act.

Without hesitation, he turned and bolted straight toward the intense duel between Shinichi and Lavinho.

"Why so impatient? I'm holding you back for your own good..." Chris remained calm, watching Rin's determined sprint with a composed gaze.

"Throwing everything into making yourself stand out, only to become a burden to your teammates—that's not a good feeling..."

Chris's judgment was spot on. Rin exploited the gap in the ongoing battle and intercepted Lavinho, who had already extended his lead, shaking off Shinichi by a full body length and preparing to launch a sprint with the ball. Blocking Lavinho's path head-on, Rin exclaimed, "Got you!"

"Hah, weaklings are nothing but noise on the battlefield!" Lavinho's face showed not a hint of panic despite his blocked path. "You know, the kid behind me could've caught up to this ball."

With that, Lavinho used his heel to flick the ball into the air. The arcing ball soared high, passing just over Rin's head. Lavinho spun around swiftly, positioning his back against Rin to shield the ball as it descended.

Lavinho effortlessly switched positions, using the reckless Rin as a shield to block Shinichi from following.

Charging forward to receive the ball, Lavinho cleanly bypassed both of them. With no one left behind to stop him, the path to the goal was wide open.

"Even if others are just noise in the performance..." At the critical moment, Hiori suddenly darted out from the shadowy blind spot behind Shinichi and Rin. "...it seems enough noise can still disrupt your melody."

Under Lavinho's widened eyes, Hiori leapt with all his strength and managed to make contact with the ball just before Lavinho.

Facing Lavinho, Hiori didn't dare try to control the ball. Instead, he awkwardly used his least confident skill—a header—to clumsily send the ball forward before he landed.

As the ball flew ahead, a figure appeared at the drop point. It was Shinichi, who had instantly grasped the situation.

Trusting that Hiori could win the ball, he didn't chase after Lavinho but had instead sprinted forward to anticipate the pass.

"Good job, Hiori." The header lacked precision, forcing Shinichi to halt his forward momentum and adjust his direction to collect the ball. However, it was good enough to make Shinichi smile.

For the first time since their opening blitz, Shinichi's team had gained possession in the World Selection Match.

"Chris! Snuffy! You two idiots can't even handle a high schooler?!" Lavinho shouted furiously, his voice echoing across the field.

Meanwhile, Chris, who had been tricked by Rin's feint, arrived belatedly and planted himself in front of Shinichi.

"Don't rush. I'm here to block you now," Chris said calmly, raising his hand to signal his intent. "Bring it on, kid!"

Shinichi's first official possession in the World Selection Match had begun, and the defender in his way was none other than the world's second-ranked player—Chris Prince!

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