Blue Lock: Isagi the egoist

The whistle blew.

Isagi exploded forward.

The World Five were the best U-20 players on the planet.

Loki, Blake, Luna, Cabassos, and Silva.

Each a monster. Each an untouchable genius in their own right.

And yet…

They weren't enough.

Adam Blake charged at him. A Premier League prodigy, built like a tank.

Isagi nutmegged him.

Dada Silva came flying in, going for a foul.

Isagi let the tackle hit—but before he hit the ground, he flicked the ball past Leonardo Luna.

A perfect midair redirect.

Luna turned, eyes wide.

Isagi landed, rolled, and sprinted past him like nothing happened.

He was already inside the box.

Pablo Cabassos, the Argentinian genius defender, made his move.

Too late.

Isagi's right foot swung.

A strike from hell.

1-0.

The World Five did not take that lightly.

They came at him harder.

Fouls. Elbows. Physicality.

But Isagi was unfazed.

They tried to shut him down.

They tried to bully him.

But he ripped through them.

2-0.

3-0.

They were watching something impossible.

This wasn't a normal striker.

This wasn't someone still learning.

This was a player beyond their level.

A monster.

4-0.

One more goal, and it'd be over.

Isagi stopped.

He walked to the middle of the field.

And then—

He sat down.

Cross-legged. Relaxed.

He leaned back on his palms, looking at his teammates.

"Your turn, boys."

His voice was calm.

"If you think you're hot shit, prove it. Right here. Against actual hot shit."

Rin, Barou, Bachira, and Nagi froze.

The World Five stared.

The Blue Lock team was losing their minds.

"What the hell is he doing?!"

"He's sitting down?!"

The game continued.

The World Five were pissed.

They wanted to beat him. They wanted to break him.

But he wasn't even playing anymore.

And the rest of Blue Lock?

They couldn't do shit.

They were toys, getting picked apart.

Bachira struggled to break free.

Rin's shots got blocked.

Barou got stuffed at every turn.

Nagi's traps weren't enough.

Isagi watched.

He didn't say anything.

He just let them fail.

The game ended.

The World Five won.

The scoreboard still read 4-0.

The pros did not beat Isagi.

But they did beat Blue Lock.

And that pissed them off.

After all—Isagi had sat out.

They had been treated like kids.

Like a warm-up.

Loki approached, his face unreadable.

"You're beyond our expectations," he admitted. "But them?" He gestured to the others. "They're not ready."

Isagi stood up, stretched his arms, and just grinned.

"That's their problem."

The World Five left, unsatisfied.

And Blue Lock?

They were humiliated.

Ego's voice rang through the facility.

"Lesson learned, right? There's always someone better. You're not him yet."

The players clenched their fists.

But Isagi?

He just cracked his neck.

"Time to train," he muttered.

Because if there was someone better than him—

He was going to kill that idea.

And remain the best.

After the intense match against the World Five, the players of Blue Lock were granted something they hadn't experienced in a long while.

Rest.

Ego, with his signature eerie grin, allowed them to relax.

"Against my expectations, you completed the trial faster than scheduled," he admitted. "I suppose even monsters need downtime."

The room was silent, but the tension in the air was thick.

Some players were relieved, some remained on edge.

Isagi? He was unbothered.

He had work to do.

The Main Hall Gathering

Time passed, and soon, Ego summoned them.

"Dress up and get to the main hall. Everyone else is done."

Isagi, Rin, Barou, Bachira, and Nagi stepped in.

The room was filled with familiar and unfamiliar faces.

Rin didn't react.

Isagi barely spared them a glance.

Bachira was talking excitedly with Nagi, who looked like he was about to burst into laughter.

Barou? He strutted forward, exuding his usual 'King' energy.

Then Reo's team entered.

Isagi instantly noticed something.

Kunigami wasn't with them.

It wasn't like Isagi was close to the orange-haired powerhouse.

But he had been part of Blue Lock.

And now? He wasn't.

That fact alone made the room feel colder.

The last group entered, with Igarashi trailing behind.

A voice announced, "That's all."

And just like that, the roster was finalized.

The Stakes Are Raised – The U-20 Threat

Ego stepped forward.

His face was calm. His posture, relaxed.

But his words?

Absolute devastation.

"I'll keep this brief."

His glasses gleamed.

"If you don't beat Japan's U-20 Team… Blue Lock will be shut down."

Silence.

The weight of his words slammed down on them.

Some faces paled. Some fists clenched.

Isagi?

He calmly raised his hand.

"Pass me my phone."

Ego quirked an eyebrow.

Anri scrambled, grabbing his phone with shaky hands.

She hesitated.

And then, in a rare moment of bravery, she asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Isagi… why?"

She swallowed.

"Why is the best striker in the world here?"

The room froze.

Everyone turned.

Some scoffed, some glared, but none could deny it.

Isagi wasn't normal.

He wasn't like them.

And for the first time, someone had the guts to ask him directly.

Isagi's Answer

Isagi took the phone from Anri's hands.

His eyes met hers.

And then—

He answered.

"My last match before I left."

His tone was calm.

"My last match against Noa."

A few gasps spread through the room.

He didn't stop.

"We will clash again. And we will keep clashing…"

His fingers tapped on the phone, but his gaze remained steady.

"…until one of us can't anymore."

Dead silence.

Ego smirked.

The others? They couldn't even process what they had just heard.

But Isagi wasn't done.

"Blue Lock is perfect for one thing."

His voice lowered.

"The one thing that can constantly evolve."

His lips curled into a smirk.

"Ego."

A Text to Sae

The phone screen lit up.

Message to: Itoshi Sae

⟪Tell those greedbags from JFU you need to take a striker from Blue Lock.⟫

⟪If Blue Lock loses, it won't shut down, since ya took one of ours to win and all that.⟫

⟪That way, even if you're with them and win against me—which I doubt considering what you told me about that team—Blue Lock can continue.⟫

⟪I'll deal with the rest.⟫

He hit send.

Then he tossed the phone back to Anri.

And as the room remained silent—

Ego grinned.

Because this was exactly what he wanted.

Isagi Yoichi—

The embodiment of ego itself.