A family thing

Chapter 20 Sports are fun

Yoichi looked at the wall in the dark room. He had lots of thoughts after his decleration of war on team V. Even without reviewing their games, he already knew, what their main weapon is. A trio that can overrun everyone with combinations much more effective than the Wanima twins and he is honestly impressed because of the velocity of the establishing of the team V trio. The Wanima twins for example trained for their whole life. They are siblings. That's a chemistry no one else had. The Miya twins were just like that. He knew that from the second match he watched his brother play in the nationals. Those guys were the opposite when we're talking about their characters but on the court, they were able to perform the most ridiculous things. Even the minus tempo attack originally created by Tobio and Hinata-San. But the guys from team V have succeeded to build up their chemestry in a matter of days. That's the thing that was also worrying him. Was he able to fight against them? He just didn't know and that pissed him off. Clearly a good trio was definitely something powerful. Like the warriors in 2017, or Barca in 2015 with Messi, Neymar and Suarez, or Japan at the 2020 Tokyo olympics. Their coach, Iwaisumi formed a very venomous three man combo by putting in Hinata as outside hitter and Ushijima as Opposite hitter. That might have lessened the running and attacking routes of the tangerine, but it put a canon onto the field that could be supported by one pin-point setter, his brother and one okay-ish beach volleyball setter, his coach in Brazil. In addition there was a quick tempo attacker that was always on the court and could strike from anywehre. Even from the center. The real question right now was however, how the hell can he stop them. Yoichi looked at the wall in the dark room. Igaguri was still moving around in the bed like he was fighting world war two in his dreams. At least that's what it looked like. It could have also been him imgagining himself winning the world cup. Snorring could be heard from one of the corners. If he couldn't think of a way to defeat his next opponents, how in the world was he supposed to sleep under such circumstances? It was impossible. 
"Fuck sleep.", he muttered after a while and walked out of the room. The door opened with a sizzling noise. Yoichi walked through it and went to the pitch.  The only thing that could calm him down right now, was another training session. 

The next day everyone has gathered in the monitor room. Everyone was kinda hyped. Yoichi looked at Bachira, who was doing some weird faces. 
"I wonder if we'll win the next game-face. Absolutely, no doubt.", he guessed. 
"No, it's a 'my stomach hurts'-face.", Igaguri said. 
"It means 'Grandma are you well?' right?", Gagamaru tried his luck. To no use. Everyone was wrong. 
"Bzzt, the right answer is... drumroll...", Bachria revealed the answer. "'I woneder what rain tastes like'. That's the face." 
"THE FUCK!!! HOW WERE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?!?!?!", Yoichi shouted a bit outraged. 
"Wrong. We're playing the 'What does the face of that Wanima-bro mean?' game.", Igaguri laughed as he saw Yoichi's pissed off face. 
"HEY!! What the hell are you guys doing?!", Iemon shouted at them. "The next game is the last one!!! You're supposed to be nervous!!! Nervous, I say!!!"
"That face means 'Oh boy I'm so mad.'", Bachira whispered to Yoichi. 
"No doubt.", the raven haired replied. 
"MY FACE IS NOT FOR GUESSING!!!!", Iemon snapped. 
"Well... we can't be an anxious mess all the time.", Igaguri said surprising all the other team Z players in the room. 
"Yeah, you should know...", Gagamaru murmered as he was lying next to the bald guy. 
"Then let's have a tactical meeting before the game! Let's discuss how to defeat team V.", Imamura suggested. 
"Now hold on a sec!", Raichi spoke and kneed down to Kuon who was sitting in a corner. "I haven't forgiven this snake right here." 
Seconds after the shark toothed started to choke the living hell out of the imposter and acted kind of like those terrorist interogater from those action movies. 
"Oi, Raichi. Cut it.", Yoichi ordered. 
"Huh?!", Raichi snapped at him. "Ya feeling bad for this guy or what?!" 
"I said cut it.", the raven haired repeated. "Do not make me repeat myself again. Besides, even if you beat him up to the point that he can not play football anymore, it wouldn't do you any good and it wouldn't do us any neither. And even if I don't want to play with a fucking cunt like him, we still need an eleventh man in our roster. So. Cut. This. Shit." 
"Are you stupid?!", Kuon shouted as he ripped himself free from Raichi's grasp. "Why the hell would I play with you?!" 
Everyone in the room looked at him confusingly. 
"At this point, even if team Z loses the next game... With six goals, I am the top scorer, so I would qualify regardless.", Kuon explained to a dumbfonded team Z. "My best tactic is to do nothing at all and wait for it to be finished." 
Raichi was about to kill that snake in the corner, but immediately stopped as he felt the glare of a certain Kageyama in his back. 
"So let's say that in the next game, I get to score five goales which added to the two I've got.", Kunigami stepped up. "That would be seven goals. Enough to be the top scorer and yet you'd rather not do anything and wait for it to end? I'll do it. I will trample over you fair and square." 
"Don't be ridiculous. Football can't be played alone. I know that very well. If you think you can then suit yourself. But anyway. It's impossible for you to score five goals in the next game. Why should I be worried?", the male in the corner replied. 
"Care to explain?", Kunigami talked back. 
"You're persistent. I know it all too well. That's why I've played football. Fully focused on reaching the world cup with my skills. I won't let it end in the first selection. I won't let my teammates drag me down with them again." 
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!?!?!", Raichi shouted and was about to lung himself at the traitor again. 
"Shut it, Raichi. I'll become deaf by the amount you shout.", Yoichi said and shut the raging male up. 
"Say what you will.", Kuon continued. "It's not like we'll ever meet again." 
"Hold on a sec...", Bachira gained everyone's attention. "Let's suppose after the last game, both Kageyama and Kuon are tied with three goals each, how do they figure out who's in and who's out?"
"I mean... the one who passes to the next round is the one with the least yellow cards, right?", Chigiri replied. 
"And if they were tied in that too?", the crazy-bangs-guy asked again. 
"It would be decided based on their standing in the Blue Lock ranking.", a voice from the speakers came. The monitor got shut on. 
"Hell there. It's been a while.", Ego appeared on the screen. "This is Jinpachi Ego speaking." 
Yoichi turned around to the four eyes on the monitor. 
"Well then, let's start with the first selection's most recent rankings. If you unpolished gems were to lose the last game and team W gets to win its last one, and were tied in both goals, fouls and whatnot, what would count in the end is the one standing at the very top of his team's ranking. That would be the only one making it to the next round." 
A list appeared next to the creepy face of the project manager of this facility. Kuon was indeed at the top while Yoichi was second. 
"I'm in first place! Haha!", Kuon said with a jubilant smile on his face. 
Before a beef could take place inside the monitor room, Ego continued, "At Blue Lock's first selection, the only thing that matters is the amount of goals scored. So apart from the stated rules any other conventions are disregarded. However, Wateru Kuon. As a striker you are the lowes among the worst. The utmost bottom. You are the filthiest scum in this whole facility." 
Everyone was shocked by that. Even Yoichi. 
"Up until now, team Z has had a great start with the first two games, but you brought them to the verge of elimination. Yet this is nothing but a chain of lukes. Those mathos of attacking are actually worthless.", Ego spoke. "What the best striker in the world requires is the repeatability of a goal. It is true that the most dramatic goals are the ones that leave the longest lasting impressions. There are a lot of players capable of such feats around the world and yet, why is that they can't pull such a goal once more? That's because it was nothing but the result of a mere fluke. So you can already imagine the worth of a goal that relies on cunning and deceit among many other despicable traits. What you need right now is the formula to produce and create as many goals as it takes. A lot of people think an unstoppable trio is the key, but in reality it is much more than that. It is to use every skill a player has. Weapons, positioning, touching, dribbling, shooting. You have to understand how to use them correctly and then you have your own unique formula to score goals. Up until now, you are surviving out of sheer luck, but that will not get you anywhere. However, that repeatability is not a consequense of success, quite the opposite. It's the foundation of success. Matches are always filled with irregularities. But those who are able to find a, now many paths in a single second on that cruel battlefield, those who devise their own formula- that is, the world's best striker is someone, who carves multiple paths with his sheer prowess. Abolish the idea of winning by chance and claim victory as a logical consequence. The answer to your formula lies in slumber on the field, those who don't seek it can fuck off." 
With that, the monitor became black. A timer of 24 hours appeared afterwards. 
"Anyways Kuon.", Raichi sighed after a while. "Don't do shit in the next game, ya hear? Don't help and don't fuck us over. If I see you move, I'll put you in a wheelchair." 
'The repeatability of a goal... huh... or a point... whatever... isn't that the thing, what Hinata-San and Nii-San trained for hours in their high school time? What was it for them?', Yoichi was deep in his thought. 'Speed times accuarcy powed by unpredictability. Man, I want to fucking train.' 
He then walked out of the door silently. He already knows his formulas. What he needed was a way to improve them. 

"Now then my little disciple.", Hinata spoke as they were at the beach of Rio de Janero. "What is football to you?" 
"I don't know. Nice to play... I guess... my life?", Yoichi stuttered. 
"Wrong answer.", Hinata said and flicked the forehead of his rival's younger brother. 
"A way to train my body and to stay healthy?", Yoichi tried again. 
"Nah, wrong again.", the tangerine said and took a sip out of his water bottle. 
"What is it then?", the raven haired asked frustrated by the antics of his childish coach. 
"It's fun.", Hinata answered. "Sports need to be fun, so that people want to do them. Cause only when you're having fun, you'll try to look for ways to further out that so called 'fun' and you will also be able to become stronger. Always keep that in mind. You can only go all out, if you're having fun." 

'Oh man... What the hell did Hinata-San mean by that...', Yoichi thought as he lied in his bed. How is he supposed to sleep under such circumstances. Never once was he able to rest well, when he was deep in thought. 
"Hey... Kageyama...", Igaguri whispered next to him. "All will be decided tomorrow, right?"
That guy was shaking furiously. 
'Where did his confidence from the forenoon go?', Yoichi thought. 
"I... I might have told you this before, but... I come from a temple family...", the balded one stuttered shakingly. "If I fail my shot at football, I will have to inherit the temple duties. I fought with my dad just to get here, because I thought that... Blue Lock would be my last real chance of dedicating my life to football... Kageyama... when I think that my dream might be over... I feel really scared of what's about to come..." 
'Oh shoot... Now I have to calm him down...', Yoichi thought and sat up. "You know... there was once a man who told me, that in order to play your best, you need to have fun whilst doing it. Because only if you're having fun, you're willing to grow stronger because of the fear of losing that fun. We will win. Don't piss your pants."