Bunny Iglesias.
Tendou had also heard of this person. After all, he was one of the New Generation World XI, and a player suspected to have been created with reference to Yamal. Unlike the unlucky Kaiser, Bunny didn't have a Noel Noa blocking his way, preventing him from being promoted to the first team. At only 19 years old, Bunny was already a key player for Barça, with his goal count reaching double digits last season.
Tendou vaguely remembered reading a report. Itoshi Sae's transition seemed to be related to Bunny. It was highly likely that he was the genius player who had shattered Sae's Dao heart, making Sae see his own limits as a forward and thus choose to switch positions. The specific details in between were still unknown for now.
...
After the second selection ended, Ego Jinpachi was unable to immediately start the third selection and the challenge match as he had wished. They had held on for long enough, but in the end, they could not stop the external pressure. They could only use a match to show the fans their results, and at the same time, snatch the spot of the U-20 national youth team.
On this day, Ego once again gathered the players.
"You are the 35 players who have survived the strict selection from among 300 high school forwards across the country, with the goal of becoming the world's number one egoist."
Only a day had passed. But not for the real world, because at this time, the anime had already reached its second season.
'Wuhu! Season two!'
'I've been waiting so long my flowers have wilted! I'm here, Tendou!'
'Tendou, long time no see!'
'Bachira!'
'Isagi-ge!'
'Nagi!'
'Young lady, you're so beautiful!'
'I think the young lady and the young master are a better match.'
'…'
At this time, the bullet comments were basically like this. After a long wait, the second season of Blue Lock had finally arrived. The fans, who had received the news long ago, had been waiting in front of their screens for the first episode to air. Seeing their long-awaited characters appear on screen again, they couldn't help but cheer.
A month before the second season aired, the streaming site had carried out a large-scale promotion, ensuring that every user would see it. For this, the officials also launched a new round of popularity voting.
And Tendou, he once again ranked second on the popularity list. Isagi was, after all, not a "Saint Mary" type protagonist like Kuroko. His latent sadist cells made him domineering when he should be, and normal when he should be. Coupled with his ample screen time, even though Tendou was so active in the first season and his stats were so high, he still couldn't surpass Isagi in popularity.
However, although he didn't surpass him, Tendou was already very close to Isagi in the popularity poll. He was only 4% behind the first-placed Isagi.
Ego, of course, couldn't see the audience's bullet comments. In his eyes, there were only the 35 remaining players.
He said, "The match is in three weeks. The opponent is the Japan U-20 representative team, led by Itoshi Sae."
"Win, and the throne of the national youth team is yours."
"But if you lose, Blue Lock will also be destroyed."
Ego, on the screen, clenched his fist hard, and the virtual model of Blue Lock shattered along with it.
Hearing this, the remaining players couldn't help but feel their hearts tighten. They were no longer the same as when they had first entered Blue Lock. Having tasted the benefits here and felt their own progress over the past few months, they did not want Blue Lock to disappear. What's more, if they won the match, they would be qualified to play in the Youth World Cup!
For both emotional and logical reasons, they all hoped that the Blue Lock project could continue.
"That's what you say, but how do we decide on the members?" Raichi Jingo pointed at the people around him. "We're all forwards!"
In Blue Lock, it was one thing. Everyone was a forward, so no matter how they were combined to play, the conditions were relatively fair. But now, their opponents were a meticulously cultivated team. Forwards, midfielders, goalkeepers—they were all professionals, and many had already played in professional competitions.
"Are we going to pick midfielders and defenders from among us?" Gagamaru was also thinking. Everyone was under a lot of pressure.
"Of course," Ego said, as if it were a matter of course.
"Besides forwards, we can only have temporary stand-ins for other positions."
"Next, I will call out the names of 6 people. The team will be built with them as the core."
"They are the 6 with the highest overall score in Blue Lock at this stage. Those whose names are called, take a step forward."
The 6 people with the highest overall score, in other words, the 6 strongest in Blue Lock at this stage.
Who would they be?
The 35 remaining players looked at each other, wondering if they would have a chance.
"First, Tendou Kageyoshi!"
The camera immediately focused on Tendou. His expression was normal. He struck a rather cool pose, causing the real-world audience to scream.
Oh, right. Besides the popularity poll, there was also a "who do you want to date the most" poll. This poll was aimed at the female audience, and Tendou, with an 86% vote rate, had become the undisputed number one. He was the character with the most female fans.
He was handsome and powerful, and his perfectly timed gentleness had a firm grip on people. What's more, there was also the "big brother" setting. The female audience all expressed, "I can't say no to this kind of thing!"
"Next, second place, Itoshi Rin!"
"Third place, Shidou Ryusei!"
"Fourth place, Otoya Eita. Fifth place, Karasu Tabito."
Oh?The crow was pushed down?
Tendou tilted his head and looked at his two teammates. In the original story, Karasu's ranking was one place higher than Otoya's. Now, it was Otoya who was one place ahead. Was it because of that assist against the World All-Star Team?
Tendou didn't think too much about it and continued to watch.
"And the last one, Yukimiya Kenyu!"
Nagi Seishiro was still squeezed out of the sixth spot. Tendou's appearance had inevitably pushed one of the original top 6 out. Nagi's talent was strong enough, but compared to the others, he was still lacking one thing.
"I have a question, Ego-san."
The top 6 were out. Those who weren't selected had completely given up hope. But Yukimiya Kenyu was not very satisfied with his ranking. He wore glasses, and he looked overly rational, not quite fitting in with football. But he was one of the top 6. This surprised those who didn't know him.
"Why am I sixth? What exactly is the gap between me and the first place?"
He had his own pride. If there wasn't a good reason, he couldn't accept being ranked last among the top 6.
"It's simple. Among the 35 who advanced, the only ones who scored against the World All-Star Team were Itoshi Rin, Shidou Ryusei, and Tendou Kageyoshi."
"You want to know the gap between you and the first place?"
Ego showed a malicious smile. He licked his lips and said, "Tendou Kageyoshi completed a hat-trick in the match against the World All-Star Team."
A hat-trick?!
In that instant, except for the few who already knew, all the other remaining players turned to look at Tendou.
This was the World All-Star Team! In a match with those five people, it would have been enough to score one goal, but he had actually completed a hat-trick?
As soon as these words were spoken, the others looked at Tendou as if they were looking at a god.
'Do you understand the value of a hat-trick?!'
'Hahahaha! This expression is exactly as I predicted!'
'Are you sure it's not exactly the same as your own expression back then?'
'Tendou is still too overpowered. Rin's dumbfounded expression is so funny.'
...
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