Among the members of the top six, and arguably in all of Blue Lock, Yukimiya Kenyu was the player least likely to cause Tendou trouble.
Why?
Because his style was too similar to his own. Yukimiya's style of play, like Tendou's, was of a relatively fierce and powerful type. This fierceness didn't refer to the willingness to engage in physical contact like in the Premier League, but rather that in one-on-one duels, both Tendou and Yukimiya particularly liked to use speed and physicality to defeat their opponents, unlike the likes of Bachira, who relied more on skill and creativity to get past people.
Even though many times, in the eyes of Ego and others, Tendou's football was full of the flair and creativity of Latin-school players, this was all built on the results that his Six Eyes and Big Data Statistics had seen in advance. The reason Tendou chose this style of play was simple.
This was the most "royal road" of football!
Yukimiya was also this type of player, and his stats in every aspect were inferior to Tendou's. Therefore, he was the player least likely to defeat Tendou; there was an absolute upper-level suppression effect.
Swish!
Under Yukimiya's gaze, Tendou transformed into a streak of white light and disappeared from before his eyes, shooting forward. This feeling made Yukimiya's blood run cold. It was as if he were facing Loki from the World All-Star Team—a pure crushing of talent, the most damaging to one's confidence.
"No... he's even more impactful than the prodigy Loki."
Yukimiya considered himself the strongest one-on-one player among Japanese high school students. This was no empty boast. In the past two years of national tournaments, he had never met anyone who could defeat him one-on-one. Even against an opponent like Itoshi Rin, he was confident he could win.
But now, a person who had appeared out of nowhere, whom he had never even heard of before, had defeated him head-on.
"No, it's not over yet!"
He gritted his teeth and immediately turned to chase after him. Yukimiya had already noticed that Reo was closing in on Tendou's position. This was a good opportunity for a pincer attack from the front and back.
...
Itoshi Rin noticed the opponent closing in on Tendou. Although he didn't think this would be a problem for Tendou—after all, this was a player on the same level as his Nii-chan—he still raised his finger towards Tendou. This was to signal for Tendou to launch a long pass from the backfield.
Karasu noticed his action but did not move. His loss just now was because he had been half a beat too slow. This time, he was keeping a close eye on Rin.
BAM!
Tendou dodged Reo's press and passed the ball. The ball flew into the air, drawing his signature banana-like arc.
Rin accelerated forward at the same time but couldn't completely shake off Karasu. As for the gap between these two, it's hard to say directly who is stronger and who is weaker. Rin's goal-scoring ability is stronger, while Karasu is better at organizing and defending.
Karasu sprinted with all his might, desperately sticking close to Rin. The latter, however, did not get too entangled because he possessed a spatial awareness that was on par with Isagi's.
Tap!
After catching up to the ball, Rin directly kicked it forward, past both himself and Karasu.
"This..." Karasu, seeing Rin's decisiveness, immediately realized something. He turned his head and, sure enough, saw Tendou sweeping past from the other side like a shooting star. To reduce air resistance, his center of gravity was very far forward, his shoulder almost level with Karasu's waist.
Karasu shouted a reminder, "Stop him, Nagi! Gagamaru!"
This was not a simple task. Because defending against Tendou with two people was not an easy matter in itself, and what's more, they had to be wary of his passes. In the past matches, Tendou had shown them many times that he possessed the ability of a midfield master.
But this time, Tendou had no intention of setting up a teammate. It was still a 1-on-2 situation. Nagi and Gagamaru stood in front of Tendou, one on the left and one on the right.
And Tendou.
He accelerated to the ball, and his right foot extended to tap the front of it, pulling it back behind him, dodging Gagamaru's outstretched leg.
And then.
He clamped the ball between his feet and flicked it up behind him, then gave it another cushion with his heel. While completing this move, Tendou used his left foot as a pivot point, his figure spinning like a top, and with a stylish basketball-style spin move, he bypassed the two defenders.
Rainbow Flick?!
Yukimiya Kenyu was dumbfounded. Was this a move that a center forward should be making?
The ball leaped up from behind Tendou's back, drawing a rainbow-like arc over the heads of Nagi and Gagamaru.
By the time the ball landed.
Tap!
Tendou once again tapped the ball forward, bringing it to a position that was a threat to the goal. The Blue Lock Man goalkeeper stood on his line. If it weren't a projection without human emotions, people would surely be able to see the goalkeeper's panic. Who could have thought that Tendou would use such a method to get past people? And to do it so perfectly... Nagi and Gagamaru hadn't been prepared at all, passed like two wooden stakes.
And Tendou.
He had already caught up to the ball and charged to the edge of Team C's penalty area. The Blue Lock Man goalkeeper reacted, desperately trying to block Tendou's shooting line.
But.
"Dismantle!"
Tendou's eyes were as if they were equipped with a targeting scope. His left leg, in a flash of lightning, struck the bottom of the ball. A shot release speed of over 17 m/s, and with his non-dominant foot at that... this gave the goalkeeper no chance at all.
SWISH!
The ball, like a bolt of lightning, stabbed into the net, spinning and sending up sprays of white.
...
All of this happened too fast. So fast that Yukimiya was still wearing an astonished expression.
No celebration.
After scoring the goal, Tendou directly turned and walked back to the center circle to wait. But this time, he took the initiative to extend his hand and high-five Rin.
"Nice pass. Among the people I've teamed up with, you're the first one to be able to coordinate with me so well the first time."
"Maybe we're more compatible than we thought, Rin."
Hearing this, Rin shyly twirled his finger on his cheek and let out a soft "mm." He had heard such praise countless times over the years. But Tendou's praise felt different.
Different how? Probably similar to before his Nii-chan, Sae, went abroad.
...
And at this moment.
In front of the screen, Chigiri Hyoma's eyes were filled with hostility. He was unwilling to accept it. Rin had managed to coordinate so well with Tendou on their very first time teaming up. Thinking back, he had tried his best to deliver a pass to Tendou that would force him to give praise. But in the end, he still hadn't achieved it.
This is outrageous.
Imamura Yudai, who was with him, couldn't help but move away from this fuming "young lady."
Having finished their match, they could only return to their own dormitory and could not communicate with the players who were participating in the match. They could only nest in their dormitory and watch the live broadcast of others' matches.
...
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