Tendou versus Noa.
To say the scene was earth-shattering would be less accurate than saying Tendou's age was simply heaven-defying.
Before Loki burst onto the scene, people thought Messi and Ronaldo were the limits for 17-year-old players.
That was until Loki's sudden rise in Ligue 1, winning the Golden Boot at 17, leading his team to the league title, and helping France win the World Cup.
At that point, people's understanding of the limits of a 17-year-old player was refreshed.
But even so, no fan would seriously believe that Loki was already stronger than Noa.
To borrow a phrase from Spurs legend Tim Duncan, the future might belong to Loki, but the present did not.
But now.
A 17-year-old kid was actually going toe-to-toe with Noa and holding his own.
Guardiola and Pochettino in England watched.
They realized they had still underestimated this kid's immediate impact.
They did want to bring him to their teams, that was true. But their plan was to start him from the bench.
Let Tendou train with the first team, get some playing time in garbage time to adapt, then play in some cup matches to level up before making him a starter.
And now?
Good heavens, he could go one-on-one with the world's number one at the age of 17!
It's no wonder that even famous managers like Guardiola were so surprised.
Before the emergence of the prodigy Lamine Yamal, most fans thought this way.
That was until Yamal burst onto the scene, helping his national team win the European Championship at 17, leading his team to the Champions League semi-finals and winning the La Liga title at 18, becoming a hot favorite for the Ballon d'Or.
At that time, people once again refreshed their understanding of the limits of a 17-year-old player.
Tendou had just brought that timeline forward by a few years.
At this moment, Tendou had pushed himself to the absolute limit, but he still couldn't break through that final, paper-thin barrier.
"What... what else haven't I pushed to the limit?"
"No, this is not the time for idle thoughts. I have to go with my gut, put my whole heart and soul into the game."
Tendou threw all these worries to the back of his mind.
Slowly.
He found a familiar feeling.
Rumble
The gate of the Zone unconsciously opened for him.
Zzzzt~
Two streaks of silver-white lightning bloomed. Tendou's eyes were like unthawing ice. Even Noa felt the air around them drop rapidly.
Thump~
Tendou took a step, launching forward with two streaks of lightning.
"What?!"
This sudden change even startled Noa.
"At this point, his physical ability can still improve further."
The 90% limit was broken, and Tendou's physical potential was fully released.
A 10% improvement, for someone like Tendou whose physical attributes were already maxed out, was enormous.
Noa's expression finally changed.
Cracks appeared in his pupils, and his eyeballs split into sections.
Metavision. He had entered it.
"Metavision! Did that number 7 rookie from Man City put that much pressure on Noa?" Lavinho was also watching the live broadcast.
He never would have thought that a 17-year-old kid could push the world's number one to this extent.
And Tendou?
He had completely abandoned all superfluous emotions, his mind singularly focused on the game.
The only thought in his mind right now was to defeat Noa and score the final goal.
The duel between the two rose to another level.
The two figures, one in a blue jersey and one in red, sprinted across the field.
And then.
Tendou's movements began to become more complex.
He unconsciously began to look for anything he could use.
His eyes didn't look around, yet he could still capture the movements and positions of everyone else.
Timing it perfectly, Tendou suddenly charged towards the Bayern defensive line.
Seeing this, Yukimiya Kenyu gritted his teeth and met him head-on.
He had an eye condition, but he had never told anyone.
For him, Blue Lock was his last chance.
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon.
Yukimiya Kenyu was walking down the street. His handsome appearance caught the eye of a photographer, who invited him to become a model.
He gladly accepted.
The photographer also asked him about his future path, about his dreams.
Yukimiya Kenyu answered with a smile, without hesitation, "I want to become the world's number one striker."
His future was bright back then, but one day, his vision began to blur.
He went to the hospital for an examination and was diagnosed with narrowed vision and increased blind spots when fatigued.
It was an optic nerve disease.
The worst-case scenario was permanent blindness.
At that moment, Yukimiya Kenyu felt like his world was collapsing.
The doctor advised him not to play football and to receive treatment properly, and his daily life would not be a problem.
But Yukimiya Kenyu only wanted to play football.
He never wore glasses to look cool; it was because without them, he couldn't play properly.
...
Now.
His time was running out. Not that he was going to die or anything, but his eye condition was worsening day by day.
"Before I completely lose my sight, I will become number one, no matter what!"
With this conviction, Yukimiya Kenyu charged forward.
Swoosh~
He froze, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.
Before he could even react, Tendou had already passed him with two streaks of lightning.
Then came Noa's cold words, "Don't just stand there dazed on the field."
Yukimiya Kenyu was used by Tendou as a barrier to block Noa.
The fact was proven.
On this cruel green field, in the face of talent and strength, dreams were just worthless empty promises.
"Damn it! Stop talking to yourself over there!" Yukimiya roared, turning and charging forward.
...
"Yukimiya?!"
"That idiot!"
Isagi and Kaiser had different expressions as they watched Yukimiya recklessly insert himself into the battle between Tendou and Noa.
Screech~
As if he had eyes on the back of his head, Tendou immediately stomped on the ball and came to a dead stop, causing Yukimiya to lunge at empty air.
To be able to stop so abruptly at that monstrous speed.
His physical ability was on another level.
But what was even more freakish was Tendou's acceleration after the dead stop.
Thwack
With a single flick of the ball, he left both Noa and Yukimiya behind and cut inside into the Bayern penalty area.
Before him was a perfect shooting opportunity.
But.
Even with Yukimiya's "interception," Noa still caught up.
Arriving at the same time as him were Kaiser and Isagi.
Both of them had sensed the danger.
Tendou's shooting angle was almost... no, not almost, but completely blocked.
In front of him were three of Bayern's finest, and behind him, Gagamaru was closing in.
At almost the same time.
Reo, Prince, and Nagi also pushed up into the Bayern penalty area.
Tendou's gaze swept over them.
Pass?
No!
Tendou would not pass at a time like this.
Isagi saw through Tendou's thoughts; he had tricked too many people with this kind of trick.
And Tendou indeed had no intention of passing. Or rather, the person he was passing to was himself.
"White Whale!"
BANG!
Under the uncomprehending stares of everyone, Tendou resolutely took the shot.
...
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