Ito Akira hated the unknown, he liked to have a firm idea of how things would pan out but in this case, he didn't. As he stood outside the large wooden doors of the Japan Football Union main hall with Reo and Nagi, the bronzed boy couldn't help but feel a sense of unease trickle through him.

"'Kay," Reo said as he readjusted his tie for the hundredth time, the three dressed in school uniform even though it was a Saturday. "Is this a job interview?" Nagi asked as they waited for Reo to finish messing with his uniform. 

"I wonder what kind of player will be here, I'm so stoked that I get to crush them with you two," Reo said eager as to what was behind the doors, though it seemed his friends weren't as keen as him. While Nagi was indifferent at the thought, Akira chewed at his lip nervous at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"But what if there are guys who are better than me? Better than us? Wouldn't you be better off teaming up with them?" the white-haired teen's words stunned the purple-haired teen slightly "Hah, I'd never do something so cold, not to the two of you." Reo reassured with a smile.

"Well, I wouldn't mind if you did. Would you Akira?" Nagi said turning to face the curly-haired teen who had yet to utter a word, eyes glancing to his bottom lip wedged between his teeth leaning forward slightly. "Stop it you are gonna hurt yourself" Nagi mumbled gently tugging his lower lip out from his sharp canines, running his thumb gently across his now slightly swollen mouth. 

"Nervous?" Reo asked the golden-eyed boy, who only nodded, his eyes downcast. "Hold my hand and give it a squeeze okay?" the amethyst-eyed boy said as he crept closer to Akira, who quickly snapped at the chance to hold his friend's hand for comfort. 

As the trio stepped through the doors they were greeted by the sight of a room crowded full of teenagers, all so different yet had one instantly recognisable quality, they were all forwards. "Wow, so many people. They're all, high schoolers. Crazy. What's gonna go down now?" Reo said amazed as his eyes trailed over the herd of players.

Akira couldn't help but squeeze the Mikage boy's hand tighter, at the sight of the mob of people present in the room. His death grip now turned the boy's hand white and would probably leave a bruise or two, but the bronzed boy didn't mean to, his hatred for crowds was to blame for making this a living nightmare. 

Shielding himself behind his two friends Akira didn't even bother to glance around the room to eye up all the attractive and talented players present, unlike his friends. The trio lingered in the back of the room and were the closest to the door, at Nagi and Akira's request which Reo gladly went along with.

A few moments passed by and the door opened again and in entered a mismatched pair that instantly caught the indigo teen's attention. "Oh, wow! That's the 'jewel of Japanese football' who's rumoured to have been called up to the U-18s, Kira Ryosuke." the amethyst-eyed teen said in awe.

"Hm? He looks like a regular short-ass to me." Nagi said eyeing up one of the two, "Not the black-haired guy, the tall, good-looking one." Reo deadpanned, while the two stared at the boy in question. 

Akira couldn't care less about the so-called protege, as he watched the floor as if it was the most entertaining game in the world, his hand still firmly laced with Reo's as he wished for nothing more than to be done with this whole ordeal. 

Oblivious to the rogue pairs of eyes that eyed him with intrigue and desire, his friends on the other hand noticed them instantly, prompting them to tug the curly-haired boy closer. 

Glaring at the various individuals, who either looked away embarrassed they had been caught or were unfazed and continued shamelessly ogling Akira much to Reo and Nagi's dismay. But before either could do anything irrational the lights dimmed and all eyes moved to the spotlight at centre stage. 

"Congratulations, diamonds in the rough. You are the 300 eighteen-and-under strikers chosen according to my arbitrary and biased decision-making. I am Jinpachi Ego, the man hired to ensure Japan wins the World Cup."

"Who's this guy?" the curly-haired boy glanced up, looking to see Reo and Nagi whose faces were a mixture of confusion and curiosity as they hung on every word the creepy-looking man said, Reo more so than Nagi. Akira on the other hand was uninterested his eyes still fixed on the floor, deciding in that moment that regardless of whatever the man was offering he was going to say no.

"Simply put, there's one thing Japanese football needs to become the best in the world: The birth of a revolutionary striker. I'll be experimenting here to turn one of you three hundred into the world's best striker, and that's what this facility is for, 'Blue Lock'" With that the graphics flashed across the screen in bright blue, as images of the facility were displayed for the room to see.

"Starting today, you will live here together and undergo the special training I've devised. You won't be allowed to go home and you'll say goodbye to whatever football life you've been living up to now. But I promise you this: if you manage to survive and beat out the two hundred and ninety-nine guys here to become the last man standing, you will be the world's greatest striker. That is all. Nice to meet you."

Crickets. The room was left speechless, Akira included as they looked at the man before them as if he had grown a second head. "que porra é essa?" the curly-haired teen uttered under his breath, surely this guy had to be borderline psychotic or high on some drug to think up something like this, but before anyone posed that question a voice decided to speak up.

"Excuse me sorry, but I can't agree to these conditions all of us have teams we've given our loyalty to and some of us have nationals coming up. You want me to abandon my team for what, to participate in some crazy-sounding program" Kira Ryosuke spoke up, voice laced with anger and disbelief at what was being proposed.

Others followed, eventually silenced by Jinpachi Ego who ripped apart Japanese football and pointed out all of the flaws in it as they all stood and watched with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

"Heh, crazy. The World Cup, the best in the world, guys. Ah Hey..." Reo said as he chased after Nagi and Akira who were halfway towards the door stopping them from going any further by grabbing Akira's free hand, the one that wasn't griping Nagi's. 

"I think I'll go home, it sounds like a lot of work, and I'm just not motivated enough." Nagi huffed, not amused by what Ego was offering them, "many people, me no like Reo" was all Akira said. 

"Hey, hey, hey. Wait a minute! The three of us can surely make it, let's just sign up for it and see what-" The amethyst-eyed boy tried to reason with the two, unwilling to do it without them by his side.

"The three of us, what are you talking about Reo? The guys said the last man standing. Singular not plural." The white-haired disputed thinking back to the man's words.

'you can't become the world's best striker unless you're the world's biggest egoist.'

"Just imagine it." the room listened to the picture that Ego was painting for them "You're in the World Cup final. Eighty thousand people in the stands, you're standing on the field. The score is 0-0, it's the second half of extra time. It's the last play, with a pass from your teammate, you're through the defence and it's you against the goalkeeper. six meters to your right is your teammate if you pass you're guaranteed to score a goal. In a moment when the entire nation's hopes and the championship are riding on you, only an insane egoist can take that shot without hesitation. If that's you, pass through these doors." And with that, the doors behind him opened revealing a blinding white light, the light at the end of the tunnel if you will.

"Abandon all common sense, on the field. You're the star. Nothing should bring you more joy than your own goals. Live only for that moment, isn't that what it means to be a striker?" No one moved, the room was still as the collective of teens looked around as if waiting for someone to make the first move towards the tunnel. 

Isagi Yoichi, the nobody who had come in with Kira Ryosuke and by far the least decorated player in the room was the first to move, sprinting towards the door with no sign of stopping or looking back, his eyes fully fixated on what lay ahead. To which everyone else soon followed as they rushed towards the doors, towards the possibility of becoming the best striker in the world. Until only four people were left in the room. 

"What's wrong? You're the only three left" Ego asked looking at the remaining trio who had not moved an inch. "I'll go, Akira Nagi let's go" Reo said looking towards the two who were still uncertain.

"No, thanks. It sounds like a hassle." Nagi said as he turned to walk out the door, "Hey, now. We came all this way." the purple-haired boy said desperate to sway his companions. "I don't think I'm cut out for Blue Lock, and I'm sure I'll get bored soon and want to go home. what about you Akira?" The white-haired boy said looking towards the curly-haired boy silently hoping he would back him up and leave with him, together.

"Me not sure about this Reo" Akira muttered unable to make eye contact with the Mikage boy, who looked as if his heart was about to break. "Oh, did my talk bore you?" Ego asked annoyed "Yeah because I could easily imagine scoring the winning goal at the World Cup" Nagi stated casually.

"You don't know what your ego is yet, there are countless so-called 'geniuses' like you. I have no interest in a gigantic narcissist who wants to grow old without getting hurt. Go get all comfy and rot away." Ego's stare was harsh and unforgiving as his eyes bore into Nagi's soul before he turned his attention to Akira.

"And you, you're willing to throw away endless talent. All because you're scared of people? pathetic, you might as well go with the lazy one." Ouch, now the golden-eyed boy wouldn't lie and say the man's words didn't hurt him. They did, but there wasn't much he could do about it so he decided against a strong reaction.

"Kay', let's go Akira." Nagi said grabbing the boy's hand and dragging him towards the door but stopped momentarily when he heard his amethyst-eyed friend's words. "That's bullshit!, Akira and Nagi aren't some fake geniuses you can find anywhere" Reo argued unwilling to hear such harsh criticism of his friends, his treasures, especially his Akira.

"The three of us...we can do it!" the curly-haired boy was worried he had never seen his friend so angry his eyes dark with a murderous type of rage that was frightening.

"the three of you? There can't be three "bests" in the world" Ego laughed looking down at the boy through his glasses. "then I'll make them the best strikers in the world, that's my ego!" the purple-haired boy said gesturing to the two behind him.

"Reo, calmo please"

"Hold on, Reo I said I didn't want to"

"Whatever, just shut up. Trust me, Akira, and Nagi. I'll show you a life that's more interesting than any nap or video game, and I'll get rid of those nerves of yours even if I have to fuck them out of you myself. I won't let you get bored, either of you." The unrelenting teen said looking towards the two in newfound determination, glancing at each other the trio nodded in silent agreement.

"Okay, then both of you promise me one thing, stay with me until the end." the white-haired boy said as the trio walked towards the blinding white lights of the tunnel much to Ego's delight. "What does that mean? Is that your ego?" Reo laughed looking towards the lazy teen. "It's a promise, Reo," he replied simply.

"Yeah, Nagi. I promise."

"Akira?"

"eu prometo us in together till end, three of us against world"