Chapter 41: Godspeed vs. Chronoception
"Woah! That kid, Murano, right? He's badass, isn't he?" Silva spoke loudly, praising Murano.
Cevasoz noted Murano's ambidexterity and added, "Btw, he just scored with his left foot, but earlier he scored with his right foot."
"Don't tell me that guy is ambidextrous," Luna sighed, looking down.
"Not only were his power shots unmatched, but also his footwork. He was able to control the ball with both feet without having to awkwardly switch between them, "Blake said, adding to the conclusion that Murano is ambidextrous.
"You haven't said anything yet. What do you think of Murano? He's the same age as you, isn't he?" Blake questioned Loki.
Loki answered, "No, I'm a year older than him, but yeah, he's amazing.
"Did I see that right? He managed to counter your speed," Silva said mockingly.
"Not quite right, but I was able to confirm something during the game."
"Anyone here familiar with the Multifactorial Theory of Time Perception? or the Hippocampus Theory? I won't say much, but to put it simply, I can cover greater distances more quickly when I'm overspeeding. Bystanders would see the former, but because I was running at my usual speed, I experienced it much more slowly than the spectator." Loki explained.
"Oh yeah, actually, a new study on Lionel Messi also reveals that Messi, during 1 vs. 1, perceives others motion slowly, which makes him react quickly and move past opponents swiftly, and all that is a result of years of experience. It mainly highlights the importance of understanding and utilizing time in sports," Cevasoz added.
"Yes, that was the point I was making. Only seasoned veterans like Messi, who has participated in countless 1 vs. 1 or 1 vs. 2 (or more) throughout his career, can pull this off," Loki answered.
"Years of experience? But Murano is just 16," Luna gasped.
"If he manages to defeat us during the next play, then I'll personally recruit him to join PXG. He might be the final piece for PXG to win the Champions League; otherwise, I would have to go to Al-Hilal, " Loki remarked as he sat down.
"Wait, you're going to accept that lucrative contract?" Blake asked
Loki responded, "Let's not talk about such things here; let's concentrate on the game."
"So what do you say we do?" Cevasoz asked.
"Murano and I are similar, but we differ in that I can quickly cover half the field while Murano can only react quickly to what I'm doing," Loki began to explain.
"No matter how quickly he can react, he will never be able to match my Godspeed. I would estimate that my previous top speed was 77%. He can only keep up with 77, so reacting fast to 100% Godspeed would be challenging for even Murano."
"Wait, Loki, have you even used 100% before?" Luna asked
"Yeah, In a few competitive matches like the World Cup," Loki responded.
"The only advice I have is to simply cross the ball to a distant area rather than attempting to dribble around Murano or get close to him. As long as he doesn't get the ball, we can still win."
"So you're telling us, world-class players, to avoid confronting this kid?" Silva asked
"Yeah, but let's show them why we are the World Five. If that fails, I want us to play cross-to-cross around the field, " Loki added.
As the World Five all retreated to their respective positions to execute their new tactic, Loki remarked, "Take this game more seriously than you have previously; I would say that you should see it more as a professional game."
Third Selection
Battle Field
Team Blue Lock 3-2 Team World Five
Team Blue Lock and World Five settled into their positions, each with a new strategy in mind, ready for a tense battle. The World Five, who had started being serious earlier, were now approaching this match like a professional game. But how would Murano and his teammates respond to these fired-up pro players?"
The World Five would have to kick off, as they had just conceded a goal.
During the kickoff, the World Five lined up horizontally, at least 8 feet from each other.
Four of the World Five players would charge forward to begin the game. Loki, on the other hand, remained on the midfield center line as he stepped on the ball.
The Blue Lock team was all confused as to why all World Five players, with the exception of Loki, would all advance at once.
This could put the World Five in a dire situation If Murano manages to steal the ball from Loki, there will be no one else to defend him.
However, they trusted Loki's Godspeed would catch up to Murano even if Loki managed to lose the ball.
It was on as the players rushed forward. When Loki was about to cross the ball, Cevasoz and Blake were already making their way to the attacking third.
**Thump**
The ball was deflected away as Murano reacted quickly to Loki's cross, outstretched his leg to touch the ball, and blocked the cross.
As the ball bounced off Murano's leg, it rolled further into the World Five half.
Loki changed directions and sped up to the ball, saying, "Let's see if you can handle Godspeed at 100%."
With lightning speed, The ball was at Loki's feet as he struck it, sending it flying over the players. The ball's long flight would come to an end as it approached Luna.
Luna jumped into the air and aimed for the net as the ball descended toward him. Kurona would subsequently intercept the ball and clear it away with his header.
Silva would then pick up on the loose ball and blast a goal-bound shot straight at the target to restore their footing in the game.
Team Blue Lock 3-3 Team World Five
"The World Five strategy just now is unpredictable. Let's do what they just did," I suggested.
Barou hated my plan, saying, "I'm not carrying out your plan; It's their own strategy, wouldn't they know how to defeat us?"
"I understand what you're saying, but if we repeat their own move, we can also catch them off guard. The moment between their confusion and realization would be our success in overcoming them with their own strategy," I explained.
"We can either take the lead now, while they feel they still have control, or stay and let them take the lead by scoring again," I said, looking at both Shidou and Barou.
Barou replied, "I guess I wouldn't mind as long as I'm the one you cross the ball to. I grinned as I succeeded in persuading him without igniting a fight, and Kurona and Hiori also appeared convinced.
"You bet I would," I replied.
"Well, then I'm not doing tha—" Shidou said, but was interrupted by my sudden wink. It was a wink that managed to convince him that the ball would not be delivered to Barou but to him instead.
"I have trust in your long cross, so make sure to send it to the one who is in the right position to score," I said quietly to Hiori.
"What about Loki? Won't he come and take the ball from me? You might've noticed earlier, but his pace had suddenly gone up, and I couldn't even track his movements anymore," Hiori informed me.
"Don't worry, I know for certain that Loki will follow me instead, he's got his eyes set on me," I responded.
The kickoff started as we all dashed forward and maintained the same distance as the World Five had earlier.
Hiori's POV
Murano was leading the pack, as he was far in front and was already approaching the final third. But Loki's shadow was just behind him.
Barou was within an arm's reach of Silva, but I decided not to cross to him since I hadn't seen Barou overcome Silva.
Shidou managed to make Blake trail behind him, putting him on par with Murano in terms of speed.
I wasn't sure who I was going to pass the ball to, but whoever it goes to will be someone I think has a good chance of scoring.
On the other hand, Kurona and Cevasoz were at each other's throats.
I took a quick step and crossed the ball to Blake and Shidou's way as Luna charged toward me.
At this rate, I'm certain that Shidou could hit the drive shot into the net.
Both Shidou and Blake leaped into the air, but Blake was the one who got to it first as he cleared the ball. The ball would then be picked up by Loki, who changed his direction after he noticed that the ball had been cleared.
I didn't see Loki going after the ball; all I saw was that he had picked it up.
However, Murano, who was able to see it clearly, reacted quickly and crashed into the scene as he made a slide tackle on Loki. I don't know how he was able to keep up with Loki's speed, but Loki swiftly jumped, and the ball was sent toward Shidou as a result of the slight tackle.
Shidou, who had the ball, now tried to shoot the ball immediately, but Blake pulled up his right leg to block the shot. Blake, now with his balance shifted to the right, realized that it was fake.
Just as Shidou had a clear opening, he flicked the ball up and hit a volley with his left foot, sending it blasting toward the top corner of the goal.
POW!!
!!
...
Team Blue Lock 4-3 Team World Five
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone