Blue prison monster

"Ryuuga, you trust me that much to pass the ball to that spot? Aren't you afraid I'd turn around and kick it into someone else to ensure my own advancement?"

Hiori Yo questioned as he walked up to Ryuga Banjou, looking puzzled.

"Of course! I believe that you, as a fellow genius, will pass the ball to me so we can challenge even stronger opponents together."

"Besides, isn't Blue Lock all about results? Our teamwork just now was a perfect success, wasn't it!" Ryuga Banjou replied with a smile.

Just as the two were talking, Itoshi Rin walked over with a frosty expression, looking at them and saying,

"Hey! You two were asking for death with that last play, weren't you?"

"Don't be angry, Rin. We just thought you were bored and wanted to spice things up for you. You should be thanking us!" Ryuga Banjou said with a cheeky grin as he looked at Rin.

Just as Itoshi Rin was about to say something, Ego Jinpachi's voice echoed on the large screen.

"How are you feeling, you star prototypes? Those world-class forwards you casually admire, they desperately fight to win against others like this every other day."

"How does it feel to gamble your life for the first time ever? Scared, aren't you! Chills running down your spine, right! This is common sense in Blue Lock."

"And you're all trembling, aren't you? Thinking, 'Yes, I made it, I get to stay!' Engrave this feeling of victory in your minds! Every time you taste this pleasure, your ego will be amplified, and you'll get closer and closer to the summit of being the world's best striker!"

"Congratulations! You've passed the test to enter Blue Lock."

"There are exactly 11 people in each room. From now on, you will be a team living together, sometimes helping each other, sometimes betraying each other, and sometimes destroying each other's dreams. You are Blue Lock's Team V!"

Day three in the dorms.

"This running test is practically a stroll for me, isn't it? Hiori, keep it up, you look like you're about to collapse! Oh? Rin, you're sweating quite a bit. Are you weak or something?"

Ryuga Banjou said with a taunting smirk, looking utterly irritating.

Hiori Yo said breathlessly, "Ryuuga, your stamina is amazing! You've been running for so long, and you haven't even broken a sweat. You're really something."

"You asymmetrical-eyed idiot, if you don't need that mouth, I can sew it shut for you!" Itoshi Rin said coldly.

Ryuga Banjou was taken aback. "Asymmetrical eyes? You with your bottom eyelashes… I call this heterochromia, do you even know what that is? Uncultured!"

Saying that, Ryuga Banjou got off the treadmill and prepared to do the vertical jump test.

"Bro, do you want some water!"

"Huh? Why are you calling me 'Bro'?"

Ryuga Banjou took the water from Hota Wataru and asked him strangely.

"If you hadn't snatched that ball away at the last moment, that I definitely couldn't dodge, I would have been eliminated for sure! Bro, you don't know, my dream is to join the national team!"

"So, to repay your kindness, I'll be your underling from today onwards!" Hota Wataru said with a touched expression as he looked at Ryuga Banjou.

Ryuga Banjou looked at Hota Wataru, who was a head taller than his 180cm, and replied speechlessly,

"I didn't do that to save you, and I'm not some kind of gangster to take in underlings."

"You've been watching too many of those kinds of movies and are suffering from some aftereffects, right? Repaying kindness by becoming someone's underling, huh?"

"That's not it, Bro! I know you didn't intentionally save me, but the fact is I would have been eliminated without you. Bro, if you need anything in the future, just let me know!"

Looking at Hota Wataru's earnest expression, Ryuga Banjou helplessly shook his head.

"Whatever."

Fifth Building Cafeteria

"Hmm... Being ranked higher has its perks, huh? Look at this steak, *slurp*! Time to feast!"

Ryuga Banjou said with emotion as he looked at the steak.

"Bro, do you want to eat my tempura?"

Looking at Hota Wataru handing over the delicious tempura, Ryuga Banjou's eyes lit up. In his foodie mind, someone who shares their food is unlikely to be a bad person.

"Ahem, alright, I'll acknowledge you as my underling. Put in a good performance from now on!"

"Really? Then please take care of me in the future, Bro!" Hota Wataru replied happily.

At this moment, Hiori Yo also came over with oden and asked,

"Want to eat oden? Ryuga, Wataru."

"Give me a skewer, Hiori! You really are my good partner!" Ryuga Banjou said impatiently.

"Then let's trade. I'll give you the tempura, Hiori Yo."

"Ah? Too bad I already ate my steak. Next time, I'll give you my steak, Hiori!"

Hiori Yo didn't pay attention to Ryuga Banjou's steak and asked in confusion,

"Speaking of which, it's been several days already. When will the next stage begin?"

"Soon, probably."

Ryuga Banjou answered while thinking in his heart,

(I remember in the original manga, the next stage started about four days after Isagi and the others moved in.)

In the evening, as expected, a mechanical female voice sounded.

"The results of the physical fitness test have been tallied. Please return to your rooms immediately to check the latest rankings."

When they got to the room, everyone was basically there. Looking at the ranking on Rin's arm, Ryuga Banjou said helplessly,

"As expected, that guy is 221, the highest. Looking at the 222 on my arm, I really want to kick that Ego guy. Three 2's, implying I'm an idiot, huh?"

"Haha, it's okay, Ryuga. At least you're not ranked 250th," Hiori Yo replied with a smile on his face.

"Hmph! You're still laughing, Hiori! I'd rather have your 223rd place than this 222nd."

Ryuga Banjou said this while thinking in his heart,

(Besides, these rankings are purely for Ego Jinpachi, that charlatan, to motivate us. If they really have any meaning, it would have to be the later Blue Lock overall rankings.)

Speak of the devil, Ego Jinpachi's voice came from the big screen at this moment.

"Yo, good work! You star prototypes, are you enjoying life in Blue Lock?"

"It's not bad. There's steak to eat every day, but I don't really like the sleeping environment. Everyone sleeps in the same room," Ryuga Banjou gave a very objective evaluation.

Ego Jinpachi continued, "Your environment is bad because you're ranked low! Let me tell you about Blue Lock. This facility has a total of 25 teams, from Team B to Team Z. These teams live in five buildings, with five teams in each building."

"By the way, after the tag game, one person was eliminated from each room, so the remaining number of people is now 275."

"Teams are divided according to individual rankings. The 1st to 11th ranked players are Team B, the 12th to 22nd ranked players are Team C, which means you Team V are in the lowest-level Building Five!"

"We're actually only ranked in the lowest Building Five? Ryuga, are the people in the other buildings that strong? Then we have to work hard! We can definitely get a higher ranking in the future!" Hiori Yo said with some fighting spirit.

Looking at Hiori's spirited appearance, Ryuga Banjou shook his head and thought in his heart,

(Ego Jinpachi, you really are doing all sorts of bad things! Look at what you've turned Hiori into!)

Afterward, Ego Jinpachi continued, "Those ranked higher live in higher-class dormitories with the best food and training conditions. Here, those with good soccer skills are kings! If you want to live comfortably, keep winning and climb upwards!"

"Now, let's begin the first selection round!"