Chapter 42

**About-Face** (一変 (いっぺん) , *Ippen*?) is the 42nd chapter of Blue Lock manga series.

## Summary

The second level of the first stage in the second selection starts. Isagi tries to assess his surroundings. By observing the holograms and ball, he has a chance of scoring a goal. Isagi, conscious of the things around him, kicks the ball. Fortunately, he scores a goal. After this goal, Isagi believes that he can clear this round. The screen in the room notes that he has only 48 minutes and 20 seconds to clear 52 goals.

Meanwhile, Anri and Ego are watching the players' progress in the monitoring room. Anri says that the kids are progressively improving. She also says that the designed training was impressive. Nonetheless, Ego tells her to not get too impressed. Ego states that the first part of the stage has just started.

Back at Isagi, he has cleared 12 goals in just 6 minutes and 6 seconds. Now, he only needs to score 40 goals. Suddenly, the speaker rings and the screen changes from the second level to the maximum level. After this, the defending targets start to move. Likewise, the ball that Isagi receives is unspinning slow balls. As a result, Isagi found it harder to score a goal.

At the monitoring room, Ego tells Anri that the maximum level practices high-level passes. These passes are harder for the players to adjust to since they move at random directions and speed. Ego states that these passes are perfect for creating a world-class situation of being in front of the goal. Ego notes that players must possess shooting precision, increased stamina, and mindful awareness. Ego says that players who do not have these skills won't be able to clear this stage.

Back at Isagi, he finds himself struggling as he has not scored a goal yet. Shortly after, Isagi realizes that he was struggling because he was used to receiving good passes. Bachira would always pass easy-to-receive balls to him, unlike the messy balls being thrown at him in the simulation. Likewise, Kunigami would help Isagi score goals by acting as a wall to block the opponents. Similarly, Chigiri would always be on the other side, waiting for Isagi's pass if he ever had a hard time. Because of these three, Isagi was able to score in games. Isagi realizes that he never fought on his own. After knowing this, Isagi remarks that he can't keep on relying on others. Isagi declares that he wants to be able to fight with his talents alone. By focusing on his new motivation, Isagi attempts to improve his skills. In a swift moment, Isagi observes his surrounding. He analyzes the position of the targets and goalkeeper. Soon after, Isagi rushes toward the shooting spot. Then, he locates the ball's trajectory and its spin. After grasping all of these, Isagi kicks the ball, hoping to score a goal. Unfortunately, the goalkeeper hits the ball, preventing Isagi from clearing a goal. Isagi notes that he failed to shoot because the ball did not follow the same course that he envisioned. Although Isagi assessed his surroundings, he still finds it difficult to direct the ball's course and score a goal. Isagi states that he must be able to shoot accurately if he wants to clear this stage. Once more, Isagi tries to score a goal. The ball comes in front of him, and Isagi kicks the ball in its impact point. With such great speed, the goalkeeper was unable to stop the ball from hitting the net. After this one goal, Isagi realizes his formula to constantly score goals. Apparently, by combining his spatial grasping ability with his direct shoot in the impact point, he can score a goal by himself. isagi then remarks that he is learning new things about himself.

Meanwhile, Anri tells Ego that Isagi is rapidly getting better. Ego then notes that human creatures behave in ways that they deem preferable. Ego says that Isagi must be shaking at his evolution right now. At Isagi's room, the speaker rings, and the screen shows 0 goals. Thus, Isagi successfully scores the first stage of the second selection. After clearing the first stage, Isagi walks towards the waiting room for the next stage. In the waiting room, the screen on top notes that players must move forward in teams of three.

## Chapter Notes

* In the first selection, Isagi notes that he was able to score goals because he had Bachira, Kunigami, and Chigiri's help.
* Isagi wants to have the strength to fight with his talents alone.
* Isagi realizes his formula to score goals.
* Isagi cleared the first stage of the second selection.
* The next stage will have players compete in teams of three.
* In the last page of the chapter, Reo and Nagi were also shown, denoting that they also cleared the first stage.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

1. Yoichi Isagi
2. Jinpachi Ego
3. Anri Teieri
4. Meguru Bachira (mentioned)
5. Rensuke Kunigami (mentioned)
6. Hyoma Chigiri (mentioned)
7. Seishiro Nagi (appearance)
8. Reo Mikage (appearance)