Dormitory Test: Oni Pretend

**Dormitory Test: Oni Pretend** (入寮テスト「オニごっこ」) - the entrance exam or first test prior to the First Selection of the Blue Lock Project.

## Description

300 participants were divided into 25 groups of 12 people. Each group of 12 people are held in a large room and the last person who is "it" or has possession of the football by the end of 136 seconds is disqualified. At the end of the test one person is disqualified and the 11 people left form a "team" and proceed to the next selection.

## Prologue

Isagi arrives at the Blue Lock facility. He is given a uniform with a corresponding tag on it. Isagi heads to the room corresponding to the letter on his tag which is "Z". Upon arriving, there are 11 people already in the room. Isagi happens to be in the same room as Kira. After changing into their uniforms, Jinpachi Ego appears at a screen and declares to play "tag" in which whoever is hit by the end of the time limit will be forced out.

## Match

### Dormitory Test: Oni Pretend

#### Tag: Gurimu "Igaguri" Igarashi

   The timer starts, while Igarashi has the ball. A player asks him if he really believes what Ego said about being barred from Japan's U-20. Igarashi replies that he doesn't know for sure but he'll do anything to avoid losing because, if he loses, he will come back to the temple and be a monk. Igarashi then decides to target Isagi, who is only one rank higher than him; however, Isagi manages to dodge the attack. The other players run away. Kira then voices out that there's no way pros train like this. Kira reveals that the reason he entered Blue Lock is to reject Ego's ideology. He then further tells them that risking their football careers on a two-minute play of tag is screwed up. He affirms that he cannot let Ego destroy his future. While listening to Kira's thoughts, Isagi thinks about his goal to run away and not to get hit.

   While failing to hit anyone. Igarashi spots a sleeping guy and decides to change his target. Upon kicking the ball, Gurimu was kicked at the face by the player. The player was then approached by another player and tells him that he hates dirty play and to play fair and square.

#### Tag: Rensuke Kunigami

Unattended, the player which reveals to be Rensuke Kunigami, rank 291 was hit by the ball and is now the "it". Kunigami was furious after Igarashi hit him while he was defending him. Kunigami made Igarashi his target.

#### Tag: Yoichi Isagi

Igarashi uses Isagi to defend himself, resulting in Isagi being hit by the ball. With only 1 minute and 3 seconds left, Isagi became the 3rd "it". Isagi then tries to attack but fails to hit anyone. After failing to hit anyone, he decides to attack Igarashi which is the lowest rank player. With only 50 seconds left, Isagi still chases Igarashi. 45 seconds left on the clock, Isagi still hasn't hit anyone and tells himself that he doesn't want to end it like this. He won't let his dream end yet.

   The player who hit Igarashi calls Isagi's attention while restraining Kunigami. The player says that he's giving Isagi a chance to attack Kunigami while he's currently restrained. Kunigami throws him resulting in him hitting Igarashi. After that hit, Igarashi strained his foot and cannot move. Kira then shouts at Isagi and tells him to take the shot. With 29 seconds left, Igarashi is begging Isagi to spare him and apologizes for aiming at him earlier. Isagi stops at his tracks. If Isagi tags Igarashi, he can win but it will end Igarashi's career. He struggles to make a decision but decides that if he doesn't do it, he will lose. For him to accomplish his dreams, Isagi concludes that he needs to destroy the dreams of others. With 21 seconds left, Isagi is planning to kick the ball towards Igarashi. With 15 seconds left, Isagi stops and decides to attack those higher than him.

#### Tag: Meguru Bachira

After the deciding to spare Igarashi, Isagi decides to attack others; however, Meguru Bachira, rank 290, steals the ball from him. With only 10 seconds left, he decides to go for Kira. Kira manages to dodge the attack. 7 seconds left, Bachira tries to attack Kira with his leg but also dodges it. 5 seconds left, Kira runs away and Bachira hits the ball towards Kira's direction. 4 seconds left, the ball is coming towards Isagi's direction. Oddly, Isagi kicks the ball and hits Kira. The timer reaches 0 making Kira the last target. Shocked and feeling betrayed, Kira asks Isagi what he had done. Isagi also in shock apologizes to Kira and tells him that the ball came so fast.

#### Loser: Ryousuke Kira

    The game ends. Ego then appears again at the screen and declares that Kira is expelled. Shocked and angry by the result, Kira confronts Ego stating that he's throwing away the future of Japan. Kira tells him to expel Igarashi or Isagi instead. Kira then asks the point of the game. Kira believes that tag is in no way related to football. Ego replies that everything they do at Blue Lock is related to football and tells Kira to look at his environment. He then tells that the room is 16.5 x 40.32 meters, which is the exact same proportions as the penalty area. Ego notes that 75% of goals are scored from that area and it is a striker's domain. He also said that if one cannot survive under those conditions, they are not qualified to be strikers. Kira then replies that tag has nothing to do with football. Ego replies that a skill required by the fleeing side is tactical awareness or positioning. As for the pursuer, what they need is not only accurate dribbling but precision to make shots and that's what is optimal in football training.

    Kira angrily tells Ego that he can't expect to know all that stuff in under two minutes. Kira notes that football lasts for more than 90 minutes. Ego replies that an average time a player possesses a ball during a match is about 136 seconds. Ego says they were given the exact same opportunity in the tag game. Still confused, Kira asks Ego what he expects him to do in just 10 seconds. Ego questioned if that is how Kira would react in a real match. Stunned, Kira wasn't able to give an answer to Ego's previous question. Ego then replays the scene and tells Kira that he had 1 second left to survive. Either shooting it at an injured Igarashi and yet he wasted his chance. Shortly after, Kira was asked to leave the shared room.

#### Purpose of the Test

Ego then tells an imaginary scenario wherein he is in the middle of the match, standing in a penalty area. His teammate's shot didn't reach the goal and hits his body. When this happens, he already gave up; but, he didn't notice that by sheer luck that the ball falls before him. If he had just tapped the ball, he would be saved from his own mistake. Ego then tells the players that the one who is "it" in the tag, the one who has the ball, decides who they want to win but also gets to decide who they want to lose. Ego notes that a striker carries all responsibilities on his back. According to him, a striker is the one who keeps on attacking until the very second. He then praises Isagi for choosing to defeat those that are higher than him, and Bachira who took the initiative to aim for the strongest player. Ego states that they are perfect examples of people who'd rather do what's best for their team . Ego then says that they had the tenacity and courage to pursue their own will. Ego remarks that it's the egoism that Ego is looking for.

    Ego then expels Kira. Kira still cannot believe he is out. Isagi calls him but Kira gives him an angry look and proceeds to leave the facility. Isagi still wonders why he hit Kira. Isagi looks at Bachira and approaches him. Isagi asks Bachira why he passed to him. Bachira replies that he thought he would kick it so he passed it. He tells Isagi that he believed in him so he won. Igarashi then voices out that it is nonsense from the beginning to the end.

    Hearing this, Ego agrees that it is nonsensical but so is the world. Ego remarks that either you win or lose. Ego states that, while they are getting excited over mediocre successes, true strikers tread a path of winning or losing everything. Every single day they risk their careers in order to keep on surviving. Ego then asks how it felt. He questioned if they felt true danger and tells them that the football they've played their lives are for weaklings. Ego then declares that the remaining players have passed the entrance test. Their room is designed for no more than 10 people and the eleven players (Jingo Raichi, Wataru Kuon, Okuhito Iemon, Yudai Imamura, Asahi Naruhaya, Gin Gagamaru, Gurimu Igarashi, Hyoma Chigiri, Rensuke Kunigami, Meguru Bachira, and Yoichi Isagi) will be Blue Lock's Team Z.

After the dormitory test, Team Z is doing their regimen which includes running tests and jumping tests. After the training is meal time. Other players are already sleeping but Isagi is too nervous to sleep. He then decides to practice on which he encountered Bachira. They decided to play a one-on-one game. Isagi asks Bachira whether he pass to him thinking that Isagi would get rid of Kira. Bachira responded that there is a monster lurking inside of him who said to pass to Isagi. Bachira then reveals that he also has a monster inside him. Bachira told Isagi that he is glad he came to Blue Lock because he met him.

## Result

* Ryousuke Kira was eliminated from group Z and was forced out of Blue Lock.
* Ryo Nameoka was eliminated from group V and was forced out of Blue Lock.

*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 2.