07-02-2024, 01:20 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-05-2024, 11:12 AM by wetwilleh. Edited 1 time in total.)
For Meguru Bachira, sports have always been a core aspect of his life. All the way back as a small child in Chiba, he'd watch football on the TV, idolizing the world caliber strikers of any age. Messi. Ronaldo. Pele. Noel Noa. Lewandowski. Any of them, their talent for finding their way to the ball and sending it careening into the nylon net past even the greatest of goalkeepers. It sparked a real sense of wonder in a young Bachira, so much so that he devoted nearly every free hour he had to practicing his skills. For him, it was dribbling that came to him the easiest. A new trick every week, or so it seemed. He played with his friends every day he could, but his awestruck love for the game of football blinded him to the chasm that divided him and his friends, one that was widening every day. His early friends that he made, they didn't share the love of football that Bachira had. Sure, it was a fun pastime, but football was just something to do to get outside and be dirty, something that would make their mothers glad that they were enjoying themselves, and mad about just how much mud was caked onto their brand new school uniform. Bachira grew quickly, and soon, none of those kids had even the slightest chance of stopping his dribbling ability. One by one, they started to turn down Bachira's invitations to play, until he was left with nobody to mirror his love. It killed Bachira, how the sport he so adored could also seemingly wrench his social life away from him. His mother encouraged him, still, talking about the 'monster' inside him. Not a bad monster, though, not at all. A monster that inspired creativity. His imaginary friend, now his only friend, that helped him imagine new ways to dribble, new techniques to learn, all to aspire to reach the world stage.
Eventually, his love for football would lead him to Namikaze High, but even there, his letdowns continued. In the Chiba prefecture tournament, Bachira came to a realization. He knew he could score. He knew that there wasn't anyone else who could stop his dribbling. So, why even pass the ball? As Bachira turned into a one-man army, his team turned against him. Less and less times the ball would fall to his feet, less and less times Bachira got to bedazzle the crowd with moves that no normal high schooler should be able to do. And eventually, the schism between him and his team reached a breaking point. Nobody would pass to Bachira. It became a game of 11-on-10, as the best player on the field was rendered completely useless, since the ball never fell to him. The coach took him out, and Bachira wouldn't see the field for the rest of the tournament. Despondent, Bachira hoped to increase his skills even further, to maybe find a spot on a youth team, ones who would appreciate his ability and allow him to show his true skills. The opportunity came, albeit in a peculiar fashion.
Blue Lock. A facility and football academy designed to produce the best striker Japan had ever seen. Three hundred of the best high school strikers from around the country, invited to the academy and only one would leave as a world-caliber striker, the goal to bring Japan their first World Cup. It was a dream come true for Bachira, and his happiness was quickly proven not to be misplaced. Other strikers that joined the program, like Isagi Yoichi, Rin Itoshi, and Nagi Seishiro, all showed to be better than Bachira was. It was a new goal for him to attain, to surpass and devour each of the strikers in front of him to finally reach the pinnacle of the sport. And he wasn't without good reason to: his dribbling ability was unmatched among the rest of the strikers. His shooting and game sense at the beginning of his journey left room to be desired, but Bachira would soon grow into a fearsome striker in his own right. Bachira also finally overcame a hurdle that he never even realized he had: his monster. The imaginary friend, who had given him the creativity to reach this point, the one who had kept him from feeling too lonely as he practiced alone each night. That friend had reached its peak, and so Bachira left it behind. Breaking free from the mold, Bachira found himself at a weird crossroads. For one, his dream was so close to him. He had made it through the first selections, watching the number of players dwindle from 300 down to less than fifty. He was close to matching some of the best current strikers in the world, but still, something felt missing. An egotistical lifestyle had led him here, and even made him friends through the first stage. He liked playing with Isagi, and the others from Team Z in the first selection. But not everyone made it. And those who did, they didn't seem to care about the camaraderie that existed before. Sure, Bachira knew that he had to be egotistical to make it through to the end. But he didn't think it was worth it to once again ditch any friends he had made, using them as a staircase to reach the goal. He'd already had to go through one bout of trauma because of that desire. A tough decision laid ahead, but the answer seemed clearer than anything Bachira had thought of before.
He was done. With football, with the Blue Lock program. He retired from the academy, a shocker to the other strikers, but they would quickly move past it and forget about him. More so, it was a shock to the leaders of Japan's athletics management. A talent like Bachira, suddenly quitting and leaving it all behind? A player of his caliber should try to keep his love for sport alive, or at least that was the decision reached by the committee. This mentality led to them rolling out the next phase of Blue Lock early, designed to increase its revenue for Japan as well as improve their ability for other sports. They had planned to add a baseball and American football academy over the next five years, but in order to keep Bachira within the fold of Blue Lock, they asked him to be part of one of the two, which they would hurry development on to start the next year. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for Blue Lock, something within Bachira knew that if he left sports behind as a whole, that he would regret it for sure. He agreed to join the American football academy, and planned to learn how to become the best at his position not only for himself, but for his team. Inspired by Isagi's ability to see the field with a clear mind, Bachira wanted to become a safety. At the very back of the defense, Bachira could be a leader for his team by seeing the mismatches in the offense and defenses sets, and inspire his defense to become an iron wall which would be the greatest barrier for any offense to oppose them. This mentality, along with the game sense skills he picked up through Blue Lock, proved to be a furious cocktail that was perfect for him. He quickly became the star of Blue Lock, his defense allowing less than a touchdown per game in the Neo American Football League that served as a final selection for the Blue Lock American Football Academy. Bachira would graduate as not only the top safety, but also the top defenseman in the entirety of the program.
One problem still stood in front of Bachira, however. Unlike football, which had a massive world following, and top level leagues in nearly every country, American football was a much more niche sport. There wasn't really a good equivalent to the J1 League, at least not one that could match the level of other top leagues. Whereas the J1 could at least be relatively compared to the Premier League in England, or the Bundesliga in Germany, the X League (or more specifically, the X1 Super, which was the top tier of professional American football in Japan) was more akin to the FBS level of college gridiron football in America. Talented, sure, but a far cry from the level of the NFL, or even the UFL or CFL. Bachira needed a challenge. Luckily, there was a buzz around Japan, as another professional league had made headway into the land of the rising sun. It was the ISFL, a newer league, but still with plenty of history in its own right, which had recently had one of its teams relocate. The team formerly known as the Chicago Butchers had decided to move its headquarters and brand to Osaka, and rebrand as the Osaka Kaiju. This move opened Bachira's eyes to the ISFL, and a league which was worldwide in it's levels, with teams from the ISFL and DSFL in Asia, Africa, North and Central America, and Europe, was perfect for him. Worldwide scope, high level of play, it all was a perfect fit for the football transplant. So, with his sights set on a new goal, Bachira headed to enter into the DSFL draft, and dreams of grandeur proved that maybe they weren't too far away, if only on a slightly different path than before.
Eventually, his love for football would lead him to Namikaze High, but even there, his letdowns continued. In the Chiba prefecture tournament, Bachira came to a realization. He knew he could score. He knew that there wasn't anyone else who could stop his dribbling. So, why even pass the ball? As Bachira turned into a one-man army, his team turned against him. Less and less times the ball would fall to his feet, less and less times Bachira got to bedazzle the crowd with moves that no normal high schooler should be able to do. And eventually, the schism between him and his team reached a breaking point. Nobody would pass to Bachira. It became a game of 11-on-10, as the best player on the field was rendered completely useless, since the ball never fell to him. The coach took him out, and Bachira wouldn't see the field for the rest of the tournament. Despondent, Bachira hoped to increase his skills even further, to maybe find a spot on a youth team, ones who would appreciate his ability and allow him to show his true skills. The opportunity came, albeit in a peculiar fashion.
Blue Lock. A facility and football academy designed to produce the best striker Japan had ever seen. Three hundred of the best high school strikers from around the country, invited to the academy and only one would leave as a world-caliber striker, the goal to bring Japan their first World Cup. It was a dream come true for Bachira, and his happiness was quickly proven not to be misplaced. Other strikers that joined the program, like Isagi Yoichi, Rin Itoshi, and Nagi Seishiro, all showed to be better than Bachira was. It was a new goal for him to attain, to surpass and devour each of the strikers in front of him to finally reach the pinnacle of the sport. And he wasn't without good reason to: his dribbling ability was unmatched among the rest of the strikers. His shooting and game sense at the beginning of his journey left room to be desired, but Bachira would soon grow into a fearsome striker in his own right. Bachira also finally overcame a hurdle that he never even realized he had: his monster. The imaginary friend, who had given him the creativity to reach this point, the one who had kept him from feeling too lonely as he practiced alone each night. That friend had reached its peak, and so Bachira left it behind. Breaking free from the mold, Bachira found himself at a weird crossroads. For one, his dream was so close to him. He had made it through the first selections, watching the number of players dwindle from 300 down to less than fifty. He was close to matching some of the best current strikers in the world, but still, something felt missing. An egotistical lifestyle had led him here, and even made him friends through the first stage. He liked playing with Isagi, and the others from Team Z in the first selection. But not everyone made it. And those who did, they didn't seem to care about the camaraderie that existed before. Sure, Bachira knew that he had to be egotistical to make it through to the end. But he didn't think it was worth it to once again ditch any friends he had made, using them as a staircase to reach the goal. He'd already had to go through one bout of trauma because of that desire. A tough decision laid ahead, but the answer seemed clearer than anything Bachira had thought of before.
He was done. With football, with the Blue Lock program. He retired from the academy, a shocker to the other strikers, but they would quickly move past it and forget about him. More so, it was a shock to the leaders of Japan's athletics management. A talent like Bachira, suddenly quitting and leaving it all behind? A player of his caliber should try to keep his love for sport alive, or at least that was the decision reached by the committee. This mentality led to them rolling out the next phase of Blue Lock early, designed to increase its revenue for Japan as well as improve their ability for other sports. They had planned to add a baseball and American football academy over the next five years, but in order to keep Bachira within the fold of Blue Lock, they asked him to be part of one of the two, which they would hurry development on to start the next year. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for Blue Lock, something within Bachira knew that if he left sports behind as a whole, that he would regret it for sure. He agreed to join the American football academy, and planned to learn how to become the best at his position not only for himself, but for his team. Inspired by Isagi's ability to see the field with a clear mind, Bachira wanted to become a safety. At the very back of the defense, Bachira could be a leader for his team by seeing the mismatches in the offense and defenses sets, and inspire his defense to become an iron wall which would be the greatest barrier for any offense to oppose them. This mentality, along with the game sense skills he picked up through Blue Lock, proved to be a furious cocktail that was perfect for him. He quickly became the star of Blue Lock, his defense allowing less than a touchdown per game in the Neo American Football League that served as a final selection for the Blue Lock American Football Academy. Bachira would graduate as not only the top safety, but also the top defenseman in the entirety of the program.
One problem still stood in front of Bachira, however. Unlike football, which had a massive world following, and top level leagues in nearly every country, American football was a much more niche sport. There wasn't really a good equivalent to the J1 League, at least not one that could match the level of other top leagues. Whereas the J1 could at least be relatively compared to the Premier League in England, or the Bundesliga in Germany, the X League (or more specifically, the X1 Super, which was the top tier of professional American football in Japan) was more akin to the FBS level of college gridiron football in America. Talented, sure, but a far cry from the level of the NFL, or even the UFL or CFL. Bachira needed a challenge. Luckily, there was a buzz around Japan, as another professional league had made headway into the land of the rising sun. It was the ISFL, a newer league, but still with plenty of history in its own right, which had recently had one of its teams relocate. The team formerly known as the Chicago Butchers had decided to move its headquarters and brand to Osaka, and rebrand as the Osaka Kaiju. This move opened Bachira's eyes to the ISFL, and a league which was worldwide in it's levels, with teams from the ISFL and DSFL in Asia, Africa, North and Central America, and Europe, was perfect for him. Worldwide scope, high level of play, it all was a perfect fit for the football transplant. So, with his sights set on a new goal, Bachira headed to enter into the DSFL draft, and dreams of grandeur proved that maybe they weren't too far away, if only on a slightly different path than before.