Kuroko no Basket: Honored One

Chapter 470 - 172: The Second Phase Begins

The secret meeting was over.

Pochettino didn't make any concrete promises to Tendou, and likewise, Tendou didn't just bow down and accept.

Tendou had had his fill of grand, empty promises in his past life; he wouldn't be easily fooled again.

Pochettino was indeed very sincere, and the blueprint he outlined was attractive enough.

However, Tendou was in no hurry.

Because the upcoming selection would be broadcast to the entire world.

In the Neo Egoist League, Tendou would gain even more attention.

It would be better to consider the issue after the Neo Egoist League had concluded.

Pochettino saw Tendou's reaction and understood.

He was an old hand, after all, and could see the pride in Tendou's heart.

But in the battle to sign Tendou, he had already gained the first-mover advantage.

After this kid had shopped around, his team, Spurs, would still have a great chance of getting him.

As for the final outcome?

That would be up to fate.

After all, besides sincerity, he had no other advantages.

Tendou wasn't even a registered player; he couldn't even be considered a youth academy player.

This meant that European clubs could sign him without paying any transfer fees; the only tricky part would be the work permit.

All in all, he had done everything he could.

Now, all he had to do was wait for the result.

...

"What's wrong, Ten? What did that person want from you?"

"His name is Pochettino. He's the head coach of the Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur. He invited me to play for them."

"Spurs? Premier League?"

Riko was clearly not a soccer fan. Her knowledge of basketball was only because Tendou used to play it.

Terms like "Spurs" and "Premier League" were completely foreign to her.

"I'll tell you all about it when we get home," Tendou said, ruffling her hair as they walked out of Blue Lock. "Let's go, I'll take you around."

Pochettino left soon after.

However, he still left his scout, Rogers, behind in Japan.

His mission was to bring Tendou back to London; he wasn't required to do anything else.

This was not an easy job.

After all, the godforsaken Blue Lock facility was a closed-off environment. Even if he was a scout for Spurs, he had no way of getting in.

Tendou left, taking Riko on a date.

And inside Blue Lock, Ego Jinpachi and Teieri Anri watched the two of them leave on the monitor, speechless for a long time.

"To think, so soon..." Teieri Anri had expected Tendou to soar, to perhaps become a soccer star.

But she never imagined he would attract Pochettino himself to come knocking.

That was Tottenham Hotspur! One of the Premier League's BIG 6!

If the eight giant clubs of Europe were the top tier, then the next level down was teams of Spurs' caliber.

And for their head coach to fly thousands of miles to Japan for a 17-year-old kid was simply incredible.

"It's not strange. He is worthy of it."

"And the number of teams inviting him will only grow. Very soon..."

Ego Jinpachi was already prepared for the Neo Egoist League.

Starting soon, Tendou and the other Blue Lock players would be directly exposed to fans from all over the world.

At that time.

More and more people would take notice of the prodigy, Tendou Kageyoshi.

...

Another day.

Tendou's phone received a message from Teieri Anri.

It informed them that the vacation was over and a new round of selections was about to begin. They were required to return to Blue Lock by the specified time.

"Is it time to go back?" Riko asked, already knowing the answer, her heart filled with reluctance.

"Yeah," Tendou said, pulling the blanket over her. "It's not like we're parting forever. Blue Lock is in Tokyo. I'll contact you every day."

"But isn't Blue Lock completely sealed off?"

She had looked it up online last night and had learned everything about Blue Lock from Tendou.

She knew it was a place dedicated to cultivating soccer talent.

"It's completely sealed off, yes, but I'm a genius. I have special privileges."

"Show-off."

Riko cheered up.

Although they couldn't eat together and watch TV every day like before, at least they could talk every day. That was enough.

The system had helped solve the issue of her identity, and her school transfer was handled by Tendou's "money power."

From now on, Riko could begin a brand new life in peace.

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon," Tendou said.

After the Neo Egoist League, this Blue Lock "dungeon" would be more or less cleared.

"Mm."

Riko nodded and snuggled up to sleep next to him, planning to go out and have fun today to make up for all the time they would miss in the future.

...

A few days later.

Under Riko's reluctant gaze, Tendou returned to Blue Lock.

He was a bit late. By the time he arrived at the assembly hall, most of the others were already there.

It was worth noting.

In addition to the original thirty-plus players, the members of the former U-20 team had also come.

From now on, they would undergo the selection together to form a brand new U-20 team to participate in the U-20 World Cup.

The two groups had played against each other once, so they were somewhat acquainted and chatted idly.

Chigiri and the others, however, focused their attention on Tendou.

There had been news reports recently that the head coach of Spurs, Pochettino, had visited Blue Lock.

Right now.

Blue Lock was a huge source of internet traffic. With Pochettino visiting at such a time, the reporters naturally wouldn't let it go.

They speculated that his target was either Tendou Kageyoshi, who had shone in the friendly match, or the genius Itoshi Sae.

Seeing him, Chigiri and the others began to suspect that Tendou was indeed Pochettino's target.

"Yeah, you guessed right. He did look for me," Tendou admitted frankly. There was nothing to hide.

"It really was you! So, did you agree?"

Chigiri and the others looked on with envy.

That was Tottenham Hotspur! A club with a rich history. Although they didn't have many championships, they were consistently in the upper half of the Premier League, a proper powerhouse team.

"No, I'm still considering."

"Considering? What is there to consider?"

Chigiri's feelings were complicated right now.

It was that kind of mentality where you're afraid your friend is suffering, but you're also afraid he'll start driving a Land Rover.

"I have my own plans. Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourselves," Tendou said, stating that he was being rational, and then teased them in return. "Try not to get eliminated in the next round."

It was at this moment.

Ego Jinpachi appeared on the large screen in the central hall.

He started off with a round of mockery.

"Although you U-20 players are a bunch of defeated dogs, you still have your uses."

"From today onwards, you will become members of Blue Lock and participate in our training."

"There are 100 days until the start of the U-20 World Cup. Before then, I will select the players for the tournament from among all of you."

...

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