Dragon Drive

Niko's last-ditch interception becomes a foul when he clips Shido's boot and topples him in the air, earning a yellow card as the commentators still marvel at the Sae and Shido exchange. A furious Shido charges after Niko apologizes for mistaking him for a bug, but Sae orders him to cool off before he draws a red, reminding him his worth lies in scoring. Shido relents and even praises Sae's thoughtfulness.

Isagi and Gagamaru help Niko up and applaud the play despite the whistle. Niko fumes that he could not deny Shido without fouling even though he read the moment clearly, pinpointing the danger yet undone by Sendo, whose constant movement and positioning kept dragging his attention away. Isagi, impressed by that vision, notices Niko clutching his ankle and asks if he is hurt. Niko waves it off, insisting he can and wants to keep playing. Though bitter about not being cast as a striker, he has discovered how satisfying it feels to demolish the strikers who invade his zone, and he thanks Isagi for helping him change before declaring his faith that Blue Lock will win.

At the resulting free kick, Sae and Shido stand over the ball amid packed defenders. Shido insists he will take it since Rin can read Sae, while Sae counters that the crowd leaves nowhere to shoot. When Shido barks that he earned the kick, Sae presses whether that is truly the best call and coolly lectures that the realistically possible play and the ideal play must be fused, urging him to picture his finest goal. Energized, Shido claims he has dreamed up an advanced move and dares Sae to keep pace. He steps up as if to strike, then feints over the ball at the last instant, leaving the real taker, Sae, to act. Chigiri instantly shadows Shido, certain a pass is coming toward the space he is sprinting into, and resolves to stop it.

Reading the field a final time, Sae blasts an ultra-fast ball rightward toward Shido as the defenders leap to block. Chigiri, tracking it, lunges with a header but misses by an inch, and only then does Shido react. He soars over Chigiri, meets the ball in midair, and hammers it clean over the defense into the net with almost no resistance. The scoreboard reads 2-2.

Niko's defensive play fouls Shido and costs him a yellow card while leaving his ankle sore, yet he finds real joy in shutting down strikers. Sae and Shido then combine on the Dragon Drive, a leaping free-kick finish that ties the match at 2-2.

"Dragon Drive" is the 127th chapter overall and the sixth collected in Volume 15, part of the U-20 Arc. It was adapted within Episode 34 of the anime and first published in Japan on April 14, 2021.