Chapter 459 Training Match II


    "Tch~" he bitterly clicked his tongue. The ball flew inside the box. But he changed his direction. Instead of rushing ahead like most of his teammates, he paused as he began to scan the field. It''s not that he didn''t trust Tominaga. But it would take something special for him to reach the ball against the odds. First, the delivery was rather weak. Second, he was going up against three defenders who towered over him. Third, Matsuda could easily punch the ball away if he timed his jump. Against all this odd, it was unlikely that he''d reach the ball. So, rushing ahead would only put them in danger. Hence, while his teammates rushed ahead blindly, he paused. "Why is he not supporting his teammates?" one of the coaching staff said, displeased by his momentary pause. However, Nanami had a different reaction. His eyes bulged with excitement while a subtle smirk graced his lips. It was as if he was enthralled. ''He can see it'' Then as Daiki headed the ball away, it fell on Sato''s feet. His teammates panicked as they began to retreat hastily. The look on the face of the one who made the cross was a sight to behold. rmed, he began to falter. Without wasting any second, Sato struck the ball hard sending it flying. It was headed in the direction of Yuki who was often regarded as the strategist. He had an uncanny ability to find open spaces in the field. And, his tactical acumen and vision on the field, it was otherworldly. To top it all, he was a great dribbler too. But Hiro had already seen it. He had seen the pass. But the only thing that prevented him from intercepting the pass was the distance. He was way too far away from him. Well, it''d have been near-impossible for others. But it wasn''t the case with him. Spamming his skill ''Lightning Steps'', he closed the distance instantly. Noticing his eleration, Yuki stepped in front. He couldn''t wait for the ball to reach him. If he waited long enough, the pass might not even connect. So, he made a quick decision as he stepped ahead to receive the pass. Yet still, Hiro didn''t stop his pursuit. He continued to elerate even after knowing that he wouldn''t get to the ball before Yuki. His effort seemed pointless. And, almost all the coaching staff were frowning. But only Nanami remained indifferent. The pass connected sessfully as Yuki reached the ball before anyone else. If only Hiro would have started his chase three seconds earlier, he''d have intercepted the pass. But if he''d had started his chase earlier, Sato wouldn''t have made the pass in the first ce. For sure, he''d have made a different decision if he had seen Hiro. Desperate to steal the ball, Hiro attempted a sliding tackle on Yuki. Yuki swiftly avoided his tackle by making a simple turn.


    But just as he made that turn, he lost possession of the ball. Kaoru tackled him from behind when he was vested in Hiro. Hiro was merely a decoy. Only when the ball got stolen from his feet did realization dawned on Yuki. But him being a yer of high caliber, how could he remain dazed? N?v(el)B\\jnn


    As soon as the ball got stolen from him then he tried to win the ball back. He had no time to grieve. Immediately, Hiro made use of his arms as he changed direction. Kaoru wasn''t good with dribbling. So, it was only a matter of a second before he got the ball stolen again. Aware of his ws, Kaoru immediately let go of the ball. But since most of his teammates were getting chased, he had to pass it to somebody open. And, who would be better than Hiro?


    Presently no one marked him. And, he was also the person nearest to him. However, Yuki was right behind him. So, he couldn''t make a back pass either. Alongside his dribbling stat, he had a rather impressive passing stat as well. Since he couldn''t make a back-pass, he passed it to his side with the right amount of force. If he struck too hard, opposing yers might steal it. But if he passed too soft, Yuki would reach it. He had to strike with the right precision and force— neither too hard nor too soft. Only then would it reach the desired target. Once again, Hiro spammed his skill ''Lightning Steps'', to reach the ball. He couldn''t afford to reserve his skills. The quota was limited. So, it was only natural for the weak tobine their strength to topple the strong. However, if he were to deliver results then they could no longer ignore him. The pass connected sessfully as he reached the ball before anyone else. Even so, instead of controlling the ball, he struck the ball hard as he sent the ball rolling ahead of him. Watanabe who was right in front of him, his eyes dpidated as he saw the ball rolling between his legs. He was prepared to stop him. He was fully focused on trying to stop him. Having faced him multiple times, he was aware of the kind of footballer Hiro was. That''s why he hadn''t expected him to kick the ball. Error. It was an error on his part. And, he had to fix it ASAP. Flustered, he turned behind to see his teammates rushing to the ball. His brows eased a little as he saw his teammates. Fortunately, he wasn''t going for a pass. It''d have been troublesome if there were yers from the opposing team behind him. How would he exin to the coach about getting nutmegged in the middle of the match?


    Now, if I just block him, I should be able to dy his chase. Watanabe was aware that he couldn''tpete against Hiro in terms of speed. So, he opted for the most reasonable option— block him before he gets to use his feet. But before he could rejoice further, Hiro easily avoided him and rushed towards the ball.


    Running parallel to the sideline, he reached the ball almost at the same time as the opposing defender. Then he pulled a Maradona Turn to trick the defender.