Chapter 777: The Battle Of Friends III
Chapter 777: The Battle Of Friends III
While Kubo stole the spotlight, Hiro blended into the darkness. He didn’t rush in to defend like others. He didn’t even retreat to the defending third.
Instead, he lurked in the middle third, keeping his distance from Kubo.
Like a predator monitoring its prey before making its move, he concealed his intentions and lurked in the blind spot.
Then, just as he sensed the chance, he lunged forth.
Utilizing his blessings, he accelerated like a cheetah, his steps swift and nimble.
Before long, he intercepted the pass meant for the opposing full-back, leaving him and the audience baffled.
The gaze of the crowd fixed on Hiro as he intercepted the pass. Their expression showed a mix of surprise, fear, and excitement.
"Intercepted!"
The commentator’s voice boomed.
"Did you see him?"
"Just how does he move like that?"
Like a gust of wind, he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, leaving the crowd in a state of confusion.
Even the opposing full-back himself had frozen in his place for a while.
However, while others were registering the event that had taken place, Hiro was already calculating his next move.
Rolling his pupil at an almost imperceptible speed, he scanned his surroundings.
That small gesture was one of the reasons that set him apart from the rest.
Upon rolling his pupils, he became aware of the positions of both his teammates and his opponents. He knew he had to act before the opposition shuffled to their position.
Hence, without wasting a second, he sent the ball rolling to his teammate close to him.
The opposing full-back snapped and started to press.
However, he reacted a bit late.
This late reaction caused him to miss Hiro.
Had he reacted a bit faster, even a second faster, he would have been able to press on Hiro, and perhaps force him to a difficult spot.
But since he reacted a bit later, he missed Hiro’s timing by a hair’s breadth.
Even after passing the ball to his teammate, Hiro didn’t waste a second. He avoided the tackle of the defender pressing him from behind.
Then he accelerated forward without looking behind.
The opposing full-back tried to catch up, making a desperate attempt to cling to him. The muscles in his legs stretched as he charged.
For some reason, he felt as if he had to stop Hiro somehow.
His expression twisted as desperation clung to his chest. For a brief moment, he felt as if he could catch up to him.
However, the number ten on Hiro’s back became smaller with each second.
Before long, he had reached out of his reach. Desperate, he gritted his teeth as he continued to chase after him.
The supporters of blue and white panicked at the sight, their fingers digging deep into their palms.
Even from a glance, one could tell that this was a counter.
With most of their players deep in the opposing space, defending their space would prove to be a struggle.
From the panic-stricken expression of the opponents, it seemed as if they were aware of their predicament.
Kubo, himself, retreated as if his life depended on it.
Hiro didn’t pause and continued to accelerate, leaving his opponents behind. His teammate didn’t hold the ball for long and sent the ball rolling towards him.
Hiro was aware of the opponent chasing him.
Hence, he didn’t slow down to control the ball. Instead, he kept advancing.
"What’s he doing?"
The audience found it difficult to comprehend his intentions. Even the Madrid supporters couldn’t help but panic.
However, to their surprise, Hiro timed his run in such a manner that the ball slipped into his feet without him even making a move.
The ball slipped in from behind, between his legs as he accelerated without looking back.
"What?!"
"Does he have eyes in the back of his head?!"
The commentators gasped, their voices tinged with excitement and surprise.
This little act made it easier for him to accelerate without losing his momentum. However, this was far from enough to break through the defense of the opposition.
Even so, he didn’t feel like wasting this chance.
Hence, despite the lack of support, he continued to advance.
While the opposing full-back was still chasing him, Hiro encountered another opponent. Even so, he didn’t hesitate.
Before he attempted to break through, he stole a glance around him.
Then he reverted his gaze to the opponent before him. The opponent before him wasn’t massive. He didn’t look intimidating either.
But he knew better than to underestimate this person before him.
His gaze kept rolling back and forth between him and the ball. Unlike other defenders, he didn’t rush to intercept him either.
He kept a distance from him, just enough for him to tackle him if he attempted to challenge him.
’Larranaga, just as expected, he’s a tough one. He’s blocking both the pass routes, and it just seems like he has marked a space around him.’
From how he had positioned himself, Hiro figured he’d require something more than just dribbling if he wanted to break through this rather tall and lean opponent before him.
For a moment, it even seemed as if Larranaga was controlling a certain space around him. Like he was declaring that space his domain and he wouldn’t let a single soul pass that domain of his.
His gaze wasn’t intimidating at all.
However, something about him was screaming danger.
Even so, coming this far, retreat was out of the question.
Calculating Hiro’s moves, Larranaga maintained his distance just enough to slow him down and allow his team to position themselves.
He wasn’t a fool himself.
Even if he were superior to Hiro in terms of defense, he knew better than to provoke Hiro when he was attacking.
He hadn’t earned the name of "Dribble Maestro" for nothing.
When it comes to one-on-one, he reigns superior.
He had researched Hiro, just like Hiro had researched him.
He was also aware of Hiro’s god-like acceleration. He knew if he gave him space to accelerate, he’d leave him behind in dust.
Then it’d be almost impossible to catch him.
Hence, he didn’t rush to intercept. Instead, he maintained just enough distance to observe him and limit his acceleration.