Chapter 609: The Greatest Feeling
Chapter 609: The Greatest Feeling
Yugo looked at Hiro dazedly, "Isn't it your first match since you recovered?"
Previously, he had assumed Hiro to be a little lackluster considering that it was his first match after the injury that sidelined him for almost three months.
But now upon experiencing the never-before-seen form of Hiro, he couldn't help but feel astonished.
Wasn't he injured?
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but doubt.
With a quick throw-in, the match resumed almost immediately. Yugo, gnashing his teeth, rushed to stop Hiro.
The quick throw-in didn't even allow him a little time to recover. So, he couldn't help but feel irritated by the outcome. He had only paused for a moment to catch his breath. Yet, the opposing team had already resumed the game.
With short one-two passes, Hiro steadily advanced, leaving Yugo without any opportunity to retaliate.
But since he had been tasked with stopping Hiro, he couldn't care less about other players. Hence, Yugo stuck with Hiro.
Almost immediately after the throw-in, Yugo found himself facing Hiro. If he could stop him there, he might be able to change the momentum.
Rolling his eyes to look around him, Yugo cautiously retreated. He knew that he couldn't be hasty or else he'll lose the duel.
So, while Hiro was closing, he steadied his breath.
With his eyes fixated on Hiro, his focus peaked to a whole other level. It felt almost as if the whole world had gone silent.
He was no longer bothered by the noise around him and he could see even the tiniest of the detail. It felt as if nothing could escape his grasp.
Upon sensing some subtle changes, he lunged forward in an attempt to stop the behemoth of a person who was charging toward him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Until a moment ago, Hiro seemed like a silhouette inside a painting, unmoving and ethereal. But now, he could sense some ominous aura leaking from him.
But rather than feeling intimidated, he felt excited for some reason.
There had been only a handful of times he had felt this exact emotion.
The moment he lunged forward, Hiro swiftly changed his direction. Following Hiro, he also adjusted himself to tail him.
With them fighting for dominance, the air crackled with tension. Their duel captivated the hearts of the people, attracting their attention to them.
With each passing moment, Yugo's eyes narrowed, tracking Hiro's every move with unyielding focus, like a hunter sizing up its prey.
Hiro could palpably feel the intensity radiating from Yugo-it was a mix of grit and quiet confidence that only a seasoned defender could possess.
As Hiro tried to slip past, Yugo matched him step-for-step, his movements precise and almost instinctual. Hiro feinted to his right, but Yugo didn't bite. Instead, he held his ground, reading Hiro's intentions as though he could see the play unfolding in his mind.
Hiro could sense Yugo's defensive awareness wrapping around him like an invisible net, tightening with every step.
Yugo's arm brushed against Hiro's shoulder as he closed in, throwing off Hiro's rhythm just enough to stall his momentum. With his superb man-marking, Yugo positioned himself in a way that made every inch of space feel hard-won.
For a moment, it seemed impossible to pass him. Hiro couldn't tell what was happening. Perhaps, it was something like an awakening.
After all, until some moment ago, he had been easily passing him. But now, the difficulty had almost surged to an unprecedented level.
It almost fell as if he was up against some world-class defender.
Previously, he had felt the same aura from Marquinhos when he played against Brazil.
Then using body feint, Hiro tried to trick Yugo. It's not that he hadn't tried to use it before. But all of his previous attempts had been unsuccessful.
'I'm not falling for it.' Yugo thought noticing Hiro's intention.
But when he saw him moving his legs, he couldn't help but fall for it. Perhaps, he wasn't actually trying to trick him.
He moved, almost instinctively, lunging forward. At the same time, he swung his arm in an attempt to disposition Hiro.
Hiro, however, pulled a rainbow flick.
Yugo's eyes opened wide in bewilderment. He couldn't tell what had taken place for a moment. It felt as if the ball had vanished from his sight.
Before he could react, Hiro already passed him.
Even so, he made a desperate attempt to pull Hiro. Stretching his hand forward, he threw himself toward Hiro, attempting to bring him down.
People could vividly see that he was attempting an intentional foul. So, many became anxious upon seeing Yugo's reaction.
They feared that he would bring Hiro down. At the same time, many felt an intense feeling of anger welling up inside them.
However, what they feared didn't happen.
Yugo never got any opportunity to cling to Hiro.
Before he could even grab him, Hiro stormed away like a horse on steroids. Like a gust of
wind, he stormed away, leaving behind Yugo in dust.
Unable to grab Hiro, Yugo fell hard on the ground.
Thud!
The collision was rather harsh, sending a wave of pain all over his body. Even so, he stood almost immediately after he fell. High on adrenaline, he didn't even notice the pain.
Driven by his desperation, he began to chase Hiro again.
However, before he could even reach Hiro, Hiro fired a powerful shot from right outside the
box. The ball flew straight to the post.
Only at that moment, did Yugo's expression change.
Looking at the soaring ball, he felt a sense of helplessness clawing at his heart. His eyes
became frenzied while his expression sank.
His pupils reflected the soaring ball that was heading straight to the post.
A pair of hands entered his field of vision. But it barely missed the ball by an inch. Almost immediately after what followed was a wave of jubilant cheers.
"Goal!"
Even now, he was trying to catch Hiro. But after Hiro released the ball, he slowed down quite a
bit.
Finally, he paused.