Chapter 509: João's brilliance
Chapter 509: João\'s brilliance
Then, in the 8th minute, disaster struck. João, ever alert, intercepted a careless pass from Kaoru. Kaoru, who had misjudged the ball, felt his heart lurch as he watched it stolen right before his eyes.
For a split second, panic gripped him, but Kaoru quickly steeled himself, determined to right his wrong.
João wasted no time.
With a burst of speed, he darted forward, his movements so fluid that Kenji could do nothing but watch as the Brazilian phenom left him in the dust.
Kaoru, however, was ready. He positioned himself like a grizzly bear towering over its prey, his eyes locked onto João, trying to read his next move.
\'Which way will he go?\' Kaoru\'s mind raced, every muscle in his body tense and ready.
João feinted to the left. Kaoru, not one to be fooled easily, lunged to block him. But in an instant, João vanished from his view, as if he had never been there.
Kaoru\'s eyes widened in shock. Where had he gone?
A moment later, he realized with a sinking feeling that João had already slipped past him. The Brazilian had pivoted with the grace of a dancer, leaving Kaoru frozen in place, his failed attempt to intercept a glaring reminder of João\'s brilliance.
To the onlookers, it seemed as if he was dancing on the pitch.
With a wide grin on their face, they stood on the sidelines enjoying the show. Their eyes hinted at a feeling of euphoria.
After dribbling past Kaoru, João took a quick glance at the post before sending the ball flying. The post wasn\'t that big, barely half the size of the real post. Even so, Naoto found it rather troublesome to stop the shot. It might be because it was from such a close distance. But despite his attempt to save the ball, he failed.
The ball as it slid past his reach shook the net.
"Goal!"
The venue erupted into euphoric cheers. Along with the cheers of the people, the rattling sound of the fence could also be heard.
João who had scored the goal ran up to his teammates to celebrate the goal.
Hiro looked at him with intrigue, \'Does this guy even realize that he had scored against pros?\'
Since Carlos hadn\'t revealed their identity, they mostly thought of them as some random foreigners who wanted to experience their culture.
So, Hiro couldn\'t help but wonder about his reaction if he were to know about their identity. Would he demean them if he knew about their identity?
Or would he act surprised?
As for Naoto who had failed to stop the shot, he could be seen with a smile full of amusement on his face. Despite his attempt, he couldn\'t save the goal but still wasn\'t disheartened by his failure to stop the ball.
\'Previously when seeing the post, I was confident to stop any shots. But it seems like it isn\'t as easy as I have thought\' Naoto thought while reaching out to the ball behind him.
Just then Kaoru came over to him.
His brows were knotted in a frown and he had a rather dejected expression. Then he said with an apologetic tone, "Sorry, it\'s my fault"
Naoto revealed a subtle smile as he said, "Don\'t fret over it, Kaoru-san. It\'s just a friendly match. So, just don\'t think too much about it and enjoy the game"
Well, if only he knew that Hiro\'s money was at stake. Perhaps, he wouldn\'t be taking the match lightly.
Kaoru gave him a light nod in response.
Then Naoto threw the ball to Hiro to resume the match.
\'Since he dribbled past two of our players, it\'s only right for me to return the favor twofold\' Hiro thought, a smirk adorning his visage.
As the match resumed, he accelerated with the ball.
"Stop him," shouted the burly man as he steadily retreated to position himself better.
João and one other guy rushed onto him, attempting to stop him.
A dark brilliance flashed past Hiro\'s eyes as he quickly glanced at the people before him. The other guy felt a foreboding feeling as he locked eyes with him.
It might be due to the terror he had struck earlier with his magnificent shot.
Or it might be an invisible force.
But for some reason, he felt quite out of place.
It was due to the unique effect of his newly acquired talent. Then the next second, Hiro broke free from their entanglement in one fell swoop.
\'What?\'
João and the other guy were stunned as they desperately attempted to follow him. Just in a split second, he had left the two behind.
They could only see his back which for reason appeared broader than it was in reality.
\'Was he always that big?\'
The other guy thought as he looked at him.
After leaving the two behind, he then approached the remaining players. At this moment, he pulled a move that almost resembled the move João had pulled out a moment ago.
The entire venue was left speechless by his blatant display.
Just how was he able to perform such skills so flawlessly?
Many were left in bewilderment as they tried to figure him out. At the same time, for some inexplicable reason, many couldn\'t suppress the feeling of excitement.
They could feel their heart racing.
It was almost as if they were the ones facing the danger.
In a couple of seconds, Hiro had dribbled the entire team. And now after dribbling past the entirety of the opposing squad, he found himself before the post.
There was only a keeper to stop him.
Hiro could have closed the distance even further after all, he was all by himself. But instead, he let out a mouth full of turbid air as he glanced at the opposing keeper.
The opposing keeper, squeezed his glutes as he prepared himself for what was to come. He could feel his senses tingling, almost as if it was warning him about a foreboding danger
heading his way.