25 - The Art of Dribbling

As the referee blew the whistle to start the match, Lucas Tanaka took one last look at Ishikuno.

The match was about to begin, and Leo knew that every move, every pass, and every decision would be crucial if he were to complete his mission. But he wasn't doing it just for a few rewards. He was doing it for his dream of becoming a professional.

Lucas felt a chill run down his spine as the sharp sound of the whistle cut through the air, and he knew it was time.

Nishida wasted no time, and with his muscles giving him a frightening burst of strength, he immediately went on the attack.

"Lucas, over here! Let's teach these idiots that, in soccer, the man who scores the most goals wins!" Nishida shouted, shooting across the field like an unstoppable battle tank.

Lucas knew that Nishida was determined to score a goal quickly and silence any doubts about his abilities. He would trust Nishida with his life if he had to, so Lucas threw a precise pass, just as Nishida had asked, which raced towards the opponent's goal and sliced through the Itou High School formation like a pair of scissors, or rather a machete.

Nishida smiled confidently as he felt the familiar touch of the ball at his feet, already imagining the moment when it would find the back of the net. Suddenly, something unexpected happened.

In a split second, Nishida realized that he was running without the ball. Confused, he looked back and saw the agile figure of Shinto Ishikuno running with the ball in his possession.

Ishikuno's playful face had appeared, making his serious expression disappear.

"I can't believe it... He took the ball from me!" Nishida muttered in disbelief. Determined to regain control, he ran after Ishikuno, but he was already too fast.

Ishikuno ran towards Lucas who, seeing the situation, didn't want to risk his luck.

"Defend! Don't let them through!" Lucas shouted to his companions as he moved to block Ishikuno's advance. "They won't get past me!" Lucas shouted, preparing for a direct confrontation.

Ishikuno stopped, smiling slightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Let's see then!" He replied before performing an impressive dribble, sweeping his right leg over the ball and making it disappear like a magic trick.

Lucas blinked twice, not understanding what the hell had happened. He had no doubt that the ball had literally disappeared.

However, a few moments later, when Ishikuno ran past him without the ball, Lucas heard the sound of the ball and realized that what Ishikuno had done was to hide the ball while doing a backheel flick to pass it to a teammate. Thus, the sound of the ball being touched that Lucas heard was the sound of Ishikuno's teammate completing a triangulation that left Lucas lost.

Ishikuno began to run past one defender after another, keeping the ball close to his feet as if glued to them. He exchanged quick glances with his teammates, signaling the next move.

Keisuke, one of Itou High School's forwards, positioned himself to receive a pass, while Takeshi, another player, prepared for a possible rebound.

Ishikuno skillfully dribbled around the Wushia High School defenders.

The Itou High School players were far away, not giving Ishikuno many passing options, but he still advanced on his own.

Kenji tried to close the space, but Ishikuno had already anticipated it. With a quick turn, he evaded Kenji and left him behind. Fortunately, Hidefumi covered Kenji's mistake and kicked the ball away from Ishikuno's feet, sending it to the side of the field and ending the frighteningly promising attack that Ishikuno had created.

Surprisingly, the Wushia High School players were already panting, not from fatigue, but from their hearts racing.

"Are we going to have to endure this for another 89 minutes?" Kuwabara asked in a cold sweat.

Lucas looked at his teammates and saw the same startled expression on their faces.

Ishikuno was that kind of player, a monster capable of terrifying opponents with his superhuman talent.

Takeshi, a player from Itou High School, saw the scene of the Wushia High School players being frightened by Ishikuno and smiled a little nervously.

'I don't blame them for being scared. I was the same way when I saw Shinto play for the first time...'

Hidefumi, however, seemed calm. He had saved the team with a shot that averted the immediate danger.

"Well done, Hidefumi!" Lucas shouted and gave him a nod of appreciation.

Hidefumi smiled back only briefly and straightened his headband, which was starting to slip due to sweat.

"We have to keep an eye on Ishikuno." Hidefumi said in a serious tone. "He is fast, unpredictable. If we can surround him and not give him any space, we can mitigate the threat."

Wushia High School would have to work as a team to take on a player like Ishikuno.

Ishikuno looked around the field, analyzing the formation of the opposing team.

Keisuke and Takeshi, his teammates, were strategically positioned off to the side, waiting for an opportunity to receive the ball and help with the attack.

The referee blew his whistle to allow a corner kick. The ball was put into play and was soon in the possession of Wushia High School, where Hidefumi took it again. He looked for Lucas, who was already in a favorable position in the midfield.

Hidefumi passed the ball to Kenji, who passed it on to Lucas.

"Let's go." Lucas muttered to himself and ran like a winger. He picked up the ball and made a long pass to Nishida.

Combining defense and offense with quick passes was Wushia High School's specialty. At least, that's what this team had been doing best since they started playing together six months ago.

Lucas made a long pass to Nishida, who was further up the field. Nishida controlled the ball and charged forward, his imposing presence cutting through the opposing defense.

Keisuke, Itou High School's #12, was nearby and ran towards Nishidato try to intercept the ball. However, Nishida didn't lose his cool and passed to Kuwabara, who was approaching from the side.

Kuwabara was small, but he was a little faster than their right winger, so a few weeks ago, Mr. Yamamoto practiced a position reversal and had Kuwabara go forward with some special moves.

Kuwabara ran down the right sideline with a smile on his face and his eyes fixed on the opposing goal. 'This is where I get to consecrate myself with the babes watching!'

He crossed the ball to the center of the field, where Lucas, Nishida, and Tsukada were already positioned. Lucas tried to jump with , but...

[ failed].

His chance of jumping as high as Nishida was about 15%. In other words, he couldn't do it every time.

Luckily, Nishida was there to show off his No. 9 skills, and he jumped higher than any defender to head the ball into the goal.

Nishida headed the ball powerfully into the left corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper no chance.

The High School Itou goalkeeper stretched but couldn't reach the ball. The ball went into the right corner of the goal, and the stadium erupted in applause. Nishida ran to the stands to celebrate.

"That's it!" Lucas shouted, jumping onto Nishida's back.

"I'M THE BEST!" Nishida said, opening his arms to the crowd.