[28] Yoichi Isagi (1)
"See you tomorrow, Tada"
"See you too!"
Tada smiled and waved his hand goodbye while Isagi responded with the same gesture as well.
After a while, the two separated with Isagi arriving at the place where he had parked his bicycle.
He then proceeded to walk toward it before his body suddenly twitched, causing him to pause in his steps.
For some unknown reason, he could "smell" the scent of the ball coming toward him which baffled him but out of instinct, his body moved itself and took a step back.
And that single action of his saved him from being whacked hard to the head as a ball just whizzed past right in front of his face at an astonishing speed.
"...?!"
Upon almost being hit, Isagi widened his eyes as he shortly saw the ball hit a lamppost and rebound back into the air before it landed on the ground, bouncing a few times as it slowly rolled toward his foot.
He was stupefied in place, just staring at the ball on the ground before he woke up from his dazed state and immediately turned his head to where the ball came from.
There in the distance, he saw a stranger with a black mask, black cap, and a black windbreaker strolling toward him.
"Yoichi Isagi... aka The Unbeatable Striker"
"..."
"What a pleasure it is that we met"
Although the stranger had his mouth covered, Isagi could still see his eyes curved and glinting with light, showing whoever this guy was...
He was clearly enjoying the situation.
And Isagi didn't like that, finding the attitude of the stranger to be unlikable, especially the fact that he was almost knocked out by him.
"Say, I saw your match earlier..."
"..."
"...And I must say, it was disappointing, truly a disappointment"
The stranger repeatedly clicked his tongue and shook his head, expressing sadness and disappointment.
'What's with this guy?'
Upon hearing his words, Isagi frowned as his impression of the guy lowered even more.
"What's wrong? Didn't like my words"
"..."
"How about you prove me wrong then, Mr. Beatable Striker"
The stranger pointed at the soccer ball and then made a provocative gesture, making Isagi clenched his fist.
Getting irked, Isagi stepped on the ball before rolling it forward and dribbling it, rushing toward the stranger.
"Oh?"
Seeing this, the stranger curved his eyes once again and prepared himself for a confrontation.
And shortly after, Isagi arrived in front of him and performed a step-over, attempting to fake him out.
Too bad Isagi was playing against someone who knew him very well.
"Not enough"
The stranger commented after he easily saw through Isagi's fake and stole the ball afterward.
"...!!?"
After the ball got stolen away, Isagi jerked and almost lost his balance but he managed to compose himself shortly as he then focused his attention back on the stranger in front of him.
This time, the table had changed and it was his turn to defend.
"Hmm"
With quick dribbling, the stranger carefreely played around the ball before suddenly bursting out in speed, surprising Isagi.
In the next second, the stranger halted at the right moment before he collided with him, forcing Isagi to step back unconsciously.
This made the stranger chuckle, eliciting a groan from Isagi as he had just realized the mistake he made.
And in a span of seconds, the stranger rolled the ball on the back of his left foot before flicking it with his heel, lobbing it up over Isagi's head.
"Rainbow flick?"
Isagi was astonished as his eyes followed the ball above him.
Meanwhile, the stranger ran forward and spun himself, passing Isagi with ease before he received the ball back and trapped it in the air.
Quickly, he immediately kicked the ball and aimed it at the lamppost as it cut the air before ramming itself into the post.
"That's one"
The stranger spoke, raising one finger in the air toward Isagi.
On the other hand, Isagi was still impressed by the incredible play and was distracted before a ball came at him and was forced to receive it.
With the ball in his feet, Isagi turned his attention back to the stranger and saw the guy making the same provocative gesture.
He was basically asking to come at him again.
"..."
Seeing this, Isagi was silent with thoughts swirling inside his mind as he simply stared at the stranger in a daze.
He felt that he shouldn't keep indulging in this man's antics...
But on the other hand, he didn't like the feeling of being underestimated.
And plus, he had this nagging feeling that if he backed away now, he would lose something very important.
In the end, Isagi stepped on the ball and decided to continue with the game.
"Good decision"
The stranger praised him but Isagi thought otherwise and wanted to erase that smug expression he had.
Tensing his legs, Isagi aggressively rushed toward him and not long after, the two met in another confrontation.
With the intention to kick toward the post, Isagi pulled his legs back and was about to do so but the stranger predicted and blocked the angle shot.
Though too bad that Isagi anticipated it and immediately ceased his kicking motion and pulled the ball back immediately, preventing it from being stolen away.
But the stranger, seemingly knowing it was another fake, stabilized himself and took a step back, defending the post with his front.
And Isagi knowing it wasn't going to be easy, danced the ball between his feet shortly after and performed a step over.
"This again, really?"
The stranger mockingly commented, seeing Isagi do the same move again.
But Isagi wasn't bothered by the comment...
In fact, from his perspective, all he could think and focus on was scoring a goal.
After all, it's been months since he played aggressively like a striker that he almost forgot what it was like.
He didn't even realize that he was smiling from ear to ear.
For a while, the two were basically playing chess with the other person trying to get one step ahead of the other.
And the more Isagi tried to outmaneuver the stranger, the more he became immersed in the duel.
"Oh?"
The stranger stared at Isagi with an interested look as he immediately noticed the change in his movements.
He saw as Isagi's rhythm began to slowly sharpen thereby making his technique and skill level go up by a notch.
Although in the stranger's eyes, it still wasn't enough...
But the game certainly became enjoyable now.
"Come on, show me what you got!"
The stranger shouted, trying to psyche Isagi and make him engrossed in the duel even more.
And as if to respond to that, Isagi tapped the ball and passed it to his left foot before trapping it in the air with the intention to shoot.
But the stranger moved at the same time and blocked the angle.
However, Isagi wasn't done and reacted immediately by lobbing the ball to his right.
"...!"
It was only then that the stranger had his eyes wide open and realized the plan behind the move.
It was a two-fake volley, no...
It was Isagi's 2 stage, not lefty but right direct shot instead!
"What the hell?!"
The stranger exclaimed and looked utterly baffled as if he never expected to see such a play from Isagi at all.
Meanwhile, with the ball now on the right side...
Isagi had already pulled his right leg before slamming the ball with his foot instantly and kicking it toward the post.
And the ball whizzed in the air as Isagi watched it close in toward the post.
He didn't even know how he managed to perform such a play, he just let his body move and go with the flow.
And he certainly didn't hate it...
He could already imagine the scene of the ball ramming itself on the lamppost when a leg suddenly stretched out and appeared in its trajectory, breaking his fantasy.
"...?!!"
As expected, in the next scene, the stranger managed to intercept and block the shot with no effort as if the man had already anticipated it.
"Just kidding~"
The stranger chuckled and tilted his head before sticking his finger to his cheek while staring at Isagi with an amused look.
"Did you think I wouldn't be able to block that, my dear Isagi~"
The stranger asked, still looking amused, especially after seeing Isagi's surprised expression.
"Come now, I said it earlier didn't I?"
"...?"
I watched your match, meaning..."
"..."
"I know your every move as well as the fact that you can only shoot with your right leg currently, am I right?"
The stranger curved his eyes, expressing he was smiling beneath that mask.
Furthermore, his eyes glowed in a strange light and exerted an intimidating aura.
On the other hand, Isagi somehow felt a chill creep up at his back while staring at the eyes of the man, feeling as if the stranger could see through everything about him.
'Who exactly is this guy?'
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