Super Wingstorm

”Are you sure?” Old Ice asked mechanically.

Yang Yang nodded firmly. ”Yes, I’m sure.”

Old Ice said no more. The shadowy figures of the stars surrounding the field suddenly dimmed, as if all their light was converging on Ronaldo. The superstar in the red and blue jersey became exceptionally brilliant, almost blinding.

Ronaldo’s Charge!

This was a decision Yang Yang had made after careful consideration.

Speed was his greatest advantage at the moment. His 100-meter dash was around eleven seconds, and with more professional training, breaking the eleven-second barrier wouldn’t be difficult. Therefore, he was considering how to maximize this strength.

But anyone who had ever played soccer knew that a player’s technique would deform and be severely compromised under three conditions.

The first is when under high-intensity pressure. The second is when stamina is severely depleted. And the third is during a high-speed sprint.

Yang Yang chose Ronaldo’s Charge not only because Ronaldo’s high-speed dribbling breakthroughs, changes of pace and direction, and ability to beat defenders all suited Yang Yang’s current advantages, but also because his technique never faltered during these high-speed runs. For a speed-based player, this was incredibly important.

Besides Ronaldo’s Charge, there was another Star Skill that suited Yang Yang well: Henry’s Left-Wing Cut-In.

As the name suggested, this was the Arsenal superstar Henry’s signature scoring method: starting with the ball on the left sideline, then using his speed to cut inside and score. However, compared to Ronaldo’s Charge, Henry’s Left-Wing Cut-In was limited to a specific area of the field.

As for Van Basten’s finishing, while also very practical, it wasn’t Yang Yang’s first choice for now. After all, he wasn’t the team’s striker. He’d be lucky to even get near the goal, let alone take a shot.

All things considered, Yang Yang felt that Ronaldo’s Charge was the most suitable for him.

As the shadowy figures of the stars all around faded into darkness, Ronaldo’s form became blindingly bright. Finally, it seemed to explode, transforming into a beam of light that shot directly into the center of Yang Yang’s forehead.

At his mental command, all the high-speed movements demonstrated by Ronaldo’s Star Skill hologram suddenly appeared in his mind with exceptional clarity. Down to the most minute detail—a single motion, even the exertion of a muscle—everything was presented to him with perfect precision.

In that single instant, he understood.

When Yang Yang opened his eyes again, a defender had appeared in front of him, and a black-and-white soccer ball was at his feet. Clearly, his special training for the night had begun.

”Considering our limited time, I suggest you focus on practicing one specific move for now: the Pendulum Move,” Old Ice advised.

”The Pendulum Move?” Yang Yang was surprised. That was Ronaldo’s signature move.

”Ronaldo’s Pendulum Move has too wide a range of motion, placing high demands on flexibility and balance. But I’ve made some slight modifications. I added preliminary step changes and deceptive feints, making the effect just as potent as Ronaldo’s original. More importantly, it won’t cause severe damage to the knees.”

It wasn’t that other people couldn’t attempt a star player’s signature move. For example, countless players knew how to do Ronaldo’s Pendulum Move. But why did so few actually use it?

Besides the requirements for flexibility and balance, a major reason was the severe strain it put on the knees. Ronaldo himself suffered greatly from this, battling knee injuries his entire career. Naturally, other players were unwilling to take such a risk.

If what Old Ice said was true—that the Super Training’s modified Pendulum Move reduced the physical demands and knee damage while being just as effective at beating a defender as Ronaldo’s original—then it was simply too incredible to believe.

At this thought, Yang Yang was already rubbing his hands together, eager to give it a try.

”The defender in front of you has been set to the average skill level of a defender in the Netherlands Fourth Tier League. If you play in the match tomorrow, the defenders you face shouldn’t be any better than him.”

Omni-Bass’s parent team was currently in the Fourth Tier League, so the youth team’s defenders were probably a bit weaker.

”Can I start?”

”Anytime.”

Yang Yang looked at the defender in front of him, estimating the distance to be about twenty meters. He replayed the scene in his mind of what he had just learned: Ronaldo sprinting with the ball at high speed, then suddenly changing pace and direction to execute the Pendulum Move. He wanted to try it himself.

He gently tapped the ball forward, pushed off hard with his right foot, and chased after it at top speed.

After catching up to the ball, Yang Yang charged toward the defender. But just as he was about to attempt the Pendulum Move, a figure flashed before his eyes. The defender had suddenly closed in and made a tackle, not only forcefully stealing the ball but also knocking him flat on the grass. The fall left him dizzy and disoriented, his insides churning.

It seemed this defender not only had the defensive skill of a Fourth Tier League player but had also convincingly learned the little tricks of playing dirty.

Yang Yang lay on the ground, his body aching, but he was more shocked than anything.

Throughout the entire process, he had used his maximum ability and fastest speed, trying to replicate the Pendulum Move from his mind. But he never expected to be read by the defender before he could even execute it.

Previously, he had speed but poor fundamentals, with weak ball control and clumsy footwork. But after several weeks of special training, his fundamentals had improved. He felt his ball control and his execution of moves were noticeably better. This was, frankly, the best dribbling attempt he had made in over a decade of playing soccer.

Yet, facing a defender with only the skill of the Fourth Tier League, he didn’t even get a chance to try the Pendulum Move. ’Are players in the Netherlands Fourth Tier League really this good?’

’What on earth is going on?’

”Have you noticed your problem yet?” Old Ice asked coldly.

Yang Yang picked himself up from the ground, shaking his head continuously but not answering.

That failure had still dealt him a considerable blow.

”Then try again.”

Soon, Yang Yang was once again standing twenty meters away from the defender.

This time, he carefully studied the entire process of the Pendulum Move, slowing down every action to watch it frame by frame. He actually noticed a detail he had previously overlooked.

In the beginning, Ronaldo’s speed was steady, with each stride covering nearly the same distance, making his next step easy to predict. But as he neared the defender, there was a clear change of pace—his stride frequency would speed up or slow down, and the length of his steps would also adjust.

”Going again?” Old Ice asked faintly.

”Again.”

Yang Yang stared at the defender for a moment, then quickly charged forward with the ball again. This time, just as the Star Skill hologram had shown, he suddenly accelerated as he closed in, trying to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm. He immediately dipped his right shoulder, but at that exact moment, the defender lunged forward, got close, and decisively poked the ball away.

He didn’t fall this time, but he still lost the ball. The Pendulum Move had failed again.

”What’s happening?” Yang Yang asked in frustration.

”I’ve said it before: learning is easy, but applying it is hard. And this is just training. In a real match, opponents will be tougher and far more unpredictable,” Old Ice reminded him calmly.

Yang Yang let out a heavy breath. He was beginning to realize that Old Ice was using facts to teach him a lesson: the Super Training wasn’t omnipotent. It was just a tool to assist him. He absolutely could not assume that just because he had the Super Training and had learned a Star Skill, he could dominate the field and be unstoppable.

”Let Ronaldo demonstrate for you.”

As soon as the words fell, Ronaldo’s Star Skill hologram reappeared on the training ground.

After receiving the ball, he charged directly at the defender. Just as he’d demonstrated before, his initial steps were steady. Then came a sudden burst of acceleration, followed by the Pendulum Move, and he effortlessly bypassed the defender.

The entire process was as concise and clean as ever.

Afterward, Ronaldo’s Star Skill hologram demonstrated it several more times. Each time, he beat the defender cleanly, without any hesitation. The defender was completely helpless against him, looking utterly flustered.

”I’ve also weakened this version of Ronaldo. His skill is basically at the level of a Fourth Tier League player, and his speed is the same as yours. But the effect... you’ve seen it for yourself.”

Yang Yang nodded. He was truly stunned.

”Same set of moves. Now you defend. Watch more closely.”

At Old Ice’s prompt, that Ronaldo charged toward Yang Yang at high speed with the ball.

Yang Yang’s full attention was fixed on Ronaldo.

Just as the demonstration had shown, Ronaldo’s speed was steady at first, and Yang Yang could predict his every step. But as he got closer, Ronaldo suddenly quickened his stride frequency, causing his overall speed to increase.

Although he was mentally prepared, the change happened in a flash, and it still made Yang Yang panic. Especially when he saw Ronaldo dip his right shoulder and turn his head to the right, looking for all the world like he was about to break through on that side, Yang Yang instinctively moved to block him. But to his surprise, Ronaldo executed a Pendulum Move, cutting the ball to the left.

He’d been beaten!

Cleanly. No physical contact. He hadn’t even touched Ronaldo’s jersey.

Beaten, just like that!

’Why did this happen? It looks like an ordinary technique, one that I know how to do, so why is it so powerful when Ronaldo uses it? Is it his speed and explosiveness?’

’No, that’s not it.’ Yang Yang was certain that the weakened Ronaldo’s explosiveness and speed weren’t *that* terrifying.

’So why can such a simple technique generate so much power when he uses it?’

”Look at this.”

The scene changed, and four sets of running footprints appeared before Yang Yang.

”The top two are yours, the bottom two are Ronaldo’s. The soccer ball marks show the position of each touch. Do you see anything?”

Yang Yang looked very intently and carefully.

He discovered that the top two sets of footprints were chaotic, with no discernible pattern. The distance between steps varied, sometimes long, sometimes short. The long strides were to catch up after a heavy touch on the ball, while the short, choppy steps were to adjust after a light touch or in preparation for a feint.

But the bottom two were clearly different. In the initial phase, the two sets of footprints were nearly identical. The landing point of each step and the position of each touch on the ball were extremely consistent.

”Even if you had Ronaldo try this same series of movements a hundred more times, the distance of each step and the timing of each touch would barely differ. That’s because this is the rhythm that is most suited to Ronaldo.”

”Now, think carefully. Why did you fall for it, even though you knew Ronaldo’s move to the right was a feint?”

Old Ice’s calm question made Yang Yang ask himself the same thing.

’That’s right. I knew the first move to the right was a fake, so why couldn’t I help but fall for it?’

”Because you were deceived by your own instincts!”