Super Wingstorm

”That was beautiful!”

Dick Van Puer shouted from the sidelines.

Initially, he held no hope for Yang Yang. Putting him in was purely a last resort. But to his surprise, after Yang Yang entered the game, Baken Academy’s right-flank defense stabilized, blocking the opponent’s fierce attacks again and again.

Van Puer could easily imagine that regardless of the match’s outcome, his substitution would be praised by everyone afterward.

But he still had a severe lack of confidence in Yang Yang’s ability, especially on offense. His fundamentals were just too terrible.

”Pass it! Get it to Henk Demyer!” Dick Van Puer yelled.

But Yang Yang, on the field, seemed to have no such intention, nor did he hear the coach’s shouts. He charged forward, dribbling at high speed. In the blink of an eye, he reached the midfield line and closed in on the Omni-Bass left-back’s defensive zone.

”Pass the ball!” Van Puer’s face fell in alarm.

’Don’t waste this opportunity! Just pass it!’

Although Henk Demyer had made many mistakes in this match and his performance was extremely poor, he was still the team’s core midfielder. Even at this moment, in the minds of Van Puer and everyone else, he was infinitely more reliable than a rookie like Yang Yang.

With this preconceived notion, passing became Yang Yang’s obvious and only choice.

But on the field, Yang Yang kept his head down and continued to charge with the ball toward the defender in front of him.

For a while now, he had been doing the most basic training. Just last night in the Super Training, he had specially practiced ”Ronaldo’s Assault,” drilling the Pendulum Move until he was proficient. Combined with his successful defensive plays after coming on, he was brimming with confidence. He was eager to test out his Star Skills on an opponent.

’If I fail? I’ll just hurry back on defense.’

After seeing Yang Yang dribble past the midline, everyone was finally certain: he didn’t want to pass. He was going to try and break through.

Dick Van Puer was surprised, but also felt a hint of reproach. In his view, there was no way Yang Yang’s dribble could succeed. In nearly a year of training, he had never shown anything like this, so how could he possibly pull it off on the field?

It wasn’t just Van Puer. John Reep, the middle-aged Dutchman on the sidelines, and even many of the fans wore expressions that said they couldn’t bear to watch. It was as if they were all thinking, ’You were doing so well on defense, why go looking for humiliation?’

’Don’t bite off more than you can chew.’

......

......

The closer he got to the defender, the calmer Yang Yang became. His speed actually decreased slightly, but his eyes were locked onto his opponent.

Clearly, the Omni-Bass left-back, like everyone else, thought Yang Yang would pass. But when Yang Yang didn’t, it caught him by surprise, causing his positioning to be a little too far inside.

’There’s an opening!’

Yang Yang’s mind was made up. He continued dribbling toward the defender at a steady pace, silently calculating the distance in his head.

Closer. And closer.

The defender was also experienced. He didn’t rush in for a tackle but kept backpedaling, waiting for the right moment.

But just as he was retreating, he saw Yang Yang suddenly glance toward the outside. Immediately after, Yang Yang’s whole body accelerated. He dipped his right shoulder and made a distinct feint with his arm—a clear sign he was about to force a breakthrough down the line.

’Can’t let him get past, even if it means a foul!’

The defender, already positioned too far inside, didn’t hesitate. He rushed forward to block him.

But the moment he committed, he suddenly saw that Yang Yang wasn’t breaking down the line as he’d expected. Instead, he saw a flash of movement. Yang Yang, who had been leaning right, suddenly cut the ball back and changed direction, aiming to break through on the inside.

It wasn’t just the Omni-Bass left-back who was caught off guard; even the fans on the sidelines were stunned. In the blink of an eye, they saw Yang Yang use a feint to shake the left-back, cut inside with the ball, and leave the out-of-position defender in his dust.

Only then did a wave of gasps and cheers erupt from outside the pitch.

”The Pendulum Move?!” the middle-aged Dutchman cried out in shock.

On the Baken Academy bench, John Reep shot up from his seat, staring in disbelief at what had just happened on the field. If he hadn’t seen Yang Yang continuing to charge forward with the ball, he would have thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

He had once been a famous right winger in Europe. Although he didn’t get a clear look at the breakthrough, it didn’t stop him from mentally reconstructing the whole sequence. The name that popped into his head was the same as the Dutchman’s: ’The Pendulum Move!’

”What?” Dick Van Puer was startled.

’Are you kidding me?’

The Pendulum Move was Ronaldo’s signature skill. For Yang Yang to use it in a match was just too incredible to believe.

”Is that really Yang Yang?” Van Puer muttered to himself in disbelief.

John Reep could only offer a wry smile, rendered speechless.

Yang Yang had delivered too many surprises today. It was becoming hard for them to process.

On the field, Yang Yang didn’t stop because of everyone’s shock. He quickly dribbled to the right edge of the opponent’s penalty area. With the left-back beaten and the midfield unable to track back in time, the left center-back had no choice but to come over and cover.

What would he do next?

All eyes were fixed on Yang Yang, waiting to see his next move.

The defending and the breakthrough that followed were both beautiful, but if he mishandled this next step, all that effort would be for nothing.

Baken Academy’s forwards were also making runs. The Omni-Bass right-back had retreated into the penalty box to help the right center-back defend. But this left a huge pocket of space to the right of the penalty spot. Henk Demyer was making a late run from midfield, preparing to enter that very area.

Did Yang Yang, with his head down dribbling, see the open space?

Earlier, Henk Demyer and the others had refused to pass to him. Would he be willing to pass now?

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Yang Yang, who had charged to the byline on the right side of the penalty area, faced the blocking left center-back. He first faked a cross, then came to a sudden stop, cut the ball back, and quickly made a cut-back pass with his right foot, sending the ball toward the right of the penalty spot.

And at that moment, Henk Demyer finally arrived in position. He controlled the ball with his left foot, then followed through with his right, driving a low shot into the far corner of the net.

He saw it!

It was unbelievable, he actually saw it!

John Reep and Dick Van Puer were both dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.

Even the middle-aged Dutchman standing on the sidelines had a glint in his eyes. He hadn’t expected Yang Yang to have actually seen that opening either. ’Does he have eyes in the back of his head?’

That was impossible, of course.

The only reasonable explanation was that he was constantly observing and possessed an exceptional ability to read and anticipate the game.

TWEET!

When the referee’s whistle blew, a thunderous roar of cheers erupted from all around the stadium.

It was the most fervent round of applause and cheering since the match began.

”Hey, Chinese kid, I’m starting to like you!”

”That assist was absolutely beautiful! Keep it up.”

”I’ve got my eye on you, Chinese kid!”

The goalscorer, Henk Demyer, stood frozen in place. He had even forgotten to celebrate. He could hear the fans’ cheers, but they weren’t for him, the one who scored. They were for the good-for-nothing he had always looked down on.

Before, he definitely would have been furious, flying into a rage out of shame. But now, he couldn’t muster an ounce of anger.

Because this very same good-for-nothing had just delivered him a brilliant assist, helping him score a goal.

With this goal, everyone would forget his terrible performance throughout the match.

In a way, the Chinese kid had saved him.

How could he possibly feel any hatred?

Far from hating him, he actually felt a little ashamed. He was the one who had told his teammates not to pass to Yang Yang.

......

......

Yang Yang’s thoughts weren’t nearly so complicated.

He had indeed been dribbling with his head down, but his God’s Vision let him see everything that was happening on the field as if it were the back of his hand.

The two forwards in the penalty area were both in poor positions to receive a pass; it would have most likely been cleared away. On the other hand, the space to the right of the penalty spot was wide open, and Henk Demyer was making a run. If he got the ball, he could shoot immediately. So, without a second thought, Yang Yang passed it.

For him, the grudge with Henk Demyer was an internal team conflict. But right now, they were two goals down. Internal conflicts should be set aside. They had to aim their guns outward, do everything they could to take down the opponent, and win the match first.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten the humiliation Henk Demyer had put him through. So, after seeing the goal, he didn’t run over to celebrate like his other teammates. He just quietly walked away.

But almost all the cheers from the sidelines were for him, which surprised him.

After that first successful breakthrough, Yang Yang became even more confident, especially in his understanding and application of the Pendulum Move.

Omni-Bass also seemed to sense the threat Yang Yang posed after coming on as a substitute. After conceding the goal, they immediately subbed out their number seven, their main attacker whose stamina was nearly depleted, and brought on a substitute to focus more on defense.

With the defensive pressure on the right flank eased, Yang Yang began to participate more actively in the attack.

He had always seen himself as an offensive player. It was only due to his situation on the team that he had been forced to focus on defense.

As Yang Yang began to play more freely, John Reep, Dick Van Puer, and even the middle-aged Dutchman on the sidelines all started to notice his positioning.

No matter how the situation on the field changed, Yang Yang always managed to find open space. But even after his outstanding performance, his teammates were slow to react. Still, no one passed him the ball.

John Reep couldn’t stand watching from the sidelines any longer. He reminded Van Puer, ”Tell them to pass more to Yang Yang. If we can open up the right flank, the center will come alive.”

Dick Van Puer’s eyes lit up. ’Of course!’

Wasn’t it precisely because Yang Yang’s breakthrough on the right created an opening in the center that Henk Demyer got his chance?

The only concern was Yang Yang’s fundamentals, but at this point, they couldn’t afford to worry about that.

With a command from the head coach, everyone, even Henk Demyer, had to comply.

Yang Yang soon received a pass from a center-back and once again pushed forward with the ball along the right flank. This time, however, the one blocking him at the midline was Omni-Bass’s left midfielder, who had just been subbed on.

It was another one-on-one.

’Should I try to break through again?’

Yang Yang was brimming with confidence, and the head coach had given the order. He couldn’t be bothered with anything else. To hell with it, he would just get past this guy first.