Chapter 240: Ubers vs. FC-Barcha (2)
"Here it comes!"
Following the commentator's shout, Snuffy flicked the ball forward and accelerated.
Lavinho frowned. He didn't press immediately. Snuffy wasn't a pure striker—his understanding of team organization was on par with top-tier midfielders, and he wasn't a defensive specialist either. So Lavinho planned to just delay him for now.
"Snuffy shouldn't be that obsessed with solo attacks. Instead of locking onto him, I should pay attention to the others."
Lavinho comforted himself with that thought.
But the very next second—everything collapsed.
Snuffy forced his way forward with surprising aggression. The two superstars collided, but Snuffy—who had mastered jiu-jitsu-like force absorption—neutralized the impact instantly. Even after Lavinho stopped his initial burst, Snuffy launched into a second sprint with brute determination.
"I don't remember you being this type of player, Lavinho."
They had no choice. Dada Silva abandoned his own mark and rushed over to assist. With two top defenders closing in, Snuffy should finally be forced to pass—
—or so they thought.
Just before they crashed into him, Snuffy suddenly stepped sideways, slamming on the brakes. His heel flicked the ball back a step. Then he performed two rapid touches, shifting the ball horizontally. When Dada Silva mirrored his movement to seal the lane, Snuffy turned, shielding the ball with his back, matching Dada step by step—
—while raising his leg sharply toward Sae Itoshi, who was making a run behind him.
"So he's passing after all!"
The moment Snuffy lifted his leg, Dada Silva lunged to block the passing lane. In an instant, he sealed off more than half of the angle.
But—
Snuffy's raised leg never touched the ball.
It was a feint.
His right foot swung over the ball, then snapped backward, heel-flicking it behind him.
In the same motion, he spun—performing a clean, devastating Cruyff turn, slipping through the gap Dada had exposed.
"What the hell?! How far is he planning to go?! This is completely different from the Snuffy I know!"
With both of FC-Barcha's anchors defeated, Leonardo was forced to abandon his position to confront Snuffy. Lowering his center of gravity, he locked onto Snuffy with palpable tension. Snuffy approached like a burning comet—step after step, fluid leg swings, perfect control…
Wait.
Perfect control? A beautiful arc?
Leonardo's mind stalled.
The bloodthirsty Snuffy—who had just bulldozed through two stars—passed.
The one thing Leonardo was least prepared for.
The ball whooshed past him before he could even react.
Lorenzo, who had slipped forward unnoticed, faked a shot, sending the last defender stumbling, then calmly rolled the ball sideways toward Kaiser—
who was also in FLOW.
"This… is only the beginning!"
Kaiser roared.
And for that instant, it felt as if vines of thorns locked the defenders' bodies in place. No one could move.
All they could do was watch Kaiser leisurely draw back his leg—
—shoot.
The ball became a white streak.
A flash slicing past the faces of three defenders.
The net burst backward, blooming a radiant white rose.
BANG!
Only after everything was over did the sound of foot meeting ball register in everyone's minds.
The goalkeeper finally understood—he wasn't frozen.
He just never had the time to react.
GOOOOOOOOAL!!!
"AAAAAAAH!! IT'S A GOAL! IT'S KAISER! KAISER HAS SCORED!!"
The commentator nearly screamed himself hoarse.
"This young emperor, whose spotlight was stolen by a sudden new star, has finally proven himself again!"
Everything happened so fast the commentator had frozen for seconds. Only the whistle snapped him back:
"It hasn't been easy! After his team's poor results, this Eleven Heroes striker endured waves of criticism. Snuffy's massive offer was both a recognition of Kaiser's ability—and fuel for even more attacks.
"But NOW—he answers everyone with a world-class shot that pierced through three defenders!"
"YES—I AM WORTH THAT MUCH! I AM the strongest player in the New Hero League aside from the masters! Snuffy was right to pay 500 million for me—
and I deserve every bit of praise!"
"The Emperor… is marching toward his throne again!"
...
While the commentator raged in excitement, inside the lounge, Hiori stared at Snuffy on the screen:
"Just now… Snuffy… that was…"
"That was Snuffy's old playstyle."
An unexpected voice came from the doorway.
Noa leaned against the frame, meeting Shinichi's gaze.
"Mind if we borrow your TV for a bit?"
"I mean, the away lounge has the same setup… but whatever."
Shinichi mumbled, looking at his teammates for approval.
He was always democratic outside the field.
After the team agreed, Noa and his players walked in.
They had been watching on their phones, but when Snuffy entered FLOW, Noa decided on the spot to head to Shinichi's lounge.
"You said earlier—Snuffy's old style. Can you explain?"
Shinichi handed Noah an energy drink.
Noa didn't hide anything.
"There's not much to say. Snuffy's old style is completely different from how he plays now."
"In the past, Snuffy was a pure physical player.
He thrived on body collisions, crashing into the box, relying on height and brute force to win headers and force shots. His partner back then was a lightning-fast winger who specialized in crosses. Together, they were once the rising supernovas of the league."
"But later, things happened. Snuffy decided to devote himself fully to football—polishing his technique, mastering control—and gradually evolved into the style he has now."
Noa kept it brief.
He didn't want to talk about others' scars.
"And what he just did—that was very close to the style he had when he first debuted."
"That kid…that stubborn idiot who used to chase his dreams by charging head-first—
—he's back."
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