Beep——!!
Perhaps it was psychological, but as the two stood in the center of the field, everyone felt that even the referee's whistle seemed more intense and invigorating than usual.
In this charged atmosphere, Lavinho received a pass from Bachira and charged straight toward Shinichi.
'As expected of a world-class player, even now, it's difficult for me to spot any flaws in his movements.' Facing a true top-tier superstar, Shinichi didn't underestimate him at all.
He had already activated his Ice World, but even with his sharp eyes that could pinpoint weaknesses, no glaring ice spikes appeared around Lavinho.
Only a few small, fist-sized ice fragments floated around him, and as Lavinho moved, those ice fragments, symbolizing weaknesses, darted around at high speed, making them difficult to catch.
"What's wrong, kid? Aren't you going to attack?" Seeing Shinichi carefully assess his movements, Lavinho smirked. "Then it's my turn to make a move!"
With that, Lavinho began to actively attack. He quickly advanced, forcing Shinichi to retreat.
He then pushed the ball outward, intending to change direction. But during the outward push, his right foot remained hovering above the ball, ready to halt the move at any time and shift into the next one.
Although it seemed like a standard change of direction, Lavinho had added more options and variations to this move, making it difficult to read.
If Shinichi was reckless and charged forward, Lavinho would instantly alter his motion, disrupting Shinichi's balance and forcing him into a defeated position.
However, even facing Lavinho's aggressive attack, Shinichi didn't flinch.
After being forced back by Lavinho's first move, he didn't rush forward to try and close the space.
On the contrary, he deliberately stepped back again.
Not only did this allow him to keep Lavinho's movements in his line of sight, but it also gave him more room to react.
With that one step back, he neutralized Lavinho's initial advantage, bringing both players back to an equal footing.
"Tch, you've improved, huh?" Lavinho clicked his tongue, stopping the ball with a light tap and then using his right foot to slowly push it towards Shinichi. Of course, this was still a trap.
If Shinichi attacked, Lavinho would immediately flick the ball away to avoid the steal, using a quick step to get past Shinichi. And if he chose to retreat again, although he wouldn't lose immediately, it would only further put him in Lavinho's rhythm.
Even if he did step back, Lavinho could very well find a flaw in Shinichi's movement in an instant and exploit it, further breaking through Shinichi's defense. So, what would Shinichi choose?
[Is he going to attack?! Faced with Lavinho's constant pressure, Shinichi chooses to move forward and challenge him, but it seems like he's not aiming directly at the ball—Shinichi is heading straight for Lavinho himself, putting up a fierce resistance! Lavinho stumbles slightly, but still manages to change direction—Shinichi follows him closely! Every change of direction is anticipated by Shinichi. Is he going to stop him? Ah... Lavinho pulls back!]
[This... oh my god... as unbelievable as it seems, in this brief moment of offense and defense, Shinichi came out on top!]
As the commentator said, Shinichi wasn't looking to engage in a battle of wits with Lavinho. Whether it was experience or ball control, he couldn't match up to him.
Those were things that could only be accumulated over time. Even his devouring ability couldn't help him in this area. Trying to attack the opponent's strengths with his own weaknesses wasn't courage—it was recklessness. But at the same time, he had his own advantages.
"You little brat, you should be in England playing with that muscle monster, Chris. What did you eat growing up? You've got more strength than I do?" In this confrontation, it was actually Lavinho who took a step back.
As for physical strength, he didn't feel disadvantaged.
After all, he was a world-class player, and players of this level typically had attributes that averaged around 90-100 points. Moreover, Lavinho had often faced opponents with this level of strength in his matches—he had even faced some stronger than Shinichi.
The problem, however, was that Shinichi's speed attribute was somewhat off the charts. Especially with his speed reaching 100 points and gaining the additional trait of [Change of Direction], Shinichi's average speed during continuous changes of direction even surpassed the peak burst speed of Barou's sudden stop and change.
It could be said that unless Lavinho tricked his judgment, even a top dribbler like Lavinho would find it difficult to get past Shinichi using just changes of direction.
By taking the initiative, Shinichi disrupted the situation, preventing Lavinho from calmly setting traps with his dribbling.
As a result, Lavinho's subsequent attacks were reduced to subconscious actions, relying on muscle memory and technique.
At this critical juncture, it was more about the instantaneous reaction of both players, and in terms of reaction speed in the moment, Shinichi had yet to encounter an opponent who could match him.
Even though Lavinho's moves still included a lot of feints and traps due to his muscle memory and match experience, Shinichi believed that with his ability, these last-minute actions wouldn't be enough to create a decisive difference.
And indeed, Shinichi was right. In this situation, where Lavinho was completely outpaced in both speed and reaction ability, he couldn't open up any distance in the first moments.
After several changes of direction being blocked by Shinichi and being on the brink of being stopped, Lavinho still had to control the ball while wrestling with Shinichi. That proved difficult for him.
After all, no matter how strong a forward is, if they are required to stay still and face relentless pressure from an equally strong opponent while also needing to protect the ball, they're bound to fail. With only one foot on the ground, it's impossible to fully exert power.
However, Lavinho was still a top-tier superstar. Even though his initial attack was pushed back by Shinichi and he was caught off guard by Shinichi's sudden speed burst, he didn't lose possession of the ball.
Even if the situation didn't look great, he still managed to shake off Shinichi's entanglement and prepared for the next attack.
This alone was enough for everyone watching to see the overwhelming gap between the two.
...
"Phew... amazing... the back-and-forth in that instant, even from the perspective of an observer, was difficult to fully comprehend. Those two managed to pull off such a series of strategic moves solely through their immediate reactions on the field. It's too strong, it's like a battle from another dimension."
In a building in Germany, Isagi, so engrossed in watching that he had forgotten to breathe, finally snapped back to reality when the two players had distanced themselves from each other.
Switching his breathing to manual mode, Isagi took deep breaths while expressing his admiration with a look of longing.
"Shinichi... he's really entered the ranks of world-class forwards!"
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